"Little kid, where are you going?" Qin Huairu ignored her completely.
"If he wants to go, then take him. It's just one more spot."
“Mom, we’re going to the countryside. If he goes there, he’ll cause a ruckus. It’s not like we’re going on a trip. Besides, he’s so mischievous. If he breaks something, it’ll be another expense.”
Upon hearing this, Madam Jia thought it made sense.
No, I need to scare them with a stick.
"My dear grandson, you shouldn't go to places like the countryside..."
————
Compared to Qin Huairu's busy schedule, Wang Shouren felt a toothache.
It's Friday today, and the weather is already quite cold.
He was at work as usual, but last night, there was a letter on his desk at home.
This letter is also very interesting.
There were only a few words written on it.
See you at Shichahai at 10 AM tomorrow.
It lay quietly in Wang Shouren's house without a signature.
If this were a suspense drama, the study of this letter could fill dozens of chapters, and then the next day at ten o'clock, one would anxiously go to see who it was.
However, this is not a suspense drama.
The handwriting on the letter was very clear and elegant.
At a glance, you can tell it's Lou Xiao'e's handwriting.
It's strange how this girl has been; ever since that day, she's rarely appeared in front of Wang Shouren. Her relationship with Xu Damao is also strained. Moreover, she spends less and less time at the courtyard house.
Later, there were several night raids that nearly scared Wang Shouren's heart out.
This girl's shouts were truly unrestrained. Qin Huairu's voice was alright, as it was hard to hear unless you were near Wang Shouren's courtyard. But this girl's voice seemed to want the whole courtyard to know.
Sometimes, Wang Shouren even wanted to open up the girl's head to see what was inside.
This whole thing happened out of nowhere again today.
"Don't I have to go to work?!" Wang Shouren retorted sharply.
Then, I went out to the factory and asked for leave.
He currently has two apprentices under his wing, both with decent aptitude, and their recent internships went reasonably well. Handing them over allows him to slack off a bit. He had originally planned to check out the new rolling mill today, but Lou Xiao'e pulled this stunt.
With a sigh, I headed straight for Shichahai after leaving the factory.
There weren't many people at Shichahai at this time of day; it was the dead of winter, and people didn't like to come here to join the crowds.
Before I could even stand still, I saw a familiar figure standing on the riverbank, waiting quietly.
Wang Shouren walked over. Lou Xiao'e was wearing a coat, the brand of which was indistinguishable, covering herself completely. Sensing someone approaching, she turned around and saw Wang Shouren. Her eyes narrowed slightly: "You've come."
"Hey, Grandma, what are you doing?" Wang Shouren said helplessly, "I have to go to work."
"What, you're already impatient with me going on a date?" A pair of innocent eyes blinked, as if to say, "Pah! You scumbag."
"Okay, okay, it's up to you." Wang Shouren didn't know what this girl was thinking, but he was already here.
"Then come walk with me."
The girl's smug expression stirred up Wang Shouren's malice, and he asked with a smile, "What, aren't you going to find Xu Damao?"
Lou Xiao'e glanced at him: "Xu Damao accompanied me. Back then, it was right here that he proposed to me."
Goodness...
Wang Shouren choked for a moment.
Walking along the lake with Lou Xiao'e for quite a while, he finally said, "I think this is unfair."
"Where is the unfairness?"
"You tried to tame Xu Damao with your gentleness and naivety, but you failed. How come all you have left when it comes to me is shrewdness?"
"Because in his eyes, a woman should be gentle, cute, and a little silly. His pride wouldn't allow me to show that I'm smarter than him. If I did, he wouldn't listen to me; he'd beat me up. But with you, the smarter the better, isn't it?"
“I don’t think so. I think it’s good for women to be a little silly.” Wang Shouren walked with his hands behind his back like an old cadre.
"Oh, yes, just like Qin Huairu. Even today, she still thinks you love her, right?"
"How can I not be in love?"
"Yes, you're getting engaged to her sister tomorrow, and today you came to ask me out. You really love her."
That day, we couldn't talk anymore.
What could I do? I could only awkwardly touch my nose.
It was another silent journey, so silent that I had no interest in appreciating the snowy scenery along the way.
"You called me out today just so I could walk this road with you?"
"Xu Damao is asking me for money again, and the amount he's asking for is getting bigger and bigger. I heard he's using your factory's Director Li's connections. I don't know who's behind Director Li, but I roughly know he's targeting our family." Lou Xiao'e paused here, then said, "I'm leaving."
Xu Damao during this period was not as shrewd as he was later in the original series.
At this stage, he was still working hard for his future and for that "official" position.
He wanted to get more money from Lou Xiao'e. In his mind, only by paving the way with money could he truly become an official. Little did he know that his actions would not win him a position. On the contrary, he would put himself in an awkward position, because in this era, actual ability was the basis for evaluation.
If you lack ability, you won't get promoted.
His propaganda department, however, valued writing skills. He couldn't get promoted based on his "one big, three small" abilities.
Lou Xiao'e saw this very clearly and understood it very well.
When Xu Damao got involved with the unfathomable Director Li, she knew that one day, Xu Damao might just give her family away.
So, she's leaving.
Wang Shouren was neither surprised nor surprised by this answer.
In his memory, Lou Xiao'e was not simply a naive and innocent girl; she just liked to act that way.
Now, Xu Damao's actions have exceeded her expectations of their relationship. So, she's done playing along; she's leaving.
“When… never mind, you don’t need to tell me.” Wang Shouren took a deep breath.
Lou Xiao'e stopped, looked at him, and blinked: "Now, tell me, what do you want from me?"
Wang Shouren opened his mouth.
Lou Xiao'e's next sentence was: "Don't try to fool me. You have no love for Qin Huairu at all, and the same goes for me. Maybe there is desire, but that's not love. Besides, you can't be bound by love."
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