Chapter 13 The Moon of Yesteryear
Xie Ning knew this was because they weren't familiar with each other, so she turned to talk to Li Shan. She usually ate out, so the task of buying things fell to Li Shan, which made Xie Ning happy.
After eating, Xie Ning and Xiu Niang changed Fu Zisi's wound dressing and gave him instructions on how to use it before Xie Ning went upstairs to draw.
She only bought some anti-inflammatory and fever-reducing medicine for the injured at the hospital. Further treatment would require a real doctor. Xu He also said that he would arrange for a doctor to come as soon as possible.
When Li Shan returned from shopping, he saw Xiuniang sweeping the yard. He quickly put down his things, grabbed the broom, and started sweeping himself. "Xiuniang, you're feeling weak right now. Go lie down and rest. I'll take care of these chores."
Xiu Niang didn't stand on ceremony. She carried the things Li Shan bought into the kitchen and arranged them before returning to her room.
When Li Shan opened the room, he saw Xiu Niang staring blankly at a pair of tiger-head shoes on the bedside table. Xiu Niang had made them stitch by stitch, but unfortunately, they would never be used again.
“My dear wife, don’t be sad. If this child doesn’t come, it’s because we’re not meant to be. Even if he did come, he would only suffer with us. He’s going to a better family. That’s a good thing. Don’t be sad.”
Xiuniang was sentimental. Although she didn't show it on her face, she fell seriously ill when her mother passed away. Now, another relative had passed away without even a body. This was her uncle, whom she had treated like a younger brother during their escape. Overwhelmed with grief, and coupled with her poor diet and malnutrition, she ultimately lost the baby in her womb.
At that time, Li Shan was carrying Xiu Niang to find a doctor when they ran into the people who came looking for them. Those people brought back Li Shuigen's body and suicide note, saying that Li Shuigen was their comrade, their Shuigen was a hero, and that he had saved many, many people.
Li Shan wanted to hate those people, but why did it have to be his brother who died?
But he couldn't bring himself to hate him, because his brother Shuigen wrote in his suicide note that Li Shuigen was sacrificing himself for the sake of many poor people like them. Shuigen didn't understand any lofty ideals; he only wanted people like him, his older brother, to have enough to eat, women like Xiu's sister-in-law to be independent, and children like Zhuzi to be able to go to school and learn to read.
So Li Shan hated those damned black-clad spies even more, but that was all he could do. He didn't have the courage and spirit of his younger brother, Li Shuigen. He couldn't take revenge. His only thought was to take his wife and son and hide far away in the countryside. He felt like a coward, with nothing but tears and a heart full of resentment and fear.
But his wife, Xiuniang, wanted to stay and join those people, those so-called comrades of Shuigen.
That day, the two had their first cold war. In the end, Li Shan gave in. He was afraid, but his younger brother was already gone. If he lost his wife and son as well, the Li family line would be severed, and he would be a sinner.
Moreover, he is a man who needs to protect his wife and children, so he stayed. His mother used to say that with his personality, he needed to find a capable wife who could handle things. He had to discuss everything with his wife, big or small, and listen to her if they disagreed.
So he found a feisty woman named Xiu Niang, and this time he chose to listen to his wife.
Xiu Niang slapped Li Shan in annoyance, her eyes still red, but she felt much better. She had lost two children over the years, so she wasn't too heartbroken; it was just that she wasn't blessed with them.
After lunch and a nap, Xie Ning carried the snacks that Li Shan had bought to the Zhang family's door.
Since his first visit, Xie Ning no longer planned to bring lavish gifts every time he went to the Zhang family. Instead, he became more casual, focusing on the sentiment behind the gifts rather than their monetary value.
In the garden of Zhang Mansion, Old Master Zhang had set up a chessboard early in the morning, waiting for Xie Ning to arrive. The two were terrible chess players, both clearly noobs, but the worse they were, the more they loved to play. They were locked in a fierce battle on the chessboard. Zhang Congzhi watched a game or two from the side and then shook his head and left.
Watching novice chess players is mentally taxing; you might end up becoming less intelligent yourself.
Meanwhile, Young Master Zhang sat quietly to the side and watched the whole thing from beginning to end. Xie Ning had heard Zhang Congzhi mention his older brother a few times before, so he naturally knew that Zhang Mingyuan was quite good at chess.
Just when Xie Ning thought that Zhang Mingyuan was so filial and didn't look down on Old Master Zhang for being a terrible chess player, she saw a dignified woman in a simple cheongsam at the dinner table. When she saw her position, she immediately understood.
She knew it! She could clearly sense that Zhang Mingyuan's disdain was no less than Zhang Congzhi's, but she hadn't seen him move an inch. Turns out he was avoiding the blind date.
Zhang Mingyuan had short hair, and the collar of his white shirt was buttoned up tightly, with not even the cuffs loose. His face was not as fair as Zhang Congzhi's, but rather a slightly wheatish color, exuding a sharp and handsome look. His dark and deep eyes were beneath his slanted, high-bridged eyebrows, making him appear to be a calm and serious person.
The woman sitting opposite him was gentle and dignified, with delicate eyebrows like autumn water and fair skin like a gentle breeze. To be honest, the two were a perfect match in terms of appearance alone.
However, judging from his expression, Zhang Mingyuan seemed dissatisfied with this blind date.
“It’s more than just dissatisfaction.” Zhang Congzhi took a sip of wine, his tone full of schadenfreude. “My eldest brother ran off to join the army before he had established himself, which is why I, the second brother, got married earlier than my eldest brother. Now my eldest brother is already twenty-seven or twenty-eight. If he doesn’t get married soon, the old lady probably won’t be able to sleep a wink every night.”
She couldn't help but laugh a few times as she spoke, "You know, I suffered so much from blind dates back then, now it's my turn, brother. This time, the old lady pretended to be sick to coax him back, she won't let him go easily."
Then, glancing at Xie Ning, he teased, "Changning, don't be in such a hurry. The old lady loves to play matchmaker. Once my elder brother gets married, it will be your turn. They love to arrange marriages in their circle of ladies."
Xie Ning twitched the corner of his mouth. It was better not to have this marriage, lest it ruin someone else's good girl.
While chatting, Zhang Congzhi suddenly asked, "Changning, I remember you said you studied mechanical engineering in France. I wonder if you know how to repair looms?"
Xie Ning was taken aback. He remembered that when he talked to Zhang Congzhi about France, he did mention his major. Although it was made up, he couldn't go too far with the fabrication. So he used his major and profession from his previous life to fill in the gaps.
Having experienced two worlds in just six or seven years, she still hadn't forgotten the knowledge in her mind.
When she was heartbroken after her parents passed away one after another, she applied to the school to go to France as an exchange student for a year. She studied mathematics, and since her major was mechanical engineering, she naturally couldn't do without mathematics. Of course, the main reason was to change her environment and adjust her mindset.
After adjusting her mindset, she returned to China to pursue further studies. After completing her bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees, she went directly to work at the research institute where her supervisor worked. She wouldn't dare call herself an expert, but she should be able to repair machines like looms.
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