Proposal (IV)
After listening to Grandpa Ruan's explanation, Uncle Wang also felt that his idea was a bit outrageous. Everyone in the village knew what kind of person Ruan Fengmian was. How could he suspect that this kid had an illegitimate child outside?
Uncle Wang scratched his head in embarrassment and said to Cheng Jinyan guiltily, "I'm sorry, young man. I'm old and I like to think too much. Please don't mind it."
Cheng Jinyan naturally didn't mind. He politely exchanged a few words with the old man and changed the topic to something else in a few words.
As they needed to rest after a long journey, the neighbors were very tactful and only exchanged greetings for a while before returning to their respective homes.
The crowd in front of the Ruan family's house finally quieted down. Grandpa Ruan took out the key and opened the door that had been sealed for a long time.
"Finally back."
Pushing open the dusty carved gate, the scenery of the Ruan family courtyard came into everyone's sight.
Although the people who lived here have left for a long time, the plants in the yard are still lush thanks to special cultivation techniques and technology, and the fact that villagers come to help take care of them from time to time.
Entering the gate, you will see a cobblestone path. On the right side of the path stands a large tree with a swing hanging under it, and a stone table and stone benches next to it. Further back is an exquisite wooden bridge and a gurgling stream.
To the left of the path is a garden. It's divided into several sections, some planted with vegetables and fruits, others with flowers and plants. The view is a sea of color, and the fragrance of flowers fills the air, bringing immense joy.
In addition to these, there is also an exquisite cottage located in the south part of the garden near the window on the first floor of the villa.
Like the Ruan family villa, this cabin is also made of wood in a neo-Chinese style, with very fine workmanship. However, its height only reaches the chest of an adult woman, so it doesn't look like it is meant for human habitation.
Xi Jiu had good eyesight and clearly saw the wooden sign hanging on the door of the hut -
[Home of fennel and fennel].
It turns out that this hut is a doghouse.
Dahui and Xiaohui, who had returned with the others, went wild the moment they entered the yard. They first howled like ghosts and wolves, then pawed and dug in the garden for hundreds of times. When their fury was over, the two dogs expertly crawled into their kennel and dashed back and forth.
The Ruan family had become accustomed to Da Hui and Xiao Hui's intermittent madness and could completely ignore it. They took the Xi family grandfather, grandson, and Cheng Jinyan on a tour of the courtyard, then opened the door of the villa and walked in.
"Jiujiu, this is where I have lived for nineteen years." Ruan Qi took Xi Jiu's hand and led him into the villa.
Different from the low-key luxury of the courtyard houses in the imperial capital, the villas in Qingyun Village exude a rustic rural style inside and out.
Everything in the house is made of solid wood, and much of the furniture is handcrafted by the Ruan family. While not as refined as furniture from big brands, it exudes warmth and comfort, making one feel warm at first sight.
The villa has three floors.
The first floor is the living room, dining room, kitchen, a large tool room, and Ruan Qi's workshop for refining and making medicines.
The second and third floors are everyone’s bedrooms and study rooms.
The Ruan family took Xi Jiu to visit each room one by one. When they came to a bedroom full of childlike fun, Xi Jiu suddenly stopped.
"here it is……"
The style of this bedroom is obviously different from the other rooms.
The walls were pale yellow, the floor was covered with soft carpet, and there was a small, log-style bed with a beautiful star-shaped headboard. Besides the bed, the room was filled with many children's items, such as a cute little wooden horse, a complete set of miniature kitchen utensils, and a variety of beautiful stuffed dolls.
"You're talking about this place? This is the room Xiaoqi lived in when she was a child." Grandma Ruan's smiling voice came from behind Xi Jiu, "She lived here until she was seven years old. Later, when she grew up, the little girl thought the style of the room was too childish, so she moved to another bedroom. Now this room is half a storage room, used to store things that Xiaoqi and Xiaonan used when they were children."
It turned out to be Ruan Qi's children's room.
A smile immediately appeared in Xi Jiu's eyes.
Looking at the room again, he subconsciously put on a filter and felt that it was full of cuteness everywhere.
Look at that little bed, it’s so cute and it’s most suitable for such a cute little girl like his baby.
Look at the little wooden horse again, it is even more beautiful than those big-brand designs, and it is worthy of being his baby’s childhood toy.
Xi Jiu felt that everything, including the stuffed dolls in the cabinet, was exceptionally special. He considered anything that had passed through Ruan Qi's hands to be the best in the world.
Xi Jiu stayed in this bedroom for a particularly long time, and only left reluctantly after everyone had finished visiting the entire second and third floors.
——
After visiting the villa, everyone, tired from running around, returned to their bedrooms to rest.
Since Mr. Xi was old, Ruan Fengmian arranged for him to stay in the guest room on the first floor, where he would be a neighbor of Grandpa Ruan and Grandma Ruan.
Cheng Jinyan and Xi Jiu, one was arranged to live next to Ruan Qi, while the other was moved by Ruan Fengmian to the innermost room on the second floor.
Even a fool wouldn't believe Ruan Fengmian if he said he didn't do it on purpose.
But when you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. Xi Jiu had finally managed to secure the opportunity to go back to his hometown with Ruan Qi. Not to mention being assigned to the innermost room, even if Ruan Fengmian arranged for him to live with Da Hui and Xiao Hui, he would still endure hardships and move his bedding in without hesitation.
After the rooms were arranged, everyone went back to rest.
The bustling villa fell silent again, with only the low chirping of cicadas outside the window.
After an unknown amount of time, a "click" sound suddenly came from the quiet second floor.
A door opened gently, and a figure crouched down and sneaked out of the room.
She first stuck her head out, looked around, and after making sure no one was around, she quickly walked towards the room at the end of the corridor, stepping on her slippers.
She quickly walked to the door of the room, grabbed the door handle and pushed it down hard.
The door opened with a click.
She poked her head through the crack in the door and saw Xi Jiu lying on the bed.
Xi Jiu must have just showered; his hair hung wetly in front of his forehead. His black shirt had been replaced with short-sleeved silk pajamas, three buttons undone, revealing his muscular, fair chest.
At this moment, he was half lying on the bed, looking down at the mobile phone in his hand.
Hearing the sound of the door opening, he immediately looked up. After seeing the little head coming through the crack in the door, Xi Jiu's eyes immediately showed tenderness.
"Baby, come in."
He sat up and extended his hand to Ruan Qi.
Ruan Qi immediately rushed into the room, closed the door, trotted to the bed, threw off her slippers, and threw herself into Xi Jiu's arms.
"Jiujiu!~"
The little girl was like a ball of sweet marshmallow, soft and fragrant, and was held tightly in Xi Jiu's arms.
Xi Jiu couldn't help but curl up the corners of his mouth. He hugged her and kissed her on the forehead: "Baby, why don't you sleep? Aren't you tired?"
Ruan Qi didn't answer, but asked: "Then why didn't Jiujiu lock the door? I remember you always locked the door when you rested in your bedroom."
A person who always locks his bedroom door at home doesn't lock it here. Even a three-year-old wouldn't believe him if he said he didn't do it on purpose.
Ruan Qi saw through the man's thoughts at a glance, and an expression of "I see through you" appeared on her face.
Xi Jiu couldn't help but laugh.
"Baby is the smartest. I can't hide anything from you." He pinched the girl's face and admitted frankly, "I did leave the door unlocked on purpose, waiting for Baby to fall into my trap."
Ruan Fengmian deliberately arranged Xi Jiu in the room at the end of the corridor. Xi Jiu could not challenge her father-in-law's authority, so she had no way to find Ruan Qi in her bedroom.
But he cannot go to the mountain, but the mountain can come to him on its own initiative.
Just as Ruan Qi knew Xi Jiu well, Xi Jiu also knew Ruan Qi well. Xi Jiu knew exactly how much his little girl cared about him. So, he deliberately left the bedroom door unlocked and washed himself thoroughly, waiting for Ruan Qi to come and "favor" him.
And just as he expected, Ruan Qi came secretly.
The two people who had been in love for almost three years hugged each other stealthily in bed as if they were having an affair.
"Jiujiu, are you used to coming here? Is there anything that makes you feel uncomfortable? Do you think the grandpa and aunt are too welcoming?"
Xi Jiu was used to being silent, and Ruan Qi asked this question because she was worried that he couldn't stand the enthusiasm of his neighbors.
Xi Jiu shook his head and said with a smile, "Everyone is really enthusiastic. I'm a little overwhelmed. But the elders always talk about your childhood when they chat. I like to hear it, so I don't feel uncomfortable."
Ruan Qi didn't know that the old men and women had mentioned her childhood, and the radar in her heart was instantly turned on.
She raised her head, a look of vigilance on her face. "What did Aunt Liu and the others say about me? Did they reveal my dark past?"
Seeing how nervous she was about her dark history, Xi Jiu couldn't help but want to tease her, and said mysteriously, "Well... I did say a few things..."
Upon hearing this, Ruan Qi immediately pressed on, "Which ones? What are they all about? Jiujiu, let me tell you, no matter what they said, it's all fake. I didn't do it, absolutely not!"
Xi Jiu raised an eyebrow and calmly asked her, "What about that thing you did when you were five years old..."
Ruan Qi, still thinking about her own dark past, fell for it. "Are you talking about when I ran away from home with our rooster when I was five? That was an accident! I just wanted to take the rooster for a walk. I definitely didn't run away because I was angry with Dad! I'm definitely not that naive!"
Xi Jiu didn't expect that he could actually get the information out of her, and the smile in his black eyes became even more intense.
He thought about the scene where five-year-old Ruanqi ran away from home in anger, holding a big rooster...
Damn, so cute.
Xi Jiu, who was always calm, couldn't help but curse in his heart.
However, he remained calm on the surface and continued to set Ruan Qi up: "So that's how it is. When the baby was six years old..."
"They're talking about what happened when I was six?!" Ruan Qi looked hurt. "Isn't it just that I almost mistook some goat poop for a candy ball? I didn't actually eat it. They've been laughing at me for over a decade, how come they haven't forgotten it?!"
Xi Jiu:?
Did his baby accomplish such a feat when he was a child?
Xi Jiu had seen sheep poop before. It was round and black, and indeed quite interesting.
But eating it as a candy ball... Imagining that scene, Xi Jiu's eyelids twitched a few times.
"...Baby, your childhood is so colorful." He sighed sincerely.
Ruan Qi blushed slightly as she mumbled softly, "It's okay. When I was little, I didn't know anything, but I was curious about everything. I always wanted to try and touch things I had never seen before. But I've never eaten sheep poop before. I thought it was a candy ball, and just as I was about to put it in my mouth, my brother knocked it away. The grandparents are really something, they still remember this after all this time. They're almost ruining my image as an idol."
The little girl muttered sadly, feeling regretful about the mistakes she had made.
Xi Jiu thought she was so cute. He tried to hold back his laughter, but couldn't help it. He hugged her and laughed softly.
When Ruan Qi heard his laughter, she felt like something was wrong.
Is Jiujiu's reaction time so long? He heard something two hours ago, and only remembered to laugh two hours later?
Ruan Qi frowned and looked at him, doubts rising in her heart: "Jiujiu...you are not setting a trap to deceive me, are you? Did Aunt Liu and the others really tell you about my dark history?"
Looking at the little girl with a conflicted look on her face, Xi Jiu couldn't hold back any longer and laughed even louder.
It was rare for the usually cold-hearted man to laugh so happily.
Seeing him like this, Ruan Qi had nothing to understand.
She opened her eyes wide in disbelief: "Jiujiu, you just lied to me? Aunt Liu and the others didn't tell me about my dark history, right?!"
Xi Jiu suppressed his smile and nodded.
"I'm sorry, baby. You were so cute just now that I couldn't help but try to trick you."
Ruan Qi: ...
OK!
He actually used the same tricks on her that he used on the prisoners at the Q base!
Ruan Qi felt hurt.
Especially when I thought about the fact that I had taken the initiative to reveal my dark history, I suddenly felt terrible.
Her face flushed as she struggled to get up from Xi Jiu's arms and was about to leave angrily.
Xi Jiu quickly reached out and hugged her back.
"Baby, I was wrong. I didn't mean to do that. I just wanted to know more about your childhood."
Ruan Qi raised her eyebrows. "A childhood of running away from home with a rooster and eating sheep poop like candy balls?!"
“…” Xi Jiu almost laughed again.
He quickly suppressed his laughter and said gently, "A baby like that is so cute. I don't think that's a black history for the baby. It's really so cute. I really want to kiss Xiao Qi at that time."
Although Xi Jiu's eyes were smiling, his tone of voice was very serious.
Ruan Qi was touched by his sincerity, and her attitude softened slightly. She said hesitantly, "You really don't think that's a dark history?"
"Of course not." Xi Jiu looked at her with a smile, his eyes full of deep affection. "To me, everything about you, baby, is the most beautiful and lovely. I regret that I met you too late and didn't get to see you as a child. Baby, thank you for telling me about your childhood. It makes up for my regret of not being able to grow up with you."
Xi Jiu was not trying to coax Ruan Qi.
He really felt that it was a pity that he didn't grow up with Ruan Qi.
So he liked to listen to the grandpa and aunt talk about Ruan Qi's so-called "black history", and also liked to stay in her children's room.
Only in this way will Xi Jiu feel that he has not missed any time in Ruan Qi's life and can barely make up for the regrets in his heart.
Coming
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
