Chapter 344 "Mr. Duan, do you know Han Suijing?"
The study upstairs is very quiet.
Duan Suili was busy writing on several documents, marking important points with his pen from time to time. Hearing footsteps outside the door, he slowly raised his eyes and looked at his sister-in-law who was standing at the door of the study: "What's the matter?"
Mrs. Duan, who had never dared to act rudely in front of her brother-in-law, showed a refreshing smile on her face and pointed downstairs.
"The Xia family's daughter is here! Lao Jiu, go down and say hello to her."
Duan Suili frowned slightly, straightened his back and slowly leaned back against the chair, looked at the pen in his hand, "You really have nothing to do but to find trouble for me."
Ever since Duan Yanzhi got into a car accident, his business has been squeezed out by a lot of work.
He had just sorted out some things, and he was so busy that he almost had no time to go to the hospital to visit Duan Yanzhi. His eldest sister-in-law wanted them to settle down and marry the girl right away, and she asked the driver to pick her husband up from the hospital.
The tall figure stood up from the chair and walked downstairs.
Mrs. Duan followed closely behind her brother-in-law, and was so happy that she wished she could fly.
In the Duan family's living room, the nanny had already prepared tea, fruits and snacks. The matchmaker Aunt Xu and a distant female relative of the Xia family sat there drinking tea and chatting with Mr. Duan.
According to seniority, this female relative is Xia Yunshu's great aunt. She has worked for the Xia family for many years and is highly valued by the family. This time, she went to Beijing to pick up Xia Yunshu and bring him back to Yun Province.
Xia Yunshu sat upright on the sofa, not daring to move, with her fingers clasped tightly and her body trembling slightly.
She didn't know what kind of man she was about to face, who would make critical comments about her, and she couldn't help but think of Han Suijing, but she didn't know where Han Suijing was at the moment.
In this life, she only wanted to see Han Suijing.
Duan Suili appeared in the living room quickly, and the moment he came into view, a hint of doubt flashed across his handsome face.
This is...the girl from the Xia family?
She was apparently quite pretty when she was little, but how come after going to Beijing, not only did she not develop the aura of a lady from a noble family, but instead she became reserved and nervous, without any trace of the superiority of growing up in the Beijing circle?
"Hehe, Old Nine, come here and sit down." Old Duan saw that his son's brows were furrowed so deeply, and he looked very disgusted with the girl from the Xia family, but after all, they were old neighbors living on the same street, so they still had to show basic etiquette of hospitality.
Although the matchmaker Aunt Xu did not often have the opportunity to deal closely with the head of the Duan family like she did today when she was in Dali, she would occasionally see him from a distance.
Therefore, when the head of the Duan family, who was wearing a thin and neat white shirt and looked very imposing, appeared, Aunt Xu quickly stood up and said with a smile, "Master Jiu, I am Aunt Xu."
"Master Jiu, you are busy. You are getting more and more handsome." The aunt of the Xia family is already a woman over fifty years old, with a kind face. When she saw the handsome and tall Master Jiu of the Duan family, she and the matchmaker stood up to greet him at the same time.
The woman sitting next to Aunt Xia also hurriedly stood up from the sofa, tensely shrank her body, and didn't even dare to look at the strange man who walked into the living room.
Duan Suili looked at Xia Yunshu with emotionless eyes, walked slowly to the old father's side, and sat down gracefully.
"We are so sorry to come to your house unexpectedly today and disturb your work, Master Jiu."
The Xia family's aunt was very polite. After saying this, she changed the subject and pulled the wrist of the girl next to her, "Look, our teacher Xia's well-behaved little girl has grown into a graceful young lady."
"That's right. Teacher Xia and Mr. Xia love this girl the most and sent her to Beijing since she was young. Her knowledge and talent are not comparable to those of girls born and raised in Dali." Aunt Xu echoed with a smile.
Madam Duan and her husband Duan Jinan sat on the side, secretly observing the expression on Lao Jiu's face with envy.
But Mr. Duan was leaning on the sofa watching TV and didn't chat with them.
After a while, Mr. Duan stood up and said, "I'm going out for a walk. I've been accompanying Duan Yanzhi in the hospital for the past few days. My old back is so tired that I can't stand up straight anymore."
In the living room, several pairs of eyes turned to Mr. Duan, only to see the old man pounding his waist and walking outside in the courtyard in an unsteady manner.
Aunt Xu's expression was a little stiff. According to the rules, Mr. Duan was the head of the family and should be more concerned about the marriage of his youngest son.
Why didn't he even ask Xia Yunshu a single question and just got up and went out to play by himself?
Mrs. Duan laughed and said, "Our son Duan Yanzhi had a car accident a few days ago, and my father had to go to the hospital to take care of the patient. That's why Lao Jiu has time to stay in Kun City. Otherwise, he would be busy with business outside all year round."
"Old Nine, say something. Don't scare Yun Shu."
The elegant-looking head of the Duan family said nothing and drank his tea quietly. His sharp facial features were tinged with a hint of alienation and indifference. His pair of black and white eyes were full of emotion as he looked the girl opposite him up and down again.
He could feel that the girl opposite him was so nervous that her palms were sweating.
In the awkward atmosphere, Duan Suili said in a clear voice: "I haven't seen you for many years. Why do you look so sick, Miss Yunshu? Did you just get sick?"
"Ah?" Aunt Xia and Aunt Xu looked at Xia Yunshu at the same time, their hearts jumping into their throats.
Aunt Xu quietly wiped the sweat on her forehead with her palm and said with a smile, "Master Jiu has good eyesight. The girl caught a cold a while ago. You know that she doesn't like to take medicine when she catches a cold. That's why it has been delayed until now."
She quickly winked at the aunt of the Xia family and said with a chuckle, "Aunt, take Yunshu to the hospital later. Don't delay it any longer. A cold is not a big deal. Take medicine if necessary."
“……” Aunt Xia was not good at lying and she tried hard to force a smile on her face.
Mrs. Duan waved her hand and said, "What does it matter if she has a cold? Go to our Duan's pharmacy tomorrow and ask the old shopkeeper to give her two prescriptions of Chinese medicine. After drinking it, she will be as lively as our Duan Yanfei. When they were little, weren't these girls all the same?"
Duan Suili thought to himself, can I keep catching cold until I become physically and mentally exhausted?
His eye sockets are sunken, I guess he has been sick for a few months.
"You guys chat first, I have other things to take care of." He put down the teacup in his hand. There was no need to waste precious time here. After saying that, he got up and went upstairs.
Suddenly, the girl opposite said, "Mr. Duan, can we talk alone?"
It would have been better if Xia Yunshu didn't speak. As soon as she opened her mouth, not only Duan Suili's eyes showed surprise, but the other faces were also stunned, especially Mrs. Duan.
"Girl, there's no need to be so unfamiliar. Just follow the other girls and call him Master Jiu like you did when you were little." Mrs. Duan joked.
Duan Suili was a little surprised, because he had never heard anyone call him Mr. Duan in Dali.
No matter adults or three-year-old children, they all respectfully addressed him as "Master Jiu".
Recently, only Wang Ziru politely called Han Suijing "Mr. Duan" before she married him. However, this "Mr. Duan" sounded graceful and generous from Wang Ziru's mouth, and it was quite pleasant to hear.
But Xia Yunshu's call was so unfamiliar, as if they had never met before. It was completely the way strangers greeted each other.
The aunt of the Xia family held Xia Yunshu's hand and smiled humbly, "Master Jiu, don't take it to heart. Yunshu is just worried that Master Jiu doesn't like her."
"Well, do you want to talk to me alone?" Duan Suili finally saw the girl's eyes clearly, which were full of panic and unfamiliarity. He was stunned for a moment, "Come with me to the study."
Several pairs of eyes in the living room were full of confusion, and they watched Xia Yunshu follow Duan Suili upstairs to the study.
Back in the study, Duan Suili walked to the chair and sat down, clasping his hands, looking up at the girl who timidly walked into the study, "Don't be nervous, we met each other when we were kids."
Xia Yunshu not only does not have the temperament of a lady from a wealthy family, but instead looks like a girl who has moved to the city from the country.
She stood in front of Duan Suili awkwardly, pursing her lips tightly, and asked tentatively after a while: "Mr. Duan, do you know Han Suijing?"
Duan Suili hadn't reacted yet, so he subconsciously asked, "You want to find Han Suijing?"
"Yes!" The girl nodded heavily, raised her eyes, pursed her lips, and begged: "I know that I am not worthy of Master Jiu, and you don't need to explain this. But, can you please help me meet Han Suijing?"
"What do you want to see him for?" Duan Suili frowned and immediately thought of a possibility. Could it be that this girl also likes Han Suijing?
I heard that the other party got married, but the bride was not her, so?
Xia Yunshu knew that her thoughts had been exposed, so she turned her head to look outside the door, her face flushed, and she looked alert, as if she was afraid that someone downstairs would come up and hear it.
"Just say whatever you want to say. No one else can come up to my study without permission." Duan Suilixiu held his face with his fingers and dispelled the girl's concerns with just one sentence.
"I have something to tell him..." Xia Yunshu said in a low voice.
"Male-female affairs? I remember Han Suijing never talked to you about a date. What's the matter? Are you in love with him?" Duan Suili stared at the girl with burning eyes. After a pause, he said, "Don't you know that he is married and has a child?"
"I heard..." Xia Yunshu's eyes were dim and he looked a little out of breath. He was no longer so reserved. He raised his eyes anxiously and said, "I just want to see him, tell him what I want to say and leave."
Duan Suili's eyes contained a hint of warning, "You'd better give up those unrealistic thoughts. Suijing is already married, and his wife is his childhood fiancée, a very perfect woman. There's no need for you to go and mess with them."
"Isn't it okay for me to just say a few words to him?" For some reason, Xia Yunshu felt extremely aggrieved and tears fell.
"He is in the special forces, more than a hundred miles away from Kun City. You can go there by yourself." Duan Suili finally said with some annoyance, and then ordered him to leave, "Get out."
Xia Yunshu held back tears. The next moment, she knelt on the ground with a thump of her knees and cried, "Master Jiu, please help me. I really need to see him for something that is very necessary..."
Suddenly, a hint of impatience flashed across Duan Suili's gloomy eyes.
"You go down first. I'll ask Han Suijing later. He said he's willing to see you, and then we'll talk about your meeting." Duan Suili said with an unusually cold look in his eyes, motioning her to go out.
Xia Yunshu opened his mouth, nodded, and got up to leave.
In the living room, several people saw Xia Yunshu coming out from upstairs. Aunt Xu even joked, "Madam, look, nowadays girls want to talk to people alone. They must have made an agreement."
"Well! That's good. The Xia family and the Duan family are old neighbors. If they can get married, and know each other well, it will be a great marriage." Mrs. Duan smiled calmly.
He invited the guest to stay for dinner before returning to the hotel, and also said that he would take Xia Yunshu around Kunming City in the next few days.
Aunt Xia then asked about the injury of the eldest grandson of the Duan family, which seemed to remind Aunt Xu.
Aunt Xu immediately smiled and said, "Since we are in Kun City, we must go to the hospital to see Commander Duan. Madam, can we go to the hospital to see the commander tomorrow?"
"No problem, no problem. Duan Yanzhi must want to see Yunshu too. They grew up together as kids, but now that they've grown up, they've all gone their separate ways, so it's rare for them to see each other."
Hearing the lively conversation in the living room downstairs, Duan Suili thought for a moment and made a phone call to the special forces.
Han Suijing thought Duan Suili called to talk about the postoperative care issues related to his grumpy boss.
However, he didn't expect that the name "Xia Yunshu" came out of Duan Suili's mouth, which caught him off guard.
"Suijing, you don't have to worry about what you can't say in front of your uncle. Tell me honestly, have you ever secretly talked to her about being friends before?" Duan Suili asked bluntly.