Chapter 121
Mu Qingxuan looked at his broad back, a warm feeling welling up in her heart, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously rose slightly.
"Officer Lu is so considerate. When he gets married, he will definitely treat his wife well."
Lu Jingfeng's back straightened instantly and his movements stopped.
He spoke in a muffled voice, his voice so low that it seemed to be squeezed out from deep in his chest: "I am not considering getting married for the time being."
After saying that, he quickened his pace and pushed the thorny vines further apart.
Mu Qingxuan was keenly aware of his strangeness, but she just nodded slightly and did not ask any further questions.
The dusk was as dark as ink. When the last ray of orange in the sky was swallowed up by the valley, Mu Qingxuan stepped onto the mud at the entrance of the village with a backpack on her back.
Lu Jingfeng followed closely behind.
In the distance, Yao Jinglan was standing at the gate of the courtyard, her hunched figure outlined in a dark brown silhouette by the door frame.
At that time, the village had no electricity, and a kerosene lamp was placed at the gate of the courtyard.
When the breeze blew, the flames swayed slightly, casting tiny spots of light on the ground.
"Qingxuan girl, this is..."
The old man's gaze fell on Lu Jingfeng, and his cloudy eyes narrowed slightly.
In the glow of the kerosene lamp, she couldn't quite see Lu Jingfeng's facial features or appearance.
"He is Officer Lu, the patient that Grandpa saved."
Mu Qingxuan placed the backpack on the stone bench under the eaves, and the bamboo strips made a light sound when they collided with the stone slabs. "I came all the way from the city to express my gratitude."
Lu Jingfeng straightened his back and raised his hand to salute in a standard military salute: "Hello, grandma. If it weren't for Mr. Mu and Comrade Mu who saved me, I would have died long ago."
His voice was low and sincere.
Yao Jinglan's eyes softened instantly, as if she remembered something.
She waved her hand gently: "When the old man was alive, he always said that practicing medicine to save lives is one's duty. If you can remember this, he must be very happy in his afterlife."
As she said that, she turned around and pushed open the gate: "Come in and have a bowl of hot soup. The night in the mountains is cool."
"No need, grandma. I'll take Officer Lu to pay respects to Grandpa before it gets completely dark."
"Come with me."
She said softly, turning and walking towards the back mountain.
After walking for more than half an hour, the two finally stood in front of Mu Hongguo's tombstone.
Lu Jingfeng's Adam's apple rolled violently. The three large official script characters "Mu Hongguo" on the tombstone were clearly visible in the night. The small characters "Granddaughter Mu Qingxuan" in the lower right corner were half covered by moss.
"I'm sorry, Comrade Mu..."
He suddenly spoke, his voice full of guilt: "I originally brought cigarettes, alcohol, and banners. I originally brought some gifts, but I accidentally lost them because I got lost."
Mu Qingxuan squatted down and brushed away the fallen leaves on the tombstone with her fingertips. A faint smile appeared on the corner of her lips: "It's okay. Grandpa didn't expect anything in return when he saved people. The thought is more important than anything else."
Lu Jingfeng suddenly straightened his back and bowed deeply to the tombstone three times.
Then he took a half step back, his military boots leaving two shallow marks on the grass, and raised his hand to salute.
When the two turned around, the night had completely fallen.
There are sporadic lights on in the village at the foot of the mountain.
Mu Qingxuan looked at the starry sky and remembered that they were no longer strangers, so she casually invited him, "Officer Lu, how about staying for a meal? The mountain road is dark and unsafe."
Lu Jingfeng's pupils contracted slightly.
He heard his own voice sounding a bit surprised, but he tried his best to remain calm: "Sorry to bother you then."
The two walked for another half an hour before returning home.
When Mu Qingxuan lifted the bamboo curtain, a rich smell of fish soup hit her face.
Huo Changfeng was standing in front of the stove serving soup, the celadon spoon making a clear sound as it hit the edge of the bowl.
He turned around after hearing footsteps, but the moment he saw Lu Jingfeng, his fingertips suddenly tightened.
"Officer Lu, why are you here?"
Huo Changfeng's voice was somewhat cold and hard, his pupils shrank slightly, and his eyes swept across Lu Jingfeng like a knife.
Lu Jingfeng's steps suddenly stopped, and he felt inexplicably guilty.
"I..." He opened his mouth and his throat suddenly tightened.
It was too dark and Yao Jinglan had trouble seeing clearly, so she fumbled to put on her reading glasses.
She squinted her eyes and looked at the two of them. She patted Lu Jingfeng on the back with her calloused hands and said, "This child is here to thank the old man for saving his life."
"Changfeng, do you know?"
Mu Qingxuan's eyes sparkled as she said in surprise, "Officer Lu is the soldier my grandfather and I saved eight years ago! When I met him on the mountain today, I couldn't believe it!"
Lu Jingfeng scratched his head awkwardly: "I really didn't expect it to be such a coincidence..."
His voice became smaller and smaller, and in Huo Changfeng's almost frozen gaze, he suddenly felt embarrassed as if he had been caught stealing something.
The veins on the back of Huo Changfeng's hand holding the soup spoon bulged and his knuckles turned white.
"Really?" He squeezed out two words from between his teeth and put the soup bowl heavily on the table.
"Let's eat while it's hot."
Yao Jinglan asked everyone to sit down and told Lu Jingfeng not to be polite and to just pick up whatever he liked.
Huo Changfeng has always been a person who can hide his emotions well, and he never shows his joy or anger on his face. Yao Jinglan did not realize that anything was wrong.
But Mu Qingxuan, who was sitting next to Huo Changfeng, keenly noticed his abnormal mood.
When he lowered his eyes, his eyelashes cast a heavy shadow under his eyes, and his Adam's apple rolled violently as he chewed.
Mu Qingxuan bit her lip and put a piece of lettuce into his bowl.
The tip of the chopsticks hit the edge of his bowl, making a slight sound.
Huo Changfeng raised his eyes, his pupils were dark and unclear, and the dark tide surging in his eyes made Mu Qingxuan's heart tighten.
Mu Qingxuan looked at him and asked if he was in a bad mood.
Huo Changfeng simply ate the lettuce, avoided Mu Qingxuan's sight, and did not reply.
Mu Qingxuan frowned.
Just when I wanted to ask in detail, I realized that this was not the right occasion, so I suppressed the doubts in my mind.
After dinner, Yao Jinglan asked Lu Jingfeng to stay in the guest room at home first. It was too dark and it was not safe to walk alone at night.
Lu Jingfeng subconsciously looked at Mu Qingxuan, and only agreed with peace of mind after Mu Qingxuan nodded.
"Thank you, Comrade Mu, and thank you, Grandma."
Mu Qingxuan turned around again and found that Huo Changfeng had washed the dishes by himself and returned to the bedroom.
She hurried in and asked, "Husband, what's wrong with you?"
Huo Changfeng glanced at the clueless Mu Qingxuan, and squeezed the things in his pocket with his right hand.
He was feeling angry but had nowhere to vent it.
"It's okay." His voice was muffled as if it was stuffed with cotton.
"You obviously have something to do!" Mu Qingxuan's voice was filled with anger.
His Adam's apple rolled and he wanted to say "I'm just jealous", but he couldn't say it.
It was obvious that the person who had a relationship with Mu Qingxuan eight years ago was him.
It’s not that Lu Jingfeng at all.
The words of explanation were on the tip of Huo Changfeng's tongue, but he couldn't say them.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com