Chapter 53
53.
Guan Yue's heart began to race.
"Th-that...that..."
Guan Yue hesitated for a long time, unable to utter a second word.
Rui Xi looked around, having given up hope on Guan Yue's proposal. She coughed and interjected, "Since you two are interested in each other and are both getting on in years, if there's nothing to hide, why don't you... find an auspicious day to get engaged?"
"Engaged...engaged?" Guan Yue was dizzy and had to hold onto the table to keep from falling. The words were clear, but when they entered her mind, they seemed like astronomical concepts that she had to work hard to digest.
Cheng Lingjun didn't speak; he was still looking at Guan Yue. Seeing that she seemed hesitant, he whispered, "Actually, there's no need to be in such a hurry..."
"No!" Guan Yue waved her hand sharply, her face flushed with anxiety. "I... I can do it, you... you don't want to?"
Guan Yue's last sentence was directed at Cheng Lingjun. She was truly afraid. After all, Cheng Lingjun had rejected her several times and almost left her. It would be best to keep him by her side. What could be more useful than a marriage contract?
She was like a waterbird with a fish stuck in its neck, her mind a complete mess, yet she still had to spit out words through her narrow neck. She actually felt it was too fast, after all, she was a rather introverted and traditional person. Although she came from an open modern world, she had never had such a deeply unforgettable emotional entanglement with anyone. For her, this was an extremely difficult problem to solve. Just understanding the meaning of the problem would take her a long time, let alone figuring out how to solve it.
She was more afraid that she had misunderstood, and this was not a problem she dared to treat casually. Therefore, she wanted to get closer and understand better. She had never taken the initiative in anything before, but she felt that she had to take the initiative now. If she didn't, wouldn't the cooked duck... the cooked Cheng Lingjun fly away?
Guan Yue admitted that her heart almost stopped for a moment when she asked the question, and she only managed to keep herself from fainting because of the nails digging deep into her palms.
I think it's okay to ask that, right? Their relationship should be at the point of discussing marriage, right?
Guan Yue stared intently at Cheng Lingjun, not daring to look away.
Cheng Lingjun felt a lot of pressure, "I...I didn't say it was impossible..."
"That's possible!"
Guan Yue immediately made up her mind, as if afraid the duck would fly away, and took a deep breath.
“Very good,” Rui Xi raised her glass to the two of them. “It’s great that you young people have such drive. Let’s celebrate your upcoming wedding with tea instead of wine.”
Guan Yue excitedly gulped down a cup of hot tea, almost choking on it.
Wiping her mouth, she got up and refilled Rui Xi's teacup, saying gratefully, "I have to thank the village chief the most for this. Without you, I wouldn't be where I am today. Um, if the village chief doesn't mind, I would like to ask him to help me with the engagement... engagement matters. As you know, I've never done this before, so I'm bound to be clumsy. If the village chief could give me some pointers, I would be extremely grateful."
Rui Xi smiled with narrowed eyes, "They say you become more mature after getting married. Look at you, you've become much more sensible, and you speak more tactfully now."
Guan Yue smiled sheepishly, "So, what does the village chief mean?"
"Since you've put it that way, how could I not help you? Don't worry, I'll see this through to the end. In Dahuai Village, with my old woman helping you, you'll have a lot of influence."
"That's right, that's right. With the village chief's help, there definitely won't be any problems," Guan Yue thanked him again.
After thanking Rui Xi, she walked over to the two children, Li Guang and Bao'er, seemingly to play with them. However, Guan Yue felt that she should give her and Cheng Lingjun some space, so she lowered her voice, leaned forward, and said, "Cheng... Lingjun, is it alright for me to call you by your name?"
Cheng Lingjun looked at Guan Yue's flushed face and bright eyes, and shook her head.
Guan Yue asked, "Then... Ling Jun, are you really determined to be with me?"
Cheng Lingjun pursed her lips and said, "I should be asking you, are you really... sure about this? With someone like me..."
Guan Yue reached out a hand and gently covered his mouth, saying, "Don't say such self-deprecating things. You are very good. I have always thought you did nothing wrong. Don't care about other people's opinions. No one can say anything about you. You must stay firm. The past is the past. Everything is a new beginning."
Cheng Lingjun felt as if a ball of cotton had been stuffed into his chest, soft and warm. Even his family had never given him so much encouragement, telling him that everything was over and it was time to start anew. Yes, he had now said goodbye to those days. He had found the person he could truly spend his life with.
"Um."
Cheng Lingjun responded softly. Guan Yue smiled contentedly, staring at him intently. Cheng Lingjun touched his face, wondering if there was something on it.
Guan Yue sighed softly and said, "It really wasn't easy."
"Um?"
“I mean, it’s really not easy to get to this point,” Guan Yue said, looking at him. “I even thought about giving up.”
Guan Yue's eyes were filled with his reflection, and Cheng Lingjun suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. He wanted to avoid her, but he felt that avoiding her would be too deliberate. How could Guan Yue adapt so quickly? She was so clueless before and so clumsy with words, but now she's really bold and dares to say anything.
“You…” Cheng Lingjun cleared his throat, “Then why didn’t you give up?”
Guan Yue thought about it carefully before saying, "I just feel like we can try a little harder. We're so close. Maybe if we try a little harder, we can succeed?"
"What if it still doesn't work?"
Guan Yue smiled and said, "I don't know. If you had left Dahuai Village like this, it would have been really impossible. But you haven't left yet, have you? So there's still a chance. Luckily, you gave me this chance."
No, Cheng Lingjun stared intently into her eyes.
You gave me the opportunity.
Guan Yue thought to herself, of course, there was also the constant encouragement from Second Sister Cheng beside her. Otherwise, in that situation, she could be said to be confused and helpless. Second Sister Cheng was undoubtedly a great contributor in keeping Cheng Lingjun.
The two sat at the village chief's house for a long time, until they had drunk tea several times and the children were getting tired and sleepy. Finally, they said goodbye to the village chief and went back side by side.
Guan Yue thought this was a novel experience.
She rarely, no, almost never, could be so open and aboveboard—even though it was late at night and there weren't many people around, when had she ever been able to walk side by side with Cheng Lingjun like this?
They no longer need to care what others say, do they? Because everyone already knows, and soon the whole village will know, that they are getting engaged.
The moonlight was beautiful, shining down on their heads, making it seem as if both of them had turned white-haired.
Li Guang leaned against Cheng Lingjun, with most of his body resting on his father. To take care of him, the two adults walked very slowly.
Cheng Lingjun was focused on Li Guang, unaware that another body was approaching from the other side.
Cheng Lingjun looked at him with a puzzled expression, while Guan Yue smiled and quietly reached out her hand, the implication of which was self-evident.
Hold hands?
This... isn't good...
Hold hands?
this……
Nobody saw it.
All right.
Guan Yue felt something warm and cool slide into her palm, and she gently grasped it.
My heart instantly felt like a flower had bloomed.
Even after they returned to their home, Guan Yue's smile never faded. Cheng Lingjun was helpless, as he had to be careful that Li Guang didn't fall while also pulling Guan Yue along, making the walk quite difficult, but Guan Yue seemed rather happy.
...Well, it really does make your heart flutter.
Can't you just restrain yourself a little?
Even when they reached the door, she wouldn't let go, saying she wouldn't feel at ease until she escorted him inside.
Cheng Lingjun couldn't persuade her otherwise, and only after she had completely stepped over the threshold did she let go of her clasped hands. Guan Yue looked quite reluctant, but said, "Go in quickly and get some rest."
"You too—stop looking."
Cheng Lingjun almost thought that Guan Yue and he were thousands of miles apart. He even turned his head to look at Guan Yue's house... It was clearly only a few steps away.
Having learned from experience, Cheng Lingjun knew that saying such a thing would be useless. Guan Yue did not go back and stubbornly waited for him to go in.
Helpless, Cheng Lingjun took the drowsy Li Guang back.
He bolted the door, and in the absolute silence outside, the sound of footsteps could be heard gradually fading away until they disappeared completely.
Cheng Lingjun slowly turned around and led Li Guang to wash up.
Li Guang kept his eyes closed, like a rag doll, letting his father do as he pleased. Finally, when he was placed next to the bed, Li Guang suddenly spoke, saying, "Father, are you going to be with Guan Yue?"
Cheng Lingjun paused, he thought Li Guang had fallen asleep long ago, but he didn't expect him to still be awake.
The child lay obediently on the bed, his dark eyes staring at him without blinking, a calmness that surprised Cheng Lingjun.
Although Li Guang is young, he is not ignorant.
From his second aunt telling him alone that there would be "robbers," to having dinner with Guan Yue at the village chief's house, Li Guang actually heard and saw a lot. Even if he was still confused, with so many facts in front of him, he understood even if he didn't want to.
Guan Yue is going to become his family, he thought.
Cheng Lingjun didn't intend to hide it from him; she was originally going to tell Li Guang this, but he hadn't figured out how to say it. Now it seemed that he had no choice but to tell him.
Cheng Lingjun spoke slowly and cautiously: "If Father tells you that Guan Yue is indeed going to marry me, and I have agreed, Xiao Guang, what do you think?"
In the past, when Li Guang did something wrong, Cheng Lingjun would say the same thing: "Dad is talking about something very serious, and you have to take it seriously." Li Guang understood that his father was serious and was listening attentively to his answer.
What was he thinking? Li Guang thought about it and didn't seem particularly upset. There was going to be another person competing with him for his father's affections, but that person was Guan Yue. Didn't Guan Yue always live across from their house? He could see her every day. He would be living with her in the future, and the separation now seemed to make no difference.
Li Guang didn't care much about marriage, but he knew that there would be another person in the family. He would be surprised by anyone else, but if Guan Yue was added... wouldn't that be the same as having more people?
Li Guang closed his eyes and said, "I disagree."
"……but,"
"Dad seems to like her quite a bit, so there's nothing we can do about it."
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