Xu Zhuohua's hand holding the pen suddenly paused, leaving a crooked ink mark on the paper.
She subconsciously looked down, her gaze sweeping over the newspapers scattered at her feet. The bolded headlines, like poisoned needles, pierced her eyes—"Cheng Muyun's Independent Dongzhou Army: Internal Changes Occur in Nanjing, Cheng Muyun Faces Exclusion from Multiple Sides"... Every word foreshadowed an inevitable downfall.
She once thought she could harden her heart and watch him rise and fall from afar, as long as he was still alive, it had nothing to do with her.
But when it really came to this, the heart that had been dormant in her chest felt as if it were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, the pain making her fingertips go cold. Ultimately, she couldn't bear to watch him fall and be shattered to pieces.
She took a deep breath and wrote on the paper, stroke by stroke: "I have completed the optimization of the eastbound southbound route. I hope you will keep your promise."
The handwriting was much steadyer than before, but you could still see the hesitation when you put pen to paper.
Xu Shih-nong took the paper, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes smoothed out, and the corners of her mouth slightly turned up.
He knew that Xu Zhuohua's concerns had never ceased.
"I assure you, your father will use all the resources of the Xu family to help Cheng Muyun."
He paused, his gaze falling on her pale face, his tone tinged with a hint of probing, "But you know this route better than anyone, where the hurdles are, where the shortcuts are. If you go yourself... wouldn't that make him more cautious?"
Xu Zhuohua's eyelashes trembled, but she didn't look up.
After a moment, she picked up her pen again and wrote a single word in the blank space: "Okay."
The moment the pen touched the paper, the smile lines at the corners of Xu Shih-nong's eyes deepened.
This "good" is like a pebble thrown into stagnant water; it can not only save Cheng Muyun, but perhaps also gently pull his ailing daughter out of that barren swamp.
Since that day, Chen Hede has never set foot on Nanhu Lake again.
Xu Shinong had sought him out once, her words carrying an undeniable resolve—if Zhu Zhishui knew that Xu Zhuohua was still alive, he would surely seize upon Chen Hede's weakness and coerce him in every way.
To protect Xu Zhuohua's hard-won peace of mind, Xu Shi Nong strictly forbade him from going near Nanhu Lake again.
Xu Zhuohua's life thus passed peacefully through autumn and winter.
With apricot blossoms always by his side and a stream to keep him company, he could manage the mundane affairs of traveling east and south in his spare time, and his days were quite enjoyable.
Occasionally, when newcomers come to the clinic, they are always stunned for a moment when they see Xu Zhuohua. Such a pure and refined appearance, when placed in an ordinary village, is like a stone thrown into still water, causing a few small ripples.
Fortunately, Xinghua was always considerate and could always keep those inquisitive eyes at bay without making a sound, never letting trivial matters bother her.
When people stay in a stable environment for too long, their perception of time becomes dulled.
It seems like just a few days ago there were icicles hanging under the eaves, but now the lotus leaves in the pond are just beginning to sprout.
Looking at the new green shoots, Xu Zhuohua suddenly realized that early spring had already quietly passed.
The calm of the past few days had made her so oblivious that she hadn't even noticed the changing of the seasons.
Even the little river beside her had grown taller without her noticing, and some of the childishness in her eyes had faded.
That afternoon, the sun was shining brightly, and Xu Zhuohua suddenly felt like doing something. She pulled Xinghua along and called Xiaohe, who was hopping around, and the three of them went to town to buy things.
Although it was called purchasing, most of their attention was actually focused on getting new clothes for Xinghua and Xiaohe.
Xinghua is only eighteen years old now. These days she has been eating well and her body has grown like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. Her previous clothes no longer fit her.
The cuffs were too short, exposing her slender wrists, which made her skin appear even whiter. But the silly girl didn't say a word about it and continued to busy herself in her old clothes, as if this inconvenience was nothing to worry about.
Xu Zhuohua felt a slight tightness in her chest as she watched.
She could make do with what she had, but Xinghua was different.
Xinghua can finally live a truly peaceful life now—this is the first time she has lived, and every bit of sweetness and warmth should be new, precious, and leave a clear mark on her memory.
Xu Zhuohua always believed in one principle: no matter how hard life is, there must always be something bright and shining to keep you going.
Those unexpected moments of beauty, like stars in a winter night, can quietly smooth out the wrinkles of life, giving us the confidence to get through tough times.
Apricot blossoms deserve these.
The area around Nanhu is relatively quiet, and there are only a few shops in the town. There are only two decent tailor shops, and they sell old styles that were popular in Xinhaicheng.
The shop on the east side has been open for many years, and its style looks more old-fashioned, but the stitching is solid.
Xu Zhuohua just happened to love this old style, feeling that those styles that had been refined by time contained a comforting sense of security, so she led the two of them straight there.
As soon as the three stepped into the tailor shop, they heard the rustling of fabric coming from the inner room. The shopkeeper lifted the curtain and hurried out to greet them, his face beaming with a warm smile: "Oh, it's you two young ladies! Please come in. What kind of clothes would you like to see?"
The shopkeeper had a long, thin face with a small mole between his eyebrows. He had large, round eyes that darted around like a clever greyhound.
The apprentice was a chubby, small-eyed man who was quite young and always had a smile on his face.
Xu Zhuohua's gaze swept over the ready-made clothes hanging on the wall. They were grayish-blue, navy blue, and ochre. The fabrics were thick, but the colors were all rather somber and lacked vibrancy.
She looked away and said gently to the shopkeeper, "I'm not looking at ready-made clothes. I'd like to ask what kind of good fabrics you have here? I'd like lighter and brighter colors."
"Yes, yes, yes!" the shopkeeper replied hastily, turning to walk into the inner room. "We just received a few bolts of new fabric, in moon white, aqua green, and light pink, all of which are popular among young women these days. They look refreshing and are perfect for a young lady like you."
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