95 Brother-in-law
Ten years have passed. He finally... has a home again.
Upon hearing this, Du Zhijin chuckled: "I thought it was something serious."
Seeing her relaxed attitude, Honghua's anxious heart calmed down. On the one hand, she was deeply influenced by storybooks and believed that humans and demons, especially cultivators and demons, were irreconcilable enemies, and she worried that her sister would hate Doctor Ying if she told her. On the other hand, she did not want her sister to be kept in the dark and not even have the right to know the truth.
This is the best-case scenario. My sister already knew Dr. Ying's identity and wouldn't distance herself from him because of it—that's wonderful!
With her major worry resolved, Honghua no longer looked distressed and kept talking to Du Zhijin. Meanwhile, inside the room, Ying Jianhua patiently administered acupuncture for half an hour, finally expelling the toxins.
The conjunctivitis struck fiercely, but fortunately, Uncle Huang and Aunt Huang were in good health and did not suffer any lasting effects. As for the rest, it depends on Du Zhijin.
He put the silver needles back into the needle pouch, and a ray of sunlight shone on the table. He was surprised to realize that it was already the morning of the second day, and Honghua and the others had been standing outside for a long time.
I have no idea what the freshman said.
"Your parents are alright." He pushed open the wooden door and said to Honghua, gesturing for Du Zhijin to come in. He had been running around with about a hundred people in the village all night, barely holding on until now, and was almost collapsing as he crossed the threshold. Du Zhijin caught him in time, saying, "Be careful."
Ying Jianhua shook her head, her face relaxing after the tension: "It's alright, you go in and take a look first."
After speaking, he noticed that her collar was loose, and he casually straightened it for her, his manner natural and practiced. Du Zhijin didn't seem to find anything wrong with it, as if she was already used to it, and nodded as she went into the room.
Honghua observed their interaction and was pleased to see their good relationship. In addition, Honghua noticed that each of them wore a jade pendant. She could read and recognized that Doctor Ying's pendant read "boat" and her sister's pendant read "ink."
She said directly, "Dr. Ying, the jade pendant you're wearing is so beautiful, can I take a look?"
Ying Jianhua hadn't expected her to notice this. She immediately remembered how this girl had flaunted the firework tube that Du Zhijin had given her in front of him. A slight sense of pride welled up inside her, but she remained nonchalant on the surface: "Oh, it's nothing. It was just made by your sister."
Honghua is such a clever little devil. She saw right away that Lu Ping had feelings for her sister, so how could she not understand his unspoken meaning? She instantly felt a toothache.
She pretended not to understand and exclaimed, "Sister, you're so skillful! They're just as pretty as the ones sold on the street!" She tried to end the conversation, but the painting...
Having finally found an opportunity to avenge his boasting that day, he wasn't about to let it go. He turned the jade pendant over, making her look closely, and emphasized that she wasn't allowed to touch it. Pointing to the character "舟" (boat), he asked, "Do you recognize this character?"
Honghua was unhappy. It was just one word; did they think she was a three-year-old? Mingming's older sister had already said that she was a big girl who could stand on her own!
"Boat!"
Ying Jianhua nodded, a slight smile playing on her lips, and casually remarked, "That's your sister's nickname."
Honghua: "...I also have a nickname! I even chose my own nickname, Honghua!"
Dr. Ying is so infuriating! She decided to unilaterally sever ties with him for a quarter of an hour.
But then, the heroine realized that she couldn't just back down; the sword cultivators should take the initiative!
"So the 'Mo' on my sister's clothes is your nickname, brother-in-law—"
She deliberately changed her catchphrase to catch him off guard. Hmph, he didn't expect her to suddenly call him "brother-in-law," did he? Most people with thin skin would be mortified by that title. She could then thoroughly enjoy Dr. Ying's embarrassed expression and secretly tell Sister Mu.
Honghua had a very clever plan, seemingly already envisioning her great victory, but unfortunately, she miscalculated.
Because when Dr. Ying heard her call him "brother-in-law," he not only showed no embarrassment, but even went further, asking her to say it again.
His eyes were filled with laughter, and his tone was gentler than ever before. He leaned forward and coaxed, "My dear Honghua, what did you just call me?"
Honghua reacted for a moment and immediately realized that Doctor Ying was no longer the same as before; he had become shameless.
"No way!!" she shouted in grief and indignation.
————
An hour later, Uncle Huang and Aunt Huang woke up.
Seeing Du Zhijin in the courtyard didn't surprise the two, as Honghua had given prior notice. But when they saw Ying Jianhua standing properly in the sun, they were immediately startled.
Uncle Huang, in particular, almost fainted again, and it was only when Aunt Huang pinched him hard that he suddenly came back to his senses.
Knowing that her "resurrection" seemed astonishing, Ying Jianhua took the initiative to greet them, saying, "Uncle, Aunt, it's been a long time."
"There is..." Uncle Huang pointed at him, his voice trembling, wanting to say "There's a ghost!" but Aunt Huang interrupted him: "What's there to be so polite about! Don't stand there, come in and sit down!"
Upon hearing his wife's words, Uncle Huang seemed to wake from a dream and joined in to help greet them.
The Huang family were kind-hearted and wanted to repay the kindness, so even though they didn't have much food left, they still slaughtered an old hen to entertain their guests. Du Zhijin wanted to persuade them not to go to such lengths, but Honghua said, "Sister, you should go with my mother. Otherwise, she won't forget this even after ten or eight years."
Ying Jianhua also said, "It's all their good intention. If you really feel bad about it, why don't we leave some gold and silver before we leave?"
Du Zhijin thought this method was feasible, so she wandered around the house looking for a place to hide the money. Finally, she set her sights on the roof beam and lightly touched the ground with her toes to place two silver ingots.
Then I found that the spot I had my eye on was already taken by a string of copper coins.
Honghua exclaimed in surprise that this must be her father's hidden stash of money, and stormed off to confront him. Uncle Huang exclaimed that he had hidden it when he was young and naive, and he had completely forgotten about it!
After observing the father and daughter arguing for a while, Du Zhijin suddenly spoke up: "Don't worry, Amo."
"Um?"
With a serious expression, she said earnestly, "I definitely won't hide any money from you. What's mine is yours."
His tone was solemn, as if he were discussing an important matter.
Ying Jianhua lowered her eyelashes uncomfortably and said softly, "Why bring this up all of a sudden... I understand." After saying that, she touched her earlobe, trying to hide the fact that her ears were red.
After finishing her rant against her father, Honghua accidentally overheard their conversation and suddenly felt her cheek hurt even more.
So Dr. Ying is only shameless in front of her!
Although the ingredients were limited, the skillful Aunt Huang still prepared a large table of dishes, including fish that Uncle Huang had just caught from the river. Du Zhijin fondly remembered the fish from Wuling Village. She recalled how she and Amo used to grill fish by the river. Afterwards, she went to other places and tried many famous dishes, but none of them tasted as good as the grilled fish in her memory.
Honghua chimed in, "I know! This is called 'longing for water shield and perch'!"
Upon hearing this, Ying Jianhua rarely praised her, saying, "You still remember this? Not bad."
Du Zhijin found Amo quite strange. He had always praised Honghua for being smart before, so why was he only willing to say "not bad" when she was right in front of him?
In short, Uncle Huang and Aunt Huang were very happy to hear this and kept urging them to eat more. Honghua also ate happily, and because Ying Jianhua praised her, she awkwardly called out "Brother-in-law." After calling him that, she blushed and ran to the yard with her full bowl to eat with Xiao Huang, completely unaware of the shock her words had caused to the four people present.
Ying Jianhua immediately looked at Du Zhijin. Even though she knew they were mutually in love, she was still worried that Du Zhijin would be uncomfortable showing their intimacy in front of others. Du Zhijin, however, showed no discomfort. Instead, her lips curved into a smile, and she looked delighted.
Noticing his gaze, she secretly took his hand under the table and winked.
Ying Jianhua was also infected by her and unconsciously smiled.
Seeing this, Aunt Huang knew they were a perfect match and was overjoyed: "Oh my, I knew it! You two are such a perfect match, a match made in heaven!"
Uncle Huang, who was sitting next to me, was not good with words, but you could tell from his expression that he was also very happy. He kept saying "Congratulations" and couldn't stop smiling.
The two looked at each other and saw a blush on each other's faces.
With Master Du Zhijin's passing away and Yingjian Hua's parents having died young, this was the first time that a familiar elder had offered their blessings for their marriage.
After the initial surprise, Aunt Huang became concerned about another matter: "When are you planning to get married? Where will you get married? In the village? What kind of banquet will you hold?"
Ying Jianhua was clearly still reeling from the "perfect match" moment; her usually quick wit suddenly faltered, and she pursed her lips, unable to utter a single word. Seeing his silent, downcast expression, she quietly pinched the soft flesh of his palm, signaling him not to be nervous.
He misunderstood her intention, and instead wrapped his hand around hers with even more force, then squeezed between her fingers to intertwine with hers.
“We are preparing to…” Du Zhijin was talking to Aunt Huang when he felt a slight itch in his palm. He paused for a moment and continued, “We are preparing to go back to my hometown to get married.”
She didn't want to say "Dengxian Mountain" directly, so she glossed over it.
Aunt Huang repeatedly agreed: "Good, good. Miss Mu, don't think I'm being long-winded. Doctor Ying practically grew up under my nose. He's a good child, but also a pitiful one, losing his parents so early. Now that you two are together, your lives will surely get better and better. Before you leave, go and visit his parents' graves. If it's inconvenient now, you can go tonight."
These words were quite reasonable, and Du Zhijin had already intended to do so, so he quickly nodded in agreement. That evening, they bid farewell to the three members of the Huang family and made a promise to Honghua to visit her again next year before heading towards the grave.
The moon was mostly obscured by clouds, letting in only a few rays of clear light, weaving a pale silver net on the ground, trapping the lush, growing weeds. The dew on the tips of the grass shone like shattered silver, swaying gently in the breeze without making a sound, except for the sound of two unhurried footsteps.
"Father, Mother, your child has come to see you." Ying Jianhua knelt upright on the ground, whispering softly to the brand-new tombstone. Du Zhijin also knelt down beside him, gently holding his hand, offering silent comfort.
The wind blew through the woods behind the grave, carrying the scent of the mountains and forests, and ruffled his hair slightly. He stared at the two names on the tombstone, his Adam's apple bobbing, but he remained silent. He only tightened his grip on Du Zhijin's hand, the sweat between his fingers dampening her sleeve.
Ten years have passed. He finally... has a home again.
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