After settling for lunch, the group planned to walk back to the homestay.
“Compared to last night, the daytime is indeed much more lively.” Yuan Rui let out a sigh of relief, seeming to have come out of that ‘unsettled state of mind.’
One of the main roads leading to the homestay happened to be the popular local ceramic market, with a dazzling display of handicrafts on both sides and exceptionally crowded with locals and tourists alike.
Perhaps it was because Luo Lingsheng was in a wheelchair that there would be inquiring eyes from time to time.
Shi Yunnan was more sensitive than Luo Lingsheng and bent over to ask, “Shall we go faster?”
Luo Lingsheng squeezed his lover’s fingers, not feeling embarrassed at all, “It’s okay, I’m used to such eyes, so let’s walk slowly since Jinyu is quite happy.”
For him, as long as Shi Yunnan was with him, it didn’t matter how others looked at him.
Luo Lingsheng mentioned, “Don’t you like it too? See if you can find some gadgets to take home.”
Shi Yunnan smiled, “Okay.”
While the two were talking, Yuan Rui, who was playing with Little Goldfish in front of them, was suddenly startled, “…brother?”
The moment the sound of surprise fell, he drew his legs and ran out.
“Yuan Rui!” Shi Yunnan caught his flustered whisper and immediately realized that something was wrong.
He glanced at Luo Lingsheng, and after the latter gave a tacit response, he quickly chased after him.
Shi Yunnan saw Yuan Rui go around to the back of one of the stalls, and before he could catch up, he heard an emergency braking sound.
bang!
The stall owners on the left side looked back in unison and were all shocked.
Shi Yunnan froze suddenly, and immediately pushed aside the crowd to see the situation.
On the path behind the stall, Yuan Rui was hit a few meters away by a heavy motorcycle and did not move. Right in the depths of the alley he was facing, there stood an unmistakably familiar back figure.
Shi Yunnan frowned and shouted, “Lu Zhao’an! Are you really going to leave Yuan Rui alone?”
As soon as the voice fell, Yuan Rui, who had fallen to the ground not far away, stumbled and got up.
His forehead was scratched with a blood stain, and the blood slid down his cheek.
His clothes and trousers were cut and scratched by the cement, all of which were piercing red.
“Yuan Rui.”
Shi Yunnan ran over anxiously.
The motorcycle driver who caused the accident was also frightened, “Y-young man, are you alright? Should I send you to the hospital now?”
“……Don’t touch me.”
Yuan Rui powerlessly pushed the other party’s support away and carelessly wiped the blood on the side of his face. He forced a smile at Shi Yunnan, “I’m fine, is he, is he gone?”
The last four words clearly trembled.
Yuan Rui didn’t intend to get the answer from Shi Yunnan’s mouth, and limped around him to chase the person.
Before he could take two steps, Lu Zhao’an rushed over with an anxious face. He looked at Yuan Rui, who had suffered countless scratches, and his heart shuddered unsteadily, “…I’ll take you to the hospital.”
Yuan Rui clenched Lu Zhao’an’s hand tightly; his eyes turned red for no reason. The unbearable pain forced his knees to soften, and he habitually fell into the other party’s arms.
“…..”
Lu Zhao’an’s breathing suddenly got stuck. He was so panicked that he didn’t even know where to put his hands.
Yuan Rui, who didn’t get the help and response, held his hand tightly, but his exhausted body still slipped down.
Shi Yunnan quickly grabbed his friend and looked at Lu Zhao’an, who was in a rare stupefied state, “Lu Zhao’an, are you still afraid that holding him will hurt him? Hurry up and take him to the hospital!”
“Patriarch, Mr. Shi and the others are over there.”
Luo Lingsheng and others were looking for them and came over.
Shi Yunnan promptly ordered, “Lu Zhao’an, take Yuan Rui to the hospital. The bruise on his forehead must be dealt with. Qin Jian will drive you.”
The motorcycle driver who caused the accident had a good conscience and said quickly, “Hey, don’t forget me! I hit the person, so I must be responsible!”
Lu Zhao’an carefully avoided Yuan Rui’s wound and hugged him horizontally, “Xiao Rui, don’t be afraid of the pain, brother is here.”
“…..”
Yuan Rui took a low breath and said nothing.
Half a minute later, Lu Zhao’an hurriedly left with Yuan Rui in his arms.
Shi Yunnan stood in place, watching them leave, without the slightest sign of going after them.
Seeing this, Luo Lingsheng asked, “Aren’t you going to follow them?”
“No.”
Although Shi Yunnan was worried about his friend, he understood that now was the time to solve the problem, “Lu Zhao’an will not leave Yuan Rui unattended.”
“Yuan Meng, wait and call Qin Jian. If Yuan Rui’s situation is serious, contact us as soon as possible. If there is no serious situation, ask him to leave them alone.”
Yuan Meng nodded, “Okay.”
Little Goldfish pulled Shi Yunnan’s finger and cried a little, “Little uncle, brother Yuan Rui is bleeding a lot.”
Shi Yunnan picked up Little Goldfish and coaxed him, “Don’t be afraid, let’s go back to the homestay and wait for news. There is a doctor, it’s okay.”
“En.”
Shi Yunnan was no longer in the mood to look around the market and simply went back to the homestay to wait for news.
It wasn’t until an hour later that Qin Jian called to inform him of the situation. Shi Yunnan’s tense heart had finally relaxed.
“How is Yuan Rui?”
“The wound was treated at the county hospital, but Lu Zhao’an was not at ease. He was afraid that Yuan Rui might be injured internally, so he planned to drive him to the central hospital to observe for a few more days.”
Shi Yunnan took a sip of water and said, “I’ll tell Qin Jian to come back and rendezvous with us. In the remaining three or four days, I will have a discussion with the porcelain factory regarding the materials. ”
In the past, it was Yuan Rui who handled this, but now something unexpected happens. As a partner, Shi Yunnan naturally had to fill in.
“By the way, are we still going to Yuan Meng’s brother’s farmhouse as planned?”
“If they prepare a table of dishes and we change our mind not to go instead, it will be a waste of their kind regard.”
Shi Yunnan had heard Qin Jian mention it before—Yuan Meng’s older brother was a very simple and honest person. The other party regarded Luo Lingsheng as Yuan Meng’s kind boss. He must have started to prepare after receiving the call.
Yuan Meng, who was standing on the side, was moved when he heard this, “Patriarch, Mr. Shi, it’s fine.”
Luo Lingsheng obeyed Shi Yunnan’s arrangement, “Go, it’s enough to stay for an hour or two. We will also be staying in a hotel in the city tonight, so Qin Jian will come to meet us later.”
“Great.”
…
Yuan Meng’s hometown was in Daming village, northwest of Dehua county. It was right on the way back to the hotel in the city, and it took less than half an hour to drive there.
Little Goldfish sat in the child safety seat and leaned sideways on the car window to observe, “Little Uncle, these green seedlings will turn into rice, won’t they?”
Outside the window was the inconspicuous layout of terraced fields with lushly growing seedlings.
Shi Yunnan replied with a smile, “Yes, are you hungry?”
“No, I want to see chickens and ducks.” Little Goldfish’s eyes were bright, and he was full of expectations for what was about to come.
Soon, Yuan Meng parked the car in front of a two-story farmhouse. His calm eyes showed the joy of returning home, “Patriarch, Mr. Shi, this is it!”
The house was built three years ago.
Taking advantage of the natural scenery in their village, they established new scenic spots with the support of relevant local departments.
Every weekend, people from surrounding towns and urban areas come to visit. Yuan Meng’s brother and sister-in-law had lived a fairly stable life by relying on the farmhouse for the past two years.
After Shi Yunnan got out of the car and took a deep breath, he couldn’t help but sigh, “The air in this village is really different.”
Returning to the place he was most familiar with since childhood, Yuan Meng was obviously more relaxed than usual, “Mr. Shi, the air at the top of the back mountain is actually the best.”
Before the rest of his voice landed, a dark-skinned man rushed out.
Just looking at his appearance, he was somewhat similar to Yuan Meng.
Yuan Meng immediately approached him and then introduced, “Patriarch, Mr. Shi, this is my big brother, Yuan Wei.”
Yuan Wei nodded nervously.
He had heard about Luo Lingsheng’s power from his younger brother’s mouth and was somewhat afraid of such a big shot in his heart.
“Two bosses, I have tidied up our best room near the river. Would you like to take a seat and have some tea?”
“The supper has been prepared. I’m afraid it will turn cold, so I didn’t make it in advance. At most, it will take h-half an hour.”
Seeing Yuan Wei’s awkwardness, Shi Yunnan took the initiative to smile kindly and said, “Then I will trouble Big Brother Yuan. There are only a few of us, and we don’t eat much. You and sister-in-law can do whatever you want.”
Yuan Wei didn’t expect the big boss from the Imperial Capital to be so kind and was flattered, “No trouble, no trouble! It’s thanks to your care that Ah Meng was able to find such a decent job after being discharged from the army for the past two years.”
Yuan Meng was a little embarrassed. He scratched his head and urged, “Brother, shall we go in first?”
“O-oh, good.”
Ever since Little Goldfish got out of the car, his eyes were fixed on the little ducks in the field.
He refused to move and looked at Luo Lingsheng with some expectation, “Uncle…”
Luo Ling briefly said, “Go and play.”
Shi Yunnan smiled and explained, “Little Goldfish, you’re not allowed to go near the river or any other dangerous places. Do you understand?”
Little Goldfish nodded obediently, “Okay, I’ll watch them here and go back later.”
He ran to a distance of half a meter from the field and stopped, observing the flocks of ducklings inside with great interest.
Yuan Meng asked, “Patriarch, should I stay here and look after the little young master?”
“It’s okay. Just consider it as training.” Luo Lingsheng never liked raising children to be spoiled.
“There are no cars in the village. I will let my son look after the child.” Yuan Wei added.
The group entered the house.
Yuan Wei diligently cleaned the house inside and out in order to welcome Luo Lingsheng and Shi Yunnan, for fear that they would feel uncomfortable.
After the two entered the room and took a rest, Yuan Meng took the initiative to go to the kitchen to help.
The seventeen-year-old niece saw Yuan Mang, whom she had not seen for a long time, and immediately approached with a vegetable basket in hand, “Little Uncle.”
Yuan Meng responded, and immediately felt strange, “Why aren’t you at school today?”
His niece, Yuan Juanjuan,’s school was the county high school. She will have to take the college entrance examination in a month.
Yuan Juanjuan’s smile gradually disappeared. She lowered her head and silently chose green vegetables, “My mother said that my grades could not get into a good university, and it was a waste of money to study. She asked me to find a job after the college entrance examination.”
“…..”
Yuan Meng frowned.
His sister-in-law was a fierce and calculating person. She had always loved her second son more.
“Don’t listen to your mother; prepare well for the college entrance examination. If the tuition fee isn’t enough, Uncle will help you.”
Back then, Yuan Mang was not in a position to do so(go to college) because of his family’s condition, plus Yuan Wei, his older brother, started a family early and had to spend money everywhere, yet his brother did everything he could to provide for him until he finished high school.
Yuan Mang remembered this brotherly kindness and desperately wanted his nephew and niece to study and go to school.
Yuan Juanjuan said in a low voice, “Uncle, my mother has a lot of money. She was able to send my little brother to a listed elementary school…”
Before the words were finished, a voice sounded behind him, “Hey, Yuan Meng, you’re back? You two, uncle and niece, haven’t seen each other for a few years and are still so close?”
Yuan Meng turned sideways and met Chen Fang’s gaze, “Sister-in-law.”
After not seeing each other for three or four years, the other party’s face has become a lot rounder. It seemed that it was exactly as Yuan Juanjuan said—she had a little savings in hand and the living conditions weren’t bad.
Chen Fang cracked the sunflower seeds and said in a deliberate tone, “You two brothers are honest and kind-hearted. Inviting the big boss to come to our house for dinner must have cost several hundred yuan. Do you think my family’s money comes from the wind?”
Again, the same language.
Ever since Chen Fang married Yuan Wei, she had been constantly criticizing Yuan Meng, her brother-in-law.
Later, Yuan Meng was discharged from the army and had saved some money. Chen Fang went from being endlessly critical to bottomlessly demanding money.
Yuan Meng didn’t want to worry about this kind of thing, so he said, “Sister-in-law, I will give you this money in private, don’t tell my boss.”
When Chen Fang heard this, she was satisfied.
She looked at the closed door of the room and then at her daughter, who had no future. Suddenly, a greedy idea took root in her heart.
“Yuan Meng, can I beg you for something?” The words were pleading, but the tone was quite natural.
“…What?” Yuan Meng was taken aback.
“Your niece will graduate in a month after the college entrance examination. She won’t be able to get into any good university with her stupid brain. In this case, why don’t you ask your boss to arrange a job with food and accommodation for her in the Imperial Capital?”
Maybe she still had a chance to find a rich son-in-law in the imperial capital in the future.
Yuan Juanjuan immediately rejected it, “Mom, what are you worrying about? How can I find a job in the Imperial Capital with such an education? I’m too ashamed to trouble others.”
“Why not? Your uncle also has a high school diploma, but now doesn’t he have a rich boss with a salary? Does that boss give you that job and that salary? Then it can definitely be arranged for her as well.”
Chen Fang spoke with confidence, and even thought it was natural for Luo Lingsheng to do this for them.
Yuan Meng’s expression turned ugly. It was the first time he rejected his sister-in-law, “I don’t agree with this.”
Chen Fang, who was rejected, was stunned and looked unhappy, “You…”
Yuan Meng continued to be stubborn, “First, don’t bother my boss if you have nothing to do. They don’t have time to worry about their subordinate’s family affairs. Second, Juanjuan is going to college after passing the college entrance examination. Why should she look for a job now? It will only delay her future.”
“Going to college? Does going to college help?”
Chen Fang snorted, staring at Yuan Meng and pointing out, “A few years ago, Ah Wei and I scrimped and saved every day for someone to go to high school, but in the end, we raised a white-eyed wolf.”
“Being a cow and a horse for the rich but refusing to help your own family even a little!”
After speaking, she went upstairs while cursing, as if she had encountered something extremely unpleasant.
Yuan Meng continued taking care of the work he was doing.
As long as he can dispel Chen Fang’s unrealistic thoughts and tell her not to disturb the patriarch and Mr. Shi, it didn’t matter if he offended his sister-in-law.
…
Shi Yunnan admired the sunset with great interest in the room.
The Yuan family’s farmhouse was built along the river bank with a large field across the river from the window, which made people feel very comfortable.
Shi Yunnan had an inexplicable thought and said to Luo Lingsheng, “No wonder so many people who are used to living in the metropolis want to live in these places when they get old.”
Luo Lingsheng chuckled, “You like it too?”
“It’s not bad. Occasionally, when you’re tired of big city life or can’t think of a design, you can take a break at one of these places.”
“If you like it, when we return to the imperial capital, I will ask someone to look for it in the outer suburbs?”
Shi Yunnan grunted, “Where can you find this feeling in that inch of land in the imperial capital?”
Luo Lingsheng said again, “Then go where you want to go, and I will accompany you.”
Shi Yunnan sat back beside Luo Lingsheng and moved closer for a kiss, “Mr. Luo, I know you have more money than you can spend. However, it’s not too late to consider this issue when we are 50 or 60 years old.”
The days are always going to pass one day at a time, so it’s a waste of time for them to rush for one more second.
Shi Yunnan, in a rare sentimental state, came close and rubbed the tip of Luo Lingsheng’s nose, “Anyway, no matter where I live in the future, it’s good that you’re by my side.”
Luo Lingsheng was easily pleased by his words. The smile on his lips had just appeared when the door behind him was opened.
At the same time, a suppressed cry came, “Uncle.”
Shi Yunnan and Luo Lingsheng turned around at the same time, only to be startled by the situation in front of them—
There was a swollen red bump the size of a ‘half fist’ on Little Goldfish’s forehead, vaguely seeping blood. The originally white and tender face was now dirty, and even the clothes and trouser legs were covered with mud.
Shi Yunnan’s heart felt a pang of pain. He hurriedly gathered the child into his arms and asked, “Baby, where did you fall?”
Luo Lingsheng also frowned and moved the wheelchair to the side of Little Goldfish. With sharp eyes, he noticed the exposed collar of his little nephew and the reddish marks on his neck, and instantly realized what had happened—
“Jin Yu, tell Uncle, who bullied you? Where’s the little necklace you’ve been wearing around your neck?”
Little Goldfish, who was originally holding back tears, heard this, and burst into tears, aggrieved and sad.
“Uncle, they took away my necklace. Grandpa Qin said that it was left to me by my mother wuwuwu I’m sorry…”