novelnext Chapter 1497 - 991: The Reason
Chapter 1497 - 991: The Reason
Updated today.
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"Sister..." Chuxia hesitated for a moment and said, "I hope you won’t get mad when I say this, but... are you sure you’re serious about Liu Lianbao this time?"
"Yes." Zhao Qihui quickly understood, "You think my relationships happen too close to each other, and I haven’t left myself enough time to think, right?"
"Right." Chuxia replied candidly, "Of course, I know you’re always serious, and it’s not your fault..." She paused and continued, "But sister, I still think you’ve made the decision too quickly and haven’t considered it enough."
"Xia, first you were complaining that I haven’t replied to Liu Lianbao, and now you’re saying I’m being hasty? You’re confusing me..." Zhao Qihui sighed, "So, tell me, what exactly is the right thing to do?"
"No, that’s not what I meant..." Chuxia quickly explained, "I’m just concerned about whether you truly understand your own feelings, rather than whether it’s right to engage with Commander Liu.
To be objective, we all think Commander Liu is a good person, but the key is how you feel, sister. Do you genuinely like him and want to spend your life with him?
If the answer you gave him was what you said before, wait for him to come back, and see how things go—if it works, get together; if not, don’t force it—then I wouldn’t argue.
The problem is, sister, you’ve effectively given Commander Liu a definite answer. I think he’s a very persistent person, and if you decide you don’t want to be with him, it could really hurt him..."
Zhao Qihui interrupted Chuxia with a smile, "Alright, I understand your concern. You think Liu Lianbao is a good soldier and don’t want me to hurt him, right?"
That’s indeed the truth, so Chuxia could only admit, "That’s part of it."
"Then let me ask you, in your mind, am I the type of person who only thinks about myself and not others?"
"No."
"Then that’s it..." Zhao Qihui sighed and continued, "Xia, your doubts really sadden me, but I want to tell you honestly, it’s because seeing the unreliable nature of Wenzhang and Jiang Wenyuan that I figured out what kind of person I truly need.
Liu Lianbao’s education level is indeed a bit lower, but after talking to him, I discovered that his knowledge isn’t shallow. I just happened to get into college; compared to what he does, what do I have to boast about?
A sincere and determined man genuinely likes me, and he has qualities I admire, while my definite answer can make him value himself more. So why shouldn’t I do it?"
"Sister, now that you’ve said this, I’m relieved. Actually, I’m quite conflicted; on one hand, I hope Commander Liu has more attachment, on the other hand, I wish for sister’s genuine happiness..." Chuxia laughed awkwardly, "I even feel like I’m going a bit crazy myself, hehe..."
"Actually..." Zhao Qihui paused and coughed slightly, "Honestly, even if you didn’t ask, I wanted to talk to you about this, because it doesn’t feel right discussing it with others and keeping it bottled up is quite uncomfortable."
"Yes, Eldest Aunt is still in A City, sister..." Chuxia grinned mischievously, "In the past, Eldest Aunt doted on you the most, but now her attention is all on Xiaoqiong. Don’t you feel a bit sour?"
"What is there to be sour about?" Zhao Qihui said speechlessly, "Sister-in-law is pregnant, and I’m going to compete for affection? Do I seem like someone who doesn’t understand these things?"
"Just teasing you..." Chuxia giggled, "Actually, I think you should be jealous of me. Grandma and Grandpa are staying here with me."
"..." Zhao Qihui really didn’t know what to say. From her cousin’s perspective, if she didn’t feel a bit jealous, it almost seemed abnormal...
"I won’t talk to you anymore. I keep coming over to call, and people will start gossiping..." Zhao Qihui lowered her voice, "Unless there’s something urgent, let’s communicate by mail from now on."
Chuxia paused briefly and understood, "Has someone said something?"
"Yes." Zhao Qihui replied, "This phone was fought for Xiaolin Village by your uncle, and people originally appreciated him, but now...you get it, I won’t say more. Bye."
Before Chuxia could say anything, the call was hastily hung up.
Thinking it over, Chuxia simply decided to dial Xiaolin Village’s number again.
"Hello?"
A male voice with a rural accent came through the phone.
"May I speak to Zhao Qihui?" Chuxia asked.
"She just left. Are you looking for her?" The man’s voice seemed slightly impatient.
"No problem, thank you." Chuxia said her farewell, hung up the phone, and let out a long sigh, realizing she hadn’t considered things carefully. In this era, a phone wasn’t a common item...
"What’s wrong?" Zhao Yulan sat to the side and looked at her daughter with a worried expression, "Did something happen?"
"Nothing much, my sister used the phone, and some people in the village might be unhappy."
"The people in the village are unhappy?" Zhao Yulan was momentarily stunned, "It shouldn’t be, your sister uses the phone to bring money to the village, and moreover, that phone was obtained by your eldest uncle, and now he’s in the town; how could the villagers treat your sister like that?"
"I also think it shouldn’t be this way, but just a moment ago, when Sister Qihui hung up the phone and I called back, a man answered and his tone wasn’t very good."
After pondering for a while, Zhao Yulan said, "Later let your Fat Auntie inquire about it, could something have happened? Otherwise, it shouldn’t be like this."
The next day, Fat Auntie brought the news.
The attitude of Xiaolin Village’s secretary changed mainly because of Zhao Qiyan’s situation.
Originally, when Zhao Qiyan married Liu Zhenqiang, it was declared in the village, so everyone knew she married an official, and her husband’s family was quite influential.
Yet in the blink of an eye, she divorced and returned to her parental home. After the initial rumors, there were speculations that her husband’s family had declined, and then, somehow, some news spread saying that Chuxia’s husband’s family was also not doing well...
Then, naturally, some people’s attitudes just changed...
In response, Chuxia was utterly speechless; she really couldn’t fathom the intentions of the person spreading such news. Moreover, they could fabricate stories vividly enough to convince people; that indeed was a skill.
Before she could figure out who this skillful person was, an unexpected visitor showed up—Lin Chuchun.
Looking at Lin Chuchun, with tattered clothes and his hair in a tangled mess, Chuxia, Zhao Yulan, and Lin Baohe were all in disbelief; wasn’t it said that he went to join the army?
"What happened?" Zhao Yulan nervously grabbed him, "Chuchun, why are you in such a state? Weren’t you in City B with the army? How come you’re here?" Worrying he might misunderstand, she quickly explained, "I’m not complaining about your visit; I’m just afraid you’ll get punished by the military."
"Third Aunt, Third Uncle, Chuxia..." Lin Chuchun couldn’t bother to answer Zhao Yulan’s question; he sized them up before speaking, "Are you all okay?"
"Of course we’re fine." Chuxia baffledly looked at him, "Who told you something?"
"Grandpa and Grandma said something happened here with Third Uncle, and I thought it was true, so I snuck over..." Lin Chuchun sheepishly scratched his head, "I got the address last time when you all visited home from Third Uncle; I thought you’d definitely not be here, but then I didn’t know where else to search, so I just tried asking around and turned up here, I never expected...never expected you all would actually be here."
"What is going on?" Chuxia pointed to the sofa, "Sit down, take your time telling your army story first."
"I qualified for the military, but later they said I was unqualified and sent me back..." Lin Chuchun sighed, "Actually, someone else took my place; this is no lie, a comrade had sent letters telling me, others also replaced; it was said they went to complain, but their whole family suffered because of it; he wrote to warn me against complaining and ending up harming myself."
Chuxia glared at him, "Then why didn’t you write to me, let your brother-in-law check it out for you?"
Lin Chuchun matter-of-factly stated, "I said I wanted to rely on my own capability to join the army, and besides, if you help me, Grandma and Grandpa would stir up trouble again."
Chuxia helplessly sighed, "Alright then, let’s move past that; what’s this about us having troubles?"
"Didn’t Zhao Qiyan from Xiaolin Village divorce? People say she divorced because her man got into trouble, then came back home to avoid it, also saying her man was in cahoots with Commander Zhou; as he got into trouble, Commander Zhou surely would as well.
Some time ago when Grandpa and Grandma returned, it was all articulated with such detail, even claiming Commander Zhou had been arrested, saying Third Uncle and Third Aunt were too proud to return home, roaming about the Capital City begging for food.
I didn’t believe it at first, but later as rumors spread outside, I thought it could be true, then..." Lin Chuchun bit his lip embarrassingly, "then I just ran here on my own."
"You’ve really troubled yourself, child..." Lin Baohe sighed, "Chuchun, Your kind Third Uncle appreciates it, so now Third Uncle just wants to ask you—do you want to stay in the Capital to find work, or do you have other plans?"
"I’ll return..." Lin Chuchun hurriedly shook his head, "Seeing Third Uncle’s family is alright, I won’t stay and make a fuss; I still want to take the college entrance exam, and intend to go back and study hard."
"Alright, Third Uncle won’t hold you back; you’ve got ambition, and Third Uncle sees it; one day you’ll accomplish something significant..." Lin Baohe looked at Zhao Yulan, "Find some clothes for the child to change into."
"Already prepared..." Zhao Yulan smiled at Lin Chuchun, "No matter your plans next, start by taking a bath, changing clothes, and having a meal first."
This time, Lin Chuchun didn’t refuse, compliantly following the arrangements.
With Lin Chuchun’s appearance, the Zhao Yulan family came to understand the reason behind Xiaolin Village secretary’s change of attitude, reckoning that he thought Zhao Yushan’s backing had crumbled, it was his turn to rise...
It’s disappointing considering he got his position thanks to Zhao Yushan; humans, truly... insatiable greed! (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations, monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)