Free Web NovelChapter 99: Chapter 99: Age is Not a Problem
"Su Li... I know I was wrong before. I’ve already apologized, so why are you still... Fine, fine, I’ll stop talking. I’ll stop."
Mrs. Tang, feeling aggrieved, didn’t dare mention it again. She wanted to vent her frustrations to her precious grandson, Little Tang Mo, but unfortunately, he had long since sided with Su Li. Little Tang Mo wouldn’t stand to hear a single bad word said about her.
Mrs. Tang tried to hint at it indirectly, but it only made Little Tang Mo unhappy and nearly brought him to tears.
Because of this, Mrs. Tang had no choice but to toe the line, whether she wanted to or not.
"Come back early, don’t tire yourself out." As Su Li went to herd the cow, Mrs. Tang even gave her a particularly enthusiastic, smiling send-off.
Her smile wasn’t exactly natural, but she had to force it, even if it came out stiff.
There was no helping it; she had to smile for Little Tang Mo.
Yes, for Little Tang Mo to see.
Only when Mrs. Tang smiled at Su Li would Little Tang Mo smile at her. freewebnøvel.com
If Mrs. Tang started grumbling and whining, or gave Su Li a sour look, she couldn’t expect so much as a single smile from Little Tang Mo.
Mmm...
It was unclear when things had gotten to this point, but now, the Tang Family had formed something like a food chain.
And Little Tang Mo... was without a doubt at the top of that food chain.
It was to take care of Little Tang Mo that Su Li had stayed in Xinghua Village instead of going to the county town.
And Little Tang Mo, in turn, had unknowingly managed to keep Mrs. Tang in check for Su Li’s sake.
Making Mrs. Tang behave, making her greet Su Li with a smile and not dare to act up—more than half of the credit for that went to Little Tang Mo.
Little Tang Mo was a most sensitive and intelligent child. No one had taught him, yet he was able to observe, listen, and understand these things on his own.
Likewise, he could also sense Su Li’s aversion to the people of Xinghua Village, so he always spoke well of her and defended her when they were outside.
When people from Xinghua Village came to their house, he would either go himself or find Mrs. Tang—either way, he would block anyone he could.
In any case, thanks to Little Tang Mo’s effective efforts, both the people of Xinghua Village and Mrs. Tang had been quite quiet for some time, not causing any trouble.
As for everything Little Tang Mo was doing, even someone as oblivious as Su Li gradually began to notice.
It would be a lie to say she wasn’t moved or surprised.
Su Li found herself growing more and more fond of this side of Little Tang Mo.
Feelings are always mutual. Similarly, Little Tang Mo’s affection for Su Li was also growing deeper and deeper.
Amidst Mrs. Tang’s admonishing "farewell" and the reluctant gazes of Little Tang Mo and a group of children, Su Li—who had inexplicably become the king of the kids—went off with a grin to herd the cow.
That day, Wu Sheng, whom she hadn’t seen for a few days, appeared once again.
The same mountain, the same cow, the same person.
His manner of appearing was as bizarre and distinctive as ever.
This time, he appeared right above Su Li’s head.
Su Li had been studying for a while and felt sleepy, so she decided to take a little nap.
As she was dozing off groggily in the shade of a tree, she felt something cool on her face.
"Is it raining?" Su Li frowned and opened her eyes, only to see Wu Sheng sitting on a branch above her, sprinkling water on her.
His face, which looked like it hadn’t been washed in ten days, seemed even darker.
When Su Li got a clear look, she was rendered speechless.
’If I were a bit more timid, a situation like this probably would have scared me to tears.’
"What’s with that look? You were sleeping like a pig. Get up," Wu Sheng said, putting away his water flask.
"Next time, are you going to pop out from underground?" Su Li asked, exasperated.
"You want to see that?" Wu Sheng retorted, raising an eyebrow.
Su Li was at a loss for words. "No."
"Is that an exasperated and disdainful look I see?" Wu Sheng asked, scrutinizing Su Li.
"I wasn’t looking down on you, but you dare to look down on me? You were drooling in your sleep."
Su Li instinctively touched the corner of her mouth. Finding no drool, she retorted, "No way. I was just dozing for a second."
"Just dozing? For a second? You’ve been asleep for nearly an hour. Any longer and it’ll be dark." ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
Wu Sheng raised an eyebrow, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
’How should I put this? Su Li is like a treasure chest; every time we meet, I see a different side of her.’
’Each time is a pleasant surprise.’
"Impossible..." Su Li immediately retorted, but then she looked at the sky and shut her mouth.
’It seems like I really was asleep for a while. But it felt like I had just drifted off...’
Wu Sheng watched Su Li’s expression as he slowly slid down the tree trunk.
"I’ve got to hand it to you. A young lady, snoring away while you sleep on this mountain."
Su Li frowned and retorted, "I don’t snore."
"Is that so? Then what did I hear?" Wu Sheng said, chewing on a blade of grass. "I shouldn’t call you a bookworm. I should call you a sleepy pig."
Su Li was speechless. ’Could it be? Do I really snore when I sleep?’
Su Li shook her head, stared at Wu Sheng for a few moments, then asked tentatively, "Brother Wu, how old are you this year?"
Wu Sheng tilted his head. "Why do you ask?"
"I’m thinking I might have imagined you to be older than you are. Perhaps you just have one of those faces that looks old, but you’re actually still young," Su Li said with a serious expression.
Even with their dark, grimy faces, you could still roughly tell their ages.
What Su Li was indirectly saying was that he was being incredibly childish.
Wu Sheng, who understood the true meaning behind Su Li’s words, felt a flicker of embarrassment.
’She’s so young, I thought this would give us more in common. I can’t believe she’s looking down on me for it.’
The embarrassment lasted only a moment. With his first-class composure, Wu Sheng immediately retorted.
"This just shows you don’t understand a man’s charm. This is called being carefree and unrestrained. Or would you prefer a prim and proper little old man who wears a stern face all day?"
As soon as Su Li heard this, the image of Tang Yuanxiao and his "little old man" demeanor flashed through her mind. She shook her head immediately without a second thought.
"I don’t!"
"There you have it," Wu Sheng said, the corner of his mouth twitching into a fleeting smile.
After a pause, he added, "I’m... twenty-eight this year. So you were right to call me ’Brother’."
’Actually, I’m technically twenty-nine now that the new year has passed, but my gut told me to say I’m a year younger... Ahem, it’s not really a lie, though. By the solar calendar, I am 28.’
’Although people around me often say I’m getting old, I’ve never felt that way myself.’
’But looking at it now, compared to someone who’s nineteen, it does seem a bit old.’
’A ten-year age difference... she could almost call me Uncle.’
’Young girls don’t seem to like older guys...’
After speaking, Wu Sheng watched Su Li without blinking, afraid she would think he was old.
But Su Li, a "pseudo-young-girl," didn’t think twenty-eight was old at all. Recalling a saying from a later era, she even teased him.
"A man at thirty is a flower in full bloom. You’re about to become a flower."
Wu Sheng laughed again.
’Su Li’s reaction is so... Su Li. Always so peculiar.’
’She’s really completely different from other girls!’
"Where did you hear such a strange saying?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "But... I like it."
"Any man about to turn thirty would like that saying," Su Li replied reasonably.
Wu Sheng paused. "Do you think thirty is old?"
’She doesn’t think I’m old?’
Su Li gave Wu Sheng a baffled look. "Not at all. Isn’t that a man’s prime?"
Only then was Wu Sheng satisfied. "Yes, in my prime. I’m full of energy right now."
He rolled up his sleeves, made a fist to show off his strength, and then his gaze fell on a large rock to the side.
Su Li followed his gaze but couldn’t figure out what he was looking at. She smiled and asked, "Did you come here today because you need me to translate something again?"
"Yeah," Wu Sheng nodded. "But this time, you can just help me here."
As he spoke, he strode over to the rock, bent down, and lifted it.
Su Li scrambled to her feet. "...What’s going on? Why are you lifting that huge rock?"
’To show you how strong and young I am, of course!’
’Great strength works wonders! I’m still young!’
The truly young and truly strong Wu Sheng watched Su Li walk over step by step and said nonchalantly, "I’m making a table for you."
’Hmph, a ten-year age gap is nothing!’
