Free Web NovelChapter 433: Chapter 429: Mist
And just like that, it was September. On the second of the month, Gu’er went to the mall with Sun Jiaming.
Standing on the fourth floor, Gu’er took one look and thought, ’Jeez, it’s as crowded as ever.’
"Wait for me here. I’ll go buy us something to eat, and we can eat it up here."
Worried that Gu’er would get jostled in the crowd, Sun Jiaming took her up to the fifth floor first, then went back down to buy their food.
Sun Jiaming came back with several different dishes. Gu’er tried a few bites of each. The food was delicious and reasonably priced. ’No wonder this place is packed every day,’ she thought.
"I just saw Li Zhi," Sun Jiaming said to Gu’er, taking a bite of the rice noodles she had been eating. "But he didn’t see me."
"Li Zhi’s here eating too? By himself? No way. Was he with someone?"
Gu’er asked Sun Jiaming. She figured Li Zhi wouldn’t come all the way here to eat by himself. And as for who he was with... it had to be Feng Ling. After all, everyone knew Li Zhi was pursuing her.
"Feng Ling was with him. The guy was so busy talking to her he didn’t even see me."
Sun Jiaming chuckled. Everyone knew about Li Zhi’s crush by now. It seemed, however, that Feng Ling was indifferent to him.
"Do you think things will work out between Li Zhi and Feng Ling?" Gu’er asked as she took a sip of seafood soup. She hadn’t really eaten any seafood since becoming pregnant, and tasting it now, she found it incredibly savory.
"I can tell Li Zhi is really into it, but Feng Ling... it’s hard to say."
Sun Jiaming shook his head. He really couldn’t get a read on the situation between Li Zhi and Feng Ling.
Gu’er couldn’t get a read on Feng Ling either. Ever since she moved in with the Li Family and started working at Xinghua’s shop, Feng Ling had been on her best behavior. She could even help Xinghua knit sweaters now, and her work in the shop was excellent. Xinghua was always full of praise, calling her capable and hardworking. But when it came to Li Zhi, Feng Ling had never shown any particular enthusiasm. She treated him just like an older brother, no different from how she treated Sun Jiaming or Dingzi.
The two of them chatted as they ate. When they were finished, Sun Jiaming steeped a pot of tea, and they drank it to help with digestion.
"You two sure know how to live. Hiding out up here enjoying yourselves without even inviting me."
Just as they were talking, Li Zhi came running up. Without a word, he grabbed Sun Jiaming’s teacup, downed it in one gulp, and started to complain.
"We were afraid of interrupting your meal with someone," Sun Jiaming teased. "Didn’t want you calling me clueless again."
"How’d you know I was eating with Feng Ling? Who told you?" Li Zhi asked, confused.
"I saw you when I went down to get food. But you only had eyes for your dear Feng Ling; you didn’t see me at all," Sun Jiaming chuckled.
But Li Zhi’s expression was grim.
"Jiaming, Gu’er, tell me, what on earth is Feng Ling thinking? Why can’t I figure her out?"
Li Zhi’s face was etched with frustration.
"Tell us. We’ll help you figure it out."
Seeing him like this, Gu’er sighed internally. ’Looks like Li Zhi has truly fallen for her.’
"You guys know me. I just want to find a capable wife I can have a real conversation with. Feng Ling is a good girl, and she’s filial. If she can be so good to her grandfather, she’ll be good to my parents in the future. I mean, if I end up with a daughter-in-law who isn’t filial, since I’m their only son, life would be a real headache for my parents. Plus, she’s not greedy. No matter what happens to me in the future, she’d be content to live a quiet life with me. She’s hardworking, she can cook, she keeps the house clean... having someone make you a hot meal is a wonderful thing. I’ve thought it all through. If she’s willing, I’ll wait a year for her, until she turns eighteen. I’ll even take care of Grandpa Guan in his old age and see him off properly. I swear I won’t let her suffer with me."
He sighed. "But... I’ve tried to bring it up indirectly with her. At first, she was scared of me, always keeping her distance, as if I was going to do something to her. She’s not as scared of me now, but I can still see it. Whenever I touch on the subject, there’s this look of pure terror in her eyes. She’s genuinely terrified. I don’t know what kind of trauma she’s been through, but it’s like she’s scared of men, scared of marriage. It’s gotten to the point where I don’t even dare mention it. I ask her out to eat, and she says no eight or nine times out of ten. Today, I only got her to come out for lunch after pleading with her, and as soon as we were done, I had to take her straight to Xinghua’s shop."
Li Zhi was frustrated. Courting a girl had never been this difficult before.
Gu’er looked at Li Zhi. So he also sensed that Feng Ling had been hurt somehow, that she had this deep-seated fear of men. But according to what Grandpa Guan had said, Feng Ling hadn’t suffered any kind of trauma. So where did this fear come from? Gu’er felt like Feng Ling was shrouded in a thick fog, impossible to see through.
"What does Grandpa Guan think?" Sun Jiaming asked.
"Grandpa Guan is actually very supportive. He told me in private that he’d be relieved if his granddaughter ended up with me. But Feng Ling herself is just so cold. I’ll say something to her, and she’ll either stay silent or change the subject. She never gives me a straight answer. I just don’t think she’s interested in me that way."
Li Zhi sounded defeated. He’d finally found a girl he liked, only for her to be completely indifferent to him. It was a tough pill to swallow.
"Do you want me to ask Feng Ling what she thinks?"
Seeing Li Zhi so dejected made Gu’er feel bad for him. Once you fall for someone, that kind of one-sided affection can be agonizing.
"No, forget it. Don’t ask." Li Zhi shook his head. "She’s already much better with me than she used to be; at least she doesn’t push me away so much. She’s only seventeen. I can afford to wait. I’ll treat her with all my heart, and I believe she’ll eventually see that. If, in the end, she still feels the same way, it just means I’m not the one for her. I won’t force it. It’s not like I can’t find a wife, and you can’t force these things. This is something I have to handle myself."
"All right. But if you need help, just say the word."
Gu’er nodded. It was true that other people shouldn’t get involved in matters of the heart. It was best to let things run their course. Just as Li Zhi said, he would be good to Feng Ling, and if she had any feelings at all, she was bound to notice.
"You just focus on taking care of yourself. You’re due in about a month, right? Just focus on giving me a healthy goddaughter and don’t worry about anything else."
Li Zhi looked at Gu’er. Her movements had become a bit clumsy, and her belly was indeed getting quite large.
At the mention of the baby, Gu’er’s face began to glow with a mother’s love. She truly didn’t want to think about anything else. She just wanted to have a healthy baby, raise them well, and be a good mother.
Sun Jiaming’s expression softened as well. Talking to the baby with Gu’er every night had become an integral part of his life, and he too was eagerly awaiting the little one’s arrival.
"Oh, right, Gu’er," Li Zhi suddenly asked, "is there any word on when Uncle Lin is coming back?"
"No. The last time I called, Dad said there was no news yet. It all depends on the arrangements from his superiors."
Gu’er shook her head. She knew what Li Zhi was asking. By mid-September, Lin Shan’s assignment in the countryside would be up—exactly two years. If he were coming back, there should have been some news by now. Their city’s deputy mayor had already been transferred to another city for what was said to be a promotion, leaving the position vacant. Yet, there was still no word from Lin Shan’s end. She had no idea what the plan was. Would they parachute in a new deputy mayor from elsewhere? If so, what would they do with Lin Shan? Gu’er couldn’t help but worry.
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