Free Web NovelChapter 48: Chapter 48: Two Men
Gu’er hadn’t expected to run into anyone here at all.
’And this person knew both her and Liu Yuan. Why does that voice sound so familiar?’
After a moment of shock, Gu’er realized it was Sun Jiaming’s voice. ’But how does he know Liu Yuan?’
Liu Yuan hadn’t expected to run into anyone here either.
"Brother Jia Ming, what are you doing here?"
Gu’er turned around and, sure enough, saw Sun Jiaming. She smiled and asked her question.
"Brother Jia Ming. I haven’t seen you in a long time. I didn’t expect to run into you here. Are you...?"
Liu Yuan greeted him as well.
"Haha, I didn’t have much to do, so I came over to dig up some wild chives. I didn’t expect you two would be here as well."
Sun Jiaming explained with a smile, but a peculiar glint flashed in his eyes. He wasn’t surprised to meet Gu’er here, and running into Liu Yuan wasn’t strange either. But seeing Gu’er and Liu Yuan arrive *together*... that was strange.
Sun Jiaming hadn’t originally planned on coming here. But last night, he’d had trouble sleeping as he thought of Gu’er. He remembered running into her at the foot of the mountain the other day and telling her he’d bring her some wild chives once they were ready, because he’d mentioned how sweet the ones here were. That’s why he’d come today—to dig some up and take them to her.
He had arrived earlier than Gu’er, and earlier than Liu Yuan, too. So Liu Yuan had no idea Sun Jiaming was here, and Gu’er knew even less.
Sun Jiaming had already cut a lot of chives. He’d even cleaned them so Gu’er wouldn’t have to go through the trouble. But just as he was working on them, he heard voices.
A man and a woman, talking and laughing. He didn’t pay it much mind at first, but then he recognized the woman’s voice as Gu’er’s. He shot to his feet at once.
Gu’er had called him ’Brother Liu Yuan’. There was no one named Liu Yuan in their village. He only knew one person with that name. ’Could it be *that* Liu Yuan?’
Sun Jiaming couldn’t quite describe the feeling in his heart. He didn’t understand why Gu’er knew Liu Yuan, or why they had come up the mountain together.
He hadn’t wanted to reveal himself. As long as he didn’t come over, Gu’er and Liu Yuan would never know he was there.
But Sun Jiaming thought about it and decided to walk over anyway. He wanted to know how the two of them had met. Besides, he found the sound of Gu’er’s laughter a bit grating—because it wasn’t directed at him, but at another man. He didn’t know why he felt that way, but he instinctively didn’t want Gu’er and Liu Yuan to be alone together.
"Oh, the chives here are ready! I saw some at Aunt Wang’s house the day before yesterday, and I was wondering when the ones here would be good to pick. Brother Jia Ming, would it be okay if I cut a handful later? I want to see if they’re really sweet."
Gu’er acted perfectly natural. She was oblivious to Sun Jiaming’s feelings for her. Since she hadn’t done anything wrong, she had no reason to feel guilty. She behaved just as she always did.
"What are you talking about? Didn’t I already tell you? You can take whatever you want from here. Take it all, I don’t mind. You don’t have to ask me. Why are you being so formal all of a sudden?"
Sun Jiaming looked at Gu’er. The last time, she had pulled up all the green onions here, and he’d felt that she wasn’t treating him like a stranger. But now she was being so polite, even asking to cut a handful of chives. ’Is it because of Liu Yuan? Is she trying to draw a line between us?’
"Then thank you, Brother Jia Ming."
Gu’er said her thanks.
"Are the chives you grow here really sweet, Brother Jia Ming? In that case, could I have some too? My mom loves chive pockets."
Seeing Gu’er’s exchange, Liu Yuan asked Sun Jiaming as well.
"Of course you can. Take as much as you want. You don’t have to be a stranger either, Liu Yuan."
Sun Jiaming replied heartily.
"Brother Jia Ming, you and Brother Liu Yuan know each other?"
Gu’er was quite curious how the two of them had met.
"I met Brother Jia Ming when I was visiting my aunt’s house. We chatted a bit. And since Brother Jia Ming often goes into town, we’ve run into each other a couple of times."
Liu Yuan explained to Gu’er.
Sun Jiaming’s eyes flashed as he watched Liu Yuan. ’Since when were Gu’er and Liu Yuan so familiar with each other?’
"Oh, I see."
Gu’er nodded to show she understood.
"I also didn’t expect Sister Gu’er and Liu Yuan to know each other. I was startled when I heard you two talking just now."
Sun Jiaming really couldn’t figure out how Gu’er knew Liu Yuan.
Liu Yuan blushed slightly at Sun Jiaming’s words. He wasn’t sure how to explain how he’d met Gu’er. ’Does she want other people to know?’
"Brother Jia Ming, do you remember that day you helped me? The day I ran into Zhang Da."
Gu’er, however, felt there was nothing to hide.
Sun Jiaming nodded. Liu Yuan listened intently; he hadn’t known about Gu’er’s run-in with Zhang Da.
"I actually met Brother Liu Yuan first that day. I’d been caught in the rain and had a fever. I was in a hurry when I turned a corner and almost ran into him. Brother Liu Yuan saw how pale I was and thought I’d gotten a scare, so he asked if I was okay. That’s how we met. Later, when I was selling vegetables, I ran into him again. Brother Liu Yuan is a kind person; he saw I didn’t have any water to drink, so he brought me some. I haven’t been going to town recently, but what a coincidence, I ran into him again today. He was worried it wouldn’t be safe for me to come up the mountain alone, so he came with me to take a look. I never expected you’d be here too, Brother Jia Ming."
Gu’er explained the real situation. There was nothing shameful about it and nothing to hide. Both men had helped her, and she was grateful to them both. She felt the same way about each of them.
"So that’s how it was. What a coincidence."
Sun Jiaming finally understood. He believed Gu’er was telling the truth.
Liu Yuan didn’t say anything. ’For Gu’er to tell Sun Jiaming all this, it must mean two things. First, she’s an upright and honest person. Second, she must think Sun Jiaming is trustworthy.’ ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
’Are Gu’er and Sun Jiaming that close, too? Do they often meet at the foot of this mountain?’
Liu Yuan glanced from Gu’er to Sun Jiaming. ’Why hadn’t he ever heard Gu’er mention this before?’
"Are you two heading up the mountain? There’s not much up there at this time of year, is there?"
Sun Jiaming didn’t know what Gu’er planned to do on the mountain. He knew she wanted to earn money, but making money from the mountain was seasonal.
"I was just going to wander around, not necessarily go all the way up. How about we each just cut some chives and head back?"
Gu’er had initially planned to show Liu Yuan around the front part of the mountain. But now that they’d run into Sun Jiaming, she didn’t think it was necessary to go up anymore. She didn’t have a clear goal, and besides, facing these two men at once made her feel a little awkward. It was probably better to just go back.
Liu Yuan didn’t answer. He just wanted to be with Gu’er and keep her company; it didn’t matter where. Now that Sun Jiaming was here, it would be awkward for him to insist on going up the mountain with her.
"I’ll go up the mountain with you both," Sun Jiaming offered. "Brother Liu Yuan, this is probably your first time here, right? We can’t have you come all this way for nothing. We won’t go too far, just have a look around and then come back. What do you say?"
Sun Jiaming didn’t want to disappoint Gu’er. Even though there wasn’t much on the mountain at this time, if she wanted to look, he’d let her look. It wasn’t like he had anything better to do anyway.
"I’m fine with whatever. What do you think, Gu’er?"
Liu Yuan felt it would be impolite to refuse.
"Then let’s go up," Gu’er said. "But let’s not get separated. This mountain is huge, and it’s easy to get lost. If we do get split up, you have to shout right away. Don’t just wander off on your own."
Gu’er figured it was fine to take a look, but since it was Liu Yuan’s first time on the mountain, she had to make the rules clear.
