It was late at night, and all was quiet!
On the large heated bed in the west room of the Li family’s old mansion, Tang Xue and Li Na lay side by side.
Tang Xue was pregnant and not feeling well, so ever since Li Yi had left for the capital, Li Na had been taking care of her.
Worried that Tang Xue might bump into things while getting up at night, and concerned that she might be afraid of the dark sleeping alone in a room, the two had been sharing the same bed every night.
Young people stay up late; after lying down, neither of them felt sleepy, so they chatted quietly.
Just then, as the sound of snoring rose and fell from the next room, Tang Xue knew her father-in-law had fallen asleep.
Suddenly, she turned to face Li Na and said, “Sister Na, something’s wrong with you!”
“Huh? What’s wrong with me?”
“You’re being a bit too friendly with Big Brother—you’re practically scaring him!” Tang Xue said.
“R-really?” Li Na asked, sounding a bit guilty.
“Yes, absolutely. You even invited him to stay at our place!”
Tang Xue continued, “Be honest—have you got a crush on him?”
Tang Xue and Li Na were already very close friends; otherwise, Li Na wouldn’t have taken Tang Xue back to her place when she was drunk, nor would she have felt so guilty after Tang Xue and her younger brother crawled into bed together.
It was entirely because she truly regarded Tang Xue as a dear younger sister.
And that’s exactly why the two of them could talk about absolutely anything.
“Not really. I just think he’s a pretty unique guy!”
“Unique? How come I didn’t notice that?” Tang Xue frowned.
“I heard you and Xiao Yi talk about it—he’s a military veteran and a real fighter!”
“Is that what makes him special?”
“Not exactly, but he not only gave up his job for his mother and younger sister, he also worked tirelessly to earn and save money for their medical treatment. Someone like that is so responsible and dedicated—he’s definitely someone you can entrust your life to!” Li Na said.
“But… but he’s already 28!”
“So what if he’s 28? I don’t mind his age!”
As soon as she said that, Li Na regretted it—she’d just given herself away!
When she saw the teasing look on Tang Xue’s face, she immediately realized she’d been tricked: “You little brat, when did you get so sneaky? Just you wait until I get my hands on you!”
Originally, she’d intended to tickle Tang Xue like she’d done before, but when she saw the woman thrust her stomach forward, adopting a defiant posture that seemed to say, “Go ahead if you’re not afraid of hurting your own nieces and nephews”—a look that practically begged for a spanking.
But the more she acted like that, the less Li Na dared to make a move.
She knew full well that ever since Tang Xue had become pregnant, the girl’s status at home had skyrocketed.
Not to mention that even her own brother, Xiao Yi, couldn’t hold a candle to her.
Seeing Li Na’s look of wanting to take her down but not daring to, Tang Xue was instantly even happier.
After laughing for a moment, Tang Xue asked straight away, “Sis Na, are you really sure about Brother Long?”
“I don’t know, but I just feel comfortable around him—we click!”
Tang Xue thought of her and Li Yi, and instantly realized that her third cousin had already fallen for him.
She had no idea what Li Yi would think when he found out about this—he’d spent his own money to help Long Zhanjun pay for his mother and sister’s medical treatment, and now he’d gone and thrown in an older sister too!
What was that all about?
Was she letting the wolf into the house, or losing both her sister and her money?
But when she thought about the situation of her own best friend and sister-in-law, she realized she was already 23, about to turn 24.
At that age, she was definitely considered an “old maid” in the village, and finding a suitable match would be incredibly difficult.
The truly capable ones get engaged at seventeen or eighteen and married in their early twenties.
Those who aren’t married by twenty-four or twenty-five are either from poor families, or they’re unattractive—or both.
If she could really end up with Long Zhanjun, that wouldn’t be so bad. But when she thought about Long Zhanjun’s family, Tang Xue couldn’t help but frown.
If it were anyone else, she wouldn’t say a word, but since this was her best friend and cousin, Tang Xue felt she should give her a heads-up.
So, adopting a serious tone, she said, “You’d better think this through carefully—his family situation is quite complicated!”
“What’s so complicated about it?”
“First of all, his mother and sister are both in poor health. Although they’ve had surgery, they’ll still need to take medication regularly to manage their conditions. With two such ‘medicine pots’ to support, the financial burden on the family is bound to be heavy.”
Tang Xue continued, “On top of that, he doesn’t have a steady job right now and is deep in debt. If you marry him, you might end up having to help pay off those debts and live a life of hardship!”
The issues Tang Xue raised were all very practical concerns. She could only speak so frankly because they were close friends; after all, she genuinely wanted her best friend to find a good home.
Never mind great wealth and prestige—at the very least, she needs to be free from financial worries. After all, a poor couple faces a hundred sorrows!
“I’m not afraid. We’re both healthy and able-bodied—how could we possibly not make it work?” Li Na said firmly.
“So what are you planning to do?” Tang Xue asked.
“I… I haven’t decided yet. Anyway, he’s staying at our place for the next few days, so I want to get to know him a bit first!”
“And then what?”
“If I still think he’s a good guy after that, I’ll go after him and make him marry me!” Li Na said, her words coming as a shock.
“Sis Na, you’re so bold!” Tang Xue exclaimed in surprise.
“Not as bold as you. Besides, I learned this from you!”
“What does that have to do with me?”
“You were bold enough to sneak up on our little Yi while he was drunk and take advantage of him. Compared to you, I’m nowhere near as bold…”
Before she could finish, Tang Xue pulled the blanket over her head and went into full ostrich mode…
At that moment, Tang Xue was filled with a million regrets. If she’d known it would end up like this, she definitely wouldn’t have told Li Na any of that the other day.
This is a lifelong black mark against her!
With this on her record, she’d never be able to recover!
…….
The Li Family’s New Home!
While Tang Xue and Li Na were sharing girls’ secrets, Long Zhanjun was also tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
Although this trip to the North hadn’t gone entirely smoothly, it had given him a better understanding of Li Yi.
It was clear that Li Yi’s family wasn’t born into wealth—you could tell just by looking at the way his father and sister dressed.
Li Yi’s father, in particular, barely spoke three sentences during the entire meal—he was clearly the type of honest, down-to-earth old farmer.
Although he didn’t know where Li Yi had gotten the money, it took tremendous courage to come up with that much cash to help him under those circumstances.
Although Li Yi’s situation differed greatly from what he had expected, it only deepened his admiration for Li Yi’s character.
Aside from Li Yi, the rest of the Li family also left a deep impression on him, especially Li Yi’s third older sister.
If he had to describe this third sister in one word, it would undoubtedly be “passionate as fire”!
To be honest, if it weren’t for her repeated pleas to stay, he certainly wouldn’t have stayed here today.
After all, he wasn’t a blood relative of the Li family, and with unmarried women still living in the household, it would be rather inconvenient to stay at their home without invitation.
But unable to resist his third sister’s insistence, he eventually stayed.
Although he had settled in, Long Zhanjun still felt a bit uneasy.
Fortunately, considering he was an outsider after all, they had arranged for him to stay in the new wing of the house, which meant being alone actually made things less awkward.
But Long Zhanjun silently reminded himself that as a guest in someone else’s home, he had to make an effort.
He decided to get up early the next morning and go to the Li family’s old residence to help with whatever chores he could manage—carrying water, chopping firewood, and the like—so he wouldn’t be living off the Li family’s generosity.
What he didn’t realize was that the more he went out of his way to help, the more Li Na would see him as a reliable person—and the harder it would be for him to ever leave the Li family’s doorstep!
Meanwhile, Li Yi, far away in the capital, was equally unaware that the right-hand man he’d been waiting for had already arrived in Nianzishan Village—and was even staying at his family’s home.
What he found even more unexpected was that his third older sister—who had never shown the slightest interest in romance—had suddenly taken a shine to Long Zhanjun.
If he didn’t return soon, he might just find himself with a brother-in-law out of the blue by the time he got back.
In short, events were taking a turn Li Yi could never have anticipated!