Nianzi Mountain Village. The Li Family!
At the crack of dawn, Long Zhanjun got up!
After a quick wash, he made his way from the new house to the Li family’s old residence.
At the old residence, Li Shankui was already up, leading the big red mule and the big black horse out the door. He planned to take them for a walk outside and let the two beasts roll around in the loose soil.
It is in the nature of mules and horses to roll around; there are three main benefits to this: first, it relieves fatigue; second, it serves as a mud bath; and third, it relieves itching.
That’s why everyone in the village who keeps large animals knows that every morning, or after finishing work, they must lead these animals to an open area to roll around a few times.
In Li Shankui’s eyes, this big red mule and the big black horse were undoubtedly the Li family’s most loyal servants. While his son was away, he had to make sure to take good care of them.
As soon as he stepped outside, Li Shankui spotted Long Zhanjun and immediately smiled and nodded at him.
The old man wasn’t one for many words, so this served as his greeting.
Long Zhanjun returned the smile and said, “Uncle, I’m going to fetch some water!”
“No need. You’re our guest—how could I possibly let you keep doing this?” Li Shankui replied.
“It’s no problem!”
With that, Long Zhanjun walked out into the courtyard, a pole in one hand and two empty buckets in the other, and left the Li family’s old residence.
Seeing that Long Zhanjun insisted on fetching water, Li Shankui didn’t try to stop him, but the look in his eyes grew even more approving.
This young man is a good one—hardworking and down-to-earth!
He couldn’t help but think of his third daughter. If she could find a young man like this in the future, he’d have peace of mind.
Inside the house, Tang Xue and Li Na had already woken up. Hearing Li Shankui and Long Zhanjun talking, they came out to see what was going on.
But they were a little too late; all they saw was Long Zhanjun’s retreating figure as he walked away, carrying a bucket on a shoulder pole.
Seeing that Long Zhanjun had indeed gotten up early again to fetch water for them, Li Na felt even more pleased with this man.
Tang Xue looked at her, her eyes practically sparkling, and knew her cousin was hopeless!
“Sister Na, it’s clear Brother Long is a man who knows how to take care of a household. If you really like him, you should tell him sooner rather than later!”
Li Na nodded and said, “Maybe I should wait a little longer?”
“What are we waiting for?”
“Well… we’ve only known each other for a few days. Wouldn’t it be a bit awkward to bring this up with someone right now?” Li Na said, her face flushing slightly.
“Na, you’re not backing out, are you?”
“No… I’m just afraid I’ll scare him off!”
Li Na was a woman who lived life to the fullest—her thoughts were always a bit different from most people’s, and she wasn’t afraid of what others might say.
But this was, after all, a bit too sudden. She was afraid that if she brought it up out of the blue with Long Zhanjun, she might scare him off.
Tang Xue paused for a moment, then thought carefully about Long Zhanjun’s personality.
Although he wasn’t the shy type, he didn’t exactly seem like the kind of person who would date.
She really wasn’t sure how he would react if her cousin were to confess her feelings to him directly.
“So what do you want to do? I’ve told you, Brother Long can’t stay at our place for more than a few days!” Tang Xue said.
Hearing this, Li Na couldn’t help but furrow her brows.
She’d finally found someone she actually liked and who was a suitable match—she didn’t want to let him go.
Right now, she was afraid of being rejected by Long Zhanjun, and she was also afraid that once he went to Beijing and met girls from the big city, he wouldn’t think much of her anymore.
After thinking it over for a while, Li Na steeled herself and said immediately, “Forget it. I’ll go talk to him right now. Whether it works out or not, I’ll at least get everything out in the open with him first!”
“I’m rooting for you!” Tang Xue said, pumping her little fist.
“Don’t make fun of me if I fail, though!”
“I won’t make fun of you. At most, I’ll…”
After that, the two girls began whispering to each other!
A short while later, the sound of a wooden pole creaking under the weight of a water bucket, along with the heavy footsteps of a man, could be heard outside the front door.
Peering out through the open wooden door of the kitchen, the two girls saw Long Zhanjun returning from outside, carrying his shoulder pole.
Tang Xue immediately whispered to Li Na, “Sis Na, it’s up to you now!”
Li Na’s face flushed slightly, but she nodded anyway!
To spare Li Na and Long Zhanjun any awkwardness, Tang Xue immediately returned to the west room; it wouldn’t be appropriate for an outsider to be present during such a moment.
Long Zhanjun had no idea anyone was waiting inside to confess their feelings to him, and he soon arrived at the front door.
He first set the carrying pole down by the door, then picked up a bucket of water in each hand and carried them into the kitchen.
With practiced ease, he poured the water into the water jar, then carried the empty buckets back outside, intending to fetch another load!
Just as Long Zhanjun turned to leave, Li Na suddenly called out, “Brother Long, wait a moment!”
Hearing her voice, Long Zhanjun stopped immediately and asked, “Is something wrong?”
“Um, I…”
But just as Li Na was mustering the courage to come clean with Long Zhanjun, the sound of a car engine suddenly came from outside the gate, and immediately after, Li Gang stepped out of the car.
Spotting the two people at the doorway, he waved and called out, “Brother Long, come here a sec—I need to talk to you!”
Hearing the voice, Long Zhanjun immediately grabbed the bucket and hurried toward the front gate, leaving Li Na standing there, completely dumbfounded.
Once he reached Li Gang, Long Zhanjun asked with a hint of surprise, “Captain Li, what brings you here so early in the morning?”
Li Gang replied immediately, “Here’s the thing: Brother Li Yi called me yesterday. I told him about your situation, and he wants you to head to Beijing as soon as possible!”
“Really?” Long Zhanjun said, his face lighting up with delight.
“Yeah. Pack your things. I’ll take you back to the county seat in a bit, and then you’ll head to Beijing with two others!” Li Gang said.
“Alright!”
“By the way, is your wife up yet? Brother Li Yi asked me to pass her a message.”
“She should be up by now. Go in and tell her yourself. Besides, I need to say hello to them too!” Long Zhanjun said.
“Alright!”
Then the two of them walked together into the courtyard.
Just then, Tang Xue emerged from the house with a sulking Li Na. They, too, were curious to know why Li Gang had come over so early in the morning.
As soon as he reached Tang Xue, Li Gang said, “Sis-in-law, I got a call from Brother Li Yi yesterday. He asked me to tell you he’ll be back in three or five days, so don’t worry!”
“Really? How is he doing now?” Tang Xue asked, her voice tinged with excitement.
“He should be doing pretty well. He also asked me to tell you that the store is up and running, and business is booming!” Li Gang added.
“That’s truly wonderful!”
At that moment, Long Zhanjun also spoke up: “Sis-in-law, Miss Li Na, Brother Yi told me to hurry to Beijing, so I’m leaving right now. I’ll come visit you and Uncle Li next time I have the chance!”
Hearing this, Li Na was momentarily taken aback and asked immediately, “You’re leaving right now?”
“Yeah! Brother Yi seems pretty urgent about it!” Long Zhanjun said.
“But… but…”
Tang Xue knew it wasn’t the right time to bring this up, so she immediately cut her off and said, “Brother Long, since that’s the case, we won’t keep you. Have a safe trip!”
“Alright!”
After that, Long Zhanjun took Li Gang over to the Li family’s new house to retrieve his luggage.
He placed the keys back in their original spot—under the half-brick on the windowsill—before getting into Li Gang’s jeep.
Back at the Li family’s old house, Li Na watched the jeep drive away, feeling a sense of emptiness in her heart.
“Xiao Xue, why didn’t you let me speak just now?”
“What good would it do? He’s not staying anyway!” Tang Xue replied.
“Then what should I do?”
“I’ve already figured it out for you. When Li Yi comes back, have him assign you to Beijing too. Then the two of you will be together every day. If you still can’t win him over by then, there really won’t be anything else we can do!” Tang Xue said.
Hearing this, Li Na’s eyes lit up instantly, and the gloom on her face vanished.