Chapter 22: He Can Give Up the Future

Chapter 22: He Can Give Up the Future

Lu Yao spoke lightly, with wisps of white fog drifting between them.

One after another, the fog hung in the air, blocking the distant path ahead.

In the end, the current peace and tranquility of the Lu family were only temporary.

Xie Yan was trouble, and the Lu family was trouble too. Here's hoping for a turn of fate from despair to renewal.

The smile in Xie Yan's eyes froze, hiding a cold frost, like a dark river flowing quietly, with turbulent emotions churning beneath.

"Xie Yan, if the Marquis of Zhenguo offers you thousands of gold and high official positions, would you consider giving Lu Mingchao up?" Lu Yao was still somewhat uneasy.

Sincerity was precious, but sincerity could also change.

"If in the future you feel fear, you can always return Lu Mingchao to her family."

Xie Yan's expression was resolute. "Second Brother, I will not weigh the options, nor will I give her up."

"Lu Mingchao is a living person, not something to be sent back and forth like an object."

"Remember your words today." Lu Yao patted Xie Yan's shoulder and fell silent. Lu Mingchao held a bowl filled with milk tea, gently lifting the corner of the curtain, looking out into the courtyard, feeling that the sight of Lu Yao and Xie Yan standing side by side was a beautiful picture.

One handsome, the other refined and elegant.

A splash of color in the dreary, monotonous winter.

Yunniang elbowed Lu Mingchao and glanced at Xie Huaiqian, who was chatting and laughing with Xiao Xin. She then asked in a low voice, "Does your second brother dislike Xie Yan?"

It wasn't that Yunniang was overly sensitive, but from afar, the atmosphere did seem very serious.

Lu Mingchao slurped her milk tea. "Mother, second brother might just be warning Xie Yan to treat me well and not to wrong me."

Yunniang was startled, then chuckled softly, her voice filled with deep joy and relief. "That rascal."

"Your father and I are still alive. It's not his turn yet."

"Seems like I didn't beat him hard enough with a bamboo pole that night. He only remembers the meal, not the beating."

Yunniang felt truly relieved and joyful. She knew all too well that San'er had resented Lu Miao over the years and had also blamed her and Chunsheng for their indecisiveness. She understood but couldn't solve the issue.

Over time, San'er had erected an impenetrable barrier, becoming increasingly cold and distant from his family.

Now, with Lu Miao gone, Lu Mingchao had opened San'er’s heart.

"Mother, second brother is also looking out for me." Lu Mingchao finished the lukewarm milk tea in one gulp, put down the curtain, and took Yunniang's arm, her tone carrying a hint of childish whining.

Yunniang's heart softened completely. After all these years, she had finally welcomed her little cotton jacket.

"Go chat with Huaiqian for a while. A mother should act like a mother."

Lu Mingchao nodded, walked slowly over, and sat beside Xie Huaiqian.

Xie Huaiqian's emotions were tinged with a subtle but undeniable tension, which caused him to unconsciously tense up, his palms breaking out in a cold sweat.

He knew that just now, Father had revealed his background to Lu Mingchao.

But how would Lu Mingchao react?

"Would you still be willing to marry Dad and be his new wife?"

He could see that ever since the engagement was switched, his father's eyes had regained their sparkle, and he started looking forward to life again.

These past few years, Father has already suffered enough.

"Sister Lu," Xie Huaiqian said, a smile spreading across his face, his usually refined demeanor now bright and endearing.

Lu Mingchao gently patted Xie Huaiqian's back. "Huaiqian, there's no need to be so nervous."

"My wedding to your dad is set, and my family will be part of yours."

Hearing this, Xie Huaiqian's eyes lit up with a burning intensity, blinking as he looked at her with hope.

"Sister Lu, you... you don't mind my father?"

"Will you still marry him?"

Lu Mingchao: ...

Mind?

Where would that thought even come from?

Lu Mingchao arched her brows and deliberately drew out her words, asking seriously, "Huaiqian. Why would I mind your father at all?"

Xie Huaiqian hurriedly explained, "It's not that. My father is a great man."

"He's the most handsome and capable man in Changhe County, no, in the entire region."

"So, why would I possibly mind him?" Lu Mingchao said with a smile, ruffling Xie Huaiqian's hair.

"Sister, I want some too." Lu Xin rolled his head over, placing it on the small wooden table in front of Lu Mingchao, obediently waiting.

Lu Mingchao: ...

This scene felt a bit like a guillotine about to drop.

"Sister?" Seeing that Lu Mingchao wasn't responding, Lu Xin stretched his neck, nudging his fuzzy little head into her hand.

Lu Mingchao rubbed it gently, and Lu Xin's laughter rang clear and bright.

"Sister Lu, is milk tea popular in the capital city?" Xie Huaiqian asked curiously, resting his elbow on the table and supporting his chin with his palm.

Lu Mingchao gently combed Lu Xin's hair while answering Xie Huaiqian's question. "Milk tea hasn't appeared in the capital's markets yet. If you like it, I can bring some back."

Who can resist the allure of different types of milk tea?

Xie Huaiqian thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I'll wait until after you marry Dad. I want you to make it for us for the first time."

Ru'an and Jingyi can wait a few more days. With this new and delicious milk tea, Sister Lu should be able to easily win them over.

He was also working for the sake of his father's happiness and the harmony of their little family.

Before Lu Mingchao could think further, Lu Xin suddenly lifted his head, pulling out a few strands of hair in the process.

But Lu Xin seemed unaware of the pain, his eyes wide and watery like a lost kitten, stammering, "Sister, after you marry, will you still live here? Can I still see you every day?"

For just a few short days, Lu Xin had enjoyed soft meat, sweet milk tea, and had a sister who spoke kindly to him, teaching him to write and sharing wonderful stories. Unlike his previous caretakers, she wouldn't scold him or tell him to die. Nor would she look at him with sorrow, sighing like his grandmother, parents, and older brothers.

He didn't like hearing his older sister scold him, but he disliked even more hearing his parents and older brothers sigh.

Each sigh felt like an unbearable weight pressing down on his heart, as if the endless mountains behind Changxi Village were crushing him, making it hard to breathe.

He wanted to make his grandma, parents, and brothers happy, but no matter how hard he tried or what he did, the eyes of his parents and older brothers only became redder.

Especially his grandma and mother.

His grandma would pound the bed repeatedly, crying out, "Why is heaven so cruel?"

His mother would turn her head away, sobbing, repeating over and over, "My child, what will happen to you in the future?"

When he saw his mother cry, he would clumsily wipe her tears and say, "Mother, don't cry. Xiao Xin can do without a future."

He felt utterly helpless.

Not only did he fail to comfort her, but he made her cry even harder.

Even now, he still had no answer to what his mother called "the future."

But these past few days, he had been so happy and content, and the smiles on his grandma's, parents' and brothers' faces were warmer than the gentle sun on the horizon.

He thought, if it could always be like this, he really could do without a future.

If the past was bad, would the future be really, really good?

He didn't know.

He just wanted to stay in the present.

If his sister were to marry, would he be thrown back into the past again?

Even newly met acquaintances can feel like lifelong friends, while some old friends grow distant.