Chapter 298: Surprise

Chapter 298: A Pleasant Surprise

The happiest ones to hear Ye Xiaoxiao say she wouldn’t leave again this time were the two elders.

Grandma Lu told Auntie Sun to go grocery shopping.

Then she tried to get Ye Xiaoxiao and Lu Hanchuan to stay the night.

Lu Hanchuan said, “We’ll come by tomorrow.”

They had already agreed to visit Mr. Song in the afternoon.

Lu Hanchuan was a pro at juggling commitments, never neglecting either side.

Grandma Lu said, “When you come back tomorrow, no more leaving. This time, you’ll stay longer, right?”

Under Grandma Lu’s hopeful stare, Lu Hanchuan nodded.

That finally made Grandma drop it.

Later, when they were alone, Grandma Lu pulled Lu Hanchuan close and asked, “So when are you marrying Xiao Xiao? Once you’re married, she can live here with us.”

Lu Hanchuan coaxed her, “Soon, soon.”

Grandma Lu said, “Don’t give me that. That girl who used to chase after you—the one with our last name—she’s already had a child.”

Lu Hanchuan couldn’t even place who she meant, but someone else having a child had nothing to do with him.

“Eager for a great-grandkid already? Give it a few more years. We’re still young.”

Lu Hanchuan hadn’t even experienced married life yet—how could he think about having a child so soon?

Grandma Lu was tempted to smack him.

But hey, marriage first is fine too.

She threatened, “Then hurry up. If you keep dragging your feet, don’t even think about coming back.”

Lu Hanchuan: “… She’d done a total 180—the excitement didn’t last.

After lunch at home, Ye Xiaoxiao and Lu Hanchuan headed to the Chunfeng Road courtyard.

Song Guangjing had no clue Ye Xiaoxiao was back either.

But recently, Song Guangjing had been around the house, so as soon as Ye Xiaoxiao arrived, there he was, sitting in the yard.

Song Guangjing’s white beard had grown even longer, and he had no plans to chop it off—at most, he’d trim it slightly during a haircut.

Auntie Sun spotted Ye Xiaoxiao first and thought her eyes were playing tricks.

“Sir, look who’s here!”

Only then did Song Guangjing look up from his herbs.

“Xiao Xiao… Xiao Xiao is back!”

Song Guangjing was in good spirits, looking decades younger than his peers due to his careful self-care.

Ye Xiaoxiao went over and gave the old man a big hug.

"Shifu, I'm home!"

"It's so good you're back."

Song Guangjing patted Xiao Xiao's shoulder before turning to look at Lu Hanchuan.

"Come on inside."

Xiao Xiao: "No hurry, let's soak up some sun out here first."

Both of them had already had lunch, so Xiao Xiao told Auntie Sun there was no need to rush dinner.

She helped Song Guangjing sort through the medicinal herbs.

Not forgetting to call to Lu Hanchuan beside her, "Have a seat too."

Lu Hanchuan also sat on a small stool in the yard.

For someone his height, the low stool looked awkward, but luckily he was dressed casually today.

Song Guangjing looked at Xiao Xiao, "You're staying for good this time, right?"

Xiao Xiao nodded, "Unless something comes up, I'll go to Rende Pharmacy first after graduation."

Song Guangjing thought of something, "After you graduate, we'll reserve some tables at a nice restaurant in the capital and hold the apprenticeship banquet. I'll introduce you to some people—your martial uncles and seniors. You'll need to meet them."

Traditional Chinese medicine is a rather traditional practice, and Song Guangjing still has his own lineage of disciples.

Now that I've taken on an apprentice, we should make it public.

To avoid awkward encounters in the future.

Moreover, as Xiao Xiao progresses in this field, knowing some veterans in the field would help.

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Great, I'm heading back to school in a couple days."

Actually, she should have submitted her internship form at school as soon as she returned to the capital, but Lu Hanchuan is still on leave now.

Since they had this rare chance to be together, she decided to take a break first.

Song Guangjing: "No hurry, stay home and rest a few more days."

Song Guangjing isn't the rigid type of parent; he figures there's no point in her going back to school yet, as classes haven't started.

And Xiao Xiao doesn't need to worry about internship assignments either.

What Song Guangjing is concerned about is his daughter's love life.

Glancing at Lu Hanchuan, he wondered why the guy wasn't making a move.

Little did the old man know, Lu Hanchuan did want to make a move—he'd only just gotten his chance.

After spending half a day at the old man's place, the two swung by the courtyard Ye Xiaoxiao wanted to fix up before heading home in the evening.

Lu Hanchuan stood at the gate, eyeing the crumbling, weed-choked walls. "Told you this place needs to be torn down and rebuilt."

Ye Xiaoxiao fished out the key, unlocked the door, and pushed her way in.

The front gate was still impressive, just a little worn with age.

"I'll just rebuild the exterior walls, add some bedrooms and guest rooms, and the rest of the space will be a big sunroom. You know the kind—great for growing veggies even in winter." Xiao Xiao said, gesturing.

"Sure, whatever you want," Lu Hanchuan didn't object to her plans.

Xiao Xiao went on, "For the house, I'll have one bedroom, with a larger living room and more guest rooms. That way, after we get married, friends and family can visit and stay over, right?"

She cocked her head at Lu Hanchuan after speaking.

Lu Hanchuan barely heard the rest—only the words "get married."

He scooped Xiao Xiao up right away and spun her around.

"Xiao Xiao, you're planning our married home!"

Caught off guard, she grabbed his shoulders.

Once he set her down, she swatted his shoulder.

"Not really a marital home. We’ll need a place to live after we get married, and this is more convenient than the school area."

It's conveniently located—close to everything.

Xiao Xiao's eyes widened. "Don’t tell me... you never thought about marrying me?"

Lu Hanchuan's pulse was still pounding. He leaned down and kissed her.

"It’s not that I never thought about it—I think about it every single day."

His planned proposal went out the window, but he didn’t regret it at all. The sudden surprise was even more delightful.

Xiao Xiao wasn't particularly moved by the idea of marriage.

She’d never given it much thought before, and after meeting Lu Hanchuan, she never considered anyone else.

Whether it was staying together in love or marriage, she was good with either, as long as they were together for life.

Lu Hanchuan: "I’m going to submit the paperwork, so don’t play with me."

Xiao Xiao framed his face with her hands. "I. Am. Serious."

Lu Hanchuan: "Then let’s go pick out wedding rings tomorrow."

He was indeed very eager.

Xiao Xiao lowered her hand. "Tomorrow, I need to finalize the renovation plans for the courtyard and get work started ASAP. Besides, don’t we already have rings?"

She waggled her fingers.

Lu Hanchuan, still excited: "That's totally different! This is our wedding—we have to prepare properly. And the traditional 'three golds'—I’ll get you a two-jin gold necklace."

Xiao Xiao: "..."

That was exactly the kind of thing Lu Hanchuan would do.

Right now, the "four big items and one sound" were the trend—few people bought gold jewelry for weddings, except those from very well-off families.

Xiao Xiao rarely wore accessories. "We can buy rings, but skip the gold necklace. I don’t need neck problems."