Chapter 125: Guidance and Encouragement
Chapter 125: Chapter 125: Guidance and Encouragement
Zhao Nuanyue walked to her room door and was about to go in when Hua Yusen, standing behind her, took her hand. "You’ve worked hard," he said softly. "Get to bed early."
"I’m not tired. You be careful when you go to the county town tomorrow," Zhao Nuanyue instructed. "I just have this uneasy feeling, and I don’t know why."
Hua Yusen didn’t pay it any mind, figuring Zhao Nuanyue was just scared by what had happened earlier that day.
"It’s alright. Just get a good night’s sleep. I’m here for you," Hua Yusen said softly. Then he hugged Zhao Nuanyue and kissed her forehead. "Good night, sweet dreams!"
"Good night," Zhao Nuanyue whispered, glancing around nervously. Worried someone might see them, she quickly hurried into her room.
Lying in bed, Zhao Nuanyue touched her flushed cheeks and giggled softly to herself. She drifted off to sleep, filled with sweet affection. Even in her dreams, the corners of her mouth were turned up, a sign that she was having a wonderful dream.
And indeed, Zhao Nuanyue didn’t want to wake up. She wanted to remain lost in her dream forever.
Her dream was just too wonderful. In it, she had been accepted into university and was a model student, excelling in both character and her studies. She wore a white dress as she walked down a tree-lined avenue on campus, and beside her stood a handsome, upright man in a well-tailored suit.
Though he was a man of few words and seldom smiled, his gaze upon her was so adoring it made her want to melt into his eyes and simply be a happy woman.
A blue sky, white clouds, green grass, red flowers, and a handsome, thoughtful man by her side... Life was truly perfect. She could die without any regrets.
Perhaps because her dream last night had been so wonderful, or perhaps because she was exhausted from all the baking, Zhao Nuanyue didn’t wake up until seven o’clock the next morning. Hua Yusen had already left for the county town with Miao Dahai, and she couldn’t help but start to worry, hoping that their trip would go smoothly.
"Nuanyue, you were sleeping so soundly today that I didn’t wake you. I made breakfast," Li Qiong said with a smile. "It’s not as good as yours, but it’s passable."
Zhao Nuanyue felt a little embarrassed. It had been her turn to cook today, but she had woken up late, and the others had been too considerate to wake her, letting her sleep in.
"Li Qiong, don’t say that. Your cooking is actually very good," Zhao Nuanyue praised. "You’re just saying that because you saw me sleeping soundly and didn’t have the heart to wake me. I promise I’ll get up early tomorrow and cook for everyone."
"Haha, it’s a simple task, nothing major. We girls all have those few uncomfortable days every month, so we should look out for each other," Wang Yuan said with a smile. "Oh, and you shouldn’t cook for the next few days. Just rest, drink plenty of hot water, and don’t touch any cold water."
Zhao Nuanyue blushed at her words.
Her period had started that morning. She hadn’t even realized it until Wang Yuan pointed out a stain on her pants, saving her from a very embarrassing situation.
"Thank you both for taking care of me," Zhao Nuanyue said gratefully. "It’s a real blessing to have friends you can talk to and who care about you when you’re so far from home."
"If we’re talking about luck, then we’re the lucky ones for meeting a clever girl like you," Li Qiong said with feeling. "With everything that happened last year, if it weren’t for Zhao Nuanyue, I wouldn’t have just lost my reputation—I would have lost my life."
Recalling last year’s events, Wang Yuan’s expression went blank for a moment. "Sigh," she said, "I’m just so unlucky!"
"Wang Yuan, don’t give up on yourself," Zhao Nuanyue said, comforting her. "We’ll leave this place sooner or later. I don’t know when, but I’m telling you, we’ll definitely be able to go back. My cruel stepfather—he’s a real piece of work, but he knows a few things, and my mother secretly told me about it. Just keep this between us. Don’t tell anyone."
Hearing this, Wang Yuan forgot all about sighing and quickly asked, "Can we... can we really go back?"
Li Qiong also looked at Zhao Nuanyue with hope in her eyes, eagerly asking, "Really? Nuanyue, you’re not lying to us, are you?"
"Why would I lie to you?" Zhao Nuanyue replied. After spending so much time with them, she felt that Wang Yuan and Li Qiong were good people. She couldn’t tell them her secrets about Hua Yusen and the elders in the backyard, but she could give them some confidence and hope they could hold on until it was time to return to Jincheng City. "It won’t be right away, though. It’ll probably be a few years."
"Sigh, still a few more years," Li Qiong said, a little disappointed. "I’m already nineteen. In a few years, I’ll be in my twenties. By the time I get back to Sui City, I’ll be an old maid. I’ll probably never get married."
Wang Yuan sounded even more miserable. "My reputation is ruined," she lamented. "I can’t find a good family to marry into here, and by the time I’m old enough to go back to the city, I won’t find a decent one there either. Sigh, my life is the absolute worst."
Zhao Nuanyue and Li Qiong each took one of Wang Yuan’s hands. Li Qiong comforted her, "Don’t think that way. You’re a wonderful person. If the village gets a slot for someone to return to the city, I’ll give it to you. Your parents want you back and they’re working hard for it. It’s not like me... I wouldn’t even be welcome if I went back."
As long as Zhao Nuanyang wasn’t fully recovered, Zhao Nuanyue had no desire to return to Jincheng City.
At the same time, she wasn’t worried about her own chances of returning to the city in the future.
Even without the help of Hua Yusen and Elder Gu, Zhao Nuanyue knew she could get back to Jincheng City by passing the college entrance exams.
"Wang Yuan, if a spot opens up in the village, I’ll give it to you, too," Zhao Nuanyue said softly. "Life is hard here, and there are some bad people, but overall, it’s been good for me and Nuanyang. At the very least, Nuanyang can slowly learn to talk and laugh like a normal person here. Besides, we’re still young. It’s not necessarily a good thing to go back to the city too early."
Hearing that both Li Qiong and Zhao Nuanyue were willing to give her the opportunity previously promised by Miao Cunzheng, Wang Yuan was deeply moved.
"Thank you, thank you," Wang Yuan said, tears streaming down her face. "I’m so lucky to have met friends like you in this life."
Yang Guanghui walked in from outside carrying a washbasin. Seeing the three girls in tears, he asked in surprise, "What’s wrong with you all?"
Wang Yuan quickly wiped away her tears. "I’m just so moved," she said. "Nuanyue and Li Qiong just said that if a spot to return to the city becomes available, they’ll let me have it first. They’re worried I won’t find a husband in the countryside, and if I go back too late, I’ll be an old maid and won’t find a good match there either. I’m just so moved and so grateful to them."
"Haha, then you really do need to thank them. I’ve heard that some young people will do anything to return to the city—scheming, backstabbing, framing people. For them not only to not compete with you, but to offer you the spot instead, it’s not just because they’re kindhearted. It’s because they’re truly good to you."
"Yes, I’m very thankful and very grateful," Wang Yuan said, her eyes red. ’It’s so wonderful to have friends like these.’