Chapter 561 - 484: Sleepless Nights
Chapter 561: Chapter 484: Sleepless Nights
Lu Jian Country never thought Yang Liu’er and Bai Junfan’s engagement would work out. His thirty years of life experience told him as much. The gap between a farming family and a powerful clan was just too vast. This wasn’t some stage play; reality could be incredibly cruel. If it weren’t, why couldn’t Yang Liu’er continue living at the Bai family estate? If the Bai family truly cared about their son’s fiancée, how could they let her live on her own for so long without so much as a word?
’Bai Junfan was a fool for not cherishing her, but I think she’s a real treasure!’
Lu Jian Country was prepared to wait patiently for the inevitable end to Bai Junfan and Yang Liu’er’s relationship. In the meantime, he focused on his own affairs. He had been in the Northwest for a full ten years; it was time to leave.
He’d originally thought he would have to wait another year or two before returning to Beijing, but things didn’t go according to plan. He was severely injured in an accident and came back ahead of schedule.
When he finally saw the woman he’d secretly been missing, he found her personality and actions were exactly as he had imagined. Lu Jian Country suppressed his inner excitement and affection, interacting with her naturally and casually, just like any other family member.
He was disheartened by how fixated she was on Bai Junfan. Seeing her so pained and haggard from a broken heart filled him with fury. But there was nothing he could do except quietly endure and watch from the sidelines.
As luck would have it, he didn’t have to wait long. Bai Junfan couldn’t keep up his act, and Yang Liu’er saw through his mask of devotion. She came to her senses and became determined to break up. ’What a golden opportunity! Just when it’s my turn to show my charm and capabilities, how could I possibly let her go off and live by herself?’
Lu Jian Country clenched his fist. ’For my son’s sake, and for my own, I have to give it my all. I’ll do whatever it takes, using all my love and sincerity, to make Yang Liu’er stay!’
Lu Jian Country wasn’t the only one sleepless in the dead of night. Lights were on across the first and second floors of the Tang Mansion. Tang Qingyun sat on the living room sofa on the first floor, a single floor lamp illuminating the book in his hands. He kept glancing up toward the left side of the second floor—the area where Tang Qingshan, Ai Wenli, and Xiao Man lived. A faint light shone from their small living room, but there was no sound.
Tang Qingyun was sullen and deeply displeased. ’That brat Gu Shaojun has no sense of propriety! So what if I agreed they could get engaged next year? That’s still next year! How can he be so brazen? And what was with his attitude earlier? Xiao Man pulled him up to the second floor and he just went. I tried to stop him, telling him to go to the third floor, and he dared to pretend he didn’t hear me. He completely ignored me!’
’It’s enough to drive a father-in-law mad! Tang Qingyun knew he owed his daughter, but that didn’t mean he was going to coddle his future son-in-law. If he had any say in his daughter’s marriage, he’d call off the engagement right now. Let’s see how arrogant that brat would be then!’
He raised his wrist to check his watch. It was half an hour to one in the morning. ’If Gu Shaojun doesn’t come out by then, I’m going up there myself.’
’I can’t let Gu Shaojun stay on the second floor. Nothing in this world is set in stone. Who’s to say my daughter will definitely marry into the Gu family in a few years?’
’Gu Shaojun is a soldier—a border guard, no less. The danger involved goes without saying!’
’Her grandmother spoils her rotten, willing to give her the moon and the stars. Her grandfather says Manman knows her limits and won’t do anything inappropriate. The old folks are getting muddled. Of course my girl knows her boundaries, but the man next to her, Gu Shaojun... to put it bluntly, he’s a wolf!’
’And you expect a gentle, docile lamb to resist a fierce, domineering wolf?’
Though he’d been demoted to "Second Uncle," the fact remained that he was her biological father. He had to be on guard at all times. ’Dating is fine, but there have to be limits.’
The couple in the second-floor study was blissfully unaware of Tang Qingyun’s resentment. And contrary to his assumptions, they weren’t just whispering sweet nothings and being lovey-dovey. They had plenty of important things to do.
Xiao Man carefully searched the Treasure Pearl Space again but didn’t discover any new secret grottoes. The two High-level Defense Talismans she’d lucked into last time had been given to Zheng Shaolian and Gu Shaozhen, and she couldn’t find any more this time. All she could do was rummage through the Twin Towers on the summit of Feilai Peak, unearthing some high-grade, Mid-level, and low-level talismans, along with a few Array Plates, to give Gu Shaojun for emergencies.
Gu Shaojun only took two Mid-level talismans and one Array Plate, telling Xiao Man to keep the rest for her own protection.
He had already reached Mid-stage Foundation Establishment, so he could easily evade dangers that ordinary people couldn’t. He no longer needed amulets for protection. He could also refine common Array Plates and talismans himself. However, as a soldier on active duty, he rarely had the free time to gather the necessary materials. Things would be much more convenient once he crafted a storage ring.
In the past, Xiao Man had to painstakingly copy out Cultivation Techniques for Gu Shaojun by hand, a process that could take several days and nights for a single technique. Now, Gu Shaojun could use his Divine Sense to perceive Jade Scrolls directly. Xiao Man just had to take out a Jade Scroll containing a technique and press it to his forehead. After absorbing several Cultivation Techniques and related cultivation texts, and armed with the supplementary elixirs Xiao Man had prepared for him, Gu Shaojun was confident. Even taking a slow and steady approach, he was sure he could achieve Core Formation and enter the Golden Core Stage before he turned thirty.
The two of them murmured to each other in the study, discussing these very matters.
Gu Shaojun also remembered Xiao Man’s earlier complaint: the dried fruit in her storage space was piling up in the storerooms, leaving her with almost no room, to the point she wished she could just sell it all.
He proposed an idea to Xiao Man. "On my way back, I need to visit the families of two fallen comrades. My CO approved a delayed return to duty, so I’m taking the train tomorrow afternoon instead of a flight. That means I have some time tomorrow morning. I can put in some work and build a few large, solid-wood shelves. You can then put them in your space to store all that dried fruit. Would that work?"
Xiao Man realized he was worried she would dispose of the food from her space carelessly and cause some kind of incident. She was speechless. ’Does he really think I’m that reckless?’
After a moment, she decided to tell him the truth. "My storage space is a living dimension. It has fresh water, live fish, and me—a living person—inside it. The plants are lush, ancient trees reach for the sky, and there’s a large grove of precious golden bamboo and Purple Bamboo. If I wanted to build houses, I have more than enough materials. I don’t need to bring anything in from the outside. I’ve just been feeling a bit lazy lately. In a few days, when I’m in the mood, I’ll just build a few bamboo huts. But that bamboo is strange. You have to physically chop it down, which is exhausting. My spiritual power doesn’t work on it. Or maybe I just haven’t found the right method yet."
Gu Shaojun’s heart ached for her. "What can we do? I have all this brute strength. Can’t I do it for you?"
"Not yet. Only when you’re truly mine," Xiao Man said.
But just then, a BANG BANG BANG echoed on the door, followed by Tang Qingyun’s shout. "Manman? Manman, are you in there? I’m coming in!"
Xiao Man: "..."
Gu Shaojun: "..."
’That annoying "Second Uncle." Such a complete mood-killer. I wish I could just give him away.’
The next morning, after breakfast, Lu Jianling left for her company, while Yang Liu’er and Uncle Lu took Weiwei to school. The new term had started, so a guardian had to accompany him to register and pay the fees.
Lu Jian Country was home alone, leaving the courtyard gate ajar. At around ten o’clock, a sound came from the gate, soon followed by a polite voice. "Excuse me, is anyone home?"