Chapter 586 - 505: Waiting
Chapter 586: Chapter 505: Waiting
The taxi pulled over at an intersection, and Yang Liu’er asked the driver to stop. She got out and ran to the nearby Fuji Roasted Duck Restaurant, quickly returning with a wide-mouthed cloth bag in her hand. Inside the bag were four kraft paper packages. Xiao Man smelled the aroma of meat and craned her neck to see that it was roasted duck—four of them, in fact.
Weiwei jumped up and down, cheering, "Ooh! Big roasted duck, big roasted duck! I get to eat a duck leg tonight!"
After she closed the car door, the taxi driver continued on. Yang Liu’er smiled at Xiao Man and said, "Fuji Roasted Duck Restaurant. It’s delicious, and if you don’t get there in time, they sell out. We got there early today, so we were able to buy so many. You can take one home for your family to try later. We’ll keep one, and the other two are for Sister Chunxiang and the others."
Xiao Man smiled and asked, "You’re not calling her Aunt Chunxiang anymore, but Sister Chunxiang? What’s that about? Did Luo Chunxiang really manage to get her divorce from the Bai family?"
"It’s about ninety percent certain. Sister Chunxiang asked me to change how I address her. She said she absolutely has to go through with the divorce this time. She was too headstrong back then, but now she has to listen to her parents. Otherwise, she’d be letting them and her siblings down for having no backbone and bringing shame to the Luo family. After spending a month back home, she feels like she’s found her old spirit again. She can’t stand to be in the Bai family’s house a moment longer. That man is fickle and looks down on her, and now, she doesn’t want him anymore either! You saw her brothers and nephews came along. And don’t be fooled—they might look like a bunch of rough brutes, but they really know how to handle business. They didn’t cause a huge scene. First, they just planted themselves in the Bai home and cornered Old Master Bai to reason with him. Then, one by one, they laid out their strategies for dealing with a powerful, influential family. Turns out, the Luo family’s own patriarch knew some important people back in the day; he just didn’t like to be flashy. But now, they say they’re going all out for their daughter. If the Bai family tries to harm any of them, it won’t be so easy. They have backup plans. It would be mutually assured destruction. The Luo family might be ruined, but the Bai family’s reputation would be dragged through the mud. Who’s afraid of who! That whole group of them stayed put in that mansion for half a day and a whole night. In the end, Mr. Bai agreed to let Sister Chunxiang get her divorce. They’re just waiting for Bai Lihua to get back in the next couple of days to sign the papers and make a clean break."
"What about custody of the children?"
"The Bai family would never grant custody, and the three children themselves don’t want to go with Sister Chunxiang. They’re Bai family blood, after all, and they’re snobs. They look down on their own mother for her rural origins. Even at such a young age, they already know it’s better to lean on a powerful backer. None of them sympathize with their mother. The two older girls even pointed at Sister Chunxiang and berated her for constantly embarrassing them. Sister Chunxiang was heartbroken, but it didn’t shake her resolve. She just thinks that even after the divorce, she’ll still live in Beijing. They’re the children she gave birth to, so her heart aches for them. One day, if they want to find their mom, at least they’ll be able to."
"So are Luo Chunxiang and her brothers and nephews still staying at the Bai family’s house?"
"Of course not! A whole crowd of them came to Beijing just to force the divorce. The Bai family hates them for being so tactless and refuses to host them. Sister Chunxiang doesn’t dare stay at the Bai house anymore, and her brothers are even more worried about her. So now they’re all staying in my little courtyard. I got all the daily necessities for them, so they can cook their own meals. Once the paperwork is done, the Bai family will have to give Sister Chunxiang some money and property, no matter what. It doesn’t matter how much or how little she gets. I think the fact that she can finally get this divorce is a huge blessing. You have no idea, if she had to keep staying with the Bai family... Ugh! Let’s not talk about all this upsetting stuff. The more you get into it, the more there is to say!"
Xiao Man also breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Luo Chunxiang wasn’t living in the Bai Mansion, that was good. This way, she could finally rest easy about her taking her medicine and getting treatment.
The car stopped at the entrance to Jishun Alley. Yang Liu’er and Weiwei got out, waving as they watched the taxi carrying Xiao Man disappear at the end of the road. Only then did the two of them walk home, hand in hand.
Weiwei pushed open the courtyard gate with a loud CLANG and shouted, "We’re home!" Lu Jian Country walked out of the main house, his eyes looking at Yang Liu’er with concern as he jokingly scolded, "You little rascal, can’t you be a bit gentler? This gate has been here since I was a kid. It can’t handle you abusing it like that."
As he spoke, he came forward to take the cloth bag from Yang Liu’er’s hands. He wasn’t using a crutch anymore. Aside from not being able to run or jump, he could walk at a normal pace very steadily.
"What did you buy? Oh, roasted duck! It smells so good! Weiwei, you’re so lucky. We’ve got an extra dish for dinner tonight."
"Brother Lu, you can have some too," Yang Liu’er said.
"Weren’t you the one who told me to avoid duck? You said it would aggravate my condition."
"Er... that was just my mom. She was always nagging in my ear about how you can’t eat duck with certain illnesses or medicines. I just asked Manman about it, and she said you don’t need to avoid any foods in your condition. You can eat anything."
"That’s great! With Liu’er’s approval, I can finally have some roasted duck tonight too. It’s been so long since I’ve tasted it."
Lu Jian Country looked at Yang Liu’er, his eyes filled with a warm and gentle smile.
Yang Liu’er felt inexplicably flustered. She quickly gathered a few more things, packed two of the roasted ducks, and headed for the door. "I bought four roasted ducks. One for Manman, one for us to keep here, and these two need to be delivered to the small courtyard for Sister Chunxiang and the others while they’re still hot."
Lu Jian Country glanced back and saw that Weiwei had already run inside to turn on the TV, so he followed Yang Liu’er to the door. "Liu’er, why don’t I go with you?"
"No, it’s fine. Weiwei’s home, you should watch him. He’s dying to watch that show. Once he’s finished, make him start his homework right away... I’ll be back in a bit to make dinner."
"Don’t rush back, I can cook. Be careful on your way. Watch where you’re going, and look out for people and cars."
"Okay, I know."
Lu Jian Country watched her figure, as slender and graceful as a willow branch, recede into the distance. A doting smile played on his lips, but then another thought seemed to strike him. He sighed softly, turned, and went back inside, closing the door behind him.
’A few days ago, he’d overheard Weiwei repeating a conversation between Xiao Man and Liu’er, and it had made him panic. Don’t let Liu’er’s usual soft-spoken, gentle nature fool you. When pushed too far, she could get explosive and act recklessly. The Bai family had pushed her like that, and she’d fallen right into their trap, blurting out that she would get married within two months. She was so headstrong, making such a huge decision without talking to anyone—she didn’t even tell Jianling. What if she really just grabbed some random guy off the street and went to register the marriage? Wouldn’t that be...’
Lu Jian Country hadn’t slept a wink that night. His usually calm mind was in turmoil, and he couldn’t think of a single good solution. The next day, he bit the bullet and stopped Yang Liu’er. He didn’t dare confess his feelings for her outright. Instead, putting on the air of a concerned older brother, he very seriously analyzed the situation with her. He mentioned how Weiwei couldn’t live without her, and that while his own circumstances might not be the best, he could definitely offer her support and protection. He suggested that rather than marrying a random man, she might as well register a marriage with him. They wouldn’t have a banquet, but it would still count as being married. He promised that after they registered, they could continue living in their separate rooms just as they were now. And if, in the future, she really didn’t like his type and found someone she truly wanted to marry, he would give her his blessing and see her off to her wedding as if she were his own sister.
At the time, Liu’er had looked down and said only one thing: "Let me think about it..."
That simple phrase, "Let me think about it," was like the first light of dawn, giving Lu Jian Country immense hope.
For a whole week, he could clearly feel Liu’er avoiding him. He did his best to restrain himself, putting on a calm and composed facade, but inwardly his heart was in turmoil, like a raging typhoon. He couldn’t sleep at night. He was waiting, no matter what her verdict would be.