That meant she would still have to take a green train. From the provincial capital to Beijing, it would take at least eight hours. He frowned and instinctively advised, “Remember to buy a sleeper ticket. If there’s no lower berth, you can pay extra to switch with someone. Don’t sleep too deeply, and keep an eye on your belongings.”
And also…
He spoke for quite a while and still felt uneasy. She could attract a lecher even on a bus, so on a train…
Only then did Wen Quhua turn to look at him seriously. “Don’t worry, I know all that.”
She had also taken a sleeper train for more than ten hours from Hong Kong to Langcheng. She was not that ignorant.
Even just now, if he had not been there, she would have asked the ticket seller to help her change seats. Besides, she had money. She could buy out all the berths in her section if needed. In fact, she was quite cautious.
Yang Qin pressed his lips together, feeling that he was interfering too much. He had clearly decided to give up for now.
Yet after getting off the bus, he still helped her carry her suitcase down, escorted her out of the station, and told her how to get to the train station. “Be careful yourself. Don’t trust people too easily.”
His brows were tightly furrowed, as if he were facing something serious.
At last, Wen Quhua took her suitcase back from him. She did not seem to care much. She turned and left, lightly waving her small fan behind her as a gesture of goodbye.
Only after her figure disappeared did Yang Tian come over, clicking his tongue as he watched Yang Qin seeing her off. “Brother, so you really do like her?”
That day at the sweet soup shop, he had already sensed something. He had just not expected it. Some people had said they saw Yang Qin and Boss Wen interacting frequently, but no one had thought in that direction. After all, Wen Quhua clearly looked like a passerby in Langcheng, someone who could leave at any time.
Moreover, someone like her obviously came from a good background. She would not find a partner and settle down in a small place.
Just now, he had even heard her say she was going to Beijing. Coming from Hong Kong and heading to Beijing, just thinking about it made it clear they were not from the same world.
Yang Qin ignored him and turned to transfer to another bus.
As for what he was thinking, Yang Tian could not figure it out in the end.
After getting on another bus, Yang Qin looked out the window, wondering whether she would come back and when she would return.
Wen Quhua spent eight or nine hours on a sleeper train before finally arriving in Beijing. As soon as she exited the station, she saw her eldest cousin and younger cousin waiting at the exit to pick her up.
Seeing her family again, Wen Quhua seemed to radiate with brightness as she ran toward them with a smile, drawing many admiring glances from others.
“Quhua, you said you would come last month. Grandma and Grandpa have been missing you terribly.” Her eldest cousin took her suitcase, while her younger cousin handed her a bottle of soda prepared in advance to quench her thirst.
Although her home was in Hong Kong and her maternal family was in Beijing, one in the south and one in the north, she was not unfamiliar with her two cousins. When she was young, her parents were busy with their careers and had sent her to live with her grandparents for several years.
Surrounded by her two cousins, Wen Quhua smiled brightly. “Something came up at the last minute and delayed me. As soon as I finished, I came right away.”
“Mm-hmm, my parents have already prepared your room. This time you can stay for a few months, right?” her younger cousin pressed eagerly.
Between the Wen family and the Sheng family, she was the only girl, so she was cherished everywhere.
Wen Quhua only smiled without answering his question. Instead, she asked, “Are Grandpa and Grandma in good health? Are Uncle and Aunt still as busy as ever?”
“Don’t worry, the elders are in great health. My parents are just like yours, always busy. But today they still took time off to welcome you.”
As they chatted, they saw the Sheng family’s car parked in front of the station. Her eldest cousin placed the suitcase in the trunk, while her younger cousin opened the car door for her. These were things they were used to doing, and Wen Quhua accepted their care naturally.
When they arrived at the Sheng residence and saw her grandparents, there was naturally another round of affectionate greetings. Her aunt smiled as she looked at her graceful and elegant niece.
Wen Quhua had inherited the best features from her parents. She was tall and slender, with a graceful figure. Her skin was as fair as peeled lychee. Even after such a long train ride, she still looked radiant. With her sweet words, she charmed the elders and her uncle and aunt into looking at her with indulgent smiles.
She had also brought gifts for her family, which she had prepared in Hong Kong. As soon as she entered the Sheng home, her grandfather and uncle handed her large red envelopes.
Her grandmother had specially tailored several qipaos for her, each stitched by a master craftsman in Beijing over the course of several months.
Her aunt gave her a jewelry box, filled with pieces she had collected over the years whenever she saw something suitable for a young lady, saving them to give to Wen Quhua when they met.
“Little cousin, I also prepared a gift for you,” her younger cousin whispered to her, leaning close. Wen Quhua looked at him with a smiling expression.
Her aunt also took the time to call the Wen family. Wen Quhua clung to her and acted coquettishly for quite a while before her aunt agreed not to tell the Wen family that she had just arrived in Beijing today.
Since she had been a month late coming to Beijing, the elders naturally questioned her at the dining table.
Her grandfather rarely looked so serious. “Quhua, you said before that you needed to meet someone important and would come after settling matters. The family respected that you’ve grown up and have your own secrets. Now, can you tell us whether your matters have been resolved?”
Hearing this, the elders and her two cousins all looked at her.
Wen Quhua knew she could not hide it anymore and could only tell the truth, though she concealed Yang Qin’s existence and said she wanted to experience life.
When they learned that she had gone to a small county and even opened a sweet soup shop to do business, the elders fell silent for a moment.
Her younger cousin gave her a thumbs-up. “Impressive, Wen Xiaohua. You actually dared to go out and start a business on your own. Aren’t you afraid of being cheated?”
“Hmph, do I look that easy to fool?” Wen Quhua ran to her grandmother’s side, holding her arm and shaking it gently. With a sweet smile, she said, “Grandma, look, I’m perfectly fine, aren’t I? I made all the arrangements before going. And I’m already twenty-one. I can’t live under my family’s protection forever.”
“And your studies…”
“I’ve taken a year off. After I’ve had enough fun, I’ll go back and continue.”
Willful, too willful.
Yet no one had the heart to scold her. Even harsh criticism was something they could not bear to give.
It was her eldest uncle who looked at her seriously and said, “Quhua, your family’s conditions and your parents’ support are your foundation. It’s good that you’ve grown up and have your own thoughts, but you must know what you’re doing. Your parents only have you as their child. Occasional mischief or going a bit too far is nothing, but you must understand what they cannot accept the most.”
Wen Quhua sat up properly and lowered her head without speaking.
She understood everything her eldest uncle said.
In her previous life, she had lived happily under her family’s protection, but she still encountered that accident that almost ruined her life.
At that time, she had been naive and innocent. She fell into the shadows and could not get out, changing from cheerful and lively to withdrawn and depressed. Even her mother gave up her career to stay by her side.
Later, her grandparents passed away, her mother suffered repeated blows, and her father was set up by others… she almost lost everything.
Even now, after being back for several months, she still did not dare to think back on those nightmare-like memories.
She knew what her parents could not accept.
So she was trying to change her own fate and change the course of the future.
When Wen Quhua raised her head again, her expression was firm. “Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle, Aunt, please rest assured. I won’t do anything that I’ll regret.”
Since she had said this much and was already a twenty-one-year-old adult, the elders could not be too forceful. Her aunt quickly lightened the atmosphere, and the dinner table became lively and cheerful again.
This time, Wen Quhua had another purpose for coming to Beijing.
She tried every way to persuade her grandparents to go for a medical check-up with her. Because if she only advised them directly, they would just say they were in good health.
In her previous life, her grandparents had also passed away suddenly. At that time, she had been living in a daze and did not understand many things.
This time in Beijing, at the very least, she wanted to persuade them to go to the hospital once and check their health.
She could not persuade them alone, so she pulled her younger cousin to her side.
“Grandpa and Grandma, medical check-ups are really important. Even now, after we finish exams and before university admission, we have to submit our medical reports. You don’t know, but health preservation is very popular in Hong Kong right now!”
Her younger cousin also joined in, persuading them. “Yeah, a classmate told me a few days ago that one of his relatives seemed perfectly healthy, even working in the fields, but suddenly fainted. By the time they got to the hospital, it was too late.”
Wen Quhua felt that what her younger cousin said was too inauspicious. Her grandparents frowned upon hearing it.
So she lay on her grandmother’s lap, looked up worriedly, and said, “Grandma, I study in Hong Kong, and after graduation, I’ll have to do an internship. I just want you to stay healthy so I can feel at ease. Let’s go together, alright? Recently, I haven’t been feeling very well either.”
Only when Wen Quhua said she was not feeling well did the elders waver.
After several days of her persistent efforts, her uncle finally waved his hand and arranged for the entire family to have a medical check-up.
Although her uncle and aunt found her worry somewhat amusing, they also felt that she was filial and genuinely concerned about her family’s health.
On the day of the check-up, Wen Quhua even reminded the household aunt not to prepare breakfast so everyone could go on an empty stomach for blood tests.
She pulled her younger cousin along to handle the procedures at the hospital. The whole family spent half the day busy before returning home.
Her uncle and aunt had taken time off work specifically for the check-up. After returning home and eating a little, they went back to work.
Although Wen Quhua felt that she had made her family go through a lot of trouble, she was still very nervous about the results.
The next day, the hospital actually called directly.
Her eldest uncle’s expression changed immediately. Seeing the heavy expressions on her uncle and aunt, Wen Quhua’s face turned pale. There must be a problem with the results.
In the end, the doctor said her grandmother was diagnosed with early-stage liver cancer.
The atmosphere in the Sheng family immediately fell into gloom.
Her uncle arranged for further examinations at the hospital. The whole family waited anxiously for the results. They did not deliberately tell the old lady, fearing she would overthink, but after undergoing another check-up, she already knew something must be wrong with her body.
Fortunately…
In the end, the doctor said it had been discovered early and suggested that the Sheng family consider surgery to remove the tumor.
That very night, her uncle closed the door and called his younger sister in Hong Kong. At the end, he added, “It’s all thanks to Quhua insisting on a family check-up. Otherwise…”
If the tumor had worsened, it would have been too late.
Sheng Ruzhen immediately said, “I’ll return to Beijing as soon as possible.”
Wen Quhua repeatedly looked over her grandfather’s examination report. Aside from high blood pressure, everything else appeared normal.
But she felt even more confused.
If her grandfather was in good health, how had he also passed away together with her grandmother in the previous life?
For now, however, her grandfather’s health seemed fine.
Before Sheng Ruzhen could return to Beijing, Wen Quhua’s uncle called again, asking her to come later. The doctor had scheduled the surgery for one month later, and they needed to first help the old lady recover her strength. Since the tumor had been discovered early, the surgery was not urgent.
In the end, Sheng Ruzhen instructed her brother to keep an eye on Wen Quhua and told her to behave herself recently.
“Don’t worry. Quhua is very well-behaved. And this time, we really have to thank her for making such a fuss.”
Because of this matter, Sheng Ruzhen even called her daughter specifically to praise her.
Wen Quhua was also happy. This trip to Beijing had not been in vain.
Since the surgery would be in one month, she planned to return to Langcheng first and come back to Beijing before her grandmother’s operation.
When the Sheng family heard this, they all disagreed.
But Wen Quhua was worried that if she was not in Langcheng, something might happen again to Yang Qin. If she failed to complete her task, this second chance at life would vanish like a bubble, and she would still be unable to change her family’s fate.
Seeing her persistence, the Sheng family eventually stopped persuading her, but set one condition: Sheng Cheng would accompany her to Langcheng.
Sheng Cheng was her younger cousin, and Wen Quhua agreed.
Sheng Cheng accompanied Wen Quhua on the train back to the provincial capital. Fortunately, he was there. Her aunt had packed two full suitcases for her, including the clothes her grandmother had made, jewelry, and various daily necessities.
Langcheng was a small county town. The news that Boss Wen of the sweet soup shop had returned and had brought a man back with her quickly spread.
The shop had been closed for several days. As soon as she returned, she became the subject of local gossip.
After all, not only had the beauty returned, but she had also brought along a man who looked clean, refined, and handsome.