“Master, why didn’t you take me with you today? I want to go out and play too.”
The moment she entered, Ruirui pitifully wagged its tail and rushed toward her.
“Be good. It’s inconvenient. When there’s a chance in the future, I’ll take you out for a walk.”
Nan Qianqian reached out and smoothed the soft fur in her arms.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to take Ruirui with her.
It was just that everyone in this era was used to seeing ordinary village dogs. If they suddenly saw Ruirui, who knew what kind of trouble it might cause?
Holding Ruirui in her arms, Nan Qianqian walked straight into the medical space.
Looking at the dazzling array of medical books before her, Nan Qianqian frowned and asked, “Ruirui, with this accelerated medical learning system, how long do I have to study before I can treat Fu Nanxun’s leg?”
“Master, don’t be anxious. What do you think ‘accelerated’ means? As long as you study on time every day, one month at most should be enough. Besides, this place has a complete set of medical equipment. Treating a leg injury is basically a piece of cake.”
Ruirui spoke so casually that all the worries Nan Qianqian had been feeling instantly vanished.
Thinking about it again, she realized she had simply lacked confidence in herself.
Everything had already been prepared for her.
What was there to worry about?
In short, it came down to four words.
“Just do it.”
“So sleepy!”
Because she had once again stayed up until the middle of the night, Nan Qianqian now felt as though she could barely keep her eyes open.
If she hadn’t set an alarm in advance, she definitely would have overslept again.
She groped her way toward the kitchen.
“Qianqian!”
Holy crap!
“Mom?”
Nan Qianqian jumped at the sudden voice.
The sky was only faintly bright, and the kitchen was pitch-black. She couldn’t see anything clearly, but the voice sounded like Li Cuihua’s.
“Qianqian, why are you up so early? Hurry back and sleep a little longer. Mom will call you once breakfast is ready.”
Li Cuihua lit the kerosene lamp.
Through the flickering flame, she saw the exhaustion written all over Nan Qianqian’s face.
She couldn’t help saying with heartache, “Qianqian, why don’t you talk to your dad about looking after Fu Nanxun and have him arrange for someone else to go instead? Look at how weak your body is. You won’t be able to handle it.”
Seeing the heartache on Li Cuihua’s face, Nan Qianqian softened her voice.
“Mom, I’m fine. I’m perfectly healthy. As for taking care of Fu Nanxun, I don’t feel comfortable leaving it to someone else.”
“Daughter, you need to think this through carefully. Fu Nanxun’s parents are both gone. He’s all alone and has nothing. And now his leg is crippled too. In the future…”
Nan Qianqian’s delicate brows furrowed slightly as she interrupted Li Cuihua.
“Mom, Fu Nanxun’s leg will get better. Besides, precisely because his parents are both gone, and because they once showed our family kindness, we should care for him even more. He’s all alone in this world. We should give him even more love.”
Nan Qianqian spoke earnestly.
“Qianqian…”
The kerosene lamp flickered, illuminating Nan Qianqian’s resolute face.
Li Cuihua felt somewhat ashamed.
This made it seem as though she, a grown woman, wasn’t even as sensible as a young girl.
Looking at the determination in her daughter’s eyes, it was only at this moment that Li Cuihua truly felt that her Qianqian had changed.
She had become more sensible and obedient than before.
The atmosphere in the kitchen became somewhat strange.
Nan Qianqian quickly took Li Cuihua’s hand and said coquettishly, “Mom, let’s make breakfast together! If we don’t start soon, the sun will be up. Dad will get angry if he wakes up and there’s nothing to eat.”
The moment Nan Qianqian finished speaking, Li Cuihua immediately raised her voice.
“He wouldn’t dare!”
“Yes, yes, Dad wouldn’t dare. But Mom, your daughter is hungry!”
Nan Qianqian smiled placatingly.
She had only wanted to change the subject, but somehow she had dragged her innocent father into it.
“You’re hungry? Why didn’t you say so earlier? Mom has already wasted so much time.”
The moment Li Cuihua heard that her precious daughter was hungry, she hurriedly got moving.
Anyone could go hungry except her Qianqian.
“Mom, I’ll help you.”
Nan Qianqian took Li Cuihua’s hand, and mother and daughter busied themselves together in the kitchen, preparing breakfast for the whole family.
That morning, they made porridge, steamed cornmeal-and-white-flour buns, steamed egg custard, and pickled vegetables to go with the meal.
The egg custard had been specially steamed by Li Cuihua for Nan Qianqian.
Even the two children didn’t get any.
Nan Qianqian didn’t eat a single bite.
She divided some between the two children and planned to take the rest to Fu Nanxun.
Porridge and steamed buns could fill the stomach, but they weren’t nutritious enough.
Li Cuihua watched with a dark expression as Nan Qianqian divided the egg custard between the two children.
She had originally thought her daughter would eat the rest herself.
Who would have expected her to start packing it up?
She had already been unhappy, and now she was even more displeased.
But after what had happened that morning, she forcibly swallowed the words of protest that had reached her lips.
The village Party secretary drank the porridge in his bowl, watching his daughter’s actions with genuine happiness.
After finishing the last mouthful, he smacked his lips and said, “Qianqian, Dad thinks… why don’t you and Nanxun get engaged first?”
The moment the village Party secretary finished speaking, the room instantly fell silent!
Nan Guodong and Nan Jing exchanged a silent glance.
Neither of them spoke.
Their eyes turned toward Nan Qianqian in unison.
Li Cuihua, on the other hand, widened her eyes until they were perfectly round.
The village Party secretary’s back unconsciously stiffened.
Seeing his wife staring at him in shock, he suddenly felt guilty.
He hadn’t discussed this matter with her beforehand.
And now he had brought it up directly with their daughter without even giving her any warning.
It looked like today wasn’t going to be an easy day for him!
“Dad, isn’t that a little too fast?”
Nan Qianqian ignored the looks her two brothers were giving her.
Her heart was already in turmoil.
She naturally wanted nothing more than to be with Fu Nanxun.
But she hadn’t expected things to move this quickly.
Most importantly, that man probably wouldn’t agree.
Someone who already found her irritating whenever he saw her was suddenly supposed to get engaged to her?
Wouldn’t that practically be asking for his life?
“Ahem. You don’t need to worry about that. Dad will talk to Nanxun. He’ll agree. Besides, you’re a young woman running over to his place every single day. It won’t do for you to have no proper status.”
The village Party secretary ignored the “daggers” his wife was shooting at him.
Thinking about Liu Wenxiu, who had come to argue with him today, his brows couldn’t help furrowing.
His daughter had only gone over there for one day, yet those long-tongued gossips were already causing trouble.
If the two young people continued interacting like this, he was afraid that someone might even seize the opportunity to report them for hooliganism.
If her reputation were ruined, that absolutely wouldn’t do.
Just thinking about it made the village Party secretary even more determined to arrange their engagement.
Anyway, his Qianqian had already agreed.
Marriage was only a matter of time.
If they got engaged first, the two of them could spend time together without worrying about gossip.
Maybe once Nanxun’s leg recovered, they could simply register their marriage.
The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.
The village Party secretary stared directly at his daughter, waiting for her to say yes so that he could immediately take action.
If his daughter refused, then he would still have to arrange for someone else to take care of Nanxun.
“Ahem, Dad, as long as none of you object, I’m fine with it.”
Nan Qianqian’s cheeks heated up.
She couldn’t help wondering whether she was being a little too… eager?
Wasn’t it a little improper to rush forward and offer herself up as someone’s wife?
“Then there’s no problem! I’ll go talk to Nanxun. And once you’re engaged, Nanxun won’t have to stay in that thatched hut anymore. He can move straight into our house, which will make it much easier to take care of him!”
The village Party secretary happily slapped his thigh.
As he spoke, he disappeared from the kitchen.
He left behind an entire room of people staring at one another.
“Qianqian, your father made this decision too hastily. You really need to think it over carefully.”