Chapter 144
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Chu Hechao reacted quickly and immediately got up, moving the chair to the table as if seriously sipping his tea.
Just as he settled into his new position, the door was pushed open by Lady Chen. She walked in, her arm linked with a basket, looking anxious. Upon seeing Yuan Li, she heaved a sigh of relief. About to inquire, she noticed Chu Hechao sitting at the table and was surprised. “General, you’re here too.”
Chu Hechao nodded slightly and calmly greeted her, “Auntie.”
Lady Chen smiled and hurried to Yuan Li’s bedside, scolding him with a reproachful look, “I heard you sprained your foot at home, so I rushed over to check on you. How can you be so careless when you’re already this old?”
Before Yuan Li could respond, Chu Hechao frowned and calmly explained, “It wasn’t because Le Jun was careless; it was because there was a pit dug by the children. If Le Jun hadn’t walked ahead and discovered the pit for us, someone else might have sprained their foot.”
With Chu Hechao’s explanation, Lady Chen refrained from lecturing Yuan Li any further and said, “General is right.”
Chu Hechao continued, “Auntie is Le Jun’s mother, and it feels too formal for you to call me ‘General.’ It’s better to address me as ‘Ciye’ instead.”
Lady Chen hesitated for a moment, glancing at Yuan Li. Then Yuan Li smiled and nodded, “Mother, you are an elder, so it’s appropriate to call him by his name.”
“Then I’ll call you that,” Lady Chen smiled, “Ciye, thanks for taking care of Le Jun.”
Yuan Li smiled at Chu Hechao with narrowed eyes.
The man who was teasing him a moment ago seemed to have transformed into someone else now. His words and manners were humble and reserved. “Le Jun and I are as close as brothers, so taking care of him is only natural.”
Yuan Li felt like he didn’t know Chu Hechao anymore.
Lady Chen’s smile deepened, happy to see the scene where Chu Hechao and Yuan Li were getting along well. She put the basket aside, sat by the bedside, and said with concern, “Where is the injury? Let me take a look.”
Yuan Li declined, “Mother, it’s not a severe injury. Please don’t worry. Ciye already checked it and said it will be fine in a few days.”
But Lady Chen was still worried, “It will take a few more days? Li Er, let me have a look. Mother is concerned.”
Helpless, Yuan Li had to extend his foot for her to inspect.
After looking at it, Lady Chen was startled, “It’s already swollen like this, and you said it’s not serious? Li Er, your foot looks almost like a pig’s trotter.”
Chu Hechao couldn’t help but laugh silently behind Lady Chen.
Yuan Li glanced at him and said, “Mother, don’t worry. It just looks scary. It will probably go down in a day or two at most.”
Lady Chen sighed, “My son, I know you’re getting busier and have more things to do, but you must take care of yourself. I don’t want to see you get injured. You must take good care of yourself.”
Yuan Li nodded earnestly, “Mother, I understand.”
“Your father is also worried about you. He originally wanted to come over, but he’s too busy with official duties. He said he will visit you in the evening,” Lady Chen uncovered the deep cloth covering the basket, “I thought you might want to eat some of the food I made since you’re injured, so I prepared a few dishes for you.”
“Father is busy with his matters, so he doesn’t have to come in the evening,” Yuan Li peered into the basket, took a sniff of the aroma, and smiled with relaxed brows and eyes, “You really understand me the best, Mother. I happen to be hungry. Just put these dishes on the table, and I’ll eat there.”
After saying that, he directed Lin Tian to bring the tableware.
Lady Chen followed Yuan Li’s instructions and placed the food on the table. Then she sat down at the table, supporting Yuan Li. Chu Hechao seemed to have no reason to stay since he was not needed, but he firmly remained seated and didn’t leave.
Lady Chen naturally didn’t forget about him, “Ciye, why don’t you try my cooking?”
Chu Hechao’s lips curved up, and he happily agreed.
Lady Chen couldn’t help but say, “General, you really are exceptionally handsome when you smile. Ciye, you are still unmarried until now. How about Auntie arranges a marriage for you?”
The air seemed to freeze for a moment, but Yuan Li calmly intervened, “Mother, let’s eat.”
Lady Chen knew she had said something she shouldn’t have. She maintained her smile and said, “Let me check if there’s anything else in the kitchen. You two go ahead and eat, don’t wait for me.”
Once she left, Yuan Li frowned and kicked Chu Hechao under the table, “Why are you laughing like that?”
Chu Hechao continued picking at the side dishes with his chopsticks, and with his right hand, he held onto Yuan Li’s leg, saying in a leisurely manner, “You’re venting your anger on me.”
After observing Chu Hechao for a moment, Yuan Li asked, “Why does everyone want to arrange a marriage for you?”
“Didn’t you hear it?” Chu Hechao raised an eyebrow, smiling slyly at Yuan Li, “Your mother said I’m exceptionally handsome.”
Yuan Li gave him a sidelong glance, “Don’t call her mother.”
Chu Hechao patted his leg, “I dare to call her that. Will your parents dare to accept it?”
Yuan Li looked distressed and fell silent.
Seeing his expression, Chu Hechao felt sorry for him. He sighed and leaned in, planting a kiss on his lips. “It’s okay, even if we keep it a secret for a lifetime, I’m not afraid. Yuan Li, as long as you’re with me for a lifetime, we can handle anything.”
Their soft whispers became inaudible when passing through the door, leaving only faint murmurs behind.
Outside the door, Lady Chen stood motionless. She had intended to push the door open, but her hand trembled. Her face turned pale, and her expression changed repeatedly. Slowly, she withdrew her hand.
She listened silently to the conversation behind the door, her breathing barely audible.
“Chu Ciye!”
The man chuckled, his voice slightly embarrassed, “There’s no one.”
Lady Chen’s lips lost their color, and she closed her eyes.
She didn’t want to believe what she heard.
Her son was actually involved with Chu Hechao…
Not long after, Lady Chen pushed open the door and entered. Yuan Li looked at her, puzzled, “Mother, where are the things you brought?”
Lady Chen smiled, pretending nothing was amiss, and sat down at the table, “I forgot that this is the Chu Wang Residence, not our home. I went around but couldn’t find the kitchen, so I came back first. When Lin Tian arrives, I’ll have him go again.”
“Alright,” Yuan Li said, “You just sit here and don’t need to worry about anything. These dishes are enough.”
Lin Tian soon brought the bowls and chopsticks. Lady Chen had already eaten before coming to the Chu Wang Residence, so she watched them eat with a smile. When her gaze fell on Yuan Li, it became even more affectionate.
As Yuan Li lifted the tea to his lips, Lady Chen suddenly said, “Le Jun, Mother wants to arrange a marriage for you.”
Yuan Li nearly choked on the tea, spitting it out, “Pfft.”
Seemingly undeterred, Lady Chen continued in a gentle voice, “You’re already twenty-four, it’s time for you to marry. Some time ago, I found a girl for you. She’s beautiful and virtuous, I really like her.”
Chu Hechao’s hand under the table clenched into a fist.
Yuan Li cleared his throat and wiped his lips with a handkerchief, “Mother, I…”
“I can’t wait any longer,” Lady Chen interrupted him, her tone still gentle but not allowing any objections, “Le Jun, I’m getting old, and I don’t know how much time I have left. The world is in turmoil, and I can only be at ease when I see you married and with a child.”
Chu Hechao’s heart sank heavily, and he tried to speak, “Aunt…”
Lady Chen turned to look at him, “Ciye, since you call me Aunt, then say something fair. I only have Yuan Li as my son, and the Yuan family’s future rests on him. He’s only twenty-four, yet he has already achieved so much. Look at the people in this world, how many of them are like my son, unmarried and without children? I’m truly worried, I’m so anxious that I wish I could find him a wife myself.”
Wiping her tears, she continued to speak, one sentence after another, each word echoing in Chu Hechao’s ears, “Ciye, he should get married. Don’t blame Aunt for being ruthless with these words, but he has been at your Chu Wang Residence for six years, six years! He entered your door at the age of eighteen, and now he’s twenty-four. When he married your older brother, your mother also said to our family that Yuan Li would get married in the future. Ciye, I beg you, please persuade Yuan Li with me.”
A moment of silence filled the room.
Chu Hechao’s fingernails dug into his flesh, and he tugged at his lips, smiling as usual, “Auntie, I’m thirty-two and still unmarried, you’ve chose the wrong person.”
Lady Chen fell silent for a moment and looked at Yuan Li, “Li Er, tell Mother, what kind of girl do you like?”
“Mother,” Yuan Li sighed as if feeling tired, “I like someone who stands up for me when I’m being bullied, who gives me all the potatoes to eat, who shares their ice with me in summer and makes me scarves in winter from the prey they hunted…”
He paused, looking up at Lady Chen, “Mother, I like—”
Suddenly, Lady Chen rubbed her forehead, showing signs of exhaustion, “I’m feeling a bit tired. Li Er, I’ll go rest first.”
Without waiting for Yuan Li and Chu Hechao to say anything, she hurriedly left.
Yuan Li watched her figure gradually disappear and murmured, “She already knows.”
As Lady Chen spoke the first sentence, Yuan Li already felt something was off.
She had stayed at the Chu Wang Residence before; how could she not know where the kitchen was?
“That’s fine,” Yuan Li finally said, “They will find out sooner or later.”
Back at the Yuan Residence, Lady Chen secluded herself in her room and refused to see anyone.
When Yuan Song returned, he went to her room to look for her, “Madam, how is Li Er’s injury? Shall we go to the Chu Wang Residence to check on him?”
Inside the dimly lit room, Lady Chen was sewing a robe by candlelight.
Yuan Song seemed surprised, “Madam, who are you sewing this robe for? Why not let the maids do it?”
Lady Chen smiled faintly, the warm yellow candlelight reflected in the corners of her lips, “I went to see Li Er today. His injury is not serious, but the clothes he was wearing didn’t look very comfortable. I wanted to make him a set myself. I haven’t given him anything nice on his birthday these past few years.”
“Nonsense,” Yuan Song sat down beside her and adjusted the candle wick, “On our son’s birthday, it’s a matter of life and death for the mother. He should be grateful to you, how could he let you give him gifts?”
Lady Chen scolded playfully, “I just wanted to make something for him.”
Yuan Song rubbed his beard and shook his head, then remembered the question he had just asked, “Is his injury really not serious? Should we go see him again?”
“Lord,” Lady Chen smiled, “It’s already late, and you just got back. You must be exhausted! Just have a good meal and rest well. You really don’t need to go. Li Er said so himself, you can rest assured!”
Yuan Song felt relieved inside, “Alright then, I’ll follow Madam’s advice. When I’m not busy in a couple of days, I’ll go check on Li Er. By the way, Madam, what about those girls you were considering for Li Er? Have you made a decision?”
As Lady Chen was sewing, the needle pricked her finger, and she wiped away the blood with a smile, “No hurry.”
Yuan Song was puzzled, “You were so eager before, but now you say there’s no hurry. How did you change your mind after going to the Chu Wang Residence?”
Lady Chen used the needle to comb through her hair, lowering her head as she said, “I just feel that there aren’t many girls in Ji County who are suitable for my son. Though Li Er is not young anymore, marriage is not something to be rushed. He’s busy with important matters now, and if he marries someone troublesome, won’t our home be in chaos?”
Yuan Song furrowed his brow, “He’s already twenty-four years old.”
Unbeknownst to Yuan Song, tears quietly fell from Lady Chen’s eyes, and she discreetly wiped her face with the back of her hand. She spoke calmly, “Lord, there’s no need to rush. Not at all. Let’s just let him be. This child has had his own ideas since he was young.”
Yuan Song sighed helplessly, “Alright, alright. Let’s wait a bit longer then.”
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