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墨書 Inktalez
Xu Wen did not want to lose her again; he wanted to give himself one more chance and the courage to act.
So yesterday morning, when he saw An Shaojie walking toward the vegetable garden at the foot of the mountain from outside the courtyard, he followed him out.
He knew that early in the morning, Qinglan had gone to the vegetable garden with her childhood friend, and she would inevitably run into An Shaojie on the way.
Thus, when An Shaojie and Qinglan met, he arrived at just the right moment, appearing before them like a father to Qinglan and like a lover accompanying her.
What was rare was that after spending several years in Liu Family Village without ever taking a walk outside with him, Qinglan surprisingly invited him for a stroll last night.
Although they called it a walk, they didn't go far; they simply sat under a willow tree by the pond, gazing at the shallow water without saying much.
It was a bit chilly last night, and Qinglan wasn't wearing much. While sitting by the pond, she hugged her arms tightly. Xu Wen took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. She did not refuse, and his hand naturally wrapped around her shoulder; she accepted that too.
Afterward, he kept his arm around her shoulder as the cool breeze from the pond brushed against their faces, sitting there silently together.
Though they hardly spoke a word, Xu Wen felt happy and content inside.
On the way back, he naturally took her hand in his, and she did not pull away.
Xu Wen recalled that year in college when it snowed one night; he had tried to hold her hand but was subtly rejected. After missing that chance to hold her hand, he never had the courage to try again.
Later on, when she started dating An Shaojie, he completely abandoned any thoughts of holding her hand.
For these past few years, he had stayed by her side. It wasn't that he hadn't thought of hinting at wanting to take their relationship further; it was just that whenever he hinted at it, she would avoid him. Whenever he took a small step forward, she would step back, always using gentle means to keep him at bay.
He felt lost.
However, since An Shaojie returned, he realized he could no longer afford to wait leisurely. If he continued to wait without urgency, he would lose her once more.
No matter what the outcome might be, he could not be like before—lacking even the courage to tell her that he loved her or even uttering those two words. He needed to express all the feelings and love he had kept inside for so many years. Whether she accepted it or not, he had to say it out loud.
As Xu Wen quietly walked to the edge of the stone bridge holding her hand, he stopped and confessed to her for the first time in nearly ten years. Although there were no deeply affectionate sweet words, they had long passed the age of sweet talk. Instead, it was a promise that was profound as the sea, forged through hardship, with every word shining like a gem.
He did not promise her a life of wealth and glory, nor did he vow to love her for a lifetime. There were no sweet words that could move mountains or make rivers feel ashamed, nor any phrases that could make the moon shy away into the clouds.
Only one sincere statement: "Lanlan, let's get married. I will take good care of you and Qingmei."
Qinglan stood still, staring at him blankly. After a long time, she said, "You have always been taking good care of me and Qingmei."
Xu Wen continued to look at her. "You know, what I mean is not just the current way of taking care of you both."
"I understand what you mean, but..." Qinglan bit her lip tightly. "I feel unworthy of you. Six years ago, your greatness made me feel inferior. Now, I feel even more... ashamed and unworthy."
Tears shimmered in her eyes.
Xu Wen pulled her into his embrace, holding her tightly. "Whether you are worthy or not is not for you to decide, nor for fate to decide; it is for me to decide. When I met you, you were a pure Magnolia. You are still that most beautiful and pure Magnolia blooming proudly at the top of the branches."
Qinglan's tears flowed even more fiercely.
Despite having gone through so much suffering, she had never cried like this in front of Xu Wen before. Now everything was fine; he was still by her side, saying the simplest yet most touching words in the world, and she couldn't help but feel sad.
Was it regret? Or heartbreak? Or perhaps joy after enduring hardships?
If everything could start over again, if she had let him hold her hand that night six years ago, maybe her life would have been entirely different.
Where would they be? In Beijing? Or abroad? Sitting in a warm room with soft lighting, rich coffee, soothing music—everything would be perfect, so perfect that time could stand still. It wouldn't be under the cold moonlight by the riverbank, beneath the willow trees in the wild wind, feeling the vicissitudes of life and how fleeting reality can be.
Although Qinglan did not immediately agree to him last night, not rejecting him as she had before was already a significant improvement.
This morning when she woke up and heard Qingmei say such things and relay them to Qinglan, a warm feeling flowed through her body. At the same time, she felt a bit embarrassed, as if caught doing something wrong by a child—awkward and unable to maintain composure.
However, Qingmei paid no attention to his embarrassment and stared at his flushed face while adding another comment: "Uncle Xu, why is your face so red?"
As she spoke, her voice was crisp and resonant, clearly penetrating the room where Qinglan was, causing her to blush slightly and involuntarily smile.
At that moment, Liu Xiuzhen happened to walk into the main room, preparing to pour water from the warm water bottle. Upon hearing Qingmei's words, she paused for a moment, her thoughts swirling, and her eyes began to redden.
She had waited for this outcome even longer than Xu Wen.
After glancing towards Qingmei and Xu Wen, she set down the warm water bottle and walked in front of Qingmei to ask, "Where is your mama?"
"She's in the room," Qingmei replied, pointing towards it.
At this time, Qinglan in the room had already heard Liu Xiuzhen's question and quickly stepped out. As she emerged from the door, she happened to see Xu Wen looking up at her.
Suddenly, an unfamiliar shyness surged within her, reminiscent of a young girl; a blush spread across her face, and her usual composure vanished, leaving only the youthful innocence and bashfulness of her student days.
Xu Wen stared blankly at Qinglan, looking as if he were lost in first love—awkward and unable to escape his own feelings.
Qingmei looked back and forth between Qinglan and Xu Wen, still dazed and foolishly asked, "What's wrong with you two? Your faces are all red. Is it hot?"
Liu Xiuzhen stifled a laugh and took Qingmei's hand, saying, "Your mama and Uncle Xu have things to do today. Don't disturb them. Come on, let's go to the kitchen; I'll make you something delicious."
With that, she led Qingmei away by the hand.
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