Huo Xingchao finally understood.
Why did his elder brother look disappointed when he looked for him earlier?
His expression was complex.
It was a mixture of anticipation and a hint of unwillingness.
Now he understood.
It turns out that they were anticipating him to save the world.
But they were also unwilling for him to be able to save the world.
“If you don’t want to, Grandfather won’t force you.”
Grandfather Huo raised his cane, tremblingly stood up, and sighed heavily.
“I can’t force you anymore.”
……
Huo Xingchao raised an eyebrow, genuinely not understanding the old man’s thoughts.
“Grandfather, even if I’m willing to marry He Nian, this marriage may not happen.”
Grandfather Huo was taken aback.
“You agree?”
He suddenly became overjoyed, and then sat down with the support of his cane.
“If you agree, why can’t it happen? Don’t worry, just focus on your studies. Your parents and I will take care of the specific marriage arrangements…”
“Grandfather.”
The young man interrupted him, finding it somewhat amusing. “Don’t you want to ask if He Nian is willing or not?”
“…”
Grandfather Huo stood there, with a somewhat bewildered expression.
“What if He Nian doesn’t want to marry me? We can easily find someone else, but why should the other person necessarily agree?”
Huo Xingchao looked at his grandfather, and the usually careless expression on his face was rarely serious, his voice also calm.
“Grandfather, it’s us who owe them, not the other way around.”
……
When he reached the door, the young man turned his head again, gripping the doorknob.
The lazy sunshine sprinkled on his face, and his almond-shaped eyes narrowed. He spoke casually,
“But Grandfather, if He Nian is willing to marry, then I’m willing to marry.”
……
Is He Nian willing to marry?
She…she must be willing.
But she was afraid that Huo Xingchao wouldn’t want to.
She was afraid that it was another case of Grandfather Huo forcing him to agree.
In that case, she would rather silently like him, watch him start a family and succeed, and forever treat him as a younger sister would.
So, when Grandfather Huo asked her if she was willing to change her suitor and marry Xingchao, she hesitated for a moment.
“Nian Nian, Grandfather is just asking for your opinion. If you don’t want to, just say it. Grandfather won’t force you.”
“It’s not…”
The young girl paused, took a while, and then pursed her lips and looked up, her voice gentle,
“Grandfather Huo, does Brother Xingchao want to?”
Grandfather Huo was stunned by the almost identical reactions of these two children, and he didn’t answer immediately.
But this made He Nian misunderstand.
She forced a smile, her tone carrying a hint of dejection and forced cheerfulness,
“Grandfather Huo, you don’t have to keep thinking about this marriage. You’ve taken care of me and He Yi for so many years. Even without a marriage arrangement, I believe my father wouldn’t blame you. Besides, if Brother Xingchao is not willing and you force him to marry me, it’s not good for him or for me.”
“Thank you, Grandfather Huo, but really, it’s not necessary.”
Grandfather Huo finally reacted and quickly laughed.
“Nian Nian, don’t worry, I asked Xingchao, and he agreed. I was afraid you wouldn’t agree! You two…”
He paused, seemingly figuring something out, and his smile widened instantly. Even the wrinkles on his face were filled with joy. “This twist of fate may not necessarily be a bad thing!”
……
The day after his elder brother’s wedding, Huo Xingchao hurriedly boarded the train.
Mother Huo originally planned to take a day off to see him off, but he firmly refused,
“Mom, parting is like the sound of a distant flute. Let me leave quietly and walk away from the worldly distractions, can’t you? “
Mother Huo glared at him, zipping up her luggage bag, “Don’t spout those flowery words at me. If you want to say something, say it properly!”
The young man sighed,
“Mom, I’m just going to school. I’ll be back on vacation. It’s not like we’re parting forever. Crying and making a scene at the train station, people will think I’m going to jump on the tracks.”
“Phew!”
Mother Huo quickly covered his mouth. “You brat, if you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say anything at all. And now you’re cursing yourself!”
“Alright, Mom, you go to work on time tomorrow, don’t send me off, don’t bother with me. I’ll bring roast duck for you when I come back. Okay, okay, go to sleep now, if you keep chatting with me, neither of us will get up tomorrow.”
……
Actually, it wasn’t that Huo Xingchao didn’t want his mother to see him off.
The key point was, you know, middle-aged women who have a bit of culture and enjoy reciting poetry, they also have a bit of a tendency to be sentimental.
He was genuinely afraid that his mother would start crying at the train station and then chase after the train.
“Xingchao, when Mom is no longer by your side, you have to eat well, sleep well, and take good care of yourself…”
That scene was truly horrifying.
So Huo Xingchao firmly refused.
The next day, Mother Huo did go to work as he urged her to and didn’t come to see him off.
But someone unexpected did come.
…He Nian.
In the train compartment, there was a clamor, and Huo Xingchao sat by the window, leaning out, blinking as he looked at He Nian below.
Perhaps because their roles had changed a bit, when the young girl faced him, there was still a hint of unease in her eyes.
“Um, Brother Xingchao, I just happened to have some free time… so I came to see you off.”
Huo Xingchao was a carefree person and disliked waiting.
So when he went to the train station, he timed it precisely.
Without exchanging any greetings with He Nian, she knew his departure time and directly waited for him at the train station, so she had to wait for quite a while before she saw the tardy young man.
Carrying a suitcase that was neither big nor small, he walked in a carefree manner, as if he was going to sell tickets right there at the train station.
At that time, there were probably only two minutes left until the train departure.
Huo Xingchao strolled lazily, while He Nian was anxiously urging him to board the train first.
When he finally settled comfortably in his seat, she breathed a sigh of relief and bid him farewell at the window, saying her final goodbye word by word.
Biting her lip.
It was that touch of shy lowered eyes.
If Huo Xingchao had watched enough TV dramas, he probably would have known.
Aside from his mother’s earth-shattering farewell, this lingering and hesitating farewell through the window was also a classic plot device in romance dramas.
He patted his pockets but couldn’t come up with anything to give, as he didn’t bring much with him. In the end, he could only casually tear off all the buttons from his shirt and handed them all to her.
He Nian accepted them with confusion.
“Brother Xingchao, what are you doing?”
“A token of affection.”
The young man smirked, a faint teasing smile in his eyes.
“People say that the second button on a shirt, the one closest to the heart, represents sincerity. I’m being generous and giving them all to you.”
The young girl listened in a daze, holding a handful of buttons, unable to speak for a while.
“Oh, by the way.”
He turned around and took out a thick letter from his own suitcase, handing it to her with a wink.
“I wrote half of it and was planning to mail it to you when I arrived in Beijing. But since you’re here today, I’ll give it to you directly.”
“What’s written in it?”
“A love letter.”
The young man had a serious face, threatening her,
“I put a lot of effort into writing it, I even stayed up late last night. Make sure you read it carefully and preferably memorize it. You know, right?”
“…Oh.”
The train started with a whistle.
Huo Xingchao extended his hand and messed up her braids, then warned her with a stern face,
“Don’t run after the train later. I won’t look back.”
……
The young girl finally curved her lips and nodded slowly.
“Okay.”
“Brother Xingchao, have a smooth journey.”
When she finally left.
He Nian obediently didn’t run after the train, just stood in place, watching him go into the distance.
However, Huo Xingchao broke his promise.
He poked his head out and kept looking at the young girl watching him, then raised an eyebrow.
A brilliant and unrestrained smile appeared.
The sensing star on his wrist began to faintly glow beneath his shirt.
In a childish voice,
“Starlight value, seventy percent.”
……
“He Nian, I’ve thought about it and I feel that our relationship needs more romance. So I wrote a few love poems for you to memorize. When I become famous and you write the memoirs of your relatives, you’ll have some romantic material to write about.”
“The first poem: ‘You'”
……
“You are very beautiful.
Especially beautiful.
Like a red apricot and a pink orchid that haven’t left the wall.
You are like a flower bud
Like a painted flower bud
Without an unpleasant smell of pollen
But beautiful.
Although you’re a bit short
But short and lovely.
I don’t find other girls this short good-looking.
Ah, you.
You are a small chestnut.
I’m the black sand grain beside you.
Ah.
May we never be separated in the pot.”
……
He Nian silently finished reading.
Then she folded it neatly and placed it in a locked iron box.
Although Huo Xingchao wrote her a letter.
She was a little happy.
But she genuinely didn’t dare to believe it.
This was actually the level of a top scholar in the college entrance examination.
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