Li Changming had been tornted all night, his eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep.
But at dawn, Li Changxing brought him the news that izi’s family had refused. His heart sank to the depths, his expression utterly dejected.
He had long told himself that izi was a good girl and he wasn’t worthy of her. But when the news of the rejection actually ca, he found it unbearable. It turned out he had secretly hoped she would say yes.
Seeing his lost and bewildered look, Li Changxing felt a pang of sadness as well.
He had originally planned to tell him last night, but then he thought it was better to let him have one more night of hope. By dawn, he thought it was better to tell him early to spare him the tornt. And now, seeing Li Changming in this state, he regretted telling him so soon.
For a man of Li Changming’s age, this wasn’t the first ti a marriage proposal had been rejected.
But this ti was different!
’How could it be the sa?’ Li Changxing thought. ’Having feelings for soone is completely different from not having any.’
Usually, when a boy ca of age, his parents would find a suitable girl and ask a matchmaker to propose on their behalf. In those cases, if it worked out, great. If not, the boy usually didn’t take it to heart. His parents might grumble a bit, "What makes your daughter too good for our son?" before letting the matter drop.
But when you truly had feelings for soone, how could you just let it go if the proposal failed?
Although Li Changxing couldn’t fully comprehend Li Changming’s feelings, he had a gut feeling his cousin was heartbroken. It would probably take a long, long ti for him to get over izi.
He didn’t go to work either, simply squatting there in the cornfield with his cousin.
After a long while—or perhaps only a mont—Li Changming finally stood up. He said to Li Changxing in a low voice, "I won’t think about it anymore. It’s for the best she didn’t agree. Look at my ho, it’s nothing special. If she had said yes, I wouldn’t even know what to do. Marrying into this would be a real injustice to her."
Li Changxing looked at his placid face, a lump forming in his throat. He forced a smile after a mont and said, "Alright! Let’s go. There isn’t much corn left to harvest, is there?"
Li Changming grunted in agreent and dragged his feet forward, his desolate figure frad by the green and yellow corn leaves.
Truth be told, Li Changxing was a bit of a scher, and izi had fallen right into his calculations.
While Li Changming was naturally devastated by the rejection, izi wasn’t having an easy ti either. This girl who was usually so carefree had suddenly beco confused and bewildered.
She had always thought her mother would choose a husband for her. If she had to pick one herself, she wouldn’t even know who to marry.
But last night, when she heard Grandma Huang’s words—that Changming had actually sent soone to ask for her hand—she was stunned. Before she could even think it over, her mother had rejected the proposal without a second thought.
In the past, she definitely wouldn’t have thought anything of it. But when she heard her mother complain that Changming was too old, why did her heart feel so sour?
’Suddenly, she thought of Li Changming’s quiet face. He must be too upset to sleep after getting a reply like that, right? Even if he’s heartbroken, a person like him would never tell anyone. She just knew he wouldn’t.’
And so, for the first ti in her life, izi had a restless night.
The next day, she couldn’t stop thinking about it. She was so lost in thought while cooking that she nearly cut her hand chopping vegetables.
She had always been a carefree person and tried to push the matter aside, but to her surprise, she couldn’t. Before long, her thoughts drifted back to Li Changming.
’This is a problem!’
She spent the next few days in a daze. She tried several tis not to think about it, but Li Changming’s face, his tall and silent back, and the ti he’d sucked the snake venom from her wound kept popping into her mind.
With a little panic, she realized she might have fallen for Changming, just like how Liu’er liked Qingmu.
For the first ti, she learned to hide what was on her mind.
But for soone who was usually an open book, any attempt to hide her feelings was clumsy and obvious.
In the midst of her busy work, Gou Dan’s mom noticed her daughter had lost her usual cheerful laughter. She had beco quiet, like a sun-wilted red chili pepper.
When she asked what was wrong, izi said it was nothing. Her daughter had always been one to say whatever was on her mind, so she believed her.
’She must be tired,’ the mother thought. She said to izi, "Anyway, the work at ho is mostly done. Why don’t you go chat with Lanzi, or go with them to gather so water bamboo shoots to cook and eat? But if you go gather water bamboo shoots, you have to ask Liu Xiaoi’s brother for help. Don’t try to be a hero on your own; it would be bad if you fell into the pond."
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