Xu Musen waited for An Nuannuan to come, but this time, the person bringing An Nuannuan over was not Aunt Xiang.
Xu Musen went over to greet him.
An Shanhai helped An Nuannuan out of the car; by now, An Nuannuan could basically walk on her own with the help of crutches.
An Shanhai assisted An Nuannuan to Xu Musen's side.
Looking at the young man in front of him, his eyes were still somewhat complicated.
Over the past couple of days, he had been thinking about the two children's matter.
He had also conducted a slight background check on Xu Musen.
The background was quite clean; when his family went bankrupt, his parents didn't choose to run away without paying their workers.
Instead, they worked hard and slowly picked themselves back up, enduring several hard years.
Now, their situation was gradually improving.
There's no parent under heaven who doesn't wish for their children to lead a better life; he had thought about arranging a suitably matched partner for Nuannuan.
But he also understood his daughter's temperament; if she was determined about something, it would be very difficult to change her mind, otherwise, she wouldn't remember a cake from six years ago until now.
Moreover, he had heard about the recent events from the elders.
This Xu Musen had indeed been very good to Nuannuan, and so far, the young man did not seem to be unruly.
He had a good character, knew how to take care of Nuannuan well, and was also quite capable. At his age, creating his own brand and company.
Plus, the potential in his milk tea and delivery businesses was not small; if they could flourish, his future achievements might not fall short compared to some rich second-generation kids.
An Shanhai, as a father, reasoned that someone like Xu Musen, who had both good character and capability and also had a clean backstory,
he could control and, at the very least, wouldn't let his daughter suffer too much.
The child had grown up, and it was inevitable to face this day.
So, even though An Shanhai felt complicated inside, he still thought that the young man right in front of him could pass as a prospective son-in-law... barely acceptable.
"I entrust Nuannuan to your care. You can call me anytime if there's anything. I may not often be in Hu Hai, but I still have some say in many places," An Shanhai's words were both encouraging and had a hint of warning.
Xu Musen could understand, after all, if his own daughter suddenly brought home a boyfriend, he probably would have been considering what size sack to throw him into the sea with.
"Rest assured, Uncle An."
Xu Musen nodded in response.
An Shanhai silently watched him for a second, then slowly pushed Nuannuan to his side.
"Nuannuan, take good care of yourself at school too, and tell dad if anything happens… I'll come back more often in the future," An Shanhai patted his daughter's head.
"Mm-hmm, take care of yourself too, dad…" An Nuannuan nodded lightly.
An Shanhai drove away.
An Nuannuan watched her father's leaving figure, and her bright eyes couldn't help but show a hint of loss.
After all, who knew when the next meeting would be.
The warmth from her father's rough hands still seemed to linger on her head.
"Uncle is a man of his word; you'll see him again soon."
Another warm hand was placed on her head.
Xu Musen looked at her with a light chuckle, "Let's head back to the shop, my little boss lady."
An Nuannuan's fair face turned a shade pinker, and in regards to being called the boss lady, or rather, his...
They hadn't walked far when An Nuannuan suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong?" Xu Musen bent down and asked.
"The crutch is making me a bit uncomfortable," An Nuannuan said softly.
Xu Musen looked at the situation; the crutches basically required supporting the weight with the armpit and arms.
An Nuannuan's arms were also fair and delicate, seeming as fragile as a puff of milk.
"What should we do? Do you want me to carry you?" Xu Musen pinched her face.
An Nuannuan shook her head: "No, I need to exercise more right now."
After she spoke, her clear eyes blinked: "Otherwise, could you support me on one side? If I alternate walking, it won't hurt as much."
Xu Musen smiled and nodded, took down one of the crutches for her, and extended his hand to support her arm.
An Nuannuan's flesh was indeed very soft, just like a pool of water.
It felt as if a slight squeeze could turn her bones to mush; holding onto her, there was a reluctance to let go.
"Let's go," Xu Musen said as he supported her and was about to move forward, but An Nuannuan wobbled as if she had not stood stably.
"It'll get better with more practice," Xu Musen said, but at the next moment, he suddenly felt another soft and smooth little hand slip into his.
Xu Musen paused for a second, looking down at his hand holding An Nuannuan's delicate little hand, which seemed to be only half the size of his palm, small and bunched up like a piece of sticky rice cake.
"This way, I won't fall," An Nuannuan looked up at him, her clear eyes now moisturized by the morning's luster and extraordinarily bright.
But the redness of her earlobes still betrayed the unrest in her heart.
Xu Musen looked at her, then at the little hand that had slipped into his palm.
The classic dilemma arose, should he be a beast, or worse than a beast?
Without hesitation, Xu Musen held onto her hand.
Holding warmth like jade, the delicate touch, the tempting warmth, led both to exchange an unspoken glance.
It seemed that between them, the lifetime of friendship was not too far from becoming "bedmates for life."