Chapter 109: Address
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
After Aunt Hua left, Min Nan turned to Tie Niu and said, “Uncle Tie Niu, Wan Hai and Wan Feng haven’t returned yet. If you happen to meet them on your way to the production team, please let them know that Ye Ling is already home.”
Because the two families had a good relationship, Min Nan didn’t feel embarrassed asking this favor. He planned to go to the village committee later to inquire about the developments regarding the mine incident, so he had to rely on Aunt Hua’s family to take care of Ye Ling.
Before leaving, Min Nan entered Ye Ling’s room. He saw that Wan Xue had prepared hot water and was soaking a towel, getting ready to wipe Ye Ling’s face.
Last night, before Ye Ling went up the mountain, she had asked Wan Xue to go home and get a good night’s sleep. However, Wan Xue had a premonition that something big had happened on the mountain, so she hadn’t slept all night. Her eyes were now red, making her look like a tired little rabbit.
Min Nan walked over to the basin, gently patted Wan Xue’s head, and spoke softly, “You should get some rest now. There’s nothing to worry about. Wan Hai and Wan Feng will be back soon. As for your sister Lingling, she’s just tired and fell asleep.”
Wan Xue trusted Min Nan a lot, and upon hearing his words, she felt much relieved. She nodded and said, “Okay, I’ll go rest for a while. Min Nan, you should take a break too.”
After Wan Xue left, Min Nan re-dipped the now-cool towel into the water. After wringing it out, he sat down by the bed. After a moment of hesitation, he gently wiped Ye Ling’s cheeks with the damp cloth.
When Ye Ling had fainted, Min Nan had been startled, but his years of military experience had given him some basic knowledge of assessing a person’s physical condition. He guessed that Ye Ling was likely just suffering from exhaustion, so he hadn’t taken her to the clinic.
As Min Nan wiped Ye Ling’s face, he noticed a strand of hair had fallen onto her lips. He reached out to brush it away. However, as his fingers accidentally touched Ye Ling’s soft, pink lips, a sudden jolt coursed through him. His hand trembled for a moment.
In that instant, the memory of the day when they had shared a kiss underwater resurfaced vividly in Min Nan’s mind. He took a deep breath, forcing himself
to banish that image from his thoughts.
Just as Min Nan’s mind was in disarray, Ye Ling’s brows furrowed slightly, as if she were about to wake up. Min Nan hesitated for a moment, then immediately withdrew his hand, wanting to see if Ye Ling was indeed starting to regain consciousness.
However, as Min Nan was about to call out to Ye Ling, he suddenly realized something.
Everyone else in the family referred to Ye Ling as “Lingling,” but because he couldn’t bring himself to use that intimate name, he usually skipped addressing her directly and went straight to the content of their conversation.
With this realization, Min Nan felt a pang of jealousy towards the other members of the family.
They treated Ye Ling as family and could casually and affectionately call her by her name. Yet, because of his complicated feelings, he felt reluctant to address her in the same way.
Min Nan regretted not having been more straightforward. If he had just called her “Lingling” from the beginning and thickened his skin a bit, there would have been nothing to be embarrassed about.
But then he wondered if, by calling her “Lingling” like everyone else, Ye Ling would begin to see him as just another family member, like Wan Hai and Wan Feng.
Min Nan couldn’t understand why he was suddenly having these strange thoughts. These delicate considerations were completely at odds with his personality. He was never one to dwell on details. Yet now, over a mere term of address, he was entertaining so many embarrassing thoughts.
Sighing, Min Nan looked back at Ye Ling, who hadn’t awakened and seemed to be having a nightmare.
The girl’s lovely eyebrows were knitted, and her chubby cheeks, which made her look even sweeter while she slept, now displayed an anxious and fearful expression. This tugged at Min Nan’s heartstrings.
After hesitating for a moment, Min Nan gently patted the hand resting on the blanket and softly reassured, “It’s alright, Ling’er, it’s okay…”
The unfamiliar address slipped out naturally, like a breath, and it took him a second to realize what he had said.
In that instant, his heart was flooded with a sweet wave of emotion. The secret pleasure of having this exclusive nickname for her, hidden from everyone, even from Ye Ling herself, made his breath quicken.
Yes, even if he couldn’t openly and intimately call her by that name, he could secretly call her in his heart.
This was their exclusive way of addressing each other, known to no one, not even to Ye Ling herself.
Min Nan’s lips curled slightly as if he had discovered a new world. He looked at Ye Ling and noticed that her expression seemed to have calmed down a lot. Perhaps his soothing had worked..