Zhou He thought about how Xu Nianhua was even two years younger than her.
"Zhou He, do you trust me?" Xu Nianhua reiterated.
Her gaze was firm and confident; her bright eyes seemed to say, "Trust me, I can help you."
Zhou He nodded, "Nianhua, I know you’re smart. Can you, help me?"
"Of course." Xu Nianhua grinned broadly, feeling Zhou He’s trust, she was very happy inside. She seriously inquired about where that man with the surname Luo was from, saying, "Zhou He, be careful at home. Never be alone. It won’t be long before my eldest brother will marry you and bring you home."
Zhou He was not stupid. Hearing Xu Nianhua’s words, she found it incredible. She said, "My dad, he..." wouldn’t do that, would he?
Before she could finish speaking, Zhou He tasted bitterness. If her father really cared about her happiness, how could the current situation have arisen?
"Nianhua, you’re right to remind me. It’s necessary to guard against others. Don’t worry, I’ll be careful," Zhou He said. She only wanted to wait quietly to be married and start a small family with Xu Nianji. Even if they were poor, even if life was hard, she wasn’t afraid. No matter how poor or tough, it would be better than her current days.
Xu Nianji only had a few words with Zhou He. When she left, he was busy and didn’t get to greet her.
"Elder brother, are you thinking about Zhou He?"
"Do you want to have a private word with Zhou He?"
Xu Nianhua teased him, smiling.
Xu Nianji’s face turned red in an instant, blushing to the tips of his ears, he stammered in explanation, "I, I, I just wanted to ask if she’s doing well at home."
"Oh, so you don’t miss Zhou He," Xu Nianhua drew out her words, teasing with a smile that was not quite a smile, "Then next time I’ll tell Zhou He that you don’t miss her at all."
Xu Nianji, his face still flushed, didn’t know what to do as Xu Nianhua teased him.
Xu Nianhua couldn’t stop laughing, and even Xu Nian’an beside her couldn’t help but feel amused. Was this really his elder brother?
When had his elder brother become so awkward?
It was clear that his little sister was just teasing him.
"Elder brother, once you marry your wife, you’ll be able to see her every day and night; it’s just a bit of time," Xu Nian’an said.
Xu Nianhua composed herself and said seriously, "Zhou He’s father wants three hundred yuan and a bicycle. Given our current situation, we definitely can’t afford that, but we can think of a way. If that man surnamed Luo is unwilling to marry Zhou He, Zhou He’s father will certainly become anxious about proceeding with the marriage to my big brother."
"How could that man surnamed Luo possibly agree not to marry her?" Xu Nianji furrowed his brow; although he hadn’t seen that man surnamed Luo yesterday, he could tell from Father Zhou’s words that the man was determined to have her.
"Then we’ll just have to find a way," Xu Nianhua replied without hesitation, "We can start by gathering intelligence about the enemy. As the saying goes, ’know thyself, know thy enemy,’ and perhaps we’ll be able to dig up something useful, right?"
"There’s no time to lose; let’s gather information right now." Xu Nianhua shared the information she got from Zhou He: forty years old, surname Luo, recently lost his wife. With this, the range of possibilities narrowed significantly.
The county town isn’t too big nor too small. When it comes to finding someone, it’s not impossible.
"Little sister, let me take care of investigating. We absolutely can’t let Xu Nianhua get involved," Xu Nian’an volunteered. This was something Xu Nianhua should not be handling personally.
"That’s right, Nian’an and I will handle the investigation. You, just stay at home and behave," Xu Nianji and Xu Nian’an reminded her repeatedly. Taking advantage of the early hour, the brothers left the house.
No sooner had they stepped out the door than Xu Nianhua followed suit.