After Chu Lian left, he headed straight for Yuelai Restaurant, issuing orders for all restaurants throughout the county to strike against Dongfeng Restaurant, even at a loss.
This time, Chu Lian was truly angry. He didn’t want to wait for Li Fugui to deal with Dongfeng Restaurant anymore; he wanted to take matters into his own hands.
After finishing these tasks, he still couldn’t resist going to Yang Family Village. Angered as he was, he couldn’t regain his composure; at that moment, he just wanted to see her.
As soon as he entered the courtyard and saw Han Yongsheng still there, he was a bit surprised, but didn’t think too much of it. After exchanging pleasantries, he asked, "Where are they?"
Han Yongsheng replied, "They’re in the backyard garden."
Hearing that they were in the backyard, Chu Lian hurried towards it. The closer he got, the faster his heart beat. He hadn’t seen her for several days; would she be afraid of him when he appeared?
Finally, he reached the garden gate leading to the backyard and saw her standing there with a smile on her face.
Chu Lian’s heart settled down. She was alright, and that was truly great.
He stood there, gazing at her silently for a long time.
In the garden, Xiaoxiao and the others were planting vegetables. Xiaoxiao was in good spirits. She had been there for almost five months, eagerly awaiting the planting season so she could finally have fresh leafy greens.
Xiaoxiao and Wang Xiangxiang were planting for the first time, so they were both curious and excited.
Due to physical reasons, Wang Xiangxiang did lighter work like placing the seeds; Xiaoxiao followed by watering them; Yang Ming dug holes. The three of them had a pretty good division of labor, though it was uncertain whether with two beginners they could successfully grow the crops.
"Little brother, how many seeds should I put in this hole?"
"Okay." Wang Xiangxiang carefully counted three seeds and placed them in the hole, moving gradually forward.
Chu Lian’s mouth curled into a smile; she seemed to really enjoy gardening. It was good as long as she was happy.
Soon Wang Xiangxiang and the other two finished planting the first row and turned back to start on the second. When Wang Xiangxiang turned around, she accidentally looked up and saw Chu Lian standing there watching. Her face instantly turned pale with fright, and the seeds she was holding fell to the ground.
"Sister, what’s wrong?"
Wang Xiangxiang hastily bent down to pick up the scattered seeds, her hands trembling a bit. She feigned calm and said, "It’s nothing."
But her heart was pounding. He was here; how would he see her now.
When Chu Lian noticed Wang Xiangxiang’s panic, he knew it was because of him. He felt a bit sad, but he couldn’t help but step forward. He didn’t speak, but helped her pick up the seeds that had fallen on the ground.
"Thank you." Wang Xiangxiang took the seeds, quickly thanked him, then turned away, taking a deep breath in a corner out of everyone’s sight.
Seeing Chu Lian had come over, Xiaoxiao thought it was a good opportunity for them to get along, so she handed the bucket to Chu Lian, "Young Master Chu, you and my sister manage it together — she’ll place the seeds, then you bury and water them. I’ll go make something for you both to eat."
After speaking, she gave Yang Ming a look, signaling him to take cue. Yang Ming nodded, indicating he understood.
Chu Lian took the bucket, mimicking what Xiaoxiao had just done, and started working alongside her. He followed behind Wang Xiangxiang, burying and watering the holes after she placed the seeds. Although they didn’t speak much, being this close to her was wonderful.
Their relationship had indeed changed; it was no longer like before when they fought and bickered upon meeting. Should he go back to behaving as he did before?