"I never expected they would call me over to help." The cafeteria served communal meals, nothing more than greens and radishes, not very tasty, but enough to fill the stomach.
Chunhua looked up at Lan Tian, "Actually, I know they wanted to trick the secret recipe out of me, but unfortunately, they don’t know that the person who cured Yuangle was you, so their hopes were dashed."
Lan Tian just smirked and took another bite of her peach.
"Dr. Sun’s teacher, the one who looks like a thin old man with a sharp chin and cheekbones."
The image of that thin, gaunt old man flashed through Lan Tian’s mind, indeed just as Chunhua described—a sharp-chinned, gaunt-faced old man—so she nodded, "Ah, him. Has he looked for you?"
"Yeah, he came looking, but I ignored him. Then he found an excuse, claiming that he didn’t know what the ointment was made from or its effects, and if it ended up harming someone, the hospital would be responsible. He scooped up some of the salve you gave me, saying he wanted to take it for testing. Could that cause trouble for you?" Chunhua wasn’t worried about anything else, just this.
Lan Tian gazed at Chunhua, sighed, and said, "Chunhua, what’s our relationship? Do we need to beat around the bush ? You can’t speak directly? What’s this trouble or not trouble; it’s just some ointment. If he wants to test it, let him. If you talk to me again, I won’t care about your affairs from now on, ha!"
Knowing Lan Tian was upset, Chunhua stopped eating and came over to hug Lan Tian’s waist coquettishly, "Lan Tian, I was wrong. Don’t ignore me. Without you, I feel really anxious."
Lan Tian slapped away her head, "Will you do it again in the future?"
Chunhua raised two fingers and swore, "I promise I won’t do it again, Lan Tian..."
Looking at her with puppy dog eyes, the pitiful appearance was too hard to bear.
"Alright, alright, don’t take an inch and sell a smart. I just discussed with your brother about finding you a match in the military. You’re not getting any younger, and it’s hard for our aging parents to worry about your marriage. The village gossips are so nasty; our parents have it tough and have never pressured you. Military men have a strong sense of duty, just that alone makes them several times better than men outside. Think about it yourself."
Chunhua hung her head in silence, her gaze stealthily shifted to Mo Junhua, then back to Lan Tian beside her, biting her lip, she finally made up her mind.
"I have a boyfriend."
Both turned their heads toward Chunhua, eyes filled with incredulity, as if asking, "Really have a boyfriend?"
Under their shocked gazes, Chunhua slowly nodded, and this time Lan Tian and Mo Junhua were truly surprised.
Looks can be deceiving; a girl who was well-behaved and quiet on ordinary days had a boyfriend quietly, and her friend, confidante, sister-in-law, and elder all had not heard a whisper of it—kept the underground relationship well hidden.
Chunhua’s little actions didn’t escape Lan Tian’s eyes. She glanced at Mo Junhua and asked, "Do I know him? What does he do? How long have you two been dating? What’s he like? How did you two meet?"
Lan Tian suddenly switched roles, like an elder inquiring a junior in detail.
Chunhua showed a shy expression, her little face turning red. As a young maiden, it was already out of line for her to mention ’dating someone’; she could not possibly utter anything more. If it weren’t for Lan Tian wanting to introduce someone to her, meddling in match-making, she would not have brought it up, especially in front of her third brother.
Mo Junhua’s face darkened, and he looked very displeased. Under his watch, his own sister had been dating someone, and he, as the head of the family, was clueless. What was worse, his sister had even colluded with others to hide it from him. That made it clear the guy was of no decent character, not a keeper.
Upon seeing the change in Mo Junhua’s expression, Chunhua got a fright, her face going pale. She had intended to reveal everything openly, but the shock caused her courage to dissipate. For some reason, she suddenly felt extraordinarily aggrieved; her eyes slowly reddened and, with stubborn defiance, she glanced at Mo Junhua and lowered her head, biting her lip in silence.
Lan Tian felt his heart sink. It seemed that Chunhua really liked that man. He turned and glared at Mo Junhua; see what you’ve done, making her cry. Couldn’t you have spoken nicely?
Mo Junhua also felt incredibly wronged; as the head of the family, couldn’t he even inquire about the situation? Was there no justice left? He hadn’t expected Chunhua to cry, and Mo Junhua was at a loss, looking helplessly at Lan Tian. His sister wasn’t one of his soldiers, who he could discipline with a few shouts; he truly didn’t know how to handle this situation.
"Alright, stop sulking now, let’s talk about it slowly," Lan Tian chided Mo Junhua, then turned to Chunhua, "And you too. Dating is such a significant matter, you should have told us. No wonder your brother is mad. Okay, okay, I’ve already scolded him. Now, what exactly is going on? Your brother isn’t an old fuddy-duddy. Our family doesn’t endorse arranged marriages. Finding your own partner is not unprecedented; the village has seen such cases before."
Lan Tian coaxed and persuaded her, and Chunhua’s mood finally improved a bit, becoming receptive to listening.
"Your brother isn’t angry because you’re dating. He’s angry that you hid it from him. With dad and mom not around, as your brother, he has the obligation to look after you, and as your sister-in-law, I have that responsibility too. But tell me, was it right what you did?"
Maybe at first, when Lan Tian introduced her to Mo Yuanle to learn medicine, it was to end the karma from past lives. As they spent more time together, feelings slowly developed. Lan Tian treated Chunhua as her own daughter.
"What if something happened to you? What would our parents do? Didn’t you think about how your brother and I would manage? How could we explain this to them? After all, you started seeing him in Shanghai. The parents would think that your dating had our consent."
Chunhua opened her mouth wanting to say he wasn’t that kind of person, but seeing Lan Tian’s disapproving look, she obediently closed her mouth.
Mo Junhua’s face softened considerably, "Your sister-in-law has a point; what you did wasn’t appropriate. I’m not angry that you’re dating, but shouldn’t you have at least told us? At least I should know who he is, what he is like, so I can vet him for you. Marriage is a lifelong commitment and not something to be taken lightly."
Mo Junhua was used to having his way in the military, not adept at coaxing others. Of course, Lan Tian was an exception; making his woman happy was a man’s natural instinct.
Chunhua sneakily glanced at him and, seeing that he looked less intimidating, and with Lan Tian encouraging her from the side, she slowly raised her head, her hand firmly grasping Lan Tian’s.
"I wanted to tell you, I just never found the right opportunity. As time went by, it became even harder to bring up. It wasn’t him who wanted to hide it; he had wanted to let you know from the start. It was me who was afraid and dared not to speak." She said falteringly, her eyes evading the gaze of the two people.
"Do we know that person?" Noticing Mo Junhua’s face harden again, Lan Tian asked.
"You both know him; he’s also a soldier in the army." Chunhua glanced at Mo Junhua and then lowered her head again.
Lan Tian looked at Mo Junhua; Mo Junhua looked back at Lan Tian blankly, obviously clueless about the person in question. Lan Tian turned back to Chunhua, "Who?"