"Huh? It's the fourth one! I thought it was a big wad of rotten cotton that Yuanyuan's mom brought back!"
"Mom! I have a headache! I have a high fever! It must be at least 40 degrees!" Dad pressed Grandma's hand hard against his forehead.
"Oh dear, this is really hot! What should we do?"
"Mom----I need to take my medicine..." Dad mumbled for a long time before finally saying it.
"Haha!" I sat to one side laughing so hard I was bent over, and called out to the kitchen, "Mom, hurry up and bring the medicine and water! Dad says he needs to take his medicine!"
And so, under the watchful eyes of his entire family, the madman Su Laosi obediently swallowed the medicine he despised the most.
The family was sitting together, laughing at their unlucky father, when the phone suddenly rang. The mother, who happened to be sitting next to the phone, answered it without hesitation.
"Hello! Oh--it's you! Okay! I'll open the door for you right away!"
Everyone in the family turned to look at her. Her mother stood up somewhat awkwardly and said, "It's Commander Qu on the phone. He says he's right at our door and wants me to open it for him!"
"Commander Qu?" The father and his brothers looked at each other in bewilderment, the playful atmosphere from just moments ago vanishing completely.
"Go open the door!" Grandpa said. Grandpa and I knew Qu Ba would come, but we didn't expect it to be so soon. Was it because of some "explanation" he said this morning? Grandpa Qu Ba is too serious. The responsibility for the injury lies mainly with me. My family won't hold it against his family.
"I'll go open the door!" Uncle stood up from the sofa and called to Mom, who was about to leave.
The eldest uncle went to open the gate in the yard, and the grandparents also came to the living room door to welcome the guests. It was clear that in front of the grandmother, the grandfather dared not neglect Qu Ba as he had in the morning.
The courtyard was dimly lit. I pressed my face against the floor-to-ceiling window and looked out—good heavens! A group of people were coming in through the gate! Grandpa Qu was leading the way, followed by Mayor Qu, Aunt Lin, Teacher Zhu Guang, and Qu Ling. It turned out the entire Qu family had come!
Grandpa and Grandma were also surprised that so many people from the Qu family had come. They stood at the entrance of the living room, speechless.
"Old Su! What are you doing blocking the door? I wasn't even given a sip of water when I came this morning. I came here with some instructions, so hurry up and brew me a pot of Longjing tea!" Grandpa Qu's voice was as loud as a bell, making my family even quieter.
"Heh...hehe, Old Qu, what are you saying! Come on in! Please come inside and sit down!" Grandma reacted quickly, pulling Grandpa aside and welcoming the Qu family in with a smile.
When the two families meet, a few pleasantries are inevitable. Uncle Qu is the mayor, and Qu Ling is Uncle San's superior. They are also old friends, although such interactions were rare in the past. My father and his family couldn't afford to be negligent in the slightest. After a seemingly lively exchange of greetings, my mother and her sisters-in-law exchanged glances and went to the back room to make tea and cut fruit, thus avoiding the scene.
"Alright, everyone sit down!" Grandpa Qu swaggered to the middle of the sofa, his demeanor even more relaxed and easygoing than at his own home. "You may not know, but I already came to see Old Su this morning."
Everyone stared at him, and no one said a word.
"For no other reason than for Yuanyuan!" Grandpa Qu pointed, and everyone's eyes turned to me.
I touched my leg, which was covered in a thick cast, and awkwardly chuckled to myself.
"Yuanyuan broke her leg this time, and it's all the fault of two people: Qu Ling and Zhu Guang." Old Master Qu pointed his finger, and wherever he pointed, that person became the focus of attention. "This morning I told Old Su that I would give the Su family an explanation, and Old Su personally promised that no matter what kind of explanation I give, the Su family will never refuse me and will definitely accept it!"
Dad and Uncle looked at each other, puzzled but unable to speak, and could only look at Grandpa.
“Actually,” Grandpa, sitting next to Qu Ba, finally couldn’t help but speak up, “Yuanyuan’s injury this time is mainly her own fault. I didn’t mean to blame anyone else, Old Qu, you don’t need to…”
“It’s your business if you don’t blame me, it’s my business if I need to explain myself,” Qu Ba interrupted his grandfather, putting his hand in front of him and saying, “Old Su, we’ve been through thick and thin together for decades, you know my personality best. Today, with both families here, I’ll make this clear. Qu Ling, come here!”
Qu Ling kept his head down, and after hearing what Grandpa Qu said, he walked over to his side. Grandpa Qu pulled him to my side, pointed his finger at my nose, and said, "You caused Yuanyuan to fall and break her leg. For the rest of your life, you have to take good care of her! If you dare to treat her badly, or have any other thoughts, I will break both your legs!"
"ah?"
"What?
"What?"
...
The room erupted in screams, one after another. I felt even more convulsed than if I'd been struck by lightning; I was completely stunned by the bombshell dropped by Grandpa Qu. Not only me, but the entire Su family was stunned.
"Old...Old Qu..." Grandpa's reading glasses had fallen down to his chin. He never expected that Qu Ba's instructions to him would be so severe. "You...you're not joking...you're not kidding!"
"I was joking?" Grandpa Qu's eyes widened, and his goatee stood on end again. "In my entire life, I've never joked with you, Su Wentong! Do you think what I said this morning was just nonsense?"
"You!" Grandpa exclaimed in a panic, "I thought your instructions were just to deliver some fruit, who knew you were going to send a person over!"
"Who brought her here?" Grandpa Qu said in a serious tone, "I brought Yuanyuan to our Qu family to take care of her for the rest of her life. Old Su, anyway, girls will eventually get married when they grow up. It's better for you to marry Yuanyuan to my Qu Ling than to marry her to someone else!"
"I disagree!" Grandpa angrily ripped off his reading glasses.
"Then what you said this morning was bullshit?" Grandpa Qu was not a scholar, and he spoke without any regard for manners, which made my grandfather's face turn red and then green with anger.
"No one has ever dared to go back on their promise to me!" Grandpa Qu pressed on, turning to Grandma and saying, "Teacher Qi, you've always been the most trustworthy person. You wouldn't let your husband, Lao Su, do something so unethical, would you?"
"This...this..." Grandma was stunned and hadn't recovered yet, so how could she possibly deal with Qu Ba?
"Look! Teacher Qi said you can't break your promise! How dare you disagree with me?" Qu Ba announced smugly, "It's settled then. The 18th of next month is an auspicious day. My family will hold a banquet at Xihua Garden. Our two families will have a proper meeting, and it can also be considered an engagement for the two children!"
"Commander Qu!" My father stood up hurriedly, but Mayor Qu tugged at his sleeve.
"Fourth son, I never imagined you could have such a lovely daughter!" Mayor Qu said to her father with a smile. "She looks just like you. Who would have thought we'd be in-laws! We should visit each other more often!"
"I—" Dad's neck turned red with anxiety, but Mayor Qu still wouldn't let him speak. "Stop arguing. Don't you know my old man's temper? Old Master Su has fallen into his trap and is feeling smug. He won't back down no matter what. Don't worry, my family all like Yuanyuan, and Qu Ling is good enough for your daughter. Let's try to think positively about this!"
"We won't bother you any longer, we'll be leaving now!" Qu Ba directed the Qu family members to leave, and before leaving, he walked up to me and said, "Yuanyuan, you should rest well! Grandpa will come to see you again in a couple of days!"
"Grandpa Qu... I only have a broken bone, I'm not disabled, you don't need to let Dean Qu take care of me... for the rest of my life!" Seeing that my family members couldn't speak, I forced myself to say a few words.
"Silly girl!" Grandpa Qu suddenly squatted down beside me, chuckled, and pinched my cheek, saying, "Grandpa is doing this for your and Qu Ling's own good. Trust me, you'll be happy! Be a good girl!"
“I…” I glanced at Qu Ling, who was standing next to Qu Ba, with a wronged expression. He was still looking down, and I couldn’t see his expression at all.
The Qu family members had all left, leaving only a room full of Su family members who were charred on the outside and tender on the inside after being blown up.
VIP section
ˇA Crab Song (Part 1)ˇ
What is love? Is it love at first sight when you meet someone in a dimly lit place, or is it walking hand in hand with someone through countless mountains and rivers over the long years?
Even though Qu Ling and I had the chance to climb mountains together ten years ago, and even though I knew he was the perfect man in everyone's eyes, I was still stunned when someone pointed at me and said, "This person will take care of you for the rest of your life!"
I was stunned for several days.
The family apparently held a special meeting about this, and it's said that apart from Grandpa and Third Uncle who were firmly opposed, everyone else felt it was a stroke of good fortune. Su Zhenzhen even said that this was another instance of her incredible luck working its magic; losing a leg could lead to a wonderful marriage, and her luck was no different from a rain of meat buns falling from the sky.
It's a little sad. Does everyone really think I can't find someone better than Qu Ling? Even though I'm a little chubby and a little lazy, I'm not entirely useless. For example, I'm kind-hearted, I love animals, and I'm incredibly good at cleaning windows... Why is my mom always worried that I'll never get married, given how good I am?
It's not that I think Qu Ling is bad, it's just... the thought of marrying him and sleeping in the same bed afterward makes me feel both ridiculous and awkward. Sharing a bed with the Dean is a scenario I can't imagine.
The family has been in chaos these past few days. Everyone's busy discussing this newly arranged marriage, leaving me, the unfortunate party involved, completely sidelined. Everyone's talking about the Qu family and Qu Ling, while Su Yuanyuan has been relegated to a supporting role in this marriage scandal.
Wednesday afternoon, I was home alone. My dad somehow got hold of an old-fashioned wooden wheelchair. When they're not home, I can move around in it by myself, instead of being cooped up in bed or a recliner.
The Wind in the Willows lay on the windowsill; I slowly picked it up and placed it on my lap.
I found myself staring at the cute little animals on the cover, lost in thought. But what came to mind was what Qu Ling had said when she gave me the book in the hospital that day: “Yuanyuan, when your legs hurt, read a fairy tale. This story was my favorite when I was a child.”
What did Qu Ling like when he was a child? What was his childhood like?
The vibration of my phone in my pocket interrupted my reverie. I picked up the phone; it was an unfamiliar number.
Hello!
"Round and round".
The voice was gentle and soothing, yet it struck my nerves with a heavy, unsettling force. A sudden panic gripped me; I gripped the phone nervously, completely at a loss.
"Yuanyuan?"
"Dean... Dean."
"What are you doing?"
"No... I didn't do anything..."
Are you staring blankly at "The Wind in the Willows"?
"Huh?—" I looked up in surprise. Outside the transparent floor-to-ceiling glass window, Qu Ling was standing in front of a fence gate full of poinsettias, holding a phone.
He still had a white bandage on his forehead, the phone held to his ear, his gaze piercing through the fence and French windows, looking at me sitting inside. I stared blankly at the person outside, phone in hand, for what seemed like an eternity before Qu Ling whispered into the phone, "Is anyone home?"
I didn't say anything, I just shook my head at him outside the door.
"Would it be convenient for you to come out and open the door for me?"
I pointed to my leg and shook my head.