Chapter 436: Chapter 435: Leaving Tomorrow
Yun Shu didn’t get a good night’s sleep, and she kept yawning at breakfast the next day.
Gao Cuiyun noticed and asked, "Are you having trouble sleeping on the kang? You’re used to soft beds in Beijing City, so you might not be accustomed to a hard one."
Yun Shu shook her head. "No, I just went to bed a little late last night. The kang is perfectly fine, I’m not having any trouble with it."
As she spoke, she glanced at her boss. ’If he hadn’t said all that stuff and scared me last night, would I have had a nightmare? I woke up terrified in the middle of the night and couldn’t get back to sleep.’
He Zichen didn’t even look up, just quietly ate his meal without saying a word.
Gao Cuiyun said, "Since you didn’t sleep well, go back and get some more rest after you finish eating. There’s nothing to do, anyway."
Yun Shu smiled. "It’s okay. I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep even if I lay down now."
Yun Shu was telling the truth. She was a very light sleeper, and once she woke up, she had trouble falling back asleep—a habit she’d developed over many years.
The weather was cold, so they could only stay at home. Wang Chunlan brought her two children to Yun Shu’s room to chat.
The day went by just like that.
That evening, Gao Cuiyun stood in the courtyard, looking up at the sky. "The sky doesn’t look right," she said. "I think it’s going to snow soon."
He Zichen glanced up. "I think so too. Mom, how about we leave tomorrow? We were planning to stay two more days, but if the snow gets too heavy, I’m worried the roads will be bad."
"Mom, I can’t be away from the hotel for too long. You’ve met my girlfriend now, so when I’m not so busy next time, I’ll come back to see you."
Gao Cuiyun paused for a moment, then agreed.
She knew Little Chen’s work was demanding. Now that he was managing so many people, he surely had to work harder than others. She couldn’t hold him back.
"Then go. When you get back, find some time to visit Yun Shu’s family. Make sure to bring plenty of gifts—this isn’t the time to be stingy. If her parents don’t have any objections, you should make things official sooner rather than later. I can tell, Yun Shu is a good girl, the kind you can build a life with. You be good to her."
He Zichen looked at his mother and swallowed, but in the end, he said nothing, merely grunting in acknowledgment.
At dinner, Gao Cuiyun announced that Little Chen and Yun Shu would be leaving the next day.
Yun Shu shot her boss a surprised look. ’Why the change of plans?’
Xiao Yang said unhappily, "How can you be leaving already? You haven’t even been back for two full days!"
Little Chen explained to him, "Mom said it looks like it’s going to snow soon. Once it does, the roads will be bad for travel."
Xiao Yang retorted, "Then just stay a few more days! What’s wrong with waiting for the snow to melt a bit before you leave? The last time you came back, Xiao Man was only a few months old. It took you this long to finally visit again, and now you’re leaving after less than two days. I don’t believe your job is that busy! Are you so busy you can’t even come home? Or have you settled down in Beijing City and don’t want to come back anymore?"
Little Chen sighed. "It’s not like that. I really am busy with work. Third Uncle barely touches things at the hotel, and I don’t have enough experience, so I have to be more diligent than anyone else. I promise, I’ll definitely come back as soon as I have time. I want to stay home for longer, too, but I just can’t right now."
Biting her chopstick, Yun Shu was momentarily at a loss.
’They were supposed to stay for two more days, but now they had to leave tomorrow because of the weather. Yun Shu had initially been relieved, but seeing the He family’s reluctance and the somber mood that had fallen over the table, she started to feel apprehensive.’
Xiao Yang didn’t say anything else, simply putting down his chopsticks to sulk.
Wang Chunlan gave his arm a squeeze.
Gao Cuiyun finally spoke. "Alright, now. Your brother will come back when he has time. When it snows heavily here, it doesn’t melt for ten days or even half a month. How could your brother possibly stay home that long? His work is important."
Xiao Ming also tried to get them to stay, "Maybe it won’t snow tomorrow."
Yun Shu couldn’t help but say, "If it doesn’t snow tomorrow, we’ll stay for two more days." She glanced at her boss’s face and saw no objection.
Xiao Yang said, "That’s right! If it doesn’t snow tomorrow, then you have to stay for two more days."
He Zichen had no choice but to nod.
That night, before bedtime, Gao Cuiyun came to Yun Shu’s room.
Yun Shu was sitting on the edge of the kang. When she saw her boss’s mother walk in, she immediately sat up straight. "Auntie."
"Mm."
Gao Cuiyun sat on the edge of the kang, took Yun Shu’s hand, and patted it gently.
"Yun Shu, dear, once you two leave, it won’t be easy for us to see each other. But the village has a telephone, so you can call home."
As she spoke, she took a red envelope from her pocket and offered it to Yun Shu.
Seeing this, Yun Shu quickly tried to refuse. "Auntie, I can’t accept this."
Gao Cuiyun told her, "I should have given this to you when we first met, but I didn’t know about you and Little Chen, so I wasn’t prepared. Please, take it. It’s only right."
Yun Shu said nervously, "Auntie, I really can’t. I—"
Gao Cuiyun pressed the red envelope into her hand. "You can’t refuse a gift from an elder. Besides, it’s a local custom. All that matters is that you and Little Chen are happy together. I’ve already spoken to him—once he’s back in Beijing City, he needs to go visit your parents. It’s best to make things official soon. That way, if your parents have any conditions, we can be prepared."
Yun Shu was speechless.
She looked down at the red envelope in her hand, her heart pounding as she listened to Gao Cuiyun’s words. ’See? I knew things would get out of hand.’
Seeing her silence, Gao Cuiyun assumed she was just being shy and didn’t press the matter. She simply patted her hand again. "Alright, you should get some rest."
Only after Gao Cuiyun had left did He Zichen enter the room.
The moment he entered, he saw Yun Shu staring blankly at something in her hands. As he got closer, he saw it was a red envelope and immediately guessed why his mother had come to see her.
Yun Shu looked up, saw it was He Zichen, and shot him a vicious glare.
He Zichen sat down on the edge of the kang. "What’s wrong? Did my mom say something to you?"
Yun Shu tossed the red envelope into his lap. "This is all your fault! Look! Your mother gave me a red envelope! She clearly sees me as her daughter-in-law, but I know I’m not! Not only am I helping you lie, but I’m also toying with an old woman’s feelings. I was on the verge of telling her the truth, but I was afraid it would break her heart. It’s all your fault for making me into such a bad person!"
He Zichen knew Yun Shu was upset, so he didn’t say anything. He picked up the red envelope and opened it. Two hundred yuan. ’Mom really splurged this time.’
He Zichen held the envelope out to her. "We’re leaving tomorrow. Everything will be fine once we go back. You should take the money as compensation for your trouble."
Yun Shu refused. "I don’t want it. This is a gift for her daughter-in-law. I can’t accept it with a clear conscience. Besides, from the way your mother was talking, I’m afraid she’ll start pushing us to meet my parents and get married."
He Zichen reassured her, "She won’t. We’re a long way from Beijing City. Now that she’s met you, she’ll be able to relax."
Yun Shu looked at He Zichen’s optimism, but her woman’s intuition told her this matter wouldn’t be resolved so easily.
When He Zichen saw she wouldn’t take the money, he simply stuffed it into his own pocket.
"Get some rest. Try not to think about anything. We’re leaving tomorrow."
Yun Shu asked him, "Are you sure it’s definitely going to snow tomorrow?"
He Zichen nodded. It usually started snowing early in Black Province, and the cold had set in early this year, too. Farmers here knew how to read the sky, and their predictions were generally accurate.
