Ger, So Proud

Chapter 52

“You…”

“I, uh…” After a long stare, seeing Lin Yu still not speaking, He Ze let go of his shoulder and scratched his head, “That’s it, like I said to Uncle Zhang just now, maybe I made this matter a bit sudden, but…”

“He Ze, you really don’t need to say anything,” before he could finish, Lin Yu lifted his head, “I know you were just saying those things to protect me earlier, and now there’s no one else here, so you’re not allowed to mention this again!”

“…Why not?” He Ze was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled in frustration, “Not allowed? Alright, let’s say I was saying those things just to protect you earlier, then why protect you? Any reason?”

“You—”

“Can’t say? If you can’t say it, then listen to me,” He Ze leaned closer to Lin Yu’s face, looking into his eyes, enunciating each word, “Protection. Yes, Lin Yu, I want to protect you, because seeing you hurt by those words makes me angry, so angry I want to kill someone. As for why, it’s because…”

“If you say another word, I’ll hit you!”

Lin Yu glared, gritting his teeth, fists clenched like a little leopard ready to pounce on He Ze at any moment.

“…Violence won’t solve anything. You need to hear me out, don’t you?” He Ze rubbed his forehead and sighed.

“Anyway, you’re not allowed to say that anymore. You can’t… you can’t marry me!”

Lin Yu turned away again, and He Ze could only see his tense hand and the bulging knuckles.

“…Alright, if I can’t marry you, I won’t.”

If I can’t marry you, I’ll just wait for you to marry me. Marry, these words that once felt so foreign, now seemed so natural when spoken to someone of the same gender, especially in front of Lin Yu.

Calling him ‘wife’ sounds nice. If one day I could openly call him that, it would be wonderful, He Ze thought. He chuckled softly, then wrapped Lin Yu’s clenched fist in his own hand, feeling the coldness that made him frown instantly. “You’ve been running for so long, why are your hands still cold?”

“You…”

“Don’t move,” He Ze tightened his grip as Lin Yu tried to pull his hand away, gently rubbing the back of his hand. “Just listen to me.”

“I’ve said before, those superstitious rumors are nonsense. I don’t believe in them, and neither should you. As for my parents, Uncle Zhang, I can handle everything. But there’s one thing… will you marry me?”

“…”

“Although I’m a bit younger than you, it shouldn’t matter, right?” He Ze bit his lip, unsure if there was a saying here about marrying someone older. “I may not be able to beat you in a fight, but I can’t bully you either. We can fight side by side, like when we hunted the bear. My dad likes you, he won’t impose any rules on you as a wife. Xiao An likes you too. My family won’t make things difficult for you… So, will you marry me?”

“…”

Seeing Lin Yu’s silence, He Ze glanced at him again. “Besides, no matter what, I’m better than a stranger, right?”

He had to be confident about this.

“I…”

Finally, Lin Yu turned his head, his eyes no longer red but his face flushed. He Ze, anxious, reached out to touch him. “What’s wrong…”

“Stay right there! Don’t come any closer!”

Lin Yu quickly took two steps back, his eyes darting around.

“Alright, I won’t come closer.” He Ze stopped in his tracks.

“I… I…” Lin Yu glanced at him, nervously twisting the hem of his clothes and biting his lip. After a while, he seemed to make up his mind. “He Ze, I…”

“If you don’t want to marry, that’s fine. I’ll ask again next month.” As soon as Lin Yu opened his mouth, He Ze’s heart tightened, and he quickly interrupted, “But you can’t accept anyone else’s proposal!”

“…”

“I’ll give you time. Don’t rush to answer me,” He Ze sighed deeply, looking up at the darkening sky. “I’ll take you home now; Uncle Zhang must be worried. It’s too cold these days, so remember not to go up the mountain.”

“Okay.” Lin Yu glanced at him and nodded in agreement. Suddenly, he seemed to realize something, his gaze fixed on He Ze’s muddy legs. “No, you should go back and change clothes by yourself. I don’t need you to escort me.”

“It’s not that cold, don’t worry,” He Ze said, holding Lin Yu’s hand. “Besides, my basket is still in your yard.”

“I’ll bring it to you…”

Lin Yu instinctively looked up but found his voice lowering when he met He Ze’s gaze, finally giving up his insistence.

As for the hand being held by He Ze, he probably hadn’t noticed it yet.

Yes, that’s possible.

When the two returned to the Lin family yard, Uncle Zhang was pacing back and forth at the entrance. As soon as he saw Lin Yu from a distance, he ran up to him, “You’re back. I was so worried!”

“Dad, I just went out for a walk…”

“I know, I know, but which dad wouldn’t worry when his child is out of sight?” Zhang Su patted Lin Yu’s shoulders, looking him up and down several times before turning his attention to He Ze. “He Ze, you… are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” seeing Zhang Su glance at his muddy legs, He Ze quickly shook his head. “I accidentally stepped into a puddle, that’s all.”

“That’s what happened… Come inside quickly and warm up!”

“No, Xiao An is still waiting for me at home. I should go back,” He Ze politely declined his invitation, walked into the yard, and picked up his basket and bow. He looked at Lin Yu one more time before saying, “Uncle Zhang, I’m leaving now, and about what I said before…”

“He Ze—”

Before he could finish, Lin Yu gave him a sharp glare. He Ze, without breaking eye contact, let a small smile curve his lips, “Uncle, everything I said before still stands. When the time comes, I’ll come back to complete it.”

Zhang Su, looking puzzled, glanced between He Ze and Lin Yu but said nothing more. Once He Ze’s figure faded into the distance, he took Lin Yu’s hand and led him to the kitchen, stirring up the fire a bit, “Come over here and warm up. Don’t catch a chill.”

“Dad, I’m not cold.” Lin Yu pursed his lips and placed his hand in his, “Feel it, it’s warm.”

“Just because your hands aren’t cold doesn’t mean your body hasn’t caught a chill,” Zhang Su chided, though he paused to feel his hands. “Indeed, they’re warm. Who warmed them for you?”

“Dad!”

“You think I don’t know anything?” Zhang Su stood up and fetched two stools. “That boy from the He family made it pretty clear earlier. You two came back holding hands, and my eyes are still good. Don’t think I didn’t see it. You should be more discreet…”

“Dad—” Lin Yu frowned.

“Alright, I won’t say anymore. It’s cold out now, and there’s hardly anyone outside. From what that He boy said today, he seems responsible. As long as things are settled between you two, these matters won’t be issues anymore.” Zhang Su added two more logs to the fire, the flames casting a gentle glow on his face, “I didn’t misjudge him. Now I can rest easy. By the way, did you two come to any conclusions? What did he say?”

“…”

“Did I guess wrong?” Not hearing a response, Zhang Su straightened up.

“No,” Lin Yu shook his head, sounding quite dejected, “He Ze, He Ze suddenly said he wanted to marry me, and I…”

Before he could finish, he suddenly threw himself into Zhang Su’s arms, rubbing his chin against his shoulder.

“What is it, what’s wrong?” Zhang Su’s heart tightened with concern as he patted Lin Yu’s back gently, “Isn’t this good news? I know you like that He boy, and now that he’s finally realized it, why aren’t you happy?”

“Dad, you…”

Before Zhang Su could finish, Lin Yu stepped back, eyes wide open.

“What? I’m not stupid, and I was young once too. Do you think I can’t tell just because you won’t admit it?” Zhang Su poked Lin Yu’s forehead and gave him a knowing look, “If I didn’t know you had feelings for him, do you think I couldn’t have found a suitable match for you by now?”

“Dad, you…”

“I was waiting for you to tell me the truth, but you’re stubborn. What are you thinking?”

“I… I don’t want to marry He Ze.”

After a moment of silence, Lin Yu looked at Zhang Su, his voice resolute.

“What did you say?”

“I don’t want to marry He Ze.”

“Yu’er, you…” Zhang Su frowned deeply, “Why not?”

“Dad, you know why. I can’t get engaged to He Ze, and I can’t marry him. I’m afraid something will happen to him… He can’t have anything happen to him!”

“Just because of that? Yu’er! How many times have I told you not to take all those things on yourself? If that He boy cared about those things, he wouldn’t have been involved with you in the first place. Why can’t you understand this now?”

“I believe he doesn’t care, but I do! If something happened to him, I would hate myself. And what about his parents and Xiao An? If it were because of me… Dad, I don’t want him to marry me. I don’t want him to marry me!”

As Lin Yu spoke, his eyes reddened, and his voice choked with emotion.

“Yu’er, how can you be so foolish! Why can’t you think about yourself for once?”

Seeing Lin Yu like this, Zhang Su felt both angry and heartbroken, not knowing what to do.

“Dad, please agree to this. If He Ze proposes, you absolutely cannot accept it! I’m begging you.”

Lin Yu rubbed his eyes, staring straight at Zhang Su.

“You’re being so foolish! You don’t want to marry him but you keep getting closer to him… Are you trying to make me give up on arranging a marriage for you in another way?”

“You… Ugh!”

Zhang Su was both anxious and furious, but looking at Lin Yu, he couldn’t say a harsh word. He could only lower his head.

The two of them sat in silence, the air thick with tension. After a long while, Zhang Su finally turned around, his voice a bit hoarse, “If you’ve made up your mind, so be it, so be it! I’ll agree, I’ll agree!”

“Dad—”

Zhang Su hurried out of the room, his figure suddenly seeming hunched. Lin Yu didn’t blink, watching until he disappeared through the main door. Only then did he squat down, wrapping his arms around his knees.

Even with the fire beside him, he felt unbearably cold.

He didn’t know how much time had passed, but water droplets began to fall onto the fire, one by one, causing the flames to gradually shrink.

…

On his way back from Lin Yu’s house, He Ze didn’t delay at all. When he walked through the door, it was still early afternoon. As soon as He An saw him, he brought the reheated food to the table.

For the past two days, He Youcai and Dad Li had gone to a distant village to make wooden items for a family, leaving just the two brothers at home.

“Hurry up and eat. After we finish, I’ll take you to town,” He Ze said, putting down his chopsticks after only a few bites and looking at He An, who was sipping soup.

“Town?” He An’s eyes lit up immediately, and he wiped his mouth, “Why are we going there?”

“To buy wine. Whatever you want, I’ll buy for you… but,” He Ze paused, ruffling He An’s hair, “there’s one condition.”

“What is it?”

“Dad and Father will be back tomorrow, and you’ll find out then.” He Ze raised an eyebrow, unable to hide the smile on his face, “Xiao An, you’re going to have a brother-in-law.”

—

**Author’s Note:**

I know everyone feels for little Yu’er, but from the beginning, this was a hurdle he had to overcome. Once he gets through it, he’ll have grown. This is a shared growth journey for both him and He Ze.

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