Ger, So Proud

Chapter 55

“What do you think I’m looking at?” He Ze raised an eyebrow.

Lin Yu glanced at him but said nothing, simply dragging his chair further away.

“What are you doing?”

He Ze chuckled, reaching for the chair leg, only for Lin Yu to interrupt, “Don’t move! Stay where you are!”

“…”

“You criticize Liu San and the others, but it’s already noon, and you’re still not going home!”

“It doesn’t matter. Dad woke up late today, so I had a late breakfast and I’m not hungry,” He Ze said, smiling. After a pause, he added, “Do you know why my dad woke up late?”

“Why?” Lin Yu asked instinctively.

“Because I told them yesterday that I want to propose to Uncle Zhang. I guess Dad was discussing it with Father last night,” He Ze said leisurely.

“He Ze, you…” Lin Yu’s face turned red with anger. “I haven’t agreed yet, so why did you tell them about this!”

“We have to take it step by step. I’m not in a hurry. I’ll get Father and Dad to agree first, then persuade Uncle Zhang. You’ll be the last, okay? We have plenty of time.”

“…You’re shameless!”

“Alright, don’t be mad. I can’t force you to agree, can I? But…” He Ze glanced at Lin Yu, his expression half-smiling. “I heard everything just now.”

“You, what did you hear?”

“I heard you say we’re not innocent…”

“I didn’t mean it like that, I just…” I just wanted to annoy him. You’ve done so much for him; why should you still be deceived by him?

Lin Yu had a thousand things to say, but when he met He Ze’s gaze, he couldn’t say any of them.

“Just what?” He Ze’s eyes were filled with interest.

“Why should I tell you!”

“…Alright,” He Ze’s expression became more serious. “Lin Yu, can we have a proper talk?”

“What do you want to talk about?”

Lin Yu’s fingers tugged at his pants, and he slowly lowered his head. From He Ze’s perspective, all he could see was the top of Lin Yu’s head, like a pitiful little animal, making him want to reach out and pet him.

He Ze forced himself to look away, his expression serious. “Is it because of what He Bao’er said about you bringing bad luck to your husband that you won’t let me marry you?”

Although he wasn’t certain, Lin Yu didn’t seem entirely without feelings for him. If not for the bad luck belief, He Ze couldn’t think of any other reason.

“…”

“Answer me!” He Ze shouted sternly when Lin Yu remained silent.

“Answer what? It’s not that!”

Lin Yu suddenly stood up, slamming the bow and arrow he was holding onto the chair with a bang. “I just don’t want to marry you. Is that so hard to accept!”

Before he finished speaking, the chair split in half, its legs breaking and scattering on the ground.

He Ze was momentarily stunned. Seeing Lin Yu still glaring at him, he couldn’t help but cough lightly. “Alright, alright. No need to get upset.”

“…”

Lin Yu glanced back at the broken chair, then quickly picked up the empty bow and arrow, rubbing it against his chest several times before letting out a sigh of relief, his face turning red.

“Who taught you to say ‘I’? Where did you learn that?” After a moment of silence, He Ze’s amused voice broke the tension.

“I… I misspoke. Just pretend you didn’t hear it.” Lin Yu’s head hung even lower, wishing he could disappear into a crack in the ground.

“Alright, I didn’t hear it,” He Ze said, stifling his laughter. “Let’s talk business. We’ve discussed this before, and it seems you didn’t listen. Let me reiterate: those things have nothing to do with you. Do you really think you’re some extraordinary person? Just getting engaged to someone could bring them bad luck? If that were true, wouldn’t all the malicious people come looking for you?”

“…”

“Besides, think about it, we’ve been together almost every other day for the past few months. Have I been unlucky because of you? Not only did you save me, but my serious injuries healed completely. How do you explain that?”

“Back then, you didn’t say you wanted to be engaged to me.”

“Alright, let’s not talk about me. I heard from Dad that the guy who broke his leg didn’t call off the engagement until after he had recovered. Why didn’t anything happen during that time?”

“…Then how do you explain the fact that everyone who got engaged to me ended up having accidents?”

“Do I need to explain? That old man lived past seventy, probably worrying every day whether he’d see the next sunrise. The guy who broke his leg recovered, and the one who drowned was the only real accident. Does that explain it?”

“…You’re just being unreasonable.”

“And saying you bring bad luck to your husband isn’t unreasonable? These things are only true if you believe in them. Are you really going to argue about this with me?”

“I…”

“Lin Yu,” He Ze sighed, not expecting Lin Yu to be so fixated on this. “If you believe in fate, then do you think maybe we’re meant to be together? I’m tough; I won’t be affected by your so-called bad luck.”

“…”

He Ze stood up and walked a few steps to stand behind Lin Yu. “How will you know if you don’t try?”

“But I’m scared…” I’m afraid you’ll end up like the one who drowned, gone in an instant.

Love brings worries; love brings fear.

Lin Yu turned around, his eyes red.

“Nothing will happen to me. I’m tough; otherwise, how would I still be alive now?” He Ze lowered his eyes, covering Lin Yu’s eyes with his hand, slowly leaning closer to his ear. “Lin Yu, besides wanting to live, I haven’t wanted something this much in a long time.”

Besides wanting to live, I haven’t wanted something this much in a long time.

With his vision dark and warmth surrounding his ears, that sentence hit Lin Yu like a thunderclap, piercing through his eardrums straight to the deepest part of his heart.

He Ze wrapped his arms around Lin Yu and held him close for a long time. Lin Yu seemed to forget to resist, letting him hold him.

The wind stopped, and the sun gradually warmed up.

…

He Ze returned home in the late afternoon. The family had already had lunch, but fortunately, Dad Li had kept his food warm.

After finishing his meal, Dad Li handed him a cup of water. “Are you full?”

“Yes, Dad’s cooking is getting better and better.”

He Ze drank the water in one gulp, a smile appearing on his face.

“You seem to be in a good mood. You left here looking quite serious. Did you… go see Yu-ge?”

“…Yes.” He Ze nodded in response.

Lin Yu hadn’t given him a definite answer yet, but… it should be soon.

“I discussed it with your father,” Dad Li said, gathering the dishes on the table. He chuckled when he saw He Ze looking at him. “Now you know how to be anxious? After you mentioned this matter, you acted like it was nothing. I almost thought you didn’t care!”

“Dad!”

“Alright, alright. You rascal, dropping such a big bomb on us out of nowhere. Your father and I didn’t sleep well for two nights,” Dad Li said, tapping He Ze on the head with his chopsticks. “We’ve agreed…”

“Dad, are you serious?” Even He Ze was a bit surprised. He thought his father and Dad Li might care about Lin Yu’s reputation to some extent.

“Of course I’m serious. Would I lie to you?” Dad Li paused his actions and pulled out a chair to sit down. “You and Yu-ge have been so close, how could I not notice? I know what you’re worried about, and I thought about it at the time too.”

“Yu-ge is a good kid; your father and I both know that. But if you were to marry him, honestly, it worries me a lot. I’m not concerned about anything else, just what if something happened to you.”

“But ever since you woke up, it’s the first time I’ve seen you smiling all day, so happy…”

“Really…” He hadn’t even noticed it himself.

“Of course. Seeing you like that, I couldn’t bring myself to say anything. My heart softened, and when I saw that Yu-ge had ruined his reputation because of you, I felt even worse about bringing it up. How could I say anything? It would be so cruel!”

“Thank you, Dad.” He Ze poured a cup of tea and handed it to Dad Li.

“Hehe, thanking your dad, you rascal!” Dad Li laughed. “If you hadn’t brought it up, I would have found a time to talk to you about it. But your father was completely shocked. He had the same worries as I did, fearing something bad might happen to you, sigh.”

“And Father…”

“Because of He Bao’er, your father and I have always felt guilty. Seeing you come out of it makes us so happy. Yu-ge is a good child; we’ve watched him grow up… We still have some concerns, but you’re grown now. We can’t override your decisions about your own marriage.”

“Besides, if Yu-ge really brought bad luck, he wouldn’t have saved you, bringing you back from the brink of death… You taught Xiao An to say that, didn’t you?”

“Dad, isn’t it the truth?” He Ze chuckled awkwardly.

“Rascal!” Dad Li stood up, tapping He Ze on the head again. “Alright, children have their own blessings. Your father and I just hope you’re well and Xiao An is well, that’s enough.”

“Dad, everything will be fine. Everything will be good.” He Ze said each word as if making a solemn promise.

“As long as it’s good,” Dad Li said, holding the dishes. He took a few steps and then turned back. “Oh, by the way, we’ve started repaying the money we owe bit by bit. Everyone thinks your father’s hand got better, allowing him to take on big jobs, so no one said much. Now that you want to propose, we can’t skimp on Yu-ge’s betrothal gifts. Should we hold off on buying land for now?”

Dad Li didn’t even realize that he was subconsciously seeking He Ze’s opinion.

“No need to delay. You and Father have already found a suitable one, haven’t you? If we wait, it might be hard to find another suitable one next time,” He Ze shook his head, pondering for a moment before saying, “Just help me pick a date. I’ll handle the rest.”

“Xiao Ze, this…”

“It’s fine, Dad. You go wash the dishes.”

After taking it easy for a while, it was time to earn money for his future wife. Thinking about this word, “wife,” made He Ze’s chest swell with emotion.

He had never felt this way before.

Almost immediately, He Ze ran into the kitchen, packed a few flatbreads, and said goodbye to Dad Li, “Dad, I need to go to town. I might not be back for a couple of days, so don’t worry!”

Before he could respond, he was already out the gate. Dad Li hurried after him but couldn’t even catch a glimpse of his back, so he just shook his head and sighed, “This child!”

Meanwhile, Lin Yu, burdened with thoughts, sat idly in the courtyard for a while. He then told Dad Zhang that he was heading to the mountains with his bow and a basket.

Dad Zhang, seeing the rare sunny weather, didn’t stop him.

However, after about two hours, the sun disappeared. The cold wind howled, and large snowflakes started to fall, soon covering the ground in a white blanket.

The snow didn’t stop all night.

He Ze didn’t return all night, and neither did Lin Yu.

Author’s Note: He Ze’s flirting skills are maxed out, haha. This is a game of cat and mouse. Poor Lin Yu, feeling sorry for him for three seconds~ Haha.