Those Bai Family’s Ladies, are really like persistent ghosts, Li Zhiyuan is truly afraid that another will pop up after a while.
"They will be quiet for quite some time, because the most superior Bai Family’s Lady has already spoken."
In fact, Qin Li felt more headache from the outcome of the Bai family matter than from his injuries.
His task was to slap the Bai family back, but as he had only delivered half the slap, the remaining half couldn’t be finished no matter what.
He also had to think about how to explain to Liu Yumei once he got back.
"Uncle Qin, Grandma Liu was just in a bad mood today, but now a night has passed, I think, after a night’s sleep, Grandma Liu should have calmed down."
Qin Li nodded, he felt that the boy was right, he also heard that the boy was comforting himself, but, he had already gotten used to such behavior from the boy.
"Let’s go, Xiao Yuan, go upstairs and check on your friend, after that, we’ll go home."
Going up the stairs and returning to the ward, they just saw Luo Tingrui coming out with a hot water bottle: "You’re back, good timing, Liangliang woke up earlier, but has fallen asleep again, you guys help me watch him for a bit, I’m going to get some hot water."
Li Zhiyuan walked into the ward, to see Xue Liangliang had already been taken off the machines, no longer unconscious, but deep in sleep.
"Uncle, he’s okay, right?"
"Wait until he wakes up, then ask him yourself, I’m going downstairs to buy some bandages." Uncle Qin stood up and left the ward.
At this time, Xue Liangliang, still deep in sleep, started sleep talking while grinding his teeth:
"Two years? Two years is not enough, at least three years. I can only promise to see you once every three years."
Xue Liangliang hugged the quilt, turned over, and continued his sleep talking:
"We won’t have children, will we?"
Hearing Xue Liangliang’s words, a look of shock appeared on Li Zhiyuan’s face, he seemed to piece together an unbelievable matter, but because it was too absurd, he felt it must be a mistake on his part.
At this time, Xue Liangliang seemed to have woken up, he looked at Li Zhiyuan standing beside the hospital bed, and Li Zhiyuan was also looking at him.
After a while, Xue Liangliang looked away, sat up, leaned against the bed, with a vacant expression, like he had just suffered a major blow.
Li Zhiyuan reached for an orange on the bedside cabinet, quietly peeling it.
Finally, Xue Liangliang spoke, his tone was dejected, filled with a profound sense of melancholy and desolation:
"Xiao Yuan, I have a terrifying thing to tell you."
"Hmm, Brother, go ahead."
Li Zhiyuan finished peeling the orange, took a segment, and offered it to Xue Liangliang, who opened his mouth to eat it, then, an originally overwhelming sad expression was now mixed with a touch of sourness.
Xue Liangliang, mouth open, found himself unable to speak, his carefully fostered mood abruptly interrupted.
He was just about to start speaking again when Li Zhiyuan held up another orange segment to his mouth.
"Xiao Yuan, you eat too."
"Then you..." The second segment of orange was put into his mouth.
Tears flowed down Xue Liangliang’s eyes, and as he chewed, he spoke with a trembling voice:
"Xiao Yuan, your brother got married."
Li Zhiyuan picked up another segment of orange, passed it over, and this time Xue Liangliang did not resist. He ate the orange, not knowing if it was the sourness or genuine emotions, tears covered his face.
"Your sister-in-law is quite a nice person."
"As long as she’s nice." Li Zhiyuan nodded along, "My grandfather used to tell us, when choosing a partner, it’s mainly about the character and personality, other things, like how good-looking or dead or alive, are not important."
Xue Liangliang gave Li Zhiyuan a miserable look, mouth accepting another piece of orange: "Your grandfather is quite open-minded."
By now, Li Zhiyuan had finally figured out the logic: Uncle Qin was in charge of fighting at the front lines, while Xue Liangliang was responsible for the negotiations at the table.
He and Uncle Qin came all the way from the village, to the hospital, then to the riverside, step by step putting pressure on it, allowing Xue Liangliang to secure better and better bargains on his end, with the other party continuously conceding.
This, Xue Liangliang himself did not know.
As Uncle Qin was about to beat it all the way back home, with the problem nearly completely resolved, Xue Liangliang felt he had achieved the best negotiation result and signed the contract.
If he had persisted just a little longer, this marriage wouldn’t have needed to happen.
No wonder Uncle Qin was angry, he was fiercely fighting on the front, close to victory, and then his own side asked for peace first.
So, Uncle Qin left to buy bandages, probably as an excuse, he probably couldn’t stand to continue staying in the ward watching this lying guy, as he would have had the urge to punch him dead.
Li Zhiyuan didn’t have the heart to tell Brother Liangliang this truth, which would be countless times more bitter than the half of the orange left in his hand.
What’s done is done, since it’s a done deal, better to advise him to be more open-minded, and try to ask some cheerful questions to free up his mood.
"Brother, do you need a betrothal gift?"
"That’s good, a free love, modern marriage."
"Actually, your sister-in-law wanted to give me a betrothal gift."
"See, how nice, others would envy you."
"But I firmly refused." Xue Liangliang held his head high, like a proud little rooster.
"Uh-huh, my Brother Liang has always been so principled."
"That’s right, I’m not becoming a live-in son-in-law."
"I’ve made a deal with your sister-in-law, she agrees, that in the future I only need to come back and see her once every three years, other times, wherever I go, and whatever I do is up to me."
Li Zhiyuan suddenly realized that his concerns were superfluous, this is Xue Liangliang, a person with an incredibly strong inner core. No matter how difficult the situation he encounters, he won’t be despondent, instead, he can quickly adjust himself.
Otherwise, you can’t explain the bragging tone that inexplicably emerges from his words, others might find strength in hardship, but Brother Liang turns bitterness into sweet water.
"But, Xiao Yuan, I also took a step back."
"I promised her, the second child will take her surname."