kingnovel Chapter 397 The scholar was greatly shocked
Chapter 397 The scholar was greatly shocked
Jiang Mingyuan's words were rather conservative.
An Qinghe was more than just showing no signs of sadness or grief.
He remained as enthusiastic and cheerful as ever.
An Qinghe grabbed a handful of dry grass and put it into the feeding trough, saying cheerfully, "Why should I be sad or upset?"
Jiang Mingyuan was taken aback, thinking that he hadn't understood, so he had to explain it further.
"You must be sincere towards Xixi too, right?"
"But why can't I see any change in you?"
"Oh, I don't mean to question Brother An's character, I'm just really confused."
"I can't understand why Brother An is just putting on a brave face, unable to show his true feelings in front of his brother."
"Or is it because you have a broad-minded attitude, have already figured it out, and it's all in the past?"
Jiang Mingyuan appeared perfectly normal in front of everyone.
But when you turn your back on someone, you can't help but feel sad, disappointed, and sentimental.
So he even envied Anqing for his seemingly happy demeanor, whether in public or private.
After adding the fodder, An Qinghe turned to Jiang Mingyuan and smiled, "I didn't force myself, nor did I go through with it."
Jiang Mingyuan was even more confused. "Huh?"
An Qinghe turned around to fetch the water bucket, saying matter-of-factly, "It's just a matter of first come, first served."
"Even if Xixi does marry him someday, it doesn't matter, let alone the fact that Xixi isn't married to him yet."
"You can get a divorce even if you're married, right?"
“We people from the Western Regions don’t care about this. Anyway, I’m going to work with Xixi for the rest of my life, so I can wait.”
Jiang Mingyuan was greatly shocked.
What if the girl you like falls for someone else? Then wait for her to get a divorce.
This was the first time in his life he had heard such a principle.
Jiang Mingyuan picked up a water ladle and added water to the horses' bowls.
With mixed feelings, she said, "No wonder you weren't sad; it turns out you had already thought it through."
An Qinghe hooked his arm around Jiang Mingyuan's shoulder and patted him, "Brother, you probably can't compete with me on this point."
"You are the pride of both the Jiang and Gu families. You'll definitely be the subject of marriage proposals when you go back!"
"Maybe your family has already arranged a new wife for you."
After saying this, An Qinghe laughed triumphantly.
Jiang Mingyuan was displeased and said in a sullen voice, "I have already informed my parents that I will establish my career before starting a family."
"As a new official, I'm very busy, so I'm not in a hurry."
"Besides," he glanced coolly at An Qinghe, "Brother An probably doesn't know yet."
"The old men of the Gu family have always wanted to pair me up with Xixi."
An Qinghe was taken aback, then frowned and asked, "Xixi knows about this too?"
Jiang Mingyuan nodded. "Yes. With her intelligence, she wouldn't be completely unaware."
Anqing could no longer laugh.
As someone who had also been rejected by Gu Xixi, he had the advantage of being in her shoes.
Jiang Mingyuan, on the other hand, had the advantage of having the support of his relatives.
In this comparison, the two are now evenly matched, with neither side gaining the upper hand.
Jiang Mingyuan seemed to know what An Qinghe was thinking, and continued, "The position of magistrate of Qingtian County was filled temporarily."
"Now that I have officially taken over the position of county magistrate, Xixi is about to start her tea garden."
"We'll see each other many more times in the future."
He looked up at An Qinghe with a half-smile, "Brother An, you still have a lot of things to do in Yunling County. You can't stay in Qingtian County all the time."
As a result, on Anqing's internal scales, Jiang Mingyuan increased his stakes again, and surprisingly won by a small margin.
The two locked eyes, and it seemed as if tiny sparks were crackling and flying in the air.
The journey back was exceptionally smooth.
Afternoon, Huachidu Village.
A group of children are playing sepak takraw in an open area at the entrance of the village.
Gouwa was running with the ball when he suddenly stopped. "Wait."
Stone ran and laughed, "What, you're not playing anymore?"
Gouwa raised his chin. "Look over there, someone's coming."
The children then all looked over.
Sure enough, a horse-drawn carriage came into view.
Shi Tou stared intently, then exclaimed with delight, "It's Brother An!"
"My sister Xixi is back!"
As he ran, he turned and begged Gouwa, "Gouwa, go to my house first and tell Grandma Zhang!"
"I'll head back after I pick up Sister Xixi!"
The carriage was surrounded by several children before it even entered the village.
An Qinghe slowed down by pulling on the reins and laughed, "Have you missed me these past few days?"
The children were jumping and chattering, and it was hard to hear what anyone was saying.
Anqing laughed heartily.
He was very popular in Huachidu Village; adults and children alike liked him.
This land has long been considered Anqing's second hometown.
At this moment, he felt both happy and at peace.
The children climbed onto the carriage one after another and squeezed to sit next to Anqing.
Those who couldn't squeeze on had no choice but to jog alongside the carriage.
Gu Xixi also lifted the curtain from inside the carriage and greeted everyone with a smile.
Only then did the children realize that there was an unfamiliar older sister in the car.
Gu Xixi then introduced Lü Jing, saying that since she would be living there permanently, she would be considered one of them.
I hope everyone will take good care of her and not bully her.
These little kids in the village are all walking informants.
If they find out anything, the whole village will know in the blink of an eye.
This saves Gu Xixi the trouble of introducing Lü Jing to everyone in the future.
When the children learned that Lü Jing was from out of town, they looked at her curiously.
Seeing that Lü Jing was all smiles and answered every question.
Everyone quickly grew to like this kind and beautiful older sister.
When the carriage arrived at Gu Xixi's house, Aunt Zhang was already standing at the door waiting.
She was relatively calm at first, but when she saw Gu Xixi get out of the car, her eyes immediately welled up with tears.
"Xixi..."
Aunt Zhang choked up, but seeing the children there, she managed to hold back her tears.
She strode forward and pulled Gu Xixi to examine her closely from all angles.
"Great, you haven't lost much weight, you look more energetic and prettier!"
Gu Xixi took Aunt Zhang's hand and squeezed it tightly, "I always listen to you when I'm out, Auntie, and I eat well, drink well, and sleep well."
"Now that you've seen it with your own eyes, are you finally relieved?"
Aunt Zhang nodded repeatedly, tears welling in her eyes and a smile on her face. "Yes! Don't worry, don't worry!"
This child was born and raised in Huachidu Village, and was raised by her alone. She has never been away from him for so long.
Only when she saw and touched it with her own eyes did Aunt Zhang finally feel at ease.
Gu Xixi then introduced Lü Jing to Aunt Zhang.
Aunt Zhang was already used to Gu Xixi bringing back different friends, and warmly invited Lü Jing inside.
"She's clearly a good girl! She treats this place like her own home."
"This afternoon, your aunt will clean up the west room for you, and I'll make sure you're comfortable."
Of course, Aunt Zhang didn't neglect An Qinghe either, saying, "Little An, you're familiar with this place, so I won't bother you."
"You must have had a hard journey traveling here. I'll make you some poached eggs in sweet soup later!"
Since Gu Xixi left, the house has become too quiet.
It suddenly became lively again today.
Aunt Zhang felt warm inside and wandered around the yard, constantly taking care of things.
Gu Xixi first unpacked the bundle of local specialties to entertain the young guests who had arrived first.
The various candied fruits, candies, and pastries brought back from the capital were mostly things that had never been seen locally.
The children just swallowed hard; none of them were in a hurry to eat.
Gouwa said seriously, "Let's help Brother An unload the carriage and move the luggage first, okay?"