CHAPTER 632: CHAPTER 116_3

Some wounds are even oozing purplish pus, showing a combination of old and new injuries.

When his wounds were treated, Uncle Qin kept a usual, very calm expression.

A playful smile gleamed in Aunt Liu’s eyes.

Li Zhiyuan stood by for a while before considerately entering the house.

Uncle Qin’s body relaxed, and he couldn’t help but remind Aunt Liu beside him, "Be gentler with your touch."

"Why the act of toughness just now, just for the sake of keeping face?"

"It’s not about face, it’s about rules."

"How odd, I don’t recall you mentioning these rules before?"

"That’s because there was no new pillar in the family before."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Liu nodded, not probing further, and instead cautioned, "You can’t keep going on like this, at this rate, your body will give out."

"Duty calls."

"But Granny Jia said that once you returned this time, you should rest more and not venture out for a while."

"One has to go out when it’s necessary. The family is establishing a new pillar; we cannot lack our own people’s activity outside."

"According to what you’re saying, should I also untie my apron and go run about?"

"Granny Jia is the mainstay of the family; you need to stay by her side to care for her."

"Fine, I can’t argue with you." Aunt Liu glanced toward the door, "Speaking of which, Xiao Yuan’s outings are really different from yours when you were younger."

"How so?"

"You used to dash out with such fervor, and then you’d return covered in injuries, leaving me wiping away tears as I treated you. But look at Xiao Yuan; it’s as if he’s just out on a task and returns as such."

Uncle Qin laughed, "How can you compare me with him? If we were the same, wouldn’t Granny Jia have sleepless nights filled with worry?"

"Did Granny Jia worry about you any less back then?"

"That’s not what I mean. Xiao Yuan and I are different. At the same age, I was far inferior to Xiao Yuan. When I was his age..."

Uncle Qin paused for a moment, somewhat puzzled, "When I was at Xiao Yuan’s age, Granny Jia only allowed me to lay the groundwork, not to practice martial arts."

"Isn’t it the same for Xiao Yuan now? He’s not in a hurry, as his body is still growing and he’s always mindful."

"It’s a pity. If Xiao Yuan was now in his twenties, or even just seventeen or eighteen, or just over sixteen, to properly polish a grown body, to practice some skills.

Then when going out, no matter where or who he faces, everything could be much smoother."

"In this world, where are there so many things that let you be fully prepared? You saw what happened that day. The lamp lighting up prematurely means..."

Aunt Liu looked up at the sky,

"Perhaps the powers above think Xiao Yuan is already qualified to venture out. Maybe even it fears that if Xiao Yuan is really allowed to steadily solidify his foundation, one day on the river, there might not be a wave that can stop Xiao Yuan."

After Li Zhiyuan entered the house, he first went to Alii’s room.

He never needed to knock on her door because the girl could always sense his arrival early on.

Pushing open the door, the girl was lying on the bed asleep, covered up to her stomach with neat folds in the blanket.

Li Zhiyuan smiled.

Because he had once said, "When I come, can you pretend to sleep, so I can experience the feeling when you used to come to my room to find me?"

But now it was afternoon, and the girl hardly ever slept at night, so when did she start taking naps?

Li Zhiyuan placed his schoolbag on the desk and spoke softly to Alii, "I’ve just returned. I’m going to greet Granny now, then I’ll come back and talk to you."

He shut the door and went upstairs.

Liu Yumei was holding a teacup in her left hand and a book in her right, reading.

Upon closer inspection, it was "Dream of the Red Chamber."

Granny Jia had, of course, noticed the youth’s arrival early on, and placing the book face down, asked in return,

"Why, can’t I, Granny Jia, read this at my age?"

"Of course, you can. It’s wonderful you have such leisurely interests."

"It has been many years since I last read it. Just a few days ago, it came to mind and so I had Ah Ting find it for me to flip through again. You tell me, who do I empathize with when I read this book?"

"I couldn’t guess. Looking at all the vividly described characters in this book, none seems to possess your wisdom, Granny Jia."

"Ha ha ha, you boy, when you’re insincere, you’re often most pleasing."

Li Zhiyuan walked over to the tea table and began to make tea.

Liu Yumei tapped the book gently and remarked, "At my age, now I see myself more in Granny Jia. She did act foolishly, but it’s not that she didn’t do anything; it’s just that all her efforts went to waste, so she resigned herself to living day by day in confusion."

"Granny Jia, your tea."

"Xiao Yuan, who do you think, in our family, resembles which character from the book?"

"No character in the book could compare to you, Granny Jia; so how could there possibly be a granddaughter like you?"

"I feel that our Alii is like Lin Daiyu."

With that, Granny Jia reached out and gently pinched the young man’s chin, playfully remarking,

"The parents left early, and in the end, even the family fortune went to the Jia family."

"Granny Jia, even if it comes to the worst, surely I can’t be compared to that inexperienced Baoyu?"

"You indeed surpass Baoyu, who at least had the decency to say ’this sister seems familiar,’ finding an excuse to drop his jade and throw a fit.

You, on the other hand, came right over and took Alii to sit with you and read."

"It’s different; I truly saw Alii in my dreams."

"Alright, alright, I’m just joking with you." Liu Yumei shifted her tone to one of concern, "Was your trip smooth?"

"Smooth as could be."