CHAPTER 385: CHAPTER 378: ZHUGE YUN (EXTRA)

Years later, Zhuge Yun, who had become China’s foremost diplomat, retired with honor. He refused the state’s plea to extend his tenure, resolutely leaving the diplomatic profession he so dearly loved.

His wife had been with him, wandering from country to country over the years—how much he owed her. After retirement, he intended to spend quality time with her, enjoying the flowers and the moonlight together.

Looking at the silver hair on his head, then at Qiqi, also silver-haired, how swiftly time had flown! In the blink of an eye, they had aged, even had grandchildren.

Zhuge Yun sat on the rattan chair in the yard, in the house he had purchased before their marriage. Although their son had bought a villa and suggested they move, he did not want to, and neither did Qiqi. This was their shared home, filled with too many beautiful memories; how could he and Qiqi bear to leave it?

His wife and grandson were planting flowers in the garden. Even as an old lady with white hair, she was always that beautiful, kind girl in his eyes.

With a smile, Zhuge Yun watched the pair—old and young—his gaze unfocused, seemingly lost in thoughts of his first meeting with his wife.

Dressed in the best old clothes his family had, his suitcase a camphorwood chest from his grandmother’s dowry, it was quite out of place among Qiqi and her entourage.

He wasn’t embarrassed, but seeing Qiqi so cautious, worried about saying the wrong thing and hurting his feelings, he felt a warmth in his heart. It was the first time he’d been on the receiving end of a pretty girl’s kindness, and he wasn’t as calm on the inside as he appeared to be.

After that, Qiqi helped him practice his spoken language, for his was quite poor. They naturally became good friends, and perhaps, at that time, he was willing to embrace Qiqi’s approach?

Each time Qiqi went to the cafeteria, she would bring back a portion of pork with vermicelli or radish stewed with meat, and every time, she would pick the pork into his bowl.

"I love vermicelli and radishes but hate this fatty meat. To avoid wasting it, Zhuge Yun, could you help me eat this meat?" she’d say.

Then, Qiqi would devour the vermicelli or radishes while he ate the fatty pieces. At that time, he believed Qiqi truly loved vermicelli and radishes. It wasn’t until after they were married that he learned Qiqi detested eating both. He wondered how she managed to stomach them back then.

At that time, they both considered each other as friends and didn’t venture into the realm of romance. He just felt happy with Qiqi; for the first time in his twenty-something years of life, he felt that life could be wonderful.

But one day, Hu Weiwen said to him, in a veiled way: "Qiqi will surely return to Shanghai in the future. My uncle and aunt adore her; they hope she marries a local man from Shanghai and don’t want her to suffer too much."

Hu Weiwen’s words jolted him awake and made him realize his feelings for Qiqi. He had been deceiving himself all along; he liked Qiqi, not merely as a friend.

But Hu Weiwen’s words also shattered his delusions. He had overestimated himself: a poor boy from the countryside with nothing, struggling to support even himself—on what grounds did he expect Qiqi, who had never experienced hardship, to suffer with him?

Rather than have Qiqi share hardships with him in the future, it would be better for her to follow her parents’ wishes, return to Shanghai, and become a contented young lady.

With a heavy heart, he severed the budding feelings within him, gradually distancing himself from Qiqi, rejecting her initiatives, and even turning away when he saw her.

He saw how gaunt Qiqi had become, her transformation; day by day, she fell more silent, no longer the lively and cute girl she had been.

His heart ached even more. Many times, he almost couldn’t resist turning back to find Qiqi, but he still restrained his impulses, constantly telling himself: You can’t provide a good life for Qiqi, you can’t let such a kind girl suffer with you.

What changed his mind was the time they ate crabs. He had never eaten crabs before and did not know how to eat the crustacean. His pride would not allow him to seek advice from others on how to eat crabs, and his acting skills were so spot-on that no one knew he had no idea how to eat them, everyone just thought he wanted to wait a while longer before eating.

Only Qiqi noticed, she quietly tugged at the corner of his clothes and showed him how to eat crabs in a very subtle manner.

At that time, he just felt a warmth in his heart and had the urge to embrace this girl tightly. It was then that he realized how foolish he had been. Why should he be afraid? Just because he could not afford to give Qiqi a comfortable life now, did not mean he would always be poor!

As long as he worked hard, he would definitely make Qiqi happy in the future. As for the opposition from Qiqi’s family, that was not a problem either. As long as he and Qiqi truly loved one another, he believed nothing could stand in their way.

At this moment, he felt that his past self was really foolish. He had longed for warmth for so long, yet he had pushed it away with his own hands. What a fool!

After an exhilarating and nervous summer vacation, as soon as school resumed, he found Qiqi and asked her out. Seeing the joy on Qiqi’s face, his heart felt much more settled—Qiqi was still waiting for him.

"Qiqi, I like you. Let’s be together?" he got straight to the point.

Qiqi nodded her head fiercely with shyness, not hesitating at all.

"But my family is very poor, and I can’t provide you with a comfortable life right now. Are you scared?" He did not hide the situation of his family at all.

"I’m not scared. As long as I can be with you, I’m willing to eat pickles every day," Qiqi replied softly but firmly.

That evening, had they essentially made a lifelong commitment to each other? That was also the evening he kissed the girl he loved for the first time. Nervously, they almost bit off each other’s tongues, causing tears from the pain, but their hearts were filled with sweetness.

Then, he started wholesaling electronic watches from Uncle He to peddle. Although it was risky, he was not afraid. As long as he was clever about it, he was sure not to get caught.

With this business, his financial situation improved quite a bit. Not only could he provide a comfortable life for his grandparents, but he could also take Qiqi out in a decent manner, as he did not want to let down such a good girl.

In this regard, he would always be grateful to Uncle He. Without Uncle He’s help, he could not have escaped the predicament back then, nor could he have easily convinced Qiqi’s family.

It was precisely because he had money that he was able to negotiate with the Liu Family and purchase a house in Beijing, ensuring that the Liu Family did not have to worry about their daughter marrying into suffering.

For the rest of his life, he would always be thankful to the He Family, thankful to He Xuewen for his gentlemanly conduct of helping without expecting anything in return.

For the rest of his life, he would cherish Qiqi, grateful for her appearance before him in the loneliest times of his life, giving him warmth, sweetness, and happiness!

"Ayun, stop sleeping, get up and move around, your joints are going to rust if you keep this up!" Qiqi called out to him.

"Coming, coming. Just tell me you need me to do chores, no need to make it sound so noble," Zhuge Yun laughed as he got up to help his wife and grandson with the digging.

"Annoying, you just don’t know what’s good for you!"