Chapter 153: Sparks
The two farms, one in the Northeast and one in the Northwest, both have pretty harsh environments. Now the weather is getting cooler and cooler, and when real winter comes, there’s nothing, so without anyone else doing anything more, several people will get sick and fall ill.
Bedding, clothes, grain supplies, these are all essential necessities.
But I heard that the people guarding the farm over there will withhold most of the things sent, not sure if it’s true or not?
Actually, the best is still to go there in person.
Things have already reached this point, and it’s taken so much effort to make a change happen. If the result twists back again, wouldn’t that be all previous efforts wasted?
After hastily finishing the meal and setting down the bowl and chopsticks, Su Ning swallowed the last bite of food, looked up at Yan Bei who was standing up to pack things, “I want to go there on your behalf.”
“What? No!”
Without thinking, he opened his mouth to refuse. Yan Bei put away his astonished expression, looking serious.
Not to mention the Reclaimed Land Farm in the Northeast, just taking the train from Xiangnan would take seven or eight days. By the time she got there, it would probably start snowing, and that kind of extreme heavy snow and hail weather is hard for people not living there to adapt to.
The Northwest side is even more dangerous. Even though he hasn’t been there, he’s heard about it—the wolf packs on the grassland are rampant and can really injure or kill people.
If she goes like this, a young girl like her, what if something happens…
“Listen to me first. Uncle Yan’s leg needs treatment. Even if the medicine is sent, the people over there may not hand it over to them intact.”
And in the future she glimpsed and knew, the Yan Zijing family that died out right after Yan Ziyu.
Thinking of Yan Bei who went completely mad and reckless after receiving this news one after another…
“Do you want to see your dad disabled?”
“I don’t want to.”
Yan Bei firmly shook his head. He didn’t want to see his family suffer, but that didn’t mean he could push the person he loved into known danger just to fulfill himself.
She was right—no matter what, someone has to go to those two places, but it doesn’t have to be her.
The Yan Family could become one of the top families in Shanghai City. Even in the current situation, couldn’t they have one or two reliable confidants they can trust?
“Su Ning, you just need to help me prepare the medicinal water and things. I’ll find a trustworthy person to take them over.”
Seeing his resolute attitude and that he had made a decision, Su Ning said no more and nodded, but sighed inwardly: only hoping things develop in a good direction, and that all the Yan Family members can rewrite their destined endings.
Tomorrow Old Master Yan and the other one should arrive. Take care of the present first.
“Any news from the Fu Family side?”
“Jiaming and them haven’t arrived yet, probably not until tomorrow evening.
Uncle Fu’s head injury is too severe and his condition isn’t good. He’s only been briefly conscious twice. As for his older brother, his hand and foot tendons were all severed, so he can’t get out of bed for a while.”
These were all told to her by Brother Zhang. After getting off work these past few days, whenever he had nothing to do, he would go to the hospital to check.
It’s really that the family has two down and one missing. Even if Ma Xiuzhen, a woman, tries her best to hold on, she can’t manage it all.
Ever since knowing the connection between the Yan and Fu families and her, Zhang Qi naturally helps out wherever he can.
Even Fu Qianqian’s funeral arrangements were taken over and handled by him.
Knowing these, Su Ning was also very moved. Just for the Zhang Family treating all big and small matters related to her as their own family affairs.
This mindset of not treating her as an outsider at all is enough to move anyone.
“The Fu Family older brother’s fiancée went to break off the engagement and made a big scene in the hospital room.”
“Ren Xuan?”
A flash of sarcasm passed through his eyes. Yan Bei wasn’t surprised at all. Back when Jiatan got engaged, the Yan Family went as relatives of the groom, both up and down.
Especially the grandparents, as Uncle Fu’s elders, naturally gave quite a few good things to the Ren Family and Ren Xuan.
If he hadn’t accidentally overheard the conversation between the Ren Family mother and daughter, he would have advised Jiatan.
But for Fu Jiatan at that time, it seemed like it didn’t matter who his future wife was, so he didn’t pay much attention.
The two talked without delaying the work at hand.
After washing the bowl and chopsticks and putting them away in the cabinet, they began to cooperate in lifting the furniture in the courtyard and moving it into the dilapidated house through the newly opened backyard small door.
The countryside doesn’t have electricity yet, and the paths at night are either gravel or muddy, very hard to walk on.
So the two moved slowly, trying to walk steadily.
Going back and forth, chatting, it didn’t feel too tiring.
The Su Family ancestral home is near the foot of the mountain, and this dilapidated house is genuinely right at the foot of the mountain.
When one foot stepped on something soft but different from the looseness of mud, Su Ning stiffened all over, and goosebumps broke out on her back one after another.
Almost instinctively dropping the chair in her hand, she jumped up three feet high on the spot, her face pale with fright as she rarely screamed out loud.
“Ah!”
She wasn’t afraid of heaven or earth, but the only two things she feared were ghosts and snakes. Associating it with the thing on the ground, the terrified Su Ning’s mind went blank.
By the time she came back to her senses, she was already hanging on someone like a koala: arms wrapped around his neck, legs clamped around his waist.
Hearing her scream, Yan Bei, who was walking ahead, synchronously dropped what he was carrying, turned around without thinking in one arrow step to her side.
But what happened next…
Looking at the person tightly clinging to him, wrapped around both top and bottom, Yan Bei stiffened his hands, completely unsure whether to hold her tight or keep them flat and still.
The heartbeat in his chest was like a drum, and his face was flushed red and burning hot.
It felt like a long time had passed, or maybe just a few seconds, before he finally found his voice.
“Wha… what happened?”
“Snake, there’s a snake!”
Effortfully steadying himself, Yan Bei took a deep breath, trying his best to ignore the faint scent unique to her that was drilling into his nose, one hand holding her back, the other groping for the flashlight he had urgently dropped earlier.
When he picked up the flashlight, he first shone the dim yellow light on her legs and feet. Seeing no bite marks, he relaxed and turned the direction to where she was pointing.
In that pile of grass on the ground, there was indeed something sticking out that was yellowish-green, silvery all over with python patterns.
Carefully stepping forward, Yan Bei used his toe to flip it up and look. As he thought, it was indeed a large snake skin shed.
Gently patting her back, his tone was unbelievably gentle, “Don’t be afraid, it’s just a piece of snake skin.”
“Snake skin?”
“Yes, not a snake.”
Even a real snake would have been scared away by the commotion just now.
Slowly lifting her head buried in his shoulder, and peeking out, upon seeing that the thing in the flashlight beam wasn’t moving, Su Ning finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“…Sorry.”
Quickly sliding down from him, her thigh accidentally rubbed against something, drawing a muffled grunt from Yan Bei.
And she herself was so embarrassed she nearly had smoke coming out of her head, wishing she could dig a hole with her feet to crawl into.
“I…”
“It’s fine, cough~”
His ear roots already red to the point of dripping blood, as if to cover something, Yan Bei quickly turned his back, picked up the table and chair on the ground first, cleared his throat, then continued, “Su Ning, you take the flashlight and walk. I have night vision and can see clearly ahead.”
“Mm, mm, okay.”
Because of this little mishap, the subsequent moving process was unusually silent.
Even an intentional or unintentional glance could inexplicably make both of them blush. This slightly weird, lingering atmosphere lasted until everything was moved and the runaway calm rationality returned upon leaving home, finally restoring normalcy.
“Tomorrow Grandpa Yan and them should arrive. Rest well today, don’t let the two elders worry when they see you.”
“Okay.”
Now with a bed and change of clothes, no longer smelling that odor, he should be able to sleep well tonight.
Yan Bei had just agreed and sent her to the backyard small door, “Su Ning.”
“Hm?”
Not wanting to shine the flashlight straight into his face, she could only make out his vague outline in the dark light.
Intuiting he wanted to say something, Su Ning’s heart suddenly throbbed hard, making her unconsciously lift her hand to cover her chest.
How could it be?
This feeling…
“Su Ning, could you…”
“Not for now.”
Before he finished, Su Ning interrupted. She didn’t know why her heartbeat suddenly accelerated to a frightening degree.
No matter if his unfinished words were what she thought… she instinctively wanted to shrink back.
“It’s late, whatever it is we can talk tomorrow. I’m heading back first.”
She needed to calm down and think clearly.
Watching her quickly departing back, the courtyard gate slammed shut with a bang.
The outstretched hand silently withdrew. Yan Bei touched his nose and raised the corners of his mouth: What did Ning Ning think he was going to say?
He might not have to wait too long, right?
