Chapter 197: Announcement
“Jia Dan…”
Her husband being able to recover naturally made Ma Xiuzhen excited and delighted, but she wasn’t so happy that she ignored her eldest son; she paid constant attention to him, so the dimness and bitterness that quickly flashed through his eyes didn’t escape her notice at all.
The wounds on his body had already scabbed over, leaving behind glaring scars and giving him quite a few aftereffects.
He couldn’t lift his hand; even simply holding chopsticks was impossible, so he could only eat with a wooden spoon.
His foot couldn’t support the weight of his body anymore; although he could laboriously shift it, that was the limit.
Every time the weather changed, the injured muscles and bones would transmit a pain like ten thousand insects gnawing.
All these things were bit by bit gnawing away at the remaining light in Fu Jiatan’s heart that was barely holding on.
“Mom, I’m fine.”
He barely managed a smile, and Ma Xiuzhen nodded without refuting.
The pain in the son’s body hurt the mother’s heart; as a mother, she would only feel it more painfully than him.
Ma Xiuzhen knew her son’s pride and didn’t want to say those pale, useless self-consolations; she only gently held his limp, dangling hand, hoping to give him more warmth and encouragement.
“Mom, something big and good happened to me today.”
He returned his mother’s warm smile, not wanting to see her upset for his sake again, so Fu Jiatan tried to shift her attention.
Sure enough, not just her; upon hearing this, everyone who had been talking but actually secretly paying attention to him couldn’t help but stop their conversation, as if their interest had been piqued.
“Oh? What big happy event?”
“Ning Ning coming back?”
Looking at the elders present, Fu Jiatan said pointedly, “Everyone can pay close attention and observe later.”
What did he mean?
What connection did paying close attention and observing have with a big happy event? Observe whom?
The ones not present were Fu Jiaming, Yan Bei, and Su Ning.
Given Fu Jiaming’s personality, if there was really a big happy event, he would have shouted it to everyone long ago, so only Yan Bei and Su Ning were left.
These two… big happy event, could it be? No way?
They were all shrewd people; with just a slight thought, they immediately grasped the key point and turned the corner.
Yan Changrong and Zhao Panpan were simply overjoyed: if this was real, even if it meant getting scolded, he had to drink a few cups with the charming ancestors underground!
“Jia Dan, you mean…”
“Dinner’s ready, time to eat～ Yan Grandpa… hey～”
Fu Jiaming, who rushed in head down calling people to eat, hadn’t even finished speaking when he was met with pairs of eyes full of oppressive intensity, nearly scaring him to kneel down with a thud.
No… wasn’t it, what huge thing requiring family discipline had he done?
“Cough cough, Grandpa Yan, let’s go eat. You’ll see when the time comes.”
Unable to bear watching his silly younger brother’s foolish look, Fu Jiatan spoke up at the right moment to bail him out.
Because of his prior hint, after entering the kitchen and taking seats at the Eight Immortals table, everyone’s gazes uniformly turned to Su Ning and Yan Bei.
They were all experienced people, and plus they weren’t trying to hide it, so sharp-eyed folks could see the clues at a glance.
The overexcited Yan Changrong’s beard couldn’t help but perk up joyfully, “Xiao Qi, do you and Ning Ning have something to tell us?”
How could this old man be so direct in front of so many people? He was just short of asking outright!
How could a little girl not care about face?
She forcefully stepped on a certain someone’s foot under the table, not looking at that old face that instantly scrunched up in pain, Zhao Panpan smiled extremely kindly and amiably.
She took the soft, boneless hand of the one sitting to her right, “Ning Yatou, is it what we think?”
Blushed red in the face from the two elders’ successive questions, though extremely embarrassed, the smile on Su Ning’s face didn’t diminish; she nodded generously in admission.
Everyone present were relatives and friends; their relationship change wasn’t something shameful in front of them, so she naturally didn’t hide it.
She couldn’t give him marriage for now, but she could affirm and claim the status of partner, so as not to be too scummy.
With things having come to this, since everyone had already seen it, Yan Bei simply stopped staying silent and walked a few steps past his grandparents to her side.
There was a bit of shyness in his eyes, but more was the irrepressible excitement and joy, “Grandparents, Uncle Fu, Aunt Ma, Fu Big Brother, Ning Ning and I are partners now.”
“Good, good!”
“Congratulations, congratulations!”
“Good, good job, you boy!”
They had guesses in their hearts, but hearing this good news with their own ears, everyone still couldn’t help but feel happy for the two.
A talented man and beautiful woman, a match made in heaven; finally together, it was truly a big happy event.
“Great, Ning Yatou is finally one of us Yan Family, hahaha, I could wake up laughing in my dreams tonight～”
“Ning Ning ah, from now on if Xiao Qi this stinky boy dares bully you or do anything against you, just come find Grandma, no need for you to do it, Grandma will beat him for you!”
“Right right right, Ning Yatou, our whole family stands with you, reasoned or not!”
Well that… not really.
She wouldn’t be that unreasonable, right?
Su Ning, who was amused and helpless, could only smile and nod obediently in agreement.
This meal was eaten like it was New Year’s; Yan Changrong did as he had planned beforehand, risking it to drink a few cups with the ancestors underground.
Fortunately, the Su Family’s location was remote; with the cold weather, everyone was hunkering down at home by the fire, even less likely to come this way easily, allowing these imprisoned ones a moment of peaceful leisure and rare warm reunion.
……
At some point in the night sky, fine raindrops began to fall, gradually turning into snowflakes, pattering on the bricks and tiles, soon accumulating a thin layer of white.
The cold wind howled, carrying away the warmth from just roasting by the fire, the face feeling a stinging pain like being scraped by a knife.
“Ning Ning, no need to see us off, it’s too cold, go back quick so you don’t freeze.”
“Right, just these few steps, no need to see us off; hurry back, a little girl can’t catch a cold.”
At the small door in the backyard, Yan Changrong and Zhao Panpan looked at Su Ning who insisted on coming to see them off, feeling gratified in their hearts while also distressed.
“With these snowflakes, the ground is too slippery; Grandpa Yan, Grandma Yan, let me see you off.”
Her coming along was also good to hold the flashlight for them, otherwise Yan Bei wouldn’t have an extra hand while supporting both elders.
“Let’s go, grandparents; I’ll send Ning Ning back later.”
With both saying so, Yan Changrong and Zhao Panpan didn’t want to stubbornly stand in the snowy night and freeze, so they didn’t object further, instead tacitly quickening their pace a bit.
Once back at the dilapidated house, they didn’t even bother first to dig out the fireplace buried under ash and soil, urging the little grandson to quickly send her back.
Exchanging a smile, the two didn’t say more and obediently turned to leave.
The snowflakes in the flashlight beam looked like they were wrapped in a layer of shimmering light, swirling beautifully.
“Ning Ning.”
“Mm, what’s up?”
“I feel like I’m dreaming.”
There was always a sense of unreality; Yan Bei stopped, reached out to brush the snowflakes from her shoulder and hair, his eyes reflecting the flashlight’s light now gentle beyond words.
“Then do you need me to help you?”
“Like pinching you hard?”
“Heh～”
Meeting her two fingers making a pinching twist motion playfully, Yan Bei chuckled lightly, “Sure it’s not finding an excuse to fix me?”
“People too smart probably aren’t that likable.”
“Oh?”
Cooperatively furrowing his brow in thought, Yan Bei leaned his face closer, “In that case, trouble partner, help wake me up.”
“You’re welcome.”
She slightly tilted her head up looking at him so close, that pair of eyes brimming with indulgent amusement like filled with a galaxy of stars.
Originally joking, her two fingertips already touching his cheek, in an instant Su Ning seemed bewitched.
By the time she reacted, her fingertip was still stroking his jaw, while her lips were pressed to his cheek.
Like fireworks launching into the sky and bursting brilliantly one after another, dazzlingly gorgeous.
Boom～
Su Ning almost without thinking jumped up to flee like, but was swiftly reacted to by Yan Bei who caught her waist in a hug and pressed her into his arms.
Covering her scorching hot face about to smoke, even the whimper at her lips felt too hot: Done for, done for, her image ruined!
“Heh～”
By her ear were his lips lowered close, the light laugh accompanied by the hot breath making Su Ning tremble all over, unconsciously dodging that sour tingling itch.
“What to do, Ning Ning, now I feel even less real.”
“…”
“Want to help me again? Wake me up, hm?”
“…”
This flirtatiously teasing talk, from the usually aloof and pure Yan Bei?
Her lips twitched uncontrollably; Su Ning grasped his hand around her, feeling the hammering heartbeat from his chest at her back, and nodded calmly, “Okay.”
With his face full of surprised delight already turned around, the person didn’t hold back and gave a fierce one.
“Hiss—”
