It wasn’t that she was just being understanding; Zhao Nuanyue knew that in life, your hands are often tied. In the current climate, if Hua Yusen didn’t strive and struggle, a miserable end would await them.
Nearby in the courtyard, Hua Yulin observed the small yard, full of vitality. Although not large, it was very cozy.
’Only in such an idyllic setting could women as refined as Zhao Nuanyue and Little Red Carp be raised.’
The longer he knew Zhao Nuanyue, the more Hua Yulin realized how special she was. It wasn’t just her physical beauty, but also the purity of her heart.
’At that moment, Hua Yulin envied his older brother. Having such a wonderful woman by his side for life... he must be so happy.’
’When will I ever find a woman like that to love?’
’With a woman as wonderful as Zhao Nuanyue setting the standard, Hua Yulin suddenly felt that such women were incredibly rare—perhaps he’d never meet one in his entire life.’
Seeing Hua Yulin frown one moment and smile the next, Little Red Carp thought he was acting a little strange.
"What’re you thinking about, Hua? Your expression is so complicated—one minute you’re smiling, the next you’re frowning," Little Red Carp asked, tilting her head. Since he had played frisbee with her earlier, she decided to strike up a conversation with Hua.
Hua Yulin looked a little embarrassed when he heard her. He shook his head and said, "It’s nothing!"
Even though Little Red Carp was just a kid, Hua Yulin couldn’t bring himself to tell her about the thoughts that were too shameful to speak of.
’After all, she was his future sister-in-law—the fiancée of the older brother he respected most. If his brother hadn’t been suddenly called away on a mission, tomorrow would have been their wedding day.’
Little Red Carp heard his dismissive reply. She looked him up and down like a little adult and said slowly, "Even if you don’t tell me, I can guess. You have a crush on someone."
Hua Yulin froze, then quickly shook his head and retorted, "Of course not! Little Red Carp, you’re too young to know what it means to like someone. Don’t just say things like that."
"TSK TSK! So flustered. The more you try to hide it, the more it shows," Little Red Carp said, tilting her chin up. "It’s obvious you have a crush. My sister gets that exact same look on her face when she’s thinking about my future brother-in-law!"
To prove her point, Little Red Carp threw her sister under the bus.
Hearing this, Hua Yulin’s heart sank, and a pang of pain shot through him. He shook his head. "Okay, that’s enough guessing. I was just thinking about a problem at work."
"Fine, I’ll believe you... for now," Little Red Carp said with a shake of her head, though her expression made it obvious she didn’t buy it at all.
Feeling awkward under Little Red Carp’s stare, Hua Yulin spotted some fishing rods nearby. "Hey, Little Red Carp, how about we go fishing?"
"Yeah, yeah!" Little Red Carp was bored anyway, so having someone to play with was perfect. She instantly dropped her gossipy expression and trotted after Hua Yulin to go fishing.
Zhao Nuanyue had intended to ask Feng Wanru to stay for lunch, but Feng Wanru said, "Nuanyue, ordinarily I would love to stay and eat, but I can’t today. I still have to visit friends and family to explain the situation, so I really don’t have time."
Hearing this, Zhao Nuanyue didn’t press her to stay. Instead, she packed an assortment of filled pastries for Feng Wanru to take with her. If she didn’t have time for a proper meal, at least she could have a snack to tide her over.
Seeing how thoughtful Zhao Nuanyue was, Feng Wanru didn’t refuse and accepted with a smile.
When Hua Yulin saw that his mother had finished speaking with his future sister-in-law, he stopped fishing. "Little Red Carp, I have to go," he said with a smile. "I’ll come back to fish with you again when I have free time."
"Mm-hm, okay. You’re really bad at this, so I’ll teach you next time," Little Red Carp commented bluntly, making Hua Yulin’s face flush with embarrassment. To think he was being scorned by a little girl.
But when he glanced at the two palm-sized crucian carp in the bucket, Hua Yulin had to admit his skills were lacking. Little Red Carp wasn’t wrong.
"Sounds good," Hua Yulin said with a laugh, patting her on the head. "Goodbye, Little Red Carp!"
"Goodbye, Hua!" Little Red Carp waved her chubby little hands. "Oh, by the way, Hua, can you bring Hei Hu over to play next time?"
Hua Yulin smiled when he heard that. Remembering how much fun she’d had playing with Hei Hu last time, he nodded. "Of course. When I have time, I’ll bring Hei Hu over to play."
"Yay!" Little Red Carp was thrilled. Then, unable to resist saying something shocking, she added, "Hua, take my advice: whichever girl you like, just go after her bravely. You’ll win her over in the end."
Hua Yulin stumbled, nearly falling over. There was no reasoning with this little kid. He hurried away, even forgetting to say goodbye to Zhao Nuanyue.
’It’s not that I don’t want to go after her bravely, but Zhao Nuanyue is my sister-in-law!’
Seeing her second son’s flustered retreat, Feng Wanru covered her mouth to hide a laugh. "Ah, when your sons grow up, you start worrying about their wives. Yu Sen and Nuanyue are settled, so I’m not worried there. Now it’s time to think about Yu Lin, and after him, there’s still Yu Fen and Yu Mu... So much to worry about!"
"Auntie, those are happy worries to have," Zhao Nuanyue said with a smile. "Yu Lin is such a fine young man; I’m sure he’ll find a woman he loves."
"Let’s hope you’re right," Feng Wanru said, smiling. "Don’t see us out. We really should be going."
Even though Feng Wanru told her not to, Zhao Nuanyue couldn’t just stay inside. She took Little Red Carp to the main gate to personally see Feng Wanru and Hua Yulin off in their car.
Before they drove off, Hua Yulin glanced out the car window. There at the gate stood a woman, so graceful, with such a gentle smile.
’But she doesn’t belong to me. It’s best if I don’t come here again.’
’He was afraid that the more he saw her, the more those "sordid" thoughts of his would grow.’
Zhao Nuanyue, Zhao Nuan Yang, and Little Red Carp watched the car drive away and disappear around the corner before finally heading back inside.
’Zhao Nuanyue felt a sense of loss, but what was done was done. There was nothing she could do about it.’
Seeing that her brother and sister were in low spirits, Little Red Carp announced in a bright voice, "Little Red Carp is hungry! Time to eat!"
Not wanting his sister to dwell on the canceled wedding, Zhao Nuan Yang said with a smile, "Sister, let’s make lunch. This afternoon, we can visit our master’s wife. Oh, and Little Red Carp, you should go fishing so we can bring her some extra fish."
"Okay!" Little Red Carp nodded. ’That Hua was so clumsy earlier; he doesn’t know how to fish at all.’ "I’ll go fishing."
Zhao Nuanyue managed a smile. "Okay. I’ll make lunch while you two go fish. This afternoon, we can bring the fish to our master and his wife and tell them about the wedding being canceled."
Worried his sister was still upset, Zhao Nuan Yang comforted her gently, "Don’t be sad, Sister. Good things just take time, that’s all."