EBE Chapter 182 Cai Bo's Entrustment II
Chapter 182 Cai Bo's Entrustment II
Big Head, however, seemed not to hear and continued to argue vehemently: "Brother Shanzi, where am I talking nonsense? This is exactly the kind of scene that Xiaoya used to tell us in the storybooks."
Besides, Sister Yao'er is so beautiful, and she lives in this town, which is much better than our village.
I'm even worried that you, Shanzi, aren't good enough for Yao'er! We just need a matchmaker to bring them together..."
"Big Head!" Shanzi interrupted him again, her face flushed with embarrassment.
Uncle Cai was extremely embarrassed when he heard Da Tou's bluntness. He coughed twice in an attempt to ease the tension.
"Ahem... Big Head, getting married isn't such a simple matter. If there are elders in the family, you have to go through them to discuss it. This matter, there's no rush, no rush."
As Cai Bo spoke, he looked at Shanzi and Cai Yao'er with a mixture of probing and anticipation in his eyes.
Shanzi took a deep breath and solemnly said to Uncle Cai, "Uncle Cai, I can only apologize to you."
We haven't thought about settling down yet. We have so many things to do, we really don't have time to think about these things.
Upon hearing this, Cai Bo felt somewhat disappointed, but when he heard Shan Zi say "temporarily," his eyes lit up again. He knew that there was still a chance for things to turn around.
Uncle Cai said slowly, "Uncle Cai knows that you young people have ambitions and many important things to do. There's no rush to get married. We can take our time."
Uncle Cai was just saying that now there are only the three of us left in the Cai family. If something unexpected happens, there won't be anyone to help us.
So I wanted to ask for your opinions, to see if we could look out for each other during this time.”
Shanzi hesitated upon hearing this, unsure how to respond.
He looked at Da Tou, who had already spoken first: "Uncle Cai, don't worry, we two won't leave Nanshan Town for the time being. We'll definitely come and keep you company when we have free time."
Upon hearing this, Uncle Cai smiled with satisfaction and said, "Alright, then Uncle Cai will thank you both in advance."
Although Cai Yao'er did not hear a direct response from Shanzi, she was inevitably somewhat disheartened.
But hearing that Shanzi and the others would stay in Nanshan Town for the time being, the gloom in my heart dissipated a lot.
She gently bit her lip, her eyes sparkling with shyness and anticipation.
Shanzi and Datou chatted with the three of them for a while longer before preparing to say goodbye and leave.
Shanzi looked at Cai Yao'er, hesitated for a moment, and then called out, "Miss Cai..."
Cai Yao'er looked up at him, a gentle light flashing in her eyes, and said softly, "Young Master Su, you can just call me Yao'er."
Da Tou chimed in, "Yeah, Shan Zi, I'm already calling Yao'er 'Sister Yao'er,' so Yao'er is going to be my... uh, no, I mean, we're all good friends now."
Shanzi glared at Datou helplessly, thinking to himself that he should have known better than to bring him.
Then he continued, "Uncle Cai, Yao'er, Xiaodie, we'll take our leave now. If we're done with our work tomorrow, we'll come to see you."
Uncle Cai smiled and waved his hand, saying, "It's nothing, it's nothing. You all have your own business to attend to."
Come visit more often when you have time, just keep this old man company. Haha…
The two stood up, ready to leave. The three of them also got up to see them to the door, but Shanzi stopped them.
"The three of you, please stay. You are all injured and need not see me off."
"You should get some rest. We'll come see you again tomorrow," Shanzi said with concern.
Cai Yao'er looked at Shanzi with a shy glint in her eyes and said softly, "Shanzi, Datou, you two slow down."
Xiaodie chimed in, "Brother Shanzi, Datou, you two must remember to come see us tomorrow!"
Shanzi and Datou responded and hurriedly left the Cai residence.
Uncle Cai gazed at Cai Yao'er's reluctant eyes until Shanzi and Datou's figures completely disappeared into the night.
He sighed softly, his tone carrying a hint of teasing and affection.
“Miss, look, they’ve both gone far away. It’s time for you to come back to your senses.”
Startled by Cai Bo's words, Cai Yao'er's cheeks flushed instantly, and she said coquettishly, "Uncle Cai, you're teasing me again."
Cai Bo burst into hearty laughter, but before the laughter subsided, he was struck by a violent cough.
Cai Yao'er and Xiao Die quickly stepped forward, gently patting Cai Bo's back while handing him warm water.
"It's alright, it's alright, my old bones are still hale and hearty."
Uncle Cai waved his hand to indicate that he was fine, then changed the subject.
"Miss, although marriage is a big deal and it's not my place to worry about it."
But now that the master and mistress have passed away, Uncle Cai can only hope that you can find a good home. What do you think of Shanzi?
Upon hearing this, Cai Yao'er blushed even more and whispered, "Uncle Cai, Young Master Su is naturally a very good person, but Yao'er... Yao'er is no longer a virgin, I'm afraid Young Master Su..."
Xiaodie said anxiously from the side, "Miss, please don't say that!"
Uncle Cai interrupted Xiaodie and said to Cai Yao'er earnestly, "Silly girl, Shanzi saw everything that happened back then, and he knew what was going on."
If he really minded, he wouldn't have left in a hurry at noon and then made a special trip back to visit at dusk.
This shows that Shanzi is a kind-hearted and discerning young man.
Upon hearing this, a glint of light flashed in Cai Yao'er's eyes, and she nodded gently: "Yes, Uncle Cai, you are right."
Uncle Cai smiled with satisfaction: "Then this matter is settled for now. When Shanzi comes again next time, you two can get to know each other better."
Cai Yao'er shyly agreed, "Yes! I'll listen to Uncle Cai."
Uncle Cai patted Cai Yao'er's hand gently and said, "Alright, everyone's tired today. Go back and rest early. Tomorrow we still have to go to the government office to handle your parents' funeral arrangements."
Xiaodie chimed in, "Yes, Miss, let's go back and rest first."
Meanwhile, Shanzi and Datou left the Cai residence, galloped on their horses, and headed straight for the yamen (government office).
A night breeze swept by, making both of them feel particularly heavy-hearted.
Shanzi and Datou slowly entered the inner courtyard of the yamen in the darkness of night, the sound of their horses' hooves particularly clear in the quiet night.
They walked through the courtyard and saw that the main hall was still brightly lit, illuminating two figures—General Wang Ming and Lord Zhang An—who were busy at their desks, seemingly unaware of the passage of time.
Shanzi gently pushed open the door and entered the hall with Datou.
The sound of their footsteps startled Wang Ming and Zhang An, who were engrossed in their work.
They looked up at the doorway, a look of surprise on their faces.
"Oh, it's you guys back. How did things go?" General Wang Ming spoke first, his tone tinged with concern.
Shanzi smiled and replied, "Everything went smoothly, thank you for your concern, General Wang. It must be very tiring for you two to be working so late on official business."
Lord Zhang An put down his pen, rubbed his temples, and laughed, "It is truly our blessing to have heroes like you."
However, because of the Qin soldiers today, many families in the town have been torn apart, and there are indeed many things to deal with, but it will be over soon.
Big Head chimed in from the side, "Since you two have worked so hard, please don't hesitate to ask if there's anything we can do to help you."
Upon hearing this, General Wang Ming patted Da Tou on the shoulder: "Good lad, that's enough. But you probably won't be able to get involved in tonight's events."
"We're almost done here, you should all go and get some rest. Tomorrow we still have to handle all the funeral arrangements for the town's residents."
Da Tou then asked General Wang, "Ling'er and Xiao Honglin haven't been crying or making a fuss for the past two hours, have they?"
When General Wang heard Da Tou ask the question, a smug smile appeared on his face.
"Hey, they've been very well-behaved these past two hours. They haven't cried or made a fuss, they've just occasionally asked us when you'll be back."
Upon hearing General Wang's words, Da Tou laughed and said, "Thank you both, sirs. We'll go find them now and won't disturb your work any longer."
After bidding farewell to Wang Ming and Zhang An, the two headed towards Li Ziling and Li Honglin.
When they arrived, they saw that the two little ones, Li Ziling and Li Honglin, were still waiting for Datou with great enthusiasm.
Upon seeing Da Tou, Li Honglin excitedly pounced on him.
"Big Head Brother, you're finally back! We've been waiting for you for so long!"
Big Head smiled and picked up Li Honglin, affectionately ruffling his hair.
"Oh, little Honglin, Big Head Brother is back. How was it? Did you behave well at the manor today?"
Shanzi watched this scene from the side, and a warm feeling welled up in his heart.
He knew that no matter how difficult the road ahead, as long as he had these relatives and friends by his side, he would be fearless.