Chapter 414: Marriage (Please subscribe!)

Li Heng remained silent for a long while before saying, "I'm returning to Shanghai in a while. We'll know soon enough whether the tree is dead or not."

Xiao Han asked in confusion, "Returning to Shanghai during summer vacation?"

He immediately recounted the founding process of Anta Footwear and Li Wang's affairs in the capital, though he conveniently ignored the matter of pure music arrangement.

He couldn't help it; it wasn't that he wasn't being honest, but his black-bellied wife had previously made veiled remarks about Yu Laoshi and Zhou Shihe, her tone filled with wariness and worry. If he spoke of it now, it would only increase her anxiety.

After weighing the pros and cons, he decided it was better not to say anything.

Li Heng said, "The Olympics open in mid-September. Time is tight, so I have to go over and take a look, and finish up the last two chapters of *White Deer Plain* while I'm at it."

Xiao Han gazed at him with bright eyes, "My Mr. Li is truly someone who does great things. I'll be blessed in the future."

Li Heng chuckled and pulled her into a tight embrace again.

Xiao Han wasn't as resistant this time. Face-to-face, she asked crisply, "What if the ginkgo tree is like the one in the dream—what if it's dead?"

Li Heng replied solemnly, "If it's truly dead, we'll plant another one next spring. When the time comes, I'll find someone experienced to learn how to cultivate it."

Xiao Han was very satisfied with honey's attitude, though she said nonchalantly on the surface, "That's all we can do."

After saying this, she paused and added, "I'm leaving tomorrow. I can't stay at home to keep you company anymore."

Li Heng was stunned, caught off guard, "Going to the capital early?"

"Mm."

Xiao Han hummed and told him the truth, "Teacher Wen Yan called me yesterday afternoon, saying there's an emergency major surgery to prepare for. I have to go to the capital early, and she wants me to observe and learn."

Li Heng was silent, "Studying medicine is truly exhausting."

"It's alright. You're not having an easy time either." Saying this, Xiao Han smiled sweetly and looked up at him.

After gazing at each other for a while, Li Heng kissed her knowingly.

Perhaps because they were about to separate just after getting together, Xiao Han was more proactive this time. She pressed against him, kissing him back and forth for a long time, occasionally lingering, their smiling eyes meeting—it was very romantic.

At this very moment, she held this man in her arms, wishing so much that honey belonged to her alone.

But facing so many competitors, she suddenly lost the confidence she once had to look down on everyone. If there were only Song Yu, she could still handle it.

If there were one more Yu Laoshi, she felt somewhat powerless. Because the other party's looks and temperament were not inferior to hers, and as for Yu Laoshi's family background, she had gone around asking Professor Wen Yan's father, Principal Wen, and the background was suffocating.

She knew very well that in front of a love rival with absolute strength like Yu Laoshi, any trick she played would be futile.

Of course, Yu Laoshi wasn't the one she was most wary of; the one she feared most was Zhou Shihe. That was someone whose looks and temperament were not inferior to Song Yu's. The key was that she was talented, had a good family background, and her pitiful appearance was very charming—she seemed to have no shortcomings. If such a woman became a love rival in the future, she dared not imagine how much of a chance she would have left.

Would Zhou Shihe become a love rival?

Given Mr. Li's nature of exclusively loving great beauties, her heart was pounding.

In fact, deep down, the reason she had previously regarded Song Yu as her greatest love rival, besides her appearance and temperament, was because Song Yu was the only woman honey had actively pursued.

Compared to herself, Chen Zijin, or that Mai Sui who was ambiguously involved with him, the fact that Song Yu could make him actively pursue her—that was the gold content! That was her greatest reliance in facing him!

Actively pursuing him versus him actively pursuing someone—there was a world of difference between the two.

She only hoped he wouldn't pursue Zhou Shihe in the future.

If he didn't provoke her, perhaps someone like Zhou Shihe wouldn't have too much emotional involvement with him.

Thinking this far, she felt a bit bitter inside: in the past, she could be smug about her good taste in secretly loving such an outstanding man for over six years. But now, this man seemed a bit too outstanding—so outstanding that her little sampan couldn't bear it.

After kissing for a while, Xiao Han raised her right wrist to check the time, "It's already 4:51. I have to rush back. Today is Mom's 46th birthday."

He was no stranger to this birthday, so he let her go understandingly, "Alright, wish Mother-in-law a happy birthday for me when you get home."

Xiao Han asked playfully, "Why don't you go say it yourself?"

Li Heng blinked, "It's not impossible. At worst, I'll just get a scolding."

At this point, both of them laughed out loud. Afterward, they cooperated tacitly: one exited through the back door of the classroom, the other through the window, restoring the window and door locks to their original state.

Leaving the classroom, the moment they stood firm in the corridor, they saw Yu Shuheng and Que Xinyan across the way.

At this moment, Yu Laoshi was standing on the third floor of the teaching building opposite, leaning against the railing, watching Li Heng and Xiao Han without any inhibition.

As their eyes met, just like that, Li Heng already smelled the murderous intent in the air.

He didn't know how long Yu Laoshi had been standing in the opposite teaching building.

Had she just arrived? Or had she been there for a long time?

Did she happen to appear opposite by chance? Or did she appear there on purpose?

Third floor looking down at the second floor—a high-ground position. If he and Xiao Han hadn't been kissing behind the door, it would probably have been a live broadcast accident.

But, regardless of the situation?

He realized clearly in hindsight: Xiao Han giving up on going to the small hill and coming to the Town Middle School might have been aimed at Yu Laoshi. A demonstration? Asserting sovereignty?

And Yu Laoshi following along under the guise of visiting his junior high alma mater—could it really be without any motive?

He wasn't very familiar with Yu Laoshi and couldn't grasp her thoughts.

But as for his black-bellied wife, that should be exactly the meaning he had deduced.

Thinking and thinking, Li Heng felt a chill down his spine, while also feeling a bit fortunate.

Fortunate that it was Yu Laoshi opposite, and not Zijin. Otherwise, whoa! The two women might have torn each other apart.

In fact, he was sometimes very puzzled. Whether it was Xiao Han or Zijin, they were modest and polite when facing others, leaving a particularly good impression. But as long as these two women met alone, they were guaranteed to fight, incompatible as fire and water, completely disregarding their reserved images.

After a standoff across the distance for a while, Xiao Han suddenly gave Yu Laoshi a sweet smile, then was the first to withdraw her gaze, leaving the teaching building, leaving the First Middle School, without looking back.

Li Heng saw her to the gate of the First Middle School and asked, "Wife, what time are you leaving tomorrow?"

Xiao Han said, "Leaving at 7:00 AM. You don't need to worry; Uncle is driving me."

"Alright, write me a letter when you arrive, send it to Lushan Village," Li Heng instructed.

Xiao Han agreed with squinting, smiling eyes.

After watching Xiao Han return to the Town Government compound, Li Heng turned back and found Yu Laoshi and Que Xinyan.

Looking at Yu Laoshi, who was taking pictures of the distant mountains, he asked quietly to Zhang Zhiyong, "How come you appeared here?"

Zhang Zhiyong touched the back of his head, "Damn! You ask me, who do I ask? Can Old Master control where Yu Laoshi goes?"

Li Heng rolled his eyes, "Stop spouting foreign languages at me. What did you two see just now?"

Zhang Zhiyong opened his mouth and said cheekily, "You two were hiding behind the door and never came out. I saw Yu Laoshi seem to check her watch."

Li Heng raised an eyebrow, "Timing?"

"Damn it! How would I know? Don't ask me, go ask Yu Laoshi." Zhang Zhiyong had a gloating expression.

Li Heng kicked this idiot in the thigh, then walked toward the end of the corridor.

He called out, "Teacher."

Yu Shuheng glanced at him and pointed to the corner, "Stand over there, with the sunset as the background, I'll take a picture of you."

"Done." Li Heng agreed readily and stood over there according to her request.

After taking the picture, Yu Laoshi beckoned to Que Xinyan. After teaching this idiot how to press the shutter, she took the initiative to stand beside Li Heng.

"Click."

The two of them properly completed a group photo.

Yu Shuheng took back the camera and said to Zhang Zhiyong, "You strike a pose, I'll take one for you."

Que Xinyan shook his hands violently, "Don't take it, don't take it. I didn't wash my face when I went out today, and I haven't cut my hair for a long time. It's ugly as hell. Yu Laoshi, take a few more of Grandpa Heng. His face is handsome; even Old Master wants to pinch it until it pops."

Yu Shuheng smiled warmly and said, "Zhiyong, go drive the tractor over. My legs are a bit tired, I can't walk anymore."

"Alright, coming right away." Zhang Zhiyong didn't think much and left to follow orders.

Once Que Xinyan left, the two of them were the only ones left in the huge teaching building.

Yu Shuheng glanced at him, the smile on her face instantly faded, and she walked toward the stairwell.

Li Heng looked up at the sky and followed after a moment.

Half a floor down, Yu Laoshi stopped at the stair corner. This place was high up, and it was summer vacation, so it was very secluded.

Seeing her stop, Li Heng asked tentatively, "Teacher, what's wrong?"

Yu Shuheng lowered her eyelids slightly, then raised her head again, walked back, and went right up to his side, staring straight at him.

Under her powerful aura, Li Heng felt inexplicable.

After staring at each other for a while, she asked suddenly, "When you are alone, how do you usually treat those two women?"

Some things were understood as soon as they were heard; these two women naturally referred to Chen Zijin and Xiao Han.

In her understanding, these two women had been in his bed.

Li Heng couldn't believe it and muttered, "Hug?"

Yu Shuheng smiled, then turned around, facing away from him.

Just this one action, just this one smile, Li Heng's heartbeat accelerated rapidly. For no reason, his body actually had a huge reaction.

Looking at the tall back in front of him, Li Heng swallowed hard. Finally, under the surge of hot blood, he stretched out his hands and hugged her from behind.

Hugged her tightly.

A moment later, his head crossed her shoulder, and he greedily took a deep breath by her ear, smelling the faint scent of a woman.

"Teacher."

"Don't make a sound!"

He murmured, and she slowly closed her eyes and gave an order.

Li Heng indeed quieted down.

After a long, long time, her right hand lifted backward, covering his right cheek with her palm, her chest heaving twice as she said, "Little boy, let go of me."

Li Heng wasn't that obedient; instead, he turned her around and hugged her in his arms.

For a moment, you looked at me, I looked at you, and neither made a sound.

After a long time passed, she tilted her head and kissed his cheek, saying elegantly, "Just now, Teacher was possessed by a ghost. Once you leave this building, forget about it."

Time passed for another minute or so. Yu Shuheng took a step back, her red lips parted slightly as if she wanted to say something but stopped. Finally, she turned around and went downstairs.

From beginning to end, she never looked back. Her figure was light, and her clear sandals made a *tap-tap-tap* sound on the stairs. Her gait was very elegant, as if what had just happened hadn't affected her at all.

Li Heng calmed his body's abnormality on the spot—the feeling of congestion just now was unforgettable. A few minutes later, he looked down, then set off downstairs, rushing toward the school gate.

Before long, he saw Yu Laoshi buying soda at the grocery store. Que Xinyan was waiting on the hand-cranked tractor not far away.

Seeing him come over, Yu Shuheng handed a bottle of soda to his side as if nothing had happened, saying nothing, expressing everything with her body language.

"Thank you." Li Heng thanked her, took the soda, unscrewed the cap, and started drinking.

Yu Shuheng scanned his body without a trace. Seeing that everything was normal, she walked toward the tractor with peace of mind.

The tractor wasn't fast. When they returned home, the sun had already started to set; it was quite late.

The main course for dinner was big-pot braised goose and pheasant meat. The pheasant was a gift from the village secretary, who had been a classmate of Li Jianguo in elementary and junior high school and had always had a good relationship with him. Seeing that the old Li family had distinguished guests, he sent over one of the pheasants he had caught on the mountain today.

After nearly a year of treatment in the capital, Li Jianguo's body had now almost fully recovered. Although the doctor had instructed him to try not to do heavy work, eating, sleeping, and walking were no longer affected at all, as convenient as a normal person. He was now learning to hunt with his good friend, the village secretary. He called it exercising his body and killing time.

Because they were frightened by the female corpse last night, after dark, Li Heng and Yu Shuheng just walked casually on the crowded road, not daring to go to the fields or rivers to catch wild game again.

After 9:00 PM, the two of them returned to their room after showering.

Li Jianguo and Tian Run'e were very sensible. Ever since they discovered the relationship between Manzai and Yu Laoshi, they had never stepped foot on the second floor again. They let the two of them do whatever they wanted on the second floor; they just wouldn't go up.

The couple's thoughts were very simple: Yu Laoshi was a great god, and the old Li family's small temple couldn't afford to worship her. They simply broke the jar and let it break, turning a blind eye to certain things and pretending not to know.

Closing the door, Li Heng sat on a chair, sprawled out to rest.

Yu Laoshi leaned against the head of the bed reading a book. The room was quiet, and neither disturbed the other.

After a while, she said suddenly, "Teacher is leaving tomorrow."

The day after tomorrow is the 7th, the day agreed upon with Zhou Shihe. This was expected, so Li Heng hummed.

Seeing that he didn't have much of a reaction, Yu Shuheng put down the book and looked at him, "Come with me to Shao City."

Li Heng opened his eyes, "Going to Teacher Wang's house?"

Yu Shuheng acquiesced.

Li Heng replied, "Alright."

Hearing this, Yu Shuheng picked up the book again and began to read carefully with her head down.

The hour hand moved hour by hour. After two hours passed, the sound of rhythmic breathing came from the room.

Seeing this, Yu Shuheng thought for a while, then stood up calmly. With the book rolled in her hand, she stood in front of him just like that, looking down at him.

Her mother unexpectedly liked him, and for this reason, she even taught him the 8 strategies of winning hearts in a playful way, though these 8 strategies had been seen by Zhou Shihe.

Thinking of Zhou Shihe, thinking of the scene where this man in front of her would occasionally lie on the attic silently watching Zhou Shihe, she couldn't help but frown.

Xiao Han, Chen Zijin, and Mai Sui—she had confidence in her heart and wasn't too anxious.

If it were Zhou Shihe, she thought for a long time and didn't have a sure-fire way to win.

What she least wanted to see now was: one day he couldn't control himself, his brain got hot, and he pursued Zhou Shihe just like he pursued Song Yu.

That was something she, or rather all other women, didn't want to see.

Song Yu was already unique enough and threatening enough, enjoying the halo of being the only one pursued. But then again, this threat could still be seen at the edge; after all, the Song family was only a petty-bourgeois family, and in the eyes of high-ranking families, it was just so-so.

But Zhou Shihe was completely different. If this pursued person developed true feelings, what would happen in the future was all unknown.

A night passed.

The next morning, Li Heng, who had slept well, woke up relatively early today.

Opening his eyes, he happened to see Yu Laoshi tidying up her clothes lightly and folding them into her suitcase.

Seeing him sit up, she asked, "Did I wake you?"

"Mm~, no, it's time to wake up."

Li Heng stretched and asked with a yawn, "Leaving after breakfast?"

"Yes," Yu Shuheng said.

Hearing this, Li Heng stood up and also started to organize his own suitcase.

Yu Shuheng just glanced at him without asking for the reason.

More than ten minutes later, everything was organized. Yu Shuheng stood in the center of the bedroom, quietly looking at the whole room again, like an infrared scanner, very seriously.

Printing the furnishings in the room into her mind, she then reached out to take her luggage and turned to walk out the door.

Li Heng didn't say a word and followed silently.

Knowing that Yu Laoshi was leaving, Que Xinyan came to see her off.

Li Heng asked him, "Do you want to go to Shao City to play together?"

"Play my ass. Sister Chunhua is in the village, Old Master isn't going anywhere. Even if you give me ten thousand yuan, I'm not going." Zhang Zhiyong was determined.

Looking at this stubborn guy, damn it! Li Heng was completely convinced and couldn't be bothered to waste another word with him. After eating, he and Yu Laoshi got into the Mercedes-Benz.

Tian Run'e put some dried wild mushrooms and local specialties into the trunk and said politely to Yu Laoshi with enthusiasm, "Yu Laoshi, I've neglected you these past two days. Come back to play at home when you have time."

Yu Shuheng smiled and nodded, "Alright, then Li Heng and I will leave first. Thank you for your hospitality."

After saying goodbye, under the collective gaze of dozens of eyes at the crossroads, the Mercedes-Benz made a shining appearance, moving from slow to fast, and left Shangwan Village.

Passing the five-pond row at the entrance of the village, Yu Shuheng took a final look at this village through the rearview mirror, then asked, "Are there many out-of-town wives marrying into your village?"

Li Heng said, "It's alright. Our village has a large population and has always attached great importance to reading. Every year, university students are produced, which is something nearby villages can't even imagine."

Yu Shuheng understood, "So your village is quite popular in the surrounding ten miles and eight villages?"

Li Heng deliberated, "I dare not say ten miles and eight villages, but the surrounding villages are indeed willing to marry their daughters here."

Yu Shuheng asked, "According to your local customs, how much is the bride price?"

Li Heng told her, "This is hard to say; some are high, some are low. High ones are a few hundred; generally, five or six hundred is the limit. However, one family took 2200."

Yu Shuheng was surprised, "2200? For an average family, this would take many years to save, right? So willing?"

Li Heng shook his head, "It's different. The old father is a retired middle school principal who cultivated all three children. One went to Tsinghua, one went to Peking University, and the youngest daughter is now also a teacher at Sun Yat-sen University. The one who got married is the eldest son, and after the wedding, he took his wife to the capital."

"This situation is indeed special."

Yu Shuheng nodded. After pondering for a while, she asked suddenly, "If I marry into your family, what conditions are required?"

PS: Please subscribe! Please vote for monthly tickets!

Updated first, revised later.

11,300 words updated.

(End of chapter)