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“It healed faster than I expected,” Su Niannian said to Gu Nan, her brows arching in a smile.
The young girl before him, with every frown and every smile, tugged deeply at Gu Nan’s heartstrings.
Hearing Su Niannian’s words, both Gu Ningning and Mother Gu were thrilled with excitement and joy.
“Niannian-jiejie, you’re amazing!” Gu Ningning exclaimed, wrapping her arms around Su Niannian’s arm.
Su Niannian responded with a gentle smile.
“You still need to take the herbal medicine on time. I’ll come over tomorrow to help prepare it.”
Mother Gu initially didn’t want to trouble Su Niannian too much, but when she thought about how Su Niannian’s visits would give Gu Nan more time to spend with her, she chose not to refuse.
Su Niannian chatted with Mother Gu for a while longer before heading to the courtyard to watch Gu Nan work on the cabinet.
Gu Nan was strong and efficient, and it seemed like the cabinet would be finished by tomorrow.
At that moment, Su Niannian handed him the folded instruction sheet in her hand. Gu Nan took it and prepared to install the two small doors on the cabinet.
The cabinet had three large drawers at the bottom.
Su Niannian thought the drawer space would be convenient for storing frequently used items.
“That… the Educated Youth Song who partnered with you, he is…?”
Gu Nan asked casually, as if it was just a passing question.
“Educated Youth Song? Oh, he’s just an old friend of mine,” Su Niannian replied even more casually.
Gu Nan’s expression shifted slightly.
Was this little girl really not understanding what he was trying to ask?
Su Niannian flashed a mischievous smile. “She’s very nice to me. I was able to come early today because she offered to help me pull weeds.”
“…”
Gu Nan’s eyelid twitched involuntarily.
He had offered to help her with chores in the morning, but she had refused. So why was she letting someone else help her now?
Seeing the hint of gloom on Gu Nan’s face, Su Niannian couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Su Niannian glanced around, seeing that there was no one in or outside the courtyard. She then grabbed Gu Nan’s arm and leaned in closer.
Her breath, fragrant as orchids, brushed against the space just a fist’s length from Gu Nan’s ear.
“The Educated Youth who was by my side today, protecting me, her name is Song Zhaodi.”
Turning his head, Gu Nan looked at Su Niannian. She hadn’t moved from her position, and their breaths mingled in the air.
They could both feel the warmth of each other’s breath.
“Are you doing this on purpose to tease me?” Gu Nan’s voice came out deep and husky.
Su Niannian adored this side of Gu Nan. Her eyes roamed playfully over his face.
She gently planted a kiss on his cheek.
Gu Nan’s face instantly turned red.
This little girl was too bold.
“How could that be?” Su Niannian said with a sincere expression, her eyes filled with tender affection.
If it weren’t for this, how could I have so easily captured your heart?
Gu Nan looked into Su Niannian’s eyes and saw the deep love reflected in them.
However, when he recalled how Su Niannian had looked at him the first time, it seemed as though she was looking through him, seeing someone else.
At this thought, a sudden idea popped into Gu Nan’s mind.
His heart gave an uneasy lurch.
He paused for a moment.
“What’s wrong?” Su Niannian noticed the change in his expression.
Gu Nan shook his head. “Nothing.”
Su Niannian wasn’t a mind reader, so she didn’t know that Gu Nan might be thinking she saw him as a substitute for someone else.
However, she could sense that Gu Nan seemed a little distant, his gaze growing quieter, more solemn.
“If you have any doubts, you can always talk to me,” Su Niannian said. She felt that if there were any misunderstandings between them, it would be better to clear them up now.
After all, their time together in this life had been too short, and their relationship had developed quickly.
Su Niannian was a little worried that Gu Nan might start overthinking things.
But Gu Nan didn’t know how to express his doubts.
He was afraid of hearing an answer he didn’t want to hear.
After a moment of thought, Gu Nan decided to ask a different question indirectly.
“By the way, when we were on the mountain, who taught you how to tie that pig’s hoof knot?”
“Why did you suddenly think to ask about this?”
“It just came to mind. That pig’s hoof knot, also called the double-loop knot, isn’t a usual way of tying. It’s not something many people know about.”
Gu Nan had also learned this knot-tying technique during his time in the military.
He knew that Su Niannian had a strained relationship with her family, and her father was just an ordinary worker, so it was unlikely that her family had taught her this skill.
That person, then, could very well have been a soldier or someone who had been in the military.
“It was a friend…” Su Niannian couldn’t possibly tell Gu Nan that the person who taught her how to tie the pig’s hoof knot was him.
In their past life, after they reunited, Gu Nan had taught Su Niannian some self-defense techniques, combat skills, and various methods of tying and untying knots, all in an effort to keep her safe and prevent her from encountering danger again.
Even… lock picking.
At that time, Gu Nan had held Su Niannian in his arms with eyes full of heartache, saying that if she ever encountered trouble, knowing these skills might have allowed her to escape sooner.
Thinking of this, remembering the look in Gu Nan’s eyes back then, Su Niannian felt a tender pull deep inside her heart. Her eyes reddened slightly, and she took a half step forward, wrapping her arms around Gu Nan.
At that moment, Gu Nan’s suspicions grew even stronger.
Despite his growing suspicions, Gu Nan couldn’t help but fall deeper in love with Su Niannian. He held the soft figure in his arms, not wanting to let go for even a moment.
Even if she still had someone in her heart, even if she might be seeing him as a substitute for that person, Gu Nan didn’t care. She had come to this place, to his side, perhaps it was fate.
Now that she was here, in his life, Gu Nan had no intention of letting go. He wouldn’t, not now.
Gu Nan tightened his grip on Su Niannian, his arms adding a touch more strength, as if he wanted to meld her completely into his body.
Su Niannian felt the force of Gu Nan’s embrace, her entire face buried in his chest.
She savored the warmth of this real hug.
She had yearned for this kind of warmth for thirty-seven years.
Su Niannian thought, once their relationship progressed further, once they were married, she would tell Gu Nan everything.
Without holding back.
Meanwhile, in the main room, Gu Ningning was excitedly shaking Gu Zhi’s arm.
“He hugged her, he hugged her!”
“Mother! I told you so! I said Brother Nan and Sister Niannian were definitely a thing.”
“Looks like Sister Niannian will soon become my Sister-in-law!”