Chapter 93 : Promise

“Your sister’s room has some ointment. I’ll find some for you to apply later.”

Although Ma Xiuzhi found it strange, she didn’t think much of it. After Liang Junqiang nodded, she turned and went to the kitchen. It wasn’t until she saw him being woken up by mosquito bites for several days in a row that she confirmed her initial suspicion was not a mistake.

“So, what happened?” Ma Xiuzhi, seeing Liang Junqiang coming back from the mountain and moving firewood to the backyard, crossed her arms and asked with a sigh. Her second son was too honest with his temperament, he couldn’t hide anything.

Liang Junqiang paused his work, lowered his eyelashes, and mumbled, “What could have happened to me?”

“Hey, you can fool others, but not your own mother,” Ma Xiuzhi said as she walked over to Liang Junqiang and patted the pile of firewood. “Ever since you were young, whenever something was on your mind, you’d keep yourself busy with work. Look at the amount of firewood you’ve piled up in the past few days.”

“I’m just bored and needed something to do,” Liang Junqiang avoided Ma Xiuzhi’s gaze and quickly walked towards the front yard. “I remembered I still have some clothes to wash, so I’ll talk to you later.”

Seeing his attitude, Ma Xiuzhi opened her mouth to call him back, but Liang Junqiang clearly didn’t want to speak. Now that the children were grown, she knew trying to control everything would be counterproductive. It was better to pretend she didn’t know anything.

But…

Ma Xiuzhi frowned slightly and quickly considered what Liang Junqiang had said. What could have happened to him?

Before she could figure it out, the answer presented itself.

Just after finishing work at noon, Ma Xiuzhi was lining up at the warehouse to return her tools when she saw a neighbor from next door running toward her, shouting, “Someone from the city is here!”

Her loud voice drew the attention of everyone around them.

Ma Xiuzhi was puzzled, they didn’t know many people in the city. Could they be looking for Qingqing? Realizing this, she didn’t dare to delay and quickly followed the neighbor back.

As Ma Xiuzhi hurried away, some people couldn’t help but comment, “I don’t know what kind of luck the Liang family has had. Since the beginning of this year, good things keep happening to them.”

“Yeah, and their daughter is now working in the provincial capital. It’s really enviable.”

“And her partner is doing well too. Did you see the house they’re building? It’s quite impressive and uses all high-quality materials. I bet it cost several hundred yuan.”

After a flurry of discussions, only a sense of envy remained. It was truly disheartening how some people were so fortunate while others weren’t!

Ma Xiuzhi hurried home and, from a distance, saw a familiar and graceful figure among the crowd. Squinting to get a better look, she realized, “Hey! Isn’t that the broadcaster Qingqing was closest to during her training in the county? What was her name again? Huang Yali, that’s right, Yali!”

What was she doing here? And with so many people?

Filled with curiosity, Ma Xiuzhi put on a smile and approached, “Yali, what are you doing here?”

Hearing this unfamiliar yet familiar voice, Huang Yali was momentarily stunned. This was her first time in this village, how could anyone recognize her?

Instinctively turning towards the voice, Huang Yali’s eyes widened in disbelief when she saw who it was, “Auntie?”

So that was why the name of this village seemed so familiar it was Qingqing and Lilan’s hometown! What a coincidence.

Seeing Huang Yali’s surprised reaction, Ma Xiuzhi sensed she might have guessed wrong, Yali might not be here to find Qingqing. However…

Ma Xiuzhi, not willing to be deterred, glanced back at her own house and realized it was indeed their home. She then tentatively asked, “Are you here to find Qingqing? She’s not here, she went to the provincial capital a few days ago.”

“I’m not here to find Qingqing.” Huang Yali wasn’t naive, she understood the situation almost immediately after Ma Xiuzhi spoke. The term “coincidence” didn’t even begin to cover it.

Who would have thought that the person who saved her near the bus station was actually a relative of her good friend!

“I’m here to find Comrade Liang Junqiang.”

“What?” This time, it was Ma Xiuzhi’s turn to be shocked. She gaped for a moment, then quickly invited Yali and her party inside. “We’ve just finished work, so Junqiang should be back later. Let’s go inside and sit for now. Who are these people with you?”

“These are my parents, a few cousins, and my younger brother.”

After introductions, they all moved into the yard. Almost everyone was carrying a large number of items in various packages, so many that it was hard to count. Ma Xiuzhi was taken aback. What was going on? How had Junqiang become connected to Yali, and why had they brought so many things? Even during New Year’s, visiting relatives didn’t involve this much effort.

But thankfully, it didn’t seem like Junqiang had gotten himself into trouble.

Ma Xiuzhi felt somewhat reassured. After inviting everyone into the main hall, she quickly went to get some water and was busy for a while before she finally sat down. By then, the rest of the family had also returned, but seeing the commotion, they hesitated to enter the room.

“This is my husband, our eldest son and his wife, and our grandson.”

“Shuqiang, go find Junqiang. Why hasn’t he come back yet?”

“Okay.”

The dozen or so people sat in the main hall, exchanging glances in an awkward and somewhat tense silence. Fortunately, Ma Xiuzhi was good at handling such situations and took the initiative to start a conversation, “So, what brings you here to find Junqiang?”

“Comrade Liang saved our daughter, so we came here specifically to express our gratitude.” Mr. Huang stood up, and the entire Huang family followed suit, bowing respectfully towards Liang Xueyong and Ma Xiuzhi.

“There’s no need for that.” Liang Xueyong and Ma Xiuzhi were taken aback and quickly helped them up.

Mrs. Huang wiped her tears and looked somewhat surprised, “Didn’t Comrade Liang mention it? If it weren’t for him, my daughter might…”

“Comrade Liang is a good person. He probably didn’t tell you about it because he was concerned about my reputation,” Huang Yali, sitting next to Mrs. Huang, squeezed her hand and continued, “But since there are no outsiders here, and it’s nothing shameful, it wasn’t my fault.”

After she finished speaking, Huang Yali took a deep breath and told her the whole story.

“Bah! These people are so bold, how could they do such a thing.” Ma Xiuzhi frowned when she heard this. Huang Yali was about the same age as Qingqing, and she must have been scared when encountering such a thing. She looked at Huang Yali with heartache, and was extremely grateful that her son did not flee from the battlefield, but bravely saved people.

“Luckily, those scoundrels have already been caught. According to the police, they’ll be sentenced to death. None of them will escape,” Mrs. Huang said, her eyes showing a hint of satisfaction.

“Good! They deserve it! Being sentenced to death is still too lenient for them.”

Ma Xiuzhi had been worried that Junqiang had encountered some kind of trouble.

Just as she was thinking this, that so-called “trouble” made itself known.

“Actually, we have always believed that a life-saving grace should be repaid with one’s own life, so she has a strong affection for Comrade Liang and wanted to ask if you, as his parents, have any thoughts on this matter,” Mrs. Huang said, her expression somewhat odd and unnatural, glancing sideways at Huang Yali.

This girl despite Comrade Liang having already rejected her once, she still wasn’t giving up and insisted on asking the parents for their opinion.

To be honest, Mrs. Huang didn’t have a high opinion of Liang Junqiang’s family background, especially since he was a divorced man. However, her daughter’s feelings were involved, and given that he saved her life, the debt of saving a life is greater than the sky. Even if she didn’t think highly of him, she had to give her approval.

But after coming here, she changed her mind. The fact that Liang Junqiang had kept the incident a secret for so many days, without boasting about it, was enough to prove that he was a man of integrity.

Furthermore, Liang Junqiang was actually Liang Qingqing’s real second elder brother!

She had heard her daughter mention Liang Qingqing several times. Being selected to the provincial broadcasting bureau at such a young age indicated his capability and the good family background.

Seeing the Liang family today confirmed her suspicions.

Now it was up to Liang Junqiang’s parents’ attitude whether they agreed or opposed, it all depended on their stance.

“Repaying with one’s life?” Ma Xiuzhi and Liang Xueyong were taken aback. Their first reaction was disbelief. Given Huang Yali’s qualifications, finding someone better would be easy. Why did she set her sights on their son Junqiang?

But when it comes to matters of the heart, who can be certain?

After careful consideration, Ma Xiuzhi spoke up, “We have no objections, but our children’s marriages are usually decided by themselves. We’ll have to ask Junqiang’s opinion on this.”

Upon hearing this, Huang Yali felt a chill in her heart and forced a bitter smile, “Comrade Liang has already rejected me before.”

“……”

Was Liang Junqiang blind? A girl as good as her was right in front of him, and she even offered to marry him, yet he turned her down?

Ma Xiuzhi, frustrated, slapped her thigh. But as a mother who knew her child best, she could easily guess the reason for Liang Junqiang’s rejection. She sighed inwardly. Her child was great in every way but was too self-aware. Since the divorce, he had closed off emotionally and had become increasingly insecure.

He must think he isn’t worthy of Huang Yali, which is why he rejected her so decisively.

But one’s reaction doesn’t always tell the whole story. His restless behavior over the past few days indicated that he wasn’t as indifferent as he appeared.

Ma Xiuzhi rubbed her hands together, not wanting her son to regret it in the future. While Liang Junqiang was still not back, she gritted her teeth and said, “If you truly like our son Junqiang, I will take charge and approve of this marriage.”

“I like Comrade Liang!” Huang Yali, surprised that things had taken a turn, immediately stood up and answered loudly.

The Huang family members all covered their faces, unable to watch.

They must have thought that the girl’s modesty was long gone.

No one noticed the tall figure hurrying through the door.