Chapter 21

Yu Li furrowed her brows slightly, and a hint of coldness gradually spread across her delicate, jade-white face.

Wang Xinghua whispered, “Mom, this letter seems to be from Captain Lu. It says… he wants to break off the engagement.”

Chen Ailan’s heart skipped a beat, and she immediately said, “Impossible! Little Lu’s character is trustworthy. Although I’ve only met him twice, his work ethic, his attitude toward handling Liu Maokeng’s situation, and the many gifts he brought during the engagement—he’s full of sincerity. How could he want to break off the engagement?”

Moreover, she could tell that when Wu Guohua treated Yu Li, it was like the usual indifferent attitude between matchmaking parties. But the relationship between Lu Guanshan and Yu Li was different.

Anyone who had experienced romantic relationships knew that kind of uncontainable, heart-pounding, unspoken tension—just a glance, and there was something to it!

Lu Guanshan definitely liked Yu Li.

And Yu Li also had feelings for Lu Guanshan.

Wang Xinghua pulled Chen Ailan aside: “Mom, the letter says his family doesn’t approve, and they think Little Sister has broken off an engagement before, so maybe it’s true? This Captain Lu also said his grandparents were good people, no problem at all. How could this happen…”

If it was about family disapproval, it was indeed possible.

Chen Ailan thought for a moment, feeling upset but still went to comfort Yu Li: “Daughter, if he wants to break off the engagement, let him! I was already worried about him being too far away with the army. There are so many people who can introduce you to someone else. Tomorrow, I’ll make it clear—we’ll continue looking for someone!”

But Yu Li carefully stared at the words on the letter and suddenly said firmly, “This handwriting isn’t Lu Guanshan’s!”

Chen Ailan and Wang Xinghua were both stunned. “Huh?”

Yu Li continued, “Before he left, he left me a letter, and his handwriting was much better than this! Also, the address on the envelope says it’s from the 761st Corps, but if you look closely at the postmark, it doesn’t match! The address also looks like it was altered! I have to go to the post office and check where this letter really came from!”

After she said this, both Chen Ailan and Wang Xinghua became excited. After all, they were most satisfied with Lu Guanshan!

Yu Li thought about how the letter had passed through so many hands before reaching her, making it hard to trace. It might be best to call Lu Guanshan first.

When she arrived at the village phone station, Old Zhao, who was guarding the phone, said nothing, took the payment, and let her make the call.

Yu Li dialed the number that Lu Guanshan had left her.

“Hello, this is Yu Li. I’m looking for Captain Lu Guanshan from the Seventh Battalion.”

The voice on the other end was clearly filled with surprise: “Ah! Hello, hello! You’re looking for Captain Lu?”

Yu Li could clearly hear several people gathering on the other side, as though something joyous had happened, and they were whispering among themselves.

“Yes, I’m looking for Captain Lu. Could you please help me pass on a message?”

The person on the other end laughed and said, “Sister-in-law! I’m really sorry, but Captain Lu has been asking every day if there’s been any letters or telegrams for him. He’s been waiting, but unfortunately, he left for a closed-off mission a few days ago and won’t be able to come out for a while. If you have something urgent, I’ll be happy to help pass it on!”

The young communications officer, Xiao Qi, winked at a few colleagues, and everyone was holding their breath, eager to hear what Yu Li had to say.

She was like a fairy who could make the station’s top male idol bow down at her feet!

Everyone was curious—who was this woman who could make Captain Lu fall head over heels?

Lu Guanshan wasn’t here? But he had been asking about letters every day?

Yu Li’s heart warmed, and she inexplicably felt a sweet sensation.

She held the receiver, hesitated for a moment, and then said, “Please tell Lu Guanshan that Yu Li is waiting for him to call back when he has time. Thank you!”

Her voice was sweet and clear, like a yellow oriole. Even after she hung up, the communications officer on the other end was still excited.

“I bet Captain Lu’s fiancée must be a beauty!”

“Regardless of her looks, that voice alone is so pleasant to hear! No wonder Captain Lu is so obsessed with her! When Captain Lu comes back, we need to deliver the letter to him right away!”

“Hey, the most beautiful woman in our station right now is Captain Wu’s wife, Xia Yuying. I wonder if Captain Lu’s wife is as beautiful as Comrade Xia?”

“I heard that Captain Wu and Comrade Xia Yuying are planning to get married, but I also heard that Captain Wu had a relationship back in his hometown…”

Yu Li hung up the phone and became even more convinced that the letter wasn’t written by Lu Guanshan.

She was about to leave when she noticed Old Zhao, who had been guarding the phone, glance at her. His look seemed a bit complicated.

Just as she was about to leave, Old Zhao suddenly started coughing.

“Cough… cough, cough… cough! Ah… cough…”

The coughing sounded painful, and it was clear that he was suffering. At times, he couldn’t even straighten his back!

Yu Li’s heart softened, and she walked up to hand him the water cup. “Grandpa Zhao, drink some water to soothe your throat. I see you’re coughing so badly—haven’t you gone to see a doctor?”

After drinking some water, Old Zhao’s face improved a little, and he waved his hand. “Ah, I’ve seen several doctors, but it’s not getting any better!”

Yu Li observed him carefully and suddenly asked, “Grandpa Zhao, I know a little about traditional Chinese medicine. Would you like me to check your pulse?”

Old Zhao wasn’t really convinced. He looked at the young and pretty girl, thinking, “How could she know anything about Chinese medicine?”

But after being tortured by the cough, he agreed.

Yu Li checked his pulse and examined his cough symptoms, complexion, eyes, and other signs, and she quickly came to a conclusion.

“Grandpa Zhao, I think you have chronic asthma, not acute asthma. Treating it like a regular cough won’t cure it. Do you usually cough with a lot of phlegm, feel tight in your chest, and have trouble breathing? And does it get worse when you lie down? You probably can’t sleep for more than an hour at a time, right? Does it get worse during the summer?”

Old Zhao was a bit surprised and nodded repeatedly. “You’re right! I always wake up coughing after an hour, it’s unbearable! And in the summer, it’s even worse. I can’t lie flat at all. Little girl, what should I do about this disease?”

Yu Li gave him a prescription. “Jing Mahuang 5 grams, big apricot kernel 10 grams, Yujiegeng 6 grams…”

“If you trust me, try taking this prescription for two days. You should see some improvement in about two or three days.”

Old Zhao was overjoyed and immediately put the prescription away. “Thank you so much, little girl! Your name is Yu Li, right? A few days ago, someone named Lu called looking for you, but a young woman answered and said she was your cousin! It’s strange—this woman first called someone named Wu, and in the blink of an eye, she was saying she was your cousin! I thought that was odd, and now that I’ve run into you, I thought I should mention it. This way, there won’t be any misunderstandings!”

Yu Li froze for a moment, and a surge of anger shot up in her chest!

No wonder! She had been wondering who would do something so petty, and it turned out to be Wu Guohua’s wretched sister!

Yu Li clenched her teeth, thanked Old Zhao, and immediately rushed toward the Wu family!

She was determined not to give up until she taught Wu Tong a lesson that would leave her crying in pain!