Chapter 197: Fire Starts

Xiao Huai’an’s heart tightened.

Ye Xin Ran was right.

She could buy it herself.

As long as she was happy, not just one clothing store, but even ten, she could afford them.

Before this, many people had thought that he was living off her. So why did he think Ye Xin Ran would change her mind just for a clothing store?

“I…”

Xiao Huai’an quickly realized that, apart from his sincerity, there was nothing else he could offer Ye Xin Ran.

So, he gritted his teeth and said, “When I return, I’ll personally make you a wedding dress, so you can wear the dress I made and marry me again, grandly.”

“You?”

Ye Xin Ran pointed at Xiao Huai’an, surprised, “You will make me a wedding dress?”

She never expected Xiao Huai’an to give such an answer.

For him, someone who was used to wielding swords and leading troops, to make a wedding dress with his own hands seemed unbelievable, yet it was strangely heart warming.

“I mean it!” Xiao Huai’an said solemnly.

Although he couldn’t even thread a needle at the moment.

But he knew he had to learn!

“I’ll wait for that then!”

Ye Xin Ran replied again, expressing her patience.

Xiao Huai’an’s anxious heart finally relaxed a little.

The rest, he would have to fight for on his own.

…

Time passed quickly.

Zhang Qian and Ding Qiao had just gotten familiar with the villagers.

On Xiao Huai’an’s side, it was time for him to leave.

“I’ll leave tomorrow!”

In the quiet of the night, Xiao Huai’an suddenly spoke.

He had planned to tell her in the morning.

The less time spent preparing for departure, the less agony he would have to endure.

But he couldn’t hold it in any longer.

He really wanted to hold the girl beside him, to hear her say everything would be fine and that he would return soon.

When Ye Xin Ran heard this, her body froze for a moment.

Then, she responded with a soft, somewhat dull tone.

“Mm.”

Then she remained motionless.

Xiao Huai’an felt a pang of sadness.

He knew he had done something wrong. He didn’t blame Xin Ran for being angry, if he were in her shoes, he would have been angry too…

He comforted himself in his heart.

Suddenly, he felt warmth.

A small body turned around and snuggled into his arms.

Xiao Huai’an felt a heat on his chest.

After a moment, he realized that it was tears soaking his clothes.

His heart ached unbearably as he reached out with both hands to hold Ye Xin Ran tightly in his embrace.

It was as if holding her tightly enough would prevent them from ever parting.

Ye Xin Ran had been suppressing her emotions and pretending for so long, but on this day, when the moment arrived, she could no longer hold back and began to cry uncontrollably.

“Don’t worry, I will definitely come back. In the future, I will make sure you and the children live better lives. I will do my best to give you the best!” Xiao Huai’an gently stroked her hair, trying to comfort her until she finally calmed down.

“Then you must… succeed, and return soon…” Ye Xin Ran spoke through her sobs.

Xiao Huai’an quickly promised, “Okay, I will return as soon as possible!”

…

The next day, when Ye Xin Ran woke up, her eyes were swollen like balloons.

She went to the lab’s freezer and took out some ice cubes, applying them to her eyes for a long time before the swelling finally went down.

“What do you need me to do today?”

Seeing Xiao Huai’an sitting at the edge of the bed, looking deep in thought, Ye Xin Ran finally asked.

“Nothing. Just do what you normally do.” Xiao Huai’an answered.

Then, he went over their plan with her.

According to their plan, Xiao Huai’an would go to the old house today to do some work.

He would be very tired and would take a short rest.

Then, the old house would suddenly catch fire, and because he couldn’t escape in time, he would perish in the flames…

“They’ve already found a body close to my build. By now, that body should be at the old house,” Xiao Huai’an explained.

“When I go out, at least six villagers will see me heading toward the old house. I will tell them I’m going over to find some useful items from the old house.”

When they moved, most of the things in the new house had been arranged by Leng Qing Yu, so the items from the old house had not been retrieved yet.

Xiao Huai’an’s reason seemed reasonable.

“They will control the fire, so no one will suspect anything, and the fire won’t harm anyone in the village,” Xiao Huai’an continued.

“Once the villagers notice the fire, they’ll come to the workshop to notify you. All you need to do is follow them and come see for yourself.”

“As long as I cry like a widowed woman whose husband just died, right?” Ye Xin Ran said.

“I just need to cry like last night,” she added.

“No!”

Xiao Huai’an paused before responding, “Anyway, it’s all fake. You can just cry however you want, but if you cry like you did last night, I’ll be reluctant to leave.”

“You are impossible!” Ye Xin Ran shook her head, which was her way of agreeing.

After breakfast, the two children waved goodbye and went to school.

Leng Qing Yu went back to her room to continue checking the accounts.

Ye Xin Ran and Xiao Huai’an then followed their plan and each went about their own tasks.

Ye Xin Ran entered the workshop but was distracted the entire time.

Zhang Qian and Ding Qiao, seemingly aware of the plan for the day, saw how distracted Ye Xin Ran was and advised her to rest in the warehouse.

Other workers saw her too, offering suggestions for her to either rest at home or take a walk.

“I’m fine. It’s just that my right eyelid keeps twitching today,” Ye Xin Ran said, trying to explain. “The right eyelid twitching is a bad omen. Everyone, please be careful when operating today. Make sure nothing goes wrong!”

“Don’t worry, Ye Nian Zhi, we’re all experienced. There won’t be any problems.”

“Yes, don’t worry, we’ll do our best and get the job done!”

They all assured her.

After working for a while, someone suddenly ran into the workshop, shouting at Ye Xin Ran, “Ye Nian Zhi, something’s wrong! Xiao Da Ge is in trouble!”

“What?”

“Ah? Xiao Huai’an is in trouble?”

Upon hearing the news, everyone was stunned.

Ye Xin Ran knew it was fake, but her heart still skipped a beat.

“Where? What happened?”

There was no need to act, Ye Xin Ran realized her hands and feet were trembling uncontrollably.

“Madam, be careful!” Ding Qiao stepped forward and supported her, then turned to the messenger and asked, “Where is it? Quickly, take us there!”

The messenger immediately replied, “It’s at the Xiao family’s old house.

The village head has already taken people to put out the fire. Everyone, hurry up! We need to go help! If we delay, it will be too late!”