Chapter 22: The Old Man from the Frontier Loses His Horse
Meng Han had just finished arranging the evening's activities when she received a call from Luo Hong. On the other side, Luo Hong had already bought his ticket and was preparing to go through security to board the plane. After hanging up, Meng Han said to everyone, "Hehe, I've just arranged everything, and Big Brother Luo has already booked his ticket. He's quite fast, isn't he? Those who work in sales are always so efficient. Fei'er, it seems that Big Brother Luo really treasures you a lot. Alright, Big Brother Luo's flight will arrive at eight. Let's chat for a while and then go to Haitian Pavilion at six to have some tea. Also, Xiangzhu should finish cleaning Teacher Chen's house around seven-thirty to eight. In about an hour, at seven o'clock, Qian Yu, Linzi, and Fei'er can go to the airport to pick him up. It will take about forty minutes to get here from the airport. By the time you come back, it will probably be nine o'clock. Let's have dinner together then!"
Luo Fei turned her head and said to Meng Han, "If my brother didn't rush over like this, I wouldn't even bother with him later. Besides, I'm not going to pick him up. You said Xiangzhu would be here by seven-thirty. You praised her so much, I want to meet her early. I want to see if this precious younger sister is as good as you all say. If she really is, I'd be happy to get to know her sooner. As for my brother, we just parted ways earlier, there's no need to be so formal between siblings!"
"You little devil, what are you thinking? Your brother came straight over after finishing his meeting. You're leaving him on the sidelines. Xiangzhu is our own sister; we'll see her every day. There's plenty of time, no need to rush this moment. Moreover, it's only an hour delay to meet her," Meng Han laughed as she spoke to Luo Fei.
"No, no, seeing her earlier will put my mind at ease. I'll wait with you all for Xiangzhu."
Qian Yu said, "Hey, Fei'er, you're putting your brother aside for a friend. That's true loyalty! Linzi will be lucky later. Aren't you worried your brother will be mad when he arrives?"
"He wouldn't dare. My brother won't be mad at me," Luo Fei said, gripping Linzi's hand tightly and glaring at him before turning back to Qian Yu, "I've always been loyal. Later, someone might not appreciate their blessings. Besides, having Big Brother Qian and Linzi go is fine. You two can keep each other company on the way. When you come back, the three of you can chat along the way, saving me from making you men feel awkward."
"Ha ha, Fei'er's mouth could talk the heavens into a hole!" Meng Han shook her head and laughed, "Alright, if you're not afraid of your brother blaming you, then you can wait with us."
Linzi had just been squeezed hard by Luo Fei's grip. He thought, why do you involve me in your conversations? He quickly let go of Luo Fei's hand, stood up, grabbed the backpack hanging by the door, and swiftly returned to sit on the sofa. Seeing Luo Fei still lost in thought, he smiled slightly and said, "Stop spacing out, quickly close your eyes, I'll show you a trick."
Luo Fei looked at Linzi running back and forth like the wind, holding a backpack, unsure of what he was doing, and asked, "What are you doing? So mysterious, why do I have to close my eyes?"
"Just close them if I tell you to. Why so many questions?" Linzi saw Luo Fei still staring at him with wide eyes full of doubt, held the bag and urged her, "Quickly, close your eyes."
"I'm scared of you now, alright, I'll close them once. Let's see what you're up to."
Ye Lin, Meng Han, and the others couldn't help but laugh, watching these two young people. When Linzi saw Luo Fei close her eyes, he quickly took a box from the bag. There was a beautiful little flower tied on top. He held it behind his back and then told Luo Fei, "Open your eyes now."
Luo Fei opened her eyes and saw nothing had changed in front of her. She was about to glare at Linzi and ask what he was up to when suddenly Linzi brought the box from behind his back and quickly placed it in front of her, shouting, "Ta-da, hehe, this is for you. Do you like it?"
"Wow, I didn't expect Brother Linzi, such a practical person, to understand romance too. This packaging is truly beautiful, handsome, wonderful. Quickly, Sister Fei, share with everyone what Brother Linzi prepared for you." Ye Lin had been sitting beside them and saw Linzi mysteriously holding the small box. She had been giggling on the side, and now that he placed it in front of Luo Fei, she quickly interjected.
Luo Fei saw Linzi holding such a beautifully packaged small box in front of her. She swallowed her words, stuck out her tongue, and shyly took it in her hands, "What is this?"
"Sister Lin already said, open it and you'll know," Linzi said.
Ye Lin quickly added, "I was just talking randomly. We won't interfere with your little gift between the two of you." Then she chuckled.
"What? Why shouldn't we look? We're all sisters," Luo Fei said as she boldly tore open the wrapping paper, revealing a phone package. Her face immediately lit up as she continued, "Oh... good job, little one. Oh, right, did my ten thousand yuan just get exchanged for this phone?"
"What ten thousand yuan?" Linzi asked, eyes wide open.
"Hey, Linzi, how could you forget so easily?" Luo Fei said as she opened the box, taking out a beautiful pink phone. She couldn't help but widen her eyes, "Wow, so pretty. Fine, since you bought such a delicate phone, I won't hold it against you. The rest, I'll note down in your account, we'll settle it later."
"Hehe, you're still keeping track? Opening your mouth so wide, alright, I've already compensated you with myself. What more do you want?" Linzi recalled yesterday when Luo Fei had claimed damages from him and also chuckled.
"Hmph, how much is talent worth these days? Sometimes, even giving it away doesn't mean anyone wants it. Don't overestimate yourself. Ah," Luo Fei said as she opened the phone. Linzi had already set everything up when he bought it in the afternoon. The crisp startup ringtone sounded, and Luo Fei saw the greeting message, "Dedicated to dear Fei'er." She blushed and smiled at Linzi, "Only you have so many tricks. Alright, I won't be polite anymore. One-for-one compensation, we're even."
"Do you like it?" Watching Luo Fei handle the phone lovingly, Linzi also laughed happily. "After lunch, I went to the telecommunications company with Meng Han. I immediately liked this newly launched beautiful phone. Biting the bullet, I spent a month and a half's salary on it. If you like it, then my effort wasn't wasted."
"You have good taste," Luo Fei played with the phone and saw that Linzi, Meng Han, Ye Lin, Qian Yu, and her brother's phone numbers were already saved. She didn't expect Linzi to be so meticulous. It seemed she hadn't misjudged him. Her heart bloomed like a flower as she kept flipping through the new phone, no longer speaking.
Seeing this, Meng Han and the others couldn't help but laugh. Even Qian Yu joked from the side, "Wow, Brother Linzi, didn't expect you to be so generous. This must mean at least two months of unpaid work, hehe!"
"Brother Qian, where did you get that idea? It's no big deal, no big deal. Wasn't this caused by yesterday's confusion? When something goes wrong, you have to make amends, right!" Linzi scratched his head sheepishly.
"Ho ho, is this really no big deal? This is the latest model!" Just as Qian Yu said this, Meng Han turned her head and glared at him, effectively cutting off the rest of his sentence. Qian Yu quickly corrected himself, "No big deal, indeed no big deal. Who made you walk without looking where you were going? This is what you should do. But you, my friend, truly turned a disaster into a blessing. A little trouble, and you gained a closer sister Fei'er. This disaster was worth it, hehe, hehe..." Seeing Meng Han glare at him again, Qian Yu finally stopped talking.
"It's you who knows so much," Meng Han said after Qian Yu fell silent, "Alright, let's go to Haitian Pavilion first. I booked the private room for six o'clock. We'll drink tea and chat while waiting for Big Brother Luo to arrive. I'll go check on Yu'er."
After saying this, Meng Han got up and walked towards the bedroom. Ye Lin followed inside. Luo Fei, who was playing with her phone, saw the two elder sisters enter the bedroom and quickly put away her phone and ran in after them.
When Meng Han entered, she saw Ruge sleeping soundly until Luo Fei rushed in. Perhaps the noise of her rushing in woke Ruge up slowly. She opened her eyes and looked to see three sisters standing beside her. She rubbed her eyes and supported herself to sit up.
"How are you feeling? Did we wake you up?" Meng Han quickly sat at the bedside, and Luo Fei sheepishly said, "Sister Yuer, was it my footsteps that woke you up? Sorry, I was in a hurry and ran in."
"Not at all. You were chatting outside while I was sleeping. I should be the one apologizing. Besides, you should have woken me up earlier." After sleeping all afternoon, Ruge now spoke with more energy. Although her face was still a bit pale, her spirit was clearly much better. She straightened her body and turned her neck.
Ye Lin also sat on the bed, holding Ruge's hand and said kindly, "Silly girl, what do you have to apologize for? We're all sisters. Health is the most important thing. Look at you now, your spirit is much better. You, our dear sister, are the one we admire and love the most. You can handle things well, and your character is strong-willed. You're the youngest sister we care about the most. We weren't talking about anything special. Sister Fei just arrived, and we chatted all afternoon in the living room. Later, we'll let you share the results of our conversation."
"I'm not as good as Sister Lin says. You spoil me every day. Actually, there are times when I'm not strong enough... Though... sigh..." Ruge sighed, biting her lips and continued, "Never mind. The past is past. I don't know why, but whenever I have something upsetting, I feel much better quickly when I'm with Sister Menghan. This was something I never experienced before knowing Sister Menghan. Like this time, although it lasted a bit longer than usual, it was just overnight plus a morning, and I already understood a lot. It seems Sister Menghan is my good fortune!"
"Um, um, all that is past. Understanding is good. Silly Yuer, whether or not Sister Menghan is a good fortune doesn't matter. All that matters is that you're doing well. This shows that we sisters are truly destined to be together, isn't that right, Ye Lin?" Meng Han also covered Ye Lin's hand, which was holding Ruge's.
"Of course, we sisters being together is real destiny. Look at our two younger sisters, one prettier than the other. I, knowing both of you, am extremely happy!" Ye Lin also said.
"And me, and me!" Hearing their conversation and seeing their hands stacked together, Luo Fei hurriedly joined in, placing her hand on top: "That's right, I'm also very happy, and now I have another younger sister, Yuer. Oh, and there's also Xiangzhu, whom we'll meet soon!"
"What? Xiangzhu is coming too?" Ruge asked with surprise.
"Yes, after meeting Xiangzhu, I'll have two younger sisters!" Luo Fei said happily.
"Oh, that's right. Today happens to be Sister Lin's day off. Usually, we sisters gather together. Seeing you feeling much better at noon, and with Sister Fei just arriving, I booked a private room for tonight for us sisters to have a good gathering. First, to drive away bad luck for you, second, to welcome Sister Fei, and third, our sisterhood grows stronger, so we should celebrate. There's also something you didn't expect—Big Brother Luo is coming too!" Meng Han smiled, looking at Ruge's puzzled face and Luo Fei's excited bouncing.
"Ah, Big Brother Luo is coming? Where is he? Look at me still lying in bed!" Ruge said as she tried to get up.
"Don't rush. Big Brother Luo is coming, but the plane probably hasn't taken off yet!" Meng Han said.
"I slept in the afternoon and feel much better now. I'm not so troubled mentally anymore. I've just been causing you trouble. Sister Lin even gave up her day off to stay with me. Hmm, I'll get up."
"What are you saying, silly girl? Resting means I'm alone at home anyway. Coming to stay with you gives us a chance to catch up as sisters," Ye Lin said, letting go of Ruge's hand and standing up. "Don't rush, take it slow. You just woke up, still a bit drowsy."
"Not at all, I never get drowsy," Ruge threw off the blanket covering her and swung her legs off the bed. Luo Fei quickly handed her the slippers. Ruge looked up at Luo Fei, "Thank you, Sister Fei."
"Hehe, no need to thank. Just call me Fei, don't call me Sister Fei. I'm only a few years older than you."
"Still a sister. Okay, I'll call you Fei from now on. Calling you this way feels more intimate."
"That's right. Call me that from now on. Alright, hurry up and wash up. We're getting ready to leave," Luo Fei said with a smile.
"Okay," Ruge hadn't changed clothes since last night. She had been sleeping fully clothed. Getting out of bed, she wore the slippers Luo Fei handed her, "Let me freshen up first. Please wait for me a moment."
Meng Han watched Ruge return to normal and nodded happily, "Go ahead. Your toiletries are still in the old place in the bathroom cabinet."
As Ruge left the bedroom, she saw two people still sitting in the living room and quickly greeted them, "Oh, Brother Qian, Linzi, you're here too."
"Um," seeing Ruge's complexion much improved from last night's devastated state, Qian Yu almost doubted his own eyes. Such deep pain would usually take others ten to fifteen days to recover from, and some might not recover for half a year or even a year. He couldn't help but look at Ruge differently, "Oh, we just passed by after work to check on you. We've only been here a short while. Seeing you much better, we're relieved."
Linzi also quickly said, "Yes, yes, after work, we rushed over. Seeing you resting, we didn't dare disturb you."
"Hihi, Brother Qian, sorry for troubling you. It's all because Yuer isn't strong enough."
"Don't say that. Life is always like this. How can it be your fault? You're Sister Menghan's good friend and our beloved younger sister. We're all family, no need for formalities. Go freshen up first."
"Okay, I understand," Ruge nodded and turned to walk into the bathroom.
Meng Han and the others also came out and said to Qian Yu, "Alright, Ye Lin and I will stay here with Yuer. You take Linzi and Fei'er first. Otherwise, we won't fit in one car!"
"No problem, we can hail another taxi downstairs," Meng Han interrupted Qian Yu as he was about to continue, "It's not easy to hail a taxi now. Besides, Yuer needs some time to freshen up. You can take Linzi and Fei'er first. By the time you come back, Yuer will be ready. No delays. Ye Lin and I will be fine here."
"Alright," Qian Yu said, turning to Linzi and Luo Fei, "Let's go, you two. We'll go ahead for tea."
"Yes, sir," Linzi jumped up from the sofa, saluting, making Luo Fei laugh.
Meng Han and Ye Lin also chuckled on the side, "This kid, how does he never grow up?"
Linzi bent down to pull Luo Fei, "Come on, stop sitting there laughing foolishly. Let's go first!"
Luo Fei stood up, pouting at Linzi, "You're the one laughing foolishly. Silly guy, come on, don't just stand there."
"You..." Linzi started to speak, but Luo Fei turned around, pulling the hand Linzi had just grabbed and walked away. Linzi had no choice but to follow obediently. Just before reaching the door, he said to Meng Han and Ye Lin, "Sister Menghan, Sister Lin, we'll go ahead. We'll prepare the tea and wait for your arrival."
By this time, Qian Yu was already outside the door. Seeing Linzi's reluctance, he called out, "Alright, Linzi, let's go. Stop dragging things out," and Linzi followed Luo Fei out after changing shoes.
Meng Han remained with Ye Lin and said, "Look at Qian Yu, now complaining about Linzi dragging things out. He's the second-in-command at the company. Sigh, these brothers, one word, 'amazing'."
Ye Lin accompanied Meng Han to the sofa and sat down, "Sister Menghan, let's call it two words then. But you can't help it either, can you? Who made you 'get on the wrong boat'? And willingly at that. Brother Qian may talk a lot, but he's not the oily type. Look at him, so young and already the vice president of the company. He's truly talented and successful. Plus, he's so handsome. If it weren't for pursuing you back then, who knows how many women would have been following him like a reinforced platoon!"
"Dead Ye Lin, what are you talking about?" Meng Han lightly pinched Ye Lin's cheek, "And a reinforced platoon? If I hadn't lowered my standards, he might still be alone. You know how arrogant he used to be."
"Hehe, he's a treasure. As the saying goes, a man must be a little bad to attract a woman," Ye Lin grinned at Meng Han.
"When did you start learning from Brother Qian? Truly, those near the vermilion become red, and those near the ink become black. Why don't you learn to be like the lotus that rises from the mud but remains unstained?"
Meng Han and Ye Lin chatted casually in the living room. After Ruge entered the shower, she turned on the water to its fullest, closing her eyes as the powerful stream of water washed over her body, washing away her fatigue and exhaustion. She took a long breath, wiped the water from her face, and suddenly opened her eyes.
Please look forward to Chapter 23: The Dream Begins