Rebirth in 1986: Unforgettable Regrets-Chapter 1165: Your Granddaughter-in-Law Is Gone
"Are you jealous?" Yuan Yu blinked her eyes, as if trying to find traces of jealousy on Tang Jun’s face.
Tang Jun frowned and replied, "No."
"Yes, I did stroll with him, but I came back," Yuan Yu said, scrutinizing Tang Jun’s expression. However, she couldn’t detect anything, so she continued, "By the way, tomorrow I will be going to the mountains with Xu Qinglang to gather herbs, and you can just stay at home with the girl."
"I don’t need anyone to accompany me." Tang Jun mumbled, wanting to accompany Yuan Yu to the mountains to gather herbs.
"Go ahead, but be careful on the mountain." Tang Jun added. Gathering herbs in the mountains isn’t an easy task. He said, "Don’t just focus on gathering herbs, watch out for snakes and insects. Get Grandpa Miao to prepare some anti-snake and mosquito repellents for you to carry with you."
"Got it."
Yuan Yu listened to his lengthy chatter and responded in agreement, smiling at Tang Jun, knowing that his words contained his care and concern for her.
Someday, she would surely make Tang Jun confess his feelings to her openly.
When Yuan Yu thought of that day, she wanted to torment Tang Jun a bit, but how could she tease him without actually hurting him?
Yuan Yu found herself lost in thought.
"Yuan Yu?"
Tang Jun noticed Yuan Yu wasn’t responding. He didn’t know what she was thinking about and had to ask, "What are you thinking so deeply about?"
"Nothing." Yuan Yu came back to her senses and said, "It’s getting late. I should go back and rest. Tomorrow I’ll gather the herbs."
Tang Jun watched in a daze as Yuan Yu walked away. Only when he heard the door being locked did he let out a long sigh.
Lying in bed, Tang Jun found himself unable to sleep, tossing and turning, not knowing when he finally dozed off, and when he woke, everything was in darkness, leaving him unsure of the time.
"Girl." Tang Jun called out.
The girl who had been playing outside quickly ran in and said, "Brother Tang, you’re awake? Sister Yuan said she and Brother Xu went to the mountains to gather herbs, and not to worry."
"What time is it?" Tang Jun asked.
"Six-thirty." The girl responded.
Tang Jun thought silently, realizing he had woken up half an hour later than usual. If this continued, his biological clock would be completely disrupted.
Tang Jun put on his clothes, freshened up, and practiced his boxing routine in the courtyard. Initially, he thought about jogging, but considering his lack of sight, he stuck to practicing boxing, which just required space.
After finishing the routine, Tang Jun was drenched in sweat.
The little girl was also learning on the side, and Tang Jun carefully guided her. Since he couldn’t correct her visually, he ensured each posture was perfect for her to mimic.
By eight in the morning, after breakfast, Tang Jun took the girl for a walk. Before long, he was followed by several children as he told them stories from one of the Four Great Classical Novels, "Water Margin." Though he couldn’t recite it verbatim, he knew the gist of each tale very well.
His voice, cold yet fluctuating, kept the children engrossed.
*
In the forest.
Yuan Yu went with Xu Qinglang to gather herbs. Yuan Yu had been there many times and was quite familiar with the area. With a local villager guiding them, they collected plenty of fresh herbs.
Nature is truly a treasure trove.
Xu Qinglang collected half a basket, but it was much less than Yuan Yu’s. He hesitated to speak several times.
Seizing the moment while drinking and eating, Xu Qinglang sat on a large stone beside Yuan Yu and asked, "Yuan Yu, do you like Tang Jun and want to marry him?"
"Yes." Yuan Yu nodded without hesitation. She liked Tang Jun, and when she wasn’t sure if Tang Jun liked her, she thought that if he still didn’t after a few years, she’d let go and focus on studying medicine.
But Tang Jun clearly liked her, and Yuan Yu felt she’d be a fool to give up.
"What if his eyes can never be cured?" Xu Qinglang knew this was a hurtful question, but Tang Jun’s eyes weren’t affected pathologically. The blood clot oppressed the optic nerve, and even though Grandpa and Grandpa Miao did their best with acupuncture, it couldn’t hide the fact that Tang Jun’s eyes were tough to heal.
In fact, Tang Jun’s eyes were beyond treatment and were left to their own devices. Acupuncture only prevented the blood clot from worsening.
"No way." Yuan Yu firmly replied, pursing her lips.
"What if they indeed can’t be cured?"
The more Yuan Yu didn’t want to face it, the more Xu Qinglang felt compelled to ask. Since high school, he had liked Yuan Yu, but while Yuan Yu attended another school, he went to Capital Medical University.
Seeing Yuan Yu was not easy for Xu Qinglang, given the heavy coursework and his grandfather’s constant encouragement to study medicine. His grandfather had high hopes for him, wanting to pass on his mantle since Xu Qinglang was the only one studying Chinese medicine in the family.
The older brother, Xu Qingfeng, studied Western medicine.
Facing Xu Qinglang’s questioning, Yuan Yu lifted her head and replied word by word, "Whether his eyes heal or not, I want only him. If it can’t be him, I’d rather not marry anyone." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢
"If his eyes never recover, I’ll be his eyes and stay with him for a lifetime." Yuan Yu added, not having thought of this overnight, but since the moment she learned of Tang Jun’s blindness.
No matter the time or how tough the future might become, giving up was not part of Yuan Yu’s vocabulary.
Xu Qinglang stared at Yuan Yu in a daze, moved by an unprecedented determination.
Frustration and unwillingness all turned into one question: "Why? What’s so good about him?"
"It might be hard to say what’s good about him, but no one else can take his place." Yuan Yu didn’t know what exactly was so good about Tang Jun, but if it were someone else, she’d be unwilling.
Xu Qinglang took a deep breath, stood up, and went to gather herbs, fearing that if he stayed longer, he might say something unpleasant, which would be a disservice to his grandfather’s teachings.
Once back, Xu Qinglang was much quieter, prompting Mr. Xu to ask, "Qinglang, why does gathering herbs back home make you look like a frost-struck eggplant?"
"Grandpa, you’ve lost your granddaughter-in-law." Xu Qinglang replied blankly, with Yuan Yu’s words echoing in his mind, unable to dispel them.
"If you mean Yuan Yu, then let it go." Mr. Xu said directly.
Xu Qinglang looked at Mr. Xu incredulously and asked, "Why?"
"She and Tang Jun are mutually in love, so don’t stir the pot. There are plenty of other flowers in the world, don’t think about breaking them up." Mr. Xu reminded him.
Xu Qinglang dug at his ears, muttering, "Grandpa, they aren’t married yet."
"Even if they’re not married, you’ve still got no chance." Mr. Xu unflinchingly struck him down. It wasn’t that he disliked Yuan Yu, but because Yuan Yu had no eyes for Xu Qinglang at all. If Xu Qinglang stayed lovesick for too long, he’d truly miss out on a granddaughter-in-law.
