CHAPTER 53: CHAPTER 53: EVEN THE OLDEST GINGER CAN TAKE THE WRONG PATH

When you first let someone into your heart, it’s like being poisoned, constantly thinking about them.

Qin Guanglin scratched his head, his mind completely devoid of any thoughts about the Dragon Boat Festival, with flashes of sky blue popping up occasionally.

"It will be yours sooner or later anyway..." He Fang’s soft words still echoed in his ears.

The temptation was too much for a fiery young man, particularly the flirting from the one he adored, like a potent stimulant, making it impossible to resist his inner impulses, wishing he could run back to school and get intimate with her again.

Sitting in agony in the studio for half a day, Qin Guanglin sighed deeply, put away his painting board, and left the living room.

That darn girl, really, leading him down an irreversible path step by step.

"Is there something on your mind?" Qin’s Mom casually asked as she saw him coming out, "She seemed to have called quite a few times."

"It’s nothing."

Qin Guanglin replied, then paused and couldn’t help laughing, "She just missed me."

This kind of good news ought to be shared with others.

Qin’s Mom glanced at his proud face and scoffed disdainfully, "Look how pleased you are."

"I might go out for a few days this week or next week," Qin Guanglin took a glass of water and sat down at the table, "She invited me to go to Zhongnan Mountain together."

"A graduation trip? Or is it just the two of you?"

"Just the two of us, no one else."

"Then be careful when you are out there," Qin’s Mom advised, "Try not to take her out at night, it’s unfamiliar territory."

She always felt a bit uneasy when young people went out, but then she realized that those his age were already married. They were all adults now; no need to worry too much.

"Hmm, got it," Qin Guanglin nodded, barely able to contain his happiness, "I think I might succeed very soon."

"Succeed at what?" Qin’s Mom asked.

"Successfully marry her," he couldn’t help but scoot closer to Qin’s Mom, "She said, um... she said I will marry her eventually, told me not to rush."

People tend to share their happiness involuntarily, significantly boosting their happiness, like the now even more cheerful Qin Guanglin who had just finished speaking.

"She, said, you, will, eventually, marry, her?" Qin’s Mom slowly repeated, word for word, "And told you not to hurry? That sounds a bit odd."

Qin Guanglin scratched his head, "Uh... yeah, it does sound a bit weird."

The original words were "I will be yours sooner or later..." Of course, modifying it would sound strange, but he couldn’t tell Qin’s Mom the exact words.

Qin’s Mom chewed over the words again but still found them odd, "Have you told her that you wanted to marry her?"

"I told her long ago."

"So she agreed?"

"Yep, she agreed."

"Actually..." Qin’s Mom looked thoughtful, "He Fang, that girl... well, how should I put it?"

Qin Guanglin looked puzzled at her difficulty in expressing, "What’s wrong?"

"I’ve been thinking over it... and it feels a bit unusual," Qin’s Mom hesitated to say.

Everything seemed too perfect, which felt somewhat unstable, especially some unusual familiarity that seemed right from the start... No, something was definitely off, but she couldn’t quite pinpoint it.

"What’s unusual?" Qin Guanglin felt it was Qin’s Mom who was being strange. Where could you find such a perfect daughter-in-law?

"A woman’s sixth sense, and the eye for details plus intuition I developed over years of bargain-hunting."

Qin’s Mom turned off the TV, pondering as she continued, "Have you ever felt a familiar sensation, I can’t quite explain it, with her around us or us around her? It’s a bit too familiar, sometimes I feel like we’ve been family right from the start, without any strangeness."

"Really?" Fool Qin was so immersed in the joy of love, "You’re thinking too much, right?"

"Maybe," Qin’s Mom reflected and felt she was overthinking, "Right, such a wonderful girl, what could she possibly want from you?"

"Is there a reason to like someone?" Qin Guanglin was slightly annoyed, "She even had a crush on me for a long time."

Qin’s Mom was stunned, "She had a crush on you for a long time? He Fang said that?"

"Yeah, she admitted it herself."

"No wonder!" Qin’s Mom felt she figured it out, "Maybe that girl has completely figured you out!"

That would more or less explain it; the young man really hit the jackpot.

"Mmm... perhaps," Qin Guanglin nodded thoughtfully, recalling Uncle Pan mentioning that He Fang had been around this area a few times.

So there had been some premeditation? Geez, why go through all that hassle, wasting time, when coming over directly would suffice! Perhaps things could have moved to the next stage by now.

"No, that isn’t right," Qin’s Mom was puzzled again, "What’s there to have a crush on you, especially such a good girl? Fit for both hall and kitchen to have a crush on you?"

"..."

"Is this what they call ’a fool’s fortune’?"

"Perhaps," Qin Guanglin was chuckling, initially a bit upset but thinking again, this was praising He Fang.

Praising his fiancée, that’s something to be happy about.

"You really did find a treasure, can’t imagine where you got such good fortune," Qin’s Mom felt more wondrously about fate the more she thought, "You must treat her well."

"Absolutely."

"Remember to treasure her, and if you dare mess around, I’ll whack you to death!"

"Don’t worry, I won’t even have the chance,"

"No, I’m calling your aunt right now to get some mugwort leaves sent over," Qin’s Mom couldn’t stay still and stood up to grab her phone.

The first time outside the cinema, she felt He Fang seemed to recognize her, honed by years of bargain-hunting, her sharp intuition, and observational skills.

Though trivial, along with a slight sense of anomaly elsewhere, was like grains of sand stuck at the bottom of her heart, now that she saw the whole picture, she realized she truly had found a gem.

A real living gem.

She’d lived more than half her life and hadn’t come across many girls who were capable, sensible, and made you incredibly comfortable just by being around, perhaps countable on the fingers of both hands.

"Is it too late?"

"No, she’s probably still watching TV," Qin’s Mom turned to head back to her room to make a call.

Seeing how earnest his mom was, Qin Guanglin was even happier, stood up, and walked a couple of steps in the living room, pondering what to do, then simply went back to his room to turn on the computer.

Logging into a shopping site, he searched for hard fruit candy, spent quite some time comparing until he found the kind she liked, and placed an order— another reason to invite her over for some candy.

He pulled a pineapple-flavored candy from his pocket, held it in his hand looking at it for a while, then tore off the wrapper and put it in his mouth.

Hmm, truly sweet.