n

n

nChapter 831: Hard Restraint

nEditor: Henyee Translations

nUnder the hazy moonlight, veiled as if by a thin layer of mist, a desolate chill spread across the ground, bringing waves of icy coldness.

nLi Zhangjie tightened his thick cotton jacket, hurrying along the road home.

nThe flat cobblestone path reflected the moonlight, resembling a long silver ribbon, beautifully and carelessly strewn across the earth.

nThe Li family still lived in the small courtyard rented by Li Zhangjie. Li’s father, wearing a coat, hands tucked in his sleeves, paced back and forth at the doorway, waiting for his son’s return.

nEach time he paced by the door, he would glance out, his worry evident. It was dark already, yet his son had not returned.

nSuddenly, a figure emerged from the darkness. On closer inspection, it was indeed his son. Li’s father quickly stepped forward and handed Li Zhangjie a warm handwarmer, “Warm your hands.”

nThe warmth from the handwarmer was like fatherly love, making Li Zhangjie smile, “Thank you, Dad.”

nAs Li’s father closed the door, he mentioned, “Your mother made sweet dumplings for you, they’re in the kitchen, go eat.”

nSweet dumplings, once considered a luxury for the Li family, were now a regular treat thanks to their improved financial situation. The sticky, sweet delicacy was particularly delicious.

nFeeling warm inside, Li Zhangjie cheerfully agreed, “Then I’ll go now.”

n“Go ahead,” Li’s father said, turning to wave his hand.

nEntering the house, Li Zhangjie made his way to the kitchen. Passing by Li Ziyun’s room, he heard soft crying. He stopped, “Sister, what’s wrong?”

nLi Ziyun quickly wiped her tears, took a deep breath trying to calm down, then replied, “Big brother, I’m fine.”

nHer voice was filled with tears, clearly indicating something was wrong. Li Zhangjie, concerned, said, “Put on your clothes and come to the kitchen. I have something to tell you.”

nLi Ziyun didn’t want to go but couldn’t disobey her brother, “Okay, I’ll be right there.”

nLi Zhangjie went to the kitchen, where his mother was heating bathwater for him. “Zhangjie, you’re back.”

n“Back, Mom.” Li Zhangjie helped his mother up, “You should go to sleep.”

nPointing at a small jar filled with sweet dumplings, his mother instructed, “Eat the sweet dumplings and rest early.”

nLiZhangjie nodded, “Okay.”

nAfter his mother left for her room, Li Zhangjie divided the sweet dumplings into two bowls, placing spoons on each, and set them on the table. Just as he finished, Li Ziyun arrived, “Bigbrother.”

n“Sit, let’s eat sweet dumplings together.”

nLi Ziyun shook her head, “I’m not eating, big brother, you’ve worked hard, you eat.”

nLi Zhangjie beckoned Li Ziyun, “Listen to your brother, come eat.”

nThe two slowly ate the sweet dumplings, feeling sweeter and warmer, lifting their spirits.

nLi Zhangjie, with concern, asked, “Has someone bullied you?”

nLi Ziyun lowered her head, eyes reddening, shook her head, “No.”

nLi Zhangjie softly said, “Can you deceive your brother’s eyes?”

n“No.” Li Ziyun felt truly fortunate to have her brother, her defenses slowly dropping as she recounted her experiences at the medicine shop.

nAfter listening, Li Zhangjie gently patted her head, “It’s okay, life is full of setbacks. Consider Sun Xialan a twist in life; solving it will make things right.” Li Ziyun looked up at Li Zhangjie, full of trust, “Big brother, how do we solve it?”

nLi Zhangjie encouraged her, “She said you can’t do anything, right? Let’s secretly learn everything and surpass her, making her regret her actions today.”

nLi Ziyun lacked confidence, “Can I learn? I feel so dumb. Today, during her free time, Sister Qingning taught me ten characters, and it took me three tries to learn.”

nLi Zhangjie exaggerated, “That’s dumb? I took ten tries to learn when I was your age.”

nLi Ziyun blinked in surprise, “Really?”

n“Yes, your learning ability is already very good. Be confident, understand?”

nLi Ziyun felt a bit more confident, “Big brother, can you teach me some more? I want to learn quickly. Oh, I borrowed a ‘Complete Book of Herbs’ from Qingning sister, can you teach me the names of the herbs? That way, I can fetch the medicine myself without help.”

nLi Zhangjie readily agreed, “Sure, I’ll teach you right now.”

nThe two moved to a smaller room, lit a fire for warmth, turned on two oil lamps, and Li Ziyun began her learning journey…

nAs Li Ziyun immersed herself in learning, she continued until late into the night, finally succumbing to overwhelming sleepiness.

nThat night, she learned thirty herb names…

nIn Wan City, Tang Jinghong, escorting grain seeds, arrived in Wan City after a day’s journey, settling in an inn.

nThey disguised themselves as a merchant convoy, not alerting the local authorities.

nThis was according to Chu Qingzhi’s advice. Alerting the authorities would ruin their plan, preventing their adversary from acting again.

nChu Qingzhi needed them to act, only then could she capture this person!

nUnder the cover of night, a swift shadow darted into the distance, leaving behind a trail of afterimages.

nTang Jinghong opened the window, hands behind his back, glanced at the grain seeds in the courtyard, then looked towards the horizon, his brow furrowed in concern, yet his eyes filled with anticipation.

nSoon, Chu Qingzhi appeared. He slightly shifted aside, just standing still, Chu Qingzhi was already before him.

nWith a motion, he pulled Chu Qingzhi into his embrace, “Qingzhi, a day apart feels like three autumns!”

n“I felt it was quite long too.” Chu Qingzhi patted Tang Jinghong’s back, “I brought you something to eat.”

nTang Jinghong released Chu Qingzhi, looking down eagerly, “What’s delicious?”

nChu Qingzhi placed the food box on the table, revealing its contents, lifting her chin at Tang Jinghong, “How about it, isn’t it creative?”

nShe turned milk cookies into individual characters, malting them sandwichstyle. To Tang Jinghong, they were fascinating, “Making cookies so exquisite, it’s almost a pity to eat.”

nHe selected eight cookies, spellingout, “Tang Jinghong likes Chu Qingzhi.”

n“Eat, it’s okay, I’ll bake more next time.” Tang Jinghong sat down, Chu Qingzhi leaned gently on his shoulder, whispering in his ear.

nTang Jinghong, stirred by her words, struggled to control himself. He had never wanted a girl so much in his life.

nChu Qingzhi, nestled in Tang Jinghong’s embrace, sensed his rapid heartbeat and his struggle, daring not to move.

nIf it were another man, she would have been taken to bed already, but Jinghong had always maintained etiquette, never doing more than kissing her, even then, his hands never wandered.

nSuch restraint in a man was rare.

n