"Youāre a lucky guy, Xiaxia treats you so well." Seeing Ye Ziāan, Uncle Cai couldnāt help but comment, thinking about why they had stayed in the mountains for a day.
Upon hearing this, Ye Ziāan just gave a faint smile.
"Brother An, quickly help me get the pine cones out from Uncle Caiās basket. Iāll take these wild vegetables to my mother to stir-fry later." After speaking, she turned to Uncle Cai and said, "Uncle Cai, donāt leave after this, stay and have dinner with us."
Uncle Cai didnāt decline her invitation and simply nodded.
After Yang Chuxia left, Ye Ziāan then noticed Uncle Caiās basket which was also full of pinecones, "Uncle Cai, did you go to the mountains with Xiaxia?"
"Yes, she came to me early in the morning, saying that she was going to look for herbs." Uncle Cai answered, "But we didnāt find any, maybe because we werenāt thorough enough. On the way back, Xiaxia said she wanted to go again tomorrow."
"Then Iāll go with you tomorrow."
Uncle Cai couldnāt help but laugh, "No need to come with us, the girl does it all for you." He said earnestly, "You should treat Xiaxia well, you two are still young now, and you should also do the same when you grow up."
One has to say Uncle Cai is really a decent person, a man who thinks long term. He believes that once Ye Ziāan recovers, he will certainly take the imperial examination again. With Ziāanās knowledge, passing the Cultivated Talent exam is undoubtedly no problem, since he was indeed a Cultivated Talent originally. By having not given up studying for years, taking the Recommended Man exam after Cultivated Talent would also be no problem.
At that time, his status will be different from todayās. But Yang Chuxia will still be an ordinary girl and their social statuses would be incompatible.
This is Uncle Caiās concern.
Ye Ziāan is insightful, and he realizes what Uncle Cai wants to say even from brief, shallow hints.
He said solemnly, "Hmm, I know. Xiaxia always comes first in my heart."
These words happened to be heard by Yang Chuxia, who had just entered the room. She stunned for a moment and then sweetly and coyly glared at him, "Brother An, you are so thick-skinned, saying such things in front of Uncle Cai?"
"Ha ha," Uncle Cai had never seen Yang Chuxia behave this way, so he burst into laughter.
At this time, Yang Dachuan came back from outside, Uncle Cai then joked while waving his hand, "You should finalize their relationship sooner, the two youngsters are feeling impatient."
"I plan to wait until after the New Year when the weather becomes warmer and I will renovate Brother Anās house. Weāll settle the betrothal after that," Yang Dachuan straightforwardly replied.
Then he and Uncle Cai took turns discussing Xiaxia and Brother Anās wedding in earnest. They even talked about appointing Uncle Cai as the matchmaker, what date to choose, and so on.
As Ye Ziāan listened, his handsome face blushed slightly, Yang Chuxia rolled her eyes and signaled him to leave with her.
It wasnāt until Ms. Wang called them in for dinner that the two kids emerged from a corner, startling her. She gave Yang Chuxia a mysterious glance before finally letting out a sigh and entering the house.
Initially, Yang Chuxia did not understand the meaning behind her motherās gaze but after dinner, when Uncle Cai and Ye Ziāan went home, she finally understood.
Her mother actually had a long speech about a womanās self-esteem and self-respect, how she didnāt oppose her relationship with Brother An, but they mustnāt cross certain lines.
Having heard this, Yang Chuxia just rolled her eyes and retorted wordlessly, "Mother, even if we wanted to, we would need to be physically ready. How old are Brother An and I? Weāre barely past puberty, weāre not fully developed yet."