Chapter 350 - 216: Jiang Silu: Mom, I Want to Forgive Dad

Chapter 350: Chapter 216: Jiang Silu: Mom, I Want to Forgive Dad

The shopkeeper glanced at her again and said with a smile, "Young lady, your dad’s so young and handsome. I bet a lot of your classmates are jealous of you."

This made Jiang Silu even more flustered. She grabbed Lu Fan’s sleeve and started walking away.

As she pulled him along, Lu Fan glanced back, waved at the shopkeeper, and grinned happily.

After they’d walked a little way, Jiang Silu finally let go. Her face was flushed as she mumbled, "Why would he say something like that..."

Lu Fan chuckled. "He was just saying I look young. What’s so bad about that?"

"It’s good, it’s just... I was a little embarrassed, that’s all," Jiang Silu said quietly, looking down.

She stole a glance at Lu Fan.

The sunlight fell on him. He wore a simple black jacket, and his hair was neatly combed. He really did look young.

When he smiled, a few lines appeared at the corners of his eyes, but his features were undeniably handsome. He had a high-bridged nose and bright eyes. He wouldn’t look out of place standing next to men in their twenties.

Jiang Silu suddenly thought, ’When I get a boyfriend, he has to be as handsome as Dad.’

The thought had barely surfaced before she paused, taken aback by it herself.

Then another thought occurred to her: a man as handsome as her dad must have had tons of women after him back in the day.

’Did he fool around so much just because he was too good-looking?’

Suddenly, Jiang Silu’s feelings grew complicated.

She lowered her head and took a bite of her crabapple cake. It was sweet, but it left a bitter taste in her heart.

Lu Fan noticed the shift in her mood. "What’s wrong?" he asked. "Is it not good?"

Jiang Silu shook her head. "It’s delicious."

"Then why are you unhappy?" Lu Fan asked again.

Jiang Silu hesitated, but she couldn’t hold it in. "Back when... when you were young," she asked quietly, "did a lot of girls pursue you?"

Lu Fan froze, not expecting a question like that.

He thought for a moment, then answered honestly, "Quite a few, yes."

Jiang Silu grew even more hesitant. "Then... was that why you..."

She didn’t finish, but Lu Fan understood what she meant.

He fell silent for a few seconds, then sighed softly, his tone turning serious. "Silu, Dad made a lot of mistakes when he was young. Being handsome is no excuse. I’m the one who failed to hold the line. It’s something I’ll regret for the rest of my life."

Listening to him, Jiang Silu felt a pang in her heart.

Lu Fan looked at her and smiled. "But don’t you worry. Dad won’t make the same mistake again. For the rest of my life, I’m just going to be here for you kids. I’m not going anywhere."

Hearing this, Jiang Silu felt her eyes begin to burn.

She nodded, believing his words. "Mm."

Lu Fan reached out and gently patted her on the head. "Come on, there’s still lots of good food up ahead. It’ll get cold if we don’t hurry."

Jiang Silu nodded and continued to walk forward with him.

The market was bustling with people coming and going, but to Jiang Silu, this moment felt exceptionally quiet and warm.

...

「Meanwhile, in Qingshan Village.」

Pan Lanfang sat in the courtyard, sorting vegetables. Her hands moved constantly, but her mouth wasn’t idle either. "Old man," she mumbled, "why do you think Xiaolu hasn’t stopped by these last couple of days?"

"He’s a busy man. He can’t be running out to the village every day," Jiang Guoqiang said without looking up from the firewood he was chopping.

Pan Lanfang sighed and set down the vegetables. "I’m not saying he should come every day. I’m just wondering how things are going with him and Yixia. The last time I asked him, he said things were fine, but I can’t help but feel uneasy."

Jiang Guoqiang set down his axe and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Why do you worry so much?" he said, exasperated. "They’re adults. Let them handle their own affairs."

"You old man, how can you be so unconcerned?" Pan Lanfang glared at him, a hint of dissatisfaction in her voice. "Yixia’s not getting any younger! If she doesn’t find a partner soon, what will she do when she’s old? The two kids are all grown up. They’ll have their own families eventually, and she’ll be all alone. Can you bear to see that?"

Her words seemed to move Jiang Guoqiang. After a moment of silence, he suggested, "Well, why don’t you give him a call and ask?"

Pan Lanfang had been waiting for him to say this.

She wiped her hands, picked up her phone, found Lu Fan’s number, and dialed.

The phone rang a few times before it was answered.

"Hello, Auntie?" Lu Fan’s voice came from the other end of the line, tinged with a smile.

"Xiaolu, am I interrupting anything?" Pan Lanfang said cheerfully.

Lu Fan replied, "No, not at all. What’s on your mind?"

Pan Lanfang asked tentatively, "How have things been with you and Yixia lately? I can’t help but worry."

"Things are great, Auntie, don’t worry. I stopped by her shop yesterday for a bit, and she made me a cup of tea," Lu Fan replied with a smile.

Pan Lanfang was pleased to hear that, but she said, "That girl... all she did was make you tea? She didn’t even ask you to stay for a meal?"

"She did ask, but I had something else to do, so I couldn’t stay."

After hearing that, Pan Lanfang asked again, "Then do you think... she has... those kinds of feelings for you?"

"Yes, definitely. She’s just stubborn and won’t admit it," Lu Fan said deliberately after a moment’s thought.

Pan Lanfang laughed. "That girl has been like that since she was little. She keeps her feelings to herself. If you coax her a little, she’ll soften up."

Lu Fan replied, "Okay, I’ll do as you say, Auntie."

Pan Lanfang gave him a few more words of advice before hanging up.

Jiang Guoqiang had been listening from the side. When she hung up, he quickly asked, "What did he say?"

Pan Lanfang explained with a smile, "He said things are going well. Yixia even made him tea."

"That’s good, that’s good." Jiang Guoqiang nodded and started to smile as well.

Pan Lanfang looked at him and suddenly asked, "Old man, don’t you think Xiaolu is a really great guy?"

"He is. He really is," Jiang Guoqiang said thoughtfully after a moment. "He’s good to us, he’s good to Yixia, and he’s a dependable man."