Chapter 81: Sudden Realization

Chapter 81: Chapter 81: Sudden Realization

"Ling Qianjun?" Hua Buwan stared wide-eyed at the figure before her in the darkness.

Confirming that Hua Buwan wouldn’t attack again, Ling Qianjun released his hand from her mouth.

Hua Buwan puffed her cheeks in annoyance. "Why didn’t you say something sooner? You made me worry for nothing."

"PHEW." She couldn’t stop taking deep breaths to calm her racing heart.

Ling Qianjun smiled softly. "I didn’t have the chance. You came right at me getting all handsy. I didn’t have time to speak."

"Huh? Watch your words. That sounds a bit wrong," Hua Buwan frowned.

Ling Qianjun froze for a moment before realizing the ambiguity of his phrasing. He quickly apologized, "Ah, I mean you came over ready to punch and kick me, so I didn’t have a chance to speak."

"Barely acceptable." Hua Buwan weighed the correction and nodded.

The two shared a smile, and the awkward tension from earlier instantly dissolved.

"The person outside is gone," Ling Qianjun said. He had been keeping a close eye on the man outside, and seeing him drive away, he warned her, "That guy was looking at this place with a very suspicious gaze. Buwan, you need to pay close attention. Be careful."

"I will. I put his dad behind bars, so his whole family definitely holds a grudge against me. Now that he’s hanging around his shop next door, I don’t know if he’s planning to reopen their business, but I’m afraid we’ll be constantly bumping into each other from now on.

"Oh, right! After that pawnshop boss got arrested, the police searched his store and found a ton of stolen artifacts. It turns out he used to be a tomb raider!

"Because of that, his sentence is much heavier. On top of that, he was smuggling artifacts overseas, which involves illegal border crossings, tax evasion, and a whole pile of other charges..."

Hua Buwan had been paying close attention to the situation, and the police had eventually informed her of the investigation’s outcome. She had only just remembered to tell Ling Qianjun about it.

"That’s good. He deserves it." Knowing the man would be locked away for a long time brought Ling Qianjun some peace of mind. He had previously worried that the man would only get a minor theft charge and be released quickly, which would have put Hua Buwan in danger. Now, this threat was temporarily eliminated.

Hua Buwan fumbled around in the dark for a moment before flipping on the supermarket lights.

As always, Ling Qianjun immediately raised a hand to shield his eyes from the sudden glare.

"Qianjun, didn’t you take the longans and head back? Why did you return? Is something wrong? Do you need something?" Hua Buwan asked, looking at him curiously.

At the mention of this, Ling Qianjun’s expression dimmed. He lowered his eyes and said, "Buwan, I’m sorry. Those little crabs... my family roasted them. It’s all my fault. I didn’t explain to them in time that they weren’t for eating. I’m so sorry."

Hua Buwan stared blankly for a moment before the words registered.

The little crabs were cooked? They were so cute—how could they eat them? Wait, maybe she should roast one to eat later too? She had kept a little crab for herself as a pet, planning to raise it until it was big enough to eat anyway. She had originally thought his family would find the tiny crabs adorable and want to keep them as pets. It seemed they preferred to just eat them. Well, they were just like her in that regard.

Seeing Hua Buwan’s expressionless, dazed face, Ling Qianjun’s heart skipped a beat, and his guilt deepened.

But a second later, Hua Buwan broke into a smile. "If you guys like eating crabs, I’ll buy some more tomorrow. You can come pick them up at night. For four people, how many should each person get? Would a dozen be enough?"

"You don’t mind?" Ling Qianjun hadn’t expected this reaction.

Hua Buwan shook her head and chuckled. "Of course I don’t mind. I gave them to you, so they’re yours. You can choose whether to eat them or keep them as pets. Besides, it was my lack of foresight. You’re on a journey of exile—how would you have the time or energy to take care of little animals? It’s best you just take care of yourselves. Once you reach Lingnan, if you still want to raise some pets, I’ll give you more then."

Hearing this, Ling Qianjun felt a sudden sense of relief and clarity.

His ensuing smile was breathtaking, as radiant as thousands of pear blossoms blooming all at once.