Chapter 371 - 368: The Future

Chapter 371: Chapter 368: The Future

"Bao’er, I’m just worried!" Li Xiu said with a wry smile. "No matter how much I’m praised as demonically intelligent or stunningly brilliant, I’m still just a person. A smarter-than-average person, one with a few extra decades of memories, but at the end of the day, I’m still just an ordinary man."

She gave him a comforting kiss, and Zhou Lian said with conviction, "There’s nothing to worry about. Even if it doesn’t succeed, it’s not like we’ll lose anything, right? Jin Chen, those old gentlemen in the Imperial Palace are no ordinary men. They’ve weathered every storm imaginable. There are experts in every field. Do you really think they’re just sitting on their hands? Let’s take it one step at a time. I believe in you!"

"Jin Chen, we’ve been blessed by the heavens. I know you’re always wanting to do something, not for any other reason than to express our gratitude for being able to meet and fall in love again. So let’s do it together. No matter what lies ahead, no matter if there’s a way back, we’ll face it shoulder to shoulder. If there’s a next life, I’ll be waiting for you to come and ask for my hand with all the proper ceremonies, and I will marry you with a dowry worthy of an empress!" Knowing the turmoil in his heart, Zhou Lian gave Li Xiu the very answer he longed for.

He pulled her tighter, his entire body trembling with emotion. ’Zhou Lian, my wife, the person I cherish more than life itself... she just promised me our next life, didn’t she? She did!’

Gently stroking Li Xiu’s soft hair, Zhou Lian said in a calm, gentle voice, "Jin Chen, no matter what happens in the future, don’t dwell on it. We’ll face and shoulder it all together. Whether the road ahead is smooth or rocky, we’ll walk it side by side as husband and wife. Don’t worry, and don’t be afraid. I will always be right here by your side."

Reining in his turbulent emotions, Li Xiu’s voice trembled slightly as he said, "Okay... Bao’er, since you’ve promised me the next life, then promise me forever and ever. I swear I will always cherish you just like I do now, like the most precious treasure in the world!"

"Okay. Then let’s promise to be together, life after life, forever."

Having finally received the promise he’d always longed for, Li Xiu privately reined in his surging emotions. After composing himself, he said softly, "Bao’er, things will be pretty stable for the next few years. But as for Nuonuo and Yanyan, we can’t let their intelligence go to waste. Teacher Xiao and Professor Fan are getting on in years, and I don’t have the heart to keep letting them help raise the children."

"Jin Chen, don’t you dare say that in front of our teachers. If you do, Professor Fan and Teacher Xiao will lecture you so hard you’ll start to question your own existence. To them, those two kids are the apple of their eye. I dare you to try and keep them away. Besides, they’re only in their sixties and in great health. They’d never agree to it!"

Glancing at Li Xiu, Zhou Lian smiled and continued, "And it’s not just our teachers. Try telling my own parents they can’t look after the kids anymore. My mom and dad love Nuonuo and Yanyan every bit as much as Huaitai and Yizhen, if not more. They’ve been living together all these years, after all. There’s a huge difference in the bond you form with children you raise by your side. Just think about Grandma. Think about how she treated you compared to Li Hua and the others. And even though those boys are a bunch of delinquents, they’re still her grandsons. That’s the difference it makes when they’re raised close by."

"You have a point. We’ll talk about it again in a few years. They’re all heavyweights; I can’t afford to cross any of them," Li Xiu mused, then asked softly, "Bao’er, about Nuonuo wanting to learn an instrument... after the Spring Festival, I’ll ask around and find her a good teacher. We can wait a couple more years for Yanyan. What do you think?" When it came to academics, the kids had Professor Xiao and Professor Fan. But for music, forget the professors—even Li Xiu and Zhou Lian were clueless. ’Heck,’ he thought, ’we barely went to school as kids, let alone learned anything for "cultural enrichment"!’

Zhou Lian nodded with a smile. "That’s very true. Teacher Xiao actually mentioned this to me before. She said both she and Professor Fan are completely clueless when it comes to music, and that goes double for us. Jin Chen, when the time comes, let’s ask Nuonuo if there’s anything else she wants to try. At her age, she can start learning pretty much whatever she sets her mind to."

"Okay, we’ll ask her then."

After a moment, Li Xiu seemed to remember something and said softly, "Bao’er, I might need to make a trip to the Northwest next year. I’ll try to schedule it during summer vacation so you can come with me."

"Oh? Is there something there that requires your personal attention?" Zhou Lian asked curiously.

Li Xiu sighed. "That place... you know as well as I do that it’s never really peaceful, not even ten or twenty years from now. I want to go see it in person, see if there’s some way to solve the root of the problem once and for all. Just thinking about what happens there later makes my blood boil."

"That’s a tall order," Zhou Lian said with a sigh, thinking of everything that was to come. "The conflict there runs deep and has always existed. It won’t be easy to solve. But... okay. We’ll go together. ’We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,’ as they say. Who knows, maybe we’ll come up with a solution once we’re on the ground."

Li Xiu smiled. "Then it’s a date. I’ve heard stories about that place—’wear a cotton jacket at dawn, a silk robe at noon, and eat watermelon by the fire at night.’ We should experience it for ourselves!"

"You know, that might be the key. The region is rich with unique local products. If we approach it from an economic angle first, and help the local economy get on its feet... well, we both know that once ordinary people have their basic needs met and can hope for a better future, very few of them will want to cause trouble. Barring those who are just rotten to the core, of course."

Seeing Zhou Lian’s eyes light up, Li Xiu smiled gently. "That’s a great idea. The landscape there is beautiful, and it has some incredible tourist spots. As long as we can guarantee safety, and with people’s standard of living on the rise, they’ll be spending more on tourism. We can definitely put that in the plan."

"Yes, yes! I remember in our last life, our daughter-in-law’s office organized a trip there. She had tons of stuff shipped home, and she still came back loaded down with bags—food, clothes, handicrafts, everything you can imagine. And it was all amazing quality!"

Seeing her getting excited, Li Xiu smiled indulgently. "Alright then, when we go, you can buy anything and everything you want. How does that sound?"

"The clothes! Their traditional ethnic garments are gorgeous. And the food! The raisins and beef jerky from there are the most authentic. And the nut candy! There’s so much delicious food there!"

"We’ll buy plenty when we get there," Li Xiu said, looking at Zhou Lian with a playful glint in his eye. "But you know, Bao’er, if you applied the same passion you have for snacks to your actual meals, I think Sister Fang’s life would be much easier."

Zhou Lian rolled her eyes at him and pouted. "Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. Whenever you have the time, you’re the one who cooks for me. This has nothing to do with Sister Fang! Besides," she added, "I’m not that picky anymore. I eat everything you cook for me!"

Glancing at Zhou Lian with a smile, Li Xiu thought to himself, ’Of course you eat everything I make. That’s because I cook everything exactly the way you like it. Otherwise, with that picky appetite of yours, you’d happily live on nothing but snacks!’