Chapter 85: It's Too Late for Regrets Now

Xia Yan was momentarily dazed; she hadn't expected this man to suddenly become so bold.

"Don’t... don’t get so close. I can hardly breathe..."

She opened her mouth, speaking slowly and hesitantly.

"This is your punishment for accusing me of being jealous just now..."

Xia Yan was taken aback. When had this man become so adept?

Just as things were about to spiral out of control, a small figure entered the kitchen. "Sister, I’m hungry."

Xia Yan hurriedly pulled herself out of Lin You’s embrace, straightened her clothes, and threw him a reproachful glance as she turned around.

"Nuannuan, be good. Dinner will be ready soon. Auntie saved you a big chicken leg today."

"Yay, I get to eat a drumstick!"

After dinner, Lin You helped feed the pigs in the backyard, then made time to visit the regimental headquarters. Learning that new recruits had arrived, he was the first to go and check on them.

When he saw Zhao Ming again, Zhao Ming looked a bit embarrassed. "When did you get back? Old Jiang and the others said it’d be three weeks before you returned."

"I got back this morning," Lin You replied, noticing how exhausted Zhao Ming seemed. "How did you handle things with your wife?"

Zhao Ming managed a helpless smile. "What else could I do? She hit the children and deserved to be punished. Lin You, I was wrong last time to ask you and Xia Yan for help. If I were in your place, I wouldn’t have forgiven her either."

Lin You patted him on the shoulder. It wasn’t that he was unwilling to give his old comrade some face, but Liu Xiuying had truly gone too far. If Jiang Weiguo hadn’t arrived in time that day, who knew what might have happened to the three children.

After giving the new recruits a brief talk, Lin You returned home. Xia Yan had already tidied up everything that needed to be done.

The two of them sat together in the courtyard, leaning against each other. Xia Yan rested her chin on one hand, watching Lin Nuannuan run about the yard.

"Lin You, have you ever thought about the future?"

"The future?"

Lin You was actually stumped by her question; he genuinely hadn’t considered it. "I haven’t really thought about it. Maybe I’ll just stay in the army."

Xia Yan wasn’t surprised by his answer. "That’s not a bad idea. You’re still young and already a battalion commander. Who’s to say you won’t become a general or something in the future? By then, I’ll be a general’s wife."

"And you? Have you made up your mind?"

"About what?"

"You know exactly what I mean."

"You mean about us?" Xia Yan smiled and turned her head to look at him. "Lin You, I admit that at first, I was really unwilling to come to the northwest and marry a man more than ten years older than me."

Lin You met her eyes, listening intently.

"Of course, my first impression of you was actually pretty good."

Xia Yan gazed at his handsome profile. A good-looking face truly could lift one’s spirits. "But what really surprised me was that you had three children. Do you know what I thought at the time?"

As she spoke, Xia Yan lightly patted Lin You’s broad shoulder.

"I thought, how shameless can this man be?"

Lin You scratched the back of his head in a tactical gesture. "And then?"

"Then you told me about the three children, and I realized you were a man with real responsibility. That’s when I decided to give it a try and see how things would go with you."

Xia Yan stood up, stretched, and looked up at the sky. The sunlight bathed her, making her glow.

"And after that?"

Lin You stared at her, briefly lost in thought, anxious to hear how she felt about him.

"After that? I found myself gradually falling for you, for the three children, for this home..."

In these times, girls were almost always too shy to express love for someone dear to their hearts. The bolder ones would be criticized by old-fashioned folks.

But Xia Yan was different. Before she traveled here, she hadn’t confessed her feelings simply because she’d never met anyone she liked.

Now that she finally had, she wasn’t about to let the chance slip away.

"When you’re not home, I miss you. When you go up the mountain, I worry about you. I’ve realized I can’t live without you anymore..." Xia Yan turned her head as she spoke, and their eyes met, holding the gaze for a long time.

After a while, she finally spoke again. "Lin You, do you think it’s too forward of me to say all this when we’ve only been together for half a month?"

"I..."

"Never mind, think what you will. All I know is that I like you," Xia Yan said, waving her hand when she saw his hesitation.

Lin You was helpless. He’d simply been lost in the beauty of their gaze, not knowing how to respond, and now it seemed to be up to him to decide how to think of her.

Having spoken her mind, Xia Yan felt relieved. She sat down beside Lin You once more, boldly resting her head on his shoulder and said playfully, "Lin You, I’m telling you, it’s too late for you to regret it now."

Lin You lifted his hand, his fingers sliding through her hair...

At dusk, the two little ones came home and, seeing Lin You was back, happily ran straight into his arms.

When they learned they’d soon be going down the mountain, no one was happier than Lin Hongzhuo—after all, he’d only been down the mountain a handful of times since coming here.

All the way, the little one kept his eyes glued to the window, peppering everyone with questions.

Lin You got two rooms at the guesthouse next to the hospital for them, while he himself returned to the hospital.

Early the next morning, Lin You took Xia Yan and the three children to visit Zhou Shimao’s home.

Lv Hongxia opened the door and, at first glance, saw the three children, her eyes full of affection. "Oh my, all three little darlings are here!"

"Auntie."

"Little Lin, you’re here too." Lv Hongxia scooped up Lin Nuannuan, but her gaze was fixed on the graceful young woman beside Lin You. "And this must be Little Xia."

"Hello, Auntie, I’m Xia Yan."

Xia Yan greeted her, following Lin You’s example.

Lv Hongxia nodded, thinking it was no wonder Lin You liked this girl—she truly was lovely. But how could such a beautiful girl have tried to drown herself for a man?

"Come in and have a seat. Your Uncle Zhou has gone to the division for a meeting and will be back soon."

Though she still didn’t quite understand, Lv Hongxia warmly welcomed the family inside.

Once they entered, Xia Yan noticed that conditions in the family courtyard at the foot of the mountain were indeed much better than on the mountain.

She leaned in to whisper to Lin You, "Didn’t you say you have a house here too?"

"Yes, it’s just up ahead," Lin You replied, pointing to the east side of the building.

"Nothing, just asking."

"Oh..."

"Xia, come over and have some water. Sit with Auntie for a chat..."