noveldepot 25: Goddaughter and future daughter-in-law
25: Goddaughter and future daughter-in-law
"Xiao Meizi, do you know when Han Wen will return from Songhu City?" Han Qingyan asked, clinging to her last glimmer of hope.
"Aunt Han, publishing a novel is a very complicated process. It involves a lot of troublesome things such as revision, polishing, and proofreading."
"Brother Han's trip there this time, I don't know how long it will take to completely resolve things." Gu Amei shook her head and sighed, "So, I don't know when he'll be back."
"You really can't get in touch with us? Doesn't the magazine have a contact number?" Han Qingyan still wouldn't give up.
"Aunt Han, why don't you go out and find a public phone booth to make a call?" Gu Amei shook her head: "Even if you call the magazine, it won't work, because Brother Han can't stay at the magazine forever."
Besides, even if he received your call and knew you were in Jinghua City, what could he do?
Do you expect him to drop his important work and rush back immediately?
Aunt Han, Jinghua City is so far from Songhu City, it's very inconvenient for Brother Han to travel back and forth.
This time, please don't force him, okay? Let him finish his work first, and when he gets back, I'll definitely tell him you came to see him.
"Han Wen has been out for over two months, and I haven't been able to see him. I miss him terribly and I'm very worried." Han Qingyan was silent for a long while, then her voice choked with emotion as she said, "I'm so worried about his health, I'm so worried about his life."
"Aunt Han, you don't need to worry about that. Brother Han treats me like his own sister, and I treat him like my own brother."
I'm also from a southwestern province, so I know what he likes to eat. I've taken good care of him, making him plump and healthy.
"And she's happy and cheerful." Gu Amei comforted her, boasting, "Besides, Brother Han has another girlfriend now, in addition to me."
Her name is Zhou Ning, a talented woman from Peking University, the daughter of a high-ranking official, and she's very kind to Brother Han.
This shop belongs to Sister Ning; she's the one who took Brother Han in back then.
"You silly girl, you're just talking nonsense. I know my own son best."
"Han Wen is indeed healthy, but he definitely won't gain weight." Han Qingyan shook her head, feeling somewhat relieved, and asked with surprise and joy, "What did you say? Han Wen has a girlfriend. Is she pretty and kind?"
"Aunt Han, this is Jinghua City. The girls here are bold and generous, much more likable than the gentle and considerate girls you described."
Moreover, my sister-in-law is really beautiful, like a celebrity, and incredibly smart.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to get into Peking University." Gu Amei explained, boasting to Zhou Ning, "She comes to the shop to help out every night after school. If you want to see her, you can wait until evening."
Brother Han went to Shanghai for some business. But your goddaughter and your future daughter-in-law are still here.
Aunt Han, don't be sad or disappointed. Tonight, your future daughter-in-law and I are treating you to dinner.
We're going to the Yanshan Grand Hotel, which is not far away. It's a four-star hotel. Since you've come all this way to Jinghua City, we naturally want to treat you well and entertain you properly.
We're all juniors, so please don't stand on ceremony with us. Otherwise, Brother Han will definitely be angry when he returns from Shanghai.
"He wouldn't dare." Han Qingyan snorted. "If he dares to get angry, or dares to bully you and Zhou Ning, I'll skin him alive."
"Aunt Han, I'll remember what you said. If Ningjie and I are ever bullied by Brother Han in the future, you have to stand up for us." Gu Amei was very happy, knowing that she had done a good job in her task: "Come on, Aunt Han, I'll take you upstairs to rest."
"After you've rested and Ning-jie comes home from school, we'll have a good dinner and then go out for a proper stroll."
Han Qingyan saw that Gu Amei was so young and cute that he never imagined she would lie to him on her son's orders.
Having finally made it to Jinghua City, Han Qingyan naturally wouldn't leave easily.
If I can't see my son, I can still see my goddaughter and future daughter-in-law.
As long as Han Wen is alright, as long as he is well, Han Qingyan can rest assured.
She was truly exhausted after the train journey. She decided to heed Gu Amei's advice, rest for a while, and then take a good look at her future daughter-in-law.
Tomorrow, she will visit her old friends from her time as a sent-down youth, and then she should head back.
She can't go to Shanghai. Firstly, there's not enough time, and secondly, she's too tired to travel there.
Since Han Wen wants to explore the world, let him. As long as he focuses on writing books and working hard to earn money, it's not a bad thing.
Life offers countless choices and possibilities. One doesn't necessarily have to go to university to be successful, nor does one have to become a star to be considered successful.
That's right, she traveled so far this time but still couldn't see her son. She felt sad and regretful.
"Thank you, Xiaomeizi, then I'll trouble you." Han Qingyan nodded.
"No trouble at all, no trouble at all." Gu Amei shook her head vigorously and led Han Qingyan upstairs.
After making arrangements for Han Qingyan, she quickly went downstairs, picked up a pen and paper, wrote down the news of Han Qingyan's arrival, and asked Chu Niannan not to let it leak out, but to quietly deliver it to Han Wen.
At the same time, she wrote down her evening plans on a piece of paper and asked Hanwen for his opinion.
It was afternoon, and Han Wen and Lu Xiangdong were working themselves to the bone behind the counter. They were quite surprised to suddenly see Chu Niannan.
"Sister Nan, this is the busiest time of year for business, what are you doing here?" Han Wen asked, puzzled.
"Han Wen, your mother is here. This is a message from Xiao Meizi to you, take a look." Chu Niannan handed the paper in her hand to Han Wen.
Han Wen knew his mother would definitely come over soon, but he was still stunned when he suddenly heard the news.
If reason hadn't overcome emotion, he probably wouldn't have even looked at the contents of the paper and would have gone straight to Ningning Typing Shop.
"Sister Nan, how is my mother doing?" Han Wen asked while looking at the message Gu Amei sent him.
"Auntie is doing well, but she's very worried about you and misses you a lot," Chu Niannan replied.
After listening to what the other person said, Han Wen was silent for a moment before saying to her, "When you go back, tell Xiao Meizi to take good care of my mother with Sister Ning, and to take care of her like she would her own mother."
"I know." Chu Niannan nodded, somewhat puzzled. "Han Wen, aren't you going to see your mother yourself?"
"I won't go for now, so as not to upset her or make me sad. It'll be hard to handle if things drag on like this."
"I'll go home to see her once this busy period is over." Han Wen thought for a moment and shook his head: "I believe Xiao Meizi and Sister Ning can take good care of her, so I don't need to worry."
"Okay, I understand." Chu Niannan nodded and turned to leave.