Persuasion

A few idle words: My Sanjiang recommendation was rejected, and it looked like my contract was about to be rejected too. I felt terribly indignant, so I went to look at the works they recommended. The first one I saw was "The Tale of Xu Xian." Sigh... I was ashamed of my own inadequacy and had nothing to say. I should learn from Xu Xian and pay tribute to Xu Xian!

Then I looked at several of the heavily promoted xianxia novels. Damn... I did not feel they were all that much better than mine, haha.

My Xiaohua did not have a chivalrous father, so he could not have the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan travel all the way into the desert to teach him martial arts like Guo Jing.

My Xiaohua had a happy family. I did not want his entire household exterminated, leaving him psychologically twisted like Zhang Xiaofan.

My Xiaohua did not have a third uncle working away from home to give him the chance to be recommended to the Seven Mysteries Sect like Han Li.

My Xiaohua was just like everyone else—very ordinary, with a happy family. He would not lightly abandon his home and livelihood merely to cultivate, nor would he make his entire family suffer separation, ruin, and death for his own sake. How could there be so many miraculous encounters in this world? And how could people be born clever by nature?

The moment characters appeared, miraculous encounters came one after another. Cultivating immortality, cultivating the Dao—it was certainly thrilling to read, but it seemed as though everything had become a single formula. The Qidian formula? The webnovel formula?

Who knew?

Perhaps my writing truly was no good? In any case, I was far inferior to Xu Xian.

Everything above was pure nonsense. This would be the only time; I would not repeat it. And I did not mean to disparage anyone else or any other work. ^_^

Special thanks to the friends reading this book. Thank you, hehe. The splint on Zhang Xiaolong's arm had already been removed, though it was still secured with strips of cloth and the like, held before his chest. His other hand hung naturally at his side. He stood not far behind Liu Qian, watching the touching scene of Mr. Liu and his daughter reuniting. His relationship with his own father and mother had always been very good, yet he had never experienced separation, so naturally he did not know its taste. Now, seeing the actions of the woman he loved, he felt happy for her as well, and he also knew that his decision this time had probably been the right one.

Zhang Xiaohu stood beside Zhang Xiaolong, still carrying that bottle of water in his hand, but his eyes roamed about the courtyard as though searching for someone.

Mr. Liu lovingly stroked his daughter's hair. His gaze passed over Liu Qian's head and fell upon Zhang Xiaolong and Zhang Xiaohu. He smiled and nodded at them, then moved his hand away from his daughter's head and gave them a slight wave in apology. Zhang Xiaolong and Zhang Xiaohu naturally nodded in return and waited at the side.

When Liu the Butcher saw Liu Qian return and Mr. Liu go forward to greet her, he did not get up and simply continued drinking his little cup of wine. Only after he had finished it did he notice the two brothers standing at the door. He rose with a hearty smile and said, "I was wondering who had brought Qianqian back. So it was our two great heroes! Come, hurry inside and have a couple of drinks with your uncle."

Zhang Xiaolong and Zhang Xiaohu smiled and walked toward the square table beneath the eaves.

Liu Qian, who was still clinging affectionately to her father, heard the words "drinking wine" and raised her head. She said to Liu the Butcher, "Second Uncle, Xiaolong's injury has not fully healed yet. He cannot drink for now. If you want someone to drink with, find Xiaohu."

Liu the Butcher said loudly, "You little girl, your elbow is already turning outward!"

"Second Uncle~" Liu Qian said coyly.

"Fine, fine, stop calling me. I know already. You hardly ever call me Second Uncle on ordinary days anyway."

Mr. Liu studied this young Agriculturalist walking toward him with an inscrutable expression. He was still plain-looking, but his youthful face was brimming with vitality. He did not seem to have the timid, submissive air found in other Agriculturalists, nor did he possess Zhang Cai's cautiousness. His eyes seemed bright. His clothes were old and worn, yet washed spotlessly clean, fitting him quite well. His steps were steady too, each one leaving a firm imprint, making others feel at ease just watching him. Mr. Liu naturally knew why Liu Qian had brought Zhang Xiaolong back. Though he strongly disapproved of this marriage, he genuinely admired Zhang Xiaolong himself.

By then, Zhang Xiaolong and Zhang Xiaohu had arrived before Mr. Liu. They respectfully saluted him. This time, Mr. Liu did not stand much on ceremony, merely returning the gesture before saying, "You have traveled a long way and must be tired. It is already getting late, and it is no longer possible to return to Guo Village today. Stay here for the night. Go keep my second brother company first. Once Qianqian and I finish talking, I will join you."

After the brothers agreed, they went beneath the eaves, each picked up a stool, and sat down to chat with Liu the Butcher. Mr. Liu said to Liu Qian, "Qianqian, let us go speak in the study."

Liu Qian released the arm she had wrapped around her father's and said, "Father, go ahead first. I'll make you some tea. Xiaolong and I specially brought this from Guo Village. You've been wanting to drink it, haven't you?"

Mr. Liu said nothing. He merely shook his head helplessly, smiled, and returned to the study first.

Liu Qian walked beneath the eaves and took the bottle of water from beside Zhang Xiaohu. She glanced at Zhang Xiaolong and said, "Keep Second Uncle company first. I'll go boil some water in the kitchen and make you a few side dishes and snacks while I'm at it. You've been walking all afternoon, so you must be hungry too."

When Liu Qian reached the kitchen, she put the well water over the fire to boil. While waiting for it to boil, she looked around the empty kitchen and used whatever ingredients were available to make two simple dishes. There was no way to make pastries; only a few leftover flatbreads remained. She brought them out with the dishes to fill the brothers' stomachs. Liu the Butcher happily drank his wine with the food and even poured Zhang Xiaohu a cup from time to time. He truly did not press Zhang Xiaolong to drink.

Before long, the water boiled. Liu Qian carefully brewed the tea, then carried the tea set and water toward the study. Before entering, she turned back to glance at Zhang Xiaolong. Their eyes met. Liu Qian nodded, her gaze filled with certainty, before turning back and entering the study.

Mr. Liu was absentmindedly reading a casual book in the study. When he saw Liu Qian enter, he set it down, sniffed, and said, "This water from Guo Village truly is different. Once tea is brewed with it, the fragrance fills the air. Rare indeed."

Liu Qian placed a teacup before her father and watched as he inhaled the tea's fragrance, sipped it mouthful by mouthful, then closed his eyes to savor the aftertaste. She did not speak.

Only after Mr. Liu had drunk for a while did she ask, "Father, how is this tea?"

Mr. Liu said, "Alas, this tea is naturally much better than what I drink on ordinary days, but it is still not as rich and mellow as the tea I drank in Guo Village last time. It must have been stored too long. Fresh water is better."

After that, Liu Qian asked no further questions, while Mr. Liu focused solely on savoring his tea without speaking.

The two sat facing each other for a while. Mr. Liu thought for a moment, smiled, and spoke first. "Qianqian, you hurried back this time. Is there something you wish to tell Father?"

Liu Qian blushed and said, "Father, you know perfectly well and yet you ask. If I had not come back, wouldn't you have gone to fetch me in a few days?"

Mr. Liu sighed, set his teacup on the table, and said, "Qianqian, from childhood until now, Father has always let you have your way and rarely interfered in your affairs. This time, Father did not listen to you. You should understand Father's painstaking intentions, shouldn't you?"

Liu Qian thought for a moment and said, "I suppose Father feared that I would suffer after marrying into the Zhang family, working in the fields every day. You were also afraid Zhang Xiaolong would be a crude country man, and that my life afterward would not be as pleasant as it was at home?"

Mr. Liu nodded. "Living a life together is not one person's affair, but two people's life. If one likes reading while the other hopes to farm, then the direction of their lives forks apart. Their days will naturally become dull, and they will not last long. Besides, the Zhang family is very poor. After spending this time there, you should know that it was not as comfortable as living in Baligou."

Liu Qian nodded as well. "Father, everything you said is correct. I have considered all of it. I even spoke to Zhang Xiaolong's mother about it. What she said was much the same as you—she also hoped I would think it through carefully."

Mr. Liu asked in surprise, "She truly said that?"

"Of course she did. I never expected Auntie to be merely a rural woman who did not know many characters, yet be so understanding and reasonable."

Mr. Liu sighed. "That truly is rare. No wonder she was able to raise such a broad-minded child."

Then Mr. Liu continued, "Actually, these are things you cannot yet understand. They are merely the experiences we who have walked this road offer you. With your temperament, even if I told you, it might not do any good. Only after you hit a wall yourself will you understand Father's painstaking intentions. But though your mother's matter happened long ago, it still remains vivid before my eyes. If I had possessed the ability, I would not have let your mother suffer and leave us so early. Therefore, I do not want your mother's tragedy to happen to you again."

Liu Qian was naturally confident and continued, "Father, perhaps you are being too stubborn about this. If you had possessed that ability, would you still have been the person you are now? Could Mother have been happy with you? If she had not been happy, what value would there have been in living a lifetime? Yet Mother respected you and loved you. Though she was with you for only a short dozen or so years, the happiness she gained was something others could not obtain in an entire lifetime. Tell me, which would she have chosen?"

Liu Qian continued, "Father, I have always believed that the fate of one's life has already been arranged. Whether you are sorrowful or happy, it is still a kind of life. A person's life is a trajectory, and when all kinds of trajectories intertwine, they become life as a whole. Mother's trajectory was destined to include you, and yours was destined to include the happiness you shared with Mother. You have always blamed Mother's death on your own lack of ability, believing you could not take good enough care of her, but that was not so. From the instant Mother met you, the life of our family had already come into being. Mother's happiness and ending had long been destined. Any change would have been futile. If Father had been obsessed with officialdom back then, you would naturally have neglected Mother. She might not have left us so early, but would she have lived happily?"

Seeing Mr. Liu sink into thought, Liu Qian continued, "Actually, I have also been considering my meeting with Zhang Xiaolong. I told Yueyue before that from the instant I met Zhang Xiaolong in the fabric shop, our trajectories had intertwined. Father surely knows about everything that happened afterward, so I need not explain it in detail. I can only use the two words 'fated affinity' to describe what lies between Xiaolong and me. And there is one crucial matter that Father may not know about."

Mr. Liu was startled. "What is it?"

Liu Qian said mysteriously, "Father, don't you think the water in Guo Village is especially delicious?"

Mr. Liu said, "Yes. So what?"

Then Liu Qian told Mr. Liu about Grandmother falling ill and going to Lu Town for treatment. Mr. Liu was clearly astonished and asked, "Can you confirm that it was the effect of this well water?"

"Of course. Just look at Zhang Xiaolong's arm. Have you ever seen someone whose arm bones were completely broken recover so quickly in barely a month? Besides, when Yueyue came to see me last time, she said my skin was obviously much better than before. I can feel that myself now."

Mr. Liu frowned and did not question her further. Liu Qian continued, "Father, think about it. This well water is an invaluable treasure. Your health has always been weak, and ever since Mother passed away, you have never truly recovered. Letting you regain your health has always been my wish. Now that we have this well water, even living to a hundred is no longer some extravagant dream. This well water was unearthed when the Zhang family dug their well; it belongs to the Zhang family. Don't you think this is another opportunity Heaven has given Xiaolong and me?"

"And besides, Eldest Brother still has not married, and who knows whether my future sister-in-law will be virtuous? If I marry into the Zhang family and you move to Guo Village as well, then on one hand I can care for you, Father, and on the other, you can enjoy Heaven's gift. Wouldn't that kill two birds with one stone? Wouldn't it resolve every concern in my heart?"