"Little Point, hurry and see if they fit. Xiao Xia’s neck is about to snap," Wu Sheng said, leaning against the doorway.
He didn’t keep his voice down, and Wu Xia heard him.
"Cousin," she called out.
Wu Sheng smiled. He put down his luggage and said to Su Li, "When she was first learning to make shoes, she’d practice on me. They were always either too small or too big, which is why she’s so nervous and lacks confidence."
Su Li helped Little Tang Mo into the shoes, and he went PITTER-PATTER over to Wu Xia.
"Auntie, they fit perfectly. Thank you."
Wu Xia’s face turned bright red. "As long as they fit. You don’t have to thank me. Auntie will make more for you in the future."
"Okay," Little Tang Mo nodded vigorously.
Watching this, Su Li suddenly felt a pang of inadequacy. When she and Wu Sheng arrived, they had brought gifts for everyone in the Wu Family, including the busy eldest aunt who had only stayed for a day. But now, she felt that store-bought gifts were too impersonal.
She hadn’t made a single thing with her own hands.
Wu Sheng could tell what Su Li was thinking. "Don’t feel bad. You only need to make things for me. Seeing you make something for me would make them even happier than getting a gift themselves."
Wu Sheng tentatively asked, "Su Li, could you sew me a pair of insoles every year?"
Just thinking about receiving insoles sewn by Su Li made him feel wonderful.
"You haven’t even worn this pair, and you’re already asking for the next?" Su Li said with a sigh.
"I can only bring myself to wear them if you promise to sew me a new pair every year. Otherwise, I’ll have to treasure them as a keepsake. This is a token of our love, you know."
Su Li was speechless. "’Token of love’? Have you no shame?"
Wu Sheng shook his head. "I’m not ashamed. What’s there to be ashamed of? So it’s a deal, Su Li. One pair a year."
Su Li was silent. ’Who made a deal with you?’
"Your silence is consent," Wu Sheng declared, having answered his own question and sealed the deal.
They had brought a fair amount of luggage with them, but they were leaving with even more.
Grandma Wu and his youngest aunt had stuffed their bags with things, and Wu Xia had prepared a bundle as well.
"Cousin, the shoes and insoles I made for Auntie are in here. Make sure she gets them."
The diligent Wu Xia had made a set for Wu Qihua as well.
"Got it. Your aunt will be overjoyed when she gets these. She loves the shoes you make more than anyone else’s."
Wu Sheng took the bag. "Call us often, okay? If you run into any trouble or feel wronged, you can tell me or your aunt. Got it?"
Wu Xia nodded emphatically.
Listening nearby, Su Li suddenly recalled that back at their house, Wu Qihua had been wearing handmade layered-sole cloth shoes.
’They must have been made by the family here,’ she realized.
No matter how much they wished to stay, it was time to leave.
Insisting that the family not see them off any further, Wu Sheng, Su Li, and Little Tang Mo waved goodbye.
Su Li had truly grown to love the small, fence-enclosed courtyard and was sad to leave it behind.
They pulled themselves together and walked to the lake’s edge. Just as they were about to bid a final farewell to Wu Family Village, Wu Dong suddenly came running after them.
"Cousin, you left something behind!"
After Wu Sheng and his family left, Grandma Wu and the others checked the rooms to see if they had forgotten anything. Sure enough, they found something of Wu Sheng’s and sent Wu Dong to return it.
"Cousin, is this outfit yours? Why is it so ragged?"
Wu Sheng tried to stop him, but it was too late.
Staring at the clothes in Wu Dong’s hands, Su Li found them strangely familiar.
"I was throwing those away. Why’d you bring them down here?"
Quick as a flash, Wu Sheng snatched the clothes and rolled them up. "Hurry back now. Let me know when your acceptance letter arrives. If you come to the capital early, your cousin will show you around."
Wu Dong nodded eagerly. "Okay!"
After Wu Dong headed back, Wu Sheng moved to throw the clothes away, but Su Li stopped him.
Su Li looked at the clothes again and finally understood why they looked so familiar.
’These look like the clothes that homeless man in town was wearing.’
Recalling the two times Wu Sheng’s face and eyes had been red, Su Li suddenly understood everything.
"Those two times... was that you, dressed up like that?"
Seeing that he couldn’t hide it any longer, Wu Sheng sighed in resignation. "Er... what are you talking about?"
’Running into a homeless man on both trips to town... what were the odds? And each time, Wu Sheng happened to be absent. It was just too unlikely.’
So, the "homeless man" on both occasions had indeed been Wu Sheng in disguise.
It was a decision he had made after careful deliberation. For Su Li to overcome her trauma, she had to confront a homeless person.
A real homeless person would be too unpredictable; he could never risk letting one near Su Li.
He couldn’t ask anyone else to play the part. Besides the fact that he couldn’t let a stranger be subjected to a pepper spray attack, Wu Sheng simply didn’t trust anyone else. He could only be at ease if he did it himself.
To achieve his goal, Wu Sheng had endured the full force of the pepper spray. The pain, needless to say, was excruciating.
The second time, Su Li had kicked out. If he hadn’t reacted quickly enough to block the blow, he might have been crippled...
Wu Sheng’s efforts were painstaking, and the suffering he endured was immense. But thankfully... it had worked. Su Li was finally moving past her trauma.
Now that the truth was out, Wu Sheng wanted to deny it. He was afraid it would undermine the positive effect, and he didn’t want Su Li to feel guilty or heartbroken.
But Su Li was already certain. Denial was pointless.
"Are you an idiot...?" Su Li fought desperately to hold back her tears. "That must have hurt so much... you..."
Wu Sheng put down his luggage. "I’m fine, Su Li. It didn’t hurt that much. It was just for a second. Really, I was prepared."
He shot a look at Little Tang Mo. The boy assessed the situation and walked a short distance ahead.
Su Li clutched the hem of Wu Sheng’s shirt. She wanted to speak, but the words wouldn’t come.
She was afraid her voice would break into a sob the moment she tried.
"Su Li, as long as you’re okay now, that little bit of pain was nothing. Really."
Wu Sheng looked earnestly into Su Li’s eyes. "So please, don’t dwell on it, okay?"
He had been so afraid that if Su Li found out he was the one in disguise, it would ruin all the progress she’d made.
Su Li could see his worry as clear as day.
’He really is a silly fool,’ she thought, ’to be worried about that at a time like this. After everything he’s done, how could it possibly have a negative effect? A wound in the heart must be healed by the heart. She had now seen the full extent of Wu Sheng’s devotion; how could her wound not heal?’
Su Li threw her arms around Wu Sheng, hugging him tightly.
No words could express the sheer shock and emotion flooding her heart.
’In this life, how incredibly lucky she was to have met Wu Sheng.’
"Wu Sheng, when we get old, let’s retire here. And I’ll sew you a new pair of insoles every single year..."
’Oh, Wu Sheng,’ she thought, ’we have to grow old together in this life. Together for a lifetime, until our hair turns white. A peaceful life, filled with gentle smiles.’
Wu Sheng looked down at the top of Su Li’s head and replied with solemn gravity, "Okay."
He reached down, found Su Li’s hand, and intertwined his fingers with hers.
He wanted to say, ’In this life, Su Li, I will never let you down,’ but the words remained unspoken.
At this moment, silence spoke louder than words. He understood her thoughts.
And he knew she understood his, too.
A short distance away, Little Tang Mo kept glancing back at them. Finally, he couldn’t resist letting out a small cough.
Su Li heard him and finally let go of Wu Sheng.
"Looks like Little Point is getting jealous again."
Wu Sheng laughed.
Su Li’s face flushed crimson.
In a rush of emotion, she had hugged Wu Sheng in plain sight, right in front of Little Tang Mo, and said all those things.
"Let’s go." Wu Sheng patted Su Li’s head, then bent down to pick up their luggage.
In the instant he bent down, Su Li, her face still crimson, suddenly gave him a lightning-fast peck.
Not on the cheek, but right on the lips.