jdhmnovel Chapter 218 Tieniu's Farewell (Part )
Chapter 218 Tieniu's Farewell (Part )
Wang Tieniu smiled and shook his head. There didn't seem to be any embarrassment on his face, but more like a sense of relief.
"Miss Taoyao, I'm not afraid of you laughing at me. Actually, I fell in love with you the first time I saw you... I know you're so beautiful, so kind, and so capable. I'm just a lousy farmer, so I'm not worthy of you... I'm telling you all this today just to clear up a regret in my heart. Thank you, I feel much better now that I've said it."
Tao Yao's heart moved, and she asked, "Regret...? Brother Tieniu, what does this mean?"
Wang Tieniu gently grabbed Tao Yao's sleeve and pulled her aside, away from the window. Then he raised a finger and pressed it to his lips, making a gesture of silence.
"Shh—Miss Taoyao, I'm actually planning to leave Qingshui Town. Please don't tell my mother about this."
Tao Yao was somewhat shocked and puzzled. Life in Qingshui Town was peaceful and happy. Besides, Wang Tieniu had his own melon field and family in the town. Why did he have to leave Qingshui Town and venture out?
Although puzzled, Tao Yao finally refrained from asking the questions in her heart. With a warm smile on her face, she softly asked, "Really? Brother Tieniu, have you thought about it?"
Wang Tieniu smiled resolutely and nodded, "Yeah. I've thought it through."
Tao Yao smiled and said, "So what are you planning to do outside? Doing business all over the country, or something else?"
"I want to join the army." Wang Tieniu said firmly with a firm look in his eyes.
"Join the army?!"
Tao Yao repeated these two words in disbelief.
"The world is tough these days. Not to mention the struggles faced by ordinary people trying to make a living, let alone those fighting at the border... If you want to join the army, you'll be guarding the border, going to the battlefield, and shedding blood!"
Tao Yao listed the pros and cons to him - Wang Tieniu had lived in a small town for half his life and might not know what it meant to go out and join the army.
Aunt Wang is the person who most wants her son to live a good life. Tao Yao couldn't imagine what would happen if Aunt Wang knew that Wang Tieniu was determined to go out and join the army without her knowledge and take risks.
"Brother Tieniu, Aunt Wang won't agree." Tao Yao said seriously.
"I know! That's why I asked you not to tell my mother!" Wang Tieniu interrupted her, "Miss Taoyao, I've spent half my life in Qingshui Town. Lately, I've been feeling more and more that the first half of my life has been boring and uninteresting. I have no idea what the outside world is like, and I want to go see it."
Tao Yao's heart moved. She pulled Wang Tieniu's sleeve and gently advised, "It's fine if you want to go and have a look, but you can also try another way, such as horse racing or doing business, or something else... It's better than joining the army and fighting. You should always... always consider your mother."
Wang Tieniu's expression shifted, his eyes gleaming with an indescribable brilliance. His voice suddenly grew hoarse. "Miss Taoyao, I've actually thought about everything you've said... That's why I came here today to ask if you're willing to marry me. If you're willing to marry me, I'll stay in Qingshui Town. If not, I don't have any attachment to this town anymore. I'd like to explore the world."
Hearing him say this, Tao Yao couldn't help but sigh, knowing that he was determined to leave.
"Your mother, don't you miss her too?"
Tao Yao couldn't help but look back at the window. Aunt Wang was carefully grinding fresh flowers and didn't notice her son coming at all.
Aunt Wang was already old, her hair graying and wrinkles forming around her eyes. She hadn't dreamed of much in life, and unlike other mothers, she hadn't pushed her son to take the imperial examinations or risk his life in a business trip. She simply raised her son to be plump and healthy, and let him live a peaceful life guarding the family's ancestral melon field.
She was just an ordinary woman. Tao Yao once envied her because she had a happy family and could meet with her relatives and friends every day.
This is the perfect life model that Tao Yao has always wanted but never got.
But now, this perfect model of life is finally falling apart under Tao Yao's own eyes.
Unexpectedly, Wang Tieniu just smiled easily, seemingly not worried about his old mother at all. He said calmly, "My mother and my father are still here. I'm not completely helpless. I'm still young and should choose my own path in the future. The world outside is so vast. I shouldn't be trapped in Qingshui Town forever."
Wang Tieniu paused and looked up at the sky. The sky was clear and the air was fresh. Golden sunlight filtered through the clouds, like straight strands of silk, falling straight down from the sky to the earth.
The world is vast, life is vast, and we should not be confined to a small piece of land.
"I've thought about it. Business isn't for me. I don't have the brains for it. I'm physically strong and mentally simple, so martial arts are the best fit for me. I also want to defend my country. There are wars everywhere these days, and I want to contribute to the Great Chu. When my mother finds out, she'll be proud of me."
Tao Yao followed Wang Tieniu's gaze and also looked at the vast sky, sighing: "Brother Tieniu, you are right. Now that you have made up your mind, then just go for it. I wish you..."
Tao Yao wanted to say, "I wish you all your dreams come true," but then she felt that wasn't right, so she changed her words and said, "Brother Tie Niu, I wish you become a hero soon."
Wang Tieniu's eyes lit up, and he looked at Tao Yao gratefully and said, "Thank you, I will definitely do that."
After a while, Wang Tieniu said shyly, "Miss Taoyao, I've only told you about this because I'm afraid if I tell anyone else, they'll think I'm crazy, that I'm daydreaming and that I'm going to suffer so much when I have such a good life in Qingshui Town. I know you'll understand me and that you'll definitely support me."
Tao Yao laughed: "Why do you think I will support you? Didn't I just advise you not to join the army?"
Wang Tieniu shook his head and said, "It's different. If it were anyone else, they would just think I was crazy. But you stand in my shoes and give me advice, giving me sincere suggestions."
He paused, rubbed his head, and smiled, "Although I'm a bit stupid, I've lived for thirty years after all. I shouldn't be so incapable of judging people."
Tao Yao raised the corner of her mouth and said, "Thank you, Brother Tieniu."
Wang Tieniu's expression shifted, as if he realized something, and he quickly said, "Miss Taoyao, when I really become a hero in the future, will we meet again?"
"We will meet if we are destined."
Tao Yao raised her face, and just then a fresh, green, soft willow branch brushed across her face. Her smile was brighter than that of spring, and full of luxuriant light.
Wang Tieniu engraved this smile in his heart and decided not to forget it for the rest of his life - when they meet again next time, he will look at her again and see such a smile on her face again.