Hearing the familiar voice, Lin Mu’ai stopped walking and turned around. The mont she saw Han Jinhe, she smiled and greeted him, "Comrade Han, what a coincidence."
Han Jinhe stood two steps away from her and asked, "Teacher Lin, where are you going?"
"I’m going to visit my student, Liu Fuyan," Lin Mu’ai replied as she glanced at Han Jinhe’s bucket of at. After a mont of pause, she asked, "Comrade Han, are you heading back?"
Han Jinhe nodded and said, "My house is up ahead."
Lin Mu’ai nodded and said, "I see."
After a brief conversation, the two of them ended up in awkward silence. While they knew each other, they were not familiar, so they didn’t have many topics to discuss.
After a long silence, Lin Mu’ai said, "Then, I will be going. Comrade Han, you—"
Before she finished her words, Han Jinhe interrupted her, "Teacher Lin, are you good at cooking?"
Lin Mu’ai was taken aback by his sudden question and took a mont to reply, "I can cook so ho dishes, but compared to others, my skill is only average."
When Han Jinhe heard this, his eyes lit up as he asked again, "Teacher Lin, I have a favor to ask you. Can you help prepare this at and the bones? I don’t know how to cook, and it would be a waste of ingredients if I tried."
After hearing this, Lin Mu’ai was stunned. After a long pause, she finally said, "Comrade Han, I don’t mind helping you. But if I cook for you, people will gossip, and it might harm your reputation."
Han Jinhe thought about the rumors he heard about An Xuyuan and Zhang Yulan. After a mont, he said dejectedly, "Then, what should I do with this?"
Seeing his deep frown, Lin Mu’ai felt soft-hearted. This person was a very good man. He was kind, gentle, and generous. She had also received his kindness several tis before. Now that she had a chance to repay him, she shouldn’t overthink it.
After thinking for a mont, she said, "I will help you cook, but I can’t send the al to your workplace. You have to co get it from my house every morning."
As soon as he heard this, Han Jinhe’s eyes lit up and he nodded repeatedly. "No problem at all. Teacher Lin, you can have half of the at as paynt for your labor."
Shaking her head, Lin Mu’ai replied, "There is no need for that. You’ve helped several tis before. I’m just returning the favor."
Since they had an agreent, Han Jinhe reached out and took the bucket of at from Lin Mu’ai’s hands while saying, "Let’s go. I will walk you back."
This ti, Lin Mu’ai didn’t refuse and walked with him to the Liu family’s house. When they arrived, the sun had already started to set in the western horizon.
The gate of the Liu family’s house was unlocked, so the two of them entered the yard and saw Liu Pan and Liu Fuyan cleaning at.
Seeing her arrive, Liu Fuyan was happy and greeted her, "Teacher Lin, what brings you here?"
Lin Mu’ai walked over and replied, "Teacher ca to bring you so at. Didn’t I promise that if you placed in the top three in your grade, I would give you two kilograms of at?"
Liu Fuyan recalled the promise, smiled, and said, "Thank you, Teacher Lin."
Lin Mu’ai patted her head gently before taking out so at from her bucket and placing it into the basin. After she finished, she said, "It’s getting late, so Teacher won’t stay long."
Liu Fuyan glanced at her father and saw him continue cleaning the at without raising his head. Seeing this, she let out a sigh and said, "Okay. Be careful on the road, Teacher."
"Okay."
After giving the at, Lin Mu’ai left the Liu family’s house with Han Jinhe.
As they walked out of the yard, Liu Pan finally raised his head and looked in their direction. Seeing the two of them chatting and smiling, he let out a sigh but said nothing.
Although he had a good impression of Lin Mu’ai and might even be moved by her care and considerate gestures, she was soone with a bright future. He understood his own position and capability.
Not to ntion their age gap, as soone who had been married before, he felt he had no qualification to stand by her side. What’s more, with his previous failed marriage, he had no confidence that he could give her the happiness she deserved. She deserves soone better, and that person wasn’t him.
Noticing her father’s long sigh, Liu Fuyan hesitated for a long ti before she asked, "Father, don’t you like Teacher Lin?"
Liu Pan was taken aback by his daughter’s words, but after a mont he let out a chuckle and replied, "Teacher Lin is a very good person. Everyone would like her."
Liu Fuyan stared at her father’s eyes for a long ti and didn’t see any romantic feelings when he talked about Lin Mu’ai. Since her father had no feelings for her teacher, she wouldn’t force it.
Reaching this conclusion, she stopped talking and continued cleaning the at. As for Liu Pan, his feelings toward Lin Mu’ai were just starting to bud.
So after making up his mind, he stopped dwelling on the matter. The newly budded feeling was nipped off before it even had the chance to bloom.
anwhile, Han Jinhe was stealing glances at Lin Mu’ai as they walked. Ten minutes later, Lin Mu’ai finally felt uncomfortable and couldn’t help but ask, "Comrade Han, if you have anything you want to ask, just ask."
Being caught red-handed peeking, Han Jinhe let out a cough to cover his embarrassnt. After a mont, he finally asked, "Teacher Lin, do you no longer like Comrade Liu Pan?"
Startled by his words, Lin Mu’ai asked, "Comrade Han, what made you think I liked him in the first place?"
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