Farm Tough Girl
Chapter 373 - 373 374 The Blood Oath_1

Chapter 373: Chapter 374: The Blood Oath_1 Chapter 373: Chapter 374: The Blood Oath_1 Qinghe bit her lip, “Xi’er sleeps lightly, and she’ll wake up in a little while. If she doesn’t see me, she’ll cry again, I better stay in the room to take care of the child, and not go out.”

Muniang gave her a sidelong glance, “Do I not know whether Xi’er sleeps lightly or not?”

Qinghe offered a defeated smile, “I really can’t lie to you, how come I can’t hide anything from you.”

Muniang looked at Qinghe’s unusual demeanor and somehow came up with an answer in her heart, “What is really going on with you? The craftsmen are led by Zeng Gang’s team, they are all acquaintances, and Zeng Gang is also Xi’er’s uncle. Why do you seem so reluctant to meet people?”

Muniang deliberately brought up Zeng Gang to observe Qinghe’s reaction carefully.

Indeed, Qinghe’s face became visibly uneasy, stammering, “You—you just take care of them.”

“Do you know that Zeng Gang is interested in you?”

“Ah?” Qinghe was startled, not expecting Muniang to ask such a question suddenly, “How—how—how did you know?”

Muniang smiled, “The whole world knows except you, silly girl.”

Qinghe’s face instantly turned red, “Everyone knows?”

Muniang pulled Qinghe to sit down, “Of course, everyone has eyes to see, except you. You thought you could always be kept in the dark, I didn’t expect you to finally catch on. But how did you find out?”

Qinghe, her head lowered, said, “Yesterday when I was supervising work at Mei Garden, I accidentally cut my hand on a sawtooth, he—he got very anxious.”

Muniang chuckled, “So that’s what happened. I was wondering, when has he ever not been anxious about anything concerning you? Look at this past year, whenever you had trouble, he always rushed over in a hurry, more worried than anyone, constantly visiting our home. And you really thought he came all this way just to see Xi’er, this little carrot top!”

Qinghe glared at Muniang, “You always tease me, why didn’t you tell me before? It’s such a delay for him. Zeng Gang is a good man, with a solid family background. He won’t have trouble finding a suitable girl. Why should he waste his time on me for no reason?”

Muniang was taken aback, “Qinghe, do you not want to consider him at all?”

“Consider what? I’ve already said I’ll never marry again. Now, I just want to take good care of Xi’er and live a peaceful life. I really don’t dare to think about anything else, my whole life’s devotion is already spent.”

“Qinghe, Zeng Gang is not like Qiao Yuanzhen!”

“I know he’s different, but I don’t want to gamble again. The last time was too crushing, and it happened over and over. Now, I just want to live quietly. Besides, Xi’er is ultimately not his child. How can he be as dear to her as her own father? If I remarry, won’t it make Xi’er suffer?”

“Zeng Gang is way more dependable than her real father. Which toy in Xi’er’s room isn’t brought by Zeng Gang? Ask Xi’er yourself if she likes Zeng Gang. She clings to Zeng Gang just as much as she clings to you. Children’s behavior doesn’t lie. How can you not see how good he is to Xi’er?”

Qinghe twisted a handkerchief in her fingers, clearly struggling. Where did she not understand that Zeng Gang was good to Xi’er, good to her? And, upon reflection, she realized that Zeng Gang had truly taken a lot of care of the two of them over the past year. With his great conditions, it would be so simple for him to find a better wife than her, yet he wasted so much time on her for no apparent reason. It was hard not to be moved, but her heart just couldn’t get past that hurdle, and there were so many concerns.

But then there came a knock at the door, and Zeng Gang strode in directly, saying earnestly, “Qinghe, my feelings for you are absolutely sincere. Whether Xi’er is present or not, my attitude remains the same. This year I’ve stayed by your side, and for a lifetime I can do the same. I just want to give you a home, to give Xi’er a home. I will treat Xi’er as my own, and should I ever betray you or treat Xi’er poorly, then may the heavens strike me down with thunder and deny me a peaceful death.”

Not only was Qinghe stunned, but even Muniang was taken aback. This was the true mark of a man of iron and steel!

“I, I… I’m not saying that you aren’t good, I just, just…” Clearly taken by surprise, Qinghe’s words became disordered and incoherent.

Muniang anxiously tugged at her clothes, “Zeng Gang is really a good man, why won’t you trust me? Could I possibly harm you? He’s devoted to you, and you’ve seen what he’s like this past year with your own eyes.”

Qinghe was now feeling utterly conflicted and became anxious, not daring to meet the eyes of either Muniang or Zeng Gang, just keeping her head bowed, unsure of what to say.

“You still don’t trust me?” This time, Zeng Gang clearly laid all his cards on the table. If Qinghe hadn’t noticed his feelings, he might have continued to silently stay by her side, but when he heard outside the door that Qinghe had discovered everything and wanted to distance herself from him, he suddenly couldn’t accept it.

Fearing he would lose the chance to be close to her, he wanted to hold on, to fight for that last shred of hope, because he knew that if he couldn’t succeed this time, he would never have another chance to be close to her again. That barrier had already been broken.

Zeng Gang knelt down without hesitation, drawing a curved knife from his waist and slicing a long cut across his own wrist. Blood gushed out instantly, running down his arm, his eyes resolute as he swore to the heavens, “I, Zeng Gang, hereby vow to do my utmost to care for Li Qinghe and Li Xi’er throughout my life, through sickness and health, youth and old age. As long as I live, I will protect them every day and never betray them. If I break this oath, may the Heavens strike me with lightning and deny me a peaceful death forevermore!”

Qinghe panicked, quickly intervening, “What are you doing? Stand up, don’t hurt yourself. Making such a blood oath is too extreme. You are really…”

But Zeng Gang stubbornly remained on his knees, “Do you trust me or not?”

Seeing the blood continuously flowing from his arm, Qinghe became anxious, “I trust you, I trust you!”

“Then will you marry me?”

Qinghe was taken aback, finding herself in a difficult position.

Zeng Gang raised the knife again, as if to make another cut, “It seems my oath was not solemn enough; you’re afraid that the punishment from the Heavens would be too light on me.”

Frightened, Qinghe’s face turned pale, and she quickly stopped his hand, urgently exclaiming, “I’ll marry you, I’ll marry you!”

Zeng Gang’s eyes immediately brightened, “Really?”

Qinghe’s face flushed with shyness, “But we’ll have to ask my brother’s opinion.”

This clearly indicated her agreement.

Zeng Gang was overjoyed, grinning like a fool. For a whole year, he had never dared to dream of marrying her. Qinghe’s principles were firm, and he felt fortunate enough just to be by her and her child’s side. Now, to actually be marrying Li Qinghe seemed like an unbelievable dream.