chapter 18

On Xu Sixian’s graduation day, he pulled me along to the Old Mountain Spring Residence.

Later, my curiosity about the name got the better of me, and he told me it came from a line of poetry.

A newly planted tree benefits the neighbors, when the rustic returns to the Old Mountain Spring.

I looked up the meaning and found that the philosophy hidden in this verse was: “Trees often take a long time to grow, but by the time they flourish, people may have already grown old.”

I suspected he was teasing me about an older woman dating a younger man, but he said, “You’re the tender grass.”

I replied, “Then you’re the young bull.”

Young Bull Eating Tender Grass.

Later, my dad found out about this too. Since he’s younger than my mom, after he added Xu Sixian to our family group chat, he changed the group name to “Young Bull Eating Tender Grass.”

I found it embarrassing and wanted to leave the group, but in the end, I didn’t.

A jumble of memories flooded my mind. Xu Sixian covered my eyes with his hands, and I caught the rich scent of flowers.

When his palms moved away and I opened my eyes, I saw a tree in front of me, its branches adorned with red ribbons.

Hanging from the ribbons were glass bottles, one after another.

Inside each glass bottle was a different kind of gift.

I couldn’t reach the highest bottle, so he held me up, and I managed to grab it.

The moment I took it down, I sensed something, and when I turned my head, I met a pair of dark, smiling eyes.

Inside the last glass bottle was a ring.

Wasn’t it you who said you’d marry me, wasn’t it you who said you’d be my wife? He simply gazed into my eyes with devotion: “Miss, would you like to have me?”

How could I not want to?

I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him.

The cicadas began to sing, summer had arrived, but spring would never end.

“Did you plant this tree yourself?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“When did you plant it?”

“Not telling you.”

I bit him in annoyance.

But he didn’t dodge or resist, and in the radiant spring, he smiled just like the boy I first met.

“It’s my secret, dear Miss He Lingyue.”

In the Old Mountain Spring Residence, he hid the secret that he loved her long before she loved him.