Forced into a romantic relationship

After leaving the school, Han Zhou did not rush back to the hospital, but planned to go back to the hotel first to let Uncle Xia know that he was safe.

He didn't come home last night, and Uncle Xia must be worried sick. If he doesn't see him again, he might call the police. He can't show his ID right now, and it would be troublesome if he ran into the police.

As for the cleaning duty issue that Xiao Wang Leng Qiu was worried about, he planned to go to the school again in the afternoon to buy some candy for the children in the class, which would also help the girl become more popular.

Watching the pedestrians hurrying by with umbrellas on both sides of the street, and the breakfast stalls that had to set up their stalls under the eaves even in the pouring rain, he realized once again the importance of finding a way to make some money as soon as possible.

After all, buying candy costs money.

Moreover, he absolutely cannot continue like this, where even registering for an appointment requires Xiao Wang Lengqiu's money to cover the costs.

So embarrassing.

"Without money, you can't move an inch; this statement is a stark truth in any era..."

Han Zhou smiled bitterly to himself as he trudged along the muddy road.

People are probably like this: when you're alone, being poor doesn't matter. He's had his share of times when he was sick and could only afford instant noodles. But once someone comes into your life, especially someone important, money suddenly becomes important.

Then the question comes-

What is a simple and efficient way to make money quickly without spending time or effort?

Of course there are.

robbery.

Han Zhou certainly didn't intend to do anything illegal or criminal, but he suddenly thought of the commission to "kidnap" Xiao Yixia next Friday. Although she was still young, the child was already a little rich girl, so the hiring fee must not be cheap.
However, even if it's not cheap, it's next Friday. It's too late to solve the immediate problem. Before that, he needs to think of another way to make money.

What? We're all so familiar with each other, how could he still have the nerve to take money from Xiao Yixia?
Hmph, how dare they spend money to hire someone to kidnap me? How can I not teach this guy a lesson?
He not only had to collect the money, but he also had to give that guy a good scare.

With these thoughts in mind, Han Zhou arrived at the restaurant entrance.

"came back?"

Before he could even enter the room, Uncle Xia hurriedly came out of the kitchen. Seeing that the child was in a sorry state but unharmed, his tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Xia, I made you worry." Han Zhou said apologetically.

"Don't mention it, come in and sit down, I'll get you a towel."

Uncle Xia led him into the shop, found a clean towel in the kitchen, and also took out a few steamed buns, obviously worried that he hadn't eaten.

"Uncle Xia, I've already eaten."

"We can eat it again if we've already eaten it. Anyway, with this weather, we probably won't have many customers today, so keeping it would be a waste."

Uncle Xia brought over a pot of tea and sat down beside him.

"Thank you, Uncle Xia."

Han Zhou didn't mince words. The weakness he felt from traveling through time hadn't completely subsided, and eating more would help him recover, so he picked up a steamed bun and started eating.

Uncle Xia didn't say anything to disturb him, silently poured him a cup of tea, and after a while, he couldn't help but ask, "Xiao Han, last night..."

Han Zhou knew what he wanted to ask, so he smiled and replied, "I stayed at a friend's house for one night."

"At a friend's house..."

Uncle Xia was taken aback at first, then his face lit up with joy. "Is this the friend you mentioned before?"

That friend with a child… he thought to himself.

"Ah."

"Have you reconciled?"

"That's it."

Han Zhou nodded. He and Xiao Wang Leng Qiu had only just met, and their feelings and future were naturally incomparable. So, it could be considered a "reconciliation" or a reconciliation for the time being.

"It's good that you've made up, it's good that you've made up."

Uncle Xia breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried that the child might commit suicide because of his relationship, but now that the biggest problem had been solved, there was nothing to worry about.

However, there were still a few things he couldn't understand. For example, since his friend already had a child, how could she allow a man to live in her house? Was she already divorced?
Hmm... come to think of it, if they hadn't divorced, the child probably wouldn't have gone all that way to see her.

Although he was somewhat gossipy, Uncle Xia knew very well that young people's relationships were not something an old man like him could judge, so he didn't ask any more questions, but simply asked curiously, "So, are you planning to stay at that friend's house from now on?"

"will not."

Han Zhou shook his head. "I'll only stay here for a month at most before leaving."

"That's it."

Uncle Xia expressed his understanding. In a small place like this, those who are willing to stay are either children who have never seen the world or old people like him who have been rooted here since childhood. Even the local young people keep leaving, let alone an outsider.

"then you……"

After hesitating for a moment, he tentatively asked, "Then will you take your friend away?"

Han Zhou was stunned for a moment, then gave a bitter smile: "I can't take her with me."

That expression suggests she's facing some kind of trouble...

Despite repeatedly telling himself not to be too gossipy, Uncle Xia couldn't help but ask, "Is...is it a problem with your family?"

No, it's my problem.

Han Zhou picked up the teacup on the table. "We'll be apart for a long time before we can meet again."

He could tell that the man seemed to have misunderstood something, but he figured it was impossible for him to connect it to time travel, so he decided to be as honest as possible and satisfy the man's curiosity.

And perhaps apart from this uncle, he will never tell anyone about this experience again, including Guzheng and Yixia.

unless……

No, there's nothing good unless it's good.

Seeing that Han Zhou didn't seem to shy away from discussing this topic, Uncle Xia grew bolder and continued to ask, "A long time refers to..."

Han Zhou looked down at the tea in his hand, his eyes obscured by the rising steam, his tone devoid of emotion: "Probably several years, maybe ten." "That long?"

Uncle Xia was taken aback for a moment, thinking that the child must be joking, so he simply joined in the teasing, "Ten years, aren't you afraid that your friend won't wait for you anymore?"

Han Zhou paused for a moment, then chuckled and said, "I do hope she won't wait for me anymore."

"What are you talking about?"

Uncle Xia glared at him, feigning annoyance, and said with a laugh, "If someone is really willing to wait for you for ten years, then you should come back and take her away no matter what. That's what makes a man."

The downpour outside had suddenly become violent, with raindrops slanting down and banging against the roller shutter door.

Amidst a sound that seemed to engulf the world, Han Zhou shook his head.

"But we met too late."

If he hadn't met Guzheng and Yixia first, but instead met Senior Wang Lengqiu first, perhaps he would have fallen for her?
As Uncle Xia said, no one can take a nearly ten-year wait for granted, and the feelings that remain passionate despite the long time that has passed can touch the hearts of almost anyone.

He is also included.

So much so that when he crossed time and space and looked into the eyes of Xiao Wang Leng Qiu as if across the river of time, he immediately had the thought of running away.

He didn't want to repeat the same mistakes and was worried about forging another tragic fate, but these were just excuses. He was simply afraid to face the girl.

He was afraid that if he got too close, he might actually fall in love with the girl.

Even though she is only twelve years old now.

Even if they can only spend a month together at most.

After all, it had only taken him a few months to fall for Yixia when she was a student, and he really wasn't confident in his self-control.

So he was as careful as possible, even hesitating for a long time before sharing a simple soy milk.

In short, everything in this world should follow a first-come, first-served principle, and relationships are no exception—well, perhaps Yixia doesn't quite agree, but she definitely doesn't approve of a scumbag getting involved with a third party.

Thinking of this, Han Zhou let out a slight breath, but just then, Uncle Xia's puzzled voice suddenly rang in his ears.

"It's too late to say anything... Didn't you two know each other a long time ago?"

In Uncle Xia's opinion, this child must have known that friend for a long time, but due to their age difference, or perhaps other factors, they had to separate for a long time, to the point that the latter even had a child.

This is exactly the sadomasochistic love story that this middle-aged man imagined.

Thinking about it carefully, it really is a tragic love story, and it doesn't seem very pleasant either, but if these two people truly love each other...

After a moment's consideration, Uncle Xia said in a somewhat uncertain tone, "If I had to say, you were just a little late in reuniting."

Han Zhou was stunned.

Rain pounded against the roller shutter, making a dense knocking sound, like countless tiny fingertips questioning something. His gaze pierced through the dense rain curtain, but he saw only a chaotic grayness and a blinding clap of thunder that ripped across the sky.

It's just that the reunion came a little late...

These words echoed in the intervals between thunderclaps, seeping into his very bones along with the sound of rain.

In a sense, Uncle Xia might actually be right.

From a temporal perspective, he and Wang Lengqiu had already met nine years ago, a meeting that occurred much earlier than anyone else's.

As for that seemingly belated encounter nine years later, it was nothing more than a long and belated reunion.

Even though he knew he couldn't calculate it that way, Han Zhou still felt a few seconds of disorientation, and for some reason, his heart felt like it had been violently clenched.

Seeing that the rain was getting heavier, Uncle Xia got up and closed the restaurant door, so he didn't notice Han Zhou's strange behavior. He just smiled and said, "But speaking of which, you must have become a mature and reliable adult in ten years."

Han Zhou snapped out of his daze, shook his head and chuckled, "That's not necessarily true. I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to mature in a short period of time."

Ten years from now, he'll only be a year older than he is now, and he certainly won't be much more mature. He'll probably still be living a life of bickering with Guzheng all day and outwitting Yixia. Occasionally, he'll go to Sister Yin's and Senior Sister's houses for meals, run errands for Teacher Ouyang, and go to the square with Senior Sister Wang Lengqiu to feed the animals...

"You silly child, ten years is too short?"

Uncle Xia's voice pulled him back from his sudden sense of loss. He assumed the young man was still joking and teased him with a straight face, "Ten years from now, even iron trees will be able to bloom. If you still haven't matured by then, you really should reflect on yourself."

"You're right." Han Zhou smiled wryly.

The "ten years" they mentioned were different, just as his ten years and Xiao Wang Lengqiu's ten years were different, but he couldn't explain it.

Uncle Xia finally noticed the bitterness in that smile. After thinking for a moment, he sat back down, picked up the teapot and poured him another cup of tea, then poured one for himself. He hesitated for two seconds before saying, "Little Han, Uncle Xia is getting old and doesn't quite understand the things between you young people, but there's one thing you must listen to—"

"As a man, you either need to be decisive and not keep a woman waiting for too long, or you need to take responsibility and not let her down. That's the only way to be fair to her, understand?"

Han Zhou was taken aback. He didn't know what kind of story Xia Shu had imagined, but the meaning behind his words was already very clear: he was advising him not to waver.

He shook his head and said, "Uncle Xia, you may have misunderstood. Our situation is not quite the same as you estimated. This is not a matter of being irresponsible."

Uncle Xia is a little confused. You slept at someone else's house last night. Isn't this a question of whether you're responsible or not?

"What's the problem?" he asked.

"I can't tell you the specifics, but in short, there are... a lot of obstacles involved."

Of course I know there are obstacles; aren't children the biggest obstacle?
Uncle Xia looked around to make sure no one was around before lowering his voice and asking, "Are you talking about the child?"

Han Zhou was stunned, wondering how Uncle Xia knew that the friend he was talking about was a child. Could it be that they bumped into each other on the street by chance?
It's just being friends with a child. It might sound a little strange, but it's not something to be ashamed of. So he nodded and admitted, "It is a child, but Uncle Xia, please don't spread this around."

He was worried that it would have a negative impact on Xiao Wang and Leng Qiu.

"Don't worry, I'm way past the age of being a gossip."

Uncle Xia gave a reassuring smile, but sighed inwardly, thinking that it was indeed because of the child. Anyone would be conflicted and distressed in this situation, so it's no wonder the child was so hesitant.

After a long silence, he suddenly spoke up: "Xiao Han, at your age, you're like a willow branch that's just sprouting, so tender. When I was young, I went through a similar stage, and I always felt that 'if there's something complicated that I can't decide right now, then I'll wait until later.'"

No, I never thought of it that way... Han Zhou's eyes were strange, but he still put on a humble and receptive look.

Uncle Xia took a sip of tea, seemingly carefully choosing his words, and after a while he continued, "What Uncle Xia wants to teach you is that people are like old tree roots. The older you get, the more you have to worry about, and the harder it becomes to make decisions. So while you are still young, I hope you can figure out what you want as soon as possible."

(End of this chapter)