Luo Yang looked towards Hong Jiaxin, hoping she would say something.
Although Hong Jiaxin was a top student, she didn't have much life experience.
She had never dealt with this kind of family dispute before.
It could be said that this was the first time Hong Jiaxin saw such an intense argument unfold between father and daughter, and she was utterly bewildered.
"Sister Kick, Uncle Zhu..."
"Don't talk!"
Zhu Li was a forthright woman, which Luo Yang knew well.
The three people in the private room were silent.
Only smoke swirled around them.
The constant tapping of Zhu Li's left hand on the coffee table revealed her inner unrest.
She believed she was not wrong.
But, she felt uneasy.
Who was right and who was wrong, she wasn't sure.
The only fact was that her relationship with her father had plummeted to below freezing point.
The cigarette ash grew long, yet Zhu Li seemed not to notice.
She just stared blankly into the void, eyes open, looking at nothing.
Luo Yang and Hong Jiaxin didn't know how to console her, and could only sit beside her.
At that moment, Luo Yang's phone rang, it was a call from An Yuying.
Zhu Li, knowing Luo Yang still had to take An Yuying to register for driving lessons, said in a hoarse voice, "You guys go ahead, I want some peace alone."
Exhaling a puff of smoke, her lips quivered slightly.
So Luo Yang and Hong Jiaxin left the private room, quietly went downstairs, taking with them a heavy mood.
After they exited the main door, closed it, and got into the car, Luo Yang felt something was blocked in his heart.
"It's my fault," Luo Yang said.
Hong Jiaxin reached out to hold Luo Yang's arm, wanting to say something. Her lips moved, but she remained silent.
She was a tough woman, but also warm-hearted.
With her age and life experience, she indeed didn't know how to handle this kind of family conflict. It was her first time encountering such a situation, something previously unseen and unheard of.
"My fault."
Luo Yang wiped his eyes, then turned to look out of the car window.
The two sat quietly in the car.
After a long while, they drove back to Hongyun Brigade.
The car arrived at An Yuying's house, where he also had to perform acupuncture on her mother.
On the way back, Luo Yang had regained his composure, making it impossible to tell anything had happened.
"Monitor, don't tell Sister An and the others about this?" Luo Yang admonished.
"Which thing, are you talking about the fact you just cried?" Hong Jiaxin asked knowingly.
Luo Yang gave a wry smile.
"I don't want Sister An and the others to get involved in my troubles. It's better they don't know too much," Luo Yang said.
While giving Lin Jialan acupuncture, Tang Guihua also arrived.
Staying at home was unusual for Tang Guihua.
Luo Yang was taking An Yuying to the county town to sign up for driving lessons, and Tang Guihua also wanted to go along.
The car was driven by Tang Guihua, with Luo Yang, An Yuying, and Hong Jiaxin all sitting in the backseat.
They also needed to pick up Suyun at Dongfeng Middle School.
On the road, Tang Guihua said, "Niu Zai, Lin Yuqing wants you to help with acupuncture, will you still treat her?"
Despite the feud with the Lin Family, Lin Yuqing's fibroid wouldn't be healed in a day.
"I won't go to her house anymore. If she wants treatment, let her come to our village," Luo Yang said.
"How about we ask Lin Yuqing to speak with her family, to see if they can resolve their feud?" Tang Guihua suggested.
Women love to fantasize.
Tang Guihua didn't know about Da Feng being killed in a car accident because Luo Yang hadn't told her.
Knowing the Lin Family's vengeful nature, with one of their five henchmen, Da Feng, killed, this feud was not resolvable.
Of course, unless there was a significant exchange of benefits, there was room for negotiation.
"It's no use," Luo Yang said flatly.
"How could it be useless? She is from the Lin Family, as long as she helps, there might be a turnaround," Tang Guihua insisted.
"We'll talk about it when the time comes," Luo Yang didn't want to continue the conversation.
If Tang Guihua had known about Da Feng's situation, she wouldn't still be thinking this way.
But Luo Yang found it inconvenient to tell her.
"Niu Zai, don't always think about fighting; finding a peaceful solution is also a method," Tang Guihua advised.
"Sister Guihua, their family is unreasonable," Luo Yang said with a smile.
"I think you are the one being unreasonable. How do you know they are unreasonable if you haven't even talked to them?" Tang Guihua countered.
The more a man tries to convince a woman who is fixated on something, the more troublesome it becomes.
Luo Yang knew he couldn't explain it clearly, so he simply chose not to say anything.
Tang Guihua was slightly annoyed, blaming Luo Yang for not listening to her.
Discussing matters to resolve grudges is indeed a feasible approach.
Tang Guihua thought this approach was quite good, at least better than both sides trying to win by fighting.
But Luo Yang wouldn't listen, and Tang Guihua was very annoyed.
Whether they could reconcile with the Lin Family also concerned the safety of the Tang Family.
However, she was naïve or perhaps not fully aware of the situation and thus made a misjudgment.
Luo Yang sat in the middle of the back seat, with Hong Jiaxin on his left and An Yuying on his right.
Glancing from side to side, the majestic mountains suddenly loomed, making his throat dry after more looks.
"Sister An, the pants you're wearing today really fit you," he said.
As he spoke, Luo Yang's right hand rested on An Yuying's left thigh.
At the same time, Luo Yang glanced towards Hong Jiaxin with the corner of his eye, seeing her disdainfully curling her lips and even letting out a soft snort.
"Niu Zai, you're being naughty again," An Yuying said coyly.
As she spoke, she reached out to push away Luo Yang's hand, not letting him touch indiscriminately.
"Sister An, the weather is really nice today," Luo Yang said with a forced smile.
Looking at Hong Jiaxin again, the disdain at the corner of her mouth was even more pronounced.
Tang Guihua was already upset, and hearing Luo Yang flirting with An Yuying made her even more uncomfortable.
"Niu Zai! Sit tight! My driving isn't very good," Tang Guihua said ominously.
Just from her cold tone, it was clear she was jealous.
Her suggestion had no practical application.
"Sister Guihua, let's have a good talk about Lin Yuqing's matter tonight," Luo Yang said.
As he expected, after hearing this, Tang Guihua's tone wasn't so cold anymore.
"Then tonight I will call her over and you can give her acupuncture," Tang Guihua said.
Giving acupuncture was not a problem, but hoping that Lin Yuqing would help resolve the grudge was, to Luo Yang, like trying to scoop the moon from water.
Tang Guihua was determined to give it a try, so Luo Yang had no choice but to let her face the disappointment.
Dreams are full, reality is stark.
Women always like to first imagine things as being full.
When they arrived at the front door of Dongfeng Middle School, Suyun was already waiting there.
From a distance, Suyun looked like a supermodel with her graceful demeanor.
Upon getting into the car, Luo Yang introduced An Yuying and Suyun, finally adding, "Teacher Su, I'll be inviting you for a meal on Teacher's Day."
Suyun smiled, "My family wants me to go meet a potential match."
The topic sparked the interest of An Yuying and Tang Guihua.
The three beauties started chatting, giggling and chirping like orioles singing.
Luo Yang and Hong Jiaxin were not yet at an age to discuss marriage and could only listen quietly from the side.
Occasionally, Luo Yang would turn his head to smile slightly at Hong Jiaxin; she responded with a roll of her eyes and then turned to look out of the car window.
Glancing at Hong Jiaxin's full and firm chest was a kind of enjoyment.
Turning his head to look at An Yuying elevated the experience further.
As he looked, Luo Yang stretched out his hand to hook An Yuying's slender waist, pulling her closer.
An Yuying lightly pouted her red lips but still let Luo Yang hold her, leaning her face against his shoulder.
While Hong Jiaxin was looking out the window, Luo Yang quickly pecked An Yuying on the lips.
A sweet smile then spread across An Yuying's lips.