NOVEL NEXT Chapter 358 - 358: Dinner
Chapter 358: Dinner
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Shen Mo’s eyebrows twitched, and he spoke with a lack of confidence, “Uncle Jiang, when you look at me like that, 1 feel very uneasy.”
Jiang Chuan didn’t avert his gaze and responded coldly, “If you do nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear. Your discomfort only shows your guilt.”
“I… What am 1 guilty of?” Shen Mo didn’t even know why he felt guilty, but he began to stutter subconsciously. Even if he didn’t feel guilty before, he felt it now.
At first, Shen Mo didn’t overthink things. He simply wanted to find a suitable military base. The mountains and forests of Pushan village were vast and the terrain on the mountain was perfect for a military base.
He reassured himself that he chose Pushan village purely for military purposes.
However, after meeting Jiang Xia the previous day, Shen Mo’s joy and excitement were hard to hide. Even Shen Mo himself began to wonder if he was so adamant about making Pushan village a military base just to have more chances to get close to Jiang Xia.
Jiang Xia, now only a thirteen-year-old girl, was already bright and becoming more beautiful. Shen Mo feared that if he stayed elsewhere for a few more years and then returned, Jiang Xia might have become someone else’s belle.
At that thought, Shen Mo tried to restrain himself.
It was the first time he had ever been so infatuated with a girl.
Shen Mo had always been strikingly handsome since childhood, with countless people drawn to him. This made him somewhat averse to women. When his family repeatedly suggested he marry Ma Juan, he was very reluctant and hence proposed not to get married for five years as a stalling tactic.
It wasn’t until he met Jiang Xia that he realized a girl could also have unique insights. In Jiang Xia, he saw a kind of resilience and unique vitality he had never found in anyone else.
So when the leaders expressed doubts about establishing a military base in Pushan village, he firmly held his ground, leading to half a year’s efforts before the relocation to Pushan village was settled.
Therefore, when the leader had doubts about building a military base in Pushan Village, he insisted on his opinion. It took them more than half a year to settle the matter of moving the army to Pushan Village.
Starting something is always the hardest. He couldn’t let his guilt show.
Jiang Xia was still young and hadn’t begun thinking about romantic relationships. Therefore, he needed to take the initiative to secure a place in her heart. This way, when the young girl later considered marriage, he would be the first one she thought of.
Shen Mo rubbed his nose, cleared his throat to hide his embarrassment, and revealed what he thought was a graceful smile, saying, “Uncle Jiang, I’ve been thinking about Aunt Zhou’s cooking for the past few months. I wonder if 1 can have another taste of her food at your home?”
Jiang Chuan, being a shrewd person, would have handled such a proposal very tactfully, but not when it came from Shen Mo.
Jiang Chuan, seeing Shen Mo’s potentially impure motives, coldly refused, “Your Aunt Zhou has farm work in the morning and won’t be cooking lunch at home.”
“Uh…” Shen Mo was choked up.
He wasn’t sure why he had offended Jiang Chuan. Why had the friendly Uncle Jiang from yesterday suddenly changed? Shen Mo felt awkward insisting on visiting after being rejected, so he just gave a sheepish smile and got up to leave.
But Shen Mo wasn’t one to give up easily. His intent to visit Jiang Chuan’s home was not merely for food, but to see Jiang Xia. For Jiang Xia’s sake, he was determined to visit no matter what.
If he couldn’t join them for lunch, he could always go in the evening. Shen Mo quickly thought of Tian Zao, who had just changed her attitude towards him.
Tian Zao was the head of the commune. If she visited Jiang Chuan’s home, he surely wouldn’t refuse.
And so, Shen Mo returned to Tian Zao’s office.
Seeing Shen Mo come back, Tian Zao looked puzzled, “Didn’t you already get the signature you needed? Why are you back?”