52 Someone is trying to woo him.
"Dad." Deng Tia whined as soon as she heard her father's voice on the opposite.
"What is it, baby girl?" Mr. Deng's voice suddenly took a turn and was warmer than the hot day in summer.
"Dad, when are you going to talk to aunty Yan about Xuan and my engagement? Someone is trying to woo him now although he seems uninterested. Please Dad do something.." Deng Tia heard her father's soft voice and she began her rambling like a spoiled child again.
"Tia, given his looks and intelligence, there will be women around him but he knows who is destined for him so don't worry. And even if he gets distracted, still it will be for a while as Pan Xue won't let the promise given by her beloved husband to break. " Mr. Deng tried to reason with his daughter but Deng Tia was in no mood to listen so she kept on whining,
"Dad, please. I don't want to take a chance. Ask aunty to get us engaged then I won't feel scared to lose him. Okay?"
There was silence on the other side for a while, then he said, "Hmmmn. I think it's okay to get engaged for now and once you get graduated, I will propose the marriage date to Yan family."
"Dad. You are the best. I knew you will not let me suffer." Deng Tia was jumping in joy when she heard her father say yes as per her expectations.
"Anything for my baby girl. Get back soon then. We will go back to Yan's house this weekend to have a date fixed. Okay?"
"How about you and Mom come over tomorrow morning? I am staying with aunty tonight so we can meet up for breakfast and you can initiate the topic as well." Deng Tia said with a malicious smile on her face.
"Umm. Okay then. I will call Pan Xue and tell her about our plan." Mr. Deng replied but his mind was still trying to understand the eagerness in Deng Tia's voice.
'Did something happen to her?' He thought inwardly.
"Dad, I will inform aunty. Don't worry." She replied to her dad with a spiteful look on her face.
"Okay then. Take care baby girl. Daddy loves you. Bye." Mr. Deng disconnected the call after hearing her "Hmm."
.
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Meanwhile, after Yan Xuan and Mo Hua left the tent area, they were strolling around the surrounding while holding each other's hands.
"Xuan, look there is a watchtower. Let's got there please." Mo Hua's eyes were shining brightly when she saw a beautiful watchtower at the end where the last row of tents stood.
It was standing almost close to the edge to give a perfect view of the cliff and the valley beneath it. The way the watchtower was constructed cleared that it was meant for the people who visit to study the natural phenomenon taking place here.
Even the open skies would look extremely beautiful from the top. It was located at the end enveloped in the darkness gave it a spooky feeling and climbing it was very tricky, so hardly few people could manage to go there.
"Hmm. I have been there many times. Dad used to lift me on his shoulders and climb the tower. We had spent many nights there just watching the widely spread blanket of stars." Yan Xuan said with a nostalgic feeling, then he saw her innocent face and said
"Baby, it's very dark there and the way to reach the tower is very rough. Are you sure you want to go there?"
Mo Hua nodded her head keenly. She was eager to go up there with Xuan and spend the most breathtaking moment. "Xuan, ket's hurry now. I want to watch the meteor shower from the tower."
Mo Hua started to drag him towards the tower but Yan Xuan halted his steps and pulled her towards him, "Sweetie we need to prepare if we have to go there."
"Prepare?" Mo Hua asked with a skeptic look.
"Yes, let's head back to the tent to get the necessary items. There is a patch with knee-length grass called Pampa grass everywhere. They have sharp blade-like leaves, so you need to wear jeans so that you won't get cuts on your legs while walking the route towards the tower. Hmm?"
Mo Hua nodded her head and in an excited voice she dragged him, "Let's go now."
Yan Xuan shook his head helplessly when he saw her behaving childishly.
"Blankets?" Yan Xuan asked.
"Check". Mo Hua replied.
Yan Xuan: "Torch?"
Mo Hua: "Check"
Yan Xuan: "Mosquito repellent?"
Mo Hua: "Check"
Yan Xuan: "Water bottles?"
Mo Hua: "Check."
.
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It went on like this for 15 mins more when finally Mo Hua impatiently said, "Xuan, Are you kidding? It's already 25mins and we are still preparing. If you are not leaving in the next 2mins, then you will spend the night alone watching the meteor shower."
"Okay okay. Give me two more mins and we will be done." Yan Xuan was a neat freak and he knew how hard it was to spend the entire night in woods. So he wanted to be sure that he has everything handy if needed. More importantly, Mo Hua was the one accompanying him so he was being more careful this time.
He grabbed a few bags of chips and some packs of candied plums and said, "Okay let's get moving then."
Mo Hua finally let out a big sigh when she saw him ready to leave with a huge backpack on his shoulders.
"Xuan, it this all needed? Are we overdoing it? It's just nearby right and we can get back anything we need anything. So why this much prep work?"
"You will know when we get there. Just be prepared that we might not be able to come back tonight." Due to the time he spent here with his father, he knew that although the Pampas Grassy land looks adorable but is very dangerous. The edge of pampas grass leaves can very easily give you a nasty cut if not paid attention while crossing it.
Also, the weather is uncertain so if it rains, then the soil near the watchtower gets swampy making it impossible to cross. It was way too risky.
"Uggh. Let's go." Mo Hua took hurried steps to reach the tower.
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Deng Tia dialed a certain number and when she heard the familiar female voice, her eyes shone brightly.
"Aunty Yan. Did I disturb you?" She said sweetly.
"No Tia. I was just going through the submitted assignments." Pan Xue heard the cheery voice of Deng Tia and smiled appeared on her tired face.
"Oh! Aunty Tia called you to know whether you can have breakfast with Mom and Dad tomorrow. They are missing you and Xuan so they wanted to visit you both."
"Sure. Since when did you get so formal with me Tia?" Pan Xue said with a hint of disappointment which suddenly vanished when she heard her sweet voice again.
"Aunty. No, I just wanted to check if you have no lectures in the morning. I know it has been tough for you recently. But I will inform Mom Dad then."
"Okay. Also, Tia, are you with Xuan? Bring him home with you and stay for the night here. We can have a small family brunch tomorrow." Pan Xue said happily. She loved it when she was surrounded by people as being lonely reminded her of her late husband and made her mood sour.
"Sure, Aunty. I will stay back tonight." Just when she was talking to Pan Xue she saw Yan Xuan carrying a backpack and following Mo Hua.
'Where are they going?'
'I need to stop them before it's too late… Huff... Mo Hua. .Let's see how you spend this night with Yan Xuan.' She thought inwardly and rushed towards them.
"Xuan. Wait.." Deng Tia reached and stopped Yan Xuan in tracks when he was ready to leave.
