“Isn’t that Comrade Cheng?”
“What is she doing here? Did she just call out to Brother Huai?”
Many people recognized Cheng Fangqiu, and for a moment, countless curious gazes darted back and forth between the two of them.
As the people involved, both of them remained calm and composed. Cheng Fangqiu stood quietly in place, waiting for Zhou Yinghuai to come over, while the latter said a few words to the person beside him, put down his tools, and casually wiped his hands with a towel before walking toward her.
“Did you need something from me?” When he got closer, he noticed that she had just washed her hair and taken a bath. Her jet-black, silky hair draped over her shoulders, making her skin appear even fairer. Her delicate facial features gleamed brilliantly, so dazzling that one could not look away.
A small, palm-sized face tilted up slightly to look at him, her long, thick eyelashes trembling lightly, casting a faint shadow beneath her eyes. Her gaze was clear and captivating, a brilliance to the extreme—both dazzling and tender.
A faint fragrance lingered around her, curling at the tip of his nose, making his breathing slightly unsteady.
“I made a pot of chicken soup myself and specially brought some for you to taste.” As she said this, a hint of anticipation appeared in her eyes. She carefully handed over the rice bucket she had guarded all the way here, and as if afraid he would refuse, she quickly added, “You’ve saved me twice. Consider this a small token of appreciation. Just accept it.”
Zhou Yinghuai’s first reaction was to refuse. In the countryside, being able to eat meat even once a year was already considered a luxury, so this bucket of chicken soup was hardly a ‘small token of appreciation’—it could even be described as a gesture filled with sincerity. But if he refused…
Meeting her watery, glistening eyes, he had a feeling she might tear up on the spot.
“Brother Huai? You should drink it while it’s hot.” Seeing that he did not answer, she changed tactics and urged him to accept it.
He had no choice but to nod in agreement, his voice deep as he said, “Thank you, I…”
Just as he was about to take it, he stretched out his hand only to realize that it was still dirty. He had no choice but to lead her inside, saying, “I’ll wash my hands and get a bowl.”
“Alright.”
As they stepped through the courtyard gate, Cheng Fangqiu followed closely behind Zhou Yinghuai like a little tail. Facing the curious gazes of the people around them, she responded with polite nods and smiles. She did not know any of these people, but leaving a good impression was never a bad thing—after all, there was a high probability she would have to interact with them frequently in the future.
Thinking of this, Cheng Fangqiu couldn’t help but shift her gaze to the man in front of her. His posture was upright, his back as steady as a mountain, exuding a strong sense of security just from looking at him. However, he was someone who kept his thoughts deeply hidden, making it difficult to see through what he was thinking.
She had no idea when she would be able to win him over.
Counting the days, there was less than a month left before he had to leave. If, by then, she still could not make him willingly marry her…
Would she choose to follow the original host’s old path?
Just as the wooden door came into view, Cheng Fangqiu quickly collected her thoughts and obediently stopped at the entrance, not following Zhou Yinghuai inside. However, unexpectedly, he took the initiative to call her.
“Can you help me scoop some water?”
Standing in front of the water vat, Zhou Yinghuai was at a bit of a loss. With no other option, he turned his head toward Cheng Fangqiu and sought her help. The latter immediately agreed, looked around, carefully placed the rice bucket on a nearby table, then picked up a ladle and scooped a ladleful of water from the vat, pouring it onto his hands at his signal.
The distance between them was particularly close, and the fragrance on her body grew even stronger, lingering at the tip of his nose, refusing to disperse.
Her long hair, draped down to her waist, would occasionally brush against his arm as she moved. It was already almost dry, but the tips were still slightly damp, leaving faint traces of moisture on his skin.
It tickled a little, an itch that nagged at him, making it impossible to ignore her presence.
Just as Zhou Yinghuai was about to ask her to stand a little farther away, he turned his head slightly—only to find himself face-to-face with two mounds that were about to spill out.
They were standing too close.
His nose directly bumped into them.
The soft, springy sensation lasted for only a brief moment before they immediately separated, but it left his mind completely blank.
Yet, he quickly realized what had just happened.
The top she was wearing was somewhat loose. Since it was hot, and she had left in a hurry, the first two buttons hadn’t been fastened. While standing upright, nothing had been exposed, but the moment she bent over, there was simply no way to hide the view.
The deep ravine was fair and tender, dealing a great impact to the inexperienced youth Zhou Yinghuai. His pupils contracted sharply, and he abruptly turned his head away, but a faint blush had already crept from the tips of his ears down to his neck.
“Sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
The sound of rushing water continued uninterrupted. Zhou Yinghuai’s eyelashes trembled repeatedly, but all he could hear was the gradually accelerating thump of his own heartbeat. His Adam’s apple bobbed a few times as he struggled to suppress his heavy breathing, forcing himself to focus entirely on his hands.
Grease was hard to wash off, and it took multiple scrubs with soap to finally get them clean.
Just as he had barely calmed the dual surges of physiological and psychological turmoil, she spoke up in a soft and delicate voice: “Brother Huai, is this okay? Did any splash onto you?”
Her breath carried a faint orchid-like fragrance, as if she were whispering right in his ear. His heart pounded wildly. Thump, thump, thump. Zhou Yinghuai couldn’t take it anymore. In a fluster, he hastily withdrew his hands, using the act of turning to grab a towel as an excuse to avoid her puzzled gaze.
“I’ll go get a bowl.”
Watching him leave almost as if fleeing, Cheng Fangqiu curved her lips in a sly smile, then lowered her gaze and rubbed her chest, pouting as she muttered, “That really hurt.”
She didn’t lower her voice on purpose, so at nearly the same moment, Zhou Yinghuai, who wasn’t far away, stumbled slightly, almost tripping over himself.
“Are you okay?” Cheng Fangqiu quickly expressed her concern. He stammered back, “No, no problem.”
The two tacitly chose not to bring up the small incident again. By the time Zhou Yinghuai returned with a bowl, he had already regained his usual composed and self-restrained demeanor.
As soon as he opened the lid of the rice bucket, a rich aroma spread through the entire space. Zhou Yinghuai glanced at Cheng Fangqiu in slight surprise—he hadn’t expected that, despite her delicate and pampered appearance, the food she made would be so visually and aromatically appealing. The only thing left to see was how it tasted.
The chicken soup was very hot. He didn’t let her handle it and instead carefully poured it into the empty bowl himself.
“Thank you,” Zhou Yinghuai said politely, then prepared to wash the rice bucket before returning it to her.
Cheng Fangqiu quickly stopped him. “I’ll take it back and wash it myself. Chicken soup should be drunk while it’s hot. Once you finish, hurry back to work. I won’t hold you up.”
With that, she snatched the rice bucket back. Seeing this, Zhou Yinghuai didn’t insist. After a brief pause, he reminded Cheng Fangqiu to wait for him for a moment, then turned and walked out of the kitchen.
Cheng Fangqiu followed his instruction and waited where she was, but her gaze involuntarily wandered around the small kitchen of the educated youth dormitory. The space wasn’t large, but they had kept it tidy and clean. The stove, water vat, dining table, and cupboards—everything was in its proper place.
People from the city generally had certain habits and cleanliness standards. Every area had its designated function, and nothing was messy or disorderly.
That was rather nice.
She hadn’t had much time to take it all in when Zhou Yinghuai returned. In his hand was a tin box. Given the time period, its packaging was considered quite exquisite, with pictures and foreign writing on it. At a quick glance, the words weren’t very clear, so Cheng Fangqiu only took one look before withdrawing her gaze.
“It’s some snacks my family sent over. If you don’t mind, take it back with you.” Zhou Yinghuai extended the tin box toward her.
“This is too valuable; I can’t accept it.” Just by looking at it, she could tell it wasn’t cheap. She had come here purely to thank him with the chicken soup, but if she accepted this in return, things would become unclear.
Zhou Yinghuai’s fingertips, gripping the tin box, turned slightly pale. He rubbed its surface, pondered for a couple of seconds, then said, “It’s just something I picked up casually. It’s not worth much. It doesn’t even compare to the value of the chicken soup you made by hand.”
Hearing this, Cheng Fangqiu was momentarily stunned.
During this era, Western goods were strictly regulated. Items with foreign writing simply couldn’t be found in ordinary supply and marketing cooperatives. In all likelihood, such beautifully packaged foreign products were only available at Friendship Stores1Friendship Stores (友谊商店) were a chain of state-run retail stores in China that primarily sold imported goods, luxury items, and Western products during the planned economy era. They were established in the 1950s and were originally intended for foreign diplomats, expatriates, and high-ranking Chinese officials. Ordinary Chinese citizens were generally not allowed to shop there unless they had access to foreign exchange certificates or special vouchers..
Friendship Stores only existed in major cities within the country and primarily sold imported goods from the West. Not only were they exorbitantly priced, but they also required special ration tickets that ordinary households simply couldn’t obtain.
And yet, Zhou Yinghuai was handing it to her so casually.
Not just that—his words were perfectly measured, landing in her ears with an effortless warmth that made her feel utterly at ease. Unable to suppress a smile, Cheng Fangqiu hesitated for a moment before swallowing back the words she had intended to say. Instead of repeatedly declining, it was better to accept it naturally. Only through a balanced exchange could their relationship progress. Otherwise, it would feel too much like a transaction.
Besides, wasn’t it precisely because he had wealth, power, and a promising future that she had decided to pursue him? Accepting his good things was something she would have to get used to from now on.
Cheng Fangqiu took a deep breath and accepted the tin box he handed over. The feeling was somewhat strange, inexplicably making her feel a little uneasy—complex, to say the least.
But at this moment, her happiness still outweighed everything else. After all, this was the best thing she had received since arriving in this world.
Her gaze shifted to his arm, where the butterfly knot she had tied for him earlier was still in place. At a glance, it was clear that he must have thrown himself into machine repair work as soon as he came down from the mountain, without even taking the time to tend to his wound.
She frowned and asked urgently, “How is your injury?”
Hearing this, Zhou Yinghuai instinctively moved his arm backward to hide it. But after doing so, he realized the action was too deliberate, causing a trace of unease to flicker across his face. With a light cough, he changed the subject, saying, “I’ll return the handkerchief to you after I wash it.”
“That’s not urgent at all. I don’t care about a mere handkerchief. What I care about is…”
Halfway through her sentence, Cheng Fangqiu suddenly realized that what she was about to blurt out might be inappropriate. She quickly pressed her lips together, swallowing the rest of her words. A touch of flustered embarrassment crept onto her face, and her fingers unconsciously tightened around the tin box, her fingertips gradually turning pale.
As soon as her final word fell, the atmosphere around them instantly became still and silent. Zhou Yinghuai’s pupils slightly dilated. Being so close, he could clearly see the fine, soft hairs on her fair skin, as well as the faint red on the tips of her ears.
Zhou Yinghuai struggled to control his uneven breathing, his Adam’s apple moving up and down. After a long moment, he finally found his voice. “I’ll walk you out.”
Seeing him change the subject, Cheng Fangqiu first looked up at him, as if she had something to say but hesitated. Then, she quickly lowered her head and obediently nodded. “Okay.”
The two of them walked together to the courtyard gate. Cheng Fangqiu took a few steps forward, then suddenly turned back to remind him, “Make sure to remember to apply medicine.”
Zhou Yinghuai looked into her eyes, filled with worry, and gave a slight nod. “Mm.”
Seeing that he agreed, Cheng Fangqiu finally seemed reassured. She smiled at him slightly, then turned and left. It was only when her figure completely disappeared around the corner that Zhou Yinghuai stepped back into the courtyard.
But as soon as he turned his head, he found himself facing several pairs of eager, curious gazes.