Her words stunned everyone, and even more so, they left that man red-faced and neck thick with anger, unable to utter a word for a long while. However, seeing that everyone was looking at him, he couldn’t bring himself to lower his head. Instead, he felt humiliated for being scolded by a rural woman in public and became both enraged and ashamed.
If this matter spread back to the factory, how would he face anyone?
After much thought, Sun Jiayang gritted his teeth and angrily argued, “That’s not what I meant at all! Comrade, how could you make such a fuss and falsely accuse me?”
“Whether I’ve falsely accused you or not, you know it very well in your heart! We rural folks are not so easily bullied either. If you don’t apologize, I’ll go find the Party Secretary and the brigade leader to reason this out. Let’s see how your leaders educate you on ideological matters.”
As she spoke, Cheng Fangqiu threw down the dishcloth in her hand and turned to walk outside.
No one expected that someone who looked gentle and easy to talk to would turn out to be so unyielding when something happened. She was completely unfazed, refusing to back down even a bit. She was not someone to be easily deceived.
Sun Jiayang panicked. He instinctively glanced at his leader, Zhou Yinghuai, only to see the latter’s face darken with a stormy expression. Zhou Yinghuai’s voice was deep and severe: “We all heard what you just said with our own ears—every single word. Hurry up and apologize to Comrade Cheng!”
In this era, ideological issues were of utmost importance. If this matter truly escalated, it would not end well for him.
Moreover, Zhou Yinghuai was famously strict and impartial. Once they returned to the provincial capital, he would definitely report everything truthfully. A simple ideological reprimand and re-education would be a small matter—losing the hard-earned opportunity to become a full-fledged employee would be the real disaster.
At this thought, Sun Jiayang’s face suddenly turned pale. He could no longer care about anything else and hastily stammered, calling out to Cheng Fangqiu. The arrogance from earlier was completely gone.
“Comrade Cheng, I’m sorry. I misspoke. Please be magnanimous and don’t hold it against me.”
Cheng Fangqiu cast him a cold glance but said nothing. However, she stopped walking and returned to the stove to continue her work.
The atmosphere instantly fell into an eerie silence.
Sun Jiayang stood stiffly in place, unsure if the matter was now settled or if this was merely the calm before the storm.
Being placed in such a humiliating situation, stuck between a rock and a hard place under everyone’s watchful eyes, was beyond embarrassing—it was pure torment. Only now did he regret his earlier impulse to make a careless remark about someone else.
“Come see me alone later.”
Zhou Yinghuai withdrew his gaze from Cheng Fangqiu’s back and turned his sharp eyes onto Sun Jiayang, a cold menace radiating from them.
“Yes.”
Sun Jiayang answered awkwardly. He didn’t even dare lift his head, hastily taking a few bites of food before leaving the table.
A meal that had begun with lively chatter ended on a cold and stiff note, leaving everyone feeling uneasy.
If word of this incident spread, it would definitely alter the villagers’ perception of them, the technicians.
Coming to the countryside was supposed to be a great opportunity despite the hardships. Not only could they receive various subsidies, but they could also earn a good reputation. Who would have thought that Sun Jiayang would make such inappropriate remarks—and worse, let the person involved hear them?
Now, whether this great opportunity would turn into a disaster remained uncertain.
Most importantly, they still had to stay in the village for over a month. If the villagers decided to make things difficult for them because of this incident, then…
At this thought, some of them couldn’t help but feel resentful toward Sun Jiayang. As they grumbled, they prepared to place their bowls and chopsticks into the wooden basin used for collecting dishes—only to see Aunt He, who was usually kind and approachable, suddenly snatch the basin away.
She rolled her eyes at them without hesitation.
“Wash your own bowls.”
After saying that, she “quietly” muttered, “Tch, you city folks have the nerve to let an old rural woman with an injured leg wash your dishes for you? I spit on that!”
Her words made the young men’s faces burn red with embarrassment.
They were completely innocent in this matter, yet they were dragged into it for no reason.
But seeing He Shenghui’s furious expression, they had no choice but to lower their heads and line up by the water vat to wash their dishes.
Aunt He was only responsible for cooking, not for washing dishes or cleaning. She had been helping them out of kindness, but who would have thought that they looked down on rural folks behind her back?
She was so angry that she slammed the wooden basin onto the ground.
She had heard those words earlier too—any woman who overheard someone making such comments about her would feel terrible, let alone the person directly involved.
She also had a daughter of a similar age.
Looking at Cheng Fangqiu now, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy.
After everything that had happened, her initial prejudice against her had long since faded.
“Finish up and head back early. Just come over again at noon. Don’t take those words to heart.”
Hearing this, Cheng Fangqiu turned her head, barely curling her lips into a small smile. “Alright.”
She cleaned up the stove, washed her hands, and maintained her usual composure as she nodded slightly to the others before leaving the educated youth’s quarters.
Her calm and gracious demeanor only made the others seem petty in comparison.
They had thought Cheng Fangqiu would hold a grudge against them by association, but reality proved otherwise—she even smiled at them!
The summer was still scorching. Cheng Fangqiu adjusted the straw hat on her head and tried to walk under the shade of the trees to avoid the blinding sunlight. She bit her lower lip, her mind replaying the words she had spoken not long ago.
Her actions had been completely different from the delicate and weak “little white flower” persona she had shown before. Would someone as intelligent as Zhou Yinghuai notice that she had been pretending all along?
But that man’s words had been too outrageous. She didn’t regret retaliating against him in the slightest.
Forget it. Rather than letting her thoughts spiral endlessly, she might as well go straight to the person in question and clarify things. With this decision made, Cheng Fangqiu’s mood instantly brightened. Especially since she didn’t have to work now, she could go home and take a nap. At noon, she would only need to cook a meal and then could rest for the entire afternoon. Compared to the exhausting work of cutting pig grass before, her current life was practically that of an immortal.
When she arrived home, everyone else had either gone to school or to work, leaving her alone in peace and quiet—the perfect setting for a nap!
However, she hadn’t been asleep for long before a voice called out from outside the courtyard.
“Comrade Cheng, are you home?”
Drowsiness clouded her mind, and she barely registered that someone was calling her. She furrowed her brows in irritation, rolled over, and buried her face into the pillow, trying to escape reality.
But the person outside, not hearing a response, tried calling again.
“Comrade Cheng?”
A clear male voice reached her ears, inexplicably familiar. As she carefully recalled where she had heard it before, her eyes suddenly snapped open.
She quickly sat up from the bed and opened the door, only to see two figures standing at the entrance of the courtyard. Leading the pair was none other than Zhou Yinghuai.
She hadn’t even gone looking for him yet—so why had he come knocking on her door?
“Zhou Yinghuai?”
The creak of the wooden door successfully drew his attention. Their gazes met in midair, but in the next moment, he abruptly averted his eyes. Almost immediately, he shoved the person behind him forward.
“Wh-what’s going on?”
Sun Jiayang, utterly bewildered, stumbled from the sudden push. Instinctively, he wanted to turn back, but the man behind him held him down with a firm grip. Zhou Yinghuai’s strength was overwhelming—after two failed attempts to move, Sun Jiayang gave up altogether. Besides, remembering the purpose of their visit, he decided to behave obediently. Whatever Zhou Yinghuai said, he would comply without resistance.
“Don’t move.”
Zhou Yinghuai took a deep breath, as if struggling to contain himself. His slender fingers clenched into fists, trembling slightly from the sheer force of his grip. Even so, his mind kept replaying the fleeting image he had accidentally glimpsed just moments ago.
White. Round.
And those long, unforgettable legs.
Thin fabric barely concealed what had never been seen before.
She had probably been sleeping, alone in the house, with the summer heat making her dress more casually. Her long pants were nowhere to be seen, and she wore only a loose cardigan over her upper body—without an undershirt or innerwear. A few buttons were undone, leaving almost nothing hidden from view.
Just like that, she had sleepily and defenselessly opened the door, softly calling his name.
The usual “Comrade Zhou” or “Brother Huai” was replaced by his full name. Yet, it didn’t feel distant—on the contrary, it carried an inexplicable hint of intimacy and ambiguity.
The rational thread in his mind was about to snap.
A deep red hue gradually spread across Zhou Yinghuai’s dark eyes, stirring up a storm in his long-calm heart. The emotions brewing within him were bordering on madness—desire, possession, jealousy…
Unspoken feelings nearly drove him insane.
His grip on Sun Jiayang tightened unconsciously, almost as if he wanted to crush the bones beneath his fingers. Gritting his teeth, he forced out a low, strained voice.
“You saw?”
“Huh? Saw what?” Sun Jiayang blinked in confusion, not understanding why Zhou Yinghuai was suddenly acting this way. The force on his shoulders was so strong it felt as if his bones might be crushed, making him wince in pain. He pleaded, “BrothervHuai, I know I was wrong. Isn’t that why I came to apologize?”
The implied meaning: Can you please stop using brute force?
Unfortunately, Zhou Yinghuai paid him no mind at all. The moment he heard the first half of the sentence, he knew Sun Jiayang hadn’t seen anything. He immediately exhaled in relief.
Just as he was about to take Sun Jiayang and leave, a soft voice called out from behind him.
“Comrade Zhou?”
Perhaps due to the lesson learned from before, Zhou Yinghuai dared not turn his head this time, fearing he might once again see something that could make him lose his rationality. He swallowed dryly, still unsure how to respond when he suddenly felt a light tap on his shoulder.
The next moment, a face as beautiful as a flower appeared in his peripheral vision.
She was now properly dressed, her previously disheveled hair neatly tied into a low ponytail that draped down her back.
Cheng Fangqiu’s long lashes trembled slightly. Her almond-shaped eyes gazed at him for a few seconds before she suddenly seemed to recall something, lowering her head in slight embarrassment. A faint blush tinted her cheeks. Clearing her throat, she spoke softly, “Did you need something from me? Why don’t you come inside and sit?”
“I do have something to discuss.” Zhou Yinghuai’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he finally released his grip on Sun Jiayang. He straightened up with rigid formality, unsure where to direct his gaze. Looking directly at her felt inappropriate, yet speaking without eye contact seemed impolite. Caught between these two dilemmas, he ended up standing there stiffly, oddly frozen in place.
His awkward demeanor amused Cheng Fangqiu. She bit her lip to suppress the smile threatening to surface, idly playing with her fingers before extending the invitation again, “Shall we talk inside? It’s too hot out here.”
Both of them were acutely aware of the source of their current awkwardness, yet neither acknowledged it. The peculiar yet tantalizing atmosphere quietly spread, fermenting and growing between them like an invisible thread pulling taut.
Meanwhile, Sun Jiayang, who had been standing to the side carrying a load of items, looked at Zhou Yinghuai, then at Cheng Fangqiu. Unable to hold back any longer, he finally spoke up.
“Uh…”
The moment the words left his mouth, the soft and delicate Cheng Fangqiu from just moments ago suddenly turned cold. Her expression darkened as if she had only just realized he was there. Her tone took a sharp turn, laced with displeasure.
“What are you doing here?”