“Oh.”
Zhao Zhigao glanced at Zhou Yinghuai with a bit of confusion, then hurriedly took two big bites. As he chewed the food in his mouth, his gaze involuntarily looked forward. When he saw that the person was gone, he was so shocked that he nearly jumped up from the ground. Fortunately, with a quick sweep of his eyes, he saw the person again, and only then did he let out a sigh of relief.
After staring for a while, he couldn’t help but sigh, “If only I had such a beautiful wife bringing me food, I’d even be more motivated to work!”
Zhou Yinghuai didn’t need to ask to know who he was talking about. Hearing this, he looked at that face, as radiant as a blooming flower, and inexplicably felt irritated. His brows furrowed, and his tone couldn’t hide his shock as his voice rose slightly: “They’re husband and wife?”
Isn’t the age gap a bit too big? And no matter how you look at her, she doesn’t seem like someone who’s already married.
“No, what are you thinking? They’re father and daughter. Didn’t you hear that person calling just now?” Zhao Zhigao secretly rolled his eyes at Zhou Yinghuai, then repeated the words from earlier.
Father and daughter? She came to bring food to her father?
He truly hadn’t heard what the person said earlier. The noise from the excavator was too loud. Sitting in the driver’s seat, he couldn’t hear any sounds from outside at all. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have made such a ridiculous mistake.
He couldn’t tell whether it was a sense of relief or the joy of uncovering the truth, but in any case, the corners of Zhou Yinghuai’s lips slowly curved upward. However, he quickly pressed them down again and cast a cold glance at Zhao Zhigao: “Your way of expressing things is problematic. Pay attention next time.”
“Then what am I supposed to say? That I also want such a beautiful daughter to bring me food?” Zhao Zhigao curled his lips in grievance. He was barely in his early twenties—he hadn’t even considered becoming a father yet.
Zhou Yinghuai was silent for two seconds and said nothing more. He simply sat down beside Zhao Zhigao, opened the iron lunchbox next to him, and began eating in big mouthfuls. However, just like the other men, his gaze couldn’t help but drift to a certain place from time to time.
As he was looking at Cheng Fangqiu, Cheng Fangqiu was also secretly searching for his figure. But there were too many people here, especially young men, who were everywhere. She searched for a long time before finally spotting him on a small mound of dirt next to the excavator.
Perhaps because of the sweltering weather, the indigo-colored jacket the man had worn in the morning was nowhere to be seen. Now, he was left with only a black tank top, exposing all his muscles. Sweat trickled down the contours of his skin, adding a rugged and unrestrained wildness to him.
She had barely looked over for a few seconds when their gazes collided. Cheng Fangqiu didn’t know if it was just a coincidence or if he was simply too perceptive, but she realized that as long as she stared at him, she would always get caught.
Feeling guilty, Cheng Fangqiu tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and gave him a small, soft smile.
Before she could secretly send any more longing glances toward Zhou Yinghuai, a large shadow suddenly fell before her eyes. Cheng Fangqiu blinked in surprise and looked up, meeting a broad, grinning face. She searched her memory for a long time before recalling his name.
The original host of this body was exceptionally beautiful, with an excellent figure—her chest was her chest, her waist was her waist, her hips were her hips. One could say that in ten villages and eight townships, there wasn’t a single girl more delicate and striking than her. Her name had spread far and wide, and among the young men, there were few who didn’t admire her.
Men who seized opportunities to curry favor with her were even more numerous. They all wanted to leave a good impression in front of this beauty, hoping that when she reached marriageable age, they would have a better chance than others.
If someone could marry Cheng Fangqiu, what an honor that would be! What a blessing! With a wife like her, a man could walk with his back straight for the rest of his life, making other men so envious that they’d gnash their teeth in frustration.
Seeing that she was looking at him, a faint flush climbed up the tanned cheeks of the man before her.
“Fangqiu, my mother sent a large watermelon. There’s too much—I can’t finish it all. I brought some for you and Uncle Cheng.”
It was only then that Cheng Fangqiu noticed the two large pieces of red, juicy watermelon in his hands. The watermelon had been soaked in well water, and a refreshing coolness emanated from it. On such a scorching summer day, chilled watermelon was an irresistible temptation to anyone.
But one should not accept rewards without merit. The Cheng family had no connections with his family whatsoever, and if she accepted this watermelon in broad daylight, who knew what kind of rumors would spread? Besides, Zhou Yinghuai was nearby watching. What would it look like if she accepted another man’s gift?
Cheng Fangqiu pressed her lips together, took one last reluctant glance at the watermelon, and firmly refused through gritted teeth: “No need, Jianping. Keep it for yourself to eat this afternoon.”
“It’s fine! We still have plenty at home. Just take it—it’s so hot, and I can see you’re already sweating.” Seeing that she didn’t accept, Li Jianping grew anxious. He quickly added, “It’s really sweet.”
No matter how sweet it was, she still couldn’t take it!
“Thank you for your kindness, but I can’t eat cold things these days.” In a moment of desperation, Cheng Fangqiu furrowed her brows awkwardly and subtly placed a hand over her stomach as an excuse.
At that, Li Jianping seemed to vaguely understand. His face immediately turned red, and after stammering for a long time, he shoved the watermelon into Cheng Baokuan’s hands instead. “Then Uncle Cheng, you can have it. I need to get back to work.”
“I don’t like eating this stuff. Take it back for yourself.” Cheng Baokuan snorted coldly. Compared to Li Jianping’s enthusiasm, his attitude seemed much more indifferent.
What a joke—someone was trying to “steal” his precious daughter right in front of him! The fact that he didn’t scold the man on the spot already showed remarkable restraint. If the boy expected a warm welcome, he was simply dreaming!
Li Jianping was met with cold rejection, and a trace of embarrassment flashed across his face. However, he did not feel discouraged. After greeting the father and daughter, he left.
“These bratty boys are all smooth talkers. Qiuqiu, don’t let them fool you.” Cheng Baokuan earnestly reminded Cheng Fangqiu.
Cheng Fangqiu shook her head helplessly. “I’m not that foolish.”
On the contrary, she was sharp-witted and selfish. Right now, she was the one who wanted to use sweet words to deceive someone else’s outstanding son.
Thinking of this, Cheng Fangqiu’s gaze once again shifted toward the excavator. Her eyes darted slightly as she deliberately put on a curious expression and asked, “Dad, what is that for?”
Hearing her question, Cheng Baokuan followed her line of sight and saw that massive, menacing-looking machine. Having lived in the countryside all his life, many people had never seen an excavator before. Even he had only learned about it after joining this road construction project.
Finally getting the chance to flaunt his “knowledge” in front of his daughter, he immediately straightened his back and regurgitated everything he had heard from others in one go: “This is called an excavator. The big shovel in the front is for digging up soil. What a person takes a whole day to dig, this thing can do in just a few moves.”
“That amazing?” Cheng Fangqiu feigned astonishment, then tentatively asked, “Can I go take a look?”
“Of course!” Seeing that his daughter was interested, Cheng Baokuan quickly finished his meal, packed the bowls back into the bag, and led Cheng Fangqiu toward the excavator.
Wherever the two of them passed, they attracted many gazes, especially from the young men who had just finished their meal. One by one, they stopped resting and picked up their tools, eager to get back to work, all hoping that the beauty would notice their diligence and strength.
Those selected to build the road were all the strongest laborers in the village, so for a while, muscles of all shapes and sizes were flexing in front of her eyes. It was indeed quite a pleasing sight—except for the overwhelming scent of sweat in the air, which was an assault on her nose.
Without drawing attention to herself, Cheng Fangqiu subtly slowed her breathing and covered her mouth and nose with her hand. When they reached the excavator, it was slightly better. There were fewer people here, and most of them were technicians from the provincial capital and soldiers. Their eating and resting habits were highly disciplined, making this place seem almost like a pure land.
“Comrade Xiao Zhao, my daughter wants to take a look at the excavator. I brought her over, but we’ll just take a quick look and leave.”
Among the people here, Cheng Baokuan only knew Zhao Zhigao. The latter had a lively and cheerful personality, unlike the other technicians who carried an air of arrogance. Because of this, many villagers preferred interacting with him.
Zhao Zhigao, who had just finished eating, noticed them from a distance and immediately put down his bowl. When he heard Cheng Baokuan speaking to him, his eyes lit up, and he quickly stood up from the ground. In his haste, he almost bumped into Cheng Fangqiu. Feeling a little embarrassed, he took a step back and gave an awkward chuckle. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s fine.” Cheng Fangqiu also took a step to the side, and as she did, the hem of her clothes just barely brushed against someone’s arm. The distance between them suddenly shrank—if she moved just a little closer, she would easily end up in his embrace.
Zhou Yinghuai caught sight of the white fabric at his side from the corner of his eye. His arm twitched slightly, moving away from that piece of cloth that stirred an inexplicable restlessness within him.
“This type of excavator is rare—there are only a few in the entire province. Do you want me to explain how it works?” When it came to his area of expertise, Zhao Zhigao became visibly excited. Pointing at the enormous machine, he proactively suggested.
“Really?” Cheng Fangqiu first smiled in surprise, then lowered her voice and said hesitantly, “Maybe we shouldn’t… Won’t this delay your work? I just wanted to take a quick look—I don’t really understand anything, anyway.”
As soon as she finished speaking, a perfectly-timed hint of disappointment surfaced on her delicate face.
“It’s fine, just a few minutes—it won’t delay anything.” Zhao Zhigao had never encountered such tactics before. He immediately surrendered, waving his hand in reassurance. Then, he suddenly realized that his boss was still sitting nearby. Feeling a bit guilty, he quickly glanced in Zhou Yinghuai’s direction.
Zhou Yinghuai lazily lifted his eyelids, giving Cheng Fangqiu an unreadable glance before shooting a glare at Zhao Zhigao. Everyone else had already finished eating and started working again, yet this guy was still leisurely playing the role of a guide for a girl—was he just trying to slack off?
Just as he was about to reject the request, he never expected Zhao Zhigao to completely misunderstand his gaze. Grinning, Zhao Zhigao said, “Let’s have Brother Huai explain it to you instead! He’s the most skilled technician in our factory—way more professional than me. Besides, it’s his break time anyway. I’ll operate the excavator from above so you can see it more clearly.”
“That would be wonderful! Thank you, Comrade Xiao Zhao. Thank you….” From disappointment to sudden delight, the girl’s eyes sparkled like stars. However, just as she was about to finish her words of gratitude, she suddenly paused, hesitated for two seconds, and then, just like Zhao Zhigao, addressed him as “Brother Huai.”
A completely ordinary form of address, yet when spoken by her, it inexplicably took on a different tone. Her voice was soft and delicate, carrying a hint of coyness. If she lowered it just a little more, it would almost sound like she was acting spoiled—something that no man would have the heart to refuse.
Zhou Yinghuai’s fingers, which had been resting on his knee, curled slightly. For some reason, his ears felt a little itchy.