Regarding the subtle or overt expressions of goodwill from female comrades, Zhou Yinghuai originally did not understand, but after experiencing it many times, he could vaguely distinguish one or two.
What’s more, she had never concealed her feelings for him, and the question she just asked was almost an explicit indication. If he still didn’t understand, then he would have lived all these years in vain.
However, he had no intention of getting married and having children in Mingnan Province. At present, he only wanted to perform well, quickly complete his work targets in the factory, and then transfer to the largest machinery factory in the country.
Returning to the capital city to make great achievements was his true goal.
Romantic relationships had never been a part of his life plan.
Therefore, for him, a clear rejection was the best choice to cut off all trouble.
The well-practiced words of rejection circled around his lips again and again, but for some reason, he just couldn’t say them. As he remained silent, the originally relaxed and carefree atmosphere also became somewhat tense.
Perhaps his silence had already provided the answer. Her emotions visibly sank, and the bright red flush at the tips of her ears gradually faded.
“Sorry, I overstepped.”
When she spoke again, there was a trace of caution and helplessness in her tone. The forced smile on her lips was glaringly painful to look at.
But this should be the best outcome—so that she wouldn’t hold onto thoughts she shouldn’t have and sink deeper and deeper, leading only to more heartbreak in the future.
Yet, Zhou Yinghuai inexplicably felt somewhat uneasy in his heart. His palm was pressed so hard by his fingertips that it turned red, and even the insignificant wound began to faintly throb with pain. He lowered his gaze and suddenly noticed the delicate bow tied with a handkerchief.
Pretty and charming, just like the one who created it.
“I’m not.”
As soon as the words fell, the previously dejected young girl suddenly lifted her head, and life returned to her face. The smile at the corners of her eyes slowly bloomed, curving into the shape of a crescent moon.
“I’m not either!”
Her tone was sweet and soft, carrying an unmistakable joy that made one unconsciously curve their lips along with her.
By the time Zhou Yinghuai realized what he had said and what he had done, everything was already set in stone. His gaze darkened as he blamed himself for giving someone hope. But his lips opened and closed, and in the end, he said nothing.
Instead, his mind unconsciously repeated the words they had exchanged.
He’s not. She’s not either.
—
When they reunited with the main group, the tree had already been completely chopped down. The brigade leader was leading the team in clearing the branches to make it easier to transport the tree down the mountain later.
“Comrade Zhou, you’re back?” Brigade Leader Meng Xinfeng’s gaze first landed on Zhou Yinghuai, and then he noticed Cheng Fangqiu, who was following behind him. As soon as he saw her, Meng Xinfeng’s brows furrowed tightly. “Why are you here?”
Meng Xinfeng had dark skin, was tall and strong, and was always serious and responsible. He did everything for the people and had great authority in the village. When his thick brows knitted together, he looked especially intimidating. Cheng Fangqiu shrank her neck and didn’t dare to lie. She simply explained the cause and effect in a few words.
Only then did everyone notice Zhou Yinghuai’s injured arm.
“Brother Huai, are you okay?” Zhao Zhigao was the first to rush to Zhou Yinghuai’s side, looking him up and down. Seeing that there was nothing serious, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. But then, his attention was drawn to the bow on Zhou Yinghuai’s arm, and he exclaimed in surprise, “Did you tie this yourself?”
Zhou Yinghuai glanced at him, then shifted slightly to the side to avoid his gaze, replying indifferently, “I’m fine.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Meng Xinfeng’s loud voice rang out again. Pointing at Cheng Fangqiu, he scolded furiously, “I’ve emphasized in the brigade meetings time and time again that female comrades must pay attention to safety in the mountains. But look at you—several people went up the mountain together, and you still managed to get lost. Truly impressive!”
“And your younger brother—when I see him later, I’m going to give him a piece of my mind too! How could he let a female comrade be left behind?”
“If you hadn’t run into Comrade Zhou today, and something had happened, what would your parents have done?”
He spoke so fiercely that saliva flew everywhere. Cheng Fangqiu didn’t even dare to lift her head, afraid of getting sprayed in the face. Besides, he was the brigade leader—keeping silent at this moment was the best strategy. Letting him scold her wouldn’t make her lose a piece of flesh anyway.
“Comrade Cheng didn’t do it on purpose either. Who could have expected such a thing to happen?”
“Nothing happened in the end anyway, right? Brigade Leader, stop talking already, what if you end up making her cry?”
Seeing Cheng Fangqiu’s pitiful appearance, everyone present couldn’t bear it and spoke up for her.
Meng Xinfeng saw this and couldn’t say much more. But thinking about what the scorekeeper had told him, he still couldn’t help but raise his voice in warning: “By the way, you better work harder! I checked the records, and you fail to meet the daily target every day. If you do less, others have to do more. This kind of passive attitude is unacceptable. If you keep this up, I’ll use you as an example at the end-of-month meeting!”
At the mention of this, Meng Xinfeng’s brows furrowed in anger. He was a rigid man and had always despised people who dragged the collective down—like Cheng Fangqiu, who was weak and frail, always ranking at the bottom of the labor point records year after year.
He had originally planned to speak to her about this separately, but now that the two matters had collided, it was like running straight into a gun barrel—unlucky to the extreme.
Hearing this, Cheng Fangqiu’s little face instantly fell. She looked at Meng Xinfeng with resentment, and in that moment, she no longer cared about losing face in front of so many people. Unable to hold back, she defended herself: “Brigade Leader, I swear I’m not slacking off on purpose. I also want to contribute to the collective, earn more labor points, and lighten the burden on my family.”
After saying this, she suddenly changed her tone: “But look at my thin arms and legs—I really can’t handle the work of cutting pig grass. Can you assign me a task that suits me better?”
Hearing this, everyone instinctively looked at her body. Indeed, as she said, she had thin arms and legs, long and slender. It seemed like they could snap her in half with just a little force.
However, although she was slim overall, her figure was well-proportioned, with all the right curves in all the right places. Look at that full chest, that slender waist, that perky bottom…
Every part of her body was just right, making her pleasing to the eye. If they could have a taste of her someday, it would truly match the saying—”To die beneath a peony flower, even as a ghost, one would still be romantic!”
But such thoughts could only remain as fantasies. Who in Ping Le Village didn’t know that Cheng Fangqiu had high standards? Ordinary village men couldn’t catch her eye, while the technicians from the provincial capital weren’t interested in her either. They only wanted to have fun, not take responsibility. What they wanted to marry were city girls of equal status, not a village girl with nothing but good looks.
This contradiction meant that nothing would ever come of it.
Meng Xinfeng looked Cheng Fangqiu up and down and found her reasoning somewhat valid. However…
“Cheng Fangqiu, your thinking is problematic. If everyone wanted to do only the work that suited them and was easy, wouldn’t the fields be in chaos? We must overcome difficulties, not avoid them.”
He spewed out a bunch of grand principles, making Cheng Fangqiu’s head ache. She pursed her lips and sighed silently—looks like her plan to switch tasks had fallen through.
Just then, Zhou Yinghuai, who had remained silent all this time, suddenly spoke:
“Brigade Leader, I remember you telling me yesterday that the woman who cooks for us injured her leg and needed an extra hand?”
He left it at that, and soon, someone quick-witted picked up the hint.
“I think Comrade Cheng would be a great fit! If she cooks and brings us meals, we’ll all have more energy to work!”
A group of men chimed in one after another, successfully disrupting Meng Xinfeng’s train of thought. He hesitated and muttered, “How would that work? Does she even look like someone who can cook?”
“I can!”
Seeing that everyone was practically feeding the opportunity right into her mouth, how could Cheng Fangqiu not seize it?
When she had studied abroad, she had lived alone. Since she couldn’t get used to Western food, she had hired a Chinese auntie to cook for her at home. But when the auntie occasionally couldn’t make it, she would cook for herself following recipes. So, she could handle simple Chinese dishes just fine. In fact, she had even mastered a few signature dishes—anyone who had tried them before had praised them.
She neither liked nor disliked cooking, but if it meant choosing between working in the fields and staying in the kitchen, she would much rather stay in the kitchen.
“Brigade Leader, judging people by their appearance is not right,” Cheng Fangqiu mimicked Meng Xinfeng’s tone in a soft murmur.
Someone in the crowd let out a stifled laugh, making Meng Xinfeng feel a little embarrassed. But faced with so many technicians speaking on her behalf, he had no choice but to give in.
“Fine. Come to the brigade early tomorrow to report in.”
One thing was undeniable—Cheng Fangqiu might not be capable of much, but she was undeniably beautiful. The young men, full of vigor and passion, would all be eager to impress her. Wherever she was, the workers became more energetic, and productivity doubled.
With the road construction project racing against time, having her around was like injecting a dose of adrenaline—it was as good as guaranteed progress.
With Meng Xinfeng’s approval, Cheng Fangqiu’s peach blossom eyes instantly brightened. It took her a long while to suppress the excitement in her heart before she slowly pursed her lips into a smile. Her gaze, unable to control itself, drifted toward Zhou Yinghuai’s direction.
She wasn’t foolish—she knew that if it weren’t for his perfectly timed remark, she would still be stuck with the fate of cutting pig grass.
Zhou Yinghuai met her grateful gaze, paused for two seconds, then looked away and went to help Zhao Zhigao handle the lumber.
The brigade leader instructed two people to go find Cheng Xuejun and his companion before he also joined in clearing the wood. Seeing that she couldn’t be of any help and was only getting in the way by standing there, Cheng Fangqiu simply found a slightly cleaner spot and sat down.
Not long after, the two men returned with Cheng Xuejun and his companion. The siblings, upon reuniting, couldn’t help but feel lingering fear. They huddled together and spoke for a long time before finally calming down.
Just as the brigade leader had said—if Cheng Fangqiu hadn’t run into Zhou Yinghuai, who knew what might have happened?
The dangers of the mountain weren’t just empty words.
After bidding farewell to the brigade leader and the others, the three of them started descending the mountain. When they reached the foot of the mountain, Cheng Xuejun finally lifted the large leaf covering the top of the bamboo basket, revealing a wild pheasant tied up tightly inside.
“We’ll slaughter it later and give half of it to the advanced workers. The rest is ours,” Cheng Xuejun said, raising his eyebrows with a bit of pride.
Cheng Fangqiu’s eyes widened—she hadn’t expected these two young men to actually have some skill, managing to catch wild game, and such a fat pheasant at that! She sincerely praised them a couple of times, and their faces immediately lit up with unconcealed satisfaction. Then, they excitedly recounted the entire process of how they caught it.
After finishing the story, Cheng Xuejun said with some guilt, “If we hadn’t gone after it, we wouldn’t have wandered so far. We almost put you in danger, sister. Next time, I definitely won’t leave you alone in the mountains.”
His regret was genuine. Cheng Fangqiu reached out and patted his head. “I wasn’t cautious enough myself, so you two aren’t to blame. Just be more careful next time.”
She didn’t want to keep debating over who was right or wrong about what had already passed. Right now, she only wanted to go home and cook a delicious pine mushroom chicken soup!