Liu Zhixia quietly raised her head and flashed Zhou Yunting a radiant smile.
For a brief moment, Zhou Yunting wondered if what he had sensed earlier had only been his imagination.
From the hospital all the way back to the thatched hut, they no longer felt that unsettling sensation of being watched.
The danger had passed.
That evening, the villagers they had rescued came bearing gifts: eggs, millet, and two jin of pork.
An elderly woman in her fifties, Auntie Liu, arrived with the youngest son they had saved. The moment they entered, she dropped to her knees with a loud thud.
Tears filled her eyes as she thanked them repeatedly.
“If it weren’t for all of you, my Jianguo would never have survived.
From now on, you’re our family’s lifesavers. If there’s ever anything you need, just say the word.
My son and I will do anything we can without a second thought.”
The other two families quickly echoed her words.
“So will our family.”
“Us too…”
“…”
After seeing off the grateful yet guilty villagers, Liu Zhixia left the conversation among the three generations of the Zhou family to themselves.
She took the millet to cook porridge and boiled the eggs.
There were still many things she couldn’t openly take out before she had a reasonable explanation for them.
But looking at the two injured men lying on the floor, Liu Zhixia thought this might be the perfect opportunity.
The original Liu Zhixia’s parents had given their daughter plenty of money and ration coupons before she left.
The men’s belongings would have been impossible to hide during the searches.
But this era was conservative. Women had many discreet places to conceal valuables, making it much easier to avoid suspicion.
As the only daughter of a high-ranking official, it wouldn’t be unusual if she happened to have a few valuable things with her.
Once she figured that out, her eyes sparkled.
An idea had already formed.
Just then, Zhou Yunting happened to look up and caught the dazzling brilliance in her eyes.
They shone like the stars, bright enough to dispel even the darkest gloom.
Originally, he had wanted to gauge her reaction.
He guessed she had already realized that neither he nor his father would be permanently crippled.
But she must also understand that, to deceive their enemies, the two of them would have to pretend to be disabled from now on.
Grandpa Zhou was already advanced in years.
If Liu Zhixia chose to stay, all the work inside and outside the house would inevitably fall on her shoulders.
After being sent down here, the Zhou family’s work points were already pitifully low despite the heavy labor they were assigned.
For a delicate young woman as beautiful as a painting, the wisest choice right now would be to leave the Zhou family and divorce him.
Yet at this moment, Zhou Yunting—who had always rejected this marriage and feared nothing—discovered that he was afraid.
Afraid that Liu Zhixia would truly leave.
As if reading his thoughts, Liu Zhixia turned back with a teasing smile.
“What?
Comrade Zhou… don’t tell me you’re worried I’ll abandon the three of you and run away?”
His sharp brows relaxed.
For the briefest instant, warmth softened his usually icy features.
She won’t leave.
Those words echoed repeatedly in Zhou Yunting’s mind.
He couldn’t understand what had come over him.
He knew he shouldn’t drag Liu Zhixia down with him.
Yet, at this moment, he didn’t want her to leave.
As for all the thoughts he’d held before…
He quietly pushed them aside.
Old Master Zhou was no fool.
Seeing the expressions on both his son and grandson’s faces, he immediately understood.
The two of them were probably fine.
Earlier, the reason he’d gone weak all over was because he had known they’d been ambushed. He had instinctively assumed the injuries must be severe.
With that expectation, coupled with the doctor’s grim diagnosis, he had nearly collapsed from the blow.
Liu Zhixia peeled an egg for Commander Zhou, Zhou Yunting, and Old Master Zhou, then served each of them a bowl of millet porridge.
Old Master Zhou pushed his egg toward her.
“I’m old. My appetite isn’t what it used to be. I can’t finish it.
Zhixia, you eat more.
Look how thin you are.
Young girls look better with a little more weight.”
Zhou Yunting also handed his egg to her.
His words were as brief as ever.
“You eat.”
Liu Zhixia couldn’t help laughing inwardly.
What a hopelessly straightforward man.
Seeing Commander Zhou about to hand over his egg as well, she quickly raised the unpeeled egg in her own hand to stop him.
“I have one too. Everyone gets one.
That’s an order, okay?”
She smiled mischievously before placing the eggs back into everyone’s hands.
“I secretly brought some savings with me.
Now that Uncle Zhou and Zhou Yunting are injured, they definitely won’t be able to work for the next few days, let alone leave the house.
I’m thinking of quietly going into the county town to buy some food and a few basic household necessities.
Life has to go on.”
The three men all froze for a moment.
Old Master Zhou looked surprised.
“Zhixia, you brought money with you? But during the search…”
She lifted her chin proudly.
“Grandpa Zhou, that’s because soldiers aren’t always as meticulous as young women.
Girls always have ways to hide a few things.
Anyway, don’t worry. No one in this family is going to go hungry.”
Watching the young woman who could be commanding and clever one moment, then lively and playful the next, Zhou Yunting realized that every side of her was captivating.
He lowered his head and silently continued eating.
Her words had eased the burden in his heart.
He believed she wasn’t making empty promises.
News of the Zhou family’s accident quickly spread throughout the village.
Fortunately, the production team leader wasn’t an unreasonable man.
Instead of assigning them the heaviest labor, Old Master Zhou and Liu Zhixia were transferred to work alongside the ordinary villagers during the autumn harvest.
Neither Liu Zhixia nor the three members of the Zhou family had expected such an arrangement.
Still, it was undoubtedly good news.
On the first morning of work, Liu Zhixia got up early.
She mixed the leftover rice from before with the millet the villagers had given them and steamed a pot of mixed-grain rice.
Then she took two tomatoes from her space and cooked tomato scrambled eggs using yesterday’s eggs.
She had expected the Zhou family to ask where the tomatoes had come from and had already prepared an explanation.
Yet after breakfast, not a single person asked.
These days, every household had its own small private plot, and many villagers grew tomatoes.
Besides, Liu Zhixia herself had been the one to put away all the gifts the villagers had brought the previous day.
She could have easily claimed the tomatoes came from there.
Still, she hadn’t expected no one to question her at all.
What Liu Zhixia didn’t know was that from the moment she chose to accompany the Zhou family into exile, she had already become one of them.
Even if nothing seemed unusual about her, the Zhou family trusted her completely.
And even if there were something suspicious…
The three generations of the Zhou family would have covered for her without hesitation.
That was simply the kind of family they were.
Though small in number, they were exceptionally united and fiercely protective of their own.
When Old Master Zhou and Liu Zhixia arrived at the cornfields together, many villagers turned to look at them.
Among those gazes, one stood out the most.
It carried curiosity…
Jealousy…
And admiration.
Liu Zhixia also took a careful look at the young woman.
She was quite pretty, with a gentle and graceful appearance.
She looked about eighteen or nineteen years old.
She wore a red-and-white plaid blouse, dark gray cotton trousers, and a pair of Liberation shoes.
The only truly eye-catching feature was her hairstyle.
Her hair was loosely tied into two braids, unlike the neat hairstyles of the other village girls.
It made her stand out.
Liu Zhixia couldn’t help studying her for a few more moments.
There was a depth and maturity in the girl’s eyes that didn’t belong to someone her age.
Interesting…