Qiao Yimian answered and stepped forward, carefully keeping to the firmer ground.
The orange trees were quite short, while Li Yao was very tall, so in most places he had to bend down to avoid the dense branches and leaves.
The camera hanging from her hand had some weight to it. Looking at the young woman’s slender back, Li Yao asked, “When you go out on interviews, do you usually have a camera operator with you?”
“Usually there are two of us.” Qiao Yimian answered as she walked. “In special circumstances, I go by myself.”
“That camera is pretty heavy. You carry it around the whole time?”
“This one is actually considered light.” Qiao Yimian turned back and smiled at him. “The heaviest equipment at our station weighs more than thirty jin. Add the tripod, and every field assignment is basically a weight-training session.”
“More than thirty jin…” Li Yao leisurely sized up her petite frame and remarked, “How many thirty-jin loads could you possibly weigh?”
Qiao Yimian gave a light snort. “Mr. Cameraman, please don’t casually ask a woman about her weight.”
Li Yao chuckled. “I’m not asking. I’m estimating.”
“Estimating isn’t allowed either.” Qiao Yimian answered instinctively, but immediately regretted it afterward. Once again, she’d unconsciously forgotten who she was talking to.
It was all because she was so used to speaking casually with Song Nanxing and the others.
But the man behind her didn’t seem to mind. Instead, he sighed in an easygoing tone, “So strict… Got it, Teacher Qiao.”
Qiao Yimian: “…”
Actually, she couldn’t entirely blame herself. This old fox really was… He never set a good example himself!
Sister Hong hadn’t come into the orchard with them. She was dealing with the standing water around the perimeter.
The two of them picked their way deeper into the orchard, one foot sinking deeper than the other, and Qiao Yimian took back the camera and began filming.
Since they were already here, she figured she might as well shoot some footage to take back. They could see whether the newspaper or the television station wanted to run a report, or perhaps edit it into a short video for the newspaper’s social media account. It would also help promote the orchard owner’s business—a win all around.
Seeing how seriously she was filming, Li Yao didn’t disturb her and walked off to the side.
Looking closely, it was obvious that these few orange trees weren’t given much attention by the orchard owner. The fruit hadn’t been covered with paper bags, the coloring was uneven, and the surfaces were pitted and rough.
Compared with the orange they’d eaten earlier, these fruits were indeed much smaller.
Li Yao was carefully examining the fruit and the way the trees had been cultivated, completely unaware that Qiao Yimian’s camera had already been trained on him for quite some time.
She had originally intended to film the orange trees. But as she continued filming, the camera happened to sweep across his tall figure, and somehow, she couldn’t bring herself to move it away.
He was still dressed entirely in black, black shirt and black trousers. They were ordinary clothes, yet combined with his handsome features and the air of authority he unconsciously exuded, they made him look refined, aloof, and distinguished.
The image overlapped with the scene from the first time she’d met him, when he had stood atop the overturned truck.
Under a luminous white sky, snowflakes had drifted down all around him. Standing high above her, he had been the only embellishment beneath that lonely expanse of sky.
The impression he’d left on her that day had been far too deep to forget.
Qiao Yimian had never really examined Li Yao closely before. Now, seeing him through the camera, she realized that whether it was his appearance, his build, or his bearing, he was exceptionally striking.
Perhaps sensing that she hadn’t moved for a while, the man in the viewfinder turned his head toward her.
His deep black eyes looked straight at her. Even through a layer of glass, they were enough to make her heart flutter.
Qiao Yimian hurriedly moved the camera away, pretending to film the orange trees beside him.
Footsteps approached, and suddenly a small white flower appeared in the viewfinder.
“This is the first time I’ve seen flowers and fruit growing on the same branch.”
The fresh, delicate white petals were still dotted with raindrops that had fallen earlier. Now they rested quietly in his broad palm, looking both delicate and resilient.
The sweetness of oranges mingled with the freshness of orange blossoms. One gentle breath of the scent seemed to make the whole world feel lighter and more pleasant.
Qiao Yimian had already filmed clusters of orange blossoms among the branches, scattered like tiny stars, pure white as snow.
At his words, she moved the camera away and picked up the fallen orange blossom resting in his palm.
“I heard it’s because the fruit ripens late and overlaps with the blooming season the following year. That’s why you get flowers and fruit growing on the same branch.”
“Consider me educated, Teacher Qiao.” Li Yao’s voice was gentle, clearly already accustomed to calling her that.
Qiao Yimian had given up trying to correct him.
“We’ve collected enough footage. Let’s head out and chat with them some more.”
“Okay.”
Li Yao naturally took the camera from her and carried it in his hand.
Qiao Yimian froze for a moment.
She couldn’t help thinking that the governor really knew how to notice what needed doing. He must be the kind of good husband who helped around the house, too, right?
Li Yao had no idea what was going through her head. He gestured for her to walk ahead while he carried the camera behind her.
The ground was terribly muddy. Qiao Yimian tried her best to pick out the easiest path, but she still wasn’t paying enough attention and stepped straight into a patch of mud concealed beneath the grass.
Her shoe sank into the mud. She quickly reached out to steady herself, only to unexpectedly grab Li Yao’s arm.
More precisely, he had already reached out and caught her first.
“Careful.”
His strong fingers closed firmly around her arm. With a slight pull, he drew her back out of the mud.
Qiao Yimian thanked him, then looked down at her white sneakers, which were now completely covered in mud.
“If I’d known we were coming into the mountains, I would’ve worn boots.”
Li Yao said solemnly, “I’m sorry. I should have warned you beforehand.”
Qiao Yimian couldn’t possibly accept an apology from the governor. She hurriedly waved her hands.
“No, no. That’s not what I meant. You don’t need to apologize.”
“Little Reporter Qiao,” Li Yao said helplessly, looking at her. “You don’t have to be so formal with me.”
“Oh.”
Perhaps afraid that Qiao Yimian would fall again, Li Yao stayed beside her the entire way back. His right hand remained protectively near her side, as though he were ready to catch her at any moment.
Qiao Yimian glanced at him. Her lips moved, and in the end she couldn’t resist reminding him,
“You just need to take good care of the camera. If I fall, it’s no big deal. Just don’t drop the camera.”
Li Yao: “…”
Apparently noticing the confusion in his eyes, Qiao Yimian rubbed the tip of her nose.
“It’s the universal creed of journalists: people can suffer, but the camera has to survive.”
Li Yao gave her a helpless smile.
“Don’t worry. The camera will be fine. You… will be fine too.”
It was an ordinary sentence, yet there was an unmistakable firmness to it, along with a subtle hint of affection that was difficult to detect.
Qiao Yimian turned her head and looked at the governor’s calm, steady profile. Her lips pressed together slightly.
After the two of them came out of the orchard, Li Yao continued talking with the couple for a while.
He asked about everything in meticulous detail, from the experimental planting site several years ago to the orange yields and sales in recent years.
The couple were straightforward people and told them everything they knew. Qiao Yimian took out her notebook and carefully recorded everything beside them.
“There are quite a few orchards on this mountain, but half of them are managed by a man called Wei Laosan. He’s actually pretty clever. If he hadn’t suggested back then that we cut down those experimental trees and plant something else, we’d probably still be foolishly guarding those trees and waiting for them to make us money.”
Brother Wang nudged Wei Hong.
“Why are you bringing that up?”
Wei Hong glared at him.
“What’s wrong with saying it? It’s the truth. They used us for their experiments and then just abandoned us. Can’t we at least talk about it? Our few trees happened to be on good land, so they actually produced fruit. What happened to everyone else’s? Their land was left completely wasted!”
Brother Wang couldn’t argue with her. He irritably lit a cigarette and walked off to smoke.
Qiao Yimian exchanged a silent glance with Li Yao before cautiously asking, “Sister, didn’t you try taking it up with the authorities? Since they’d already started grafting and planting, surely they wouldn’t just stop the project for no reason halfway through?”
“Of course we did! We tried!” Wei Hong nodded. “But every time, we got the exact same answer: *Wait a little longer. The follow-up funding hasn’t come through yet. The original experts have gone back because they were assigned other tasks, and the new experts haven’t arrived yet.*”
Qiao Yimian asked a few more questions about the details, but that was all Wei Hong knew.
“Then there’s the fact that we don’t have much of a sales network. Too many oranges pile up, and when we can’t sell them, they just rot in the fields. You must’ve noticed the roads in town when you came in. Transportation is terribly inconvenient.
“Luckily, that Wei Laosan is pretty decent. Every year, he goes around to all the orchards and buys their oranges, then transports them to the surrounding areas to sell. At least that lets us make back some of our costs.
“These past two years, everyone has started offering fruit-picking experiences, and Wei Laosan helps advertise for us too. So every now and then some young people come out to pick oranges. Business has gotten a little better…”
They talked for more than an hour.
Seeing that the sky was beginning to darken, the couple insisted that they stay for dinner. Qiao Yimian smiled and politely declined.
“Sister, we’ll skip dinner this time. We still have to go back and write the article and edit the video! Once we have some free time, we’ll definitely come back and try your cooking!”
The couple had no choice but to let them go. They walked the two of them out of the orchard and even put a large bag of oranges into their car.
“They’re not worth much. Take them back for your colleagues to try.”
Qiao Yimian refused several times, but in the end she couldn’t persuade them. She could only thank them repeatedly and wave goodbye.
The car drove away from the orchard, following the narrow mountain road downhill.
Qiao Yimian left the window open, letting the evening breeze flow into the car, carrying the fresh, sweet fragrance of oranges with it.
Li Yao drove at an unhurried pace and glanced sideways at her, a smile in his eyes.
“You look happy.”
“I am. I got to eat delicious oranges, I got material for my article, and I learned a lot of reliable information. Of course I’m happy.”
Qiao Yimian turned to look at him.
“Aren’t you happy?”
Li Yao kept his eyes on the road ahead, his voice carrying a smile.
“I am.”
Qiao Yimian considered it for a moment before saying, “But I’m still quite concerned about the experimental project Sister Hong mentioned. It feels like there’s more to it than that.”
Li Yao curved his lips into a faint smile but said nothing.
Seeing that he looked as though he already knew exactly what was going on, Qiao Yimian didn’t say anything else. She took out her phone and looked through some of the photos she’d taken earlier.
They drove a little farther when a blinding light suddenly flashed ahead.
Li Yao slowly pressed the brakes and turned the steering wheel, moving the car closer to the side of the road.
Qiao Yimian raised a hand to shield her eyes and saw a vehicle coming from the opposite direction.
Their car was already close to the foot of the mountain, while the other vehicle had just come around a bend from the main road.
The road was too narrow. Li Yao didn’t continue forward, simply pulling as far to the side as he could and waiting for the other vehicle to pass.
It was a black Mercedes.
Even though the driver had clearly seen them approaching, he still drove over with his high beams on, completely unconcerned.
But when he got close, the car stopped.
The window rolled down, and a young man stuck his head out.
“Hey! Move over a little. I can’t get through!”
Li Yao lowered his eyes to assess the road conditions.
“Slow down and you can get through. I’m already right against the guardrail on my side. I can’t move any farther.”
The man rested one hand on the window. The gold watch on his wrist flashed with a metallic gleam in the headlights. He refused to back down.
“If you think there’s enough room, then drive through! You just sitting there without moving—aren’t you planning to make me hit you so you can extort money from me?”
Li Yao frowned.
“You’re stopped in the middle of the road. How am I supposed to get past you?”
“Exactly! If you can’t get through, then obviously I can’t get through either!” The words made it clear that the man was simply being unreasonable.
“Hurry up and move. I’m in a rush to get home for dinner!”
Qiao Yimian looked at the passenger side. There was only about ten centimeters of space left. There really was no way to move any farther over.
She had no choice but to call through the window, “Sir, we’re already right against the side of the road. We really can’t move any farther. How about you reverse a little so we can get through, and then you can come past?”
Their car had only just turned onto the road from below. Reversing a dozen meters or so would be enough to let the other car pass.
But the man reacted as though he’d heard a joke.
“Why should I reverse? Why don’t you reverse?”
There were unreasonable people everywhere. Qiao Yimian didn’t want to argue with him over something so trivial, so she patiently tried to persuade him.
“If we reverse, we’d have to go back quite a long way. We’re almost at the foot of the mountain already. Please do us a favor. It’ll make things easier for both of us.”
The man scoffed and narrowed his eyes at their license plate.
“Out-of-towners, huh? What are you doing here? Picking fruit?”
He lounged casually against his seat and raised an arrogant eyebrow at them through the window.
“Let me tell you something. Half this mountain belongs to my family. Even this road you’re standing on was built with my family’s money! You want me to give way to you? Dream on!”