Lu Jing weighed Xiao Yan, then put him on the ground. "This kid has been a chatterbox since he was little. Da Nuo was the one who liked to use his hands.
When they were this small, Da Nuo would hit people, and Xiao Yan would scream and curse in words we didn't understand."
Xia Xi smiled.
She couldn't help but recall some amusing stories about Da Nuo and Xiao Yan. "You have a good memory; you still remember these things."
It wasn't that he remembered their amusing stories; it was that he remembered her, always smiling beside them, holding a book and reciting poetry to his eldest nephew, saying that education starts with children and that they should be enlightened.
The two felt like old friends upon meeting and chatted for a long time.
Xia Xi glanced at the sun. "It's getting late. Do you need to buy anything else? Shall we go back together?"
"Wait for me a moment."
Lu Jing went into the Supply and Marketing Cooperative and came out shortly.
He was carrying bags of goods.
Xiao Yan patted the basket on the bicycle. "Uncle Jing, quickly, put them in. You can ride the bike with my aunt, and I'll sit on the front bar."
Lu Jing looked at Xia Xi a bit sheepishly. "My legs are long, so I'll walk back. You..."
Before he could finish, Xia Xi had already pushed the handlebars towards him. "I bought a lot of things, and it's too heavy. I can't pedal it."
Lu Jing was stunned.
She couldn't pedal it?
The Xiao Xi from before could carry a large basin of pig's blood and run.
Of course, he only dared to wonder in his heart and didn't ask.
Lu Jing put the things into the basket, took the handlebars, let Xiao Yan sit on the front bar, and turned to Xia Xi. "Xiao Xi, get on."
Xia Xi said, "Pedal out first, and I'll jump on."
Lu Jing hesitated. "Can you do it?"
Xia Xi said confidently, "Of course!"
Lu Jing nodded, slowly started pedaling the bicycle, and deliberately slowed down to wait for Xia Xi to jump on.
Xia Xi leaned forward slightly, pushed off with her foot, and saw the bike approaching. She reached for the seat, ready to sit down.
But...
An accident happened.
As Xia Xi was about to jump on, her body suddenly lost support, and she fell to the ground, landing on her backside.
The pain instantly contorted her features.
She... she... overestimated herself.
She hadn't ridden a bicycle like this in half her life. Where did she get the courage to think she could?
Lu Jing heard the commotion behind him, stopped the bike, and asked worriedly, "Xia Xi, Xia Xi, are you okay?"
When Xia Xi fell, her hands instinctively braced against the ground.
Her tailbone hurt, her palms hurt, and her skin was scraped.
She was a mess!
Ah, on their first reunion, she was so embarrassing. It was simply... mortifying.
She wished she could find a hole to crawl into.
Lu Jing's large, calloused hand grabbed her wrist. "Can you get up? Or should I carry you to the hospital to get it checked?"
Xia Xi's cheeks flushed; it was from embarrassment.
She waved her hands. "I'll take a moment. I'll be fine in a bit."
Xia Xi looked at the wound on her palm and found that the Jade Pendant from her pocket had also fallen out.
She immediately picked up the Jade Pendant from the ground.
Blood from her scraped palm smeared onto the Jade Pendant. She instinctively tried to wipe it, but in the blink of an eye, the blood was gone.
Xia Xi almost thought she was hallucinating.
Without thinking too much, she put the Jade Pendant into a small inner pocket, afraid of losing it.
It was the most important thing; she absolutely couldn't lose it.
Seeing the wound on her palm, Lu Jing immediately took out a handkerchief. "Don't move. I'll clean the wound on your palm. There's a lot of dirt; it could get infected."
Xia Xi stared blankly at the tall Lu Jing squatting in front of her, carefully cleaning the wound on her hand.
He was still as rude as ever.
He didn't hold back at all when cleaning her wound.
Xia Xi bit her lip, trying not to make a sound, even though it hurt terribly.
But seeing Lu Jing at such close range felt very real.
His face was right in front of her.
His proud nose, eyebrows like distant mountains, and beautiful eyes.
She had longed for this face for half her life.
Xia Xi wanted to touch it, but... she felt it would be too forward.
She finally restrained herself.
After Lu Jing finished treating the wound on Xia Xi's wrist, he asked, "Can you stand up now?"
Xia Xi moved a bit. "Yes."
Fortunately, she had braced herself with her hands; otherwise, if her tailbone had been injured, she would have been bedridden for half a month.
Xia Xi painfully supported Lu Jing to stand up, then sat on the bicycle in an awkward posture and headed home.
Because her backside hurt, she was a bit unstable sitting in the back, so she held onto his shirt.
Lu Jing noticed he was riding too fast and slowed down.
Meanwhile, Lin Xiangdong, who was waiting on Phoenix Mountain.
He waited and waited.
He waited for a full three hours. The sun was directly overhead, making him dizzy, but Xia Xi still hadn't appeared.
He couldn't help but get angry.
That damned village girl! How dare she stand him up!
He would never forgive her!
Even if she begged him to forgive her, he wouldn't!
Lin Xiangdong wanted to go down the mountain but worried that if he left, Xia Xi might show up.
He waited and waited.
After a long wait, he suddenly saw a figure appear at the village entrance.
There were only two families in the entire Production Brigade who owned bicycles: the Team Leader's family and the Accountant's family.
Even from a distance.
He recognized it as the Team Leader's bicycle.
Why was a tall man riding it? Then he saw Xia Xi, wearing a white shirt and two braided pigtails, on the back seat.
She went out to meet a man in secret!
She actually dared to go out and meet a man in secret?
Was it because of the Jade Pendant that she had given up on him?
Thinking of Xu Shanshan, Lin Xiangdong was extremely annoyed.
Whether he could leave this place depended entirely on Xia Xi.
He had told Xu Shanshan countless times not to provoke Xia Xi, but she insisted on provoking her, and now the Jade Pendant had been discovered by her.
She must be angry.
Her doing this was simply to make him coax her.
He would coax her, but only after he got the university spot.
Lin Xiangdong hurried down the mountain, feeling a bit flustered.
He didn't know why, but he had a feeling that things were changing.
Lu Jing riding the bicycle with Xia Xi attracted a lot of attention.
Mainly because Lu Jing's military uniform was too eye-catching.
Some Aunties recognized him. "Oh my, isn't that Lu family's boy?"
"Who's that behind him?"
"Wow, it's Xi Yatou! They look so well-matched."
"Yes, yes, they are truly a match made in heaven."
"Lu family's boy is an officer, and Xi Yatou is a teacher. They are a perfect match."
An Auntie with other intentions in the village chimed in, "Xi Yatou is delicate. Soldiers are rough. I don't think Xi Yatou would necessarily fancy Lu family's boy.
For a soldier, it's best to choose someone who can manage household chores."
She said this deliberately to Auntie Lu.
Auntie Lu couldn't take these words to heart. She watched the receding figures, a slight smile on her lips.
This was truly fate.
They ran into each other like this.
This matter should be put on the agenda.
If this boy knew to work hard, they would have less to worry about.
Lin Xiangdong came down from the mountain and, passing by the fields, overheard the Aunties discussing Lu Jing and Xia Xi. His brow furrowed.
Feeling uneasy, he headed towards the Educated Youth Point.
Lu Jing escorted Xia Xi back home.
Yu Qiu was home today; Yao Zhi had gone to the fields.
Yu Qiu saw the situation. "What happened? How did you end up like this?"
"Sister-in-law, I'll tell you when we get home."
It was too embarrassing.
She didn't want to talk about it.
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