The summer of 1973 was so hot it made people restless.
The sun had been down for quite a while, yet the heat rising from the ground still lingered.
At the entrance of the Village, stacks of hay were piled high. Each one was round and plump, like chubby children squatting there.
Behind the innermost haystack, there was movement.
“Mmm… Lu Shiyan, be gentler…”
The woman’s voice was soft and sweet, tinged with breathlessness.
No one answered her. Only the rustling of hay could be heard.
Su Wanqing lay on the haystack. Two buttons of her floral blouse had come undone, revealing a patch of pale skin beneath her collarbone. She pushed at the man above her and frowned.
“Did you hear what I said?”
Only then did Lu Shiyan lift his eyes to look at her.
Supporting himself above her, he had rolled the sleeves of his undershirt up to his shoulders, exposing strong, well defined arms. Sweat gathered at his temples and ran down his cheeks before dripping onto her neck.
“Speak,” he said hoarsely.
Being stared at like that made Su Wanqing’s face warm. She turned her head away and muttered,
“I work in the fields every day. The skin on my hands is rubbed raw. Look…”
She raised both hands in front of him.
Her fair, delicate palms indeed bore several faint red marks and two newly formed blisters.
Lu Shiyan lowered his gaze and examined them for a moment without speaking.
He thought to himself that she really was delicate. Such tiny marks were enough for her to make a fuss. One red streak and she’d pout for half the day.
He remembered when he had first come to the Countryside. The blisters on his hands had been much larger. They burst, oozed pus, formed scabs, then broke open again. Even then, no one had spared them a glance.
Still, her hands were truly soft, almost like tofu.
And he happened to like her exactly this way.
When she acted spoiled, her brows would knit together, her lips would pout, and her watery eyes would stare at people. She looked even prettier than usual.
Like a lazy little cat unwilling to lift a paw, insisting on being coaxed and pampered.
Su Wanqing pouted.
“You only know how to bully me. You never feel sorry for me.”
Amusement flickered across Lu Shiyan’s lips. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a piece of paper, and slapped it lightly into her palm.
Su Wanqing froze and picked it up.
It was an appointment notice naming her as the Village’s new Record Keeper. A bright red official stamp sat at the top, along with her name.
Her eyes lit up instantly. She sat up abruptly and grabbed the paper.
“Really? When did you arrange this?”
Leaning against the haystack, Lu Shiyan took out a cigarette and placed it between his lips without lighting it. He looked at her indulgently.
“You can report for duty tomorrow.”
Su Wanqing read the paper again and again, her eyes curving into crescents from smiling.
Turning toward Lu Shiyan, she saw him lounging lazily against the haystack. His undershirt collar hung open, revealing his collarbone and a small portion of his chest.
She leaned over and planted a loud kiss on his cheek.
Lu Shiyan was briefly stunned. He hooked an arm around her neck and kissed her for quite a while before finally letting her go.
Su Wanqing shot him a coquettish glare. Carefully folding the paper, she tucked it into her shirt pocket and patted it.
“Not bad, Lu Shiyan. Looks like you’re actually capable of something.”
Lu Shiyan looked away and removed the cigarette from his mouth.
“Get yourself sorted out. It’s time to head back.”
Su Wanqing glanced down at herself and had to admit she looked rather disheveled. She fastened her buttons, smoothed her hair, then stood up and brushed the bits of hay from her clothes.
Lu Shiyan rose as well and helped dust the hay off her back.
“Alright, alright.” Su Wanqing dodged away. “Don’t let anyone see.”
Yet inwardly she muttered that this man was surprisingly attentive.
What a pity. He was just someone sleeping in the cattle shed. Otherwise, keeping him around to order wouldn’t be such a bad idea.
She had never truly intended to have any future with him. She only wanted a useful fool she could take advantage of. Now that the Record Keeper position was secured, she could gradually distance herself from him.
Lu Shiyan’s hand paused briefly before he withdrew it and shoved it back into his pocket.
After finishing tidying herself up, Su Wanqing turned to look at him.
He stood there in the gathering dusk. His expression could not be seen clearly, but his eyes remained bright as they watched her.
“I’m leaving.”
She waved her hand.
“Mhm.”
Su Wanqing turned and walked away. After a few steps, she looked back and saw that he was still standing there.
“What are you staring at? Go back and sleep.”
Lu Shiyan said nothing. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
Too lazy to bother with him, Su Wanqing swayed her hips and left.
Only after she had gone far away did Lu Shiyan take out a match and light his cigarette.
He took a drag and exhaled.
Watching her shrinking figure through the drifting smoke, he narrowed his eyes. After a long moment, he let out a low chuckle.
“You really do throw people away once you’re done using them, you little heartless thing.”
Su Wanqing emerged from behind the haystacks. Darkness was already settling in.
She was in such a good mood that she practically floated down the road. As she walked, she repeatedly touched the paper in her pocket, feeling delighted.
A Record Keeper.
No more field work. She would simply carry a notebook and record Labor Points every day. Every girl in the Village envied that position.
Let’s see if those Zhiqing still dared to laugh at her in the future.
Just as she was thinking about it, someone approached from the opposite direction.
Su Wanqing looked up, and her eyes brightened even more.
Lin Wenxuan.
In an instant, Lu Shiyan was completely forgotten.
What good was a man sleeping in a cattle shed? No matter how attentive he was, could he take her back to the city? Could he give her a better life?
Lin Wenxuan was different.
He was a Zhiqing from the city, a high school graduate, and handsome as well. Their parents had arranged their engagement years ago. Although both families had fallen on hard times now, what if they managed to recover one day?
Even if they never did, he was still the most presentable man she knew.
As for someone like Lu Shiyan, using him in private was one thing. Publicly, she had no desire for anyone to know they were connected.
Su Wanqing adjusted her hair and put on a smile before jogging over.
Lin Wenxuan wore a spotless white shirt. His sleeves were neatly rolled up, and a book rested in his hand as he walked from the Village Chief’s house.
The golden light of dusk fell across him, making his refined features appear even gentler.
“Brother Wenxuan!”
Su Wanqing ran up and immediately grabbed his arm.
Lin Wenxuan frowned and quickly pulled his arm away as though startled.
“What are you doing?”
Ignoring his reaction, Su Wanqing moved closer and pitifully raised her hands.
“Brother Wenxuan, I worked in the fields again today. The skin on my hands is rubbed raw. Look. Blow on them for me, okay?”
Lin Wenxuan did not even glance at her hands. A trace of impatience flashed through his eyes.
“Blow on them? It’s broad daylight. Su Wanqing, where’s your sense of dignity as a girl? You may not care about your reputation, but I care about mine.”
Su Wanqing froze. Her hand remained awkwardly suspended in the air.
“But I’m your fiancée. Can you really bear to watch me suffer?”
She spoke pitifully.
“Stop talking nonsense. What fiancée? That was in the past.”
Lin Wenxuan’s expression changed. Lowering his voice, he glanced around nervously.
“I’m warning you. Stop clinging to me all day long. There’s nothing between us. Don’t go around spreading nonsense.”
“What do you mean, in the past? You don’t intend to honor it anymore?”
Su Wanqing grew anxious.
“We were engaged!”
“Engaged?”
Lin Wenxuan let out a cold laugh.
“Your parents have already been sent away, and you’re still talking about an engagement? Do you even know what your current class status is? If I get too close to you, I’ll be implicated as well. Have you no self awareness? The current you isn’t worthy of me.”
Su Wanqing was stunned by his scolding. Her eyes immediately reddened.
“Lin Wenxuan, you…”
But Lin Wenxuan ignored her. After speaking, he turned around and left.
Panicking, Su Wanqing hurried after him and grabbed his arm again.
“Lin Wenxuan, stop right there! Explain yourself clearly!”