Xie Fangzhu said, “I saw her.”
He had seen her as soon as he stepped out of the Lamp Room.
Unlike the other miners, Xie Fangzhu had little interest in the young wives gathered under the tree.
To him, men and women were all the same—two eyes, one nose, one mouth. Nothing special.
Today, it was only because the other miners reacted so intensely that he casually glanced over.
But that one glance was enough. His gaze was captured by the slender figure under the tree, leaning against a bicycle, her face pale and fair like a fairy’s, and he couldn’t look away.
There were several other women nearby, so why was it Shen Yingying who made him reluctant to shift his eyes?
Was it because she was the only one waiting for him with her whole heart and soul?
In the past, Xie Fangzhu had always sneered at those young wives who came to pick up their husbands after work.
He even looked down on the men who were overjoyed by their wives’ arrival.
Was the road home any different just because a woman was walking alongside them?
To him, it was just affectation.
But today, seeing Shen Yingying waiting for him under the tree, the heart that had been anxiously fearing she might run away suddenly settled.
It felt as if something had filled his heart to the brim.
Damn, it was truly heartwarming.
Shen Yingying also spotted the two men. Waving at them, she pushed her bicycle toward them.
She had originally planned to wait for Xie Fangzhu at home, but she’d heard that their worksite underground was several kilometers from the shaft exit. There were no vehicles underground; everyone had to walk.
It took at least thirty to forty minutes to walk from the worksite to the shaft exit.
Today, since Xie Fangzhu had let her ride the bicycle home, it meant he had walked several kilometers underground and still had to walk over two kilometers above ground.
Imagining his tall figure trudging along the road, carrying his lunchbox with a weary expression, Shen Yingying felt an inexplicable pang of pity for him.
Moreover, she recalled how Xie Fangzhu had stood up for her that morning. Whether it was to maintain his “doting husband” persona or simply for her sake, it had made her feel immensely gratified.
So, she decided to earn some more goodwill from Xie Fangzhu and rode over to pick him up.
Looking at the woman whose eyes were fixed solely on him, Xie Fangzhu felt as if a kitten were scratching at his heart—itchy and restless. His voice unconsciously softened. “Why did you come?”
Shen Yingying’s gaze fell on his coal-blackened face. Although Xie Fangzhu worked in the tunneling team, he wasn’t much better off than those in the coal mining team.
Covered head to toe in coal dust, his handsome face was hidden beneath a thick layer of black grime, revealing only a pair of light-colored eyes.
She smiled and said, “I took the bicycle today, and I couldn’t bear the thought of you walking so far. So, I told Qingqing and came to pick you up.”
“I’m a grown man, not that delicate,” he scoffed, seemingly dismissive, but the corners of his mouth involuntarily curled upward.
He had spent the whole day underground, worrying she might run away, even though he had arranged for Jiaozi and Chen Yingying to keep an eye on her.
She was different from before. He was addicted to her now. If she ran away, he would go mad.
He had even imagined what he would do if she really ran away. How would he punish her?
Break her legs and lock her by his side forever?
Yet, here she was, safe at home, even coming to pick him up because she couldn’t bear to see him walk.
Xie Fangzhu’s heart softened, and a wave of guilt washed over him. How could he be so despicable? How could he have thought such things about her?Shen Yingying had no idea what Xie Fangzhu was thinking. If she had known, she would probably be thanking her lucky stars right now for not having run away.
All she saw was the corners of his mouth, hidden beneath the coal dust, curling upward uncontrollably. She thought to herself, this man really was all talk—clearly, he was overjoyed.
She couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at him. “So, aren’t you happy that I came to pick you up?”
Xie Fangzhu didn’t deny it. “I am happy,” he said.
Han Wei, standing nearby, was so shocked he couldn’t speak.
Was his brother telling the truth or lying?
Wasn’t his brother the one who looked down the most on men who had women come to pick them up?
Once, Han Wei had expressed genuine envy toward men whose wives came to pick them up, hoping that one day he, too, would have a wife to pick him up. But he had only earned a scornful glare from his brother.
If his brother was truly happy today that his wife had come to pick him up, wasn’t that just slapping himself in the face?
Thinking this, Han Wei cast a suspicious glance at Xie Fangzhu.
He saw that Xie Fangzhu’s eyes, which had been dark and gloomy just moments ago, now seemed to have sunlight breaking through the clouds, radiating a gentle glow. There wasn’t a trace of the anger he had shown in front of the female workers earlier.
It was obvious he was in an exceptionally good mood.
…So it was the truth.
…His brother really had thick skin. One set of standards for himself, another for everyone else.
But he didn’t dare voice this criticism aloud. If he did, he’d probably get beaten to a pulp.
After chatting briefly, the three of them headed toward the bathhouse.
Xie Fangzhu and Han Wei had just come up from the mine, covered in coal dust. They couldn’t eat like that, so they had to go to the bathhouse to wash up first.
Shen Yingying hadn’t bathed since she had arrived yesterday, and she was feeling extremely uncomfortable.
So when she came to pick up Xie Fangzhu, she had brought a change of clothes with her. While Xie Fangzhu was bathing, she would also take the opportunity to shower in the women’s bathhouse.
By the time Shen Yingying emerged from the women’s bathhouse with her basket, Xie Fangzhu had already finished washing and was waiting for her outside.
He was dressed in the typical attire of the era: a worn dark blue cotton shirt paired with loose straight-leg trousers. On any other man, this outfit would have been unremarkable.
But with his height of over six feet and a perfect physique—muscular when undressed yet lean when clothed—he looked like a model.
The plain clothes suddenly seemed stylish and eye-catching on him.
Seeing her approach, he blew out a puff of smoke and stubbed out his cigarette.
He glanced down at her and casually asked, “Finished washing?”
“Mm,” Shen Yingying nodded, then suddenly realized her chest felt oddly empty.
She remembered she still had to go eat with Xie Fangzhu, and it wouldn’t be proper to show up with wet hair, so she had coiled her two braids at the back of her head.
She reached up to loosen the coiled braids. One came undone smoothly, but the other wasn’t as cooperative—it was tangled in the hair tie.
Trying to loosen the braid with her hands behind her back was awkward, and soon, a flush of frustration spread across her fair face.
Seeing her struggle, Xie Fangzhu walked around behind her and reached out to untangle the braid caught in the hair tie.
His gaze inadvertently fell on her fair, slender neck, where faint marks still lingered.
His eyes darkened slightly, and he couldn’t help but recall what had happened between them yesterday—the feel of her beneath him.
That sensation…
His handsome face grew warm. When he realized what he was thinking, he cursed himself inwardly for being no better than an animal.
In broad daylight, what kind of filthy thoughts was he having?She quickly sped up her movements, freeing her braid from the elastic band. “Done.”
Shen Yingying had no idea about the messy thoughts running through his mind. She curved her eyes into a smile at him. “Xie Fangzhu, thank you!”
“Why are you being so polite with me?” Xie Fangzhu raised an eyebrow. He casually took the basket of dirty clothes from her hand. “Let’s go, time to eat.”
Shen Yingying smoothed her slightly damp braid and glanced toward the men’s bathhouse. “Aren’t we waiting for Han Wei?”
Xie Fangzhu lowered his eyelids. When Han Wei had come out with him earlier, he had wanted to wait for Shen Yingying to finish before going to eat together.
But Xie Fangzhu found Han Wei an eyesore, so he had shooed him away.
However, he didn’t think such a trivial matter was worth mentioning to Shen Yingying.
So, without changing his expression, he said, “He’s a big guy, gets hungry faster. He went ahead to eat.”
“Oh, I see.” Shen Yingying didn’t doubt him and followed his steps, her gaze falling on the basket he was carrying.
She thought to herself that this guy was quite considerate. In this era, without being taught, he knew to take the initiative to carry his wife’s basket.
She couldn’t help but glance up at him. His hair was still a bit damp, tousled back, with a few strands casually falling over his forehead. The side profile of his face was sharp and distinct.
As if sensing her gaze, Xie Fangzhu turned to look at her.
Now, his handsome features were fully visible to her—refined yet masculine, undeniably good-looking, completely in line with her taste.
She thought to herself: good looks, boyfriend material, doesn’t mess around with other women, and even has a sense of propriety—truly a perfect husband!
It’s just that he’s a bit too crazy, destined to be the big villain who ends up in prison and faces execution.
What a shame.