With the busy farming season over, the educated youth compound, which had been quiet for more than half a month, became even livelier than before.
Sitting inside, He Shi found himself strangely distracted.
His gaze drifted repeatedly toward Shen Gang, who was standing outside the doorway. Listening to Song Jincheng teaching the villagers outside, a restless irritation churned inside him, rushing back and forth without finding an outlet.
Almost unconsciously, he reached toward his pocket for a cigarette.
Only then did he realize he had not brought any.
His addiction was not particularly heavy. Sometimes he carried a pack, sometimes he did not. Usually it did not matter.
But now that he wanted one and did not have any, the urge felt especially strong.
He tapped his knuckles against the table in front of Xu Xiangdong.
“Give me a cigarette.”
Xu Xiangdong was a heavy smoker and always carried cigarettes with him.
He immediately took out a pack and a lighter and handed them over.
He Shi pulled out a cigarette and placed it between his lips, tossed the pack back to Xu Xiangdong, took the lighter, and got up to leave.
Watching how naturally He Shi asked Xu Xiangdong for things, Chen Yuzhen’s eyes flashed with a trace of disdain.
Acting so high and mighty.
She had thought he was someone remarkable.
Turns out he was just another person putting on airs.
Naturally, He Shi had no idea about her secret sense of superiority.
After leaving the room, he looked toward the literacy class.
His gaze lingered briefly on Shen Yao’s back.
The agitation inside him only grew stronger.
In the end, he simply stopped looking.
He walked out of the compound, leaned against the outer wall, and lit his cigarette.
The countryside night was quiet.
It was the beginning of the lunar month. The moon was only a slender crescent, and even the stars were sparse.
At a little after eight o’clock, apart from the lively atmosphere around the educated youth compound, most villagers had already gone to bed.
Only after he finished the cigarette and crushed the glowing tip beneath his foot did someone emerge from the compound gate.
Judging by the silhouette, it was a girl.
As she drew nearer, He Shi finally saw her face.
Very good.
The very culprit who had left him restless and irritable all evening.
Without warning, he reached out and pulled her toward him.
Turning around, he braced one arm against the wall and trapped her between his arms.
The movement was so sudden that Shen Yao’s startled cry had not even escaped before he covered her mouth.
“It’s me.”
Pressing a hand against her chest, Shen Yao was badly frightened.
She turned her head aside and struggled free from his hand covering her mouth.
She thought nothing of the movement.
But her lips brushed against his palm, sending a wave of tingling numbness racing up his hand.
Even his fingertips trembled.
Shen Yao remained completely unaware.
Annoyance filled her face as she scolded him.
“What are you doing? You scared me.”
Anyone suddenly grabbed in the dark would be frightened.
And it was more than just fear.
She was irritated that He Shi kept grabbing and pulling at her like this.
This was already the second time.
He Shi’s first thought was that her voice was incredibly soft.
His second thought was finally the question she had asked.
Why had he stopped her?
His heart was beating wildly.
That tingling sensation in his palm shot straight into his chest like an electric current.
It felt strange.
And… pleasant.
So pleasant that for a moment he completely forgot why he had pulled Shen Yao aside in the first place.
Seeing him stand there in a daze, Shen Yao had no intention of arguing with him.
She turned sideways and tried to slip past the opening on his right.
This time He Shi reacted quickly.
The right hand that had briefly stopped working from that tingling sensation slammed against the wall, completely enclosing her within the narrow space between his arms.
Lowering his head slightly so their eyes met, he said almost without thinking:
“Shen Yao, look at me.”
Again, he was standing far too close.
Shen Yao grew even more annoyed.
She shot him a glare.
It was not as if flowers were growing on his face.
That glare finally brought He Shi back to his senses.
Fortunately, the question “Am I better-looking or is Song Jincheng?” never left his mouth.
Even if Shen Yao was a little foolish, he would have been too embarrassed to ask something like that.
Pressing his lips together, he changed direction.
“Tell me honestly. Do you like Song Jincheng?”
Shen Yao’s eyes widened instantly.
What kind of question was that?
Her first reaction was that He Shi was trying to damage her reputation.
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
“How is it nonsense? Whenever he teaches the literacy class, you show up for lessons. Whenever he’s in the educated youth dormitory, you switch to listening to stories instead. Do you think nobody notices? People talk about it behind your back.”
Shen Yao froze.
Thinking carefully about the few times she had visited the educated youth compound, she replayed the scenes in her mind.
Seeing her unable to respond immediately, He Shi grew even more irritated.
“You acted like you were pretty clever before. You knew male educated youths weren’t good marriage prospects, so why do you keep coming here? Is it all fake cleverness? I knew better than to expect you to actually be smart for once.”
His tone was distinctly annoyed.
Unable to resist, he flicked her forehead lightly with his middle finger.
Shen Yao had been busy wondering whether there really had been such an unfortunate coincidence.
The sudden flick made her so angry she nearly jumped.
Covering her forehead, she glared up at him.
“You’re not allowed to keep touching people like that!”
Knowing about “getting handsy” too, He Shi curled his lips into a smile. “You’re not allowed to come to the educated youth compound anymore. If I catch you here again, I’ll flick your forehead again and see if I can knock some sense into that little pumpkin head of yours.”
Shen Yao… Shen Yao truly wanted to smack him on the head.
This man was awful.
Unfortunately, she was at a height disadvantage. Actually reaching up to hit him on the head would seem far too intimate. The upbringing she had received since childhood was ingrained in her bones, so she restrained herself.
Then she lowered her eyes and noticed the pair of slippers He Shi was wearing.
Without a second thought, she stomped directly on his toes.
Shen Yao looked delicate and fragile, but when she stepped on someone, there was nothing delicate about it. Even in cloth shoes, she made He Shi cry out in pain and hop around gritting his teeth. Taking advantage of the opportunity, she turned and ran back into the educated youth compound.
She had originally been heading to the cleaner latrine near the brigade headquarters, but now she abandoned the idea altogether. Instead, she went inside, found Shen Gang, and said they were going home.
When Song Jincheng saw her leaving halfway through the lesson, he was momentarily stunned.
It was not only He Shi who had been overthinking things. Once or twice could be dismissed as coincidence, but after several encounters in a row, even Song Jincheng had begun to feel a secret sense of delight.
That kind of vague, uncertain speculation was the most intoxicating of all, especially when the person involved was a beautiful girl like Shen Yao. Even though he had never planned to marry in the countryside, and certainly would not marry a girl with intellectual difficulties, he still could not stop the stirrings in his heart after entertaining the possibility.
He Shi was still standing outside the courtyard when he saw Shen Gang carrying two stools and leaving early with Shen Yao.
His tongue brushed against one of his slightly pointed canine teeth, and he could not help laughing.
The girl really refused to suffer any loss. He had only flicked her forehead once, and she had paid him back by grinding her foot down on his toes. His toes still ached faintly, yet the irritation that had been bothering him all evening suddenly vanished completely.
When the gathering at the educated youth compound ended and the two of them headed back, Xu Xiangdong nudged He Shi with his elbow.
“Not long after you went out, I saw Shen Yao calling Shen Gang home. Did you make her angry?”
The corner of He Shi’s lips lifted slightly, but he said nothing.
Xu Xiangdong, however, had already interpreted plenty from that expression alone.
Clicking his tongue, he said, “He Shi, Brother Shi, I’m sure of it now. You like Shen Yao. Don’t bother denying it. I wouldn’t believe you even if you did.”
He Shi shot him a glance.
“What nonsense are you talking about? I just don’t like seeing her stare at Song Jincheng. What kind of taste is that? What’s so great about a weak scholar in glasses? Haven’t you heard the saying, ‘The most heartless men are scholars’? How could that little fool possibly outplay someone whose mind is full of schemes like a scholar’s?”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk.”
Xu Xiangdong grinned broadly.
Now he was even quoting, “The most heartless men are scholars.”
During the years they had been classmates, He Shi spent most of his time sleeping on his desk in class. Xu Xiangdong had never expected him to pick up any literary sayings.
Didn’t like seeing her look at Song Jincheng? The jealousy was overflowing already, and he still claimed it wasn’t liking her.
Xu Xiangdong studied He Shi for a moment and noticed there wasn’t the slightest trace of embarrassment on his face.
Suddenly, a possibility occurred to him.
Maybe his friend wasn’t being stubborn.
Maybe he simply hadn’t realized it yet.
The more he thought about it, the more it made sense.
During those two years when schools were suspended, all the boys in their circle had started paying attention to pretty girls.
Only He Shi had shown absolutely no interest in girls.
Xu Xiangdong was a mischievous sort. Having figured that out, he had no intention of pointing it out.
It was much more fun if He Shi hadn’t realized it yet.
That way, Xu Xiangdong could enjoy watching the drama unfold.
Chuckling to himself, he began to sing in an exaggerated tone:
“Among butchers and dog-slaughterers, loyalty is often found;
Among scholars, heartless lovers abound.”
Song Jincheng, who had caught up from behind, had no idea that the “heartless scholar” being referred to was him.
Smiling, he asked, “What are you talking about? You seem to be in such high spirits.”
Seeing him, Xu Xiangdong became even more amused.
“Just telling stories. Come on, let’s walk together.”
He Shi glanced at Song Jincheng.
His features were merely regular and well-proportioned.
That little girl’s taste really wasn’t very good.