“Hiss.” The cigarette burned down to his fingertip.
Li Xiaohe immediately became flustered. “Sorry, did I disturb you?”
Only then did Zhao Xiujie snap out of it. He stubbed out the cigarette and tossed it into the nearby trash bin. “No.”
The warmth from yesterday was gone. In his eyes was an indescribable chill.
Li Xiaohe knew she wasn’t like Yin Li—someone innocent and sheltered because she was so deeply loved.
She had understood matters between men and women very early on, though not entirely.
Back in the countryside, if a man was willing to spend money on a woman, it meant he liked her.
If he went out of his way to carefully choose a gift, it meant he was willing to put thought into her.
But having given the gift, then standing alone on the balcony lost in thought—that meant he was troubled by it.
And of course he would be troubled. What lay before Zhao Xiujie was a huge dilemma.
But to her, it was actually quite simple. After all, the relationship was what it was.
They called each other cousins, but really, they just shared the same surname from the same village—a connection so distant it was barely there.
If it weren’t for the life-saving debt, their family wouldn’t even have had the chance to claim such a connection.
But back in the countryside, if you liked someone, you could be straightforward. The process could even be very fast. Some people managed to get things done right in the cornfields.
In the city, liking someone came with many chains, many hesitations.
“You didn’t sleep? Li Li didn’t sleep well last night either,” Li Xiaohe said softly, her voice gentle, yet her feet slowly took two steps toward him.
There were dark circles under Zhao Xiujie’s eyes, adding to his melancholy air. Li Xiaohe had never seen a man like this—so clean from head to toe, like a piece of jade.
The kind that made you want to touch.
If there were a cornfield here, Li Xiaohe would let him drag her into it. But instead…
Zhao Xiujie suddenly came alive, like jade beginning to glow. “She didn’t sleep well? What happened?”
See? With just a little probing, you learn everything.
“She seemed really excited. She was holding her gift and couldn’t fall asleep for a long time,” Li Xiaohe said honestly. After washing up, Yin Li had fallen asleep holding the watch on her wrist.
There was no way she’d hug the shoes or the camera to sleep.
Zhao Xiujie could figure that much out. He was silent for a long time.
There wasn’t much else to say between them. Soon, everyone else started getting up one by one.
Yin Jianguo and Zhao Xiujie both had to go to work—and make up missed shifts.
As for Li Wenyue, she didn’t like to drag things out. As soon as she got up in the morning, she took Li Tianbao’s family to handle the arrangements for Li Xiaohe’s job.
As for Li Tianbao and his wife, Li Wenyue wasn’t entirely blind about them.
Li Tianbao had no real skills. He wouldn’t be able to do much in a factory. But Yu Meifeng was diligent and willing to work hard.
Li Wenyue wanted to help them out. The problem was that most textile mills around here only took urban residents—either through parent-to-child job succession or through recruitment assignments.
The requirements were high, and the work was grueling—three shifts rotating.
For the few rural spots available, you needed special hiring quotas.
Li Wenyue wanted to try to use one of those special quotas to get Yu Meifeng into the factory. Of course they’d be thrilled with that kind of opportunity.
“Don’t say I’m being a downer, but if it works, it works. If it doesn’t, I don’t have any other way,” Li Wenyue said, preferring to lay out the unpleasant truths first.
Li Tianbao nodded repeatedly. “Sis, we know you mean well. Whether it works out or not, it’s our blessing. How could we not be grateful that you’re looking out for us like this?”
They headed off to the factory. Yin Li didn’t go along. She laid out the gifts she had prepared for everyone and even set aside a new dress specially for Li Xiaohe.
She lazed in bed a little longer, then planned to head to the library to continue reading.
She had discovered that once the habit of reading was formed, missing a day felt unbearably uncomfortable. So even though she hadn’t slept well, she still left the house early.
Dinglingling.
She was carrying her bag and had just stepped out of the courtyard gate.
“Off to the library again? Such a hard worker.” After what had happened last time, Wang Xiuzhi had become much more cautious, afraid that her own husband’s job might suffer because of her loose tongue.
But Wang Xiuzhi was being paranoid. Li Wenyue didn’t have the energy for such petty revenge—a little warning was all, and then she forgot about it entirely.
Yin Li, of course, wasn’t going to dwell on it either. Neighbors might end up spending more time together than some relatives. As long as things weren’t too extreme, most issues could be resolved.
She wanted to get along well with everyone. A close neighbor is better than a distant relative, after all.
“It’s nothing, Aunt Wang. If I don’t study now, school will start and I’m afraid I’ll fall behind.”
Wang Xiuzhi used to just think Yin Li was an introverted girl who didn’t talk much. But now hearing her speak—soft and sweet, yet not awkward at all—she found herself growing fond of her.
The truth was, Wang Xiuzhi’s own son had grown distant from her as he got older. If not for her poor health, she would have loved to have another little daughter like Yin Li.
Yin Li wasn’t very good at riding a bike. More importantly, she didn’t want to ask her father to spend money on another one. So this time, she decided to walk.
But she hadn’t even made it out of the courtyard gate when someone waiting outside stopped her.
“Bro, didn’t you go to work? Why are you here?” Parked by the entrance was Zhao Xiujie’s car.
Zhao Xiujie smiled. “No, I’m still resting today. Get in. I’ll take you to the library.”
“I’m fine, really. I’ll just walk.” Yin Li actually really wanted to try riding in a car like that, but she still refused.
“What’s this? Are we becoming strangers? It’s no trouble. I’ll get you there fast.” Zhao Xiujie got out of the car and opened the passenger door, inviting her in.
There weren’t many people around the courtyard at this hour, but still, there were some coming and going. Seeing his car, quite a few glanced over.
Yin Li had no choice but to get in, to avoid attracting more stares and whispers.
The library was close, especially by car.
“Not too stuffy, is it? I opened the window.”
“Not at all. Thanks, bro. Dropping me off here is fine. You should get going.” Yin Li saw the car stop and just wanted to get out quickly. She reached for the door handle, but it wouldn’t open.
“Li Li.”
“Hmm?”
“Why do you keep avoiding me?” The door wouldn’t open, and Zhao Xiujie’s voice came quietly from beside her.
A nervous feeling of being seen through crept up her spine. Yin Li awkwardly put her hand down and sat back. “No, I’m not, bro. What are you talking about?”
Zhao Xiujie leaned toward her. She could feel his presence.
“Did I do something to make you dislike me?”
“No,” Yin Li didn’t know what to say. “Bro, I need to go to the library…”
Zhao Xiujie, as if demanding an answer, moved closer, the distance between them suddenly shrinking. “Ever since I came back, you’ve been distant.”
“That’s not—we just haven’t seen each other in a long time—Ah!” Yin Li let out a sharp gasp.
Not because Zhao Xiujie had grabbed her hand. But because across the street, Aunt Li’s gaze cut through the crowd and landed on them with unerring accuracy.
Yin Li felt as if she had plunged into an icy abyss.