Chen Jingbai took the water bottle from He He’s hand but didn’t drink immediately. He had just finished working, so he couldn’t drink water right away.
He wiped away the sweat that was about to drip down his face.
“Thank you for opening the bottle for me.”
He He said, “What’s there to be polite about between us? It’s only right for me to do such a small thing. No need to thank me.”
Chen Jingbai nodded and said nothing more.
He found a spot on the ridge between the fields and sat down. After resting for a while, he narrowed his eyes, tilted his head back, and poured water into his mouth.
Some droplets missed his mouth and trickled from the opening of the bottle onto his sharply defined chin, then slid from his chin down his neck.
He He stared at him without blinking.
Only after Chen Jingbai finished drinking and lowered the bottle did he notice He He staring at him, her eyes completely motionless as though she’d gone into a daze.
Still holding his head slightly raised, Chen Jingbai asked, “What’s wrong?”
He He’s eyes flickered.
His question snapped her back to her senses.
“Even the way you drink water has such a strong presence. You look a lot like a wolf.”
He He wasn’t embarrassed in the slightest at being caught staring.
Whenever she found an opportunity, she praised Chen Jingbai.
Chen Jingbai still had some cooled boiled water in his mouth that he hadn’t completely swallowed. Hearing He He’s inexplicable remark so suddenly, he nearly choked.
After composing himself, Chen Jingbai asked, “Have you ever seen a wolf? Why do you think we’re alike?”
He He shamelessly declared, “I’ve never seen a wolf, but the books I’ve read describe what wolves are like. You just have that sort of… wolf-like feeling.”
Chen Jingbai said, “Wolves are ferocious. Are you saying I’m ferocious?”
He He hadn’t thought in that direction at all.
Now that Chen Jingbai said it, she froze before hurriedly explaining, “No! I just think you have that kind of wild, powerful beauty wolves have. I’m not saying you’re ferocious. Don’t twist my meaning, okay?!”
Chen Jingbai tilted his head slightly.
The tip of his tongue brushed over his sharp canine tooth before curling slightly and pressing against the roof of his mouth, making a slow circle inside.
“Is that so?”
He He nodded emphatically.
“Of course.”
After saying that, she still felt she wasn’t sincere enough, so she raised three fingers above her head.
“I swear it’s true. I wasn’t calling you ferocious.”
“I never said I didn’t believe you.”
Chen Jingbai raised his brows, clearly in a good mood.
“Let’s go. The others should be finished too.”
Chen Jingbai stood up, his long legs stepping over the ridge between the fields.
He He followed, and the two walked side by side.
The other educated youths gradually gathered around them.
He He waved at Zheng Xinxin, and the two girls immediately started tugging at each other and fooling around, completely forgetting about Chen Jingbai beside them.
He He and Zheng Xinxin walked together, gradually falling far behind everyone else.
They had only been apart for one morning, yet they seemed to have endless things to talk about.
At one point, Chen Jingbai noticed that He He was no longer beside him.
He glanced back.
Seeing her happily chatting with Zheng Xinxin, an indescribable stuffiness rose in his chest.
Several days passed.
Qianjin Brigade finally finished harvesting the rice, and the new batch of rice seedlings was almost completely transplanted into the paddies.
Every day, whenever He He found a good opportunity, she would unleash a barrage of praise on Chen Jingbai.
During this time, she asked Chen Jingbai once whether he had agreed yet.
Unfortunately, his lips remained tightly sealed, completely unmoved.
He He had run out of ideas.
And when she noticed Cheng Sulin and Chen Jingyi acting sweet and affectionate with each other, she felt even more stifled.
They were siblings, so why was there such a huge difference between them?
Chen Jingbai was way too difficult to win over.
No.
She needed to find herself a strategist.
Once He He decided on something, she acted quickly.
On the night they finished transplanting the rice seedlings, after dinner, she secretly called Cheng Sulin behind the house—the same place where she’d whispered privately with Chen Jingbai that day.
Cheng Sulin looked at He He in confusion.
“Little Aunt, why did you call me out here? Is there something you want me to do? Do you want to rest tomorrow and have me transplant seedlings for you?”
Ever since He He had enlightened him and he’d confessed to Chen Jingyi and started dating her, Cheng Sulin had begun calling He He “Little Aunt” whenever they were alone.
He no longer showed his previous reluctance.
He He snapped irritably, “What? Is that all I am in your mind? Other than asking you to work for me, I can’t possibly have anything else to talk to you about?”
Cheng Sulin hurriedly explained, “That’s not what I meant, Little Aunt. Just tell me what you need. Even if I have to go through fire and water, I’ll definitely take care of it perfectly for you.”
Cheng Sulin’s words immediately smoothed He He’s ruffled fur.
A smile appeared on her lips.
“That’s more like it.”
He He moved a little closer, lowered her voice, raised a hand beside her mouth, and asked mysteriously, “I wanted to ask you something. How did you make Chen Jingyi like you?”
Realizing there was gossip to hear, Cheng Sulin immediately perked up.
“Little Aunt, why are you asking that? Do you have someone you like? Who do you like? How come I haven’t noticed?”
He He slapped Cheng Sulin’s shoulder.
“Keep your voice down! Why are you talking so loudly? Are you trying to die?”
“I’ll lower my voice. I’ll talk quietly, okay?”
Cheng Sulin reached up and rubbed his shoulder.
Little Aunt was as strong as ever.
His shoulder was definitely red from that slap.
Whoever Little Aunt had fallen for…
He really didn’t know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing for the man.
He He was still dissatisfied.
“I told you to lower your voice, not make it that quiet. I could barely hear you.”
“All right, all right. My fault.”
Cheng Sulin thought carefully about how he’d made Chen Jingyi like him.
“I think the first reason is definitely because I have a handsome face.”
He He looked disdainful.
“Who doesn’t? Can you get to the point?”
Cheng Sulin said, “Then tell me who you like first.”
This was huge news!
Everyone in the family spoiled Little Aunt so much.
If he got this information firsthand, couldn’t he take it to Grandpa and Dad and demand an information fee?
This piece of information had to be worth a fortune!
He He held her hand like a blade beneath her neck and threatened him.
“Are you going to tell me or not?!”
Cheng Sulin immediately surrendered.
“Fine, fine! I’ll stop asking, okay?”
He thought for a moment.
“I think you need to let him see your sincerity. You have to genuinely do things for him. If you want him to like you when he doesn’t like you yet, then you need to take some actual action.”
He He immediately became unhappy.
“How could he possibly not like me? He just—”
Cheng Sulin cut in, “All right, I understand. My mistake. He just doesn’t like you yet—at least, not enough to want to be together.”
He He glared at him.
“You! Do you even know how to talk?”
Cheng Sulin no longer dared tease her.
“I’m serious. You need to take actual action. Whatever he’s lacking, whatever he needs, you should notice it and immediately give it to him.
“Take Jingyi, for example. There were several times when she desperately needed money, so I lent her mine.
“When he needs something most, give him the warmth he needs most. I don’t believe he’d remain unmoved.”
He He narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
“Where did you get so much money to lend Chen Jingyi? You give me money every month, and you still have extra to give her? Does my older male cousin give you that much money?”
Thinking about it that way, even she—who received money from her maternal grandparents’ family as well as two separate allowances from He Zhongguo—somehow didn’t seem as wealthy as Cheng Sulin.
No!
Starting next month, she was going to write to He Zhongguo and demand more living expenses.
She wanted an extra five yuan.
Otherwise, all the money would just be spent on that annoying He Shuying.
Cheng Sulin had secretly diverted some of the money the family had given him for He He, so he immediately felt guilty and changed the subject.
“All right, is that really the important part? Little Aunt, have you forgotten why you called me out here? You wanted to ask me how to make the person you like like you back, not discuss money.
“I was only giving you an example. When the person you like needs something, you need to immediately give him the warmth he needs. Only then might he start liking you. Little Aunt, did you remember that?”
He He stopped thinking about the money.
After considering it, she felt Cheng Sulin’s words made some sense.
But she had no idea what Chen Jingbai needed.
How was she supposed to start?
He He pouted and hesitated.
“Then how am I supposed to know what he needs?”
“Observe him more carefully.”
Cheng Sulin lowered his head and leaned closer again, smiling ingratiatingly.
“Little Aunt, why don’t you tell me who you like? I can help you observe him too.”
He He refused.
“No. All right, if you don’t have any other ideas, then we’re done here.”
Cheng Sulin said, “Huh? Little Aunt, you’re just going to use me and then toss me aside without hesitation?”
He He pushed Cheng Sulin away.
He was too close.
“What else?”
Cheng Sulin said, “Fine, fine. Let’s go back.”
Some time after the two of them left, a figure hidden behind a tree on the mountain nearby slowly stepped out.
He followed the small path and walked across the spot where the two had just been standing.
He tightened his grip on the medicinal herbs in his hand.
As though thinking of something, that hand slowly relaxed.
But his other, empty hand remained clenched tightly.
The veins on the back of that hand gradually bulged.