Looking at the reddened scratch on Chen Jingbai’s hand, He He felt something she couldn’t quite describe.
She quickly unscrewed the bottle of red antiseptic solution and dipped a cotton swab into it.
Chen Jingbai held out his other hand.
“I’ll hold it for you.”
He He handed the bottle to Chen Jingbai and, while he held it, screwed the cap back on. Then she carefully applied the cotton swab soaked in red antiseptic solution to his hand.
She knew it would sting a little, so she moved very gently.
After covering the entire scratch with the red antiseptic solution, He He said, “All done. You can keep the medicine. Remember to apply it.”
Chen Jingbai nodded.
“Give me the used cotton swab. I’ll throw it away. Thank you.”
He looked at the neat swirl of hair on top of He He’s head.
He wanted to say something else, but after thinking about it, he closed his mouth.
He He raised her head and happened to catch his hesitant expression.
“What’s wrong? Is there something else you want to say to me?”
Chen Jingbai shook his head.
He couldn’t understand He He’s feelings.
And from now on, he didn’t want to understand them either.
He didn’t want to ask any more questions or say anything more. He would simply treat what He He had said a few days ago about wanting to date him as a joke.
When she was in the mood, she would tease him.
When she wasn’t happy, she could turn around and leave whenever she wanted.
He didn’t want to play this boring game with her anymore.
He He’s delicate brows furrowed slightly.
“Really nothing? Then I have something I want to ask you.”
Seeing that Chen Jingbai didn’t look impatient, she questioned him somewhat accusingly.
“Why were all your answers so cold when I asked you things tonight? You were perfectly fine a few days ago.”
Chen Jingbai stared steadily at He He.
After a moment, he slowly said, “I’m tired.”
In the dim light, He He could see the exhaustion on his face.
She assumed he meant he was physically tired.
He’d exhausted himself transplanting rice seedlings today, then gone up the mountain at night to gather medicinal herbs.
Even someone made of iron would be tired.
Once she understood, a smile returned to He He’s face.
“Today really was exhausting. I feel like my arms are about to fall off too. Then go to bed early tonight. I’m going back as well.”
After they parted, He He returned to the women’s dormitory.
The moment Zheng Xinxin saw her come back, she hurriedly asked, “You gave it to him?”
Chen Jingyi and Li Baiyun looked over as well.
“Yeah. I gave him the red antiseptic solution too.”
He He took off her outer layer and raised one leg to climb onto the bed.
Chen Jingyi said, “Xiao He, thank you.”
He He replied, “What’s there to thank me for? If he hadn’t gone up the mountain to gather medicinal herbs for us, Chen Jingbai wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”
Zheng Xinxin chimed in, “Exactly, exactly. If it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t have had herbal tea tonight, and we wouldn’t have any to drink tomorrow either.”
Chen Jingyi knew everyone was the type to remember kindness, and she felt somewhat happy.
Everyone had seen the things Xiaobai did for them.
As long as they remembered his kindness, that was enough.
Chen Jingyi said, “We all help each other. Let’s go to sleep early. We still have to wake up early tomorrow.”
Zheng Xinxin said, “Mm-hmm, let’s sleep early. Especially you, He He. You need to hurry up and sleep. I was scared to death when I heard you got heatstroke this afternoon. We really need to rest properly and keep our energy up. That way, we’re less likely to faint.”
He He lay down and agreed wholeheartedly.
“Let’s sleep now. Good night, everyone.”
That afternoon, while she had been transplanting rice seedlings, her head had suddenly started spinning wildly and her body had swayed unsteadily.
Even He He herself had thought she was done for.
If Chen Jingbai hadn’t noticed something was wrong and told Zheng Xinxin to help her over to dry ground to sit down, she really would have fallen headfirst into the paddy.
After an exhausting day, He He fell asleep almost as soon as her head touched the bed.
Just before she drifted off completely, she mumbled, “Good thing Chen Jingbai was there today.”
Hearing this, Zheng Xinxin smiled.
He He had disliked Chen Jingbai so much before.
Now that her attitude toward him had improved, Zheng Xinxin was happy too.
Ever since being sent down to the countryside, what Zheng Xinxin feared most was conflict breaking out among the educated youths.
Every time she saw He He targeting Chen Jingbai, she’d been on edge, terrified that it might cause even more trouble.
Fortunately, Chen Jingbai wasn’t someone who made a fuss over things.
No matter what, Chen Jingbai contributed a great deal to the educated youth station.
He handled many things for them.
Take the oldenlandia that helped prevent heatstroke tonight, for example. Chen Jingbai had gone up the mountain at night specifically to gather it.
At the educated youth station, only Chen Jingbai and Chen Jingyi knew a little about medicinal herbs.
Whenever one of the educated youths caught a cold, developed a fever, suffered a fall, or had some other minor problem, they usually didn’t need to spend money going to the health station.
Chen Jingbai would take the initiative to help.
He would go up the mountain, gather medicinal herbs, then return and boil them into medicinal decoctions.
Because he was there, the educated youths had rarely needed to visit the health station over the past few years.
At first, everyone had doubted whether Chen Jingbai only knew a little superficial knowledge. For relatively serious injuries like those from a bad fall, they hadn’t dared entrust themselves to him.
But later, everyone discovered that Chen Jingbai truly knew what he was doing.
Zheng Xinxin didn’t want any resentment to develop between He He and Chen Jingbai.
Away from home, the only people the educated youths could rely on to look after one another were their fellow educated youths.
That was why getting along peacefully had always been Zheng Xinxin’s principle.
The kerosene lamp had already been extinguished.
By the moonlight shining through the window, Zheng Xinxin glanced at the sleeping He He.
She couldn’t help thinking that being as carefree and unconcerned as He He wasn’t such a bad thing.
Early the next morning, the rooster’s crow sounded first, and the educated youths gradually got out of bed.
After washing up, He He walked into the dining area and heard Li Baiyun say, “Breakfast will be a little late today. I don’t know what happened, but the fire went out twice. The first time, I didn’t notice it had gone out. It wasn’t until I was about to uncover the pot that I realized the sweet potatoes weren’t cooked at all. Everyone will have to wait a little.”
Zhao Dechuan frowned.
“What happened? Will we make it in time?”
Chen Jingbai spoke calmly.
“The firewood was packed too tightly and smothered the flames. It’s fine. We still have time.”
Everyone sat in the dining area and waited for quite a while.
After they increased the fire, the sweet potatoes finally cooked through.
Li Baiyun picked the sweet potatoes out into a basin and carried it to the dining table.
“Everyone, hurry and eat. I wasn’t paying attention today and ended up delaying everyone.”
Zheng Xinxin didn’t mind at all.
“It’s nothing. Everyone misses things sometimes. Just pay attention next time.”
He He didn’t join their conversation.
She was still somewhat sleepy and was slowly poking at biscuits soaking in malted milk.
When she’d heard that the sweet potatoes wouldn’t be ready anytime soon, she’d made herself a cup of malted milk and soaked her dry biscuits in it.
Soft biscuits paired with sweet malted milk tasted far better than sweet potatoes.
By the time she finished the biscuits and malted milk, everyone else was nearly done eating too.
He He put away the sweet potato that belonged to her and saved it as a late-night snack.
Everyone had been assigned different production tasks today, so the educated youths left in two groups.
Li Baiyun, Chen Jingyi, Cheng Sulin, and Sun Jiabao were going to transplant rice seedlings, so they didn’t need to collect tools from the tool shed.
He He and Zheng Xinxin had been assigned to weed, while Chen Jingbai and Zhao Dechuan were going to reclaim wasteland.
All four of them needed tools, so they went to the tool shed together.
Breakfast had delayed them for a while, so most of the brigade members had already collected their tools.
There were only two or three people ahead of them, and no one behind them.
The educated youths were the last to arrive.
Just as it became He He and the others’ turn, several aunties came noisily from behind.
“Zhou Laosi, give me another hoe. This one’s broken.”
“Mine too. What’s going on these past few days? The tools keep breaking. My sickle isn’t sharp anymore either. Give me another one first. Don’t delay our production tasks.”
The two aunties calling out had strong, booming voices.
They walked around the educated youths and went straight over to Zhou Laosi, who was in charge of the tools.
Zhou Laosi was a middle-aged man with a square face who looked very honest.
Half of his body was disabled. A few years ago, for reasons no one knew, one side of his body had suddenly become partially paralyzed.
The brigade leader pitied him because he had a large family to support, so he assigned him to manage the tool shed.
Looking after the tool shed was relatively easy work and earned four work points a day.
Some people in the brigade even envied Zhou Laosi for having a job where he could earn four work points just by sitting around.
Zhou Laosi was about to hand a sickle to Zheng Xinxin when he heard Zhou Cuihua and Granny Wang.
He hurriedly said, “There were only just enough sickles and hoes to hand out. You two wait a bit. I’ll repair yours for you in a moment.”
After Zheng Xinxin received her sickle, she stepped aside.
He He was next.
Hearing what the two aunties said, she suddenly had a bad feeling.
Sure enough, the next moment, Granny Wang pointed at the tools on the ground.
“Aren’t there still some here? Give these to me and Cuihua. You can’t delay our production work.”
Zhou Laosi looked at Granny Wang and Zhou Cuihua, then at the educated youths still lined up waiting for tools.
His expression became troubled.
It wasn’t good to offend the brigade members.
And Granny Wang and Zhou Cuihua were among the more aggressive women in the brigade, making them even harder to deal with.
But the educated youths were already standing in line.
If he gave the good tools to Granny Wang and Zhou Cuihua instead, it wouldn’t be reasonable either.
He He’s gaze shifted from Granny Wang and Zhou Cuihua to Zhou Laosi.
She politely said, “Uncle Zhou, please give me the sickle first.”
Who wouldn’t want a good tool?
The iron heads had separated from the wooden handles on the tools those two aunties were holding. Who knew how long it would take to repair them?
He He wasn’t going to wait.
Besides, she’d already lined up.
Why should she hand over the tool that was about to be hers?
Zhou Laosi hesitated.
After thinking about it, he still decided to give the sickle to Zhou Cuihua.
The educated youths seemed easier to reason with.
If he said a few nice words, they probably wouldn’t mind.
They weren’t like the troublesome Granny Wang and Zhou Cuihua.
Zhou Laosi recognized He He.
“Educated Youth Xiao He, how about we give the sickle to Zhou Cuihua first? They’re in more of a hurry. I can repair another one very quickly.”
Hearing Zhou Laosi’s blatantly biased words, He He’s expression turned cold.
She said firmly, “No. They should take responsibility for the sickles they broke. They’re in a hurry, but so am I. Uncle Zhou, you can’t favor people from your own brigade just because we’re educated youths. That isn’t reasonable.”
Zheng Xinxin immediately agreed.
“Exactly, Uncle Zhou. Aren’t you obviously bullying us? How can you do that?”
Hearing the argument, Chen Jingbai and Zhao Dechuan also came over and stood behind He He and Zheng Xinxin, backing the two girls up.
Zhou Laosi hadn’t expected this young female educated youth to be so unyielding.
The sickle in his hand was now impossible to give to either side.
Seeing that the sickle she’d almost gotten was slipping away again, Zhou Cuihua became annoyed.
She pointed at He He and scolded, “Hey, you little girl, you’re so young. How can you talk like that? The sickle was already broken. What do you mean we broke it? Don’t talk nonsense. I already said we’re in more of a hurry. Why are you fighting us for it? Can’t you just let us have it? Why say such distant things?”
He He didn’t show the slightest courtesy.
She snatched the sickle straight from Zhou Laosi’s hand.
Zhou Laosi hadn’t been holding it firmly. When he saw He He reach for it, he didn’t dare risk hurting her and quickly let go.
“If we’re not going to be distant with each other, then Auntie, why don’t you give way to me instead? Don’t fight with a little kid like me.”
He He turned to Zhou Laosi again.
“Uncle Zhou, please give us the other two hoes as well. I’m sure these aunties, since we’re all so close, will be willing to wait a little.”
When Granny Wang saw that the hoe she wanted was also being handed over to the educated youths, she immediately refused to accept it.
She grabbed the wooden handle of the hoe in Chen Jingbai’s hand.
“What’s wrong with you young people giving way to us? We’ve worked the fields longer than you, and we work faster than you too. If you take the tools first, aren’t you just delaying production?”
Chen Jingbai gave the hoe a hard tug and pulled it back.
“With all the time you’ve spent talking, you could’ve already repaired the tools you broke.”
After saying that, he signaled for the other three to leave quickly.
He He dodged Zhou Cuihua’s hand as the woman tried to snatch her tool.
“We’re young and strong. We might not be as experienced as you, but we move fast. This works out perfectly—you can use the time while your tools are being repaired to rest a little more. Aunties, don’t tire yourselves out.”
The moment she finished speaking, Zhou Cuihua and Granny Wang’s faces turned bright red with anger.
Wasn’t this wretched little girl basically saying they were old and couldn’t compare with young people?!