He He’s eyes widened.
The moment she heard the word “frivolous,” her eyes couldn’t help turning red.
From childhood until now, no one had ever called her something so awful.
Even her hands trembled as she took a step backward, unable to believe that this was the kind of person Chen Jingbai thought she was.
“You insulted me.”
“How could you say something so awful about me?”
He He’s mind was completely occupied by the fact that Chen Jingbai had called her frivolous.
She blocked out everything he’d said before that.
All she remembered was that he’d called her frivolous.
Her nose stung, and tears welled in her eyes.
She quickly turned her head to the left, refusing to look at Chen Jingbai anymore. Escaping his gaze, she tilted her head upward and blinked repeatedly, trying to force the tears back.
Seeing her like this, Chen Jingbai panicked too.
His breath caught.
The crackling of the firewood seemed to disappear, leaving only He He’s aggrieved voice circling in his ears.
His dry throat squeezed out a few flustered words.
“I… I didn’t mean it like that.”
The emotions that had been building inside him were instantly punctured by the choking sound in He He’s voice.
Only then did he clearly realize just how hurtful his words had been.
Anxiety entered Chen Jingbai’s usually even voice.
“I said the wrong thing. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that. I was too worked up just now. That’s not what I really meant. Will you forgive me? You can ask me to do anything to make it up to you.”
By the end, there was even a hint of pleading in his voice.
He He didn’t respond.
Chen Jingbai grew even more flustered.
“I spoke without thinking just now. Please forgive me.”
He He maintained her previous posture, but secretly glanced at Chen Jingbai from the corner of her eye.
The anxiety and panic in his eyes fell into her sight.
After his string of apologies, He He gradually calmed down and finally began recalling what Chen Jingbai had said before.
—You’re so close to Cheng Sulin.
—What exactly do you take me for?
So Chen Jingbai cared that she was close to Cheng Sulin?
A flash of inspiration struck He He.
She suddenly remembered that she didn’t seem to have ever told Chen Jingbai that she was Cheng Sulin’s Little Aunt.
Her lips parted slightly, and she froze.
She had been so busy reminding Cheng Sulin to explain their relationship that she’d forgotten to tell Chen Jingbai herself.
He He felt somewhat regretful.
If Chen Jingbai had misunderstood her relationship with Cheng Sulin, then him calling her frivolous hadn’t come completely out of nowhere.
If someone was caught having improper relations between men and women, they could be imprisoned. In more serious cases, they might even be taken away and executed.
But that word was still horrible.
Even if Chen Jingbai was angry because of this, why hadn’t he said anything?
Why hadn’t he asked?
When she’d told him she wanted to date him, why hadn’t he asked her exactly what kind of relationship she had with Cheng Sulin?
Even if she had been wrong, Chen Jingbai hadn’t handled things properly either.
He hadn’t said anything.
He’d simply distanced himself from her without a word.
He He didn’t like this kind of inexplicable coldness.
She finally turned to look at Chen Jingbai.
There was obvious guilt and remorse on his handsome face.
She suddenly realized that Chen Jingbai and his sister really were quite alike.
They both liked keeping things bottled up inside.
He He pursed her lips. The places she’d pressed earlier had turned red for a while but quickly returned to normal.
“Cheng Sulin has to call me Little Aunt. He and I don’t have the kind of relationship you think we do. I really do want to be with you.”
Ever since learning that Chen Jingbai would become a major figure in the future, He He had approached him with one hundred percent sincerity about becoming his girlfriend.
She absolutely hadn’t been playing with him.
Sincerity shone in He He’s eyes.
“I really wasn’t toying with you, and I really do want to be with you.”
She hadn’t actually cried just now, but the skin around her eyes was delicate, so the corners were still red.
Looking at her like this, Chen Jingbai felt as though a massive stone was pressing down on his heart.
Hearing He He say that she genuinely wanted to be with him sent a surge of joy through him.
But the moment he remembered the hurtful things he’d blurted out just now, that joy immediately sank again.
He hated his own impulsiveness.
If he hadn’t been so impulsive—if he’d taken the initiative to ask her when he’d first started minding it and clarified everything—then he wouldn’t have said something so humiliating to her just now.
Once he’d calmed down, he understood exactly how hurtful his words had been.
But he didn’t know how to take them back.
He didn’t know how to make He He happy again.
Chen Jingbai clenched his fist and lowered his head dejectedly.
It felt as though he’d shattered He He’s passionate heart.
“I’m sorry. I won’t do this again.”
Other than apologizing, he didn’t know what else he could say.
“There are still a few days of rice transplanting left. I’ll help you earn your work points. Give me a chance to earn your forgiveness.”
He He disliked working in the fields.
Helping her with her work was the thing Chen Jingbai could think of that would make her happiest.
Other than that, he didn’t seem to have anything else he could offer.
Listening to Chen Jingbai, He He took several deep breaths.
Chen Jingbai’s thoughts were difficult to understand.
She didn’t want to keep guessing at all the twists and turns in his mind.
This was the thing she disliked most about him.
After being scolded by Chen Jingbai just now, He He also realized that she’d been too anxious.
When she’d first learned about her miserable future, she’d panicked. She’d thought that if she latched onto Chen Jingbai, maybe she could change her fate.
But winning Chen Jingbai over was so difficult.
Did she really have to insist on Chen Jingbai?
Even if she truly ended up with him, she felt that this kind of situation—where he had a mouth but refused to use it—would happen many more times.
That was simply Chen Jingbai’s personality.
She didn’t have the ability to change him.
Even she herself found it difficult to change the personality she’d developed over the years.
He He looked directly into Chen Jingbai’s eyes.
Another pair of eyes, extremely similar to his, flashed through her mind.
Chen Jingyi was Chen Jingbai’s twin sister.
And the feature they resembled each other in most was their eyes.
Pure black pupils, equally deep, like the darkest night, capable of drawing someone in with a single glance.
Deep double eyelids and outer corners shaped like tiny hooks.
A stronger thought flashed through He He’s mind.
She didn’t want to become Chen Jingbai’s female lead anymore.
She wanted to become Chen Jingyi’s best friend.
Chen Jingyi was much easier to get close to.
At the educated youth station, Chen Jingyi was far gentler toward her than Chen Jingbai was.
Besides, there was Cheng Sulin connecting them.
Chen Jingyi would surely be willing to let He He spend time with her.
When the time came, He He only needed to be like Cheng Sulin and obediently listen to Chen Jingyi, then wait for Chen Jingyi to patiently tutor her.
She could still get into university and return to the city.
After thinking everything through, He He shook her head.
“No need. I accept your apology. I’ll transplant the rice seedlings myself. You don’t need to trouble yourself for me anymore. You’re usually pretty tired too. I’d feel even worse if I kept making you help me.”
Chen Jingbai’s body stiffened.
A rare flash of panic appeared in his eyes.
What did she mean by that?
Was she trying to draw a line between them?
Did He He no longer want to date him?
“Then what can I do?”
What could he do to win He He back?
Chen Jingbai understood what He He was trying to say.
He could understand it.
But he didn’t want to accept it.
Someone who was accustomed to compromising and rarely persisted with anyone carefully asked again, “I don’t want things between us to just end like this.”
For a moment, He He didn’t know what to say.
This was something she’d wanted all along.
But now that it had actually been handed to her, she suddenly didn’t know how to accept it.
It was strange.
She didn’t really feel that Chen Jingbai liked her that much.
She couldn’t sense his affection for her either.
He treated everyone the same way—gentle, yet distant.
And he treated her the same.
Even now, He He only felt that Chen Jingbai wanted to take some kind of action to earn her forgiveness because of the things he’d just said.
The feeling was too strange.
Besides, she didn’t want to casually start dating Chen Jingbai immediately after an argument like this.
That would completely waste all the effort she’d put into pursuing him for so many days.
And now, she seemed to have found an even better option.
He He didn’t want to keep shamelessly clinging to Chen Jingbai when she received no response from him.
Throughout the time she’d spent getting closer to Chen Jingbai, He He had always been the one doing the chasing.
She actually didn’t like that.
Getting no response at all yet having to keep going felt awful.
Now that she’d sorted everything out, she thought she was unbelievably clever.
Latching onto Chen Jingyi was much easier than latching onto Chen Jingbai.
Why hadn’t she figured that out sooner?
Her mood improved, and a brilliant smile appeared on He He’s face.
“All right, don’t be so serious. Let’s both calm down for a while.”
As if!
She had already decided to build a good relationship with Chen Jingyi.
As for the impossibly difficult Chen Jingbai—goodbye!
She didn’t like men who had mouths but didn’t know how to use them!
Not one bit!
When she smiled, small dimples appeared on her soft, radiant face. Her long lashes fluttered up and down like tiny fans.
In the blink of an eye, He He seemed to regain all her vitality, looking as though nothing bothered her anymore.
Chen Jingbai stared at her in a daze.
Her emotions disappeared so quickly.
Yet Chen Jingbai couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.
She was like a gust of wind he couldn’t catch.
One moment, and she would drift away.
He still hadn’t figured out whether He He truly no longer minded, and that was why she could act so calmly.
Chen Jingbai was about to speak when He He suddenly pointed at the stove and shouted, “Quick, quick, quick! The wok’s about to burn!”
The firewood hadn’t been extinguished.
Before He He started talking, Chen Jingbai had poured some water into the wok to keep it from burning while they spoke.
Yet during their conversation, the water had unknowingly boiled completely dry.
Seeing that the wok was about to burn through, Chen Jingbai had no choice but to set aside the matter between him and He He.
He turned and dumped the vegetables into the wok to keep the iron from growing even hotter.
Then he crouched down, picked up some chopped firewood beside him, and adjusted the wood in the firebox to lower the flames.
By the time he finished dealing with everything and stood up, He He had disappeared at some point.
Just as she’d entered without him noticing, she’d left without a sound.
Since He He was gone, Chen Jingbai could only finish cooking the dish in front of him before carrying it out and placing it on the dining table.
There wasn’t a single person in the dining area.
Even He He—who, whenever it was his turn to cook, loved being the first to sit in the dining area and quietly wait for the meal, then help him arrange the dishes and bowls—wasn’t there.
A restless feeling rose in Chen Jingbai’s heart.
It wasn’t until he called everyone to eat and He He came in with the other educated youths, then went directly back to her original seat by the door instead of sitting across from him, that the source of his unease finally became clear.
When He He said they should calm down, she truly meant the kind of calm where she completely severed herself from him.
It wasn’t at all the kind he’d imagined, where they both calmed down and then started over again.
Once everyone had taken their seats, Cheng Sulin looked at He He, who was once again sitting across from him, and couldn’t resist asking, “Why did you move back to the seat by the door?”
He He chewed on some Chinese cabbage.
“What else would I do? I only moved inside before because it was raining. It’s not raining now, so why would I keep sitting inside? It’s stuffy to death in there.”
She would never tell him the real reason was that she no longer wanted to curry favor with Chen Jingbai.
Cheng Sulin asked suspiciously, “It hasn’t rained for the past few days either. Why were you still sitting inside then?”
Cheng Sulin always loved getting to the bottom of things.
He He quickly grew annoyed and spoke without the slightest politeness.
“None of your business. I’ll sit wherever I want.”
“Fine, fine. You’re the greatest. Whatever you say goes,” Cheng Sulin said helplessly.
The moment He He heard that, she exploded.
She gritted her teeth.
“My dear nephew, if I’m not the greatest, then who is?”
It was precisely because of this relationship that she’d been so close to Cheng Sulin, causing Chen Jingbai to think she was frivolous.
He He no longer cared about the issue of being called old.
Right now, she wanted every single educated youth to know that Cheng Sulin was her nephew.
And from now on, she was going to make Cheng Sulin call her Little Aunt every single day!
He He swept her gaze around the other educated youths and forced the biggest smile she could onto her face.
“I never told everyone before, but Cheng Sulin and I aren’t just from the same place. More importantly, my biological maternal uncle is his grandfather, so he has to call me Little Aunt. We’re very closely related. So from now on, if you see me ordering him around, don’t think it’s strange. These are all things Cheng Sulin should be doing.”
She wore a smile, but her eyes contained a clear threat.
Her gaze made a full circle before finally landing on Cheng Sulin.
From now on, whenever she didn’t want to work, Cheng Sulin would be the only one who could do it for her.
A good nephew had to be put to use.
“Right, Xiao Cheng?”
Cheng Sulin hadn’t expected He He to expose their relationship.
But under that gaze, he didn’t dare disagree.
He nodded repeatedly.
“Of course. It’s only right.”
He still hadn’t paid back the money he owed He He, so doing some things for her was indeed only right.
Even so, Cheng Sulin could already foresee his miserable future as a laborer.
His heart was filled with bitterness.
He really did talk too much.
He didn’t even know which sentence had offended He He.
He desperately wanted to sew his mouth shut with needle and thread.
From now on, he really should talk less.
The other educated youths looked at He He, then at Cheng Sulin.
None of them had expected the two to have this kind of relationship.
Immediately, everyone began asking He He questions at once.
He He explained everything as easily as counting her own treasures.
“My mom was the youngest child in my maternal grandparents’ family. She had four older brothers, which means I have four maternal uncles. Cheng Sulin is the son of my eldest male cousin, who is my eldest maternal uncle’s son. My eldest maternal uncle was twenty years older than my mom. Cheng Sulin and I were born in the same year, but he still has to call me Little Aunt.”
He He raised her brows at Cheng Sulin, signaling for him to call her Little Aunt.
Cheng Sulin really didn’t want to understand He He’s gaze.
Unfortunately, he understood it perfectly.
And He He knew that he understood.
Cheng Sulin rarely called He He “Little Aunt” in front of outsiders when they were the same age.
But now, he had no choice.
“That’s right. She’s my Little Aunt, absolutely genuine.”
“She’s also the only girl in several generations of our family right now. Everyone at home spoils her quite a lot, so…”
Cheng Sulin didn’t finish the rest.
But the educated youths understood.
He He had been spoiled too much, so some of her less-than-ideal habits in daily life could be explained.
He He was dissatisfied.
“You’re badmouthing me!”
Cheng Sulin lowered his head.
“I wouldn’t dare.”
His mention of He He being the only female descendant across several generations allowed the sharper people among them to guess that He He’s mother might no longer be alive.
Of course, there were also those who were slower to catch on.
Before anyone could stop him, Sun Jiabao casually asked, “But isn’t Xiao He’s mother a woman too? Why is Xiao He the only one?”
At the mention of this, He He lowered her lashes.
She never told others that her mother had passed away.
Nor did she ever talk to people about her mother.
As long as she didn’t talk about it, no one would know that she no longer had a mother.
Hearing Sun Jiabao ask that question, Cheng Sulin’s tongue practically tied itself into knots.
Then he saw He He’s obvious sadness and became even more unsure what to say, afraid that anything he said might make her feel worse.
Chen Jingbai reached out and tugged Sun Jiabao’s sleeve.
His warning gaze swept over Sun Jiabao, silently telling him to end the subject.
Only then did Sun Jiabao belatedly realize what he’d done.
He froze in his seat, regretting how stupid he’d been.
Everyone wanted to let the awkward moment naturally pass.
They tacitly treated Sun Jiabao’s question as though it had never been asked.
But no one expected He He herself to speak.
“My mom passed away when I was very young. It’s okay. I’m already used to it.”
He He knew that avoiding the subject forever wasn’t a solution.
Now, when someone asked about her mother, she could gently open that old wound and answer the question.
Zheng Xinxin wrapped an arm around He He’s shoulders.
“Our Xiao He is the strongest girl. It’s fine—you have four maternal uncles spoiling you. You must have a whole bunch of male cousins too, right? That’s an amazing life.”
He He nodded.
Sensing everyone’s concerned gazes, she smiled and spoke lightly.
“Stop looking at me. Hurry up and eat. I’m very happy now too. I have more money than I can spend.”
Li Baiyun finally laughed.
“Stop showing off, stop showing off. We all know you’re the richest one among us educated youths.”
Chen Jingyi looked at He He with some heartache.
She hadn’t expected someone as cheerful as He He to have also lost a family member—and the person closest to her at that.
Everyone began talking about their own family structures or amusing things that had happened back home.
As the conversation continued, the atmosphere gradually became cheerful again.
After dinner, it was He He’s turn to wash the dishes.
She didn’t know how to cook and hadn’t tried to learn after being sent down to the countryside either.
Whenever it was her turn to cook, she simply dumped the job onto Cheng Sulin.
Despite Cheng Sulin being a big, sturdy man, his cooking tasted far better than He He’s.
If He He ever entered the woodshed kitchen, the concern wasn’t whether the food would cook properly.
It was whether she’d set the woodshed on fire.
The dishwashing area was outside the house, where there was a small pool of spring water flowing down from the mountain.
He He crouched on the ground.
By the light of the kerosene lamp beside the wooden basin and the moon hanging high overhead, she carefully scrubbed the bowls with a piece of loofah sponge.
As she began scrubbing them for the second time, another shadow appeared on the ground beside her own.
Finding it strange, He He twisted halfway around and raised her head.
She saw Chen Jingbai standing there, his head lowered as he looked directly at her.
Even though she’d told him before dinner that they should both calm down, seeing Chen Jingbai like this immediately drew her in again.
She didn’t stand up.
She simply remained looking upward, still holding the loofah sponge, both hands hanging over the wooden basin filled with bowls.
“Why are you here? I’m washing dishes.”
Chen Jingbai walked over to He He’s side and crouched down facing her.
One hand rested against his firm thigh.
His voice was low.
“How long are we going to calm down for?”
Even during summer, the countryside nights always carried a trace of coolness whenever the wind blew.
They were standing close.
He He could smell the faint, clean, refreshing scent on Chen Jingbai.
She almost let herself be bewitched again.
“I don’t know.”
Chen Jingbai took a deep breath.
His jaw tightened as he focused completely on He He.
“I’ll wait until you’ve decided.”
He He had been sad tonight.
Because of him.
And because her late mother had been mentioned at dinner.
He wanted to comfort her, but he didn’t know how.
He wasn’t someone who knew how to comfort people.
Chen Jingbai’s sharp features were clearly reflected in He He’s pupils.
Something in her mind seemed to pull taut.
Her heart thudded loudly inside her chest.
Another gentle breeze swept past.
Not far away, the bamboo grove rustled as the wind passed through it, startling He He back to her senses.
She asked, “What about you? Have you decided?”
The question was thrown back to Chen Jingbai.
Chen Jingbai didn’t know whether he’d truly decided either.
And in those few seconds of hesitation, He He heard her own heartbeat gradually calm.
Chen Jingbai said, “I’ve decided.”
He He said, “I’m going to wash the dishes.”
They spoke at the same time, their words overlapping.
He He still heard what Chen Jingbai said.
But right now, it was no longer the most important thing.
She casually brushed him off.
“Okay. I know.”
He He turned back around, picked up a bowl, and resumed washing it.
Chen Jingbai pursed his lips.
“I’ve decided. I want to give us a try.”
I really like you.
Those five words circled in his throat, but no matter what, he couldn’t bring himself to say them.
They were unfamiliar words.
He was too embarrassed to say them aloud.
At this moment, Chen Jingbai truly wished he had He He’s naturally open and expressive personality.
But he couldn’t do it.
Like most people, he was reserved and didn’t know how to express love.
He He’s voice remained calm.
“Okay, I know. But I haven’t finished calming down yet.”
Chen Jingbai didn’t force her.
“I’ll wait for you. No matter how long it takes, I’ll wait.”
He He was somewhat moved.
After hammering away at this brick for so long, she’d really managed to crack it open.
But she still suppressed her excitement.
“Okay.”
Chen Jingbai reached for the loofah sponge in He He’s hand.
“I’ll help you wash them.”
There was only one final round left, so He He didn’t let him take it.
But Chen Jingbai still reached into the basin and simply used his bare hands to scrub the bowls.
After they finished washing the dishes, Chen Jingbai was the one who carried the bowls back inside for her.
He He had originally planned to go back and call Cheng Sulin over to carry them.
That was what she always did after washing dishes.
But with Chen Jingbai standing beside her, he saw through her intentions.
Without even asking her, he directly picked up the wooden basin and walked away with it.
He He followed behind Chen Jingbai, neither too close nor too far away, looking at his lean yet tall back.
Being the one cared for by Chen Jingbai instead…
This feeling really wasn’t bad.
But He He’s determination to keep giving him the cold shoulder hadn’t changed.