Chen Jingbai felt the strange touch. The moment he realized what it was, he stumbled slightly and froze. The sensation of something soft and light brushing against his earlobe seemed to travel all the way to his fingertips.
Chen Jingbai’s ring finger went numb.
He knew it had been an accident, but the clear realization that He He’s lips had brushed against his ear made Chen Jingbai feel as though his cool earlobe had been stained with the warmth of her lips.
After swaying, He He steadied herself. Completely unaware of what her lips had just brushed against, she muttered, “Aiya, this road is so hard to walk on. It almost made me fall flat on my face. What an unforgivable road.”
After muttering to herself, He He turned to Chen Jingbai again. “Chen Jingbai, you have to come, okay? I’ll be waiting for you.”
With that, she skipped ahead to catch up with Zheng Xinxin and Sun Jiabao, completely ignoring Chen Jingbai, whose neck had even turned red.
However, the night was dark, and even Chen Jingbai himself didn’t notice it. He merely watched He He, who had absolutely no idea what she’d done, happily run ahead.
As though possessed, Chen Jingbai reached up and touched the earlobe He He’s lips had brushed against.
It was hot.
Very hot.
Looking at He He’s swinging braid, Chen Jingbai quickly calmed himself down. It was nothing. It had only been an accidental mishap. Besides, He He herself hadn’t even realized what had happened. There was no need for him to let his thoughts run wild.
He was very busy. He still had many things to do. He couldn’t waste his time on something so trivial.
Chen Jingbai caught up with the other three, though he remained at the very back, his expression returning to calm.
By the time the four returned to the educated youth station, the sky had just turned completely dark. Only the woodshed had a kerosene lamp lit. As usual, everyone was sitting in the dining area outside the woodshed.
Apart from He He, who rushed straight to the women’s dormitory the moment she returned, the other three entered the woodshed.
After sitting there for a while, Chen Jingbai noticed that He He still hadn’t come in. He thought for a moment before walking outside and going behind the house.
There, he saw a faint figure moving around.
One look was enough to tell him it was He He.
“He He?” Chen Jingbai called.
He He stopped scratching her arm and raised her head. Finally seeing Chen Jingbai arrive, she pouted somewhat resentfully.
“Why did you take so long? I’ve been standing here long enough for a mosquito to bite me.”
It was completely dark, without the slightest bit of light. Chen Jingbai couldn’t see what He He was saying.
“Sorry, I didn’t hear what you said. Can you speak louder?”
He He hurried over, stuffed the lotus flower cake into Chen Jingbai’s hand, then braced herself against his right shoulder and rose onto her tiptoes to lean close to his ear. Her cheeks puffed up indignantly.
“I said! You took so long to come. I’ve been standing here long enough for a mosquito to bite me. It’s so itchy.”
After saying that, she even lifted the arm she’d been using to support herself against Chen Jingbai’s right shoulder and waved her forearm, with its mosquito bite, in front of his eyes.
There was a very red and obvious mosquito bump on her fair, lotus-root-like arm.
The flash of white dazzled Chen Jingbai’s eyes for a moment.
The instant He He lifted the hand supporting her body, she lost her balance and began to topple over. She cried out in surprise and threw both arms around Chen Jingbai’s neck.
Chen Jingbai reacted even faster. The moment he heard her startled cry, before He He could fully wrap her arms around his neck, he quickly reached out with his left hand and caught her around the waist.
The two of them were extremely close. Another few millimeters and their bodies would have touched. He He’s panicked breaths fell against Chen Jingbai’s neck.
Almost the instant he steadied her, Chen Jingbai realized where his hand was resting and cleared his throat.
“Are you steady now?”
He He finally realized the position they were in. The scorching heat against her lower back felt as though it could cook her waist. Her face instantly flushed red, and she lowered her heels and released her arms from around Chen Jingbai’s neck.
“I-I’m steady.”
Chen Jingbai removed his arm from around He He’s waist. “Sorry. It happened suddenly. I hope I didn’t offend you.”
“You didn’t offend me. You just scared me to death. You’re too tall. It’s so inconvenient for me to talk to you.” Once He He recovered, she didn’t think much of it. Chen Jingbai had only been trying to stop her from falling.
Chen Jingbai said, “Don’t lean close to my ear to speak anymore. Just use the volume you’re speaking at now. I can hear you.”
After moving away from Chen Jingbai’s arms, He He had raised her voice, so Chen Jingbai could hear her now.
He He said aloud, “Fine.”
But inwardly, she thought, No way. I’m going to keep talking next to your ear. It’s fun.
Maintaining the same volume, He He returned to her earlier question. “So why did you take so long to come?”
Chen Jingbai said, “Sorry. I forgot.”
He hadn’t forgotten.
He had simply hesitated over whether he should come.
The lotus flower cake that he hadn’t had time to pay attention to earlier gradually made its presence known in his right hand. It was the lotus flower cake He He had promised to give him that night.
The cake was shaped like a five-petaled lotus flower. The outside was white, while the filling was a sweeter reddish-brown paste mixed with brown sugar. It was very sweet and quite substantial. In the past, whenever he helped He He with her work, she usually gave him lotus flower cakes. If he shared half with his sister at night, it was enough to fill their stomachs.
But he hadn’t helped He He with her work today.
He couldn’t accept this cake.
He He’s mouth formed a small “O.” “How could you forget? This was such an important thing!”
Chen Jingbai lowered his eyes and held the cake out to her. “Sorry. Take the lotus flower cake back. I didn’t help you with your work today.”
He He refused to take it. “Just keep it. You’ve done plenty of work for me before. Just think of it as my conscience finally waking up.”
Chen Jingbai was stubborn. “Before is before. Now is now.”
He He’s eyes darted up and down as a good idea occurred to her.
“Then can you help me with something else?”
After Chen Jingbai nodded in agreement, He He moved closer to him again and, as though compelled by some strange impulse, reached out her hand.
Chen Jingbai had beautifully shaped lips, with clearly defined lines. They were a deep reddish-brown like ochre and looked very healthy.
When she’d leaned close to him just now, He He’s eyes had immediately been drawn to Chen Jingbai’s lips.
She knew Chen Jingbai was handsome. When she’d first been sent to the countryside and saw him, he had stood silently among the crowd like a cold fir tree. Even back in the city, she had never seen such a handsome man.
So with just one glance, she’d wanted to become friends with him.
But less than a month later, He He heard from the brigade leader that something had happened with Chen Jingbai’s family. People wearing red armbands frequently searched their home, making their lives extremely difficult. He had also come to the countryside to avoid trouble.
He He had been shocked when she heard this. She truly hadn’t expected Chen Jingbai’s family to be in such a situation.
She immediately gave up on the idea of befriending him.
If she got involved with him and something else happened to his family, wouldn’t she be implicated too? She wasn’t going to do that. Besides, if their home was being searched by people with red armbands, who knew what kind of bad people they might be?
Still, Chen Jingbai’s appearance had always been exactly the kind He He liked.
Now that she knew he would turn his life around in the future and become a major figure, the thoughts He He had suppressed began stirring again.
Before Chen Jingbai could react, He He followed her vague impulse and lightly touched his lips with the tip of her finger.
They were soft.
She had thought Chen Jingbai’s lips would be just like him—hard.
He He’s eyes sparkled as though she’d finally touched a treasure she’d been looking forward to for a long time.
The blood in Chen Jingbai’s entire body seemed to freeze. His body uncontrollably recoiled.
“He He, what are you doing?”
Chen Jingbai was nearly furious to death.
Was this the favor He He had asked him to help with?
Did she have any sense of boundaries between men and women at all?
He He declared shamelessly, “Aiya, I just wanted to touch your lips. I didn’t do anything else bad. Am I not even allowed to touch them? It’s not like I kissed you.”
Chen Jingbai stared fixedly at He He, almost forgetting to breathe.
“Are you playing with me again? What’s gotten into you today? You keep doing strange things.”
The way they had kept their distance before had been perfectly fine. Why had she suddenly changed?
Chen Jingbai could think of only one explanation—
He He had come up with a new way to toy with him.
He He took a step forward, closing the distance between them. Her innocent eyes blinked repeatedly, and her voice sounded utterly sincere.
“I’m not playing with you. I just think you’re handsome, so I couldn’t resist touching you.”
Chen Jingbai didn’t believe her.
Not even a little.
He had simply lowered his guard around He He today. She was definitely playing with him. They had no relationship with each other, so they couldn’t be this intimate.
Chen Jingbai’s voice turned cold. “Stay farther away from me from now on. It’s not good for us to act like this.”
He He said, “What’s not good about it? I think it’s perfectly fine. Aiya, forget it. I’m hungry. Dinner should be ready by now, right? I’m going back to eat. Remember to eat the lotus flower cake~”
The moment she finished speaking, He He darted away again, leaving behind Chen Jingbai with veins throbbing at his forehead.
Chen Jingbai stared at He He’s retreating back and exhaled deeply.
He really had no way to deal with He He.
Could his remaining days at Qianjin Brigade still be peaceful and uneventful?
Chen Jingbai stuffed the lotus flower cake wrapped in oiled paper into his pocket. His clothes had large pockets, more than big enough to hold one lotus flower cake without anyone being able to tell.
When he returned to the dining area, He He was already sitting in her seat fooling around with Zheng Xinxin.
He briefly glanced at He He, who looked as though nothing had happened, took a deep breath, and sat beside Chen Jingyi.
As his elder sister, Chen Jingyi noticed Chen Jingbai’s mood and asked him through lip-reading, “Jingbai, what’s wrong?”
Chen Jingbai shook his head, his lashes half-covering his eyes.
Chen Jingyi knew her younger brother had something on his mind, but he was already grown up, so she didn’t feel it was appropriate to ask too much.
Dinner was still sweet potato porridge, except everyone had an extra half piece of sweet potato.
There were only seven bowls of food on the table. Chen Jingbai and Chen Jingyi were sharing one portion between them.
They had already discussed it with the other educated youths. At night, they would make one portion less, and the siblings would share one serving.
Chen Jingbai and Chen Jingyi hadn’t explained much, but everyone guessed that things were difficult for their family. They often saw the siblings send the grain they saved back home and assumed they couldn’t bear to eat too much at night.
It was quite pitiful.
So everyone would scoop a little extra into the bowl meant for the two of them.
After dinner, Chen Jingyi and Chen Jingbai walked beneath the large tree beside the house.
Chen Jingbai took out the lotus flower cake and broke off half for Chen Jingyi.
It was always like this. Whenever Chen Jingbai received food from He He, he would give half of it to Chen Jingyi.
Chen Jingyi took the half of the lotus flower cake Chen Jingbai had given her, broke it into two pieces again, and handed half back to him.
“Xiaobai, you eat more. This much is enough to fill me up. You’re still young and growing, and you’re a boy. You need to eat more before you’ll be full.”
Chen Jingbai knew he couldn’t out-stubborn Chen Jingyi, so he took the piece of lotus flower cake from her hand and stuffed it into his mouth in a large bite.
His sister was obviously the same age as him.
They were fraternal twins.
What did she mean, he was still young?
In truth, his sister simply wanted to save more food for him.