Zhou Kuangye naturally couldn’t agree. He stood in front of him, protecting Su Ying’s plot of land with the same forceful dominance as if he were protecting Su Ying herself.
“Comrade Lu, didn’t you hear me tell you to leave?
I’ll help Ying Bao with her work; there’s no need for you.
You’re an educated person—you know that someone who tries to seduce another’s partner is a homewrecker, right?
Don’t make us all look down on you.”
This man actually called Comrade Su “Ying Bao”—how audacious of him.
Lu Pingshu wanted to retort, but out of consideration for his dignity and status as an educated person, he took a step back.
He gave Su Ying a deep look before returning to his own plot.
Zhou Kuangye picked up Su Ying’s water bottle, took two big gulps, then screwed the cap back on and handed it to her, giving her soft cheek a gentle pinch.
“Ying Bao was very good today. As a reward, I’ll make you something delicious when we finish work.”
Backlit by the sun, Zhou Kuangye’s face was flushed red and covered in sweat, but his dark pupils were sincere and passionate. His magnetic voice calling her “Ying Bao” made Su Ying’s heart itch.
She had just been sitting there doing nothing, yet he praised her for being well-behaved, giving her an inexplicable sense of pride. She nodded blankly, “Okay~~”
Her big eyes stared unblinkingly at him, her peach-like cheeks flushed pink from the heat—she looked utterly adorable.
A little one like her deserved to be pampered by him.
Zhou Kuangye glanced at her once more before quickly returning to work.
The man’s sickle-wielding movements were precise, each swing causing the muscles in his arms to bulge, stretching his sleeves taut.
Su Ying thought back to last night, when he had held her with those powerful arms… Her face flushed even redder for no reason.
“Su Ying, what are you thinking about?”
“Wen Zi, why are you here? You scared me.”
Wen Zi sat down, wiping the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve. Of course, she had come to seize the opportunity and plant ideas.
She looked at Su Ying with envy. “Su Ying, honestly, I really envy you for having a man like Zhou Kuangye to help you with your work.
“We came to the countryside to suffer, but you’re here living the good life.
“I wish another man would do my work for me too, but even my own parents, sisters, and brothers—my blood relatives—can’t do that, let alone people who aren’t related. They only care about their own interests.
“A man like Zhou Kuangye, who values you more than blood ties and puts you first in his heart, is truly hard to find.
“Su Ying, if you know any man like that, you must introduce him to me. I’ll definitely treat him well and work hard with him to build our little home.”
Better to her than her own family?
Su Ying blinked her lashes. Zhou Kuangye seemed to be just that kind of person.
Her own family could never pamper her the way he did.
Zhou Kuangye truly cared for her, didn’t he? Though she felt a little guilty, she couldn’t help but feel a small sense of pride in front of Wen Zi. She straightened her posture and comforted her, “Wen Zi, don’t be sad. There are so many men in the world—you’ll find one who treats you like that sooner or later.”
“I’m not in a hurry…”
“Hey, did you all hear that Cuiping’s husband only lasts five minutes?”
“I’m not making this up. Yesterday, when I went out to relieve myself, I heard movement in their room, but as soon as I got close, it stopped. Cuiping even scolded him, saying he was useless. It’s hilarious.
“If you ask me, if you come across such a useless man, you should throw him away quickly. If a man isn’t up to it, it’s hard to have children either.”
“Exactly, if you ask me, there isn’t a single useful man in our village.”
“Who says there isn’t? Look at Comrade Zhou, his butt is so perky, and his waist is all muscle—you can tell he’s strong.”
“If he really gets going, he might even be able to make someone fly.”
“I noticed it a long time ago—it’s all bulging and hefty, definitely not small.”
“Comrade Su is so delicate and frail, I wonder if she can handle him.”
“I think you’re just jealous. Do you want a piece of the action too?”
“I wouldn’t dare. Who can compare to Comrade Su, who looks like a fairy? He wouldn’t even glance at me.”
…
Su Ying and Wen Zi sat on one end of the field ridge, while another group of women sat on the other end chatting. The wind carried their voices over, making anyone who heard them blush.
Both of them were unmarried young women. Even Wen Zi, a modern girl, flushed red. The topics these village aunties discussed were even more explicit than the novels she wrote. For a moment, neither of them spoke.
This was the first time Su Ying had learned that a man’s… that… was so important.
So being short was bad, but Zhou Kuangye was top-notch. Last night, he even…
Seeing how envious others were of her, she felt even more smug. Such a good man should be hers—after all, she was the prettiest.
But what did “fly” mean?
She had only used her hands and legs, and she couldn’t fly.
Could there be a man even more impressive than him?
Su Ying only half-understood. Wen Zi could tell what she was thinking just by looking at her expression, but that was fine. Curiosity about men was the beginning of attraction.
They chatted a bit more, and then Wen Zi went back to work.
After finishing their shift, Su Ying and Zhou Kuangye walked home together. Her eyes kept darting furtively toward that part of him.
No matter how hard she racked her brain, she couldn’t imagine what “flying” would be like.
The woman’s gaze was bold, direct, and completely unguarded. Zhou Kuangye pinched her palm and cleared his throat softly. “Ying Bao, tone it down a little. We’re outside.”
He knew she liked him a lot. He had already given her what she wanted last night, yet she was still greedy today. She was becoming harder and harder to satisfy.
Su Ying’s favorite thing in this life was defying him.
The more he didn’t want her to look, the more she insisted, staring unblinkingly with her eyes fixed on him.
Zhou Kuangye had no choice but to hold back his frustration and walk faster, pulling her along.
Back in the west room, he slammed the door shut, intending to satisfy the little woman, only to hear her question him.
“A-Ye, why have you never made me fly?”
“Are you not capable?”
Zhou Kuangye: !!
He could hardly believe his ears.
Her innocent face had uttered such words, inexplicably sending his adrenaline soaring.
He walked up to her, looming over her in his shadow, his voice hoarse. “Who taught you to say that?”
Seeing him evade the question, Su Ying instinctively assumed he was admitting his inadequacy. She pouted and shot him a sidelong glance. “I heard the sisters on the field ridge say it.
A man who can’t make a woman fly is useless.
Hmph, you should reflect on yourself.”
Her soft, pink lips uttered words that grew increasingly brazen with each sentence. Zhou Kuangye’s eyes burned as he clenched his fists, struggling to control himself.
She had no idea that saying such things could be deadly.
Imagining the scene of making her fly, his reason was on the verge of shattering.
At first, she was actually quite innocent and unfamiliar with matters between men and women—everything she knew was taught by him.
She was still young, and they weren’t married, so he never truly considered taking her.
That kind of thing had to wait until after marriage—that was his bottom line.
Who would have thought she was actually pondering such matters in her mind? She really deserved a scolding.