“Clang…”
The hoe thrown at He Shiyi flew ten meters away onto the road.
Luo Lingfeng arrived suddenly.
He grabbed He Dong’s arm, swung him hard, and flung him onto the ground.
Then, with a dark expression, he pulled He Shiyi up from Ma Chun’s back.
His imposing body straightened as he stood on the village road and roared thunderously:
“It’s lunch break. If you’re not resting at home, what are you doing running around on the road? Are you all so idle you’ve grown hair from it or what? Do you want me to blow the work whistle right now?”
The villagers who had gathered to watch quickly scattered and went back home.
He Dong climbed up, fists clenched so tightly they cracked.
His face flushed red with anger.
Yet he didn’t dare speak out.
As the production team leader, Luo Lingfeng held unmatched authority and responsibility.
His status tolerated no challenge.
Offend him, and you’d be assigned the dirtiest, hardest labor, given moldy leftover grain to eat.
The kind of treatment that could starve you to death.
He Dong glared resentfully, his expression defeated.
He snatched the torn pants back from the thug and put them on Ma Chun.
Blood smeared all over Ma Chun’s face.
She struggled to her feet, sneaking glances at He Shiyi, looking timid.
Then she complained to Luo Lingfeng:
“Team leader, you must stand up for me. A niece hitting her aunt—this goes against all morals!”
Luo Lingfeng always sided with reason, not personal ties.
“You think I’m deaf? You cursed at her for half an hour. If she didn’t hit you, who should she hit? You curse people in the village every day, turning the whole place into chaos. You’ve seriously damaged the harmony and peace of our village. I’ve wanted to punish you for a long time! Someone, lock Ma Chun in the team office and wait for disciplinary handling and re-education.”
Ma Chun tried to gain advantage but ended up losing instead.
Militia captain Wu Liangcai locked her in the small dark room at the team office.
Not only would she lose her afternoon work points, she might even have points deducted.
He Shiyi flicked her long braid.
Head held high, she returned to her grass shack.
Luo Lingfeng followed behind her, face tense.
He lowered his voice and instructed:
“If anyone bullies you again, there’s no need to fight them. Just come find me. I’ll deal with them.”
He Shiyi turned to face him.
She slightly lifted her chin.
Her lively eyes blinked, flashing stubborn light.
Proudly, she said:
“A towering building rises from flat ground. If I want authority, I have to establish it myself. I want independence. I can’t always rely on you.”
“Nonsense!”
Luo Lingfeng’s lips twitched as he struggled to suppress a smile.
“Nonsense or not, when facing danger you still have to rely on yourself. A strong fist is the real truth.”
He Shiyi sat on the bamboo bed, hugging the thug’s big head and rubbing it affectionately.
“You’re just like when you were little. Back then you feared nothing, even more mischievous than boys.”
Luo Lingfeng finally couldn’t hold back the laughter rising in his chest.
His lips curved into a sexy, charming smile.
After confirming no one was around the shack,
He sat down close beside He Shiyi.
He Shiyi looked up at him.
With a puzzled expression, she asked, “You… aren’t going to work?”
Luo Lingfeng glanced at the watch on his wrist.
Chuckling, he said, “It’s only one. Still early.”
The two sat pressed close together.
Luo Lingfeng didn’t have that unpleasant sweat smell.
He Shiyi sniffed.
Instead, she smelled a unique, fresh scent.
She strangely found the smell pleasant.
Her heart pounded, cheeks flushing red, trying to make conversation:
“What time do you start work?”
Luo Lingfeng laughed heartily.
“A model worker asking me that—how should I answer?”
He Shiyi suddenly realized she had lost composure in front of a handsome man.
She quickly covered it up:
“I got scared last night. My brain still isn’t clear. If I remember correctly, work should start at two.”
Luo Lingfeng casually asked, “Can you go to work this afternoon?”
“No!”
When it came to working or not,
He Shiyi answered without hesitation, extremely decisively.
“Little sister, if you don’t want to farm, marry me. I’ll support you for life.”
Luo Lingfeng gazed at He Shiyi deeply.
His eyes filled with tenderness and love.
He Shiyi lowered her eyes and quietly refused.
“I… I don’t want to get married. If you want a wife, find someone else.”
Luo Lingfeng suddenly stood up.
With a serious tone, he said:
“You don’t want to get married? Then who was the one who cried and insisted on marrying me when we were little? He Shiyi, people must keep their word. If you promised something, you must do it.”
He Shiyi loved herself too much to have spare energy to love someone else.
And she would never be bound by a few words from a man.
Her emotions erupted instantly.
Hands on her waist, she stood face to face with Luo Lingfeng.
She forgot her own status and his.
Angrily, she said:
“I despise all those manipulative tricks between men and women! Don’t use childhood jokes to threaten me. If you push me too far, we won’t even be friends.”
Luo Lingfeng’s serious face immediately fell.
He compromised.
“Alright, alright. We’ll just be friends. No romance.”
As he spoke, he placed his hands on He Shiyi’s shoulders.
Lowering his head, smiling gently,
In a soft voice, he asked:
“Tell me, what do you want to eat tonight? I’ll cook for you after work.”
He Shiyi feared exactly this situation.
She twisted her body,
Shaking off his hands from her shoulders.
Unappreciative, she said:
“I’m not eating dinner. I’m dieting.”
Luo Lingfeng stared at her in surprise.
His mind filled with questions.
The word “diet” was extremely rare in the 1970s.
[A girl who barely has enough to eat… is talking about dieting?]
[Did she really say dieting? Or did I hear wrong?]
“Little sister, what did you say?!”
He Shiyi froze.
In the rural 1970s, not many people like Luo Lingfeng could eat full meals every day.
If she hadn’t eaten Luo Lingfeng’s mixed bean noodles earlier,
She might have been chewing dried sweet potatoes to survive.
Someone eating dried sweet potatoes—what dieting is there to do?
He Shiyi muttered quietly:
“I… I ate too much at lunch. I’m not hungry tonight. I don’t want to eat.”
“You still need to eat something. Girls look better a little chubby. Look at you—so thin you’re all bones. It makes people feel bad for you.”
While saying he felt sorry for her,
Luo Lingfeng raised his hand and pinched He Shiyi’s chin.
With an arrogant expression but gentle words, he said:
“From today on, I’m your meal partner. You can’t ignore what your meal partner says. Tell me, what do you want to eat tonight?”
A man eager to cook for a girl—
He Shiyi had never seen such a thing before.
She didn’t want to reject his kindness.
But letting Luo Lingfeng work hard all day and still cook dinner for her—
She felt a little guilty.
After hesitating again and again, she still spoke her thoughts:
“I want sweet potato slice porridge. And roasted sweet potatoes.”
Luo Lingfeng rubbed her chin gently with his thumb.
Like coaxing a child, he said softly:
“Be good and wait at home. After work, I’ll come right back and cook sweet potato slice porridge for you.”
He Shiyi blushed, slapped away the hand holding her chin.
Once again, she made things clear:
“Team leader, we’re just friends. Not lovers.”