He Shiyi completely let herself go, caring nothing for appearances.
The thickness of her skin far exceeded anything Luo Lingfeng thought her capable of.
He was stunned for a brief moment— then burst into hearty laughter.
Now he was certain he hadn’t guessed wrong.
Tonight’s fright had shaken He Shiyi badly.
Her mind had been overstimulated, and without realizing it, her temperament had completely changed.
But Luo Lingfeng didn’t think that change was necessarily a bad thing.
She was no longer someone who could be bullied at will, nor someone who let her family control her life.
The more he laughed, the happier he became.
Shallow dimples appeared on both cheeks.
He Shiyi stared at him blankly.
[He’s being blackmailed and he’s still laughing this hard? His brain must be missing a few screws.]
[Definitely missing screws. He even told me to call him Uncle Mao earlier.]
Luo Lingfeng finally stopped laughing and looked down at her.
In a gentle, unhurried voice, he asked, “Alright. Tell me—how do you want to be compensated?”
He Shiyi was overjoyed. She scrambled to her feet.
Raising her right index finger, she spoke in an exaggeratedly sweet tone.
“I want a one-year leave. For one whole year, you, as team leader, are not allowed to rush me to work.”
The smile on Luo Lingfeng’s face instantly froze.
It was as if he’d been struck by lightning.
He stood there dumbfounded for a long moment, thinking he must have misheard.
Still unwilling to give up, he asked, “What did you say you want?”
He Shiyi replied seriously, “I want a one-year leave. For a year, you’re not allowed to push me to work in the fields.”
This time, Luo Lingfeng heard her clearly.
Nanfeng Village’s pride—the model laborer—didn’t want to work anymore.
She wanted a whole year off.
[This girl didn’t just get scared silly—she grew a personality and turned into a full-blown lazy bum.]
Luo Lingfeng’s demeanor changed instantly.
His expression cooled, his voice turned icy, every word devoid of emotion.
“He Shiyi, whether I approve this leave or not doesn’t really matter. You know that if you don’t work, you won’t earn work points. No work points means no rations. Even if I agree, your parents may not.”
He paused, his voice dropping lower, trembling slightly.
“In a month, you’ll be marrying Wu Fengshou, whether you want to or not. Wu Fengshou eats state grain and draws a salary. Once you go to the city with him, you won’t have to endure sun and wind working the fields anymore. So maybe to you, whether you earn work points or get rations doesn’t matter at all.”
He Shiyi caught a trace of mockery and displeasure in his tone.
In her past-life memories, once both of them were grown, she and Luo Lingfeng barely interacted.
They hardly spoke.
Whenever Luo Lingfeng assigned work, her former self never said a word— just followed her family and worked in silence.
He Shiyi knew she would need Luo Lingfeng’s help many times in the future.
She didn’t want to distance herself from him.
Even less did she want to lose ground in his eyes.
Her face instantly shifted into a flattering, ingratiating smile.
Her tone dropped humbly into the dust.
“Uncle Mao, my marriage is my decision. Even the King of Heaven couldn’t control it. I’m not some soft persimmon anyone can squeeze. Uncle Mao, I’m weak and delicate. I just want to take a year off to recuperate. In the future, when there’s labor in the production team, I hope you’ll look after me a bit. Those dirty, exhausting jobs—could you maybe stop assigning them to me? Just give me something light that doesn’t require much effort. Uncle Mao, I really don’t ask for much!”
She fawned shamelessly, calling him Uncle Mao over and over.
Luo Lingfeng felt uncomfortable all over, his face filled with helplessness.
[This girl really was scared stupid by that idiot. She’s talking nonsense and keeps calling me “uncle.” Do I really look that old?]
He snapped coldly, brows drawn tight, “What Uncle Mao?!”
He Shiyi froze on the spot. “…”
[He doesn’t like ‘Uncle Mao’?]
[Does ‘Uncle Chicken Feather’ sound better?]
Luo Lingfeng darkened and strode forward without another word.
Afraid of being left behind, He Shiyi jogged after him.
She couldn’t see his stormy expression, only trotting along behind him, her mouth chattering nonstop.
“Oh! So I should call you Uncle Chicken Feather, right? Uncle Chicken Feather, I must’ve mixed up generations when I was little and called you ‘brother.’ No wonder you stopped talking to me when we grew up.”
Luo Lingfeng was utterly speechless.
[She’s really turning the tables. Clearly she’s the one who stopped talking to me.]
There was no doubt now.
Tonight’s fright had truly altered He Shiyi.
Her temperament had changed—and her mind clearly wasn’t working right.
Luo Lingfeng let out a bitter smile and decided not to argue with a fool.
“I’ll say it one last time,” he said. “I’m only three years older than you. You don’t need to call me ‘uncle.’”
“Ah…”
He Shiyi stood there in a daze.
So after all that, Luo Lingfeng didn’t want her calling him uncle at all!
For someone supposedly brilliant, she’d really messed that up.
Her vision filled with stars.
Every star read: Uncle Mao, Uncle Chicken Feather.
“Hahaha… Uncle Mao, Uncle Chicken Feather—this is killing me!”
The more she thought about it, the funnier it became.
By the time Luo Lingfeng had walked far ahead, she was still clutching her stomach, laughing uncontrollably.
The moon tilted westward, and the night grew deeper.
Darkness stretched endlessly on both sides of the road, eerie and oppressive.
Silly Egg still hadn’t crawled out of the cornfield.
Wu Fengshou, bloodied and cursing under his breath, limped out of the sweet potato field.
Terrified of being abandoned in the wilderness, He Shiyi sprinted after Luo Lingfeng, apologizing nonstop.
“Sorry, sorry… my brain short-circuited. I misunderstood everything. Bro, don’t lower yourself to argue with me.”
“Call me Team Leader,” Luo Lingfeng snapped.
His long legs moved fast.
Afraid of losing him, He Shiyi grabbed his arm with her right hand.
He dragged her along as they ran.
“A woman who hits men and has no charm—if you were given to me for free, I wouldn’t want you! You think you can follow me into the city and enjoy life? Dream on till your next life!”
Wu Fengshou, seemingly afraid of the dark as well, limped after them.
He Shiyi tried to ignore him— but still flipped him the middle finger.
“Get lost! Nobody wants to marry you.”
With Luo Lingfeng present, Wu Fengshou’s courage shrank instantly.
He hobbled past them, forcing himself to run despite the pain.
Once he reached what he thought was a safe distance, he turned back and glared viciously at He Shiyi.
“He Shiyi, just you wait. I’m going to your house tomorrow to cancel the engagement!”
He Shiyi lifted her chin and sneered.
“Great! I’ll set off firecrackers to welcome you. If you don’t come, you’re a spineless turtle bastard.”
Wu Fengshou suddenly puffed up again.
He charged back toward her and shouted arrogantly, “Tonight, I’m cutting ties with you completely! Engagement canceled!”
He Shiyi replied domineeringly, “Canceled means canceled! With the team leader as witness, from today on, I, He Shiyi, have nothing to do with you, Wu Fengshou. If you ever call me your wife again, I’ll beat you every time I see you.”
“Ungrateful, shameless, crazy woman…”
Wu Fengshou cursed under his breath.
Storm clouds gathered on Luo Lingfeng’s face.
His voice turned sharp and cold.
“Wu Fengshou, you’ve already verbally agreed to cancel the engagement. If you continue insulting Comrade He Shiyi, I will arrest you for insulting a female comrade. Don’t think blaming everything on He Cuihua tonight clears your name. Your crimes still—”
Before he could finish, Wu Fengshou fled like a startled rat.
Luo Lingfeng slowed his pace.
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, he asked again, just to be sure,
“You’re really not marrying Wu Fengshou?”
He Shiyi answered without hesitation, “Absolutely, definitely, unquestionably not! I won’t marry Wu Fengshou in this life, the next life, or the one after that.”
An inexplicable emotion surged through Luo Lingfeng’s heart.
Suddenly, his dull, monotonous life felt vibrant again.
That feeling from childhood—when he and He Shiyi could talk about anything—had returned.
“Then who do you want to marry?” he asked.
He Shiyi replied breezily, “No one. I’m staying single. I want to live freely, live the life I want, and live well—for myself.”
Luo Lingfeng stopped walking.
After a moment, he said solemnly, “You can say these selfish, negative thoughts to me in private—but never say them to anyone else.”
He Shiyi stared at him in surprise.
“Why not? I’m just expressing my outlook on life.”