The first round of grain harvesting had reached its final stage, and the remaining work had become much easier.
At night, Zhou Qingling lay on her wooden plank bed, rolling back and forth in thought. Regarding the matter of Zhao Zhuzi, although she had safely avoided it, there would inevitably be another Zhao Zhuzi in the future.
As long as her marriage was not decided, she could not feel at ease for even a single day. She feared that Father Zhou and Mother Zhou might settle her marriage without her knowing. In that case, it would be better for her to choose on her own first.
She went through the unmarried young men in the village again. To be honest, Candidate No. 4 had the best conditions among them, but he had an inappropriate relationship with Second Elder Sister. She found it filthy and absolutely unacceptable, so she eliminated him immediately.
Then perhaps she should choose Candidate No. 5 instead. Choosing a man was like buying goods: the best products could not always be obtained, so a slightly flawed option with decent value for money would be acceptable.
As for the fact that he might not stand up for her and would side with his mother, as long as she lived comfortably, it did not matter. A life of physical intimacy without emotional involvement would also be fine; without emotional investment, there would be no disappointment.
After figuring it out, she locked onto her target and prepared to begin her approach.
The first step was to record Candidate No. 5’s daily routine.
This had already been gathered during earlier “screening.” so it saved her effort.
The second step was to create opportunities for chance encounters.
Village girls did not have beautiful dresses, but cleanliness and freshness were still achievable.
Humans were visual creatures; first impressions mattered greatly. A memorable first love was often referred to as a “white moonlight.”
If this were the modern world, a girl in a white dress with white shoes and a ponytail would be the ultimate first-love image. But here, that was not even an option.
After the rice seedlings had been transplanted in the fields, villagers spent their free time going into the mountains—cutting firewood, picking wild fruits. Children climbed trees to gather bird eggs, while skilled villagers set traps or dug pits to catch rabbits and wild chickens for a rare treat.
After several days of “chance encounters.” Zhou Qingling had progressed from not speaking at all when meeting him to now being able to nod at each other. That could be considered progress.
She could not help but sigh inwardly. In this era, women not only had to be reserved and subtle, but also had to let the other party understand their intentions. It was truly difficult. Would it even work to just force things outright?
What made her even more anxious was that Candidate No. 5’s mother had already asked a matchmaker to arrange meetings with girls for her son.
A slow and steady approach was no longer suitable. This was her chosen target among many candidates, and she did not want to let him go to someone else. But how should she proceed? It was a delicate matter. If she acted too proactively, others would call her shameless, and village gossip could drown her in spit.
The third step was to find a suitable environment.
Psychology suggested that the environment influenced the success rate of romantic relationships through three mechanisms: physiological stimulation, emotional testing, and value alignment.
For example, snowy ski resorts or the warm atmosphere of candlelit dinners could stimulate imagination and intoxication.
Then there was the “bridge effect.” where in new and thrilling environments—such as rock climbing or rafting—physiological nervousness could be mistaken for accelerated heartbeat and emotional excitement.
There was also the “dark effect.” where people tended to feel closer in dim lighting.
What she needed to do now was steady her mindset and wait for the right opportunity.
At the end of August, the weather was still unbearably hot. In the early morning, mist covered the mountains; although the sun had not yet risen, the air was already humid and stifling.
Zhou Qingling wiped sweat from her forehead with her sleeve and looked at the half basket of pig fodder in her back basket, resigning herself to continue working.
Perhaps due to excessive humidity in the mountains, it soon began to rain, accompanied by hail.
Zhou Qingling had lived here for several years, yet she still had not fully understood the local climate. It changed like a child’s mood—sudden and unpredictable. She had no choice but to take shelter in a cave.
Unexpectedly, she encountered someone she did not expect inside the cave—Candidate No. 5, Li Baozhu. He had also come up the mountain to gather pig fodder and had taken shelter from the rain.
The two of them froze upon seeing each other, neither expecting such an encounter.
At that moment, Zhou Qingling’s clothes were soaked. The thin summer fabric clung to her body, so she had to use her basket to cover herself slightly.
Seeing this, Li Baozhu quickly averted his gaze in avoidance. His tanned face turned slightly red. The cave was not large, only able to fit about a dozen people.
Zhou Qingling heard Li Baozhu’s breathing grow increasingly rapid. The sound of his swallowing was clearly audible in her ears.
At that moment, Li Baozhu was in great internal conflict. Logically, he should leave immediately, since a man and a woman alone together in a cave could damage a woman’s reputation. Yet for some reason, his feet felt as heavy as if they were weighed down by thousands of pounds.
The image of the girl’s bright smile surfaced in his mind, causing his heartbeat to quicken uncontrollably.
He had noticed this girl for a long time. Especially recently, their encounters had become more frequent. Each time after meeting her, he secretly blamed himself for not speaking more to her. Yet now that they were face to face, he did not know what to say.
If Zhou Qingling knew about this, she would definitely say: “Big brother, you have wasted so many of my brain cells. Don’t you know the real hunter often appears in the form of prey?”
Li Baozhu suppressed the countless thoughts in his mind. He wanted to formally seek marriage and go through proper channels, not use this incident as leverage against her reputation.
With parental approval and a matchmaker’s arrangement, if he asked her directly now, how would she respond? It would also be a form of disrespect. Any words spoken now would feel like coercion.
He was a man. Although today’s situation was not intentional, he had still seen her, so he could not ruin her reputation.
If he went to propose and succeeded, it would be a joyous outcome. If not, today’s incident would be buried in his heart forever. Thinking this way, his mind gradually calmed.
The rain came quickly and stopped just as fast. As it began to lighten, Li Baozhu stood up and left.
Zhou Qingling felt a slight sense of disappointment, but also relief. This man indeed had good character. In a lifetime of companionship, what ultimately mattered was the lowest baseline of a person’s character. Feelings changed quickly; in the end, everything depended on conscience.
He had not once looked at her inappropriately, and was a man who observed propriety. However, perhaps she was not his preferred choice. Sigh, she did not think further. This path was truly long and difficult.