“I just used this afternoon’s portion of brown sugar to make some ginger water… do you… want a bowl to warm yourself?”
Su Wanqing lifted her small, moonlit pale face, her clear eyes shining brilliantly as she looked straight at him.
Gu Yanshen’s tall frame suddenly stiffened.
He avoided her overly intense gaze, unsure where to look.
Even the night seemed unable to hide the faint blush creeping at his ears.
The air around them felt thick and heated because of her words.
After several long seconds of silence, he finally forced out two low, rough words from his throat.
“No need.”
Having said that, he turned as if fleeing from a raging beast, his steps fast and urgent.
【Ahhh, he’s shy! His face is way too thin-skinned! Wanqing, don’t let him run! Quick!】
【Wanqing, he doesn’t dislike you, don’t misunderstand him.】
【Ah, the silent male lead, so frustrating.】
The “bullet screen” in her mind panicked like ants on a hot pan.
Su Wanqing felt both annoyed and amused.
If it weren’t for the memories from her previous life and the reminders from the bullet screen, she might have really misunderstood that Gu Yanshen didn’t like her.
She put the stone away, grabbed the thermos beside her, and without thinking, immediately ran after him. She reached out her slender fingers and grabbed the corner of his washed-to-paleness clothes.
The fabric was a bit rough, but the corner she held felt like it carried sparks, scorching her fingertips.
“Hey, don’t go!”
Her voice was soft and tender, with a deliberate, slightly coquettish touch of grievance.
“I… I made extra on purpose. If you don’t drink it, wouldn’t it be wasted? Grain is so scarce now, and the leaders keep telling us that wasting food is the worst shame…”
Gu Yanshen’s steps seemed nailed to the ground, unable to move.
He could clearly smell the faint, indescribable fragrance coming from her behind.
The gentle tug on his clothes felt like a feather, lightly teasing his heart with each touch, making him feel off-balance all over.
He still didn’t turn around, but his voice unconsciously softened, carrying a hint of last-minute resistance.
“I’m not thirsty.”
“I don’t care!”
Su Wanqing persisted, walking in front of him and handing him the thermos.
“This isn’t about thirst; it’s about the heart! Thank you for helping me today—this is a token of my gratitude.”
She lifted her tiny palm-sized face, her eyes earnest and stubborn, like a little calf determined to reach its goal.
“If you won’t drink it, then just pour it out!” she said, her temper showing.
Every time, she was the one taking the initiative.
The stone should be warm by now.
Gu Yanshen lowered his gaze, looking at her eyes that were crystal clear under the moonlight, seeming to see straight into the heart, and at her cheeks and nose slightly flushed from running. His Adam’s apple rolled uncontrollably.
This girl…
Did she know how dangerous she looked right now?
Seeing her about to say more, Gu Yanshen feared she might utter something even more shocking. His last defenses completely collapsed.
He grabbed the thermos, opened it, and drank directly, vigorous and urgent.
But he drank too fast, and the spicy ginger burned his throat, making him cough.
“Cough…”
“Pfft—”
Su Wanqing couldn’t help but laugh at his rare clumsy display.
Her laughter was clear and melodious, like silver bells swaying in the night breeze, tinged with sly triumph.
Gu Yanshen’s handsome face flushed, his ears turning red from her laughter.
Annoyed and embarrassed, he shoved the thermos back into her hands, averted his gaze, muttered a stiff, “Go rest early,” and strode quickly into the male youth dormitory, his retreat hurried and flustered.
Su Wanqing watched his firmly closed door, unable to hide the smile on her lips.
What she didn’t know was that this moonlit scene had been fully witnessed by someone hiding in a corner of the courtyard, preparing to go to the bathroom.
Lin Zhaodi’s eyes turned almost red with jealousy, her hand clutching a wad of grass paper tightly.
Why?!
Why could that bitch Su Wanqing drink such precious brown sugar water?
And even share it with Gu Yanshen?
Since when… have they been scheming together?!
A malicious, burning jealousy flared in her chest, almost consuming her entirely.
She stomped angrily to the entrance of the female youth dormitory.
Deliberately, she spoke in a sarcastic, sneering tone, loud enough for everyone in the dormitory to hear:
“Some people really are something else! Staying out late at night, meeting with men in secret. Well, it makes sense—after all, she’s a young lady from a capitalist family. Her way of seducing men is far more cunning than ours from the countryside.”
The timid Sun Hongmei shrank her neck, too afraid to speak.
But the upright Li Xiu could not stand it.
She snapped the blanket in her hands onto the kang, turned around, hands on her hips like an angry fighting hen, and fired at Lin Zhaodi:
“Lin Zhaodi, watch your mouth! Who did you call a man in the wild? Did you actually see them ‘meeting in secret’? Su Zhiqing went to the well to wash the stone she bought that day—I was about to go find her! I think your brain got scrambled from falling in the mud today; you just can’t stand anyone!”
Li Xiu’s voice was crisp and loud, full of conviction.
“I… I…” Lin Zhaodi was speechless, her face turning red and white as she pointed at Li Xiu, stammering, unable to form a word.
At that moment, Su Wanqing entered lightly, holding the thermos.
She glanced at the tense atmosphere, then at the furious Lin Zhaodi, and merely smiled faintly, as if nothing had happened.
Her calm, unbothered demeanor made Lin Zhaodi even more furious.
Just as Lin Zhaodi was about to speak again, suddenly a loud, earth-shattering cry and shouting broke the quiet of the Red Flag Brigade!
“Damn it! Who wants to kill our family! My cow!”
It was the village loudmouth, Liu Cuihua, wife of Brigade Leader Chen Aipang!
Immediately after, a villager-dressed person tumbled into the youth point courtyard in a panic, shouting toward the house:
“It’s bad! Wang Zhiqing, go call Brigade Leader Chen! His cow is having difficulty giving birth—it’s almost over!”