Chapter 46 : Tears and Cherish

Men’s words are deceitful, it’s probably just an illusory promise.

Fan Yanxing’s work wasn’t easy and with the conference in the afternoon requiring the entire village’s attendance, when would he find time to help her?

Liang Qingqing let out a quiet sigh. Her hands continued working despite her thoughts. Even though she understood the bigger picture, a hint of disappointment crept into her heart. She valued promises from others, and if someone couldn’t fulfill them, it was better not to make any promises at all. False hopes only led to empty outcomes.

This feeling was unpleasant.

She lowered her gaze to hide her true emotions.

Planting seedlings was hard on the back and legs. After working almost the entire morning, except for drinking water and going to the bathroom, her back had not straightened up. Liang Qingqing’s forehead was covered in sweat. While others were finishing up, she still had a lot left to do, and she felt a chill of despair. She might even miss lunch.

As predicted, by the time lunchtime approached, others had gradually left, and only Liang Qingqing remained in the field. Although Qin Zhen had helped her with some planting, there was still a lot left. Qin Zhen had to return home to prepare lunch for her family and even though she wanted to stay and help, she was unable to.

Liang Qingqing couldn’t delay Qin Zhen’s meal and persuaded her to leave.

The small seedlings trembled in the wind and wilted under the sun. Liang Qingqing patted her protesting stomach and looked at the vast empty space. In a moment of surrender, she plopped down in the field, not even sparing a glance at the dirt staining her clothes, which she usually detested.

She rubbed her sore legs, trying to ease the pain.

As she massaged her legs, her eyes welled up, and she couldn’t help but murmur, “I really want to go home.”

In truth, she hadn’t thought about home for a long time because the reality was settled thinking about home wouldn’t change anything. Besides, everyone in the Liang family treated her well. Although life was modest, the constant presence of family was something she had never experienced in her past life. She cherished it greatly and had come to see the Liang family as her own.

However, the exhausting farm work was something she had never done before. Now, doing such hard labor, exposed to the fields and the sun, she felt like a country girl.

She had been trying very hard, but farm work seemed impossible to do well or finish. No matter how hard she tried, it was never enough, and if she didn’t complete it, her work points would be deducted. If she did less, the others in her family would have to do more.

Looking at her sunburned, dirt-covered hands, a tear slipped down her cheek. She hated the fickle fate that had brought her to this world.

She wanted to go home.

She wanted to see her parents.

She wanted to continue being the carefree young lady.

At that moment, she suddenly heard hurried footsteps behind her. Startled, she whipped around and came face-to-face with a panicked expression not far away. Instinctively, she reached up to wipe her eyes but forgot her hands were dirty. This made her look like a little calico cat, and the dust that got into her eyes made her tears flow even more.

“Qingqing!” The person rushed over, not caring about anything else, and half-knelt in front of her. His tone was filled with unprecedented panic and helplessness. Seeing her tear-streaked face, his heart felt like it was being tightly squeezed, unable to rise or fall.

Fan Yanxing’s brow furrowed deeply. His breathing became shallow as he carefully wiped her tears with trembling hands, his voice tight but gentle, “Who bullied you?”

Just thinking about that possibility, he felt a murderous rage rising within him, his eyes smoldering with fury. He clenched his fists tightly, digging his fingertips into his palms to remind himself to stay calm.

Liang Qingqing shook her head vigorously, her lips pouting in distress, “No one bullied me. I got dirt in my eyes, and it’s uncomfortable.”

Her usually sweet voice had a hint of sobbing, which made him especially heartbroken. Though surprised by the answer, he quickly went to work cleaning the dirt off her face and wiping her messy, dirty cheeks.

Looking at Liang Qingqing’s flushed, tearful eyes, Fan Yanxing sighed with relief but did not relax his frown. After a moment’s hesitation, he asked, “Is that really all?”

She kept her head down and said nothing, sitting on the ground in a small, pitiful bundle. It made him want to pick her up and comfort her. Fan Yanxing thought this and did just that, he lifted her from the ground and carried her to a discreet corner.

Throughout the process, Liang Qingqing remained very obedient, without any struggle. This made Fan Yanxing doubt her previous words even more. Normally, with her thin skin she would have started demanding to be put down before he even had a chance to lift her.

The field was very quiet at this time, as everyone had gone back for lunch, and there wasn’t a soul in sight.

With the shade of a large tree overhead, Fan Yanxing removed the straw hat from her head and gently moved her sweaty hair aside. He then softly patted her back, comforting her in a voice as if soothing a child, “Can you tell me what happened?”

With someone comforting her, the tears that had just stopped began welling up again, not waiting for him to speak. They fell like pearls off a broken string, landing directly on his hand and burning him, making him wince and causing his heart to ache.

She was beautiful. Even though she looked messy in this state, she appeared more pitiful and delicate—beautiful yet fragile.

“I won’t ask anymore. Please don’t cry,” Fan Yanxing said, not knowing where to place his hands. This was the first time he had seen her cry so sadly, as if the whole world had abandoned her. She had been fine in the morning how had things suddenly turned so bad?

“No, no,” Liang Qingqing sobbed, “You have to ask.”

She sniffed and seeming afraid that he really wouldn’t ask, tugged insistently at his shirt. Deep marks were left on the white fabric, but he didn’t mind at all. He quickly reassured her, “Okay, okay, I’ll ask. I’ll ask.”

Hearing this, she finally loosened her grip, feeling embarrassed about her outburst. She buried her face in his neck, her tears soaking his skin, her warm breath grazing his sensitive ear tips. Despite the intimacy Fan Yanxing didn’t feel the same charm as he did yesterday, all he felt was concern and tenderness.

When she had cried enough and after wiping her face on his shirt, she finally lifted her face. Looking both embarrassed and a bit stubborn, she said, “Alright, you can ask now.”

Her voice was still thick with tears and hoarse, but she spoke in a commanding way. Yet, seeing her with tear-streaked cheeks, no one could bring themselves to be stern with her.

During the time dhe was crying, Fan Yanxing’s mind was busy too. After considering various possibilities, he could only think of one likely cause. He gently rubbed her waist and tentatively asked, “Is it because the work is too tiring?”

Even he had struggled with her complaints before, Fan Yanxing couldn’t imagine who in the village could be bullying Liang Qingqing. Plus, there had been many female intellectual youths who secretly cried because they couldn’t finish their work.

Compared to those female youths, Liang Qingqing was even more delicate and unable to bear the weight of the work.

Though planting vegetable seedlings might seem simple, it was not easy to do well.

Fan Yanxing’s words were gentle, but he had guessed most of the situation correctly. Liang Qingqing’s face turned a deep shade of red. She glared at him in annoyance, trying to justify herself, “There’s so much to plant, how can I finish it?”

Her words confirmed his guess, and Fan Yanxing secretly sighed in relief, glad that no one had bullied her.

He then followed her gaze to assess the area she had been working on. Without her needing to specify, he could tell which part was hers. In fact, compared to others, her team leader had taken care of her. The assigned area, though seemingly similar to others, was relatively flat with only a few large trees, making it much easier.

“There are quite a lot to plant, but considering it’s your first time planting seedlings, you’ve done a very good job and have been quite fast,” Fan Yanxing said, lying smoothly with a sincere tone, as if it were the truth.

Liang Qingqing looked at him with suspicion. Although she knew he was likely just comforting her, his words affirmed her “abilities,” making her feel quite reassured. Her lips curled up slightly, her mood lightened, and she was in the mood to ask him why he had come here.

“I said I’d come help you with the work, didn’t I? I was supposed to be here earlier, but I ran into the village secretary on the way and got caught up discussing some things with him, so I was delayed,” Fan Yanxing said, feeling regretful. If he hadn’t been detained by the village secretary, he would have come over to help her much sooner, and she wouldn’t have ended up crying.

“You still remember that…” Liang Qingqing was surprised and widened her eyes. Her long lashes fluttered, and her hands instinctively clung to his neck.

“Yes, I finished my own work.” Although Liang Qingqing quickly changed the topic, Fan Yanxing understood the underlying meaning. He squinted his narrow eyes, and with a wry smile, said, “Do I look like someone who forgets things? Or… Qingqing, do you not believe that I’ll keep my promises?”

At his words, Liang Qingqing caught off guard, averted her gaze anxiously and instinctively denied, “No.”

Her tone rose sharply at the end, betraying her lie.

Fan Yanxing’s hand, which had been comforting her back, slowly moved to rest on her slim waist. His fingers pressed gently into the soft flesh and with a raised eyebrow, he spoke with a dangerous edge in his voice, “Really not?”

“Really!” Her voice was louder this time and Liang Qingqing closed her eyes in frustration, mentally cursing herself for being foolish.

To her surprise, Fan Yanxing was silent for a moment and didn’t get angry. Instead, he sighed, leaned slightly forward and looked into her eyes with an unusually serious and gentle tone, “I don’t make promises I can’t keep. Similarly, I always fulfill the promises I make.”

“Qingqing, can you trust me?”

There was a hint of pleading in his final words.

Each word seemed carefully chosen, like a gentle breeze stirring the calm surface of her heart.

Looking into the man’s dark eyes, Liang Qingqing’s cheeks grew even warmer. Something inside her was pounding, sending waves of sweetness through her.

“I trust you.”

Driven by an impulse, she gently tilted her chin and pressed her lips to the corner of his mouth, a light touch that set off a tremendous wave between them.

Something was quietly changing.

In response to her kiss, Fan Yanxing was momentarily stunned but quickly took control, kissing her back. His large hand gripped her waist firmly, while his other hand cupped the back of her head, deepening the kiss as their lips and tongues intertwined.