Chapter 4

The lunch break passed quickly, and Meng Yinyin was the last person to leave the female Educated Youth dorm.

Perhaps it was because of the events in the morning that left her in a good mood, so she had a rare good nap during the lunch break, even almost oversleeping.

She finally woke up, realizing there wasn’t enough time, and in her rush, she didn’t even have time to tie her hair. She could only hurry out the door.

At the male dorm, Song Yue hadn’t left yet.

As the leader of the Educated Youth point, he was always the last to leave because he needed to check if all the doors and windows were properly closed. Only after making sure everything was in order did he head to his work.

Just as he locked the door and turned around, he saw Meng Yinyin rushing out, combing her hair with one hand.

Song Yue couldn’t help but fix his gaze on her flawless profile, his expression showing clear admiration. As soon as Meng Yinyin was about to leave his line of sight, he called out without thinking.

“Educated Youth Meng!”

Meng Yinyin paused for a moment, then quickly pretended she hadn’t heard him, speeding up her steps.

She wasn’t familiar with Song Yue to begin with, and after what happened at noon with Lin Xiaoxia, Meng Yinyin was even more determined to stay away from him.

Let them handle their own business. She couldn’t be bothered!

Seeing how she quickly avoided him like the plague, Song Yue’s smile slowly faded, his eyes darkening.

…

Meng Yinyin had no idea that Song Yue had changed his expression. She was only focused on getting to the bamboo forest in the morning to meet Lu Chen and discuss their “cooperation,” as well as to ask him if she could join the banquet at his relative’s wedding tomorrow.

By the time Meng Yinyin reached the bamboo forest, it was no surprise that Lu Chen was already there.

He was sitting on a stone, his head lowered as he shaved some bamboo strips. His side profile was sharp, with smooth lines, looking exceptionally handsome.

Of course, all of this was under the condition that one avoided his eyes.

Meng Yinyin had never understood why Lu Chen’s gaze was so cold and dark. But after hearing some things about him from Yu Xiaoyu during lunch, she suspected it might have something to do with his past.

Given that people in the brigade were still gossiping about the “illegitimate child,” it was clear how much they cared about this issue.

It was likely that Lu Chen had heard many unpleasant things growing up.

Orphaned, raised under the strange gazes of others, his past seemed quite pitiful.

He hadn’t done anything wrong, yet he was treated as an “outsider” and isolated. No wonder he had become this way.

Realizing this, Meng Yinyin unconsciously felt less fear towards Lu Chen.

She looked down and noticed she was about ten meters away from Lu Chen. Quietly, she encouraged herself, then mustered the courage to take a small step forward.

After that, she stood still and nervously looked at Lu Chen.

When she confirmed that Lu Chen didn’t try to drive her away or avoid her like he did earlier in the morning, the last bit of hesitation in her heart disappeared. She couldn’t help but cheer inwardly.

She knew it! Comrade Lu was just like she had guessed—he was a cold exterior but warm-hearted comrade!

With this in mind, Meng Yinyin no longer hesitated. She confidently took a step closer to Lu Chen and called out to him in a bright and cheerful voice.

“Comrade Lu Chen!”

Lu Chen paused for a moment, his hand still holding the knife, but the next second, he acted as if he hadn’t heard her at all and continued with his work.

Meng Yinyin had prepared herself for his silence, but she still felt a little awkward.

After a brief hesitation, her gaze inadvertently fell on Lu Chen’s hands.

She saw him gripping a round bamboo stick with one hand while holding the machete with the other. He used the machete to slice a notch at the top of the bamboo. The sharp sound of bamboo cracking echoed, and in no time, the bamboo split in two.

Then he halved it again, and soon, one bamboo stick became countless slender bamboo strips, each the width of a finger.

With nimble fingers, Lu Chen quickly and expertly turned the long bamboo strips into split rattan, each one bending like it had been tamed. Meng Yinyin couldn’t take her eyes off the process, not even blinking.

This was the first time she had seen how bamboo strips were made, and Lu Chen’s fingers were so long and delicate, his movements swift and precise. There was a unique beauty to it.

Without thinking, she blurted out her admiration.

“You’re amazing…”

Lu Chen paused, not understanding what was so impressive about making bamboo strips.

“This is the first time I’ve seen someone do this. You’re so fast! Each strip is almost identical in width, it’s like you measured them!”

Meng Yinyin became more excited as she spoke, as if Lu Chen weren’t just doing a simple task that a five or six-year-old could do, but solving some complex problem instead.

This was the first time someone had praised Lu Chen in such a way. Instead of feeling pleased, he felt incredibly awkward.

To him, it didn’t seem like anything special.

But to Meng Yinyin, who was terrible at farm work, Lu Chen’s skill was far more impressive than solving any difficult problem.

If she had his skills, she would easily earn enough work points, right?

However, looking at her soft and delicate hands, Meng Yinyin decided not to learn this craft that clearly wasn’t meant for her.

After all, this kind of work looked like it would ruin her hands.

But that was fine. She may not be able to endure hardship, but she had money!

After seeing Lu Chen’s skills, Meng Yinyin became even more determined to “cooperate” with him.

Looking at Lu Chen, who was still working diligently, she turned her gaze and immediately changed her tone to a sorrowful one.

“Ah, if only I were as capable as Comrade Lu Chen.”

“I really want to learn, but I’m just not strong enough to do heavy work. My skin is sensitive, and I can’t be in the sun. My body is weak, and I get uncomfortable after moving around for a while…”

Meng Yinyin spoke pitifully, stealing glances at Lu Chen. She had to keep an eye on his expression to adjust her words accordingly.

“So, I really want to work hard and learn farm work, but my body won’t allow it. That’s why I’ve never been able to learn it, and I feel so guilty.”

Saying this, Meng Yinyin pretended to wipe away nonexistent tears, but inside, she was starting to panic!

Why hadn’t Lu Chen reacted yet?

Was her performance not convincing enough?

But in the past, when she did this in front of her parents, they would immediately give in and agree to all her requests.

Could it be that in just half a month, her acting skills had deteriorated so much that it didn’t even make a difference?

Filled with anxiety, Meng Yinyin put more effort into it, forcing out a few tears, her voice trembling with weakness.

“The brigade leader has called me several times. He scolded me and said harsh things, but I just can’t do this work… Woo…”

Perhaps the mood and atmosphere were right, as Meng Yinyin hadn’t planned on really crying. But now, she couldn’t hold it back.

She had been struggling with the farm work for so long, and recently, seeing her work points steadily decline and knowing she was further from getting her rations, Meng Yinyin had only managed to hold on by sheer willpower.

Now that the floodgates had opened, she couldn’t stop herself.

Overcome with sadness, she cried out loudly.

“Woo, I don’t want to be so useless! But… I’ve never done this kind of work before. How can I learn it in such a short time…”

“If I don’t learn, I won’t earn work points. No work points means no food. When the brigade leader’s food runs out, I might starve to death here!”

“Dad, Mom, I don’t want to die of hunger. It would be so embarrassing…”

Meng Yinyin suddenly broke down and cried, startling herself, but Lu Chen was even more startled. His machete fell to the ground.

In his memory, the only person he had seen cry like this was the brigade leader’s three-year-old grandson, Gou Dan. He had never seen anyone cry like this with their head thrown back.

And if he wasn’t mistaken, Meng Yinyin should be around eighteen…

Yet, despite being fifteen years older than Gou Dan, she cried just as loudly, if not more pitifully.

Watching Meng Yinyin’s tears streaming down, her nose and lips red from crying, it seemed like she was about to choke on her own sobs. Only then did Lu Chen begin to realize the urgency of the situation.

He furrowed his brows, and for the first time in his life, he experienced what it felt like to be at a loss.

He wanted to comfort her, but he didn’t know what to say.

In the end, he could only force out three words.

“Don’t cry.”

His voice sounded strange, as if he hadn’t spoken in many years. It was dry, hoarse, and unnatural.

It wasn’t particularly pleasant to hear, but it wasn’t unbearable either. If you listened closely, you could still feel that Lu Chen’s tone was deep and rich.

The problem was that his pronunciation was awkward.

Meng Yinyin’s attention was instantly drawn to his voice. She blinked, her eyes filled with tears, and looked at Lu Chen through her misty gaze.

Perhaps her gaze was just driven by curiosity, but Lu Chen, as usual, lowered his head.

He knew his voice sounded awful, and since he had rarely spoken growing up, every time he did, others would mock him. Over time, Lu Chen became accustomed to silence.

At first, no one was willing to talk to him. Eventually, it turned into him not wanting to speak.

If he hadn’t spoken out of urgency just now, he wouldn’t have even known what his voice had turned into.

Not wanting to be stared at by Meng Yinyin in such a strange way, Lu Chen almost instinctively stood up, as if to escape, and tried to turn away.

But as soon as he stood up, the pressure on the hem of his clothes made him freeze.

Lu Chen lowered his head instinctively, and saw a delicate white hand carefully holding onto the corner of his clothes.

The owner of that hand, for some unknown reason, buried her head into her neck.

Lu Chen didn’t know why she was holding onto his clothes, but since his voice sounded unpleasant, he had no intention of speaking again.

He could only press his lips together, move his body, and gesture for Meng Yinyin to let go.

But the next moment, her fingers tightened on his clothes, unwilling to let him go.

As Lu Chen’s brows furrowed tighter, a voice as faint as a mosquito’s came from the person who had her head lowered.

“Can you… help me find something to wipe my nose? My nose is about to drip… sob…”

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