The warm spring sunlight fell upon them, stretching their shadows on the ground. At a glance, their silhouettes overlapped intimately.

Lu Qingyuan took out a handkerchief and gently wiped her palm. Noticing the gaze from beside her, she explained, “I usually carry two handkerchiefs, just in case.”

“Oh, I see,” Shu Beiqiu nodded with a smile. “Then, can I keep the one you gave me just now?”

“Of course,” Lu Qingyuan’s fair face turned red. “It’s just a regular handkerchief from the supply and marketing cooperative, nothing special.”

Shu Beiqiu’s lips curved slightly. It didn’t feel ordinary to him—after all, she had given it to him. No one else had one like it. This was his, and his alone.

“What are they doing over there?”

Taking a different route to the station, Shu Beiqiu led Lu Qingyuan past a group of people carrying stones and digging trenches. She leaned in close and whispered, “Are they digging a canal?”

“Yes,” Shu Beiqiu replied just as quietly, tilting his head toward her. His voice was pleasant to the ear, and Lu Qingyuan liked hearing it.

“An artificial river?”

“Mm,” Shu Beiqiu pointed to a spot not far away. “They’re digging from here to over there. There’s already a small river on that side. Once the canal is completed, the water from the river will be redirected into it.”

They didn’t linger for long and continued walking.

The trees along the roadside had sprouted new branches with clusters of fresh green leaves. Small pale yellow flowers bloomed in patches. Though they had no noticeable fragrance, they were a delight to look at.

Passing by a supply and marketing cooperative, Shu Beiqiu went inside to buy a few things and placed them in Lu Qingyuan’s bamboo basket. “I didn’t dare buy too much. It’d be difficult for you to carry everything home.”

“You didn’t have to buy anything,” Lu Qingyuan said.

“Your family is my family too. I’m just buying some small treats for the household. If you act too polite with me, I’ll be sad,” Shu Beiqiu said earnestly.

A light breeze brushed past, lifting a few loose strands of hair against Lu Qingyuan’s flushed cheeks. Her voice was sweet and clear. “And what happens if you’re sad?”

“Probably, I’ll be on my way back to the factory, rubbing my shiny head and crying,” Shu Beiqiu sighed.

Lu Qingyuan burst into laughter, bending over slightly. Her thick braid fell forward, resting against her graceful curves.

Shu Beiqiu chuckled as well and reached out to steady her.

They continued walking and chatting. It didn’t feel like much time had passed, yet the station was already in sight.

Shu Beiqiu pressed his lips together. “For the first time, I feel like this road is too short.”

Lu Qingyuan glanced at him and smiled. “We have a long road ahead of us.”

“That’s true,” Shu Beiqiu laughed. “A long, long road.”

He set down the bamboo basket and carried it in his hand. After finding the bus heading to their town, he got on and handed the ticket collector a dime—the standard fare from their town to the county.

“Just one ticket?” the woman collecting fares asked.

“Yes.” Shu Beiqiu nodded.

After securing the bamboo basket, he watched Lu Qingyuan sit down but didn’t get off the bus. Instead, he smoothly took the seat beside her.

“What are you doing?” Lu Qingyuan glanced at the ticket collector, who was watching them with interest, and lowered her voice.

“The bus hasn’t left yet,” Shu Beiqiu said, making his intentions very clear. He smiled at the ticket collector without a hint of embarrassment.

The woman quickly caught on—these two were dating. Amused, she teased, “When more people get on later, you’ll have to give up your seat.”

“Of course,” Shu Beiqiu responded readily.

Lu Qingyuan felt her face grow hot. She didn’t dare look at the ticket collector or anyone else on the bus.

“Are you shy?” Shu Beiqiu leaned in slightly, his tone teasing.

“Mm,” Lu Qingyuan covered her ears.

Shu Beiqiu’s gaze fell on her slender fingers, and even his hands seemed to heat up.

He decided to stop teasing her and instead asked, “How’s Grandma’s health?”

At the mention of this, Lu Qingyuan calmed down a little. She lowered her hands and said with a trace of worry, “She doesn’t seem as well as before.”

“Keep her happy,” Shu Beiqiu suggested. “For elderly people, a good mood is the most important thing. If she’s happy, her health will improve.”

“That’s what I think too,” Lu Qingyuan said. One of the reasons she had agreed to go on a blind date was to make her grandmother happy. She hadn’t expected to actually meet someone so wonderful.

“What does it feel like to be with me?”

Lu Qingyuan’s almond-shaped eyes landed on the man beside her. He was so tall that even when he sat next to her, she had to tilt her head up to see him.

“Very happy,” Shu Beiqiu answered honestly. “Happier than winning a bonus. I like listening to you talk and watching you smile.”

He wanted to be even closer but was afraid of scaring her.

“I’m happy too. When I’m with you, I don’t feel pressured, no matter what we talk about,” Lu Qingyuan’s brows arched, and she smiled sweetly.

“You don’t look at me with that restricting kind of gaze. Being with you, I feel free.”

She didn’t have to put on a facade—if she wanted to laugh, she could laugh. If she wanted to speak her mind, she could.

Tan Chang’an, on the other hand, always looked at her with an air of expectation, as if she was supposed to behave in a certain way to meet his standards. It felt like he wanted her to be the kind of woman he imagined, rather than who she actually was.

That kind of gaze was suffocating.

“A restricting gaze?”

Shu Beiqiu studied her expression carefully and spoke softly, “I understand what you mean, Qingyuan. When you’re with me, just be yourself. I like you exactly as you are.”

You don’t have to change for me.

The word “like” made Lu Qingyuan’s whole body heat up. She felt as if she were on fire.

With the sunlight streaming through the bus windows, she felt even hotter.

She lifted her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead, only to realize there wasn’t any—just the warmth of her flushed skin.

“Feeling shy again?”

Seeing her curl up like a shrimp, her body bent forward, and only half of her blushing face visible from the side, Shu Beiqiu couldn’t resist. He reached for her hand, the one hanging by her side and brushing against his, and gently held it in his palm.

Lu Qingyuan, feeling nervous, instinctively tightened her grip in return, earning a chuckle from the man beside her.

She was so embarrassed.

Turning her head, she glared at him with a hint of frustration. “Your mouth is so sweet. Did you eat candy?”

Her almond-shaped eyes were watery as she stared at him. Shu Beiqiu felt his heart melt at the sight.

“Mmm, I ate quite a lot.”

“Hmph.”

Lu Qingyuan childishly pinched his fingers, only for Shu Beiqiu to squeeze her hand even tighter.

But when she caught a glimpse of his bright red ears out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly felt a strange sense of balance. “And you say I’m the one who’s shy? Look at you.”

Shu Beiqiu didn’t deny it. “I am shy. My palms are sweating uncontrollably, and my heart is beating faster than usual.”

“…You’re really straightforward.”

“When it comes to the person I like, honesty is best.”

Lu Qingyuan pursed her lips into a smile and looked up at him again. When her eyes met his gentle gaze, reflecting only her in their depths, she suddenly said,

“I feel like time is passing too fast.”

Just like how he felt that the road they walked was too short.