“Damei, Damei.”

A man was calling outside.

Zhang Yunxi opened one eye and peeked out. It was Damei’s boyfriend.

He was of average height, with buck teeth and small eyes, but he looked quite harmonious—not ugly at all. He seemed honest and shy, not even daring to look at her or Xiao Xiao.

Judging by the joy on his face, he must have brought something for Deng Damei.

Sure enough, after a while, Deng Damei walked in shyly, patted her thigh, and said, “Yunxi, do you want some grapes? My boyfriend saw some wild grapes ripening on the mountain and picked a bunch for me. They’re sweet and sour.”

“No, thanks. Your boyfriend gave them to you. How could I take them?” Zhang Yunxi teased.

“You’re so annoying, always like this,” Deng Damei muttered, her face turning red.

Zhang Yunxi found it really amusing. Even though they hadn’t done anything, just talking face-to-face made them blush for a long time.

It was hilarious.

Indeed, people’s feelings in this era were so pure.

Deng Damei snorted at her, turned around, and left, asking He Xiao Xiao if she wanted some grapes.
Since Zhang Yunxi had arrived, the relationship between the two had eased a lot.

He Xiao Xiao: “It’s not really suitable.”

Deng Damei stomped her foot.

These two, really!

She sat on the wooden stool, eating the grapes bit by bit. The grapes were quite sour, but to her, they tasted very sweet.

Zhang Yunxi lay down for a while, and Deng Damei rushed in again. “Yunxi, what do you think about me telling my family about my boyfriend?”

“Go ahead, what’s there to be afraid of?” Zhang Yunxi encouraged her. “Go for it!”

“Stop joking, I’m being serious,” Deng Damei said. She was actually very afraid that her family would scold her.

They would say it was her second time finding a boyfriend, and this time it was a rural guy.

“Your parents don’t agree?” Zhang Yunxi thought of her usual frugal habits and hesitantly asked, “Do they want a high bride price?”

Deng Damei lowered her head and nodded, her voice suddenly choked up. “My parents don’t want anything, but they’re asking for a hundred yuan.”

“A hundred yuan?”

“Yeah. In Zhao’s village, marrying a wife can be settled with twenty-six yuan, thirty-eight at most. My boyfriend’s family is quite harmonious, but they haven’t divided the family property, so they can’t give me that much. I don’t know what to do.”

Deng Damei’s eyes turned red, and she sniffled. “If I tell them, my boyfriend and I will probably break up.”

Seeing that she was about to cry, Zhang Yunxi sat up in a hurry and stopped joking with her. Instead, she asked, “What were you thinking before you started dating him?”

Deng Damei lowered her head and picked at her fingers. “I didn’t really like him at first.”

“Huh?” Zhang Yunxi was stunned.

“Actually…” Deng Da Mei bit her lip, mustering the courage to tell her, “I actually had a boyfriend before. His family didn’t like me, and later he got a job in the city and found another woman. I was so angry at the time. When I saw my current boyfriend liked me, I boldly asked if he wanted to be with me. He agreed, but his family beat him up. I was so scared that I hardly dared to go out for a while, afraid his family would come after me. But they didn’t, and he didn’t hold it against me. He’s been really good to me, so I ended up liking him.”

Zhang Yunxi’s expression was indescribable.

Deng Damei glanced at her. “Do you think I’m a bad woman?”

“Of course not. I think you’re… easy to please.”

What a simple, kind, and honest person.

Deng Damei gave her a deadpan look. “Don’t think I can’t tell you’re mocking me!”

“I’m not,” Zhang Yunxi firmly denied, but couldn’t stop laughing. “You’ve had one boyfriend, it’s not like you’ve killed someone. Why feel inferior? You’re so good, isn’t it normal for people to like you? He gives you eggs, fruits, helps you with chores—he’s the lucky one to have earned the affection of such a great girl like you! Our Damei is the cutest girl in the world.”

Deng Damei stared at her for a long time.

Then she hugged her and cried.

She wailed loudly!

He Xiao Xiao was startled and ran in, looking at Zhang Yunxi in confusion. “What’s wrong with her?”

“She’s an adult. Maybe she just needs to vent,” Zhang Yunxi sighed.

Damei was such a simple and kind-hearted girl.

She was sensible and well-behaved.

She always considered others and never thought ill of anyone.

Perhaps because she grew up in an environment where no one loved her, she cherished every bit of kindness she received.

She also became overly anxious about others’ affection, fixating on her small mistakes, afraid that these mistakes would make those who loved her stop loving her.

Sigh.

He Xiao Xiao pressed her lips into a straight line.

She didn’t understand.

Why did girls always cry over men?
Why were they so moved by the little things men did that they started doubting themselves?
Couldn’t they get the things they liked on their own?

“I’m going to cook.”

“Okay,” Zhang Yunxi replied.

The reason Damei was crying was simple. No one had ever truly thought it was okay for her to have a boyfriend, and no one had ever called her the cutest girl in the world.

She was so ordinary—how could she deserve such praise?

Deng Damei’s shoulders trembled as she cried and asked, “Yunxi, do you think I should tell him?”

“Do you want to marry him?” Zhang Yunxi asked.

Deng Damei hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “He’s the best man I’ve ever met.”

Zhang Yunxi opened her mouth slightly, but at this moment, saying something inspirational would be pointless. So she simply said, “Then go test his attitude.”

“But… what if he wants to break up with me?” Deng Damei looked up, her eyes filled with tears. “Then I’ll be a girl who’s had two boyfriends. No one will want me anymore, and no one will treat me as well as he does.”

He Xiao Xiao, who was picking vegetables at the kitchen door, overheard this.

She manually covered her ears.

Can’t hear, can’t hear, can’t hear.

Zhang Yunxi felt that if Damei lived in modern times, many girls would advise her to be independent and strong, and they might even scold her. But the environment was different, and she couldn’t just vent her own frustrations by scolding Damei. So after thinking for a moment, she said:

“If he doesn’t want you, blame it all on your parents. Fight with them and never give them money or food again. Then you can keep it all for yourself. Isn’t that better than what your boyfriend gives you? At that point, you’ll be the best person to yourself, and no one can take that away.”

“Huh?” Deng Damei was shocked.

He Xiao Xiao instantly felt a sense of relief!
That’s exactly how it should be!
Why keep sacrificing yourself for others? Isn’t that just foolish?
Zhang Yunxi: “Don’t worry. If you don’t end up fighting with your parents, leave it to me. I know how to curse, and I can be really mean!”

She raised her chin, looking quite proud.

Deng Damei stopped crying.

She was completely stunned by her.

“You… you don’t think having two boyfriends is… you know?”

“You know what? As long as it’s your choice, even if you’ve slept with twenty men, I wouldn’t think anything of it,” Zhang Yunxi said, raising an eyebrow.

Deng Damei was shocked by her words.

He Xiao Xiao’s eyebrows also twitched, her feelings mixed. “Dinner’s ready.”