Chapter 44: The Dog Who Licked Until There Was Nothing Left

Watching the figure of the person leaving, Qiu Qianjin did not understand how someone could walk so gracefully.

“She’s already out of sight, and you’re still watching?”

Qiu Qianjin immediately averted his gaze. “Sis, do you think there’s any chance between me and Qian Zhiqing?”

Qiu Yinuo did not respond, but instead gave him a deep look.

That gaze…

Qiu Qianjin felt it was a bit indescribable, like the kind of disdain one would feel after stepping on dog poop.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Qiu Yinuo sighed. “Jinzi, let me give you a piece of advice.”

“What advice?”

“A dog who licks will end up with nothing in the end.”

“What? What dog? What’s a licking dog? Sis, do you want to raise a dog?”

Qiu Yinuo’s mouth twitched, but she didn’t answer.

Jinzi had already imagined the rest. “Sis, I suggest you give up on that idea. We barely have enough food for ourselves—where would we get leftovers for a dog? With the way Mom is, if she got hungry enough, she might just stew it for dinner.”

“She wouldn’t go that far.”

“How would she not? You know how Mom is.”

“…Right.” After all, he was her own brother—even if he was unbearable, she had to tolerate him.

Something seemed to click in Jinzi’s mind, and he slapped his thigh with a sense of urgency that mirrored Cheng Hongying’s.

“Ah! Why didn’t I think of that earlier?”

“Think of what?”

“Well, we need to go to the supply and marketing cooperative too. We should’ve just gone with Qian Zhiqing earlier, at least we’d have had some company.”

Qiu Yinuo gave him a look that was difficult to read. “Jinzi, I want you to remember what I’m about to say.”

“What is it?”

“It’s not wrong to like someone, but you need to know when to advance and when to retreat. You can’t just assume that what you’re doing is right or that it’s good for her. What if it causes her discomfort? Won’t that make it all in vain?”

Jinzi finally started to understand. “Did I cause trouble for Qian Zhiqing?”

“I think so.”

“But Dongzi said that a strong woman still fears a persistent man. If I try a bit harder, maybe Qian Zhiqing will start noticing me?”

Qiu Yinuo asked bluntly, “What makes you think Qian Zhiqing would be impressed by you?” When he didn’t reply and fell into thought, she continued, “Jinzi, have you heard this saying? ‘If you’re good enough, the butterfly will come to you.'”

“If you’re truly outstanding, you will naturally attract someone equally outstanding.”

So, young man, awaken!

Stop being a dog who licks.

When one person becomes a licking dog, the whole family loses face.

“I don’t get it.”

“…”

…

Qiu Yinuo also bought the New Year’s goods and, when Qingqing wasn’t paying attention, secretly stuffed some things into the space.

As for Qiu Qianjin, he remained silent throughout the entire day.

He was like a puppet, doing whatever others told him to do.

He Ziqing leaned toward Qiu Yinuo. “Sister Yinuo, it seems like Jinzi has taken your words to heart.”

“Let’s hope so.”

After finishing up at the grocery store, they went to the supply and marketing cooperative.

Qiu Qianjin unconsciously searched for Qian Zhiqing’s figure. When he found no trace of her, his face fell with disappointment. Qiu Yinuo chose to ignore his little gesture.

She arranged for Jinzi to stand in line to buy cloth. With the New Year approaching, they needed to make a new outfit for everyone, buy spring couplets, bowls, and various other odds and ends.

By the time they finished shopping, it was almost 2:30 in the afternoon.

Grandpa Zhang was set to leave at 3:00 sharp. They dared not waste any time and quickly carried their things to where the ox cart was parked.

Upon seeing that Qian Zhiqing and Li Zhiqing were not on the cart, Qiu Yinuo paused for a moment. “Where are the two female educated youths who came into town with us today? Haven’t they come back yet?”

Grandpa Zhang chuckled. “They’ve already come back, a while ago. They said you were buying so many things today that you wouldn’t have enough space, so they decided to head back first.”

Qiu Qianjin pursed his lips and began placing the items on the cart. Then, feeling disheartened, he slumped down at the back of the cart. He was 100% sure that Qian Zhiqing was avoiding him.

Meanwhile, Qian Zhiya was walking down the road back to Ping’an Village, arm in arm with Li Zhiqing. “Fangfang, I’m sorry you had to walk back with me this time. I’ll make it up to you when we get home.”

Li Fangfang quickly waved her hand. “It’s no big deal, but you really need to avoid Qiu Qianjin. I heard that he’s the only son in his family, and they spoil him so much that he gets away with everything. They’re saying that they could get anything they want from him. You don’t want them causing trouble for you later on.”

In this era, a woman’s reputation was still something everyone cared about.

If rumors spread, it could be hard to clear up.

There were even stories from a few years ago, where an educated youth from the neighboring brigade was tricked into a situation and ended up living a life worse than death, completely ruined for the rest of their life.

“I think his sister is pretty decent. It shouldn’t be that bad,” Qian Zhiya said.

“You can’t always judge by appearances. It’s better to be careful,” Li Fangfang cautioned.

Qian Zhiya nodded, feeling a bit uneasy. “Fangfang, thank you for looking out for me.”

…

Grandpa Zhang saw that they had bought so much, so he helped them by loading it onto the ox cart and taking it to their doorstep.

When Qiu Qianjin saw his mother squatting in the yard washing cloth diapers, he suddenly felt guilty. “Sis, didn’t we promise mom not to buy so much?”

“There’s just over a week until the New Year. Are you planning to go to town again?” Qiu Yinuo said, knowing that getting up early, especially before dawn, was something she could never manage.

“Yeah, maybe we should just let mom nag us a bit. It’s so cold.”

As soon as the ox cart came to a stop, Cheng Hongying stormed out. “Did you two just let my words go in one ear and out the other? Why did you buy all this useless stuff again?”

“We’ve bought everything we needed for the New Year, so we won’t have to go to town again.”

“I think you just can’t get up early,” Cheng Hongying grumbled, though she still helped unload the items. “Dabao and Erbao will probably wake up soon. You should go inside and watch them. We’ll carry the rest in.”

Qiu Yinuo didn’t refuse. She quickly ran into the house, and as soon as she felt the warm air hit her face, her cheeks flushed with warmth.

Climbing onto the bed, she snuggled under the covers, sighing with relief. “I was freezing to death out there. Nothing beats the warmth of home!”

Meanwhile, in Taolin Village, Secretary Yang had already called in technical workers from the tractor factory.

As soon as they arrived, the worker pointed out the issue. “To fix this problem, the best solution would be to replace the entire engine. You know the engine is the most expensive part of a tractor, so the cost won’t be cheap.”

Secretary Yang thought for a moment. Wasn’t this exactly what the woman from Ping’an Village had said?

He didn’t give up and asked, “What if I only replace the valve seat and valve pin? Would that help it last a little longer?”

The worker’s eyes showed a hint of surprise. “Well, well, Lao Yang, looks like you’ve been doing some research lately.”

“We can replace it, but it won’t last much longer. At best, it’ll hold for a few months, maybe half a year at most.”