Chapter 18: A Sense of Crisis

After speaking, Sheng Yanchuan no longer wanted to talk to the man. Rather than waste time here, he might as well go home and eat an extra bowl of rice. Without waiting for a response, he turned to leave.

Su Mu saw that he was about to leave and warned him sharply, “She’s not someone you should be coveting. Please keep your distance from her from now on.”

Hearing this, Sheng Yanchuan halted in his tracks. He was well aware of his own position—whether he was worthy or not, he knew in his heart. But even if he wasn’t worthy, it wasn’t up to this man to pass judgment.

He pressed his tongue against his molars, suppressing the violent urge rising within. His eyes darkened with hostility.

Turning around, he stared unwaveringly at Su Mu, making the latter feel an involuntary chill.

Su Mu knew of Sheng Yanchuan’s notorious reputation, but for Nan Qiao’s sake, he couldn’t show weakness. If even he backed down, how would a delicate girl like Nan Qiao deal with being targeted by someone like this village bully?

Since Nan Qiao liked him and they were from the same hometown, he had a responsibility to protect her.

But truth be told, he was a little intimidated by Sheng Yanchuan’s presence. He feared he’d resort to violence. Su Mu could manage with a pen, but he wasn’t confident in facing off physically with a robust rural man like Sheng Yanchuan.

His heart involuntarily began to race.

Seeing Su Mu’s slightly evasive gaze, Sheng Yanchuan couldn’t help but find it amusing. Was he seriously squaring off with a little weakling? If he really beat him up, he’d look down on himself.

“Whether or not I can covet her isn’t for you to decide. So what if you look down on me? Aren’t you also here, bowing to the same dirt and sky? Who’s really better than whom?” Sheng Yanchuan spoke mockingly, his gaze full of disdain.

“Nan Qiao will return to the city one day. Her father treasures her the most—they’ll never let her marry here,” Su Mu said firmly. He was certain of this. Director Nan of the steel factory was known for doting on his daughter. When word first got out that Nan Qiao was coming to the countryside, there had been no shortage of gossip behind her back.

“So what?” Sheng Yanchuan shrugged indifferently. “Life is unpredictable, isn’t it? Just like this water bottle ending up in my hands—wasn’t that something you didn’t expect either?”

He spoke vaguely. He’d be a fool to admit he had tricked her into giving it to him.

With that, he no longer paid Su Mu any attention and strolled away casually, though his heart was a mess of emotions.

Su Mu stood in place, gripping the water bottle tighter and tighter until his knuckles turned white.

Li Zhuoran, standing at the kitchen door, had watched the whole exchange. Disappointed that it had only been a war of words, he muttered, “Boring. Not even as exciting as when the girls argue… what a letdown.”

Once Sheng Yanchuan had left, Su Mu turned back to his room, throwing the water bottle onto the kang bed in frustration and cursing Sheng Yanchuan silently.

From the moment he learned Nan Qiao was coming to the countryside, Su Mu had been uneasy. With her background and looks, she was bound to draw unwanted attention in a village like this.

But he hadn’t expected Sheng Yanchuan to make a move this quickly!

He regretted deeply—not accepting her feelings back then meant he now had no standing to protect her openly.

Su Mu sat silently in his room for a long time, lost in thought.

Even when his fellow educated youths called him for dinner, he didn’t respond. They had no choice but to leave a bowl for him in the kitchen, figuring he’d come out to eat later.

Maybe it was Sheng Yanchuan’s appearance that gave Su Mu a sense of crisis, or maybe it was the shock of seeing Nan Qiao give the water bottle to someone else—but either way, he couldn’t calm down.

When the sky had grown slightly dim, Su Mu finally left the courtyard alone.

Wang Feng, returning from hanging laundry, ran into him at the gate. “Su Mu, where are you off to? Have you eaten? We left a bowl of food for you in the kitchen.”

“Just have to take care of something. I’ll eat later,” Su Mu replied distractedly.

“Oh… alright, just come back early. I’ll leave the door unlocked,” Wang Feng said, puzzled as he watched Su Mu leave without another word.

As he entered the house, Wang Feng muttered to himself, “It’s getting dark, and there aren’t even streetlights in the village—what’s he going out for?”

Back inside, he asked the others, “What’s up with Su Mu? Skipped dinner and went out again.”

“No idea, he’s been acting weird,” another male educated youth replied.

“Maybe something triggered him,” Li Zhuoran chimed in bluntly.

“Triggered?” Wang Feng thought back to Sheng Yanchuan’s visit earlier that afternoon. Could that have been the trigger? But Sheng Yanchuan didn’t seem as difficult as people said—what kind of conflict could they have had?

Perplexed, Wang Feng got no answers, so he just carried his basin out to fetch water for washing up.

Better to mind his own business. In these times, being able to fill your stomach was what really mattered.

Thinking of food, Wang Feng suddenly had an idea. He turned back and said to the others, “Shouldn’t we arrange a group meal for the new educated youths? We haven’t properly introduced ourselves yet.”

The others eagerly agreed. They were well aware that there were two especially pretty girls among the new arrivals.

But since they were staying with local families, they hadn’t had a chance to meet them. A group meal would be the perfect opportunity.

“Let’s do it on our rest day this week,” one suggested.

“Great, I’ll go into town and pick up some food from home too—maybe we can add something extra to the meal.”

Seeing that everyone agreed, Wang Feng said, “I’ll ask Sister Jiang tomorrow. If she’s okay with it, let’s set it for the rest day.”

With that, he happily carried his basin to the backyard.

Meanwhile, in Nan Qiao and Shen Nian’s courtyard…

“Nian Nian, go heat up some water. Leave the dumpling-making to me!” Nan Qiao said, disliking how Shen Nian’s dumplings were falling apart.

Shen Nian looked sadly at Nan Qiao’s plump, perfect dumplings, then at her own half-open, lumpy ones.

“I followed your steps exactly… why are mine so ugly? And they’re even leaking…” she said sadly.

“It’s okay. You go heat the water. We can’t eat that many anyway—I’ll finish up quickly,” Nan Qiao reassured her.

“Alright then. If you need help, just say so,” Shen Nian said, washing the flour from her hands before heading to the kitchen.

When Su Mu arrived, what he saw was Nan Qiao, alone in the courtyard, quietly making dumplings.

Under the dim yellow light in the courtyard, the girl’s delicate features appeared even more radiant. A soft golden halo seemed to surround her, and though her clothes were plain, she wore them with a grace that made her look elegant and refined.

Looking at Nan Qiao like this, Su Mu was momentarily dazed. The words he had prepared stuck in his throat—no matter what he said, it felt like it would taint her.

Nan Qiao, busy making dumplings, seemed to sense someone watching. She looked up toward the courtyard entrance, but seeing no one there, she lowered her head and continued her work.

Su Mu, hiding behind the wall outside the yard, stood there for a long time.

Even after the two girls began eating, he still didn’t have the courage to go in. He could only sigh softly and return to the educated youth dorm with a sense of defeat.

He lay awake for much of the night…

—

On the other side, ever since returning the water bottle to Su Mu, Sheng Yanchuan had been in emotional turmoil—relieved that Nan Qiao no longer had Su Mu’s belongings, but also troubled by what Su Mu had said.

Whether he admitted it or not, Su Mu was right: “Nan Qiao will return to the city. Her family will never allow her to stay here.”

Thinking of this, Sheng Yanchuan sighed. When he returned home, the Sheng family was eating dinner.

Auntie Xiumei saw him and called out, “Just in time! Go grab a bowl and chopsticks from the kitchen and eat up.”

Sheng Yanchuan glanced at the food on the table. He was feeling far too gloomy to eat, so he replied, “I’m not hungry. You all eat.”

With that, he turned and went into his room, closing the door behind him.

“This brat! Worked all day and now says he’s not hungry?” Uncle Sheng grumbled, tapping his tobacco pipe and getting up to drag him out, only to be stopped by Auntie Xiumei.

“Eat your dinner. I’ll take some to him later,” she said.

“Take it to him? He’s a grown man, what do you want—feed him with your own hands?” Uncle Sheng’s eyes widened in disapproval.

Auntie Xiumei wasn’t about to indulge his old-fashioned chauvinism. After finishing the last bite of rice, she set down her bowl without even looking at her husband and said, “Daughter-in-law, if you’re done eating, clean up the dishes.”

The eldest daughter-in-law stared at the half bowl of rice still in front of her, unsure what to do. She tugged her husband’s sleeve, hoping he’d help her out of this awkward situation.

Why was she being dragged into this standoff between her in-laws?

“Dad, your food’s getting cold—hurry and eat,” Sheng’s eldest son said, offering a way out for everyone.

Uncle Sheng, seeing his son step in, stopped glaring at his wife and quietly picked up his bowl.

After all, it was his own son. How could he not care? He was just worried that his boy had worked all day and wasn’t eating enough to keep healthy. And now his wife was mad at him for it…

Uncle Sheng felt very wronged.

The eldest daughter-in-law was relieved too. Her domineering mother-in-law always had the final say, and she had truly feared being ordered to clean everyone’s dishes tonight—whether she did or didn’t, it would’ve been a lose-lose situation.

After the meal, she cleared the dishes and went to wash them. Auntie Xiumei, meanwhile, prepared a bowl of rice to take to her youngest son.

Just as she stood up, Uncle Sheng, still playing with his pipe, said, “Give him a fried egg too. A big lad like him needs his nutrients.”

“As if I didn’t know,” she muttered, heading to the kitchen before returning with a bowl of rice to knock on Sheng Yanchuan’s door.

When she entered, he was lying on the bed staring at the ceiling. She placed the food on the table, closed the door, and sat beside him.

“Chuanzi, eat a little before sleeping. You can’t go without food,” she said gently. She had noticed that the sunburn ointment had gone missing and guessed he had brought it to Nan Qiao. She had planned to ask him about it that evening—but seeing him come home looking so dejected, she had her suspicions.

Was he rejected?

Seeing that he didn’t respond, she tentatively asked, “Son, did you give the medicine to Nan girl?”

Sheng Yanchuan nodded silently.

“She didn’t accept it?”

“She did,” he replied.

“Then… did you say something to her? Did she reject you?” she probed further.

He froze for a moment before sighing, “I didn’t say anything, and there was no rejection.”

“Then what are you so down about?” she asked, confused. If nothing happened, why did he look like the sky had fallen?

“Mom… a girl like Nan Qiao probably looks down on us village folk, right?” he said, his voice low and lifeless.

Upon hearing this, Auntie Xiumei immediately understood. “Son, sure, Nan girl’s family background is better than ours, but that doesn’t mean your future will be bad. If you feel unworthy of her now, then work harder. It’s true we can’t compare with her family, but your future isn’t set in stone. You’re working at the transport factory now, and things will only get better from here.”

“But she seems like she wants to take the college entrance exam. We won’t be able to keep her here.”

“First of all, we don’t even know when the college entrance exams will be reinstated. And if Nan girl can take it, so can you. You’re only two years apart. Going to college together isn’t a big deal. Your grades aren’t bad either. If you can’t keep her here, then go with her,” Auntie Xiumei encouraged him.

“But more than any of that,” she added, “I’m worried she won’t like you. You’re big and tall, and your face looks like you’re up to no good. What if she doesn’t go for that kind of man? Then we’re in trouble.”

At that, Sheng Yanchuan suddenly recalled the starry-eyed way Nan Qiao had looked at him earlier. He couldn’t help but laugh—she seemed to really be into him.

Seeing him laugh out of nowhere, Auntie Xiumei grew concerned. “Son… are you alright?”

He quickly collected himself, sat up, and said seriously, “Don’t worry, Mom. I know what I need to do.”

Seeing her son like this, Auntie Xiumei finally felt reassured.

“Then hurry up and eat. I’m heading out,” she said, handing him the bowl before leaving the room. Her son would have to sort this out himself—she’d said all she could.

Sheng Yanchuan nodded, got off the bed, and sat down to eat—though in his mind, he was already thinking about how to win Nan Qiao over…

—

Unlike Sheng Yanchuan and Su Mu, who were both tangled in their own complicated feelings, Nan Qiao and Shen Nian were enjoying their meal in high spirits.

“Qiao Qiao, these dumplings are so good! How can you cook this well?” Shen Nian asked, eyes sparkling.

“If you like them, eat more,” Nan Qiao replied with a smile. Seeing Shen Nian eat happily made her feel just as joyful. For people who cook, nothing is more satisfying than watching others eat heartily.

“Mm-hmm! I’m going to eat until I’m stuffed,” Shen Nian said, delighted. She hadn’t expected to eat such delicious dumplings in the village. Fortunately, she’d met Nan Qiao—otherwise, where would she find such luck?