Chapter 19: A Letter?

After the two had finished eating—

Nan Qiao was just about to get up to clean when Shen Nian pulled her over to a lounge chair and made her sit. “Qiao Qiao, you be good and relax. Let me take care of the dishes and cleanup! You already made such delicious dumplings—it’s only right that I wash the dishes!”

“Well, alright then. Thanks for the hard work, Nian Nian.”

“Nian Nian’s not tired at all! I’m stuffed!” Shen Nian patted her round belly, thoroughly satisfied.

Nan Qiao couldn’t help but laugh. This Shen Nian was truly a delight.

After Shen Nian finished the dishes—

The two of them fooled around a bit while washing up, then went back to their rooms to get ready for bed. After a full day of work, the moment they lay down, they quickly drifted into sweet slumber.

The next morning, accompanied by the work bell, they headed out together while eating boiled eggs on the way to pick up their tools.

With their small hoes in hand, they arrived at the now-familiar patch of black soil.

Nan Qiao was even more heavily equipped today—wearing a sun hat, gloves, and a gauzy scarf. While there was still a risk of heatstroke, she absolutely didn’t want to get tanned or sunburned…

Sure enough, as soon as the fully covered Shen Nian and Nan Qiao appeared, they drew curious stares from the young ladies, daughters-in-law, and aunties of the village.

“You two little educated youths, aren’t you afraid of getting heatstroke like that?” an older woman asked. She couldn’t tell who they were through all that gear, but her curiosity got the better of her, so she just called out to them as “little educated youths” and asked anyway.

Nan Qiao looked at her and replied, “It’s fine, auntie. The sun’s too strong here—we’re not used to it yet. I already got a little sunburned yesterday.”

“I see. Then be sure to take breaks often—it’s really hot out. Dressed like that, you might overheat,” the auntie said kindly.

“Alright, thank you, auntie.” With that, Nan Qiao no longer paid attention to her probing gaze and pulled Shen Nian away.

After working the whole day, Nan Qiao felt her stamina running low. When no one was looking, she discreetly pulled a cooling patch out from her spatial dimension and stuck it on the back of her neck, immediately feeling much better.

Once again, she marveled at the wonders of modern technology. Truly, laziness and the pursuit of comfort were the greatest driving forces behind technological progress!

With the cooling patch helping, the work didn’t feel as grueling.

However, Shen Nian beside her had clearly hit her limit. She stood with her hands on her hips, gasping for breath.

“Go sit under the tree and cool off with that scarf. Don’t give yourself heatstroke,” Nan Qiao said, a bit concerned.

“Qiao Qiao, come rest with me for a bit. We’ve already done more than enough for today anyway.”

Nan Qiao looked at their progress. Compared to the other educated youths, their work wasn’t bad. The village chief had even complimented them yesterday for working hard.

Though the ten full labor points the locals earned made their six points seem unimpressive, the two were already satisfied.

Since they weren’t relying on labor points for survival anyway, Nan Qiao didn’t stress over it and followed Shen Nian to rest under a large tree.

As she took off her hat under the shade, a light breeze swept across her sweat-dampened forehead, and she instantly felt alive again.

Nan Qiao glanced over at Shen Nian gossiping animatedly with Li Zhuo.

When had those two gotten so close? Maybe it was the power of gossip. Watching their expressive faces, Nan Qiao found it rather amusing.

“Here, have one of these,” said a voice nearby.

Nan Qiao turned to see Su Mu sitting next to her, holding out a mint candy. She hesitated but still accepted it. Then, she pulled two White Rabbit candies from her pocket and handed them to him in exchange.

“Thanks.”

She unwrapped the candy and popped it into her mouth.

The cool mint spread through her mouth, clearing away the heat-induced daze. She immediately felt more alert.

As for Su Mu sitting beside her—well, this was the only shady tree around these fields. She couldn’t exactly tell him to leave just because she was here.

Let him sit. There were so many people around, nothing to worry about. If only she could ignore Dong Jiayan’s vicious stare from not far away—then she’d be more at ease.

“Are you getting used to things here?” Su Mu asked.

Nan Qiao glanced at him and thought to herself, Who could get used to this? But she still replied, “It’s alright.”

“I heard from the older educated youths that they’re planning a little get-together—everyone will cook and eat together. It’s a chance to meet them. Will you and your friend join?”

“Of course! How could we miss a group activity?” Nan Qiao agreed cheerfully.

“Mhm.” Su Mu nodded, then said no more.

Since he stopped talking, Nan Qiao wasn’t about to make small talk either. They just sat there in silence.

Except… Dong Jiayan’s stare was too intense. It made Nan Qiao’s skin crawl.

“What’s the deal with that Dong Jiayan? Her eyes look like they could eat someone alive,” Nan Qiao asked, motioning toward her, unable to suppress her curiosity.

Maybe she’d been around Shen Nian too long and picked up the gossiping habit. Right after she spoke, she realized how inappropriate her question was.

“Sorry, I just happened to notice. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to,” she added, seeing Su Mu’s surprised expression and trying to smooth things over.

She really wasn’t interested in Su Mu, and she wasn’t jealous. It was pure gossip! That’s all!

Besides, the original host had only met Su Mu a few times, so she had no idea what kind of relationship the two had.

“There’s nothing between us. We just grew up in the same alley, and our families know each other. As for any engagement rumors—that’s nonsense. And…”

“And what?” Nan Qiao blurted out. Then instantly regretted it. Why is my mouth so fast?!

Su Mu thought her follow-up question meant she was genuinely interested, so he decided to use the opportunity to explain himself. Who knew when he’d get another chance?

He casually glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention before continuing, “Also, that time you first spoke to me… it’s not that I wasn’t interested. I just knew I was about to be sent to the countryside… I didn’t want to drag you down, so…”

Hearing that, Nan Qiao immediately understood. Her cheeks flushed with panic.

In all her years of living, this was the first time she’d been confessed to face-to-face!!!

Even if it was the original host who made that bold move, she was now the one dealing with the consequences!

What should she do?! Nan Qiao was frozen on the spot.

“Educated Youth Nan, the village chief asked me to find you. I think you have a letter,” came Sheng Yanchuan’s voice—like sweet rain after a long drought, saving her from a fire.

“Oh! Coming! Nian Nian, you go on ahead. I’ll head back in a bit and make dinner when I get home,” Nan Qiao said while stumbling to her feet and hurrying over to Sheng Yanchuan.

What she didn’t see was the sudden darkness in Su Mu’s expression. The contrast to his usual gentle demeanor made it downright chilling.

Su Mu watched Nan Qiao run to Sheng Yanchuan, and saw the way Sheng Yanchuan’s eyes were full of her.

It felt like he’d just lost his most treasured toy.

His expression grew even gloomier and more twisted.

“Come on, hurry up!” Nan Qiao urged as soon as she reached Sheng Yanchuan, practically dragging him along.

“What’s the rush? Is a ghost chasing you?” Sheng Yanchuan joked, feigning ignorance.

“Worse than a ghost. But what was that about a letter you mentioned earlier?” Nan Qiao asked, assuming it was a letter from her family.

That one question instantly flustered Sheng Yanchuan. What letter? There wasn’t one. He had only made it up to pull her away—he didn’t like how close she was getting to Su Mu and used the excuse of a letter to separate them.

Now that she was asking seriously, he stammered awkwardly, “Ah… it seemed like there was a letter. Let me take you to check.”

Nan Qiao didn’t question it. Her brother and parents had indeed said they would write to her.

Sheng Yanchuan led Nan Qiao all the way toward the brigade office.

“That Educated Youth Su just now… was he your old friend?” Sheng Yanchuan asked casually as they walked.

“Not really. We’ve only met a few times.”

“Do you like him?” Sheng Yanchuan forced himself to ask.

Nan Qiao was startled and tilted her head to look at him, as if trying to read something from his expression…

Wasn’t everyone in this era supposed to be reserved? Why were people around her acting so crazy? Not much different from modern times, honestly…

“Probably not. I just know him, that’s all…” She couldn’t see anything unusual on Sheng Yanchuan’s face, so she withdrew her gaze and replied.

Hearing this, a smile tugged at Sheng Yanchuan’s lips.

They said nothing more after that.

By the time they reached the area near the brigade office, the sky had already darkened.

The closer they got, the more restless Sheng Yanchuan became. How was he going to explain this…?

“Uh… there’s something I need to apologize for…” Sheng Yanchuan stammered.

Nan Qiao looked up at him. He was quite a bit taller than her—tilting her head to speak was tiring. Still, the man was indeed handsome…

“What is it?” she asked.

“There’s… no letter for you at the office. I just… saw you with Su and felt uncomfortable, so I made something up to get you away…” he admitted.

“You!!! Why didn’t you say so earlier?! I worked all day and walked all this way—do you think it was easy for me?” Nan Qiao cried, collapsing in frustration onto a stone by the side of the road.

Truthfully, she’d already been at her limit. If not for the hope of a letter from home, she would’ve quit and gone back ages ago. And now he tells her there’s no letter?

Nan Qiao was completely overwhelmed. The sky had darkened, and there was still a long walk home.

Her eyes reddened with grievance. She hadn’t chosen to come here. She’d left behind all the modern comforts of the 21st century to suffer like this.

Alone, constantly on guard, unable to openly use any of the supplies in her space, and now—after being tricked—she still had to walk all the way back in the dark. The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt.

She sat on the roadside stone and began to sob.

This startled Sheng Yanchuan—a six-foot-tall man—into panic. He squatted down nervously in front of her, repeatedly apologizing.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I just saw you seemed uncomfortable with him, and I wanted to find a reason to call you away. I also… I just wanted to spend a bit more time with you.”

“I’m really sorry. I didn’t consider your feelings.”

“Please don’t cry, okay?” Sheng Yanchuan tried to comfort her. He wanted to wipe her tears but didn’t dare to touch her. He was utterly flustered.

“If you can’t walk anymore, I’ll carry you home, okay? I know a shortcut—no one uses it, and we won’t be seen. It leads directly to your house. I’ll carry you, you won’t have to walk, alright?”

Seeing that she wasn’t responding and was crying even harder, Sheng Yanchuan scratched his head in distress.

“I’m sorry. Please stop crying, okay? If you’re mad… how about hitting me?” He gently grabbed Nan Qiao’s wrist and slapped himself.

But she quickly pulled her hand away.

No matter how he tried to coax her, Nan Qiao just sat there, silently shedding tears. Her shoulders trembled with each sob, and she choked up repeatedly.

Seeing her like this made Sheng Yanchuan’s heart ache. He gathered his courage and gently wiped away her tears. Seeing she didn’t flinch, he continued to console her, “I’m really sorry. I truly know I was wrong. Please stop crying, okay? Seeing you like this really hurts me… You don’t have to walk—I’ll carry you home. No one will see us.”

Nan Qiao cried for a while. The release of her bottled-up emotions left her feeling much better. After sitting and resting for a bit, she wasn’t as physically exhausted either.

She sniffled and said, “I don’t want you to carry me.”

“Okay, okay—no carrying.”

“Where’s the shortcut? If we walk back this late, people will gossip.” Nan Qiao wiped her tears with her sleeve and asked.

“This way. I’ll lead.” Sheng Yanchuan walked ahead, glancing back at her occasionally to make sure she was following.

The shortcut was a narrow trail at the base of the mountain. No one used it, and while it offered privacy, it was longer and harder to walk.

So Sheng Yanchuan stayed protectively by Nan Qiao’s side, worried she might twist her ankle.

And sure enough—just as he finished praying internally that nothing would go wrong, Nan Qiao stumbled and cried out.

If Sheng Yanchuan hadn’t reacted quickly and caught her, she would’ve fallen to the ground.

Having twisted her ankle, Nan Qiao felt like today was her personal day of tribulation. Meeting Sheng Yanchuan was clearly where her bad luck began. She might as well have stayed back with Su Mu and toughed it out…

She tried taking a step, and pain instantly shot through her ankle.

Seeing this, Sheng Yanchuan felt even more regret for dragging her along on this detour.

Helping her sit down, he said, “Sit here. Let me take a look.”

She leaned on his arm and sat down. But when Sheng Yanchuan saw her fair, delicate ankle, he froze, not sure what to do.

Nan Qiao saw his hesitation and said plainly, “What are you still thinking about at a time like this?”

Taking her cue, Sheng Yanchuan shook off his doubts and carefully lifted her ankle, gently pressing it in a few places. Her reaction wasn’t too strong.

“It’s just a sprain. You’ll need to rest it for a few days. Have Educated Youth Shen ask for leave for you tomorrow,” he said, sounding a bit guilty. If he hadn’t dragged her around, none of this would’ve happened—especially not her getting hurt.

Nan Qiao sighed helplessly. A day of misfortunes, truly.

“You can carry me. I can’t hop all the way home…” she said pitifully.

Upon hearing that, Sheng Yanchuan immediately turned around and crouched down. Nan Qiao, supporting herself with one leg, climbed onto his back. Feeling the petite girl on his back, Sheng Yanchuan was filled with emotion. He clenched his fists around her legs but didn’t dare actually touch her.

His back was broad and steady, and Nan Qiao, lying against it, couldn’t help but feel a surprising sense of security…