Chapter 11: He Agreed

As soon as Lin Yingying stood on the path outside the Educated Youth Point, the village’s little mud monkeys came running over to curry favor with her.

She was beautiful, never minded that they were dirty, and even gave them candy and told them stories. Even if there was no candy, they were still willing to serve her.

But Lin Yingying never made them work for nothing. One piece of biscuit was enough to get one little mud monkey to carry a message to Huo Qingshan for her: she was waiting for him by the river.

She stood beneath the willow tree by the riverbank, quietly gazing at the shimmering water. She knew that a melon forced from the vine would not be sweet, but Huo Qingshan was not as indifferent to her as he seemed on the surface.

Beneath his icy exterior was a burning passion, rarely shown yet inadvertently revealed.

The look of amazement in his eyes when he saw her, the pancakes he made for her, his seemingly helpless way of teaching her to bind sheaves of wheat, putting a shirt on her, his care toward her, and that instinctive reaction when she accidentally sat in his lap—none of these could fool her.

As long as he was unmarried, as long as he was not homosexual, there was no way he could refuse her. Miss Lin was that confident.

She waited for a while and then heard Huo Qingshan’s footsteps.

He had come to the meeting.

He had no choice but to come. The first little mud monkey went to find him and he ignored it. Then came the second, the third…

He walked up behind her, gazing at the dainty figure wrapped in his own shirt, and said in a low voice, “Educated Youth Lin, I came to tell you that I…”

“Ah!” Lin Yingying interrupted him. Turning her head, her face lit up with a joyful smile that appeared only because of him. “Are you going back to the army early? Perfect, you can submit the marriage application. Should I wait for you here, or should I go with you?”

Huo Qingshan frowned. “You should calm down first and give serious thought to your future.”

Lin Yingying’s large, watery eyes fixed on him as she took a step closer. “Do I look like I’m not calm? Let me lay out my future for you in detail.”

She continued to close the distance, her voice still as sweet and lilting as an oriole’s song, yet carrying an unshakable resolve. “I’m not acting on impulse out of gratitude for a favor. I simply liked you at first sight, and with every extra glance, I like you a little more. I have a very clear plan for my future: when I meet someone I like, I will bravely say it and make sure I win him over. So I will not miss a chance at love out of shyness, nor will I let the fear of people saying I’m shamelessly forward stop me from pursuing the one who makes my heart flutter.”

She paused, tilting her head up to look at him, and went on. “You’re not married, you’re not engaged, and you have no one you like. Then if I like you, why shouldn’t I marry you?”

She smiled, the curve of her lips sly and playful, tilting her head slightly as her gaze locked onto him. “Or is it… that you dislike me?”

When she said “dislike,” she pouted, a hint of boldness in her expression, as if daring him to say it so she could make him pay for it.

Huo Qingshan’s Adam’s apple moved as he pressed his lips together. “No.”

Of course he did not dislike her. Faced with such a willful yet endearingly cute girl, no one would.

On the contrary…

Lin Yingying smiled triumphantly, clasped her small hands behind her back, cleared her throat, and reminded him, “Huo Qingshan, are you ready?”

Huo Qingshan frowned. “Hm?”

Lin Yingying arched her brows and began to speak in a rich, sultry, almost theatrical tone. “Huo Qingshan, I like you, not only because you saved me, but also because of the fresh, clean scent on you, because of your handsome face, because of your deep and striking eyes, because of your burning chest, because of the heart in there that’s about to leap out…”

As she spoke, she lifted her soft, fair hand and pressed it against his chest. Sure enough, the beating there was fierce—thump, thump, thump—strong and steady, as if it were about to burst free.

And he was still going to deny it?

Huo Qingshan suddenly seized her provocative little hand. She had removed the bandage, and her hand was soft and boneless, exceptionally delicate. To him, it felt as though he were holding a piece of red-hot charcoal.

His dark eyes grew even deeper, as if some wild beast inside him was about to break free. His gaze locked heavily onto her, as though he intended to devour her whole.

Lin Yingying gave him a charming smile. “See? Your heart is telling me it likes me too. It’s beating so hard because of me.”

Huo Qingshan was certain he was about to have a heart attack.

Lin Yingying said, “Qingshan, you’ve agreed.”

It was a definite statement, not a question.

Huo Qingshan released her hand, feeling as if all the strength in his body had been drained away by her. His voice was low, husky, and seductive. “You really aren’t afraid my family will be a burden?”

Lin Yingying revealed a wickedly sly smile. “Oh, honestly, you’re so annoying. Those are your family who depend on you, how could they be a burden? Huo Qingshan, and you still say you don’t want to marry me—look at you, we’re not even married yet and you’re already feeling wronged on my behalf. If it were some other woman marrying you, would you still think your family would make her suffer? Why is it that when it comes to me, you’re so biased?”

Huo Qingshan: “…”

Lin Yingying said, “Don’t worry. After we get married, I’ll take good care of our mother and younger siblings. Don’t be afraid they’ll be naughty, I have plenty of ways to teach them. Don’t forget, I was once a naughty child myself~~”

Huo Qingshan: “…”

Lin Yingying reached out a delicate finger and poked his chest. “You just need to put in the application, and we’ll get married. It’s that simple.”

Huo Qingshan asked, “Are you sure your parents will agree to you marrying someone so casually?”

Lin Yingying replied, “What reason would my parents have to object? You’re upright in character, healthy, handsome, tall and well-built, with a respectable profession and a family background beyond reproach. Tell me, why would they oppose it? Or do you think my parents are the kind of people with unsound thinking?”

Huo Qingshan said, “I don’t.”

Lin Yingying replied, “Then stop making wild guesses and hurry up to submit the application report. You just happen to have family leave—add a few more days for marriage leave while you’re at it.”

In just three seconds, she had decided her lifelong commitment, and in just a few words, she had arranged everything for Huo Qingshan with perfect clarity.

Who said she was a pampered young lady ignorant of the ways of the world? Beneath her charming and delicate appearance was a decisiveness and boldness that even men would willingly yield to.

Huo Qingshan fell silent.

Lin Yingying was in no hurry. Smiling faintly, she tilted her head up to look at him, patient as could be.

After a while, Huo Qingshan finally spoke. “Three rules.”

Lin Yingying looked at him with great curiosity. “Oh? And who said you were a block of wood with no sense of romance? You’re quite capable! Go on, I want to hear it.”

Huo Qingshan: … I am a block of wood.

He said, “First, you must obtain your parents’ consent.”

Lin Yingying replied, “Not a problem in the slightest.”

“Second, once we are married, you cannot accept financial support from your family.”

Lin Yingying covered her chest and burst out laughing. She stretched out a slender finger and poked him in the chest, speaking between peals of amusement. “Huo Qingshan, is it that you have no confidence in your ability to provide for your family, or do you have some misunderstanding about my parents? Do I look like the kind of person who would need to be subsidized?”

Huo Qingshan stood straight and tall, letting her poke him as she pleased, which in the end only made her own finger ache.

Lin Yingying frowned, blew on her finger, and stopped poking him.

“Third, your parents cannot interfere with my work or our family.”

Lin Yingying clapped her hands in praise. “Qingshan, and you still say we’re not suitable. Tsk tsk, listen to what you’re saying—it’s exactly what I wanted to say. You’re practically the… kindred spirit in my heart.”

He was so capable, the salary and allowances he earned were more than enough to cover the household expenses, and she was not someone who would sit around idly. His younger brothers and sisters were not useless either, so of course they would not just sit and wait to be fed.

As for his work, she would never allow his parents to interfere.

Every promotion he earned had been exchanged for through military merit. It was his honor and dignity, the pride of a man. It had not been easy for him to rise from a farm boy to a company commander. He had no thought of climbing by connections, and naturally she would never destroy his ambition to soar high.

What was more, her father would absolutely never open an easy path for his children. Even her elder brother’s military rank had been earned by himself. All she needed to do was persuade her mother not to meddle too much.

As for anything else, it was even less likely—her parents didn’t interfere in her elder brother’s small household, so why would they meddle in hers?

“Marriage is something we manage ourselves. Only we can truly know its warmth or coldness, and no one else can take our place. Whether our life together is good or bad, it’s something we must experience for ourselves.” She looked up at him with a gentle smile. “Huo Qingshan, are you satisfied with that?”

In this moment, she was no longer the dazzling, alluring noble flower. Her fair cheeks were like a pure and holy white lotus, stirring many unfamiliar emotions in Huo Qingshan, making it almost impossible for him to restrain himself.

He clenched his fist, holding himself steady, and said calmly, “Alright.”

He extended his rough, calloused hand. “A clap to seal our vow—never to go back on it.”

But Lin Yingying clasped both her small hands behind her back, twisting her body slightly and tilting her head to look at him, teasing, “Well, don’t you… don’t you want to kiss me?”

Huo Qingshan flushed from his neck all the way up to his face, the tips of his ears turning red as well. He could not get a single word out, only stared straight at her, his gaze deep and dark, as if a blazing fire had erupted within the cold, surging instantly into a sea of flames.

Lin Yingying smiled with great satisfaction, a touch of arrogance and provocation in her expression. Hmph, that’s what you get for making me agree to three rules.

Huo Qingshan took a deep breath, stepped back a full pace to put some distance between them, and said slowly, “Three days is the limit. If your parents don’t agree, you can’t act willfully and make a fuss…”

“Wait, why three days and not one? Is it because you’re afraid one day wouldn’t be enough, so you’re being considerate and giving me three?”

The vein at Huo Qingshan’s temple twitched, and he clenched his fingers tightly just to keep himself from sealing her rosy, chattering little mouth shut.

But Lin Yingying’s playful mood only grew; teasing the man she liked was becoming addictive. “And when you say three days, do you mean from right now until this time the day after tomorrow, or today, tomorrow, and the day after, or until the evening of the day after tomorrow?”

Huo Qingshan: “…”

She really was bullying him!

He suddenly felt that perhaps it had been a mistake to insist her parents not interfere in their marriage. If she were going to bully him like this every day in the future, wouldn’t her parents be the only ones who could keep her in check?

Seeing the once-cold, stern look on his face shift into a far more complicated expression, Lin Yingying smiled with utter satisfaction. Hah, I am the willful, arrogant, and impolite Miss Lin. I chose you, and instead of pouncing on me right away, you’ve been dithering for so long!

A little tease for you.

Then a big compliment for his character. He was so adorable that Lin Yingying felt she had struck gold. With him, she would never be bored again.

Teasing him was a hundred times more fun than teasing Ye Zhiting!

She stepped forward to take his arm, but Huo Qingshan swiftly dodged away.

His expression had already returned to its usual coolness, and his voice, restrained to the utmost, was all the calmer for it. “No touching.”

Lin Yingying pouted, then lifted her chin and strode ahead proudly. After walking a dozen or so steps, she suddenly felt a wave of dizziness in her head.

Wait—why was she feeling unwell when the medicine was right at hand?

In truth, it was only a touch of heatstroke from working in the wheat fields under the midday sun, but she took it as an onset of illness and decided to add fuel to the fire. “Oh no~” She twisted her foot, leaning to one side.

She had intended to fake a fall, but a misstep turned it into a real one!

Miss Lin was startled enough that her face went pale, yet the next instant she got exactly what she wanted—falling into a hot, solid embrace.

The man’s arms were strong and powerful, the curve of his well-developed muscles so clear through the thin fabric that it felt as if they were branded into her body.

She immediately, and without the slightest hesitation, hooked her arm through his.

Huo Qingshan frowned slightly. “Don’t be mischievous!”

If he hadn’t caught her in time, was she really planning to just go splat on the ground?

Lin Yingying replied with perfect justification, “I wasn’t pretending. I really was about to fall. Take me to the commune to make a phone call.”

Huo Qingshan wanted to tell her to go herself, but one look at her delicate, pampered appearance told him she likely couldn’t manage a bicycle, and walking would be even worse. He could only agree to take her.

Lin Yingying said, “Qingshan, give me a ride on your horse. My dad took my mom riding when he was young.”

Riding together on one horse—there was an undeniable, intimate romance to it. Huo Qingshan’s heart gave a sudden jolt, but he kept his tone light as he refused.

Lin Yingying pouted. Just you wait—on our wedding day I’ll make you ride that black stallion and take me around the commune!