Chapter 32

There’s No Saving You!

Zhang Shiye stopped about 30 meters from the youth station after escorting the young girl, but neither of them let go of each other’s hands. After a moment, Zhang Shiye spoke, “Should we keep this a secret for now?”

Xia Wanyang looked at him, “Why keep it a secret? You’re not married, and I’m not either. We’re together because we want to be!”

“But your family doesn’t know yet. What if they don’t approve?”

Xia Wanyang let out a sigh of relief. “They won’t mind. My parents will definitely agree.” Then she added, “I’ve already told them I like someone!”

A slight look of surprise flashed across Zhang Shiye’s eyes, and he spoke softly, “I really wasn’t as brave as you, not even daring to admit I liked you. I’m sorry, I won’t do that again.”

“Go back and rest early. We need to start planting tomorrow. I’ll ask my dad to give you a lighter job. Once I’m done with mine, I’ll help you. Save your strength. Also, the food at the youth station isn’t good. If you don’t like it, don’t eat it. I’ll cook for you and bring it to you.”

This time, Xia Wanyang was surprised. “You can cook?”

Zhang Shiye smiled indulgently. “I’ll tell you why I can cook sometime, if there’s a chance. Be good and hurry back. Get some sleep.”

Xia Wanyang pulled his big hand and started walking back. Zhang Shiye was pulled forward a few steps, and helplessly said, “Be good, hurry back.”

Unable to resist, Xia Wanyang let go of him, walking back while looking back every few steps.

Zhang Shiye wasn’t sure how he got home. By the time he reached his door, he was still a little dazed. Instead of going to his room, he went to his parents’ room. Zhang Heping was soaking his feet, and Qiao Shuyun was sitting on the kang, mending a coat.

“You still know to come back? You didn’t even eat. I think you’ve gone mad!” Zhang Heping was furious when he saw him. It was an impossible matter, yet he was still trying for it.

Zhang Shiye smiled and sat down by the kang. “Dad, we’re starting to plant tomorrow, right? Can you give Xia Wanyang a lighter task?”

Zhang Heping was so angry that he almost pulled his foot out of the water. If he weren’t worried about not being able to win in a fight, he would have kicked him, “I told you this, and you really didn’t take it seriously? And you’re still thinking about it?”

He then turned to look at Qiao Shuyun, “Old woman, the kid is no longer young. Hurry up and find someone for him to see!”

Zhang Shiye immediately stood up, “Dad, I already have someone. Xia Wanyang is my girlfriend.”

Captain Zhang, who usually was swift and decisive, unafraid of any situation, was so shocked he almost sat back down in the foot bath, “Are you out of your mind? It’s still daylight!”

Zhang Shiye helplessly rubbed his forehead, “Really, I’m going to see her tonight. I really like her, and she’s agreed to be my girlfriend.”

He didn’t mention that Xia Wanyang was the one who confessed to him first, or his dad would probably have said something else.

Qiao Shuyun put down the coat she was mending and looked at him in disbelief. “Son, are you talking about the Xia youth who just arrived a while ago? The daughter of the division commander from a big city? The girl who’s so pretty she changes outfits several times a day?”

Zhang Shiye closed his eyes and then explained seriously, “Mom, Dad, I’m not dreaming. I know our family’s conditions don’t match hers, but liking someone has nothing to do with their background. Whether she’s the daughter of a division commander or the daughter of a farmer, I like her for who she is, not for her family!”

Zhang Heping and Qiao Shuyun were still a bit hard to accept this. Wow, marrying a girl like that—could they afford it?

But seeing their son so full of joy, they didn’t want to discourage him, though they didn’t know what to do. What a dilemma!

“Alright then, tomorrow I’ll let her go with your mother to sow seeds?” Zhang Heping asked tentatively. Zhang Shiye lowered his head, furrowed his brows, and after a while, spoke, “Sowing seeds for a long time will make your back hurt.”

He knew how tiring this job could be. While it didn’t require much strength, bending over for long periods was hard on the body.

Zhang Heping sighed helplessly and asked, “What about fertilizing?”

Zhang Shiye shook his head, frowning. “Fertilizing smells really bad. She won’t be able to handle the odor.”

Zhang Heping, a bit irritated, said, “Well, we can’t have her go plow the fields, can we?”

“Are you joking, Dad? She’s such a delicate girl. She doesn’t have the strength for that!” he said, feeling sorry for her.

Zhang Heping glared at him, then suddenly joked, “How about I make her the village chief?”

To his surprise, Zhang Shiye nodded in agreement, “That works!”

At this point, Qiao Shuyun was already laughing so hard she couldn’t sit up straight. Zhang Heping, seeing this, angrily grabbed a shoe and threw it at Zhang Shiye, muttering, “You rascal, you’re beyond saving! Go back to bed!”

As Zhang Shiye left, he heard Qiao Shuyun’s voice, “Shiye, I left some food for you in the pot. Eat before you sleep!”

His third daughter-in-law, Li Ling, was eavesdropping at the door and pouted. “Shijing, look at how biased Dad and Mom are toward your younger brother. He wasn’t even at the table for dinner, yet they left food for him. If it were you, you wouldn’t get this treatment.”

Zhang Shijing glared at Li Ling. “So what if my parents favor my brother? You just mind your own business and live your life. Don’t poke your nose into things that don’t concern you!”

Li Ling reluctantly shut her mouth but couldn’t stop grumbling inwardly. She felt that the whole family was a bit off, especially the old man—he clearly favored his youngest son.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She secretly wondered, if they did get a fourth daughter-in-law in the future, would she be completely pushed aside? The thought made Li Ling feel very uneasy and dissatisfied.

Xia Wanyang returned to her room, entered her space, and proudly devoured a large bowl of rice with braised pork. After drinking two bottles of soda and burping contentedly, she paused to rest.

After a short break, she went to find Cuihua and Dazhuang to share her good news.

“Cuihua, Dazhuang!”

The two tigers, seeing her approach, instinctively stepped back, their eyes full of caution and unease. However, Xia Wanyang didn’t give them a chance to retreat. Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she eagerly rushed forward.

“Ha ha, I’m back to see you guys!” Xia Wanyang said, pouncing on Dazhuang, who backed away in fear but was still tightly embraced by her.

“I missed you so much! Hee hee… I’ve got great news for you. Zhang Shiye and I are dating!” Xia Wanyang proudly announced, her face beaming with happiness as if the whole world had become a better place.

“Aren’t I impressive? I got him to fall for me in less than half a month!” Xia Wanyang said, her voice full of pride, as she seemed incredibly proud of her accomplishment.

“Are you guys happy too? If you are, show it!” she continued, gently stroking Dazhuang’s fur.

“Come on, give me a smile!” she encouraged, trying to get Dazhuang to show a joyful expression.

Dazhuang shot her a look, but still obligingly bared his tiger teeth in a smile.

Xia Wanyang then turned to Cuihua, and Dazhuang subtly stepped in front of Cuihua, giving her another toothy grin.

After a bit of playful teasing, Xia Wanyang remembered Xu Jiaojiao, that little troublemaker who was always so nosy! Always watching what she ate or what she wore—so annoying!

She ran up to the hillside, hands on her hips, breathing heavily. Once her breath calmed down, she started twinkling her clever fox eyes and wore a mischievous smile. Then, she shouted at the monkeys in the trees, “Kids, go pick peaches for me!”

At the command, they all quickly plucked big, round peaches and placed them at Xia Wanyang’s feet. Soon, a pile of fresh peaches was laid before her.

Looking at the peaches, Xia Wanyang smiled slightly but didn’t eat them immediately. Instead, she took a small brush, placed a small box in front of her, and squatted down to scrub the peaches clean!

The monkeys around her watched with great curiosity, their eyes wide as they observed her actions. Xia Wanyang, while carefully scrubbing the peaches, explained, “These peaches have a lot of fuzz on them, and if you eat them without cleaning them, it’ll make your throat itchy.”

Half an hour later, Xia Wanyang had cleaned all the peaches, and her little box was half full of peach fuzz. She nodded in satisfaction, then picked up a peach and took a bite. The sweet, juicy flavor made her squint her eyes in contentment.

“The rest is for you guys!” she said, before picking up her small box and heading down the hill to sleep.