Chapter 20: Reluctant to Let Go

After sending off the village head, Shen Zhuo returned to the kitchen, only to find that Ye Xin had already finished cooking. A plate of glossy stir-fried garlic shoots with cured pork and a plate of crispy, fresh stir-fried lettuce lay on the table, their aroma irresistible.

“You’re back?” Ye Xin lazily tossed some water into the pot, too lazy to wash it, and hurried over to the table. “Time to eat!”

Shen Zhuo glanced at the greasy pot, feeling a bit exasperated, but seeing the fire had already gone out in the stove, he didn’t bother. He went ahead and sat down to eat.

The two of them dug in, too busy to say a word.

This was the second time eating meat, and it still tasted rich and satisfying!

After eating half their fill, Ye Xin slowed down, finally asking, “What did the village head talk to you about earlier?”

Shen Zhuo didn’t hide anything and told her the truth.

Ye Xin was a bit surprised. She hadn’t really looked into the policy before. If Shen Zhuo joined the doctor training program now, would that still allow him to go to university later? But then, considering the long road to the return of the college entrance exams, and the low acceptance rates, it wasn’t an easy path to take.

Shen Zhuo asked her, “Do you think I should go?”

Ye Xin replied, “Do you want to go?”

Shen Zhuo paused, his chopsticks suspended in midair. He hesitated, “I don’t really care either way. It’s just that what the village head said makes sense. If I go to the training and learn a skill, at least I’ll have a future. It’s better than just farming.”

Ye Xin shrugged, “Then go if you want.”

Shen Zhuo glanced at her, suddenly feeling a bit downcast. “But if I go, I’ll have to run to town every day, early in the morning and back late…”

Ye Xin furrowed her brow, puzzled by his tone. She put her chopsticks down and asked, “Isn’t that like going to school? It’s a bit far, but you’ve got a bicycle. It’s much easier for you than for others. Are you telling me you can’t get up in the mornings?”

Shen Zhuo frowned, his voice tinged with frustration, “Who said I can’t get up? When have I not gotten up early?”

Ye Xin was even more confused now. She stared at him and asked, “Then what’s your problem? The barefoot doctor training program should be free, right? We don’t need to pay for anything—just bring lunch, and that’s simple enough.”

Shen Zhuo glared at her, but after seeing that she still didn’t understand, his shoulders slumped in defeat. He lowered his voice and said, “If I go to the training, you’ll be here all alone…”

As soon as he said this, Ye Xin’s heart skipped a beat. Suddenly, the idea didn’t sound so bad after all!

Since she had crossed over into this world, she and Shen Zhuo had been inseparable. Whether working in the fields, going into the mountains, or even going to the town market, they were always together.

Though it was comforting to have someone familiar by her side in an unfamiliar world, it also had its downsides. Her access to the space was limited, and she had to be extra careful.

Every time she needed to work in the space, she had to wait until nightfall when it was dark, and she had to be on high alert in case Shen Zhuo called for her.

But if Shen Zhuo went to town every day, then she would be home alone. That would mean she could freely enter the space whenever she wanted!

Right now, she had only managed to plant one plot of land in the space, and there were still seven more plots left, just waiting to be used. What a waste!

Since the training program would take place in the winter, during the farming off-season, the production team wouldn’t have much work to do. This would give her plenty of time to focus on managing the land in her space.

After thinking this through, Ye Xin felt that Shen Zhuo going to the training program was simply a win-win situation!

She smiled and encouraged him, “I’ll be fine on my own. When it’s time to work, I’ll work, and when it’s not, I’ll take care of the garden. I can manage just fine. You should go and learn a skill while you have the chance.”

Shen Zhuo’s mood dropped even further at her reaction.

He didn’t say anything more and quietly finished his meal. Afterward, he quietly washed the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen, feeling a little downcast.

Ye Xin, only now realizing that Shen Zhuo seemed a little upset, was puzzled. Watching his silent figure as he worked, she was completely in the dark.

What was wrong with him?

His tendency to bottle up his emotions could be quite frustrating at times.

She didn’t leave, though. Instead, she wiped down the table and glanced over at the food storage. It was then that her eyes landed on a bag of sweet potatoes in the corner, ones they couldn’t finish. Due to the perfect temperature and humidity, they had already begun sprouting.

She wasn’t in the mood for porridge, and roasting them didn’t sound great either. But just leaving them there wasn’t ideal either—after all, they were food.

Kneeling in front of the bag, Ye Xin thought for a moment before turning to Shen Zhuo. “How about we cut these sweet potatoes up, cook them, and dry them into sweet potato chips? That way they’ll taste better, last longer, and we can keep them in our pockets for a quick snack when we’re working. Better than letting them sprout like this.”

Shen Zhuo didn’t see any reason to oppose the idea, so he just grunted in agreement.

“Then let’s wake up early tomorrow and try steaming and drying a batch,” Ye Xin suggested.

Another nonchalant “Mm” from Shen Zhuo.

After tidying up the pots and dishes, he reminded her it was time to wash up.

Ye Xin noticed his voice still sounded a little gruff, and she couldn’t help but glance at him again. His eyes were lowered, his long lashes casting a soft shadow on his face. He looked good, but there was an unmistakable sense of gloom.

What was on his mind?

They had just agreed to continue with their engagement today—was there now a problem? It was better to clear things up now rather than let them fester.

But just as she was about to ask, a sudden thought struck her. Could it be that he was feeling down because he was reluctant to leave her behind if he went for the training?

And she hadn’t realized it, so that made him even more frustrated…

Ye Xin couldn’t help but smile inwardly. She had figured it out.

Now, feeling a little amused and a bit helpless, she stood in front of Shen Zhuo and said, “When the sweet potato chips are dried, you can take some with you when you go to the town for your training. You can snack on them while you’re there.”

As expected, Shen Zhuo’s voice was still low and miffed, “I haven’t even said I’m going yet.”

Ye Xin chuckled, “Of course you’re going! There are only a few spots for each village, and some people might not even get in. If you don’t go, you’ll be wasting an opportunity. You… you need to think about our future.”

Shen Zhuo looked up, his brows furrowed, “Our future?”

“Yes,” Ye Xin’s eyes shone with expectation. “Once you’ve learned the skills and become a doctor, you can earn a living by treating people, and I’ll have it easier too. Didn’t we agree that we’d be together in the future? Aren’t you thinking about it?”

Shen Zhuo was taken aback, his face turning slightly red. “I—I know we need to think about it.”

Ye Xin pressed on, “Well, that’s why you should go. Right now, there aren’t many good opportunities in the village. You not only need to attend the training, but you should also study hard and become the best doctor so we can make a good living. You know I tend to spend money freely, and I don’t want to live a hard life with you.”

This seemed to shake Shen Zhuo out of his gloom. He nodded resolutely, “Mm, I’ll go. I’ll talk to the village head tomorrow.”

Ye Xin smiled brightly, taking his hand in hers. “I’ll miss you a little when you go, but knowing you’re doing this for our future makes me happy.”

The weight in Shen Zhuo’s heart seemed to lift, replaced by a warm sense of joy. He squeezed her hand in return, his face flushed. “I understand. You don’t need to miss me. It’s just early mornings and late nights—I’ll still be home every day.”

Ye Xin grinned. “Exactly.”

Looking into her smiling eyes, Shen Zhuo’s face grew even redder. It was as if she had seen right through him. He couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed—what had he even been thinking earlier?

With that resolved, Ye Xin could finally go and get ready for bed.

The hardships of farming still stretched ahead for many years, so having Shen Zhuo become a doctor first didn’t seem like a bad idea. They should focus on living well in the present, after all, even if it meant dealing with the inconvenience of washing up.

She had been thinking about building a bathing room in the corner of the yard. The kitchen was drafty—bearable in the summer, but unbearable in the winter. The problem was, it all required money. But that was something to worry about later.

The next morning, the two of them got up early. They had planned to steam a batch of sweet potatoes to dry into chips, but as soon as they looked at the sky, they knew it wasn’t going to work. It was overcast, and rain was imminent, so they decided to hold off on cooking them.

Instead, they had breakfast, collected the laundry, and headed off to work.

Today’s task was weeding the fields—a chore Ye Xin absolutely hated. Pulling weeds was hard on the hands, especially since there were no gloves to protect them. And the grass was full of bugs. If she wasn’t careful, she’d end up squishing one, and the thought alone made her skin crawl, sending shivers down her spine.

But the overcast sky had its silver lining—at least it wasn’t as hot as usual, so the work was a little less unbearable.

Unfortunately, she ran into trouble when she spotted a few of the young educated youth weeding the same patch of land. She wasn’t sure how they found out so quickly, but the news about the public training session had only been released yesterday, and Shen Zhuo hadn’t even had the chance to confirm his participation with the village leader yet. Yet somehow, the educated youth already knew.

As they worked, Liu Hongxia casually asked, “Ye Xin, I heard Shen Zhuo’s going to join the barefoot doctor training session the commune is organizing at the end of the year?”

Ye Xin raised an eyebrow, “Who told you that?”

Liu Hongxia shrugged, “Who else could it be? Shen Zhuo’s the only one here who knows a bit about herbs. If he doesn’t go, then who will?”

Ye Xin was nonchalant, “Oh, maybe.”

Liu Hongxia frowned at her response, clearly dissatisfied with Ye Xin’s casual attitude. “Aren’t you two living together? You don’t even know if he’s going or not?” she asked, with a hint of envy in her voice. “I used to think you weren’t very sensible, but now, if Shen Zhuo becomes a doctor, he’d actually make a pretty good catch.”

Ye Xin was speechless. She still remembered how Liu Hongxia used to look down on her, and now her attitude had changed so quickly.

Seeing Jiang Jingyu and Zheng Wenwen look over, Ye Xin decisively moved away from the group. She dove into a crowd of women who were chatting while working, smiling and sweet-talking her way into their good graces, quickly making friends and calling them “Auntie.”

Lin Meihua smiled and said, “Ye Xin, didn’t you say you wanted to learn how to pickle vegetables last time? I’m planning to pickle a jar this evening.”

Ye Xin’s eyes lit up, and she immediately replied, “Aunt Lin, I have to come watch you do it!”