Chapter 029

Han Ting sat at the table a while longer, his face dark, eyes cast down.

The smell of zhajiang noodles was tormenting him, and eventually, he just couldn’t take it anymore. He got up and stormed out, still wearing that black expression.

Though his chest was practically about to explode from anger, he had no reason to show it—so all he could do was hold it in.

Once he stepped outside, the curtain at the kitchen door blocked out most of the scent.

He took a deep breath of the countryside’s fresh, earthy air, trying to force down the frustration and irritation inside him. Then he headed straight to the boys’ dorm on the east side, laid down, and used his arm as a pillow.

But the anger refused to go away. It stayed bottled in his chest like a firecracker that wouldn’t go off.

Lying there with a scowl on his face, his chest kept rising and falling dramatically with every breath.

No one knew how long he lay there, sulking and stewing in silence.

Eventually, Guogai came over to call him.
“Brother Ting, time to eat.”

Without even looking at him, Han Ting growled,
“Eat what?! Get lost!”

He wasn’t a pig or a dog. How could he sit in that kitchen, pretending nothing had happened, and cheerfully eat his coarse grain bun?

Guogai stood there hesitating for a moment, but in the end, said nothing and went back to the kitchen alone.

As he walked in, Chu Xia and Lin Xiaohan were just stepping out. They gave each other space to pass.

Back in the kitchen, Guogai sat down and told the others,
“Let’s just eat. Brother Ting said he’s not eating.”

The remaining eight all looked gloomy. One of the male educated youths, Hu Yang, muttered,
“No wonder Han Ting can’t eat. We can’t either. This is just too damn humiliating.”

Wang Xiangqian looked over at him and said,
“You think you’re upset? You think you’re more upset than Han Ting? Just half a month ago, if zhajiang noodles like that showed up, Han Ting was the only one who’d get any. Now it’s someone else who’s eating it—and flaunting it, no less.”

Gu Yuzhu fumed,
“Do you guys think Tang Chu Xia is just plain nuts or what?”

If she’d made that meal for Han Ting, even if they saw and smelled it, they’d only be envious. Not furious.

But this—this was pure provocation.

They already didn’t like Lin Xiaohan.

Chu Xia making such a delicious bowl of noodles just for him? It was beyond infuriating.

And that bastard Lin Xiaohan had the nerve to taunt them while eating!

Tang Chu Xia was either crazy… or had her brain eaten by a dog!

Li Qiao chimed in right after Gu Yuzhu,
“I seriously don’t get it. Lin Xiaohan’s been avoiding her like the plague, and she still shamelessly throws herself at him? Even makes zhajiang noodles for a guy like that? What’s she trying to do—get something out of him? Does she think there’s something to gain by buttering him up?”

It was just all too frustrating—baffling, stifling, and infuriating.

They were so mad they wanted to crack her head open and see what was going on inside.

But no matter how angry, speechless, or stifled they felt, it was pointless. They had no control over what Chu Xia chose to do.

So Chaozi swallowed his frustration and said, “Forget it, let’s just eat. If we don’t, the steamed buns will go cold.”

He took a bun, and the others followed suit.

But the moment they held the buns in their hands, the memory of that bowl of zhajiang noodles came rushing back, and the sense of injustice grew even heavier.

After Chu Xia and Lin Xiaohan left the kitchen, they returned to their respective dormitories.

When Lin Xiaohan entered and saw Han Ting, he acted like he hadn’t seen him and went about his business.

But Han Ting couldn’t pretend he was invisible.

He stared at Lin Xiaohan for a moment, then couldn’t hold it in and said, “Do you think this is funny?”

Gone was the exaggerated performance from the kitchen—Lin Xiaohan now looked and sounded cold and arrogant. Without even looking at Han Ting, he replied, “I think it’s very funny.”

Han Ting suddenly sat up from the bed, rage in his eyes as he glared at Lin Xiaohan. “What the hell are you trying to do?”

Lin Xiaohan met his gaze with equal frostiness. “Why don’t you tell me what you think I’m trying to do?”

Han Ting’s eyes burned as he growled, “I told you to stay away from Chu Xia. Didn’t you hear me?!”

Lin Xiaohan gave a mocking laugh. “And who the hell do you think you are? You tell me to stay away from someone, and I’m just supposed to listen? Just because those idiots follow you around calling you ‘Brother Ting,’ you really think that title works everywhere?”

Han Ting’s fists clenched tightly.

Just as he was about to swing at Lin Xiaohan, a crisp voice called from the doorway:

“Lin Xiaohan, I’m going to dig up wild greens—are you coming?”

Han Ting’s raised fist froze, and the moment was broken.

Both he and Lin Xiaohan looked toward the dorm entrance, where Chu Xia was poking her head in.

Lin Xiaohan immediately responded, “Coming.”

Without hesitation, he stood up and walked out, leaving Han Ting behind without another word.

Han Ting sat at the edge of the bed, rage simmering as he stared at Lin Xiaohan’s back disappearing through the door.

Chu Xia hadn’t even looked at him once—her eyes had been on Lin Xiaohan the entire time. After Lin Xiaohan left, she pulled her head back and followed after him.

Han Ting’s clenched fists didn’t loosen.

The anger in his chest kept boiling, but it felt like no matter how hard he swung, it would all land on a pillow—soft and silent.

Chu Xia and Lin Xiaohan each grabbed a sickle and put it in their baskets, then slung the baskets over their backs and headed out.

The days had been getting longer, and by this time the twilight had just set in, casting a dim glow.

Chu Xia was still caught up in the earlier events in the kitchen.

As they passed through the fence gate, she glanced at Lin Xiaohan and said, “You were really over-the-top back there.”

Lin Xiaohan replied, “You don’t get it—that’s the whole point.”

She looked at him and asked, “Aren’t you afraid they’ll beat you up for provoking them like that?”

Lin Xiaohan turned to look at her and asked in return, “Why would they beat me?”

Chu Xia figured he was just playing dumb and didn’t press further.

Anyway, the deed was already done. He’d successfully riled them all up—and to be honest, she’d been quite amused herself.

She looked at him more seriously and asked, “But really—how were the noodles?”

Lin Xiaohan paused for a moment, then said, “They were… alright.”

Chu Xia pouted but didn’t ask again.

Getting a sincere word out of him was harder than scaling the sky.

Not surprising though—he was a man who played along when it suited him, never once treating people with genuine sincerity. A true villain.

She didn’t bother chatting aimlessly with him anymore.

Chu Xia turned her attention back to digging for wild greens. The two of them found a spot, gathered a bunch, returned to the youth settlement, washed and chopped the greens finely, and then fed their little chicks.

By the time they were feeding the chicks, Chaozi and the others had already finished dinner.

After dinner, it was time to relax. As usual, the ten of them gathered in the boys’ dorm to hang out—chatting, playing cards or chess. With so many people, it was easy to have fun.

After feeding the chicks, it was already dark outside.

Lin Xiaohan returned to his dorm for a bit, but the constant noise and chatter grated on his nerves.

In such a chaotic environment, it was impossible to space out or think in peace.

So he got up, pulled a harmonica from his bag, and stepped outside with it.

He left the fenced compound alone and headed toward a small river near the settlement.

The riverbank was scattered with large rocks, and he sat on one at random, letting the quiet murmur of flowing water wash over him as he absentmindedly toyed with the harmonica in his hands.

Not long after Lin Xiaohan left the dorm, Han Ting also came out under the pretense of having something to do.

But instead of leaving the compound, he walked to the girls’ dormitory.

He stood silently at the door for several minutes.

Then, in a low voice, he finally called out, “Chu Xia, come outside for a bit.”

Chu Xia had been resting after feeding the chicks and was just about to get up to wash up when she suddenly heard Han Ting’s voice at the door. She froze for a moment, startled.

She held her breath and didn’t respond.

After a moment of silence, Han Ting said again, “I need to talk to you. Don’t pretend you didn’t hear me.”

He really couldn’t take it anymore today. He had to know what madness she was up to.

Chu Xia sat quietly, holding her breath again, before finally saying, “If you have something to say, just say it from there. I can hear you.”

Han Ting replied, “It’s not something we can talk about here. Come outside.”

Chu Xia hesitated, then said, “I don’t think there’s anything left for us to talk about.”

Han Ting said, “So you want me to write home and alert Uncle Haikuan, is that it? When we came to the countryside, Uncle Haikuan entrusted you to me. Now I can’t even manage you anymore?”

Hearing that, Chu Xia couldn’t hold back her anger.

He really had the nerve to threaten her—after cutting ties with her, he still dared to act like he had authority over her!

He wasn’t even her real brother. What right did he have to control her?

Frustrated, Chu Xia thought for a moment. Avoiding him like this wasn’t going to solve anything.

Since he insisted on saying what he had to say, fine—she’d listen. And after he was done, she’d tell him clearly and firmly where they stood. Better than dodging him and saying nothing at all.

These days, she’d been with Lin Xiaohan, and that had helped her resist Han Ting’s overpowering influence.

With that in mind, Chu Xia stood up from her bed.

She stepped out to the dorm entrance, face cold, and looked directly at Han Ting. “Go ahead, say it.”

Han Ting clearly had no intention of saying it there. He turned and headed straight out of the yard. “Come with me.”

Chu Xia stared at him for a few seconds, still fuming, then followed.

Han Ting didn’t stop even after leaving the yard—seemed like he wanted to get some distance from the others.

But Chu Xia wasn’t worried he’d do anything to her. They had over a decade of shared history, and Han Ting had never laid a hand on a girl—especially not her.

They walked for a while, nearing the riverside.

Chu Xia didn’t want to sit and chat by the river like it was some heartfelt talk. So she stopped and said, “Let’s just talk here.”

Seeing she wasn’t willing to go any farther, Han Ting stopped too.

He turned around, walked back to her, and got straight to the point. “I’m seriously asking you—what’s going on with you? It’s been half a month. Aren’t you done with this yet?”

Chu Xia didn’t avoid his gaze.

She looked right at him and said, “I’m not ‘acting out.’ I just want to cut ties with you—all of you. I hate you guys. We don’t get along anymore, and I don’t want to get along. Can you just leave me alone?”

Han Ting clenched his teeth, his voice sharp and heavy. “What about Lin Xiaohan? You think you two get along? You’ve been with him for half a month—haven’t you figured out what kind of person he is? That guy can’t even say a decent word and always has a sour face. You can stand that?”

Chu Xia shot back, “I like his sour face. What’s it to you?”

Han Ting barked, “Tang Chu Xia, I’m your brother! If I don’t look after you, who will?!”

Chu Xia snapped, “My surname is Tang, yours is Han. You’re not my brother. You have no right to control me!”

Han Ting was fuming, exhaling hard.

After a deep breath, he said, “You’ve been shamelessly following him around like a puppy for days, and that’s not enough—you even made him noodles today! Are you crazy? He’s Lin Xiaohan—the guy everyone around here hates!”

Chu Xia replied, “Yeah, I’m crazy. I like him!”

The moment she said it, Han Ting froze. His brow furrowed tightly as he stared at her.

Not far away, on a big rock by the river…

Lin Xiaohan sat lazily, spinning his harmonica between his fingers, half-lowered eyes showing his usual indifference as he listened to the heated argument.

But when he heard that line, his hand abruptly stopped turning the harmonica.

His gaze lifted slightly, the calm look in his eyes suddenly stirred.