Chapter 9: What a clever trick!

Xie Liyè’s downcast face immediately lit up again. He quickly leaned over to Xie Yu, eyes full of anticipation.

Xie Yu pulled an envelope from the head of the bed. “Take this letter to the post office in town for me. Don’t let anyone else know.”

“Mission guaranteed to be completed!” Xie Liyè saluted him in an exaggeratedly formal way, full of swagger and pride.

Xie Yu’s eyes darkened slightly. If his legs hadn’t been injured, he might’ve considered grooming Xie Liyè a little. The kid had the makings of a good soldier—just a bit too straightforward.

He recalled how back when he was still in the army, his sister-in-law had tried hard to get him to take Xie Jiànguó into the military. But that child… was too calculating. Xie Yu wasn’t sure if it would do him more harm than good to bring him along, so he’d shelved the idea.

He hadn’t expected that, by the time he returned home, he’d be the one who lost the chance to stay in the army. His sister-in-law had probably been holding a grudge ever since he refused to help her son get in, which was why she wouldn’t allow either of her kids to come help him. Only the silly Liyè would sneak over behind her back to lend a hand.

Since returning to the village, Xie Yu hadn’t tried to contact any of his old comrades. He knew going back to the army was impossible and didn’t want to burden anyone.

But now… the image of Chang Suìsuì’s delicate face flashed through his mind—that tiny figure climbing quietly out the window in the moonlight.

She was so dainty. Without anyone’s support in the village, how would she survive? At the very least, before she left, he had to look after her properly.

“Uncle, do you think that Chang Měilì will still marry my big brother?” Xie Liyè looked troubled. “I mean, both Chang Suìsuì and Chang Měilì are from the same family. Why can’t Suìsuì marry into ours?”

Xie Yu raised an eyebrow. “What? You like Chang Suìsuì?”

Xie Liyè nodded seriously. “She’s really nice. She even gave me a White Rabbit candy once! Not like Chang Měilì—she looks down her nose at me every time she sees me. I don’t get what my big brother sees in her. I’d much rather Suìsuì be my sister-in-law.”

Xie Yu: “…”

“Uncle, I heard people saying that Zhao Hang was Chang Suìsuì’s fiancé, and Chang Měilì was my big brother’s. So if Zhao Hang and Chang Měilì hook up, doesn’t that mean Chang Suìsuì could be with my brother?” Xie Liyè was getting excited the more he thought about it. As long as Chang Měilì wasn’t his sister-in-law, he’d be happy. And if Chang Suìsuì were, that’d be even better!

“Don’t say things like that. It’s disrespectful to Chang Suìsuì.” Xie Yu’s tone turned cold, and there was a faint sharpness to his demeanor.

Xie Liyè shut up immediately. He was just daydreaming… Honestly, someone as pretty and kind as Suìsuì—why would she ever fall for his big brother? If anyone, it should be his heroic little uncle!

But… his uncle’s legs were injured. Would Suìsuì mind that?

“Liyè, if you see Chang Suìsuì in trouble, help her,” Xie Yu said, pausing as if searching for an excuse. Then he added, “When the Chang sisters first arrived in the countryside, someone asked your father to look after them. Just because of what Měilì did, we can’t neglect Suìsuì.”

Liyè nodded dumbly, but his heart was churning. That’s right! He could help Suìsuì with chores and be his uncle’s wingman—maybe then Suìsuì would be willing to marry his uncle! Wow, he was so smart!

“Don’t worry, Uncle. Leave it to me. I’ll make sure it gets done!” he said, puffing up his chest with pride, not even doubting for a second.

Xie Yu rubbed his nose guiltily. For the first time, he realized that his simple-minded nephew’s earnestness might actually come in handy.

“Oh, right. Today when you helped me…” As if something occurred to him, he leaned in and whispered a few more instructions into Liyè’s ear. The boy’s eyes lit up immediately before he left the room with great excitement.

Night fell. The mist in the mountains slowly vanished into the dark curtain of the evening. The only sound was the distant and intermittent chirping of insects.

Creak—

A noise came from the window.

Xie Yu, who’d been sitting cross-legged on the bed with his eyes closed, instantly looked toward the sound, fists subconsciously clenching in tension.

Suìsuì had said last night that she’d come again tonight, but after everything that happened today—breaking off the engagement and all—he hadn’t really expected her to show.

But as the noise grew clearer, so did his faint hope.

Then he saw that familiar little face peek through the window with a smile, and the corners of his mouth slowly lifted.

“Comrade Xie, I’m here.”

Suìsuì winked at him, then nimbly climbed in through the window as if she did this all the time.

Unlike last night, the oil lamp in Xie Yu’s room was still lit, so Suìsuì quickly made her way to his bedside.

He nodded politely to her, then pushed an apple toward her. “Want some fruit?”

He’d specially told Liyè to go buy it, not knowing whether she’d like it or not.

Suìsuì blinked in surprise. Xie Yu’s attitude tonight seemed… a little different. Still, she reached out and took an apple, biting into it happily.

A pure, untreated apple—it was especially crisp and carried a fragrant sweetness. For someone from a post-apocalyptic world like her, fruit was rare, and natural fruit even rarer.

Watching her happily munch away, Xie Yu finally breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

“So… I heard about what happened today…” he began, unsure how to phrase things gently, so he went straight to the point.

Suìsuì froze, then realized what he meant. She swallowed her bite of apple, a slight frown playing at her lips.

She blinked up at him. Had someone told him about how she’d beaten up Chang Měilì and Zhao Hang? Would that ruin her fragile and pitiful “delicate flower” persona in front of him?

She was just thinking about how to smooth things over when he continued.

“You’re a good person—outstanding. He was the one who changed his heart. He didn’t know what he had.”

“You… are you trying to comfort me?” Suìsuì tilted her head at him.

Xie Yu, who had been sitting straight as a board, straightened even more. His ears even turned a little red.

Such a pure, reserved man—it was hard not to tease him a little…

Suìsuì leaned forward slightly. “Comrade Xie, are you… worried about me?”

The sweet scent of the girl leaning in made Xie Yu’s Adam’s apple bob unconsciously.

The memory of what happened between them a few days ago was still vivid—her scent, the softness in his hands, and her tearful, trembling voice begging him to slow down… all etched into his mind.