Chapter 38 The unique simplicity of this era

“What’s going on?”
Ming Leyao looked at Liu Qiushuang in confusion.

“I saw it on my way here—two comrades were escorting Fu Wencheng, with his face swollen like a pig’s head, into the car. I heard it was because Fu Wenli snuck over to Dr. Meng’s place and stole some important Western medicine. I think it was pretty expensive, called… called something with ‘min’ in it, I didn’t catch the name exactly.”

“……”
Thinking about how full of himself Fu Wenli was yesterday, Ming Leyao immediately sensed this whole thing wasn’t simple. Sure enough, Liu Qiushuang’s next words confirmed her suspicions.

“And I also heard that originally Dr. Meng had asked the team leader for a referral letter to go into the county to buy something urgently. The leader quickly wrote the letter, but halfway there, realized he forgot his money. So he rushed back, only to open the clinic door and catch Fu Wenli inside, the place turned completely upside down. Lots of medicine bottles were broken. That Western medicine is said to be super expensive. Dr. Meng was so furious, he beat Fu Wenli up before reporting it to the Public Security Bureau.”

“……”
Fu Wenli left her house just before noon yesterday. He must’ve gone straight to Dr. Meng’s after that to steal. Considering Fu Wencheng didn’t return all afternoon, Ming Leyao figured it out—Fu Wenli must’ve seen something or someone he shouldn’t have, and now he had to be silenced. This whole arrest was probably a setup. Being locked up for a few months wouldn’t be a big deal, especially if the Fu family compensated for the damage to the clinic. But Western medicine at that time was extremely expensive—one bottle of anti-inflammatory IV meds cost anywhere from three to seven yuan. The total might be so much that it’d take years to repay.

Around ten o’clock, when Ming Leyao got home, she saw Ming Xiaojiang sitting in the courtyard playing with the dog. When she saw her, her expression was difficult to read… Looked like the little girl had discovered someone hiding in her sister’s room.

Just then, the room door opened. Fu Wencheng, dressed in a white shirt and green military pants, looked distant and ascetic—almost hard to believe this was the same man who had confessed so passionately just yesterday.

“You’re back?”
The cold aloofness immediately melted into a warm breeze the moment he saw Ming Leyao. Standing not far apart, Ming Leyao could practically feel the heat radiating from him.

“Mm, I didn’t expect Xiaojiang to come by. I’ll explain everything to her properly.”

“It’s fine. I’ll make lunch—you two sisters have a chat.”
With his imposing presence, the man somehow made a cramped little kitchen look slightly comical.

“Sister… you and him…”
“Xiaojiang, I haven’t figured things out yet. I can’t give you an answer for now.”

“Alright… then he…”
“You want to ask why he’s here?”

“Mm. Sis, he’s still a man. If someone finds out he’s been hiding in your room, there could be serious trouble,” said Xiaojiang, speaking with a maturity well beyond her sixteen years.

“Silly girl, you know his identity. He was injured during a mission, and I just happened to save him. But Xiaojiang, his mission is very secret. No one can know who saved him, or even that he was here. So please, help your sister keep it a secret, alright?”

“Sis, even if you didn’t say anything, I wouldn’t go blabbing. I know how serious this kind of thing is.”

“Good girl.”

“Come on, sis! I’m not a little kid anymore. Don’t pat my head—I won’t grow tall!”

“….”
This kid…

After a while, Ming Xiaojiang left, and Ming Leyao went to help with lunch. During lunch, the morning’s events came up casually in conversation.

“That was your doing?”
“Mm. I’m fully recovered. I didn’t trust leaving Fu Wenli around, so I found an excuse to get him locked up for a while.”

Fu Wenli was the type to do anything without a moral baseline—arrogant and self-important. Since he had his sights set on the girl, he definitely wouldn’t give up easily. But Fu Wencheng still had a mission to complete, with no set timeline. Leaving the girl alone on the production team—he simply didn’t feel at ease.

“You’re… getting ready to leave?”
“Mm. I’ll finish the mission as quickly as I can, then come back to see you.”

“I don’t know what your mission is, but seeing how seriously injured you were, it must be dangerous. Please, be careful. No need to rush.”

“Alright. I’ll listen to you.”
Fu Wencheng grinned, revealing neat white teeth, looking every bit the obedient husband—a bit too much to bear.

That evening, with the sky pitch black, Fu Wencheng changed into civilian clothes and stood at the doorway, eyes filled with reluctance.

“Leyao, what I said to you—I meant every word. I’ll wait for you. Wait until the day you agree to marry me.”

Facing those sincere and devout eyes, Ming Leyao almost blurted out a yes. But she held it in, barely.

Her pink lips curled slightly as she folded her arms, her fair face even more stunning in the darkness.

“Come back alive. Only then will you have a chance to talk to me about the future.”

“I will.”
Fu Wencheng looked at her deeply before finally turning away, forcing himself to hold back every ounce of emotion, stepping into the darkness.
He knew that if he hesitated even a moment longer, he wouldn’t be able to walk out that door tonight.

After he disappeared, Ming Leyao realized that as soon as he left, she already missed him.

“What a heartbreaker,” she muttered with a sigh, returning to her room to sleep. But she tossed and turned until dawn before finally drifting off.

At noon the next day, she got up as usual, going through her day like nothing happened. She continued her gentle, warm teaching in the afternoon, but only she knew—
With that man’s departure, something in her heart had changed.

Time passed quickly. Fu Wencheng had been gone for over a month. Madam Ming was still tirelessly trying to help her son. Ming Yuehe’s life in the Jia family remained miserable.
And for Ming Leyao, the quiet, uninterrupted days were nothing short of blissful—except when the silent nights brought an aching longing that cut to the bone.
That longing made her realize that in this era, she’d fallen for someone.

By mid-October, the Shangjiaqiao production team entered the busy “double harvest” season.
The children were all given a holiday to help in the fields. Ming Leyao, fully geared up, joined the rest of the team at the threshing yard, shucking corn, listening to the aunties gossiping, with motivational songs blaring from loudspeakers in the background.

It was a bustling and lively harvest scene.

Looking at the golden grains, everyone felt hope for life.
Even though the double harvest season was tougher and more tiring than usual, no one complained. They faced life with positivity and energy.

It was during this moment that Ming Leyao truly felt the unique simplicity and purity of this era.