Chapter 13.3

On the side, Meng Yinyin shot him a glance, and when she saw his grin, she felt even more disgusted. She immediately shifted a little to the side.

She feared being “contaminated” by his perversion!

Finally, after recording two work points for Meng Yinyin and ten for Lu Chen, Song Yue left.

Meng Yinyin stood up, rubbing her sore wrists, and instinctively said to Lu Chen, “Let’s go, it’s time to head back.”

But Lu Chen didn’t leave. Instead, he stood still. Meng Yinyin gave him a puzzled look, noticing that it seemed like he had something to say.

Meng Yinyin took the initiative to ask, “What’s wrong?”

Lu Chen looked at her, his tone a bit apologetic and worried.

“I’m taking leave tomorrow to go to the town.”

That meant he wouldn’t be able to work tomorrow.

If that was the case, she would be the only one working here.

Of course, she probably wouldn’t do much work, just continuing to slack off.

However, with her alone here, especially since Song Yue had become the scorekeeper and had a reason to keep a close eye on Meng Yinyin, Lu Chen couldn’t help but be worried.

But he had no choice. He had to go to the town tomorrow.

“Ah? You’re going to the town!” Meng Yinyin exclaimed in surprise, but after that, her eyes suddenly lit up.

“I’m going too! I’ll ask the brigade leader for leave, and then we can go together tomorrow!”

Lu Chen had not expected that Meng Yinyin would also go to the town. He had already planned to ask the brigade leader to let Meng Yinyin work with the others temporarily, just to avoid her being alone with Song Yue.

“Ah, I have something very important to do!”

Meng Yinyin would never tell Lu Chen that she was going to buy fabric to make clothes for him. That was a surprise and a secret she couldn’t share!

She had been worried about finding someone to accompany her, and now that Lu Chen said he was going, Meng Yinyin felt like maybe this was the universe helping her.

With Lu Chen accompanying her, she felt less resistant to the two hours in the town.

Seeing that Meng Yinyin truly seemed to have something to do in the town, Lu Chen didn’t say anything further and quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

“Alright, I’ll go with you to ask the brigade leader.”

“Mm-hmm!”

Meng Yinyin nodded eagerly, already looking forward to tomorrow’s trip to the town.

Apart from fabric, she needed to buy so many other things: mosquito repellent, snacks, pastries, soap, etc. She’d have to make a list when she got back tonight!

However, when she went to ask the brigade leader for leave, she was scolded for asking for leave again so soon after just taking time off.

Meng Yinyin blinked her big eyes innocently and extended her arm.

“Brigade leader, there are so many mosquitoes here. I need to buy some mosquito repellent and other daily necessities.”

On her arm were several red bumps, which stood out against her pale skin.

The brigade leader: “…”

He had never seen someone so delicate!

Seeing that the brigade leader seemed unwilling to relent, Meng Yinyin lowered her head and started to whimper.

“Sorry, brigade leader, I don’t want to be like this either, but when mosquitoes bite me, I can’t sleep well, and if I can’t sleep well, I won’t be able to work properly. Then I’ll hold up the whole team’s progress, I…”

Would she be dragging the whole country and society into this if she kept going?

The brigade leader was already numb. Finally, he gave up and waved his hand.

“Fine, fine, go ahead. But buy everything you need tomorrow. Otherwise, I won’t give you any more leave!”

Yay!

Although the process had been a bit unexpected, she still successfully got the leave.

Once outside the brigade leader’s office, Meng Yinyin couldn’t help but squint and smile at Lu Chen, showing him with her expression that she had succeeded.

“Where should we meet tomorrow morning?”

Lu Chen thought for a moment.

“There’s a small bridge outside the village. We’ll meet there.”

Alright, Meng Yinyin knew he still wanted to avoid suspicion, but she couldn’t be bothered to correct him.

Once she finished making his clothes and gave them to him, Lu Chen would no longer be able to escape from her grasp!

Meng Yinyin clenched her fists, giving herself a little pep talk.

However, when she got back to the dorm and started making a shopping list, she suddenly realized she had missed something important.

She turned her luggage over and over, almost going through the entire suitcase, but she still couldn’t find a single cloth ticket!

Meng Yinyin was stunned.

How was she supposed to buy cloth without a cloth ticket?

In her panic, Meng Yinyin could only go to find Yu Xiaoyu. Unfortunately, although Yu Xiaoyu had a few cloth tickets, it wasn’t nearly enough for the amount of fabric Meng Yinyin needed to make a piece of clothing.

Seeing the instant slump in Meng Yinyin’s expression, Yu Xiaoyu couldn’t help but feel guilty.

“I’m sorry, Yinyin. Should I go ask around and see if I can gather a few more for you?”

Hearing this, Meng Yinyin snapped out of her daze and immediately refused without thinking.

She didn’t want others to know she was buying fabric, especially since they’d surely ask what she was making. If they found out she wasn’t sewing it for herself, it would definitely cause unnecessary trouble.

Of course, the biggest reason was that she didn’t want to borrow from people she wasn’t close to.

But what should she do if she didn’t have enough cloth tickets?

Meng Yinyin looked at the clothes on her bed and sadly thought, if only she had packed one less outfit and exchanged it for fabric.

But alas.

Wait a minute.

Meng Yinyin seemed to have suddenly thought of something and her gaze fell back on the pile of clothes.

Who said her clothes couldn’t be turned into fabric?

It seemed like she had figured out a way!

…

Early the next morning, Meng Yinyin mysteriously packed a small bag and said goodbye to Yu Xiaoyu before heading to the small bridge outside the brigade.

Before she could even reach the bridge, she saw Lu Chen already waiting there.

She didn’t know how long he had been waiting, but it was clear that he had been there for a while.

“I’m here! Let’s go, let’s hurry to the town!”

Meng Yinyin was eager to go to the town. After all, time was tight, and she had something important to do!

Lu Chen didn’t think much of it and took her urgency as excitement about her first visit to the town.

So, the two of them set off toward the town.

They left early, before the sun had risen. If they walked at a normal pace, they would definitely reach the town before the sun came up.

But it was clear that Lu Chen had overestimated Meng Yinyin’s stamina.

After walking for nearly half an hour and still not having covered half of the usual distance, Lu Chen was already feeling helpless.

Meanwhile, Meng Yinyin was gasping for breath, her little face flushed from the exertion, and her hand was constantly waving the air to cool herself down.

When they reached a tree, she couldn’t hold on any longer. She leaned against the tree, her normally clear eyes now clouded with mist, looking both pitiful and adorable, making her hard to ignore.

“Lu Chen, I can’t go on…”

Meng Yinyin bit her lip, looking at Lu Chen with pleading eyes.

Lu Chen had never encountered this situation before. For him, a two-hour walk was no problem, but…

Seeing the expression on Meng Yinyin’s face, as if she would collapse right there, he couldn’t help but smile helplessly.

But the most important thing now was to figure out a way to get her moving again.

After a moment of thought, Lu Chen checked to make sure no one else was around, then hesitated and asked, “Should I carry you?”

Meng Yinyin’s eyes immediately brightened, wishing she could jump onto his back right away.

However, she pretended to act modest and asked, “Wouldn’t that be tiring for you?”

Lu Chen shook his head honestly. “Not at all.”

Then, as if worried she wouldn’t believe him, he added with even more seriousness, “I’ve carried a 150-pound sow to the town before.”

The sow had been sick, and the vet was only in town.

The implication was clear: Meng Yinyin wasn’t heavier than that sow, so carrying her wouldn’t tire him out.

Meng Yinyin: “…”

He actually compared her to a sow!

Meng Yinyin was so furious she nearly wanted to spit blood.

She couldn’t hold back anymore and shot him a fierce glare before angrily jumping onto his back, deliberately tightening her arms around his neck and asking,

“Am I heavy?”

Lu Chen didn’t understand why Meng Yinyin was suddenly angry. Just as he was about to shake his head and say she wasn’t heavy, he heard her continue, “Which is more comfortable to carry, the sow or me?”

Lu Chen froze.

He had a feeling he now understood why Meng Yinyin was upset.

From then on, throughout the entire journey, Lu Chen dared not bring up the topic of the “sow” again. As he walked steadily, Meng Yinyin’s anger gradually melted away, and by the time he was weaving a flower crown for her, her irritation completely disappeared.

Wearing the flower crown, she lay down on Lu Chen’s back and slowly fell asleep, her lips curling into a smile.

When they were nearing the town, Lu Chen woke Meng Yinyin up and gently set her down.

It was her first time visiting the town, and although it wasn’t very bustling, she was still excited for the trip.

As they were about to enter the town, Meng Yinyin suddenly remembered to ask Lu Chen why they were going and where they were headed.

Lu Chen was silent for a few seconds before answering.

“To the post office.”

To the post office?

To withdraw money? To receive a letter? Or to mail something?

But seeing that Lu Chen didn’t seem to want to explain further, Meng Yinyin politely didn’t press him. She only asked how long he thought the trip to the post office would take.

“This is my first time in town. I’m not familiar with it, so I wanted you to accompany me around.”

Meng Yinyin didn’t think much of her words. After all, with her looks, what if she ran into bad people on the way?

Of course, public security is very good now and this situation almost does not exist.

But she just wanted Lu Chen to accompany her, so that she would feel more at ease.