Chapter 5

Lu Chen clearly hadn’t expected Meng Yinyin to call him for something like this.

After hesitating for a moment, he finally broke free from her grasp, rescued the corner of his clothes, and turned to leave.

But out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Lu Chen’s steps were gradually moving farther away, and Meng Yinyin’s tears began flowing once again.

She had just said Lu Chen was a good person, yet he left her so ruthlessly!

How could there be such an unfeeling person in this world?

She was so angry!

As she cried and fumed, Meng Yinyin had to keep sniffing to prevent her nose from dripping. She felt more embarrassed than ever before.

After crying for a while, her conflicted heart shifted focus to her sleeves. She was about to sacrifice the shirt for the sake of wiping her nose when she suddenly noticed a splash of green in her vision.

Meng Yinyin instinctively looked up and saw that Lu Chen had returned at some point, standing in front of her, holding his hands out.

In his hands were some leaves, about the size of his palms.

The leaves were fresh, light green, and perfectly shaped. They looked rather cute.

Meng Yinyin froze for a moment, then quickly realized what was happening.

So, Lu Chen hadn’t abandoned her earlier. He had gone to get leaves for her?

Having lived in the Nanjiao Brigade for about half a month, she had learned some local habits.

For example, the locals weren’t willing to spend money on tissues. So, sometimes, when nature called outdoors, they would use whatever materials were nearby, like stones, bamboo strips, or leaves.

So, Lu Chen must have intended for her to use the leaves to wipe her nose.

“Is this… for me?” Meng Yinyin asked with a sob in her voice, and saw Lu Chen nod.

She had truly misunderstood him earlier…

Feeling a wave of guilt, she lowered her head, thanked Lu Chen, and reached for the leaves in his hands.

However, as she reached for them without looking up, her fingers brushed against his.

Earlier, when she watched him working, Meng Yinyin had stared at his hands for a long time, knowing how big and strong they were. But now, feeling the calluses on his palm, she was startled.

His hands were as tough as tree bark, hard and a bit uncomfortable.

So this was what the hands of someone who worked hard looked like?

Looking at her own slender and delicate hands, Meng Yinyin couldn’t imagine them ever becoming like Lu Chen’s.

Just thinking about it made her tremble with discomfort.

Forget it, forget it! She clearly wasn’t cut out for hard labor!

Meng Yinyin muttered to herself and quickly pushed the thought aside.

Then, she focused her attention on the leaves in her hand.

It was her first time using leaves to wipe her nose. Although the leaves felt soft to the touch, something about it still felt off.

Completely absorbed in how to use the leaves, she didn’t notice that Lu Chen had frozen in place. His hand, which she had accidentally brushed, had become stiff.

The soft, delicate touch felt lighter than a feather.

Lu Chen tightly pressed his lips together to suppress the tingling sensation in his heart.

Then he turned around and, without expression, sat back down on the stone he had been on earlier.

But this time, he chose to face away from Meng Yinyin.

Meng Yinyin heard him moving and, instinctively, turned to look at Lu Chen.

Seeing that he was intentionally facing away from her, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction.

It turned out that Lu Chen was considerate after all. He knew she was embarrassed about wiping her nose, so he turned away to give her some privacy.

Well then, she declared, he was a good man after all.

However, just as Meng Yinyin was about to withdraw her gaze, she inadvertently noticed that Lu Chen’s ears were bright red, almost as if they were bleeding.

She froze for a moment, then looked up, confused.

The sun wasn’t that strong, so why were his ears so red from the sun?

Perplexed, Meng Yinyin decided not to dwell on it. She lowered her head, folded a leaf, and awkwardly blew her nose.

After wiping her nose clean, she dug a small hole in the ground with the leaf and buried it. This was her way of showing respect for the leaves’ sacrifice.

“Rest in peace, little leaves,” she whispered, patting the ground.

She then tidied up her hair and clothes, satisfied that she had restored her appearance to its usual neat state. Only then did she approach Lu Chen again.

Perhaps it was because she had cried in front of him earlier, losing much of her composure, but Meng Yinyin no longer felt the same level of awkwardness around him.

Moreover, seeing how Lu Chen had gone out of his way to pick the best leaves for her, he had already earned the label of “a good person” in her heart.

So, was it really so hard to ask for his help?

Without hesitation, Meng Yinyin bit her lip, held back her eagerness, and gently asked, “Comrade Lu Chen, do you have anything to say about what I just said?”

Her voice was naturally sweet, and after crying, it had taken on an even softer, more delicate quality, almost like the sweet rice cake Lu Chen remembered from his childhood. It was a treat his grandmother had secretly given him to console him, and it was the sweetest thing he had ever eaten.

He treasured the memory, and it stuck with him.

But now, for some reason, he found that the sweetness of that rice cake didn’t compare to the softness of Meng Yinyin’s voice.

Yet, inexplicably, the sound of her calling his name filled Lu Chen with an unaccountable irritation.

He couldn’t understand why he felt this way. After all, he had never had such experiences—never had close contact with anyone like this before.

Most people avoided him because of his background, or because of his strange and solitary personality. Whenever they saw him, their expressions would change, and they would turn and run. As a result, Lu Chen had interacted with fewer than ten people in the entire brigade.

Only a handful dared to speak to him.

So, Lu Chen couldn’t fathom why Meng Yinyin, a woman who appeared delicate and fragile—who would faint under the sun and tire easily—would dare to come so close to him.

Wasn’t she afraid of him?

But what troubled Lu Chen the most at this moment was hearing her call his name in that soft, sugary voice.

“Comrade Lu Chen?”

“Lu Chen, Lu Chen…”

°.✩┈┈∘*┈˃̶୨୧˂̶┈*∘┈┈✩.°

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