Chapter 19

“Does it look good?”

Gu Huaishan felt a warm and intense gaze fall on his face. It came from Song Chunzhi, who sat in the passenger seat. He raised his thick eyebrows, turned to look at her, and asked coolly with a teasing tone in his otherwise indifferent eyes.

“Y-Yes… it looks good…”

Song Chunzhi blushed immediately after being caught stealing glances at him. Her delicate face flushed a deep red. She lowered her head and nodded shyly, her words stumbling. What really captivated her was how charming Gu Huaishan looked when he was focused on driving. She had been unable to tear her eyes away.

Gu Huaishan tightened his grip on the steering wheel. His cold and sharp eyes stared ahead as a slight frown formed on his handsome face. This girl was clearly not the docile and timid person their village chief had described. She dared to stare at a man so boldly. How could that possibly be a sign of weakness or obedience?

What kind of weak girl could climb a hundred-meter cliff?

“Commander Gu, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have stared at you,” Song Chunzhi said, hurriedly trying to explain. “I was just looking at the steering wheel. I’ve never seen this kind of vehicle before, and I was curious. Please don’t be mad.”

She had realized that she’d just called a man handsome out loud and was desperately trying to fix her blunder. But she didn’t notice Gu Huaishan’s expression darken even more at her excuse.

He frowned and gave her a side glance. The steering wheel? That was a terrible excuse. As if he hadn’t noticed her gaze fixed directly on his face. When his eyes landed on her flushed little ears, he couldn’t help but tease her, “This is a military vehicle. If you were staring at the steering wheel, what were you planning to do? I have reason to suspect… are you a spy?”

“Ah…”

Song Chunzhi’s head shot up in shock. All the color drained from her rosy face. Her round eyes widened in panic as she looked at him and explained frantically, “Commander Gu, how could I be a spy? I’ve grown up in Xishan Village! If you don’t believe me, you can ask the brigade. I’ve barely ever left the village and have only been to the county town a few times.”

“Commander Gu, I lied. I wasn’t looking at the steering wheel… I was staring at your face. I was too embarrassed to admit it and made up an excuse. Please don’t misunderstand me!”

Her voice got more anxious by the second. She even reached out and tugged lightly at Gu Huaishan’s sleeve. Her big, bright eyes shimmered with moisture. She had just been reborn a few days ago, she couldn’t afford to be mistaken for a spy and arrested.

Seeing her panicked reaction, Gu Huaishan quickly pulled the car over to the side of the road. When he saw her reddened eyes, he realized he had gone too far. He apologized immediately.

“Song Chunzhi, I’m sorry. I wasn’t seriously accusing you of being a spy. I was joking. It was my fault.”

“You saved Yu Ming… how could you be a spy? When our unit gave you the award, we conducted background checks at your brigade. You’re a good comrade. It was thoughtless of me. Please forgive me?”

“You really don’t suspect me?”

Song Chunzhi looked at him with misty eyes, still filled with anxiety. She hadn’t expected the army to investigate her background so thoroughly. Now that her behavior had changed so much from her past life, she feared being seen as an oddity… or worse, burned as a witch.

“No.”

Gu Huaishan noticed how nervous she looked. He reached out and patted her gently on the head, then turned his eyes away, avoiding direct eye contact. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her hand still clutching the corner of his uniform, and his body tensed briefly. Then he added calmly.

He really didn’t think she was a spy, but he was genuinely puzzled that she had managed to climb that hundred-meter cliff with someone on her back.

“All right now, don’t cry. Wipe your tears.”

He pulled out a blue handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her. His usually stern face showed a hint of helplessness. He wasn’t sure what had gotten into him earlier. Maybe spending too much time around Ma Xiangfeng had rubbed off on him. Now, hearing Song Chunzhi’s quiet sobs, he felt restless.

“Wait, isn’t this my handkerchief?”

Song Chunzhi sniffled and took a look at the fabric. It looked familiar. After a closer inspection, she realized it was the one she had used to wrap boiled eggs last time.

“Don’t worry, I washed it. It’s clean.”

Gu Huaishan scratched his nose, feeling a bit awkward. He had washed it and kept it in his pocket, planning to return it. But yesterday, there were too many people at the brigade, and it hadn’t felt appropriate. He had carried it with him ever since, and unexpectedly, it came in handy today.

Song Chunzhi caught the faint scent of soap lingering on the handkerchief. Reassured, she wiped her tears and then tucked the cloth into her pocket. After all, it was just used for wrapping things. A man giving a woman a handkerchief wasn’t proper by tradition, so she figured it was better to keep it without fuss.

When Gu Huaishan saw that Song Chunzhi’s expression had returned to normal, he finally let out a sigh of relief. A crying girl was the most troublesome thing. Seeing her tuck the handkerchief into her own pocket, his cold eyes flickered. After all, it originally belonged to her. It was only right for her to take it back.

“Commander Gu, just drop me off by the roadside up ahead,” Song Chunzhi said quickly when she noticed the familiar scenery. She didn’t want anyone to know she had gone to the county town, much less that she had ridden back in Gu Huaishan’s vehicle. Her reasons were the same as Shen Shujian’s.

If Song Xingguo found out she had ridden in Gu Huaishan’s car, he would immediately go to him and demand he marry her. That would be truly awkward.

Gu Huaishan glanced at the spot she pointed to, his brows tightening. That place was still quite far from Xishan Village, and under the blazing sun too. “I’m heading back to the base anyway. Dropping you off at the village would be more convenient,” he said.

“…”

Song Chunzhi felt a headache coming on. Yet another city man from a big place who didn’t understand rural customs. Her round eyes looked at Gu Huaishan as she explained, “Do you believe that if I get out of your car in the village today, by tomorrow everyone will say I’m going to marry you?”

“What?” Gu Huaishan couldn’t help but exclaim. His cool eyes studied Song Chunzhi’s face to make sure she wasn’t joking. Surprise filled his deep gaze. Getting a ride in someone’s car meant marriage?

“You’re joking, right?” Gu Huaishan had heard that rural areas could be conservative, but not this conservative. He figured she must be holding a grudge from earlier and was teasing him. But he couldn’t find even a hint of deception in her expression.

“Ha… ha…” Gu Huaishan rubbed his nose and let out an awkward chuckle. He blamed himself for being new and unfamiliar with local customs. It was his fault. He silently promised not to doubt Song Chunzhi again. He’d just do as she said from now on.

“Hehe…” Song Chunzhi glanced at the now-silent Gu Huaishan and laughed to herself. She knew exactly how to deal with overly enthusiastic city folks. This was already her second time today enlightening him about their village customs. What a thoughtful young woman she was.

When they reached the designated spot, Song Chunzhi thanked Gu Huaishan and got out of the car. Just as she was about to leave, he called out to her. She turned around, puzzled, only to see him holding out a bulging net bag.

“I shouldn’t have joked with you earlier. You took it to heart. Take this home and eat it,” Gu Huaishan said. After parking, he had removed the cigarettes and liquor from the bag, leaving the rest and handing it to her.

“Commander Gu, you’re really generous,” Song Chunzhi said with some surprise as she glanced at the assortment inside. But she quickly waved her hand to refuse. “I can’t take anything more from you. You already apologized for the joke. It’s over now.”

With that, she got out, closed the door, thanked him again, and walked off toward the village.

Gu Huaishan looked at the bag in his hand, a bit confused. He hadn’t expected there would come a day when he couldn’t even give something away. Shaking his head, he focused on driving. When he passed Song Chunzhi walking along the road, he gave a quick honk of the horn, then sped off into the distance.

“Commander Gu is like a child, honks and then runs off!” Song Chunzhi rolled her eyes at the now-vanished car, muttered to herself, adjusted the strap on her shoulder, and continued on her way.

“Big sis, where did you go?” When she returned home, Song Chunhua was already in the kitchen cooking. Song Jiawang was playing in the courtyard. He had gone out for a bit but, afraid of getting beaten up, came back only to find no one home. When he saw Song Chunzhi return, his round face was filled with annoyance. He’d waited outside half the day.

“None of your business.” Song Chunzhi shot him a cold glance, eyes filled with impatience, and said threateningly, “Don’t forget your injuries still hurt, do they?”

Song Jiawang rubbed the leg she had kicked the day before and obediently moved aside. He had thought yesterday’s version of his big sister was a fluke, but clearly it wasn’t.

Song Chunhua watched her sister walking into the house. She had been working in the fields all morning, her hands full of blisters. Now, exhausted and still having to cook, she saw Song Chunzhi come back looking refreshed after a leisurely outing. It was outrageous. Everything bad in her life, she blamed on Song Chunzhi. And today, she would make her pay.

Remembering what her friends told her earlier, her face lit up with excitement. Song Chunzhi, let’s see if you can escape getting beaten by Father this time.

Inside, Song Chunzhi locked her door, took out the money she’d earned from selling the lingzhi mushroom, subtracted the 8.6 yuan she had spent today, then wrapped the rest in oilpaper and stuffed it under her straw mat. After making sure everything looked untouched, she felt at ease.

“Chunzhi, starting tomorrow, bring water to the fields twice a day, once in the morning, once in the afternoon. Add a little sugar. The sun’s too harsh today, my throat feels like it’s burning.”

When Song Xingguo came home from work, his face was stern. At a glance, Song Chunzhi could tell he wasn’t in a good mood. She wisely didn’t argue and nodded silently. As for fetching water, she had her own solution in mind.

Song Jiawang looked at the cold cucumber salad on the table and pulled a long face. He glared at Song Chunhua. He had really had enough. Why did she always make cucumber salad?

He hated cucumbers. His eldest sister used to make him scrambled eggs with scallions, just for him. Thinking about how much Song Chunzhi had changed lately, he looked at Song Xingguo and opened his mouth to speak, but ultimately didn’t dare mention that his big sister had been gone all morning.

“Jiawang, what’s wrong?” Song Xingguo noticed his beloved son looking distressed and quickly asked, casting a glance at both Song Chunzhi and Song Chunhua. His gaze landed on Chunhua, and he frowned. “Did your second sister bully you?”

“Dad, I didn’t! I didn’t bully him!” Song Chunhua jumped up as if startled, hastily denying it. Her eyes locked onto Song Chunzhi across the table. Her expression immediately turned fierce as she pointed and shouted, “Dad, Song Chunzhi is shameless! She was seen getting all lovey-dovey with a man in the village!”