Chapter 7 Don’t Follow Me

From a distance, Xie Hezhang didn’t really hear what Shu Qingyao was calling him.

But seeing her expression, she must be talking to him.

After a few seconds of silence, Xie Hezhang glanced at Shu Qingyao’s joyful expression, said nothing, rolled up his pants, and went back to the field.

He didn’t respond to Shu Qingyao, just bent down and started weeding.

The young man moved quickly, and soon weeded half an acre for Shu Qingyao.

“Xie Comrade.” Shu Qingyao walked over, one step deep and one step shallow, she was taking advantage of the situation, smiling at Xie Hezhang’s face, her cat eyes blinked mischievously, “How can I accept this.”

Xie Hezhang looked up at her, then looked away, his voice indifferent: “Thank you for the meat yesterday.”

“Meat is nothing, I don’t eat it anyway.” Shu Qingyao looked at the man’s dry lips, handed her army green canteen, “Are you thirsty? Do you want some water?”

Xie Hezhang looked at the small canteen handed to his lips, the girl’s fingers were white and soft, in stark contrast to the army green canteen, her wrist bones were so thin that they seemed to break with a single bend.

A delicate woman who shouldn’t be in this place.

He pushed away Shu Qingyao’s canteen, his attitude was very distant, “No need.”

Shu Qingyao was pushed aside, she stood there, unscrewed the canteen and took a sip, then smiled and looked at Xie Hezhang for a while.

The young man’s body hadn’t fully developed yet, Xie Hezhang, at seventeen, looked a little thin, years of sun exposure had left him with a thin layer of wheat-colored skin, his rolled-up pants and sleeves revealed two strong, long legs and arms.

Shu Qingyao thought of how these two arms could easily lift her up and hold her against the wall, she couldn’t help but swallow.

Even though Xie Hezhang tried his best to pretend he didn’t feel this gaze, he still felt a faint blush on his earlobes.

He couldn’t help but curse in his heart: What’s wrong with the female intellectuals from the city nowadays? He thought that Tong Yuan was troublesome enough, this Shu Qingyao was even more… unbearable.

Xie Hezhang quickly weeded without expression, patted his hands, got up and left.

“Hey, Xie Comrade!”

Shu Qingyao didn’t pay attention, and saw Xie Hezhang leave, she quickly chased after him.

“Don’t leave, where’s your house, you helped me weed, I’ll go to your house tomorrow to thank you.”

Xie Hezhang’s long legs walked quickly, “No need.”

“I need to, how can I take advantage of you for nothing… Ouch!”

Shu Qingyao tripped.

Xie Hezhang stopped abruptly, hesitated and turned his head, and saw Shu Qingyao fall into the ditch.

This woman…

Why is she always tripping?

He frowned, walked back, and reached out to Shu Qingyao: “Are you okay…”

The soft, white fingers of the woman grabbed his dry, hot palm, Xie Hezhang’s whole body tensed for a moment, a strange heat inexplicably surged through his body.

He quickly withdrew his hand, the young and handsome face, his complexion was slightly unnatural.

Shu Qingyao had just stabilized, she almost fell back into the ditch by his action, she puffed up her cheeks, her voice soft and reproachful: “Little Xie Comrade, what are you doing, I’m talking to you, why are you walking so fast.”

“…”

Seeing that he didn’t speak, Shu Qingyao immediately began to take advantage of the situation: “Xie Hezhang, it’s getting dark, I have night blindness, I can’t see clearly at night, you take me back to the dormitory, I’ll treat you to something delicious.”

Xie Hezhang looked down at her, and saw the woman’s big black and white eyes blinking, revealing cunning and innocence, like a little fox.

“Walk half a mile ahead and you’ll reach the main road. Also, don’t follow me.”

The young man’s voice was cold, he didn’t give her any face at all.

After saying that, he turned and left.

Shu Qingyao looked at Xie Hezhang, who was gradually disappearing into the ditch ahead, the smile on her face gradually faded.

This dog man, he actually left her alone…

In the cotton field!

To be honest, Shu Qingyao felt quite complicated in her heart.

The Xie Hezhang in her memory was very obedient to her, except in bed, he never refused any of her requests.

But the current Xie Hezhang wouldn’t let her get close to him at all.

She knew Xie Hezhang had suffered in his childhood, but seeing this Xie Hezhang who kept people at bay, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.

Last time, Xie Hezhang appeared when she was at her most desperate and helpless.

This time, it was her turn to pamper him.

Shu Qingyao made up her mind in her heart.

*

Xie Hezhang came out of the public dining hall and went home.

Xie Helan’s family had already finished dinner, there was a basket of eggs on the wooden table, about ten or so, Xie Helan couldn’t put it down, she took out an egg and looked at it, and said to her son Xie Wei: “These eggs are good, they are all from old hens raised by Jin Fang, Mom will stew chicken wine for you tomorrow to make up for it.”

In these days, every household was not allowed to raise livestock, like Helian Village, each household could only raise two chickens at most, Xie Helan’s family originally had two hens, but Xie Wei was greedy, he secretly slaughtered them and ate them.

He hadn’t eaten eggs for half a year, Xie Wei was drooling with desire: “Mom, I want to eat it today.”

Xie Helan saw Xie Hezhang come back, she rarely put on a good face, she covered the basket of eggs with a red cloth, and said to Xie Hezhang: “Hezhang, Jin Fang came over today to talk about matchmaking, she wants to arrange a baby marriage for Xiaoqian and her son Huzi…”

Before she finished speaking, Xie Hezhang slammed his fist on the wooden table, the sturdy wooden table shook, and a crack appeared, Xie Helan paused, her voice became weaker: “…I think Xiaoqian’s brain is also broken, she won’t be able to marry well in the future, it’s better to get engaged early. Jin Fang’s son…”

“Xie Helan, Xiaoqian is only seven years old! You actually want to marry her to a fool! Do you still have any humanity?!”

Xie Hezhang’s voice was so loud that the neighbors could hear it, Xie Helan also knew that she had done something wrong, she couldn’t help but feel a little guilty, seeing that the neighbor had opened the window to listen to the fun, she quickly said: “Hezhang, I’m not waiting for you to come back and discuss it with you? If you don’t agree, then forget it, I didn’t force you…”

Xie Hezhang didn’t pay any attention to her, he pushed her aside, picked up the basket of eggs and walked out, Xie Helan couldn’t stop him, she stomped her feet in anger, Xie Wei was also afraid of Xie Hezhang, he didn’t dare to speak, after Xie Hezhang walked away, he finally lost his temper and said: “Mom, I want to eat eggs! He returned the eggs, what will I eat tomorrow!”

Xie Helan was also furious, but she still went up to coax her son, “Don’t worry, don’t worry, Mom will go to the black market tomorrow to have a look.”

Eggs were in high demand, and the supply and marketing cooperatives rarely had them in stock, except for those laid by their own chickens, they could only buy them at a higher price in the black market, and they might not even be able to buy them.

After comforting Xie Wei, Xie Helan angrily patted the door of Xie Hezhang’s bedroom, and cursed at Xie Xiaoqian inside: “You money-losing thing! What else can you do besides eat! I feed you and house you, you can’t help at all! You and your brother are both white-eyed wolves!”

Xie Hezhang arrived at Jin’s house, and saw Jin Fang’s whole family eating dinner, Jin Fang’s fool son was also there, he was eighteen years old, and Jin Fang had raised him with a face full of flesh.

He didn’t say anything, he directly put the eggs in their yard, the other party stopped eating, looked at him awkwardly, Xie Hezhang turned and left.

Jin Fang’s son is eighteen years old this year, it’s time to choose a wife for him, but which girl would be willing to marry a fool? He didn’t expect them to have their sights set on Xie Xiaoqian.

He didn’t expect Xie Helan to actually accept the basket of eggs!

Feeling like a fire was burning in his heart, Xie Hezhang closed his eyes, stood by the roadside and blew in the wind for a while, before turning back.

At this age, his life was like a bunch of weeds, messy and chaotic, he didn’t know which direction he should go in the future.

*

“Brother, what is this?”

Xie Hezhang sat by the window smoking, Xie Xiaoqian, who had finished dinner and was tidying up his clothes, found something new in his coat pocket.

Xie Hezhang looked up, saw what Xie Xiaoqian was holding in her hand, and his smoking hand trembled.