Xu Ning had spent several days foraging for mountain goods. Lu Xiaotang had already filled the wood shed with the firewood he chopped, and there was a large pile in the front yard as well.

Xu Ning urged him not to chop any more, insisting it was enough for burning. However, he didn’t listen and continued to cut wood for several more days, arguing that storing more would be beneficial for the following year.

Seeing that she couldn’t persuade him, she decided to let him be.

Now there weren’t many mountain goods left, so she chose not to go up the mountain today. Instead, there were some pine cones at the door, and she planned to shell them at home that afternoon.

The pine nuts they had collected in previous days had already been shelled by Lu Xiaotang and Xu An during the evenings, leaving only these behind.

Lu Xiaotang returned with two bundles of firewood and saw her shelling the pine nuts. He said, “Leave them there; I’ll shell them for you tonight.”

Xu Ning went into the house and poured a cup of water for him, saying, “It’s fine; there’s just a little left. I’ll finish it soon.”

After drinking the water, Lu Xiaotang asked, “Where’s Xiao Mo?”

“He went out to play with Grandpa Qi.”

Lu Xiaotang placed the bowl inside and pulled a stool to sit beside her, joining her in shelling the pine nuts. The two of them didn’t speak, only the sound of the pine nuts being shelled filled the air.

Lu Xiaotang glanced at her and let out a quiet sigh. “Xiao Ning, if I said I wanted to date you, would you kick me out?”

Xu Ning was taken aback by his words; her face instantly flushed bright red. She turned to look at Lu Xiaotang, who had a gentle gaze and an expression of unprecedented seriousness.

Xu Ning knew he wasn’t joking; he would never make light of something like this.

Inside her mind, a little voice was shouting wildly, Did I hear that right? Did I hear that right? Is he confessing to me? Right?

Suppressing her excitement, she thought for a moment and said, “Brother Lu, I’m only 16.”

Lu Xiaotang immediately replied, “That’s fine; I can wait for you. I’m 21 this year, as long as you don’t mind me being older.”

Xu Ning said nothing, her cheeks slightly flushed as she continued shelling the pine nuts. Seeing that she didn’t respond and didn’t seem angry, Lu Xiaotang picked up a pine cone and began to shell it as well. After a while, he glanced at her again and cautiously asked, “Does that count as an agreement?”

After a while, Xu Ning finally said, “Brother Lu, I’m quite independent by nature. If you don’t mind, we can give it a try.”

Hearing her say “give it a try,” Lu Xiaotang let out a sigh of relief and quickly replied, “Xiao Ning, you have a great personality; no one is better than you.”

Xu Ning felt a bit embarrassed by his words and stole a glance at him. Lu Xiaotang was looking at her with a smile in his eyes.

Xu Ning quickly averted her gaze, and Lu Xiaotang felt a bit warm in the face as well.

He helped her finish shelling the pine nuts and then went back up the mountain to chop firewood. Xu Ning noticed that there wasn’t much to do at home and that it was still too early to start cooking, so she took out the half-finished sweater and continued knitting.

When Xu An returned, he saw his sister cooking and Lu Xiaotang tending to the fire. The two weren’t talking, creating a strange atmosphere.

Xu An placed his backpack on the table and said, “Sis, today Jianmin’s second brother went to the girl’s family to propose. They’re planning to get married during the New Year. Jianmin said he’ll bring me some candy tomorrow.”

Xu Ning was surprised. “So fast? I just heard Aunt Si say they went to meet a match a few days ago, and now they’re engaged? There are only a few months until New Year!”

“Jianmin said his second brother and that girl hit it off, and both agreed to get engaged now. They’re getting married during the New Year; his brother isn’t young anymore—he’s already eighteen!”

Hearing this, Xu Ning glanced at the person tending to the fire and noticed Lu Xiaotang looking back at her as well.

Xu An didn’t notice the exchange between the two and laughed as he continued, “Jianmin said his second brother shares a room with him and complains about his stinky feet. Once he gets married, he can build his own house, so he told his parents he wanted to get married during the New Year. Jianmin doesn’t want to share a room with his brother either; he says his brother is too fussy, like a girl. He was so happy about the marriage that he was humming songs in class and ended up getting scolded by the teacher!”

After Xu An finished, he chuckled for a moment, but when he noticed that his sister and Lu Xiaotang weren’t reacting, he looked at them and saw the two staring at each other.

He stepped forward and asked, “Sis, Big Brother Lu, what are you two looking at?”

Both of them quickly averted their gazes. Xu Ning cleared her throat and said, “Xiao An, hurry and take your backpack inside, wash your hands, and get ready to eat. Today, we have your favorite stir-fried beansprouts with meat.”

Upon hearing this, Xu An took his backpack into the house and went to wash his hands. When it was time for dinner, he suddenly remembered to ask, “Sis, why isn’t Xiao Mo here today?”

Xu Ning served him a portion of beansprouts and replied, “Xiao Mo went to the village to play with Grandpa Qi today. He’ll be eating at the cow shed tonight.”

“Sis, I’m not going to school tomorrow. I want to learn how to ride a bicycle. Is that okay?” Xu An asked as he ate.

“It’s going to snow soon, and you’re wearing thick clothes. It’ll be hard for you to get on and off. Why don’t you wait until spring?” Xu Ning suggested.

Xu An shrugged it off. “It’s fine, Sis. If I wear thick clothes, I won’t feel much if I fall.”

Lu Xiaotang laughed, saying, “Let him learn! I’ll keep an eye on him tomorrow. There’s not much to do these days, and once it snows, I’ll just go back up the mountain.”

“Alright, then he can learn,” Xu Ning agreed.

The next morning, right after breakfast, Xu An couldn’t wait to push the bicycle, calling for Lu Xiaotang to accompany him.

Xu Ning finished tidying up and planned to go watch, wondering how he would learn while dressed so heavily.

Before she even reached the main road, she heard Xu An’s voice. When she got to the roadside, she saw Lu Xiaotang supporting the bicycle from behind while Xu An wobbled in front, shouting, “Big Brother Lu, don’t let go! Please don’t let go!”

“I’m not letting go. Just ride confidently; there’s no need to be scared. I’m right behind you,” Lu Xiaotang encouraged.

Xu Ning watched as Xu An learned quickly, hardly falling at all. She remembered when she used to ride a bicycle; she had fallen several times on her way back from the city.

Feeling quite confident, Xu An told Lu Xiaotang that he didn’t need support anymore and that he could ride by himself.

Lu Xiaotang let him get on the bike and slowly released his grip, advising, “Don’t ride too far. When you come down, do it slowly. Don’t rush; it’s easy to fall.”

Xu An replied confidently, “Big Brother Lu, don’t worry! I can ride now; I won’t fall!” With that, he pedaled away, quickly distancing himself from them.

Xu Ning watched his retreating figure and remarked, “This kid is getting a bit too full of himself!”

Lu Xiaotang chuckled and asked her, “Who helped you practice when you learned to ride a bicycle?”

Xu Ning waved her hand dismissively. “I didn’t need anyone to practice with. I just bought the bike and rode it back by myself. It was easy!”

Lu Xiaotang looked at her proud expression and laughed, “You didn’t fall?”

Xu Ning cleared her throat and whispered, “I did fall a few times.”

Lu Xiaotang pressed his lips together, trying to suppress a smile.

Noticing his struggle to hold back laughter, Xu Ning stubbornly said, “I was too short back then; my feet couldn’t reach the pedals. If I were this tall now, I definitely wouldn’t have fallen.”

Lu Xiaotang remembered seeing her ride a bicycle two years ago and couldn’t help but chuckle.

Xu Ning shot him an annoyed glare. When Lu Xiaotang saw she was genuinely upset, he quickly suppressed his amusement, ready to offer some comforting words.

Just then, Xu An rode back on his bicycle, laughing as he shouted, “Big Brother Lu, Sis, I did it! I can ride a bicycle now!” With that, he burst into laughter.

But before the laughter could fade, the bicycle wobbled, and he veered off into the ditch by the side of the road.

Lu Xiaotang rushed over to help him up and pulled the bicycle out of the ditch, both of them asking in unison, “Did you hurt yourself anywhere?”

Xu An, feeling a bit embarrassed, said, “I didn’t get hurt; I just fell into the mud.”

Lu Xiaotang checked him over, asking if anything hurt or if the bicycle had hit him anywhere.

Seeing their concern, Xu An quickly reassured them, “Big Brother Lu, Sis, I’m really fine! When I fell, I dodged to the side, so the bike didn’t hit me.”

Both of them sighed in relief. Xu Ning noticed that his hat was crooked and his clothes and face were covered in mud. She couldn’t help but burst out laughing, feeling a sense of satisfaction.

Inside, she thought, Look at you, wanting to learn to ride a bicycle without falling. Just look how cocky you are, ha ha ha.