Chapter 32 ☆ Dream (Part 2)

Xie San’s Adam’s apple moved, and drops of water and sweat flowed down his tan neck. Cheng Yaoyao silently took out a small handkerchief and suddenly wiped his neck.

Xie San spat out a mouthful of water and covered his Adam’s apple as if he had seen a ghost. Then his nose felt hot, and two streams of bright red blood rolled down.

…

Xie San washed his face by the stream for a long time before his nosebleed stopped. Cheng Yaoyao carefully folded a small handkerchief stained with blood and comforted him softly: “You have a nosebleed because you are in good health. I just picked some purslane. Take it home and eat it; it can clear away heat and reduce internal heat.”

Cheng Yaoyao’s tone seemed to have a deeper meaning to Xie San’s ears. He wiped the water droplets from his face in annoyance, and his cold expression was so dark it seemed to drip water.

When he turned around, Xie San saw a bloody handkerchief in Cheng Yaoyao’s hand. Cheng Yaoyao had just used this handkerchief to wipe his sweat and stop the bleeding.

Cheng Yaoyao’s handkerchief was very beautiful, always washed white and fragrant. Xie San often saw her using it to wipe her face and mouth, which were private actions. His nose felt hot again, and Xie San pinched his palm and said to Cheng Yaoyao, “Give me the handkerchief.”

“What?” Cheng Yaoyao hurriedly folded the handkerchief and put it in her pocket.

Xie San realized that handkerchiefs were personal items for girls, and Cheng Yaoyao had misunderstood him. He said in a hoarse voice, “I just wanted to… wash it and return it to you.”

“No, no, I can wash it myself.” Cheng Yaoyao turned around and ran away, as if she was afraid that Xie San would come and take it from her.

Xie San seemed to have a nosebleed every time he drank the spiritual spring ^[1]a mystical water with special properties.. This was definitely the effect of the spiritual spring!

Cheng Yaoyao happily held the kettle and took a sip from it. What she tasted first was not the spiritual spring but… the taste of Xie San.

The little lotus leaf was shaking wildly, and a large amount of pure and surging spiritual energy poured in, making Cheng Yaoyao and the little lotus leaf sigh in comfort. It was much more comfortable than hugging Xie San…

Next, Cheng Yaoyao recognized a familiar feeling—the taste in Cheng Nuonuo’s food ^[2]which was also flavored with spiritual spring..

Cheng Yaoyao asked the little lotus leaf in surprise: “Is there another spiritual spring in my dormitory?”

The little lotus leaf proudly lifted up its small plate, indicating that such a spiritual spring was a rare and precious creation of heaven and earth!

Cheng Yaoyao asked, “Where did Cheng Nuonuo’s spiritual spring come from?”

The little lotus leaf had no idea who Cheng Nuonuo was and continued to play with its dewdrops.

Cheng Yaoyao was confused. Did she and Cheng Nuonuo both have the same special ability? Or… did the little lotus leaf escape from Cheng Nuonuo? What did the square inch of land refer to?

Cheng Yaoyao felt the small lotus leaf. It was hidden in her spiritual consciousness, so it shouldn’t be discovered by others. Anyway, it’s better to wait and see.

What Cheng Yaoyao had to deal with now was the purslane in front of her. With such a large clump, Xie San would definitely find it. She squatted on the ground and pulled hard for a long time before she finally removed all the purslane. Cheng Yaoyao also used a shovel to dig up all the roots on the surface and level the ground.

Cheng Yaoyao was so busy that she was sweating all over. Her white and slender fingers were hurt by the pinch and even had a tiny cut on them.

Cheng Yaoyao blew on her fingers aggrievedly, and with a thought, she produced two drops of spiritual spring water and dripped them on the wound. The tiny wound healed quickly, as if it had never existed.

Cheng Yaoyao was overjoyed and murmured, “It really is a magical spring that can cure all diseases…”

The little lotus leaf shook its round plate proudly, and Cheng Yaoyao continued, “I will use the spiritual spring to wash my face every day from now on!”

…The little lotus leaf curled up its leaves, shivered, and hugged the little dewdrop tightly.

Today, the work ended late, and the sky was full of rosy clouds. However, Xie San actually received a gift from Cheng Yaoyao.

A basket of purslane.

The purslane was plump and thick, with green leaves and purple stems, better than any you could find anywhere else in the village. Cheng Yaoyao pinched her waist with great pride: “Don’t worry about where I found it. I’ll take it home for you to eat. Purslane is refreshing and detoxifying, and it’s suitable for your grandma to eat.”

She added: “It’s good for you too. Aren’t you suffering from internal heat?”

Xie San’s ears suddenly felt hot again.

Unlike Xie San, who was in a complicated mood, Cheng Yaoyao was very happy. With the spiritual spring, the scars on her face would definitely be cured! Moreover, the spiritual spring could cure diseases, so Xie San’s grandmother’s illness could be cured! Maybe it could even help Han Yin’s skin become whiter… Cheng Yaoyao was thinking about the uses of the spiritual spring in her mind.

Cheng Yaoyao became more and more excited, not knowing how much spiritual spring water she would use up. The little lotus leaf trembled while holding the little dewdrop, then suddenly cut off its spiritual consciousness and disappeared into the void.

Cheng Yaoyao: “…”

Cheng Yaoyao reached out and poked Xie San on the back: “Brother Xie San.”

Xie San turned around: “Hmm?”

Tick-tock. The little lotus leaf began to emerge again.

Cheng Yaoyao raised her rosy lips with a smile, the kind that comes from someone who has succeeded in playing a prank: “I’ll call you.”

“…” Xie San stared at her lips. The swelling had gone down, but they still looked redder than usual.

Cheng Yaoyao ran briskly to the front of Xie San and stood on tiptoe to pick up a bunch of honeysuckle ^[3]a flowering plant known for its sweet fragrance. hanging by the roadside. The honeysuckle grew densely, and its fragrance attracted many bees.

Cheng Yaoyao tiptoed to pick it up. The setting sun fell on her face. Her fair skin glowed like porcelain, and her complexion was gorgeous. She looked innocent and calm, as if everything that happened that morning was just a dream of Xie San’s.

Cheng Yaoyao returned to the dormitory carrying a large bundle of honeysuckle. Before she arrived, she sent a gust of fragrant wind inside. The other educated youth had already returned. Han Yin asked, “Why are you so late today?”

Cheng Yaoyao stepped on the threshold and looked back. The tall and thin figure carrying the large basket had already turned around and left.

This was the first time Xie San had sent her home. Cheng Yaoyao’s cheeks felt hot. She knew that Xie San must be worried that she would faint again… She emphasized many times on the way that it was an accident that morning, and she rarely fainted! It must have been the residual heat from the wound on her face.

Xie San just looked at her with his narrow and calm eyes. Several times, Cheng Yaoyao felt that he wanted to say something to her, but in the end, he said nothing.

Han Yin pulled Cheng Yaoyao and said, “What are you staring at? What’s in your backpack? It smells so good.”

Cheng Yaoyao came back to her senses: “It’s honeysuckle, dried and made into tea.”

…

The moon was shining in the sky, cicadas were chirping in Tianshui Village on a summer night, the evening breeze was cool, and the moonlight was like water.

Xie San sat in the middle of the yard, one of his long and strong legs leaning on the ground, polishing something with a file in his hand, leaving bamboo shavings all over the ground. The young man was tall and thin, but his muscles were smooth and well-defined, like a cheetah hiding but not pouncing.

Lin Dafu coughed and pushed the door open: “Xie San, what are you making?”

“Captain.” Xie San put down the file and bamboo pillow in his hands and stood up.

Lin Dafu sat down where Xie San had just been and got straight to the point: “The tractor that our village asked someone to buy from the county town is about to arrive. Although it’s second-hand, it took a lot of connections to get it! What do you think about driving the tractor?”

Xie San replied, “I didn’t think about it.”

“How can you be so ungrateful, young man!” Lin Dafu said anxiously. “Tractor drivers get high pay, and it would be a good job for you to take care of your family!”

Xie San remained silent. His eyebrows were high, his facial features were deep and hard, and his lips were tightly pursed. No one could pry open his mouth.

Lin Dafu knocked on his pipe in frustration and picked up something Xie San had woven to look at. It was a bamboo pillow, beautifully and delicately woven. Each strip of bamboo was evenly and carefully crafted, like jade, and the edges were polished to be smooth, making it feel smooth when rubbed with the thumb.

Lin Dafu understood immediately: “She is the moon in the sky…”

Xie San’s back shuddered. He snatched the bamboo pillow and stuffed it into the basket, still silent, with the corners of his lips tightly pursed, looking stubborn.

Lin Dafu suddenly felt compassion in his heart and sighed, “The work on the soybean field will eventually be completed. Sooner or later, you two will have to break up.”

He stopped talking and walked away slowly with his hands behind his back. He thought, Xie San was a very ambitious young man, just like his father, but unfortunately, the Xie family is no longer the same, and Xie San does not have his father’s luck.

At about eight o’clock in the evening, Xie San went to Lin Dafu’s house. He brought a pack of cigarettes and a letter of certification.

Lin Dafu patted his shoulder and said with relief, “It’s good that you figured it out. When did you get this letter of certification? Why didn’t you give it to me earlier? Now things are easier! You don’t have to go to work tomorrow morning. Take a few days off to learn how to drive!”

Xie San said, “No need to rest.”

After a pause, he added, “It’s too remote. She can’t do it alone.”

After saying that, he turned and left.

Lin Dafu stared at his back for a long time before returning to the house. Lin Dafu’s wife, Wang Guiying, was washing her feet and slapping mosquitoes in the mosquito net, saying, “What are you doing outside, feeding mosquitoes?”

Lin Dafu took off his shoes and got on the kang and said, “Did I do something wrong by asking Xie San to lead that educated youth Cheng to work?”

Wang Guiying rolled her eyes at him in annoyance. “Anyone with that kind of appearance would be trouble! Didn’t the second son of that bookkeeper’s family just return from military service? A series of matchmakers came to his house, but he rejected them all. I heard that he met Cheng Yaoyao on the day he returned to the village.”

Lin Dafu threw off the quilt and laid down: “Don’t listen to those silly old women’s gossip! Without the phoenix trees in our village, we can’t keep the golden phoenix!”

Wang Guiying pinched him, unconvinced, and said, “Who is talking nonsense? Wait and see!”