Chapter 36 ☆ Flashlight (Part 2)

By 7 or 8 in the evening in the countryside, it was deserted, with only the moon quietly lighting the road ahead. Cheng Yaoyao walked a few steps and heard footsteps behind her. She turned around cautiously and saw that it was Lin Jiaqi.

Lin Jiaqi stopped a few steps away from Cheng Yaoyao and handed her something: “This is for you.”

It was a flashlight. In those days, rural areas rarely had electric lights, so it was pitch black at night. A flashlight was one of the four most practical and precious items.

Cheng Yaoyao said, “Thank you, but I’m walking with others, so I don’t need it.”

“Take it. The road is too dark, and you girls need to be careful,” Lin Jiaqi said. His tone was warm, but there was an authoritative quality to it.

Cheng Yaoyao had no choice but to accept it. She noticed Lin Jiaqi was wearing a watch and took a closer look: “What brand is this watch?”

“Huh?” Lin Jiaqi responded, puzzled.

“What brand is it? It looks nice.” Cheng Yaoyao admired the watch.

Lin Jiaqi immediately took off the watch and handed it to her: “Shanghai brand.”

Cheng Yaoyao asked casually, and since he took it off and handed it to her, she couldn’t refuse. The heavy men’s watch with a wide steel band had a masculine beauty when worn on his slender, strong wrist.

Cheng Yaoyao took the watch in her hand, examined it, and returned it to Lin Jiaqi, saying with a smile, “Thank you. I’m going home now.”

Lin Jiaqi held the watch in his palm, and it seemed as if there was still a bit of soft and fragrant warmth on it that didn’t belong to him.

Cheng Yaoyao carried the heavy flashlight and walked to the entrance of the village. There was no one there. She had clearly signaled to Xie San just now. Could he not have understood? Cheng Yaoyao looked around. Suddenly, a dark shadow appeared behind her. She turned around in shock.

It was Xie San.

Xie San’s expression was already stern and, illuminated by the moonlight, looked even colder and more unkind.

Cheng Yaoyao’s heart was pounding, and she complained, “You scared me!”

Xie San said nothing and turned to walk forward. Cheng Yaoyao followed him closely and asked, “Why are you unhappy? Did I do something wrong just now?”

Xie San had asked her to keep her distance from him in front of others, and she had complied.

Xie San still didn’t say anything. Cheng Yaoyao ignored him, picked up the flashlight, fiddled with it for a few moments, found the switch, and turned it on. A beam of light suddenly cut through the darkness and illuminated the road ahead.

Cheng Yaoyao exclaimed, “This flashlight is so bright.” It was much brighter than the flashlights on mobile phones of later generations.

“Turn it off,” Xie San said coldly.

“Why?” Cheng Yaoyao waved the flashlight back and forth, causing the beam of light to shake.

Xie San suddenly stopped and turned to look at her. Cheng Yaoyao was still laughing heartlessly, holding the flashlight to her chin and saying dramatically, “I am a ghost~ Give me back my life…”

Her fair and pretty face looked eerie under the flashlight, and her eyes moved around smartly. Even if she were a ghost, she would be a charming and enchanting one.

Xie San extended his hand: “Give me the flashlight.”

“What are you doing?” Cheng Yaoyao pouted as her prank didn’t get a reaction, but she still obediently handed the flashlight to Xie San.

Xie San turned off the light, and the surroundings immediately fell into darkness again. Cheng Yaoyao felt a little disoriented and instinctively reached out to grab Xie San’s clothes, but touched nothing.

“Brother Xie San?” Cheng Yaoyao called out in a worried tone. There was silence all around, and she couldn’t tell where Xie San had gone.

Cheng Yaoyao suddenly became scared and took two cautious steps. Suddenly, she felt a tightness around her waist and was lifted off the ground by a pair of strong arms!

…

Cheng Yaoyao was once again subjected to absorbing Yang Qi, which made her lips red and swollen and her legs weak. She couldn’t understand how she had offended Xie San. But when Xie San caught a jar full of fireflies for her, her anger dissipated.

“This is better than a flashlight,” Cheng Yaoyao said happily as she held up the jar to admire it.

“Go back,” Xie San’s voice was hoarse, and the coldness in his tone finally dissipated.

The fireflies were flying all over the sky, like stars on the ground. Cheng Yaoyao held the jar of fireflies in her arms and walked briskly on her way back. Not far behind her was a tall and straight figure, like the most reliable guard in the dark.

It was already very late when Cheng Yaoyao returned to the dormitory. Zhang Xiaofeng was standing at the door and was relieved to see her come back: “Why did you come back so late? Did you come back by yourself?”

“Yeah,” Cheng Yaoyao avoided Zhang Xiaofeng’s gaze and lowered her head, afraid that Zhang Xiaofeng would see her swollen lips. “The secretary’s wife lent me a flashlight.”

“Next time you come back so late, just ask us to wait for you,” Zhang Xiaofeng said seriously, “It will be dangerous if you come back alone!”

Cheng Yaoyao nodded repeatedly. After entering the house, she was inevitably questioned by Han Yin again. Han Yin racked her brains to help Cheng Yaoyao analyze the most suitable families in the village for her to stay with. In the end, Cheng Yaoyao did not choose any of them but instead chose the landlord’s family)!

Han Yin said angrily, “Don’t you hate Xie San? You didn’t even say hello to him the last time you saw him.”

Cheng Yaoyao’s eyes darted around, and she hummed, “I… I hate him, but that has nothing to do with me living in his house. I heard that his house is a top-quality blue brick and tile house, and it must be better than other houses in the village.”

“Just for that?” Han Yin said angrily, “You’ll regret it later!”

Zhang Xiaofeng smiled and said, “If Yaoyao is not used to living there, just go talk to the team leader and the branch secretary and ask them to move out.”

“No way,” Cheng Yaoyao muttered softly. She was now relying on Xie San for her Yang Qi, so she wouldn’t run away even if she was angry… or so she thought.

This was the last night living in the dormitory, and everyone was reluctant to leave, making the atmosphere particularly harmonious. Before going to bed, everyone agreed to make noodles with the last bit of fine grains and have a farewell dinner the next morning.

Cheng Yaoyao fell asleep peacefully, resting her head on her favorite little pillow with a jar of faintly glowing fireflies beside her.

The next morning, she was awakened by a scream like a pig being slaughtered. She sat up and dropped the firefly jar from beside her pillow to the ground. She looked around and asked, “What happened?”

Han Yin was standing by the window, combing her hair. She looked outside and said, “I don’t know! It seems to be Cheng Nuonuo’s voice!”

Cheng Yaoyao quickly found some clothes, put them on, and rushed into the yard with everyone else. She saw Cheng Nuonuo standing in front of the stove, holding something in her hand, and screaming like crazy.

The male educated youth rushed into the yard but saw no one. They all asked, “Cheng Nuonuo, what’s wrong? I thought it was a gangster!”

Zhang Xiaofeng took the initiative to walk up to Cheng Nuonuo and tried to calm her down: “Cheng Nuonuo, what’s wrong? Let’s talk… You dropped something.”

Zhang Xiaofeng saw what Cheng Nuonuo had dropped and tried to pick it up, but Cheng Nuonuo pushed her away angrily: “Don’t try to steal it from me, it’s mine! Get out, get out, you’re not allowed to touch it!”

Zhang Xiaofeng felt a sharp pain on the back of her hand. Cheng Nuonuo had scratched her so hard that three bloody marks appeared.

At the same time, Cheng Nuonuo picked up the item and clutched it protectively in her arms, looking like a mother wolf protecting her cubs.

Cheng Yaoyao rushed forward angrily: “Cheng Nuonuo, why did you push people?!”

Han Yin helped Zhang Xiaofeng up from the ground, looked at the blood flowing from her hand, and shouted, “Are you crazy?!”

Cheng Nuonuo didn’t say anything but slumped on the ground, staring at Cheng Yaoyao: “It’s you… is it you?!”

The redness in her eyes frightened Cheng Yaoyao so much that she shivered. Seeing this, Cheng Nuonuo suddenly lunged towards her: “It must be you!”

“You’re crazy!” Han Yin and Zhang Xiaofeng pulled Cheng Nuonuo from the left and right, but she was like a madwoman, bursting out with strength and throwing them both aside. Her thin fingers scratched Cheng Yaoyao’s face fiercely!