Cheng Xiaobao was already riding on his father’s shoulders.

The boy, sitting high up, wasn’t scared at all, and he was having a great time tugging at Cheng Rushan’s ears.

He kept trying to tempt Cheng Dabao, “Dabao, do you want to ride on Dad’s shoulders too?”

Cheng Dabao, sitting quietly in his father’s arm, wasn’t tempted at all.

Cheng Rushan held Dabao with one arm and still managed to pick up the bundles of cloth with the other.

Jiang Lin, worried that Xiaobao might get too excited and fall off, followed Cheng Rushan closely.

Qian Bo had already loaded the heavy backpack into the truck bed.

He had been curious about its weight, wondering if it was filled with stones or something, but he didn’t dare to check.

Sitting on the side panel, he saw the family of four approaching and sneered to himself: “So what if you have two sons! Showing off won’t make Jiang Lin love you!”

He was consumed with jealousy.

Cheng Rushan first lifted Xiaobao and Dabao into the truck bed, then turned to help Jiang Lin.

Jiang Lin quickly waved her hand, “No need, no need, I can do it myself.”

She agilely climbed up on her own.

Qian Bo mockingly praised, “Jiang Lin, well done. Even though you’re stuck in the countryside, you haven’t lost the spirit of an educated youth.”

Jiang Lin glared at him, “Shut up, will you?” You’re just a bag watcher.

Cheng Rushan was more convinced that there was nothing between her and Qian Bo, but he still needed to make sure Qian Bo gave up completely.

He looked at Jiang Lin, but she avoided his gaze, so he went to talk to Driver Duan.

Driver Duan was thrilled when he realized it was Cheng Rushan and eagerly shook his hand.

Cheng Rushan smiled, “You know me?”

Driver Duan replied mysteriously, “Cheng Rushan, you may not know me, but I’ve heard a lot about you. We’re… schoolmates.”

Cheng Rushan had attended the commune middle school, and within a few days, he had fought his way through the entire class, and within a week, through the whole school.

After that, no one dared to mess with him.

Cheng Rushan shook his hand, “I was just showing off my strength as a kid, nothing to brag about.”

Driver Duan invited him to sit in the front, but Cheng Rushan declined.

He placed his hand on the side panel and leapt into the truck bed.

Inside the truck bed were some daily-use items, including urea fertilizer.

Qian Bo sat next to the large backpack.

Jiang Lin sat on the other side, with the two kids on either side of her.

As soon as Cheng Rushan got in, Xiaobao called him over, patting the spot next to him, “Dad, come sit here.”

Seeing that the spot was too small to even fit a hand, Cheng Rushan lifted Xiaobao and placed him on his lap.

Cheng Dabao tilted his head to look, then quietly sat back down properly.

Cheng Rushan reached out to him, inviting, “Come over here.”

Jiang Lin noticed that although Dabao was clearly tempted, he shook his head and refused.

She thought she understood the children, but now she was confused by Dabao’s behavior.

He seemed happy to see Cheng Rushan and liked being held by him, yet he also seemed a bit resistant.

She smiled and said, “Come here, I’ll hold you.” Without giving him a chance to refuse, she pulled Dabao over to avoid him getting jostled and hitting the side panel.

The couple, both good-looking and each holding a cute child, made an attractive sight, which made Qian Bo across from them feel very envious.

He couldn’t help but taunt again, “Cheng Rushan, what have you been doing all these years? Six years without sending a letter home? Wow, you really have a heart of stone.”

He glanced at Jiang Lin, hinting: Don’t be fooled by him.

He can’t be a good man if he left for six years without a word and now comes back as he pleases, treating you like nothing.

Cheng Rushan turned to Jiang Lin and said, “I’ll explain when we get home.”

Qian Bo: “…” Ha, sure.

Jiang Lin couldn’t stand Qian Bo’s annoying behavior.

He looked so certain that she hated Cheng Rushan and wouldn’t be kind to him.

She turned to Cheng Rushan with a smile and said playfully, “Okay. We don’t want outsiders to hear.”

As the sun set, its soft glow highlighted her smiling face, making her look as beautiful as a flower and dazzling his eyes.

He looked at her deeply and smiled.

Qian Bo: …What a shameless couple! How indecent! Flirting in broad daylight! Jiang Lin, you’ve fallen! Where is your pride?

Where is your supposedly undying love?

You liar!

You big liar!

The truck jolted heavily as it passed over a small ditch with a loud “bang.”

Qian Bo, caught off guard, hit his head on the side panel, causing him great pain.

Jiang Lin, holding Dabao, was also startled, but Cheng Rushan quickly steadied her from behind, preventing them both from being thrown around.

Xiaobao giggled at the bump, finding it fun as he was being held and swayed.

He leaned over to whisper to Dabao, making Dabao laugh too.

Qian Bo thought: Those little brats are definitely talking about me.

Cheng Rushan’s strong arm, radiating warmth through his summer clothes, made Jiang Lin a bit uneasy.

She subtly shifted her body. Cheng Rushan, sensing her discomfort, naturally moved his arm away a little, resting it behind her without touching her.

Due to her family background, Jiang Lin had an inherent resistance, or even fear and dislike, towards men who were too handsome or too imposing, and Cheng Rushan happened to possess both qualities.

Sitting too close to her, it wasn’t just his body heat but also his strong masculine aura that made her anxious and nervous, instinctively wanting to distance herself.

Cheng Rushan quickly noticed her discomfort.

Realizing that she was afraid of him, he subtly shifted away a bit.

Although he didn’t understand women well, he could recognize her resistance and would actively create space.

Xiaobao was playing a hand-clapping game with Dabao, reciting a rhyme they had learned: “You clap one, I clap one, a little child lays the foundation. You clap two, I clap two, two little children pull the line. You clap three, I clap three, three little children carry bricks. You clap four, I clap four, four little children build a house…”

Qian Bo, seeing Jiang Lin and Cheng Rushan sitting together, couldn’t stand it and snidely remarked, “Send the kids to school. They can’t even play a game right. That’s not how the hand-clapping rhyme goes!”

Cheng Rushan responded, “I made this up when I was five.”

Qian Bo scoffed, “Oh, you’re so cultured. I bet you’re full of hot air.”

Cheng Rushan glanced at him and said calmly, “Just a horror story.”

Qian Bo laughed derisively, “A horror story about building a house? How scary can that be?”

Cheng Rushan’s dark eyes locked onto him as he slowly said, “There was a large courtyard, filled with children. One lost his head, one broke his leg, one had no mouth, one borrowed a hand… The children built a house, then they married. When the bride arrived, she asked, ‘When will we bow to heaven and earth?'”

Qian Bo, being a literary type, automatically immersed himself in the horror story.

Cheng Rushan’s deep, slow tone and intense gaze sent chills down his spine.

“Stop!”

Dabao and Xiaobao, however, were not scared.

They found it intriguing and chased after Cheng Rushan, asking, “And then what happened?”

Jiang Lin was worried that Cheng Rushan might tell the children scary stories, so she gently poked his arm with her finger.

Cheng Rushan glanced at her, smiled, and said, “The clay dolls get whatever they’re missing, then we make a bride for them.”

Seeing Qian Bo’s relieved expression,

Cheng Rushan fixed his gaze on him again and added, “Do you really think clay dolls are just clay dolls?”

Qian Bo immediately imagined something terrifying, and his face turned pale.

Xiaobao was curious, “Dad, what are clay dolls made of?”

Cheng Rushan ruffled his hair with his big hand, “Of course, they’re made of clay.”

He gave Qian Bo a pointed look, causing him to shudder and imagine more horrific scenarios, making him even paler.

Jiang Lin secretly glanced at Cheng Rushan.

In the short time she’d known him, she had seen his multifaceted personality.

He was gentle and caring with the children but intimidating towards his enemies.

He clearly saw through Qian Bo’s intentions towards her and managed to scare him thoroughly.

She thought to herself, “Better not end up on his blacklist.”

Her heart skipped a beat, worrying about what would happen if he ever found out about her selling the children and planning to elope.

Cheng Rushan smiled at her, seemingly reading her thoughts.