Chapter 3: Going Home with Him

“Someone’s coming,” Qin Zheng said, looking toward the village.

Tang Wan understood immediately. Zhong Ling was meticulous; even just now, when she kicked her, she could claim it was an accident.

Zhong Ling had already been back in the village for a long time, so she definitely would bring people along.

If Tang Wan couldn’t hold on any longer, she would have drowned long ago. Zhong Ling could say she brought people over, but didn’t expect Tang Wan to be dead. If Tang Wan wasn’t dead, she would have already gotten out of the water long ago. Bringing people over could help Zhong Ling cover herself, leaving no traces to be caught on.

A good schemer.

“I’ll take you to hide for now.”

Seeing Tang Wan’s puzzled look, Qin Zheng spoke again, “Your clothes are wet.”

Only then did Tang Wan realize why Qin Zheng had been avoiding looking at her.

It was almost summer now, and unlike Zhong Ling’s good-quality clothes, Tang Wan’s pure cotton clothes stuck to her body when wet, revealing her figure clearly.

In this era, if others saw Tang Wan like this, her reputation would be almost ruined.

Qin Zheng’s eyes were clear, and since he had just saved her, he didn’t seem like a bad person.

“Thank you,” Tang Wan agreed without much formality.

Qin Zheng’s home was on the edge of the village, not far from here.

“There are clothes under the cabinet. You can change inside the room first. I’ll hang your clothes outside, and they’ll dry soon,” Qin Zheng said as he led Tang Wan to the room’s door.

Then he turned and went to the courtyard without looking back.

When Tang Wan found the clothes in the cabinet, she understood why Qin Zheng said she could change inside—the clothes were not something you could wear outside.

It was a qipao.

A delicate, high-collared, silk qipao with double-fish pattern and intricate silk knot buttons—exquisite and elegant.

Such clothes in this village could only be worn indoors.

After changing, the size fit perfectly, outlining her curves and swaying gracefully.

Outside in the courtyard, Qin Zheng looked away as soon as Tang Wan stepped out in the qipao. Just one glance at her slim waist reminded him of the feeling when his arm had been wrapped around her waist in the water, and how his thumb had accidentally brushed the smooth skin there. He unconsciously rubbed his thumb.

While the clothes dried, Tang Wan sat in the courtyard watching Qin Zheng work.

By the time Tang Wan changed, Qin Zheng had also changed into a tank top and was chopping wood in the yard.

His muscles bulged slightly as he raised the axe—a smooth and attractive sight, very different from the bulky gym-trained types of later generations.

After chopping the wood, Qin Zheng went to cook. From the courtyard, Tang Wan could see him busy at the stove, and soon the aroma of meat filled the air.

Watching him, Tang Wan suddenly remembered why the name Qin Zheng sounded familiar.

She had read about him in the book!

In the later part of the story, when the female lead started her business and encountered difficulties, the male lead went to get help from someone—probably Qin Zheng.

The book said he was already very capable at that time, though he hadn’t been mentioned much earlier.

He was quite the “golden arm” — someone who had built his own business before the female lead succeeded, definitely a powerful figure.

Perhaps noticing Tang Wan’s gaze growing warmer, Qin Zheng came out from the kitchen and said, “The meal will be ready soon. Please wait a moment.”

Tang Wan choked a little—did he think she was hungry?

Qin Zheng obviously thought so. As he said, he quickly served the food.

Qin Zheng’s quality of life was clearly good. Not only was there meat at this time, which was very rare for rural people who only got meat during festivals, but this was clearly not just a festive treat.

Besides the spicy pork stir-fry, there were also five or six big white steamed buns.

Tang Wan, who hadn’t been craving before, now felt hungry seeing the food. After going down to the countryside, the meals the educated youth got were mostly sweet potatoes or wild vegetables, never enough to fill her up. Now her stomach betrayed her.

After Qin Zheng put the food down, he ate together with Tang Wan. When he saw Tang Wan put down her chopsticks after eating one bun, he couldn’t help but say, “There’s plenty of food, don’t worry about not having enough.”

“I’m full,” Tang Wan replied honestly. The buns in this era were large; eating one was quite a lot, and she was already stuffed.

Seeing Tang Wan wasn’t lying, Qin Zheng relaxed and ate quickly, but without haste or roughness, finishing the rest of the food and buns fast.

Watching him finish five large buns in one sitting, Tang Wan finally understood how someone of his height could grow so strong.

After the meal, Tang Wan changed back into her own clothes and planned to wash the qipao she had just worn. Qin Zheng stopped her, saying it was already dark, and she should hurry back to the educated youth point.

Qin Zheng walked Tang Wan almost all the way to the educated youth point. They didn’t meet anyone on the way.

When Tang Wan returned, no one was at the youth point.

She quickly changed clothes, took off her wet underwear, and washed the clothes.

Just after finishing, some people returned.

Tang Wan went out and saw several educated youths happily returning with Zhong Ling.

Zhong Ling’s eyes flickered when she saw Tang Wan standing at the door but quickly smiled and walked over happily: “When did you get back? I sent people to look for you by the river, but they said they didn’t see you.”

“I came back right after getting out of the water. Maybe I missed them,” Tang Wan answered slowly.

Seeing Tang Wan’s expression, Zhong Ling gradually relaxed.

She knew Tang Wan wasn’t the type to hide things. A pampered lady like her would say it straight if something happened. The silence now meant she hadn’t realized that kick was deliberate.

She never expected Tang Wan to be so lucky to survive and get out of the water.

Zhong Ling lowered her head, hiding a flicker of hatred. When she looked up, her face was still smiling: “That girl’s parents wanted to thank you and brought some eggs for you, but since we are learning from Lei Feng to do good deeds, we can’t accept anything from our neighbors, so I refused on your behalf. You agreed, right?”

Tang Wan raised an eyebrow: “You say we are learning from Lei Feng, but how can you so easily accept the kindness of that boy’s parents?”

“Of course I agreed. You saved that boy; wouldn’t his parents want to thank you?”

“The boy’s parents are from the supply and marketing cooperative. They brought their child back home to visit and wanted to give Zhong Ling many things. But Zhong Ling is politically aware and didn’t accept a thing.”

“That means his parents are grateful people. In the future, if Zhong Ling runs into them at the cooperative, they might even lend her money. Zhong Ling, you better watch out and not take advantage of them,” Tang Wan said sincerely, as if she truly cared.

Tang Wan’s words were uncomfortable but reasonable, effectively cutting off Zhong Ling’s chance to frequently visit the boy’s parents.

Zhong Ling clearly thought of this, and her face darkened immediately.