Chapter 16 – Everyone’s Little Thoughts

Compared to all the chatter going on around them, Shen Nian and Nan Qiao were currently more concerned about one thing—how to keep their straw hats from wobbling around.

The brim of the straw hats was wide, and after putting them on, the only way they wouldn’t get blown off by the wind was by tying the chin straps tightly.

But if they tied them tightly, not only did it look awful, it also felt uncomfortably tight when the wind blew. So they had no choice but to loosen the ties a little and grab at their hats whenever a gust came.

Thus, along the way, both Nan Qiao and Shen Nian were obsessing over how to adjust the fit of their hat strings.

By the time they arrived at the field for work, the two still hadn’t figured out a solution. Standing at the edge of the plot, they exchanged a smile.

“Well, let’s just go with this, Nian Nian. It might not look great with the strap pulled tight, but at least it’s practical,” Nan Qiao said while tying the strap more snugly. She finally understood—when you’re out working in the fields, there’s no time to care about appearances. At this point, people were lucky to have full stomachs; who had the energy to care whether she looked pretty or not?

“Ahh, guess this is the only way,” Shen Nian sighed and helplessly tied the strap tighter. She gave her hat a shake to confirm it was secure, then bent down and resumed digging holes.

When they reached the plot assigned to them, Li Zhuoran was already there waiting. Seeing the two of them approach, he came over enthusiastically, eyes fixed on Nan Qiao.

“You’re here! Did you get a good rest at noon?” he asked.

“It was fine,” Nan Qiao replied politely.

Li Zhuoran didn’t seem to mind her reserved response and began chatting about what had happened during lunch.

“Nan Qiao, what did you guys eat at noon? You don’t know since you weren’t at the educated youth camp, but things got really lively today.”

“What happened? Tell me, tell me!” Nan Qiao wasn’t particularly interested, but Shen Nian perked up immediately. Any gossip was better than a nap, and she instantly became spirited.

“You know how the male and female educated youths cook separately, right? The guys’ side is pretty chill—those who can cook contribute effort, those who can’t pitch in money. It’s been pretty harmonious overall. But today, the girls’ side was a real mess.” Li Zhuoran looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping, then lowered his voice and continued.

“That Qin Fang who came with you guys—she caused another scene at lunch.”

“Ugh, her again? She’s always stirring something up. What was it this time?” Shen Nian asked with a mix of annoyance and nosiness.

“What else could it be? The usual—rations. Everyone else contributes what they can—grain, money, or labor. Qin Fang only gave a tiny bit of grain and did nothing. At first, their group leader, Sister Jiang, didn’t want to argue with her since she was new. Figured as long as she provided food, it was fine. But then Qin Fang gave just one bowl’s worth of grain, ate two bowls of food, and still complained the meal wasn’t good. That really set Sister Jiang off. She told her to start cooking for herself.”

Nan Qiao silently cursed the woman in her heart. What an idiot… shooting herself in the foot.

“Did she agree to that?” Shen Nian asked.

“Of course not, hence the drama. Sister Jiang has a good reputation and has always taken care of everyone, so when the conflict broke out, the rest naturally sided with her. Qin Fang, seeing she was isolated, ran off to complain to the team leader and the village head. In the end, our side’s educated youth team leader had to step in and mediate for a long while. They finally came to an agreement—Qin Fang would either take turns cooking, collect firewood, or pay money. One way or another, she couldn’t just freeload anymore. And if she tries it again, they’ll report it all the way up to the brigade and won’t back down.”

“She really is stingy to the extreme…” Shen Nian sneered.

Then she asked, “Is this Sister Jiang the same one who got into a fight with Qin Fang a few days ago?”

“The very same,” Li Zhuoran confirmed as he paused to wipe the sweat from his brow.

“She’s gonna get into trouble eventually,” Nan Qiao said as she scattered corn seeds. “She’s used to taking advantage of people back in Shanghai. Now that she has to be self-reliant, of course there’s going to be conflict. Just watch—there’s plenty more drama to come.”

As she spoke, she glanced toward the group of three where Qin Fang was.

Jiang Haihe was working hard with a stiff face. Dong Jiayan kept glancing over at Su Mu, barely doing any work—her hoe was lifted high, but the ground remained largely untouched.

The two of them had worked on that plot all afternoon and barely made it through a third. Compared to them, Shen Nian and Nan Qiao were clearly making much better progress. No wonder Jiang Haihe looked so frustrated.

As for Wang Yuman and Qin Fang…

Qin Fang appeared to be ranting about lunch, her face full of fury, while Wang Yuman looked irritated and impatient, clearly not interested in the conversation.

Another one full of scheming, Nan Qiao thought with amusement as she watched the two interact.

Her gaze didn’t go unnoticed—on the other side, Su Mu caught sight of her and felt a ripple in his chest.

Ever since that chance encounter with her, he’d begun to feel something more than just his usual focus on studies.

Back when Nan Qiao confessed her feelings to him, he had been slightly tempted. He’d never been close to a girl before and had no idea how to respond. Besides, he had his own worries, so he awkwardly avoided her.

What he hadn’t expected was that Nan Qiao didn’t give up and kept following him around. At the time, he already knew he’d be sent to the countryside…

His older brother already had a job, and the notice for their relocation had come suddenly. There wasn’t much time to job hunt. So either he or his younger sister had to go. He couldn’t bear the thought of his sister enduring hardship, so he volunteered.

But just days after it was finalized, he ran into Nan Qiao again. His heart stirred unexpectedly. Even knowing he was about to leave, he tried to suppress those feelings so as not to hold her back.

Yet suppressing them only made things worse.

He thought he’d never see her again after going to the countryside—until he learned she had signed up too, to go with him. That realization made his heart race uncontrollably.

So… she had feelings for him too?

If he had accepted her pursuit back then, would they be together now?

Compared to the somewhat willful girl she had been, the current Nan Qiao had matured and become gentler, even more captivating. If only they could be together…

Su Mu couldn’t stop the thoughts from spiraling. But he was naturally reserved and quiet. Even now, knowing she had followed him here, he still didn’t have the courage to approach her.

And yet, he had noticed something this morning—both Li Zhuoran and that villager seemed to show unusual interest in Nan Qiao.

He hesitated. He was afraid… afraid he’d miss his chance with her.

It was unclear how long had passed when Nan Qiao suddenly stood up and rubbed her waist. The moment she rose, she felt a little dizzy. Thankfully, Shen Nian was quick to react and grabbed her in time to keep her from falling.

“Qiao Qiao, are you okay?” Shen Nian asked worriedly.

“I’m fine, just got up too fast—blacked out a bit,” Nan Qiao replied, closing her eyes to recover before standing straight. She looked up at the sky.

The sun was still blazing, and there was still a long way to go before work ended…

Nan Qiao sighed, set her tools down at the edge of the field, and tugged Shen Nian toward the shade of a nearby tree.

“Nian Nian, let’s take a break and get some water.”

“Alright, let’s go,” Shen Nian patted the dirt off her hands and pulled Nan Qiao over to the tree.

As soon as they sat down under the tree, a shadow fell over Nan Qiao’s head. She looked up along the silhouette and saw a military-style canteen being held out toward her. Tracing the arm up, she saw a tall, slender figure in a white long-sleeved shirt and blue trousers, exuding a refined and scholarly air. At that moment, he was gazing at her with gentle eyes.

It was Su Mu…

She had to admit, the original host had good taste—Su Mu’s looks would make him a certified internet heartthrob even in modern times.

But his current behavior left her confused…

Was he offering her the canteen? Or asking her for water…?

In that dream she had seen before, the original host had chased after Su Mu. He hadn’t rejected her, but he hadn’t accepted her either—he simply kept his distance.

She had assumed he didn’t like her. So even after she arrived here, she hadn’t tried to explain anything and had kept her distance voluntarily.

But what was this situation now? A love triangle showdown? Why was he here?

Staring at the canteen in front of her, Nan Qiao stiffly asked, “You don’t have water? Open yours, I’ll pour you some from mine…”

Su Mu, who had mustered all his courage to bring her the drink, immediately froze in place… Since when had she become so offbeat?

“N-No… It’s flower tea I brought from Shanghai. I added sugar and chilled it in well water… I saw you looked dizzy earlier—drinking some might make you feel better,” Su Mu stammered.

“Huh? N-No, that’s really not necessary. I’ve got my own. You keep it for yourself,” Nan Qiao declined. Things brought from Shanghai were precious, and the tea even had sugar in it—there was no such thing as a free lunch…

Not to mention, the way Dong Jiayan was glaring daggers at her from behind Su Mu, she might just choke on the tea if she dared drink it…

“The cup is new, I haven’t used it. I brought this just for you… I don’t like sweet drinks anyway.” With that, he shoved the canteen into her arms and turned to walk away.

Nan Qiao sat there stiffly, staring at the canteen. What was that about…?

Didn’t he not like her?

Even if he had cleared up the engagement rumors with Dong Jiayan, this kind of affection couldn’t have popped up so suddenly, could it? Nan Qiao felt like her brain’s CPU was about to fry.

She turned to Shen Nian, dumbfounded, and asked, “What does that even mean??”

Shen Nian beamed at her with a gossipy auntie grin. “He gave you water, duh. What’s there to be confused about? Our Qiao Qiao is so beautiful—of course she has admirers! Quick, try it and see if it’s good. Flower tea from Shanghai, you know.”

She sounded slightly envious. And it was sweetened, too. She was kind of craving it now…

“Good, huh? Then you take it. I feel like I’m holding a hot potato. Look at the way Dong Jiayan’s staring from over there—it’s about to turn into a weapon!” Nan Qiao said irritably. She really didn’t want to get caught up in all this.

It’s not that she was against falling in love here, but it had to be mutual, with true affection on both sides. Sure, Su Mu was very handsome, but she wasn’t someone who acted on looks alone.

Besides, this wasn’t the 21st century where she had lived for so many years—this was an era where even being a little too friendly could be labeled as immoral.

Let’s not forget, in the ’70s, marriage practically meant a lifetime commitment… So she had to tread very carefully with both romance and marriage.

Shen Nian glanced at Su Mu’s retreating figure, then turned back. “Qiao Qiao, are you sure you’re not into him? I think he’s pretty nice. The way he stood up to Dong Jiayan the other day was very manly. Don’t you even want to try getting to know him?”

Nan Qiao shook her head. “We’ll see. I barely know him.”

“Okay then,” Shen Nian replied.

Still, the tea… Nan Qiao didn’t quite know what to do with it.

Giving it away felt wrong—it was Su Mu’s thoughtful gesture. But keeping it made her uneasy. In the end, she set the canteen aside and drank from her own.

After resting a bit longer, she got up from the stone bench and pulled Shen Nian along to resume digging. What surprised her most was how quickly she’d adapted to this farm life.

She buried herself in work and didn’t notice the clenched fist gripping a small tin box from a distance—Sheng Yanchuan.

Sheng Yanchuan had originally come to bring Nan Qiao some ointment for sunburn, but had arrived just in time to witness the entire scene. He saw the affection in Su Mu’s eyes and the confusion in Nan Qiao’s.

Compared to Li Zhuoran, Su Mu gave him a much stronger sense of danger.

Li Zhuoran probably just found Nan Qiao attractive—more of a novelty than anything.

But Su Mu was different. He genuinely liked her. And this wasn’t something that developed overnight. Judging from their interaction, they probably came from the same place too.

“No chance now, huh?” Li Zhuoran sidled up next to Sheng Yanchuan and commented.

Seeing he got no reply, he went on.

“Look over there—Su Mu, Nan Qiao, Dong Jiayan, Qin Fang, and Wang Yuman all grew up together. I heard Dong Jiayan liked Su Mu and there were even rumors they were engaged. But that was cleared up a few days ago, and now Su Mu’s giving water to Nan Qiao… You get what that means, right? Honestly, Su Mu and Nan Qiao seem like a good match. His mom’s a teacher and I heard his dad’s a local official.”

Li Zhuoran spoke with a touch of awkwardness. While his own family background wasn’t bad, it still didn’t compare to Nan Qiao, Su Mu, or Shen Nian.

He was interested in Nan Qiao, but that was as far as it went. He knew he couldn’t win her over.

Still, for some reason he couldn’t quite explain, he just felt like telling Sheng Yanchuan all this. Watching the other man silently walk away, Li Zhuoran let out a self-mocking chuckle and turned back to his own work.

“Sigh… Everything’s fake. Earning rations is the only thing that’s real…” he muttered while hacking at the ground.

Elsewhere, unnoticed by the others, Dong Jiayan was glaring daggers at Nan Qiao, muttering curses in her heart. This bitch… she harassed Su Mu in Shanghai and still can’t behave even after coming to the countryside.

“Jiayan, what do you think Su Mu means by all this? Does he like Nan Qiao?” Qin Fang asked cluelessly beside her.

Wang Yuman rolled her eyes so hard they were about to fly out of her skull. She had realized it by now—just being near this idiot could get her caught in the crossfire!

Dong Jiayan, on the other hand, shot Qin Fang a vicious glare, then went back to hacking the ground harder and harder.

If Nan Qiao saw her now, she’d probably even compliment her: “Wow, that hole is a lot deeper than the last one!”