Chapter 20: Expressing Feelings

“I’m really sorry about today. I didn’t mean for things to turn out like that,” Sheng Yanchuan apologized again.

“You’ve already said sorry to me so many times today. It’s not all your fault anyway. I was just in a bad mood and ended up crying…” Nan Qiao didn’t mean to blame him, so she didn’t want him to keep apologizing. Seeing such a tall man crouched down looking small and pitiful—it actually made her feel a little bad for him.

“I’ll walk you back in a bit. Don’t worry about the back window—I’ll come by later to bring you some medicine. It’s from years ago, hard to come by these days, but it works well.”

“Okay, but that sunburn cream you gave me the other day—I’ll return it to you. I didn’t use it, and the sunburn wasn’t that bad.”

“Keep it,” Sheng Yanchuan refused.

“I should still give it back. Medicine is rare these days, and I can’t keep taking so many things from you.”

Seeing her insist, Sheng Yanchuan finally agreed.
“Alright. Then when I bring you the medicine later tonight, you can give it to me then.”

“Mm-hmm, come a bit earlier, though. I’m really sleepy.”

“Okay.”

Sheng Yanchuan seemed to have excellent stamina. Even after walking this whole way, he hadn’t so much as gasped for air.

Before long, they reached the back courtyard where Nan Qiao lived. It backed against a mountain and had no neighbors nearby, so Sheng Yanchuan carried Nan Qiao straight into the yard.

Shen Nian, hearing movement, came out of the room. When she saw Sheng Yanchuan carrying Nan Qiao on his back, she was startled and quickly asked what had happened.

“Qiaoqiao, what’s going on? Why is Brother Sheng carrying you back? Did you get hurt?”

“Don’t worry, I just twisted my ankle a bit.”

Sheng Yanchuan carried her inside and set her down at the edge of the heated brick bed.
“You two rest. I’ll head back now,” he said.

Then he glanced meaningfully at the window, signaling Nan Qiao to remember to open it later.

Nan Qiao nodded silently in response.

“Thank you, Brother Sheng, for bringing our Qiaoqiao home. I’ll take good care of her,” Shen Nian said gratefully.

After that, Sheng Yanchuan left the same way he came, circling around the back mountain.

“Qiaoqiao, you’ve been out for so long and I didn’t know what you’d want to eat, so I cooked all the dumplings. I’ll bring them in for you. And I got water ready for you to wash up—don’t move, okay? Absolutely don’t move,” Shen Nian fussed over her worriedly.

Nan Qiao sat obediently without moving an inch and nodded.

Seeing her sitting so still, Shen Nian relaxed. She made several trips back and forth before finally bringing in dinner and wash water.

After Nan Qiao had washed up, Shen Nian dumped out the water and came back to sit in Nan Qiao’s room.

“Qiaoqiao, I’ll help you request time off tomorrow. You rest at home. If you need anything, just wait until I get back and tell me—I’ll take care of it.”

“Relax, it’s not that serious,” Nan Qiao reassured her, seeing how flustered she was.

“Alright then. You eat now, and I’ll come take your bowl afterward.”

“No need. You go rest. I’ll leave it by the bed when I’m done.”

“Okay then. Call me if you need anything—I’ll hear you!” With that, Shen Nian left Nan Qiao’s room.

Once Shen Nian left, Nan Qiao hopped up and locked the door, slipped into her space, took a shower, then came back out.

After a full day of work, Nan Qiao couldn’t just crawl into bed without cleaning up. Feeling refreshed after her shower, she went to open the window beside her brick bed.

She had barely opened it when she heard movement outside. She leaned over and hopped to the window.

Sure enough, Sheng Yanchuan’s figure was there.

“This is for you—rub it on your ankle, and it’ll be fine in a few days.”

Nan Qiao took the ointment and handed the tin of sunburn cream back to him.
“Here, you take this. I didn’t end up needing it.”

Sheng Yanchuan accepted the small tin. Then, seeing the bowl of dumplings on her table, he picked up a basket from beside him and placed it on the windowsill.
“Chilled watermelon. If you want some tonight, just have a little. Eating too much might upset your stomach.”

Nan Qiao wasn’t particularly impressed by watermelon itself, but in this era, it was a rare treat.

“Watermelon? Where did you get it? There are still watermelons here?” she asked in surprise.

“If you like it, I can bring you more. There’s a patch up on the mountain where I planted some,” Sheng Yanchuan said, not entirely naturally.

“Oh~ I see.” Nan Qiao didn’t really believe that watermelon could grow so well up on a mountain. It was probably someone else who had cultivated them. As for who planted them or why—that wasn’t her concern.

“But still, don’t bring me more. I can’t eat much, and it’ll just go bad.”

“That’s alright. I’ll bring you just a little at a time every few days and leave it here by the window,” Sheng Yanchuan said, sounding quietly happy.

Nan Qiao couldn’t help feeling a little puzzled. Why was he suddenly being so attentive? Was he still feeling guilty over what happened earlier?

Thinking that, she explained,
“You really don’t have to do all this because of earlier. It wasn’t your fault. I just missed home a little, that’s why I cried. You don’t need to feel guilty or bring me things. As for my ankle, this medicine is enough.” She lifted the small tin in her hand.

“It’s not… it’s not because of that,” Sheng Yanchuan said, lowering his head. The dim room light cast shadows from his long eyelashes down his cheeks.

His voice was soft, and Nan Qiao didn’t quite catch what he said. With his head down, she couldn’t clearly see his expression either. But seeing such a tall man looking so downcast made her feel strangely uncomfortable.

Tilting her head, she tried to read his face and coaxed him gently like she would a child,
“Then what is it? You can tell me.”

Hearing her voice so close, Sheng Yanchuan looked up at the girl in front of him. Her eyes sparkled, lashes lifted slightly, and her fair, delicate cheeks carried a subtle charm.

Their eyes met, and he found himself momentarily dazed.

After hesitating for a while, Sheng Yanchuan took a deep breath and said seriously:

“Comrade Nan, I’m Sheng Yanchuan. I graduated from high school, I’m 21 this year. My mother is alive, I have an older brother who’s married with a daughter, and a younger sister who’s still in school. I currently work as a driver at the county transport station. When there’s work, I go drive; when there isn’t, I help with labor at home. I make about forty yuan a month, and after marriage, I’ll hand all my wages over to my wife. I don’t have any bad habits.”

After hearing that, Nan Qiao was completely stunned… Sure, he was good-looking, and she didn’t dislike him—but jumping straight to talking about marriage felt a bit… fast?

“My… my mother doesn’t really want me getting married here, and I’m only 19. I don’t want to get married so early,” she stammered. Compared to Su Mu’s confession, Nan Qiao found herself more reluctant to disappoint Sheng Yanchuan, so she tried to explain gently.

“I’m not saying we should get married right now. I just wanted to tell you that I like you. If you don’t dislike me, we could try getting to know each other. But if you feel uncomfortable, you can tell me—I won’t bother you again,” Sheng Yanchuan said earnestly.

Looking at Sheng Yanchuan like this, Nan Qiao was momentarily at a loss.
If she were still living in modern times and met someone like Sheng Yanchuan who fit her ideals so well, she might have agreed to date him right then and there.

But in this era, there were far too many things she had to take into consideration.

Seeing how serious Sheng Yanchuan was, Nan Qiao was slightly moved. Yet in the end, she couldn’t bring herself to say no. After hesitating for a while, she disrupted the atmosphere by saying, “I need to sit for a bit. Standing on one leg is exhausting.”

With that, she hopped over to the edge of the brick bed and sat down, gently tapping her leg against the floor, as if she were quietly mulling something over.

Sheng Yanchuan didn’t say a word, just waited quietly.
After a while, Nan Qiao finally looked up and said, “I don’t know when the college entrance exam will be reinstated, but I’m definitely not staying here forever. One or two years—if I can’t get into college, my father or my older brothers will find a way to get me back to the city. Do you understand that?”

Sheng Yanchuan nodded. “If the exams resume, I’ll take them with you. I’ve always done well in school, so it won’t be hard for me. And if your family sends you back to Shanghai, I’ll stay on at the transport factory and focus on southern routes. I’ll try to apply for a southern transfer. Wherever you are, that’s where our home will be. You won’t need to marry far away.”

“I’m the youngest daughter in my family, spoiled by everyone growing up. According to my mom, I’m the type who wouldn’t even lift a finger if the oil bottle tipped over.”

“I can cook, wash clothes, earn money, hunt. You don’t need to do anything. Just call me, and I’ll handle it.”

“I can’t stand betrayal. I don’t tolerate two-timers—they have no place in my life.”

“My eyes only see you.”

“I’m a bit of a spender—sometimes I can go overboard.”

“Spend all you like. I’ll earn more.”

“I don’t like being overly restricted.”

“I won’t… except for things that are unsafe. In those cases, no way. If you absolutely have to do something dangerous, then take me with you,” Sheng Yanchuan added, stopping halfway to correct himself. He was okay with not restricting her—but if she wanted to do something risky, she had to bring him along, or he wouldn’t be able to relax.

“I’m willful and unreasonable sometimes.”

“You’re perfect,” Sheng Yanchuan said. In his eyes, Nan Qiao was always polite and well-mannered. She had nothing to do with being unreasonable, so he frowned slightly, clearly confused as to why she would describe herself that way.

“I have two older brothers—and they’re both fierce.”

“I can take a beating. The kind who won’t hit back.”

At that, Nan Qiao couldn’t help but laugh. “Then you’re definitely not escaping a beating.”

“Does that mean you’re saying yes?” Sheng Yanchuan’s eyes lit up instantly, overjoyed.

“I didn’t say that. I’ve only just arrived here—barely a few days. No way I’m jumping into a relationship so fast. But I’m okay with getting to know each other first.”
She wasn’t really worried that Sheng Yanchuan would lie to her. The college entrance exams were going to be reinstated in a few years anyway. And if he ever mistreated her, she could just leave. With all the supplies in her space, she’d neither starve nor get hurt.

Besides, she hadn’t agreed to anything yet—trial period in progress.

As she spoke, Nan Qiao lifted her sprained ankle onto the bed edge and carefully applied the ointment.

Just touching it made her wince in pain.

Sheng Yanchuan watched her curl up while applying the medicine and felt a pang of sympathy. But at this hour, going into her room really wasn’t appropriate.

So he just stood there and watched her tend to it herself.

“Why don’t you sit over here? I’ll help you apply it,” Sheng Yanchuan said, patting the narrow table in front of the window.

Nan Qiao looked at the table, then at herself. It was a bit too high—she couldn’t climb up. So she asked, “Why don’t you come in?”
She really was struggling to reach at that angle, and she didn’t want to call Shen Nian either. But here was a person just outside—it was perfect.

Sheng Yanchuan hesitated for a moment, but seeing that she was indeed having difficulty and that he wasn’t going in to do anything inappropriate, he figured as long as he was careful and no one found out, it’d be fine.

So he flipped over and climbed into the room.

Nan Qiao, watching his agile movements, raised her brows teasingly. “So skilled. Must’ve snuck through windows a lot before, huh?”

Just as he landed, Sheng Yanchuan staggered a bit from her comment. Once he steadied himself, he replied, “No, never. This is the first time.”

“I don’t believe that. Who didn’t sneak out as a kid to go play? You’re not being honest,” Nan Qiao said as she handed him the ointment, clearly unconvinced.

“Really, never. When I went to play in the mountains as a kid, my brother always took me. My parents didn’t care much either—probably because I was a boy,” Sheng Yanchuan explained while rubbing ointment onto his hands and carefully tending to Nan Qiao’s ankle.

His tall frame suddenly looked rather pitiful.

“Sit down. It looks awkward seeing you like that.”

“No need—it’ll just take a minute.”
Sheng Yanchuan didn’t slow his movements. His rough, calloused hands brushed against Nan Qiao’s soft, delicate ankle, and he suddenly found his mind wandering.
And sitting on her bed… he was honestly afraid he might turn into a beast…

So standing it was…

While applying the ointment, his mind wandered so much he didn’t even hear Nan Qiao talking.

“Are you even listening to me?”

“Huh? What?” Sheng Yanchuan asked blankly.

Nan Qiao chuckled at how dazed he looked. “I said, have you eaten yet? What were you thinking so seriously about?”

“I haven’t. I’ll eat when I get home,” he replied vaguely. He couldn’t exactly tell her what nonsense he’d been thinking…

“I still have a bowl of dumplings here—have some. I made them myself.”

Sheng Yanchuan glanced at the table behind her. “You eat. I’ve got food at home—I’ll eat when I get back.”

“I’m not really hungry anymore. I had snacks during work earlier and I’m full. There’s too many, and if I don’t eat them, they’ll spoil,” Nan Qiao said, frowning slightly at the full bowl of dumplings.

She hadn’t planned to eat them anyway and was going to store them in her space’s fridge. But since Sheng Yanchuan was here, she figured she might as well offer them.

“I haven’t touched them, but if you mind, I’ll just leave them.”

“I don’t mind. Even if you had eaten them, I wouldn’t.”

Nan Qiao’s face turned red at that. “What nonsense are you spouting now?”

“I’m serious,” Sheng Yanchuan said, putting the lid back on the tin and setting it aside. Then he sat facing her, looking down into her eyes.

Nan Qiao, a bit flustered, lowered her head. “You should go. Take them home to eat.”

She handed him the bowl of dumplings from the table and urged him to leave.

“Mm. Then I’ll come back tomorrow to apply your medicine. Get some rest.”

“Alright,” Nan Qiao replied.