Chapter 9: Delivering Brown Sugar, Lin Yiran Politely Refuses

After seeing off Xiaohu’s family, who had come to thank them, Lin Jianguo called his grandsons who had been punished to stand.
“Do you realize your mistake? Will you dare to do it again?”

“No, Grandpa. We know we were wrong,” Zhiqiang, Zhiwei, and Zhiyuan cried as they apologized.

“Good. Grandpa believes you. Now go eat dinner.” The three boys choked back their tears and ran to the table, eating obediently.

Meanwhile, Lin Yiran sipped brown sugar water and held a hot water bottle to her stomach. It was the first day of her period, and after having been in the river, the pain was still there.

The next morning, Lin Yiran felt a little better than the day before, but the dull ache remained, leaving her uncomfortable.

At lunchtime, her three nephews behaved well, helping by stoking the fire and carrying bowls.

“Good children. From now on, you must never play by the river alone. Only go when adults are with you.”

“Yes, Auntie. We understand.”

“Go play then. Auntie will finish cooking.”

That day’s meal was simple. Her sister-in-law had already prepared the ingredients early in the morning, so all Lin Yiran had to do was stir-fry them. Her mother even boiled her some eggs in brown sugar water.

After lunch, Lin Yiran took the food to the fields.

All morning, Xiao Ziyi had been working absentmindedly. Others didn’t notice, only thinking his cold expression meant he was tired.

When he heard Lin Yiran’s voice, he turned his head. Nearby, Jiang Lanru also looked up, immediately noticing Lin Yiran’s smiling face.

Jiang Lanru remembered her well—it was Lin Yiran who had laughed at them on their first day in the village and defended Zhuang Wenting.

She gave a cold snort, jealousy flashing in her eyes. Just a village girl. What good is being pretty? In the end, she’ll only be deceived and meet a tragic fate.

Xiao Ziyi, however, noticed Lin Yiran’s pale lips. Clearly, she had caught a chill yesterday. Her body still needed nourishment.

After lunch, Wang Fang held her daughter’s hand.
“Do you feel a little better today? Still in pain?”

“A little, but much better.”

“Drink more brown sugar water with eggs. They’re all for you,” Wang Fang reminded her.

“Alright, I’ll go back now.”

Lin Yiran picked up the lunchbox and headed back. Just as she reached the main path, she heard hurried footsteps behind her.

Bang! Someone crashed hard into her from behind, knocking her to the side. Pain shot through her back. That force had definitely been intentional.

Jiang Lanru put on a fake expression of guilt.
“Comrade Lin, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to. You’ll forgive me, won’t you?”

Everyone else was still eating in the fields, unaware of what had happened. Jiang Lanru had deliberately chosen this moment when no one was watching. Lin Yiran could only swallow the grievance.

“No, I won’t.” Before Lin Yiran could respond, Xiao Ziyi walked over, face cold, shielding her behind him. He had seen everything.

Jiang Lanru felt a flicker of fear. This was the first time she had seen Xiao Ziyi’s anger—it was intimidating. And why… why was he standing up for Lin Yiran?

“Comrade Xiao, I… I really didn’t mean it.”

“You did it on purpose,” Lin Yiran said firmly, peeking out from behind him. “This road is wide enough. Why did you have to bump into me? Are your eyes bad?”

“I really didn’t mean it. Comrade Lin, I’ve already apologized.” Jiang Lanru’s eyes turned red, making it seem like Lin Yiran was the unreasonable one.

“I don’t care. I’m in pain. Just because you apologize, I have to accept it? No. I want to repay you in kind. An eye for an eye.” Lin Yiran knew full well Jiang Lanru’s malicious intent, and she wouldn’t let her off so easily.

“You…” Jiang Lanru looked pitifully at Xiao Ziyi. “Comrade Xiao, please help me.”

Xiao Ziyi kept his gaze under control, not daring to look at Lin Yiran too long.
“Comrade Lin is right. If you did something wrong, there must be consequences.”

Before Jiang Lanru could respond, Lin Yiran stepped forward, gave her a heavy slap on the arm, then quickly stepped back.
“Alright, Comrade Jiang. We’re even now.”

Without another word, Lin Yiran walked away proudly, not wasting any more time on Jiang Lanru.

Xiao Ziyi couldn’t help but smile, finding Lin Yiran unbelievably cute. His heart pounded wildly in his chest.

Jiang Lanru, on the other hand, was completely stunned. She hadn’t expected Lin Yiran to actually hit her. By the time she came back to her senses, Lin Yiran was already gone, leaving her so furious she stomped her feet.

After lunch and a little more farm work, everyone went home to rest. Xiao Ziyi headed toward the village entrance.

“Brother Xiao, where are you going?” Liu Qinggang asked.

“To the town. I have something to take care of.”

“Alright.”

At the village entrance stood a horse belonging to Uncle Lin Zhu, Aunt Yang’s husband. Normally, he used it to pull a cart when villagers went to the market.

The last time the horse was unwell, Xiao Ziyi had treated it. Since then, Uncle Lin Zhu had been very grateful and held Xiao Ziyi in high regard. So when Xiao Ziyi asked to borrow the horse to ride to town, he immediately agreed.

Uncle Lin Zhu started to hitch up the cart, but Xiao Ziyi quickly stopped him.
“No need to trouble yourself, Uncle. I’ll just ride the horse directly.”

“Comrade Xiao, you even know how to ride a horse. That’s impressive.”

“I know a little. Thank you, Uncle Lin. I’ll be off now.”

Xiao Ziyi mounted the horse and rode away, looking incredibly dashing.

At the department store in town, he bought brown sugar, some pastries, candies, and biscuits. Since his notebook was almost used up, he also bought a new one along with some ink.

When he returned to the village, Uncle Lin Zhu was about to head to the fields. Seeing Xiao Ziyi come back, he tied up the horse and praised him repeatedly.
“Comrade Xiao, your riding skills are really something.”

Xiao Ziyi shared some of the candies he bought with Uncle Lin. Though the older man tried to refuse, he eventually accepted, feeling more than ever that Xiao Ziyi was a fine young man.

After checking the time, Xiao Ziyi walked toward the warehouse and, just as he expected, ran into Lin Yiran on the way.

“Comrade Lin,” he called.

Lin Yiran turned at the sound of his voice and saw Xiao Ziyi walking toward her with something in his hands.

He handed her the bag. Lin Yiran, a little confused, accepted it, then glanced inside: a large package of brown sugar, two packs of red date cakes, plus some candies and biscuits.

Just seeing the brown sugar and red dates made her realize what this was for. Her face instantly flushed red.

She quickly tried to give it back.
“Comrade Xiao, I can’t accept this—it’s far too expensive.”

She turned to leave, but Xiao Ziyi, panicking, lightly caught her arm, then quickly let go.

“These might be useful for you. Please, take them.” His eyes were sincere as he looked at her.

Lin Yiran suddenly noticed that his usually cold, clear eyes now looked like puppy-dog eyes when pleading—completely unfair.

Even though the path was mostly deserted, she still feared someone might see and misunderstand.

“Comrade Xiao, thank you for your kindness, but I really can’t accept these.”

Instead, she picked a few candies from the bag, smiling brightly.
“Thank you for the sweets, Comrade Xiao. I’ll be going now.”

Xiao Ziyi could only watch her walk away. He returned to his dormitory, put away the things he had bought, and then hurried to the fields.

That evening, after the farm work ended, everyone went to the warehouse to return tools and record their work points.

From a distance, Xiao Ziyi saw Lin Fei chatting and laughing with Lin Yiran. Lin Fei handed her a bunch of fruit, and she accepted it with a smile.

A chilling aura radiated from Xiao Ziyi. None of the other educated youths dared to approach him, assuming he was simply tired from not resting at noon.

Meanwhile, Jiang Lanru still felt humiliated after what had happened earlier. Bitter and frustrated, she decided she wouldn’t waste her efforts on Xiao Ziyi anymore—no point warming a cold face with her own enthusiasm.

The fruit, however, had been sent by Grandma Guixiang, with Lin Fei as the delivery boy.

“Thank you, Grandma Guixiang. And thank you, Brother Lin Fei, for bringing them over,” Lin Yiran said politely as she accepted the fruit.

Lin Fei grinned, stealing a few extra glances at Yiran. He knew she was busy these days.
“It’s nothing. You carry on. I’ll head back now.”

But not far away, Lin Yun saw the scene and her eyes burned red with jealousy. She had liked Lin Fei since childhood, but Lin Fei’s eyes were always on Lin Yiran.

Remembering how she had seen Lin Yiran soaking wet yesterday, supported by her sister-in-law, a shadow of malice flickered across Lin Yun’s gaze.