“I’m waiting for you.” Zhang Yunxi stretched lazily, then lay back on the table and asked, “So, what happened?”

Deng Damei looked down at her toes and said gloomily, “He said he’d find a way.”

Zhang Yunxi was puzzled. “Isn’t that a good outcome?”

“I feel guilty towards him.” Deng Damei wiped the corners of her eyes. “If he asked for a hundred yuan, there would be a big uproar at home.”

For rural families, a hundred yuan was a huge amount.

Zhao Brigade was considered one of the better-off brigades, yet many families still owed money to the brigade. The highest-earning household in the entire brigade was Er Gouzi’s family. They had many strong laborers—over thirty in total, from the eldest down to the youngest. Even so, by the end of the year, after grain distributions, they barely made just over four hundred yuan.

And this was with Er Gouzi’s family having fifty-three people in total, not counting the daughters and granddaughters who had married out!

Making money in the countryside was incredibly difficult.

That’s why rural people admired urban workers so much.

Zhang Yunxi frowned, rested her chin on her arm, and tentatively asked, “Can you try persuading your parents?”

Deng Damei’s lips parted slightly, but she shook her head.

Her parents would never agree, and she didn’t dare bring it up.

“You guys go to bed. I’m going to take a shower.”

“Okay.” Zhang Yunxi returned to her room.

After her shower, Deng Damei lay in bed, silently shedding tears. She had to find a way to solve the bride price issue!

Zhang Yunxi waited for a long time until she heard the second round of soft snores in the room.

She quickly lifted the blanket, grabbed the things she had prepared for Zhao Rencheng, and headed up the mountain.

Going out so late at night—especially heading up a mountain—made Zhang Yunxi pull her clothes tightly around herself. She wasn’t sure if Zhao Rencheng was asleep yet, but if he was…

Then she’d wake him up.

Well.

That was a bit much.

But she had no choice. Nighttime was the only time she could meet Zhao Rencheng. It was already hard to see him during the day, let alone talk to him properly.

With her flashlight in hand, Zhang Yunxi hurried up the mountain. Normally, she wasn’t afraid, since Zhao Rencheng was always with her. But walking alone now, her mind inexplicably filled with ghost stories.

Unconsciously, her footsteps quickened.

When she reached his house, she saw the lights were still on. She let out a small sigh of relief. Seeing that his door was slightly open, she casually knocked twice and called out:

“Zhao Rencheng.”

A gust of wind blew past.

With her gentle knock, the door swung open.

In that instant, both of them froze.

The man stood there, shirtless, revealing a sexy and muscular upper body.

His bronzed skin stretched over firm, defined abs, radiating an irresistible sense of strength. His lean, chiseled torso, paired with his sharp V-line leading downward, was barely covered by a loosely worn pair of shorts.

His long, powerful legs stood firmly on the ground.

Their eyes locked.

Zhang Yunxi’s lips parted slightly. She wanted to say something, but not a single sound came out of her throat.

Zhao Rencheng ran a hand over his face. “Step outside first.”

“Okay, take your time.” Zhang Yunxi forced an awkward laugh, tactfully closed the door, and sat on a chair outside.

She placed the things on the table and buried her face in her arms.

Help!
What was she doing?!

Why was she staring at his abs?!

Ahhhhh—

The moment she recalled his physique, her thoughts spiraled in another direction.

Honestly, his body was amazing—not just his abs, but also his defined chest and muscular arms. His whole tall, well-proportioned frame was just perfect!

No, wait. Why was she thinking about his body?! Was she some kind of pervert?!

Zhang Yunxi fanned her own face, trying to cool down manually.

She kept convincing herself: No big deal. No need to be flustered!

She’d seen dozens of guys with abs before. There were tons of shirtless male models online.

She had even attended banquets where men deliberately showed off their abs, and she never got excited.

So why was she acting shy now?

“What are you here for?” Zhao Rencheng came over and sat beside her.

“I need first-grade textbooks.” Zhang Yunxi explained, sneaking a quick glance at him.

His hair was cropped short, stiff and bristly.

Now dressed, his strong arms were still visible beneath his loose half-sleeve shirt. The thin fabric barely concealed the muscular contours of his body.

The image of his bare torso flashed through her mind again.

Zhang Yunxi’s cheeks burned, her ears tingled, and she immediately sat up straight—not daring to look at the man beside her.

She stared rigidly at the moon overhead.

“I’ll get them for you.”

Zhao Rencheng had originally intended to give the textbooks to Zhao Mo.

But after some thought—

He held onto them, waiting for Zhang Yunxi to come find him.

He expected her to come after the autumn harvest.

Who would have thought she’d show up on Mid-Autumn Festival, at such a hard-to-explain time?

Zhao Rencheng went inside to retrieve the books.

Zhang Yunxi slumped in relief.

God.

She had never felt this awkward around Zhao Rencheng before.

When he returned—

She immediately sat up straight again, hands placed unnaturally on her knees.

“Here—Chinese and math for the first three grades. If you need more later, come find me.” Zhao Rencheng handed them over.

“Okay, thanks.” Zhang Yunxi took the books and quickly said, “I left a thank-you gift on the table. If there’s nothing else, I’ll head back.”

“It’s cold up here at night. I have malted milk. Let me make you a cup to warm up.” Zhao Rencheng got up.

“Ah?” Zhang Yunxi dragged out the sound, desperately trying to stop him with her eyes.

But Zhao Rencheng ignored her.

She had no choice but to sit back down.

She lowered her gaze to the wooden floor, staring at the grain patterns, trying to clear her mind.

Form is emptiness. Emptiness is form.

She repeated it several times, but it did nothing to cool her flushed face.

“Here.”

Zhao Rencheng handed her a cup.

She already had her own designated cup in his house.

Zhang Yunxi set the textbooks on her lap and focused on drinking the malted milk.

Meanwhile, Zhao Rencheng opened the bag she had brought—mooncakes, biscuits, peanuts, pomelo…

Everything was thoughtfully prepared.

So, he brought out a bag of eggs.

After finishing her drink, Zhang Yunxi finally stood up to leave.

“It’s late. You should rest too.”

“I took on a new order. If you’re interested, you can come work. One yuan per pair of shoes as commission.”

The moment money was mentioned, Zhang Yunxi forgot all about her shyness.

“I can make 30% of a shoe by myself. You should at least pay me 2.50 yuan per pair.”

“Alright.”

Zhao Rencheng agreed instantly.

“Huh?”

That easy?

Zhang Yunxi was caught off guard—was she asking too little? She had planned to negotiate!

Zhao Rencheng, slightly amused, explained, “Each shoe sells for 13 yuan. I make 8.60 yuan per pair. 30% cut is about 2.50 yuan.”

“Then just now…”

“I was messing with you.”

“What’s wrong with you?” Zhang Yunxi was speechless and asked, “How long can we make shoes for?”

“There are more orders in the second half of the year and fewer in the first half. How long it lasts? Not sure.”

Zhao Rencheng estimated that once the middleman got taken down, they probably wouldn’t be able to continue.

“Then I’ll come whenever I’m free.” Zhang Yunxi didn’t mention how little she had earned from helping before.

After all, she had proposed the terms herself, and Zhao Rencheng had agreed to everything. There was no need to dwell on it—she could make up for it later.

“Let’s go.” Zhao Rencheng picked up the eggs.

Zhang Yunxi glanced at them.

Zhao Rencheng understood the meaning in her eyes and explained, “I had my aunt collect these eggs. I have plenty. You lost too much weight before—this is to make it up to you.”