Chapter 22 : Intimate

The youth station collapsed, and everyone temporarily gathered at the village committee office. The small room was packed with dozens of people. Everyone had not yet recovered from the disaster in the morning and was discussing how serious the disaster was.

Outside, the heavy rain continued. Liang Qingqing and her brother Liang Junqiang, having heard the news, came with umbrellas to find people. To their surprise, Fan Yanxing wasn’t there. They waited at the village committee office for a long time until he finally arrived. As soon as he appeared, they quickly pulled him to a corner to discuss matters.

Although it was agreed that Liang Junqiang would take the lead, Liang Qingqing couldn’t help but speak up first. Faced with such fierce words, Liang Junqiang was almost at a loss. No, he was indeed at a loss for words.

Fan Yanxing had just returned from clearing the mountain roads with the village repair team, his clothes still dirty. Hearing Liang Qingqing’s words, he paused in removing his raincoat. His mouth twitched, and he then tried to maintain his composure while taking off the raincoat.

Underneath the raincoat, he wore only a thin undershirt, which was damp from either sweat or rainwater. The cold wind made the shirt cling to his body, revealing his muscular physique.

“I…”

He was about to respond when his peripheral vision caught Liang Qingqing’s attention being drawn to something. Her gaze was intently focused on a particular spot. Following her line of sight, Fan Yanxing’s ears flushed red. He discreetly used the raincoat in his hand to cover his chest.

“I’m really sorry.”

“There’s no need to be embarrassed.” Liang Qingqing reluctantly averted her gaze, then adjusted her expression to a serious tone and continued, “You’ve helped me so many times. It’s time for me to repay you.”

“Right now, the team leader’s work is very difficult. As new youths, we should set an example. Otherwise, if the villagers are unwilling to host young intellectuals, where will they stay?”

“It’s raining every day, and it will get colder. What if you get sick from staying in a poor place?”

“Moreover, you’re helping the village with all these tough, dirty jobs. If you don’t rest well, how will you continue to work the next day?”

Liang Qingqing’s lecture on principle was delivered in a steady stream, leaving no room for refusal.

Hearing this, Liang Junqiang nodded repeatedly. When Liang Qingqing stopped speaking, he recalled Ma Xiuzhi’s advice for him to say more as the older brother before they left. He cleared his throat and added.

“Yes, Yanxing, our whole family welcomes you and wants to invite you for a meal. Don’t refuse. I know our conditions aren’t great, but at least we can provide shelter from the wind and rain. Please don’t be picky.”

Upon hearing this, Fan Yanxing immediately waved his hand to interrupt, “That’s not it. I never thought that. I just felt I would be a burden, which is why I declined.”

“It’s no trouble. It’s just a matter of adding an extra pair of chopsticks.”

“Then… I’ll go and bother you for a while.”

Seeing Fan Yanxing relent, Liang Qingqing’s eyes sparkled with a smile. It is said that those closest to the water get the moon first; this time, she was eager to see how he would escape from her grasp!

“Don’t just stand there; hurry up and bring your luggage to our house. Mom is waiting for us to have dinner,” Liang Qingqing said enthusiastically, moving to help Fan Yanxing with his bags. “Where did you leave your luggage, Fan Yanxing?”

“There isn’t much, so I can manage on my own,” Fan Yanxing said, surprised by Liang Qingqing’s eagerness and feeling somewhat overwhelmed.

“Right, you don’t have much strength, so I’ll help,” Liang Junqiang said, taking the umbrella from Liang Qingqing and following Fan Yanxing to the temporary accommodations provided by the village committee for the young intellectuals.

Seeing the two of them enter, the other young intellectuals looked on with curiosity. When they learned that Liang Junqiang and his sister had come to personally take Fan Yanxing to their home, they couldn’t sit still.

In such weather, the air was already thick with dampness, and combined with the sweat, musty fabric smells, and various other unpleasant odors from dozens of people, the stench was unimaginable.

If no villagers came to take them back to their homes that night, they would have to sleep in such conditions without even a bed or quilt life would be unbearable!

Thinking of this, everyone rushed to the team leader to express their grievances.

With no other option, Team Leader Xie Qingbao issued a firm order and personally went door to door, forcing the villagers to accommodate the young intellectuals. At this point, there was no way for the villagers to refuse.

Fortunately, the team leader promised that once the rain stopped, new accommodations for the young intellectuals would be repaired, so they wouldn’t disturb the villagers for too long.

Of course, that was all to be dealt with later.

At this moment, Liang Qingqing and her brother were leading Fan Yanxing towards their home. Since his belongings were not many, they were able to move everything in one trip without needing to make multiple runs.

Ma Xiuzhi had been waiting at the gate for a while. As soon as she saw them, she came out with an umbrella to help carry the things and warmly greeted them, “Come inside and sit down; dinner will be ready soon.”

“Thank you so much, Auntie,” Fan Yanxing said gratefully to Ma Xiuzhi, who smiled and replied, “Don’t mention it. Make yourself at home; don’t be formal.”

“Okay,” Fan Yanxing said with a friendly nod, following Liang Junqiang into the house. After putting away his things, he joined the others in the main room. The conversation was lively, with Fan Yanxing’s chatty nature contributing to the atmosphere. Liang Junqiang added to the conversation, making it even more engaging.

When discussing the recent heavy repair work, Fan Yanxing had plenty to share about his experience with the village rescue team.

“Trees as thick as my waist were snapped in half by the floodwaters. It took a dozen of us to move them. I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

“That’s nothing. The road north of the village was washed away, The woman from the old Deng family happened to pass by there and was almost crushed under the loess. Fortunately, she managed to escape in time.”

“And who knows when this rain will stop.”

At this moment, Liang Qingqing and Wang Xiaomei came over with a kettle and bowls. Liang Qingqing casually remarked, “It’s probably going to rain for another three days.”

After she said that, she paused and noticed everyone looking at her. She quickly smiled and changed the subject, “Just a guess, hahaha. Anyway, you’ve all worked hard these days. I’ve made a pot of mint syrup. Please, have a taste.”

“I had a couple of sips earlier, and it tastes really good,” Wang Xiaomei praised generously, then handed out a bowl to everyone. In those times, most households didn’t have dedicated water cups; people used bowls to drink, so they weren’t very particular.

Hearing Wang Xiaomei’s praise, everyone was eager to try it.

“If it’s made by my daughter, it must be delicious,” Liang Xueyong said enthusiastically, praising it before even tasting it. Liang Qingqing gave him a playful glare and said, “Then you should drink more, Dad.”

“Alright, alright,” Liang Xueyong responded with a grin, nodding repeatedly.

After serving Liang Xueyong, Liang Qingqing stepped aside and walked directly to Fan Yanxing. He held his bowl steady, making it easy for her to pour the water.

“My dad and the others are going to help with the road on the west side of the village this afternoon. Fan Yanxing, aren’t you going too?”

Liang Qingqing’s clear voice, accompanied by the gentle sound of water, created a sense of them whispering to each other away from everyone.

Her slender arms, holding the kettle filled with water, revealed delicate veins that slightly stood out, giving an impression of softness and fragility, as if she had little strength.

“I’m going to continue working on the east side from this morning. It’s more severe there, and it hasn’t been cleared yet. I’ll probably be working there for another two days,” Fan Yanxing said, and just as his words ended, the sound of water stopped abruptly. Before Liang Qingqing could react, someone took the kettle from her hands.

“This is heavy. Let me help. You sit down,” Fan Yanxing said, taking the kettle and deftly turning to pour water for the others.

Seeing this, Liang Qingqing smiled and didn’t refuse Fan Yanxing’s thoughtfulness. She gazed at his back and said with a gentle smile, “Thank you, Fan Yanxing.”

“Mm.” Feeling the intense gaze from behind, Fan Yanxing did not turn around but merely nodded slightly.

The surrounding noise made the atmosphere between them suddenly feel delicate. Although they were growing farther apart, he felt increasingly close, so close that he could distinctly sense the warmth of her gaze.

Fan Yanxing’s body grew tense. He held his breath and forced himself to focus on the kettle, responding with a smile to the questions from others.

Fortunately, with Wang Xiaomei’s help, everyone soon got a bowl of mint syrup. He placed the kettle on the table and took his seat. Immediately, Liang Qingqing appeared from somewhere, plopping down in the empty seat next to him, looking at him with a beaming smile, and pointed at the bowl on the table with a slight lift of her chin.

“Fan Yanxing, you should try it.”

Her large, fox-like eyes sparkled with a mesmerizing light. Fan Yanxing dared not look at her for long. He pretended to be nonchalant, took a deep breath, and lifted the bowl to take a sip. Though he hadn’t had high hopes, the next moment he was wide-eyed and couldn’t help but drink a large gulp.

“How is it?” Liang Qingqing cupped her face with her hands, blinking her eyes nervously yet expectantly. She already knew the answer from Fan Yanxing’s reaction, but would she say it outright herself? Of course not.

Such a good opportunity; she was waiting for Fan Yanxing to compliment her spontaneously!

Hearing the question, Fan Yanxing removed his lips from the bowl, slowly lifted his gaze to meet hers. The air seemed to pause for a moment. His throat bobbed as he swallowed, his voice a bit hoarse. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly. Perhaps Liang Qingqing didn’t realize that her eyes were filled with confidence, far from the nervousness she was trying to show.

Seeing her like this made Fan Yanxing want to tease her, but he couldn’t bear to see a disappointed expression on her pretty face. So, he simply said, “The taste is excellent. I didn’t expect you to have such skill.”

As soon as he finished speaking, her expression immediately turned smug. “Hmph, you don’t know the half of it. You’ll discover more over time.”

“Over time?” Fan Yanxing pondered these words.

“What are you two whispering about?” Liang Junqiang, who was sitting on the other side of Fan Yanxing, leaned over with curiosity. He had been observing them for a while, but they hadn’t spared him a glance, so he had no choice but to speak up to make his presence known.

“We’re not talking about anything.” Liang Qingqing spoke before Fan Yanxing could respond, making a playful face. “It’s a secret between me and Fan Yanxing.”

Even though they were simply discussing the syrup’s taste, Liang Qingqing made it sound like something extraordinary.

Fan Yanxing sometimes admired Liang Qingqing’s ability to turn black into white and white into black.

“Huh? What secret could be so important that I can’t know?” Liang Junqiang pressed for details, but Liang Qingqing evaded him with a smile and went off to the kitchen.