Chapter 13 Holding Him

Chapter Thirteen: Holding Him

The farm will be closed for one day during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Before dawn, the distant mountain ridges were just beginning to take on a pale orange hue, and the open space on the farm was already bustling with activity.

A large pot was set up in the center of the threshing ground, filled with water, and firewood crackled and popped at the bottom. Some people were sharpening knives, while others were adding firewood.

While the men were busy slaughtering pigs, the women in the kitchen were equally engaged, grinding tofu with a millstone.

After making the tofu pudding, Lin Su took her enamel cup, filled it halfway, and went to Zhou Yunqi to ask for white sugar.

Xu Yaodong also made him some tofu pudding, and seeing Lin Su, he simply asked Lin Su to deliver it to him.

Lin Su asked curiously, "Aren't you going to add sugar?"

"I'm fine with salty food too."

Lin Su: "Then could you add salt for the manager while you're at it?"

Xu Yaodong looked at this clueless person and forced a smile: "Ask the boss if he'll add it."

He left as soon as he finished speaking, leaving Lin Su completely confused. Wasn't his boss supposed to eat salty food?

At Zhou Yunqi's place, Lin Su asked, "Farm manager, would you like some savory tofu pudding?"

Zhou Yunqi hummed in agreement.

Lin Su: "Then I'll go get you some salt."

After saying that, he ran to the kitchen and brought back a bowl with some salt.

Zhou Yunqi glanced at the tofu pudding in her enamel cup and asked if she wanted more. Lin Su nodded, so Zhou Yunqi gave her some and then added salt to his own bowl.

Lin Su asked incredulously, "Why do you like salty tofu pudding?"

Zhou Yunqi countered, "Why don't you ask why you eat sweets?"

"Because I think sweet things taste good," Lin Su said. "Can you eat sweets?"

The man was slightly speechless: "What kind of question is that? Why can't I eat it? Is it because I'm allergic? It's just a matter of eating habits."

"Okay, but I won't eat savory tofu pudding."

Lin Su was about to leave with her tofu pudding when Zhou Yunqi came out with a package of ham and mooncakes. He unwrapped the oil paper packaging and said, "This is breakfast. Eat it here."

Lin Su said, "Okay, thank you, boss."

Zhou Yunqi: "..."

After a while, he said, "You might as well just call me by my full name."

Lin Su chuckled: "It's all because I've heard Xu Yaodong say it so much, it's been subtly influenced."

She was sitting at the small square table eating mooncakes when Xu Yaodong slipped over again and asked, "Boss, are you going out today?"

"There are still a few places where I haven't sent holiday gifts yet, so I have to make a trip there."

Xu Yaodong also took a bite of a mooncake: "Okay, then you can come back for dinner tonight."

"Go back, the proper Mid-Autumn Festival dinner is tonight."

As Zhou Yunqi spoke, he glanced at Lin Su and said, "You study here during the day."

Lin Su nodded: "Okay."

She only read for a while in the morning, and after lunch, she went to the mountain to pick mushrooms with everyone.

An experienced woman said that it had rained a few days ago, so there must be mushrooms on the mountain. Lin Su originally didn't want to go, but when she thought about how the mushroom poisoning incidents had later become a hot topic online, she gladly went.

As they walked, they asked, "What if we find poisonous mushrooms?"

The older woman said, "Don't worry, I know them. There are only a few kinds of mushrooms on the mountains around here that you can't eat."

Lin Su then asked, "Did you see any blue lilies?"

"We don't have Boletus luridus here. Even if we do, it's fine as long as it's cooked thoroughly."

Some people say, "The Boletus luridus is delicious; it's the best-tasting of all mushrooms."

Lin Su chatted with everyone as they entered the mountains.

She was worried that touching some branches and leaves might cause an allergic reaction, so she didn't dare to go into the bushes. Instead, she used a stick to poke at the pine needles piled on the ground and luckily found a few mung bean mushrooms. She asked the people around her before picking any mushrooms she didn't recognize to make sure they were edible.

When we got back, it was already past six o'clock. The kitchen was filled with the aroma of meat, which we could smell even from the farm gate.

The jeep was parked on the concrete. Zhou Yunqi looked at her, who was covered in dirt, with two streaks of indistinct yellowish-gray mud on her fair face, her hair disheveled, and she was still holding that stick in her hand, looking like a little beggar. He frowned and asked, "Did you fall?"

Lin Su said awkwardly, "The grass was too slippery when I was going downhill, and I slipped and fell."

He added, "She wasn't injured."

Zhou Yunqi shook his head: "You look so disheveled, yet you've collected a lot of mushrooms?"

"They picked a lot, but I only picked a few mung bean mushrooms, two open-capped fire mushrooms, and two morel mushrooms."

He nodded and said, "They're all good mushrooms. Eat more tonight."

Lin Su felt unwell and said, "I'm going to take a shower."

While she was taking a bath, several capable older women poured the mushrooms they had picked into a large basin to wash them.

...

Around 7 p.m., a full moon hung high in the sky, its light pouring down like water. Three tables were set up in the area outside the kitchen, laden with dishes such as pork rib and radish soup, pig's blood soup, stir-fried pork, braised pork, stir-fried pickled green beans and mushrooms, and green vegetables. Dozens of people were gathered around the tables for their meal. There weren't enough chairs and tables, so some people ate standing up.

Zhou Yunqi sat at a table with the deputy director and several other men. Accountant Li brought a bottle of rice wine, saying it was brewed in the village and gave it to him. Zhou Yunqi then instructed Xu Yaodong to bring out two bottles of baijiu from his office.

When Xu Yaodong placed the two bottles of baijiu on the table, everyone exclaimed, "It's Moutai!"

Zhou Yunqi said, "It was a gift from someone else. I don't drink much, but everyone should try it during the festival."

There were so many people who wanted to try it that everyone could only get a small bite.

Lin Su enjoyed the meal very much. She felt that everything was delicious. The stir-fried green beans and mushrooms were especially tasty and went well with rice. She ate a lot of rice.

Around 8 o'clock, the moon gradually climbed to the top of the sky. The tables in the courtyard were tidied up and put together, with mooncakes, pomelos, oranges, melon seeds, and other treats laid out on them.

After Lin Su finished washing the dishes, she came over to enjoy the moon with everyone.

Upon arriving, she noticed Xu Yaodong's flushed face and couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Your face is so red."

Xu Yaodong smiled and replied, "Full of energy."

Lin Su: "..."

Someone laughed and replied, "Why did it fall through again?"

Xu Yaodong: "It's a wax coating to prevent cold!"

Everyone burst into laughter, except for Lin Su, who was completely bewildered: "What do you mean?"

I feel like I've missed something.

Wang Ping said, "Haven't you heard of Xiao Lin?"

Lin Su shook her head honestly.

"He's reciting Yang Zirong's lines."

Lin Su looked at Wang Ping: "Yang Zirong from 'Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy'?"

"Yeah, haven't you seen this movie?"

"No."

"They are talking about the dialogue between Yang Zirong and the bandits."

Lin Su chuckled: "I see."

It turns out to be a popular line from this era, but she just didn't understand the reference.

Zhou Yunqi said, "Dongzi can't drink alcohol; he gets flushed after just a couple of cups. Susu, pour him a cup of tea."

Lin Su: "Oh."

She only came to her senses after responding. Zhou Yunqi had never called her Susu before. At most, he would call her Xiaolin or Lin Su, but he rarely used that title.

But that's alright, many people in the audience call her Susu.

Lin Su quickly poured a cup of tea and handed it to Xu Yaodong.

Someone took out a deck of cards and sat down at the table to play.

Some people were drinking tea and chatting on the side.

Lin Su went to the restroom halfway through. When she went to wash her hands, Xu Yaodong was splashing water on her face, seemingly trying to cool it down.

She couldn't help but say, "Brother Dong, I didn't expect you to get flushed so easily when you drink."

Xu Yaodong snorted, "Otherwise, what would the boss be doing with me? Sometimes he has to go out for business and drink a little, so I'm responsible for driving him."

Lin Su nodded, "I understand. If he returns to Beijing in the future, you can be his driver too."

When this topic was brought up, Xu Yaodong suddenly stood up straight, paused, and called out, "Xiao Lin, I have a question for you."

Lin Su rarely saw him so serious, and was taken aback for a moment: "What is it?"

“What would happen if the eldest brother stayed here temporarily while you went back to Beijing?” he said. “After all, there’s a sugar factory here. If he goes back to Beijing, he’ll abandon everything he owns here.”

Lin Su replied, "I understand. The manager told me before that he would return to Beijing, but it might not be so soon."

Having a rare opportunity to talk about him privately, Lin Su asked, "Is the factory manager worried that after returning to Beijing, he won't have any backing and will have to start from scratch on his own? I heard that his parents have passed away."

Xu Yaodong said, "Yes, they're all gone. If his father had persisted until now, I don't know what position he would have reached, but even if he didn't help at all, it would have been easy for the eldest brother to do whatever he wanted."

"Yes." In the capital, if you want to accomplish something, sometimes ability isn't the most important thing; connections are.

Lin Su looked at Xu Yaodong and asked a question she had wanted to ask for a long time: "Brother Dong, how did his father pass away?"

Xu Yaodong said, "When I went home to visit my family last year, I inquired about it. It is said that his father had been injured and was in poor health. At that time, things were very chaotic, and he was questioned. His condition also worsened, and he passed away."

"And what about his mother?"

"His mother was a teacher, and she committed suicide not long after."

Lin Su: "..."

"She's a middle school Chinese teacher, and her eldest son's name was given to him by his mother," Xu Yaodong remarked.

Lin Su felt a slight pang in her heart.

In that instant, she understood why he had that look in his eyes when she told her about the origin of his name during their first meeting. Perhaps, at that moment, he had thought of his mother.

After Xu Yaodong finished speaking, he looked at Lin Su and said seriously, "The eldest brother doesn't like to talk about his parents, so don't let it slip."

Lin Su agreed, but felt very uncomfortable inside.

“Actually, the eldest brother could have returned to Beijing a long time ago. When he was sent to the countryside, it was a kind of protection from his old leaders in Beijing. If he wanted to go back, he could have easily done so. But he didn’t choose to go back, probably because he has his own plans. So, if he can’t go back with you, I hope you can understand him.”

Lin Su returned to the place where she had been admiring the moon with a heavy heart, but did not see Zhou Yunqi. She asked Accountant Li, who said that Zhou Yunqi had been there just a moment ago.

She looked around and saw a tall man leaning against the door of the jeep. In the bright moonlight, his figure was equally elegant and upright. He held a cigarette between his fingers, its orange glow flickering in the night. He tilted his head slightly back, exhaling a puff of smoke into the night sky, which was quickly dispersed by the cool autumn breeze.

It turns out that he also has such a lonely and quiet side.

What was he thinking at that moment? Perhaps he was missing his deceased parents. He was born into a privileged family and had a happy life; at this age, his life might have been very different.

Lin Su called out, "Manager."

Zhou Yunqi turned his head and looked over, chuckling, "Why did you come over? I left my lighter in the car, so I came to get it and, while I was at it, admire the moon."

Lin Su stopped two meters away from him and looked up at the man.

Zhou Yunqi: "Did you need something?"

She truly didn't understand this man.

She truly didn't know why she had come to find him.

Lin Su shook her head slightly: "It's nothing."

Zhou Yunqi exhaled a puff of smoke, threw the cigarette butt on the ground and stomped it out, then casually asked, "Missing home?"

Lin Su: "I don't miss home."

It felt like her throat was stuffed with cotton, and her heart was heavy with a stone, making it difficult for her to breathe and leaving her feeling depressed.

With a click of his tongue, Zhou Yunqi's eyes brightened: "You don't have to think about your stepmother at home, but you can think about your hometown, right? Want to go back to Beijing?"

Lin Su did not respond.

"Why are you unhappy?" Zhou Yunqi's eyes were still smiling. "Come here."

Lin Su stepped closer, raised his hand to touch her head, and smoothed her already dry hair. He chuckled and said, "What are you worried about? After you finish teaching this semester, I'll find a way to get you back to Beijing and settle down next year. After all, the college entrance exam is less difficult in Beijing, and it will be more beneficial for you to get into a university in the capital."

The more relaxed he spoke, the heavier Lin Su felt.

She lowered her head and held back her tears.

The next moment, Lin Su could no longer hold back and threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly.

Zhou Yunqi: "..."

A note from the author:

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