Upon hearing this, Li Erhua rolled her eyes at her husband and replied irritably, "I know! All you ever do is nag, nag, nag. Don't you see how handsome that young man is? What's wrong with me taking a second look? Does that mean I can't even appreciate someone good-looking like you?"

After saying that, the couple bickered as they walked towards the field to prepare for work.

Meanwhile, following the route indicated by Li Erhua, Dai Xingyun soon found the carpenter's house without any problems.

He stepped forward, raised his hand and gently knocked on the door, then stood quietly to the side and waited patiently.

Time passed slowly, and after about two minutes, a sound finally came from inside the house.

Then, with a creak, the door slowly opened...

"Who are you? What brings you to my house? Is there something you need?" The carpenter asked, looking at the unfamiliar face before him.

He already had a vague idea in his mind, but he still couldn't help wanting to confirm it.

Without waiting for a reply, he continued, "Oh, I guess you must be one of the new educated youth? Come on in!"

Upon hearing this, Dai Xingyun, who was standing at the door, quickly replied, "Uncle, you're really amazing! You guessed it right away! I'd like to exchange two wardrobes for clothes and a washbasin stand." With that, he stepped into the house.

As soon as he entered, Dai Xingyun's eyes were drawn to several wooden basins placed in the corner.

After examining the wooden basin closely, he decided to buy three more to keep as spares.

In addition, he saw a large basin used for washing clothes. Remembering that there was a well in the educated youth compound where he could draw water for washing clothes, he bought the basin without hesitation.

After selecting all the necessary items, Dai Xingyun turned to the carpenter and asked with a smile, "Uncle, is this all I have? Would it be convenient for you to deliver it to the educated youth compound?"

"By the way, how much will it cost to exchange all these things?" he asked, pulling out a handful of loose bills from his pocket and clutching them tightly in his hand, waiting quietly for the carpenter to give him a price.

The carpenter took the items selected by Dai Xingyun, quickly estimated the price in his mind, and then replied unhurriedly, "Hmm... these things will cost a total of 15 yuan."

Upon hearing the number, Dai Xingyun did not hesitate at all, quickly counted out 15 yuan and handed it to the carpenter, his movements swift and efficient.

"Alright, you can go back now. I'll take it to the educated youth compound for you later." After confirming that the amount of money was correct, the carpenter waved his hand casually and said.

"Thank you, Uncle." Dai Xingyun nodded politely, then turned and slowly walked out.

As he walked, he couldn't help but start thinking about Shen Xiaoxiao. As he pondered, his steps unconsciously changed direction, and he began to slowly wander around the village.

After an unknown amount of time, Dai Xingyun, as if sleepwalking, unknowingly arrived at Shen Xiaoxiao's doorstep.

Just then, the tightly closed door was suddenly pulled open from the inside, and a petite figure appeared before them—it was Shen Xiaoxiao herself.

She seemed to be about to leave when she suddenly saw Dai Xingyun standing at the door, and she was clearly stunned: "You... how come you're here?"

Faced with this sudden question, Dai Xingyun remained calm and composed, and a sincere smile quickly appeared on his face.

"I just wanted to walk around and get familiar with the surroundings. I had just gotten here when you opened the door. What a coincidence, do you believe it?" As she spoke, she deliberately winked, as if afraid the other person wouldn't believe her.

Shen Xiaoxiao stared at Dai Xingyun for a long time. Seeing his calm expression and clear eyes, she finally nodded, indicating that she believed his words.

Seeing this, Dai Xingyun secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Then his gaze fell on the large basket on Shen Xiaoxiao's back, and he couldn't help but ask curiously, "What are you planning to do when you go out?"

As he spoke, his voice unconsciously lowered a few decibels.

Hearing this, Shen Xiaoxiao looked down at the basket on her back and replied softly, "Yes, I want to go up the mountain to gather some pig feed. I can exchange this for some work points with the team."

After saying that, he turned around and prepared to leave.

They hadn't gone far when Dai Xingyun suddenly spoke up and asked, "Comrade Shen, you must know my identity, right?"

His sudden, seemingly random question made Shen Xiaoxiao pause slightly.

After a slight hesitation, she replied softly, "Yes, I know, your name is Dai Xingyun."

However, Dai Xingyun shook his head and continued to approach step by step, while slowly saying, "You know that what I mean by asking is not this."

Faced with his pressing question, Shen Xiaoxiao simply shrugged and asked indifferently, "So what? Even if I understand the deeper meaning, can I change anything?"

Upon hearing this, Dai Xingyun was stunned, but a smile quickly appeared on his face as he replied self-deprecatingly, "Indeed, there's nothing we can do."

At this moment, Shen Xiaoxiao couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "He's quite handsome, and his smile is even more captivating. I wonder which woman he's trying to seduce with that look..."

Although her voice was very soft, Dai Xingyun, with his keen ears, still caught it. He immediately raised his eyebrows and asked, "What did you just say?"

Caught red-handed, Shen Xiaoxiao immediately felt guilty and hurriedly waved her hands to deny it, saying, "Ah, no... nothing!" But her shifty eyes had already betrayed her.

After a moment of silence, Shen Xiaoxiao finally broke the silence, unable to contain her questions any longer. "I know that as long as you are a certain distance from me, your body will be in excruciating pain."

"I imagine you haven't had a very smooth year. So, do you hate me?"

Seeing Shen Xiaoxiao's suddenly serious expression, Dai Xingyun's smile faded. "I've been doing alright these past few years. My family found me a master," Dai Xingyun said in a low voice.

"Therefore, I have not suffered too much over the years. It was only in the last month or so that I suffered a little because the seal was broken."

When Shen Xiaoxin heard Dai Xingyun say this, she realized that what he said was true.

Dai Xingyun paused for a moment before saying, "To say I hate you is really not an option, since none of this was your intention."

Dai Xingyun's gaze fell on Shen Xiaoxiao, his eyes revealing a hint of understanding and relief.

Shen Xiaoxiao stared at her quietly, seemingly trying to glean more information from her expression.

Thank you Ren Shangming, who loves curry shrimp, for your loving support!