Chapter 68 Her gaze had long since shifted from scrutiny and observation to…

Yu Jing didn't know whether she was first shocked by Li Linshi's death, or shocked that Li Linshi was already married, or rather... she was more shocked that Li Linshi got married after his death.

The other two female educated youths at the settlement came to the Tonggan Production Team last May, earlier than Li Linshi returned home, so they were the ones who witnessed all the things that happened afterward.

Yu Jing then learned about Li Linshi's selfless act of saving someone and how Zhong Ying, out of gratitude, married him and remained a widow after his death.

It's just that Chen Lina and Yang Meijuan were biased, so they unconsciously embellished their words with subjective artistic embellishment, describing the cause of events as tragic and moving, and portraying Zhong Ying's behavior as affectionate and righteous.

So much so that the first thought that popped into Yu Jing's mind after hearing this was: He loves her so much! And she loves her so much too!

Yu Jing's father was Li Linshi's teacher in college, and it was through this connection that she got to know Li Linshi.

Who could dislike Li Linshi? He's good-looking, intelligent, self-disciplined, rational, and seems gentle, although you only realize that this gentleness is just a very polite way of treating strangers once you get close to him.

Yu Jing never hid her feelings for him, and Li Linshi never accepted them, even though he could change his life and stay in the city if he just nodded, and even get help to be assigned a good job, but these were not what he wanted.

He explained the differences between the two of them clearly, almost coldly, and then immediately returned to his hometown after graduation.

Due to the chaotic situation, the job placement of graduates became stagnant and slow. Only a very small number of people were able to be assigned to work units, research institutes, or stay at the university. The rest went to factories to work as laborers, while others had to go to the countryside to receive labor re-education.

Yu Jing comes from a good family background, and she could easily be one of the very few lucky ones, but she is unwilling to accept it. She wants to try again no matter what. Why does Li Linshi assume that she is a different kind of person from him? She, Yu Jing, can also endure hardship!

Unable to persuade his daughter, the father had no choice but to agree to Yu Jing's decision to go to the countryside. He tried his best to arrange for her to work in the Tonggan production team, thinking that since this was Li Linshi's hometown, he wouldn't have to worry about his daughter being bullied by the locals. He also asked Han Yanqun, who grew up in the same compound, to go to the countryside with Yu Jing so that the two of them could take care of each other along the way.

Throughout the journey, on the old-fashioned train and the long-distance bus, Yu Jing repeatedly rehearsed in her mind how she should behave when she met Li Linshi. Yu Jing wanted to make one last attempt; even if she failed, she wanted Li Linshi to realize that she was not some delicate flower raised in a greenhouse.

They came with great ambition, but they never expected that the person would already be gone.

Yu Jing's expression was blank. Could someone as clear-headed and indifferent as Li Linshi really risk his life to save another person?

"Did they... grow up together since they were little?" Yu Jing asked, her throat dry.

Chen Lina nodded without hesitation, "Of course, they were all born in this village. I've noticed that the children in the village, who are about the same age, spend all their time playing together."

The four words in bold capital letters resurfaced in Yu Jing's mind: childhood sweethearts.

She murmured, "No wonder..."

So that's the real reason Li Linshi kept rejecting her—he already had someone he liked…

Yu Jing's ability to fill in the blanks was just as strong as everyone else in the Tonggan Production Team, and as a result, only the two people involved knew the truth.

A poignant love story? In reality, it's all a scheme.

Is it a gesture of loyalty and devotion to another? Or is it simply an escape from the constraints of marriage and children?

Childhood sweethearts? Zhong Ying grew up playing with her brother, while Zhong Cheng never got along with Li Linshi, so it's as if Zhong Ying never played with Li Linshi.

Seeing that the newly arrived female educated youth seemed dazed, staring blankly at the large communal bed in the room and remaining silent for a long time, Yang Meijuan assumed that she was frightened by the harsh environment in the countryside, so she comforted her, saying, "Actually, it's quite good in the Tonggan Production Team."

Yu Jing didn't really take those words to heart at the time, but later, she thought the same way every day in the Tonggan production team.

——

After the wheat harvest, green seedlings sprouted again in the fields. In July, after the busy farming season, corn entered its growth period. In the morning, the production team went out to carry out field management work such as thinning seedlings, applying fertilizer, and watering. In the afternoon, they still went to reclaim wasteland.

The sweat dried in the hot sun, condensing into tiny grains of salt that stuck to his temples. Han Yanqun didn't bother to wipe it away; he simply put the basket on his back on the ground and quickly walked over to help Yu Jing.

The land reclamation progressed to a mountain gully. The mountain ridge had to be leveled and the deep gully filled in before it could be transformed into flat farmland. The terrain was complex, and the thorn rollers were useless. They had to rely entirely on manpower to dig, carry, and fill the land.

The stones that were dug out were to be thrown away, and the soil was to be used to fill the ditches, but both the stones and the soil were quite heavy. Yu Jing had never carried such a heavy basket before, and she couldn't get it on her back no matter what she did. But she quickly came up with a solution: she first sat on the ground, put the basket on her back, and then knelt down to stand up.

Yu Jing walked forward with her basket on her back, her gaze passing over Han Yanqun who was walking anxiously towards her, and landing on Zhong Ying, who was a little further away, wielding a hoe and shoveling the ground.

These days, Yu Jing's mindset has shifted from "letting Li Linshi see that I'm not a coward" to "I want to see what kind of person he likes." Whenever Zhong Ying appears, Yu Jing's gaze is drawn to her.

The summer sun was scorching, and Zhong Ying, like everyone else, worked under its rays. Her skin was tanned quite dark, but she was still very beautiful. Someone next to her said something to her, and she looked up and smiled, her brows relaxed, her whole being like the purest wind forged in the mountains, soaring freely.

Yu Jing herself didn't realize that her gaze had long since shifted from scrutiny and observation to appreciation.

In addition, after learning more and more about the events that had happened in the Tonggan production team in the past few days, Zhong Ying proved to be a truly competent women's team leader.

Avoiding Han Yanqun's hand, Yu Jing insisted on doing it herself, but whispered a sentence to him, somewhat dejected yet convinced, "I finally understand why Li Linshi likes her, she really is very good."

Han Yanqun moved behind her to help carry the basket, and said earnestly, "You're very good too."

As the one being observed, Zhong Ying naturally had some feelings about it. Moreover, like everyone else in the production team, she was also observing these newly arrived educated youth.

After finishing work and having a quick dinner, people washed away their fatigue and went back to their rooms to rest.

“I should help you.” Li Linshi frowned as he saw the bright red marks on Zhong Ying’s smooth shoulders from the basket, some of which had even chafed the skin.

Zhong Ying handed him the mercurochrome, saying, "Help me apply this; I can't see it."

She nimbly lay down on the bed, rolled up the soft blanket and pressed it under herself, giving off a "go ahead and do as you please" attitude.

Once the slightly cool medicine was applied to her skin, Zhong Ying continued Li Linshi's words, "It can't be that everyone else is giving it their all while I'm 'cheating,' can it?"

“Although it’s been tough,” Zhong Ying said, raising her arm and clenching her fist to reveal her strong arm muscles, which dispelled her mental fatigue. “But it’s definitely a great workout. I feel like I’m now as fit as a cheetah and as strong as a female eagle.”

This was the first time Li Linshi had heard the words "cheetah," "female eagle," and "woman" associated together.

Zhong Ying continued, "And I saw that Yu, the educated youth, had just arrived at the production team and was already gritting his teeth and persevering."

"She looks so delicate and frail, but her willpower is incredibly strong. Even Chen and Yang, the other educated youths, didn't adapt as quickly when they first arrived." Zhong Ying recalled Yu Jing's appearance and couldn't help but sigh, "I'm starting to like her, and you don't?"

On the very night the new educated youth were brought back, Li Linshi told Zhong Ying everything about his connection with the three men without any hesitation.

Zhong Ying wasn't one to dwell on the past, especially since Li Linshi and Yu Jing had only a casual relationship that hadn't even begun. She wasn't questioning her; it was simply a heartfelt sigh. How heartless must Li Linshi be to reject such a good girl?

Li Linshi pursed his lips, "I don't like it."

He doesn't like Yu Jing.

I don't like Zhong Ying asking that question either.

It's as if his affection is something he gives away very easily, and the person who receives it doesn't cherish it as much as he thought.

Li Linshi doesn't deny that Yu Jing is a good girl, but there are many other good girls like her. Should he reciprocate the same affection to everyone who likes him?

Why didn't Zhong Ying reciprocate with the same love?

Li Linshi understood that Zhong Ying had only asked casually and didn't really care.

But he preferred that Zhong Ying repeatedly demand a word of affirmation, just as he himself was preoccupied with it.

Zhong Ying had told him about another timeline where she was still unmarried at twenty-seven, yet she knew so much. Had she done such intimate things with other men? Li Linshi struggled to suppress these thoughts, but sometimes he couldn't help wondering if he had done better than other men. Had she ever, for a moment, longed for the burning, vibrant feeling of their bodies pressed together?

Li Linshi was only troubled by his own misery, while the one who started it all had already fallen asleep on the quilt at some unknown time.

In an instant, anger surfaced in Li Linshi's dark eyes.

Li Linshi was angry at her heartlessness, angry that she wasn't as possessive as he was, and angry that she didn't love him as much.

Zhong Ying had only been asleep for a short while when she suddenly felt a cold sensation on her back, as if a block of ice was sliding down her spine, past the curve of her waist, and then... coldly piercing into the softest part of her body.

The sudden interaction of cold and heat triggered a rapid tightening of the physiological reflex, startling Zhong Ying and waking her up instantly.

Summer nights are hot, and Zhong Ying has recently started sleeping in just one shirt. Before going to bed, she half-undresses to apply medicine, which makes it easier for Li Linshi to move around.

Zhong Ying turned her head and saw Li Linshi's handsome face, half-lit and half-shadowed by the moonlight, looking somewhat indifferent, which was completely opposite to the actions in his hands.

"What are you doing?" Zhong Ying frowned and glared at him. "Are you crazy?"

Li Linshi said, "Don't worry, it's just a finger."

Fingers were no good either; they were as cold as icicles, stimulating the soft flesh back and forth. Zhong Ying couldn't take it anymore and tried to struggle to sit up. She had only crawled forward one step when a hand with strong finger bones and pale skin pressed down on her waist. At the same time, a second finger forcefully joined in without any room for argument.

Feeling a chill run down her spine, Zhong Ying clenched her fists on the bed, struggling to hold back her gasps that threatened to spill from her throat.

At this point, Zhong Ying could easily tell that Li Linshi was angry, but she wondered why he was suddenly angry.

Unable to figure it out, Zhong Ying asked directly, "You... why are you angry?"

Li Linshi didn't answer, but instead bent his fingers together and rubbed them forward with his knuckles, which made Zhong Ying whimper and bury her head in the quilt as if trying to escape.

The hand that had been pressing on his waist moved to the gap between his body and the blanket, slipping inside to cup his rounded breasts. Li Linshi leaned down, his cool kiss landing on his back, which was beaded with sweat. His voice was deep, carrying a chilling gloom, "Am I good? Am I better than other men? Cold and hot are completely different feelings, right? I feel it... You like it just the same..."

Zhong Ying wondered if she was lacking oxygen, otherwise why couldn't she understand what Li Linshi was saying?

She turned her head to the side to catch her breath, and after a while, she realized what was going on. Zhong Ying was so angry she almost laughed. "You're angry about this? There's no one else. For the first twenty-seven years and now for the next twenty-two, it's all been just you."

Zhong Ying had considered it, but she was too busy with work in modern times, and she didn't have the time or patience to gradually enter into an intimate relationship. However, she felt that men who could be easily obtained were too dirty, so she preferred to remain single rather than settle for less.

Li Linshi paused, then finally asked the question that had been bothering him, "...Then why do you know so much?"

"Please, the future isn't an era where only practice makes perfect. You can see the world just by going online," Zhong Ying said irritably. "I've seen foreign celebrities' huge, thick genitals."

Li Linshi was shocked. He fell silent, then straightened up without a word and looked down. His erect penis was right next to Zhong Ying's leg.

Men often catch glimpses of other men's bodies when they go to the toilet. Li Linshi had never paid attention to this before. Even without deliberately comparing, he knew that his size was probably above average and not small. He had never been bothered by such things.

But after hearing Zhong Ying's words, Li Linshi began to doubt himself, since he didn't look like he was "as thick as a child's arm".

He couldn't help but look up again. Could something that thick be inserted into a place that could be filled with just two fingers?

Li Linshi tentatively added his ring finger as well. Hmm, it's very flexible; maybe it will work.

Zhong Ying wanted to scream, but couldn't she be less extreme?

Either you don't get enough to eat, or you eat until you're stuffed?

Zhong Ying adjusted her breathing, feeling that this was her limit. She couldn't help but turn around to look at Li Linshi, hoping that his physical attributes wouldn't be as bad as she had imagined, or she would be scared.

Li Linshi noticed her movement, grabbed Zhong Ying's arm, scooped her up, and made her sit on his lap.

As the movement changed, his private parts were naturally covered by Zhong Ying sitting on them.

The fine beads of sweat on her back mingled with the uncontrollable water droplets seeping from his chest.

A wet, sticky liquid dripped down, and the fingers that had been withdrawn were replaced with others to rub against the outside of the skin, the movements much gentler than before, even slow to the point of being somewhat agonizing...

Therefore, Zhong Ying quickly forgot what she had just wanted to do.

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The author says: I'm coming clean, the "grinding" in the title is a verb.

The second update will be at 9 PM tonight.