Chapter 60 Even Out
Shen Yi's gaze unconsciously fell on her slightly moving red lips. His Adam's apple bobbed, and he said nervously, "Of course I won't!"
"That's good!" Liu Zhixia breathed a sigh of relief, then looked up at him with a sly glint in her eyes, deliberately speaking in a bold tone, "Don't worry, I won't force you to take responsibility. If anyone should be responsible, it should be me! So, this time, I plan to add extra meat to the thank-you gift! I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"
Shen Yi could no longer suppress his smile and let it spread wide: "Good. I trust your cooking skills. The pickled vegetables last time were delicious."
Liu Zhixia's long eyelashes fluttered, and she looked at him with feigned surprise: "You ate it? I thought you had to hand it over to the authorities. I was just regretting that you wouldn't get to taste my cooking. Speaking of which, thanks to you for reminding me about the black market incident last time."
“That jar of pickled vegetables later saved my life.” Shen Yi looked at her with a serious expression. “So, we’re even.”
Liu Zhixia smiled: "Really? That's good."
They walked in silence, enduring the curious gazes of the entire village, until they reached the Liu family's door.
"I'm home. Comrade Shen, thank you for bringing me back."
"Okay." Shen Yi nodded, glanced at the courtyard, but showed no intention of going in. "Then I'll go back first. Remember, don't go up the mountain alone again."
"good!"
As Shen Yi watched her walk into the courtyard and close the gate, a strong urge welled up inside him, making him want to follow her in.
He stood at the door for a long time before reluctantly turning to leave.
After taking a few steps, he was stunned.
What were you doing just now?
Even though I've already decided to keep my distance from her, why am I secretly hoping she'll call me in?
But why do we have to keep our distance? Can't we just...?
Shen Yi took a deep breath, forcibly shaking off the strange thoughts in his mind, and quickly walked towards the foot of the mountain.
As soon as Liu Zhixia entered the house, she was met with the meaningful gazes of her entire family.
Without a doubt, it was my sister-in-law who spilled everything that happened last night.
Liu Zhixia ignored them completely, bent down to look at the two children, Da Bao and Er Bao, and said with a smile, "Do you want some candy? Auntie has some candy here."
The two little ones immediately followed her into the house.
She took out a few White Rabbit milk candies from the house and handed them to the children, then ate one herself.
Speaking of which, this candy was the one Shen Yi sent over last time...
Zhang Xiuying followed closely behind and pulled her aside, asking worriedly, "Girl, what...what are you thinking?"
“Mother,” Liu Zhixia’s cheeks flushed slightly, “Don’t ask anymore, I don’t want to talk about this.”
"So... hasn't Comrade Shen given any indication?"
"What kind of statement does he need to make?" Liu Zhixia's face darkened. "He saved me out of kindness, and he didn't take advantage of me last night, which shows he's an upright person. We can't just try to take advantage of him because he's a good person, can we?"
Zhang Xiuying sighed, her eyes full of regret: "That's true. I just felt that it's not easy to find such a good person, and I wanted you to seize the opportunity."
Scenes of her time with Shen Yi flashed through Liu Zhixia's mind.
Good character, handsome, promising future, and great physique...
But am I really worthy of him?
Being able to be reborn and reunite with her family is enough for her; she dares not ask for more.
She pulled herself together, her eyes hardening with unwavering resolve: "Mother, after what happened with Lu Huaiyuan, I've figured things out. I don't want to think about marriage right now; I just want to lead our whole family to a better life!"
Looking at her daughter's unprecedentedly serious eyes, Zhang Xiuying swallowed back all the words of advice she wanted to say, leaving only a heart full of heartache.
What kind of injustice did this child suffer to become like this...?
She couldn't help but feel regretful.
I should never have let my daughter get engaged to the Lu family.
I originally thought that if my daughter married into the brigade leader's family, she would at least have enough to eat...
"Alright!" She nodded emphatically, her eyes welling up with tears. "I won't try to persuade you anymore! My daughter, you've really grown up!"
Liu Zhixia laughed happily, then snuggled into her mother's arms like a child, saying sweetly, "Waaah, Mom is so good!"
The two little ones next to her followed suit, each hugging one of Zhang Xiuying's legs and calling out in their childish voices, "Grandma is so nice!"
Zhang Xiuying burst into laughter, amused: "Good boy/girl! Good boy/girl! Grandma will cook you lots of meat later!"
Shen Yi returned to Lu Kai's house and lay on the bed, but his mind was filled with Liu Zhixia's image, which he couldn't shake off, making him feel very upset.
Xu Zhigang walked in from outside, plopped down next to him, and loudly complained, "I've seen through it all! These villagers are really good at gossiping!"
"What's wrong?"
"There's a rumor going around that you and Comrade Liu were in the mountains... and then Comrade Liu cried and begged you to take responsibility! It's all so detailed and believable, I almost believed it if I hadn't been with you all the way!"
Shen Yi's eyes narrowed, and a cold smile appeared on his lips: "Perhaps, this rumor really did come from the mountain."
"Are you stupid?" Xu Zhigang didn't react. "When did Comrade Liu say any of this when we met her on the mountain?"
Shen Yi gave him a disdainful look: "Use your brain. Just because we didn't say it doesn't mean others didn't."
Xu Zhigang suddenly realized: "Oh! It's that Gu Zhiqing! She was beaten up by Comrade Liu and was resentful, so she went down the mountain and started spreading rumors everywhere!"
He grew angrier the more he thought about it: "Good heavens! Is this wicked woman really not afraid that we'll expose all the dirty deeds she's done?"
"Don't be impulsive." Shen Yi grabbed him. "The reason Comrade Liu didn't expose it was because he wanted to lock up Gu Zhiqing and Lu Huaiyuan together and get rid of the problem once and for all."
"We can't let Comrade Liu's reputation be ruined like this!" Xu Zhigang exclaimed anxiously. "Now everyone outside is laughing at her for trying to get close to you, and saying you don't want to take responsibility! I'm telling you, Lao Shen, you really have to take responsibility for this! You have to find a way to smooth things over!"
Shen Yi did not reply and fell into deep thought.
In the other room, Lu Kai also found his mother.
"Mother, did you hear what people in the village were saying about Xia and Shen?"
Aunt Zhou sighed deeply: "I heard you. If it were any other time, I would have yelled back!"
"Then why aren't you going today? We can't let those gossipy women ruin Xia's reputation!"
Aunt Zhou looked up at her son and smiled: "You know it's about 'Xia Xia and Shen'. If the two people involved aren't worried, why should we be? Besides, this was caused by your cousin, and you've just been promoted to battalion commander. It's not appropriate for us to take the lead."
"Then I'll go find Old Shen and ask him to go to the brigade tomorrow to clarify things!"
"Don't meddle!" Aunt Zhou grabbed her son. "If the water's muddy, you can't touch it. Let it settle on its own. If you stir it up, it'll only get muddier. Listen to your mother, I know what I'm doing."
She could see clearly that there were feelings between the two children, but they hadn't confessed them yet. Shen Yi's departure gave her son a chance. If she were to push them together now, she might just end up putting them together!
This matter must absolutely not be touched!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com