At the moment when she lowered her head and pushed, she accidentally hooked her toes with the wrong force, and she let out a soft cry of "Ouch". She suddenly lost her balance and fell into the slope next to her.
Chen Changyuan reacted quickly, barely grabbed her wrist, and pulled her back to the ground.
As a result, when the two of them stood at the same time, they were surprised to find that they were so close that they could hear each other's breathing rhythm.
An Caicai's brows were originally furrowed due to the pain from her sprained ankle, but when she raised her eyes suddenly, she saw his face that was so close to her that she didn't know when.
Chen Changyuan was stunned for a moment, like a bystander who accidentally saw through other people's thoughts but didn't know whether to ask more questions, and he was reluctant to look away.
An Caicai suddenly felt her cheeks burning. She didn't know if it was the touch or the pain in her feet, but she muttered softly, "It's all your fault. You scared me so much that I wasn't paying attention to the road."
Chen Changyuan was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening and immediately felt at a loss for words: "Hey, that doesn't make sense. I was clearly saving you, otherwise you wouldn't have sprained your ankle, you'd probably have rolled into the haystack to celebrate."
The two looked at each other and suddenly laughed softly. The originally awkward atmosphere was swept away by this light-hearted banter.
But no one mentioned the strange tranquility of that moment, as if they all maintained a tacit silence of approval of each other's tacit understanding.
"Okay, enough teasing, how's your foot?"
Chen Changyuan squatted down and focused his eyes on An Caicai's ankle.
The area was already slightly swollen and purple. He gave it a quick check and was relieved after confirming it wasn't serious. He said softly, "You can't walk anymore? Then I'll carry you back to the village."
"ah?"
An Caicai's face flushed suddenly. Before she could refuse, she saw Chen Changyuan turned around neatly, half-knelt down and said to her in an unquestionable tone, "Come up."
"But……"
She bit her lip, and there was a hint of shy hesitation in her words, but she still lay on his back obediently.
Chen Changyuan's strong arms held her steadily. This kind of closeness after a long separation made An Caicai's heart beat inexplicably faster.
The night wind was cool, but the warmth from his body was hard to ignore.
Chen Changyuan's usual simple yet determined voice echoed in my ears: "My ideal may sound utopian, but I will definitely prove it to you. Even if someone laughs at me, the laughter will only be temporary."
Without the pressure of eye contact, An Caicai could now look at his profile without restraint, a slight smile appearing in her eyes. She replied softly, "Okay, then I'll just wait and see how dazzling your utopia becomes."
The figures of the two blended into the night, and the lonely moon seemed to add a bit of indescribable warmth.
However, they didn't know that all this fell into the eyes of Lin Xiaoya in the distance.
Standing behind the discarded pile of thatch, Lin Xiaoya gritted her teeth.
Her eyes were filled with jealousy and hatred, and the corners of the clothes in her hands were constantly entangled and torn, and even her knuckles turned white.
Chen Changyuan, the man she once waved goodbye to, has now become an existence beyond her reach.
And how could that woman named An Caicai stand beside him so easily?
Lin Xiaoya's chest heaved, she clenched her fists and turned away, secretly planning something in her mind.
She couldn't wait any longer. The opportunity was fleeting. There were certain things she couldn't lose so easily.
Chen Changyuan walked steadily step by step, An Caicai lying on his back. Although her ankle still ached slightly, she couldn't help but be distracted by the warm atmosphere on the road.
The man on her back was from a completely different world from her, but his steps were so firm, as if he could lead her through the deep mountains where there was no path, and also to a brightly lit future.
An Caicai couldn't help but whisper, "You said your dream is to build a medicinal herb planting base and a breeding farm. What about the future? Have you ever thought about bigger things?"
Chen Changyuan kept walking, his tone filled with a hint of determination and longing: "In the future? Of course I've thought about it. I want to open a factory and sell the products of our village to the people in the big city. Let people in the big city know how good our products are. I not only want to make money, but also let the villagers live a good life, so that they don't have to dig the fields to find rice anymore."
An Caicai listened, and suddenly, as if she were infected by his ideals, she felt a little excited. However, she couldn't help but tease him lightly: "You say it nicely, but I have seen the world. Can it really be like you think?"
Chen Changyuan sneered and didn't answer, but carried her tighter on his back.
It seemed that at this moment, his strength was not only to support her, but also to stabilize his own previously shaky ideal.
The silence at this moment was more direct than words. An Caicai slightly restrained the temptation in her words, but couldn't help but stare at his profile and added softly, "I believe you."
After arriving at the village, Chen Changyuan did not immediately send An Caicai back to her residence, but took her directly to the lounge of the medicinal materials base.
He carefully placed her on the chair, turned around to find a basin of cold water and a towel, and skillfully cleaned her wound, carefully touching her red and swollen ankle with his slightly rough fingers.
An Caicai looked down at his movements, and an inexplicable complex emotion welled up in her heart.
His gentleness is not the kind of elegance that is not stained by a trace of dust that comes from overseas Chinese families, but a kind of truth that is soaked in the earth and the bitterness of life.
It was this kind of truthfulness that made her unable to take her eyes off him from the morning when they first met in Qingshui Village until now.
"Cai Cai, you need to rest your feet more and stop running around."
Chen Changyuan said without looking up, "The ground in this village is uneven. You could get twisted anywhere. You're really careless."
An Caicai looked at him, wanting to laugh but unable to. Suddenly, an inexplicable warmth welled up in her heart. She softly replied, "I just... wanted to see your base and see those medicinal herbs you told me about before. If I dropped something because I didn't see clearly, it would be worth it."
Chen Changyuan shook his head, stood up and looked at her. His eyes were gentler and firmer than before. "Cai Cai, don't rush to see it. I will let you see it later. It will get better and better here. Everything will get better and better. As long as you are willing, Qingshui Village will change into what you want to see."
The moment the two looked at each other, An Caicai felt that something in her heart was being quietly touched.
She raised her head and was about to say something when the old man pushed the door open and came in.
He carried a plate of pancakes and two bowls of steaming wild vegetable soup, and smiled broadly at Chen Changyuan. "Not bad, Xiaoyuan. If you didn't know me, you'd think you were some kind of 'doctor going to the countryside.' You've been very attentive to Miss Caicai's feet."
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