The roads in the city were easier to travel on, and He Chen'an's speed was not slow, but Wen Xi did not feel much of a bump. Wen Xi was not familiar with He Chen'an and did not know what to talk about, so she looked around to ease the awkwardness.
Before even leaving the county town, dusk fell, and large swaths of dark clouds rolled in, gradually obscuring the daylight until it was completely dark.
Although Wenxi goes up the mountain before dawn every morning, he has never paid close attention to the process of getting dark. The first time he saw it, he felt it was truly spectacular.
Along the road leading from the county town to the town, there were mountains, rivers, and reservoirs in the distance, and rice paddies and ditches nearby. It was all pitch black and looked quite eerie. However, Wenxi ran up the mountain every morning and was used to it. He didn't feel anything about the darkness.
In the central plains region, the temperature in December is the lowest of the year, especially at night, when it can drop to several degrees below zero. Wen Xi held onto something on the bicycle with one hand and tightened her clothes with the other.
Unable to retrieve gloves from the system's inventory, she had no choice but to tuck her hands inside her sleeves. Even so, she could still feel the biting cold wind blowing through her hands, and her nose felt like it was about to fall off. Instinctively, she hid behind He Chen'an.
The large, round full moon cast its cool light across the earth, and a faint glow prevented the night from being pitch black; instead, it resembled a snowy night, making everything around us clearly visible.
Wen Xi couldn't help but look up at the night sky. Each star was like a diamond, set against the deep blue backdrop, making it exceptionally magnificent and beautiful.
Suddenly, He Chen'an's face appeared in front of Wen Xi. Wen Xi was startled and almost fell off the bicycle, but fortunately He Chen'an reached out and caught her in time.
Wen Xi asked awkwardly, "Dr. He, what's wrong?"
He Chen'an hadn't expected to meet her gaze the moment he turned his head, and he immediately felt a little awkward. "I need your directions."
Wenxi looked around and realized that they had arrived in the town. The roads in the town were interconnected, and He Chen'an didn't know which way the Harvest Brigade was going.
"Dr. He, just ride along this main road. I'll remind you when you reach the turn." Wen Xi peeked out from He Chen'an's right side, keeping an eye on the right, because the entrance and exit of the road leading to the Harvest Brigade were on the right. If she didn't remind him in time, it would be easy to miss it.
Wen Xi had to lean to the side to see the road, and the bumpy bicycle caused her body to occasionally press against He Chen'an's back. Although they were both wearing thick cotton-padded coats, such contact still made He Chen'an tense up uncomfortably.
With Wenxi's occasional reminders, the bicycle finally reached the intersection leading to the Fengshou Brigade. It would take less than twenty minutes to get home from here, so Wenxi told He Chen'an to stop there.
After being jostled around on the bicycle for more than three hours, Wen Xi felt like her legs were about to give out. She got off the bicycle and walked awkwardly to He Chen'an. "Dr. He, thank you for bringing me back. When are you free? I'd like to treat you to a meal, is that alright?"
Helping is a favor, not helping is one's right. He Chen'an could have chosen not to help, but his good manners and kindness led him to extend a helping hand to her, and she couldn't help but be grateful. It was only right that she treat him to a meal to express her thanks.
“You can come to the hospital to see me anytime,” He Chen’an said, straddling his bicycle with his back straight.
"Okay, Dr. He, please be careful while riding your bike," Wen Xi replied with a smile.
Watching He Chen'an ride away on his bicycle, Wen Xi turned and walked towards the Harvest Brigade.
Just as Wen Xi arrived at her doorstep, a few steps away from the gate, it creaked open, revealing Shen Jiaojiao, Jiang Yue, Zhao Yuanyuan, and Zhao Huihui standing there watching her.
Wenxi was quite touched to see how much they cared about her.
"Xiaoxi, are you alright?" Afraid of disturbing the neighbors, Shen Jiaojiao lowered her voice and asked softly.
"It's nothing." Wen Xi shook her head. Since Zhao Yuanyuan and Zhao Huihui were there, Wen Xi didn't say much. She said to Zhao Yuanyuan, "Yuanyuan, if I'm not home in the future, I'll leave my textbooks outside and have Jiaojiao and Xiaoyue teach you. That way you won't have to wait for me."
Zhao Yuanyuan nodded, then winked at the person at the foot of the mountain. Wen Xi knew that her father had kept his promise and placed the eels he had caught at the foot of the mountain. Wen Xi nodded and said, "I understand. I will come to find you tomorrow."
After Zhao Yuanyuan and Zhao Huihui left, Wenxi locked the courtyard gate.
"Xiaoxi, are you hungry? Do you want me to cook you some noodles?" Shen Jiaojiao asked worriedly.
"No need, I've already eaten and came back." Wen Xi shook her head and refused. What she needed most right now was rest, not food.
Jiang Yue said, "Xiao Xi, there's a pot of hot water in the pot."
Wen Xi nodded, "Okay, you can all go back to your rooms and rest!"
After Shen Jiaojiao and Jiang Yue returned to their room, looking back every few steps, Wen Xi quickly went to the kitchen to get hot water to wash up. Then she went back to her room and lay down. She was exhausted from the day and didn't want to move or sign in. Anyway, the sign-in count wouldn't be canceled, and she could accumulate it to sign in tomorrow or later.
I'm not going anywhere tomorrow; I'll just stay home and rest for the day.
The next morning, Wenxi woke up hungry to the aroma of food. She had eaten dinner at the hospital the day before, and had already burned off most of it on the way back. However, she was too tired and sleepy to eat anything else.
She lingered in bed for a while before getting up to tidy herself up. After washing up, she came over and sat down with Shen Jiaojiao and Jiang Yue to have breakfast, which was lotus seed and glutinous rice porridge.
Wenxi is already tired of eating an egg every day, but she still has to eat eggs to keep her body healthy, since eggs are a rare source of nutrition in this day and age.
In the countryside, people used eggs to barter for salt and seasonings. They were reluctant to eat eggs, and only the boys in the family were entitled to eat them. Girls didn't even know what an egg tasted like.
After finishing the eggs, Wenxi ate lotus seed and glutinous rice porridge with a spoon. When she ate the lotus seeds, Wenxi paused slightly because she thought of a place not far from the Fengshou Brigade. There were several ponds there, and in the summer, the lotus leaves stretched to the sky, and the lotus flowers were red in the sunlight. In her previous life, she hadn't noticed whether anyone picked lotus seeds or dug lotus roots. She could go and take a look in June.
Anything that is edible should not be wasted.
After finishing a bowl of hot lotus seed and glutinous rice porridge, Wenxi felt warm all over. Luckily, she had the foresight to keep a week's worth of food in the cupboard, otherwise Shen Jiaojiao and Jiang Yue wouldn't even have time to eat when she wasn't home.
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