He kissed me
Zheng Nanle was slightly moved.
I was so scared, so scared that my heart was racing, but to comfort her, I forced myself to sit on the edge of the cliff.
Why are other people so nice?
It's so good that you can't let it go.
Zheng Nanle's eyes darkened for a moment before she grasped Lu Guangbai's hand, which was resting on her arm, and held it in her palm.
Lu Guangbai's hands were not actually beautiful. They were covered with thick, yellow calluses, and the cracks were filled with dirt year after year, like indelible brand marks.
His hands were very thin, completely skin and bones, with dark skin, resembling large eagle claws. Descriptions such as "fingers as thin as scallions," "fingers as white as jade," and "fingers like works of art" had nothing to do with him.
But that didn't stop Zheng Nanle from thinking that these were the most beautiful hands she had ever seen.
The problem lies not in the skin or the bones, but in what Lu Guangbai accomplished with that hand.
Lu Guangbai suppressed his fear and grabbed her with his hands, afraid that something might happen to her.
She touched Lu Guangbai's fingertips, and as Lu Guangbai awkwardly curled his fingers, she withdrew her hand. She then used her grip on the large rock to stand up and reached out her hand to Lu Guangbai, who was still sitting.
Lu Guangbai placed one hand on his heart and hid the other in his sleeve. The mountain breeze was cool, but it couldn't penetrate the warmth of his fingertips. That warm spark, like a wildfire, instantly ignited into a raging fire within him.
He stared blankly at the outstretched hand, then raised his hand and handed it back.
With a slight effort, Zheng Nanle pulled Lu Guangbai up from the ground, and the two left the cliff hand in hand.
When Zheng Nanle reached the flat ground a few meters from the cliff, he turned around.
Lu Guangbai stopped in his tracks, immediately becoming slightly nervous.
He licked his lips and stared intently at the girl in front of him.
Their hands were still clasped together, but neither of them pulled away or brought up the matter. They simply held hands and looked at each other.
After a moment, Zheng Nanle withdrew his hand and laughed, "You're so silly."
Lu Guangbai noticed the ease in Zheng Nanle's smile, as if she had shed all the dust and was carefree.
He chuckled softly, "I'm not stupid."
"He just sits there blankly, not only blankly, but also stupidly."
They're so afraid of heights, yet they still foolishly sat down here.
She sat cross-legged on the ground, patted the floor, raised an eyebrow at Lu Guangbai, and said, "Sitting here, can we talk properly now?"
“Okay.” Lu Guangbai sat opposite Zheng Nanle and added in his own defense, “I’m not stupid or dull.”
"Yes, yes, you're not stupid, you're the smartest," Zheng Nanle replied perfunctorily.
Lu Guangbai was not happy.
It felt like she was still criticizing herself for being stupid.
"At this time, shouldn't you be at work? Why are you up the mountain?" Zheng Nanle asked.
“You didn’t come to take your medicine this morning,” Lu Guangbai said. “I asked Zhang Yu to go to the Zheng family to look for you, but I couldn’t find you. I also walked around the village, but I still couldn’t see you. I guessed you might have gone up the mountain, so I took leave.”
Zheng Nanle rested her elbow on her hamstring, her hand supporting her chin, her eyes crinkling as she teased, "Dr. Lu, you're so responsible to your patients! The patient didn't take their medicine and came to see you in person."
Lu Guangbai remained silent.
Of course not.
Even if Xie Ronghua didn't come to take his medicine, he wouldn't look for him.
"Oh, really? So I'm that unique?" Zheng Nanle shook Lu Guangbai's hand.
Lu Guangbai seemed to only then realize that the two were still holding hands, and he quickly withdrew his hand as if burned.
Zheng Nanle tightened his grip, and Doctor Lu was unable to break free. His fingertips twitched, and a warm sensation emanated from the other's palm, like a warm sun melting him completely. In an instant, his hand lost all strength and could only be held and imprisoned by the other's palm.
He stared at their clasped hands for a moment, lost in thought, before saying, "Zheng Nanle, this is not appropriate."
“It’s not appropriate.” Zheng Nanle let go of his hand and stared straight at Lu Guangbai. “Dr. Lu, marry me.”
The end times taught her to seize the day, because if she didn't, she might wake up one day to find herself or the other person completely gone from the world.
Live for today, don't worry about tomorrow. Take it one day at a time. Once you've made up your mind, don't hesitate.
There wasn't enough time for them to slowly fall in love.
Zheng Nanle opened his mouth and gave a direct answer.
Lu Guangbai stared at Zheng Nanle in astonishment, "What, what did you say?"
"I said, marry me." Zheng Nanle looked into Lu Guangbai's eyes.
"No, that won't do." Lu Guangbai avoided Zheng Nanle's overly bright eyes.
"Why?" Zheng Nanle asked, puzzled. "I have feelings for you, and you have feelings for me too, so why can't we get married?"
Lu Guangbai was both amused and exasperated, but patiently explained, "Marriage isn't that simple; it involves two families."
His family will be a hindrance to Zheng Nanle.
And where will they live after getting married?
Staying at the Zheng family's house?
What about his grandfather?
Live in a bullpen?
How could he bear to let Zheng Nanle live with him in a cowshed?
“You don’t need to worry about my family. I’ll be separated from my family next month and will be able to own my own house.” Zheng Nanle nodded. “After my house is built, we’ll get married, and then you and your grandfather can live in my house.”
“No.” Lu Guangbai shook his head. “My grandfather lives in your house. If someone reports him, he might be sent to an even more difficult place.”
Zheng Nanle recalled the dates he had seen on the temporary worker's contract and patted Lu Guangbai on the shoulder, "It won't be long."
She had been looking at the newspaper on the wall and thought it was 1974, but in fact it was 1977.
In a few months, the college entrance examination will be reinstated, and before the exam, most of those who were wronged will be exonerated.
"Ignoring all that, would you be willing to marry me?" Zheng Nanle asked.
Er Ya has already embarked on her new life, and she should move on as well.
She gazed at the blue sky and green trees, her mood as refreshing as the mountain breeze.
Unlike before, when she had treated herself as a mere visitor and had never truly appreciated this land and its scenery, she now slowly looked around, observing the wild grasses that grew wild yet vibrant, listening to the chirping birdsong that was lively and cheerful, and feeling the wind rustling through the bamboo leaves and swaying in the pines. Her mood was as bright as the sunshine at that moment.
She had her eyes closed, and the sunlight shone on them. Even through her eyelids, the sunlight still shone with a dazzling white light, but the warmth that came with the white light was mesmerizing.
Suddenly, a dark shadow fell from above her eyelids. Zheng Nanle opened her eyes and met Lu Guangbai's disapproving gaze.
Lu Guangbai shielded her forehead with his hand to block the dazzling sunlight, saying, "Sunbathing like this is bad for your eyes."
Zheng Nanle smiled gently, clasped her hands together, looked directly into Lu Guangbai's eyes, and asked the same question again, "Ignoring all that, would you be willing to marry me?"
Seeing Zheng Nanle's seriousness and the earnestness in his eyes, Lu Guangbai, who had originally wanted to avoid the situation, paused and swallowed his words.
"think."
How could I not want to?
She barged into his world with an overbearing and unyielding attitude, completely disrupting his peaceful and uneventful daily life.
She treated him normally, as if he were not a capitalist's son, but a member of the working class. There was no discrimination or disgust towards him. More importantly, she trusted, recognized, and admired his medical skills.
Lu Guangbai is slow to warm up and passive, but Zheng Nanle is not. She is impatient and wants what she wants, so Lu Guangbai has no choice but to go along with her pace. But Lu Guangbai is actually happy in private.
Zheng Nanle entrusted all matters to him instead of others, which was a special treatment for him and made him feel needed.
The time he spent with Zheng Nanle was the most relaxing time for him.
He was not the powerless and tainted Lu Guangbai, but a normal, capable, and competent Lu Guangbai.
"Just think about it. Once my house is finished, we'll get married." Zheng Nanle made the decision.
Lu Guangbai wanted to argue, but after his lips moved, he couldn't bring himself to do it.
Zheng Nanle stood up, their hands still clasped together. With a slight pull, she also lifted Lu Guangbai up, and the two began to descend the mountain one after the other.
Lu Guangbai stared at the two holding hands, then looked at the girl in front of him who was holding his hand with a straight face, but he couldn't bear to let go. He pretended not to see her and followed behind Zheng Nanle.
However, a slight smile crept onto his lips.
Upon arriving at the cowshed, Lu Guangbai heated up the Poria and Lotus Seed Porridge and handed it to Zheng Nanle. While Zheng Nanle was drinking the porridge, he also heated up the medicine.
Zheng Nanle finished half of her porridge and asked Lu Guangbai, "Have you had breakfast?"
"I've eaten." His breakfast was with the people in the cowshed, made of cornmeal and wheat flour. Even with the white rice and wheat flour that Xie Ronghua brought from the black market, they couldn't eat too well every day.
Otherwise, if the convicts undergoing re-education have rosy complexions every day, it will only cause trouble for the village chief and them.
Zheng Nanle hummed in agreement, finished the remaining porridge, drank the medicine, patted his side, and said to Lu Guangbai, "Come here, let's talk."
Lu Guangbai put down the bowl in his hand and walked over.
The bench was made by Lu Guangbai himself. It can be used by one person, or two people can sit together, but they have to sit very close together.
Lu Guangbai's cheeks were slightly flushed. He sat on the edge of the bench with half of his buttocks, a finger's width away from Zheng Nanle, barely touching her.
Although they weren't close, the other person's breath and warmth seemed to emanate through the barely visible clothing, making Lu Guangbai feel slightly tipsy, as if he had drunk fake alcohol.
My heart pounded harder and harder.
Zheng Nanle pulled Lu Guangbai over from the side, and the two of them were shoulder to shoulder, thigh to thigh. Unlike before when they were more intimate, now there were only two thin layers of skin between them. Zheng Nanle's aura was strong and domineering.
Lu Guangbai lowered his eyes, his fingers rubbing the hem of his clothes, at a loss.
"So easily embarrassed?" Zheng Nanle seemed to have discovered something new. She turned her head and looked up at Lu Guangbai's face.
Lu Guangbai instinctively held his breath, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he swallowed hard.
Zheng Nanle was amazed.
Lu Guangbai's eyelashes are so long.
Those long eyelashes trembled nervously, like butterfly wings fluttering, revealing their fragility.
It seemed she went a little too far; with a blink of her long eyelashes, tears would fall.
Of course, Zheng Nanle knew this was her imagination, but the wickedness in her heart made her eager to try it out.
Like a venomous snake poking its head out, she instantly kissed Lu Guangbai.
This kiss is actually just a simple lip touch, a very brief contact, like an accidental fingertip touching a flower stamen, easily overlooked if you're not paying attention.
Zheng Nanle smacked his lips, but couldn't taste anything.
It wasn't at all as sweet and soft as her friends who had tasted meat described, making it irresistible.
She thought she had been deceived and had lost the desire to kiss him again. But she didn't know that what was just a tiny, negligible movement to her struck Lu Guangbai's heart heavily, like a boulder falling from the sky and hitting his heart precisely, or like the yin energy of molten lava that had been stored for thousands of years exploding instantly, like a dormant volcano spewing out scorching lava.
He raised his hands, cupped Zheng Nanle's cheeks as she tried to move away, and kissed her to vent his inner turmoil.
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