Maybe it was heart palpitations.
"oh."
Lu Guangbai responded coldly.
I knew Zheng Nanle was a heartless bastard.
Zheng Nanle reached into his pocket and stuffed the chocolate into Lu Guangbai's hand. "Chocolate, haven't had it in a long time, have a taste."
Zheng Nanle actually quite likes chocolate. The bitterness of chocolate is just right, and most importantly, it can quickly replenish energy, making it especially popular in the apocalypse.
But Er Ya didn't like it, so Zheng Nanle also refrained from eating it.
Lu Guangbai's lips curled up slightly, then flattened out. "So, what do you want me to do for you now that I've taken your chocolate?"
"No, this chocolate is just to thank you."
Zheng Nanle was afraid that she might actually blurt out a request. This tall, thin, and somewhat dull-looking guy's cute, bright black eyes welled up with tears again, making him look like he was about to cry.
"That's more like it."
Lu Guangbai put away the chocolate. "Zhang Yu gave it to you?"
"Well, it wasn't for nothing that I saved her; she's a kind girl who knows how to repay kindness."
Zheng Nanle had a very good impression of Zhang Yu, and every time he met her, he would take out some snacks to feed her.
Oh, he's such a kind person.
Lu Guangbai agreed, "She has a very good upbringing."
It was clear that Zhang Yu came from a well-off family, as she sent large and small packages over every month. As for Zhang Yu herself, she had fair skin and a beautiful face, with graceful bearing, like a white swan that had landed in a swamp, possessing a noble and elegant air that was different from that of people from the countryside.
That was the poise and elegance cultivated by a wealthy family.
Just like he always was.
After arriving in the countryside, she did not show any superior attitude. She tried her best to integrate into rural life and did not slack off on the tasks assigned to her by the village.
Whether it was done well or not is another matter, but at least the attitude was very serious.
He interacts peacefully with the villagers, rarely displaying any condescending or condescending attitude.
She's a very likable girl.
"You like her?" Zheng Nanle asked curiously, feeling a little uncomfortable.
It might be heart palpitations.
She held out her hand, asking Lu Guangbai to take her pulse as well.
"Huh?" Lu Guangbai placed his hand on Zheng Nanle's pulse, giving him a strange look. "Why would you think that?"
Given his current situation, how could he possibly have the energy to get involved in relationships?
“It’s a reasonable guess,” Zheng Nanle said calmly after suppressing his discomfort for a moment. “You admire her.”
“This isn’t appreciation, it’s objective evaluation. Also, between men and women, appreciation doesn’t necessarily mean liking.” Lu Guangbai withdrew his hand and said, “I haven’t found any heart problems. Observe yourself first and see how frequently this happens.”
Zheng Nan responded with a loud shout, and the anger in his heart dissipated.
“You’re just a kid. What you like or dislike has nothing to do with you. You’re still young. Take care of your health before thinking about things like liking someone or getting married.” Lu Guangbai gave another suggestion: “It’s best to think about this after you’re twenty.”
"I understand," Zheng Nanle said to Er Ya. "Er Ya, did you hear that? This is advice from an authoritative doctor."
Er Ya nodded solemnly.
"Let's go." Zheng Nanle turned around, waved with one hand, and left with a flourish.
Lu Guangbai held the rabbit's ears and watched Zheng Nanle until her figure disappeared into the woods before turning around, lifting the mat, and going inside.
Grandpa Lu looked up from inside the cowshed and saw the rabbit in Lu Guangbai's hand. He said, "Thank you for bringing it over, kid?"
Lu Guangbai gave a vague "hmm".
"No, if Xie is giving you a rabbit, he won't call you out." Lu Guangbai was raised by his grandfather. His evasive attitude quickly alerted him to something amiss. He pondered, "Is it still that little girl with the split soul?"
Seeing that he couldn't hide it any longer, Lu Guangbai decided to be straightforward this time, offering "compensation for medical treatment."
"There's no other meaning behind it, is there?" Grandpa Lu asked astutely.
"What could it mean?" Lu Guangbai picked up his knife, got up and walked outside. "I'm going to kill a rabbit."
Grandpa Lu sighed.
If it were truly compensation for medical treatment, there would be nothing wrong with saying it; one should be vague about it. Only someone who is subconsciously guilty would act this way.
It was his fault that he ended up like this, and Guangbai had to compromise because of him.
Lu Guangbai walked out of the cowshed, feeling utterly bewildered.
He clearly deserved it, so why did he feel guilty when his grandfather asked him about it?
If he couldn't figure it out, he stopped thinking about it and sharpened his knife, ready to pounce on the rabbit.
*
The rooster crows at dawn, and the east is already white.
Zheng Nanle rarely gets up so early.
Zheng Erya rubbed her eyes and followed Zheng Nanle, asking vaguely, "Sister, why are you up so early today?"
Don't you usually sleep until the sun is high in the sky before getting up?
Zheng Nanle took out new clothes from the closet and put them on neatly.
Lu Guangbai didn't earn the money for the new clothes himself. Instead, he asked Xie Ronghua to hire a tailor in the county. The clothes were loose, with several layers rolled up at the cuffs and trouser legs. The tailor's skills were good. The rolled-up fabric, used to stretch the length, looked like a deliberate design, adding a sense of layering and making the ordinary azure blue clothes appear elegant.
Er Ya looked at Zheng Nanle's clothes with a complicated expression.
This is her first new outfit.
It's really beautiful.
She looked up at Zheng Nanle.
Although she hadn't seen this body much, she knew it wasn't attractive. The village thugs weren't even interested in flirting with her.
But after her sister's soul was infused into her, her unattractive body began to look good.
My sister's back is always straight, her expression is languid, her eyes are bright and spirited, sometimes drifting like clouds, sometimes sharp like an eagle, sometimes icy like ice. Standing in a crowd, she is like an elegant crane.
That's great, my sister can do what she can't.
"Well, I've been idling around these past few days, and your family's patience is almost at its limit."
After it was determined that Zheng Nanle was incapable of doing housework, all the household chores fell on the shoulders of the eldest and fourth sons' wives. During the day, the two women worked their full quota of tasks in the fields, and when they came back at night, they had to cook, wash clothes, and prepare chicken and pig feed. Every other day, they also had to clean the chicken and pig pens. Everything else was fine, but cooking chicken and pig feed and cleaning the chicken and pig pens caused the two sisters-in-law to point at the chickens and pigs and curse them every day. It was obvious that they were indirectly criticizing Zheng Nanle for eating for free.
Zheng Nanle pretended to be hard of hearing and couldn't hear.
Ha, these two are exhausted even when they share the burden, but Er Ya, who is underage, has been doing these things day after day for years and isn't tired at all.
With so many adults in the family, how could we let a little girl like Er Ya take on all these heavy chores?
Er Ya stared nervously at Zheng Nanle, "Then, sister, are you going to cause another big scene?"
"No more trouble, I'm too lazy to cause any more trouble. It's pointless to make a scene and then have things quiet down for a while. Didn't I say before that I would have your grandfather separate you from your family and return all your parents' belongings to you? It will be fine in a while."
Zheng Nanle went out, picked up some stones from outside, smashed them, and walked around the threshold to measure them.
After determining the location, bury the rounded part of the stone in a suitable place in the ground, leaving the sharp, broken pieces exposed, and also insert some stones on the gate.
After finishing her work, she sat on the threshold, patted the area beside her, and said to Er Ya, "Er Ya, come here and watch the sunrise."
Er Ya sat down, turned her head to look at the small stones that were barely visible, and asked, "Sister, are you going to play a prank on them and make them fall down?"
"right."
Er Ya giggled, "Sister, you have such a childlike heart."
Zheng Nanle smiled without saying a word.
Zhengjia Village is surrounded by tall trees and bamboo groves, with distant green mountains in the distance. Sitting on the doorstep, you can't see the sunrise, but you can see the low earthen houses and the swaying leaves of the trees.
She looked southeast and said to Er Ya, "Even though we can't see the sunrise, the sun will still rise, right?"
Er Ya nodded.
"Darkness cannot withstand light, Er Ya. From now on, your life will be like the sun. Once you break free from darkness, you will be bathed in light."
Er Ya chuckled softly.
Whenever her older sister had the chance, she would describe the future to her. Every future her sister described was beautiful, and just listening to it made her feel warm and cozy.
very nice.
Squeak.
The sound of a door opening broke the silence of the early morning, and the sounds of dawn breaking came one after another, as the village came alive from its slumber.
Old Mrs. Zheng went to fetch water from the water vat and caught a glimpse of Zheng Nanle sitting on the threshold in new clothes. Her expression turned fierce for a moment.
The cloth on Zheng Nanle's body was given to her by her youngest daughter, who had married into the commune. She had been reluctant to use it, intending to make new clothes for her eldest granddaughter when she went on a blind date. Who knew that this wretched child would forcibly take it away.
Why didn't you just put her in the urinal back then?
She slammed her fist on the eldest and fourth sons' room, cursing, "What are you sleeping for? Do you think you're some kind of landlord who does nothing and has food served to you automatically?"
The eldest and fourth sons got up dejectedly, while the eldest and fourth sons' wives went into the kitchen on their own initiative.
Old Mrs. Zheng continued to berate, "Are you trying to die? Why are you so clumsy? Is your hand or foot broken? Do you need someone to serve you?"
Zheng Nanle cupped her face in her hands and continued to look at the sky.
These veiled insults had absolutely no effect on her.
Stepping out of the kitchen, Old Mrs. Zheng saw Zheng Nanle sitting motionless on the threshold, seemingly unaware of the commotion in the yard. A wicked thought arose in her mind, and she grabbed a thick wooden stick, stealthily approaching him.
The eldest and fourth sons, Old Man Zheng, who were still in the yard, tacitly stopped what they were doing and stared at Zheng Nanle, afraid that she would suddenly turn around.
Zheng Nanle didn't turn around, but Er Ya did. She anxiously reminded her, "Sister, quickly dodge! Grandma will hit you with a thick wooden stick."
Zheng Nanle reassured her, "It's alright, I know, don't worry."
Everything was as she had anticipated.
When tension reaches its limit, one wants to release and rebound.
She thought that the first to be unable to bear it would be Er Ya's aunt or uncle, but she didn't expect it to be Old Lady Zheng.
Er Ya watched as Old Lady Zheng grew increasingly excited and her face became more ferocious as she approached. She raised the wooden stick high and smashed it hard against the back of Zheng Nanle's head.
The force and the location of the attack were clearly aimed at killing her.
Er Ya smiled sadly and stood up to block Zheng Nanle's back.
Before the wooden stick could strike, Old Man Zheng suddenly stumbled, lost his balance, dropped the stick, and fell forward and sideways, slamming hard against the door.
Her forehead struck a sharp stone on the door, and blood immediately covered half of Old Lady Zheng's face.
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