In the countryside at dusk, the sky and earth turn silvery-gray, and wisps of milky-white smoke rise into the air, filling the air with the aroma of incense.
As Xie Yuyao, Yang Shumei, and Zhao Honghui stepped into the educated youth compound, Zhao Jianbin rushed over from the front hall, stopped abruptly in front of Yang Shumei, and anxiously asked, "Shumei, I've heard what the other educated youths said about how they treated you! I'm going to cripple them!"
"I'm fine. Those people have already paid the price."
Yang Shumei felt that the "tea" given by Master Zheng was enough, and as for that disgusting man, Ye Xingchang would never let him get away with it.
Thinking of Ye Xingchang, the joy of meeting an old friend in a foreign land welled up in my heart, and a smile appeared on my face.
When Zhao Jianbin saw Shumei's appearance, his heart sank.
These days, Zhao Jianbin comes over every afternoon to study and discuss with her in the front yard, and he has already become one of them.
The educated youth had already told him about her and Xie Yuyao's ordeal, and mentioned that the prince charming who rescued them was handsome and dashing, and seemed to have a good relationship with Yang Shumei.
Just when he felt the crisis, his mother came looking for him, making things even worse.
Zhao Jianbin both regretted not accompanying Shumei to the county town and feared that Shumei might have some past with that person, and that their relationship might rekindle.
He sat anxiously all afternoon, eagerly awaiting Shumei's return. However, with Zhao Honghui and Xie Yuyao present, he couldn't bring himself to speak, no matter how much he wanted to say.
Seeing his cousin's distraught appearance, the astute Zhao Honghui put down his things in the backyard and said, "Yaoyao, come with me home to get something."
"What should I get? It's getting dark soon, and I need to start cooking," Xie Yuyao asked, puzzled.
Yang Shumei smiled and said, "You go ahead, I'll do it."
"I'll start the fire!" Zhao Jianbin saw the meaningful look in his older cousin's eyes and knew that he was giving himself some space.
I thought to myself: My older cousin is as warm-hearted as ever.
"Alright." Xie Yuyao then followed Zhao Honghui out of the courtyard.
Walking along the country road, Zhao Honghui took Xie Yuyao's hand and turned the direction, saying, "Come with me."
"Didn't you say you were going home to get something?" Xie Yuyao followed him to a secluded corner.
Seeing that no one was around, Zhao Honghui asked, "Yaoyao, what would you have done if Ye Xingchang and the police hadn't arrived this morning?"
"You want to hear the truth?" Xie Yuyao looked at him with her big eyes, a playful glint in them.
"Um."
Xie Yuyao frankly told him: "There are two options. One is to delay and wait for rescue, then settle the score later. The other is to find an opportunity to cripple him and make him a eunuch from now on."
Hearing this, Zhao Honghui took Xie Yuyao's hands, brought them to his lips and kissed them. "Yaoyao, don't let bad people dirty your hands. In the future, when you encounter this kind of thing, you only have one goal, and that is to get out of trouble. As for revenge, leave it to me."
Her hands looked like works of art, pure and beautiful; he didn't want them stained with dirty blood. Most importantly, he didn't want her to put herself in danger.
"Okay, I promise you," Xie Yuyao said softly.
Today, she is no longer the same person who went down to the countryside all by herself.
With Zhao Honghui, a strong and supportive man who sheltered her from the storms of life, she felt incredibly happy. As long as it didn't involve her principles or bottom line, she was willing to trust him and rely on him; all she wanted was to be beautiful.
Zhao Honghui gently brushed her hair from her forehead, and his affectionate voice rang out: "Yaoyao, I really want to put you in my pocket and never be apart from you for a moment."
"Pfft!" Xie Yuyao laughed, thinking of an animal, "Then wouldn't I be a baby kangaroo? As far as I know, only mother kangaroos have pouches."
"Naughty!" Zhao Honghui flicked her nose and smiled indulgently.
"whee......"
In the backyard of the educated youth compound, Zhao Jianbin sat in front of the stove and poked at the burning firewood to make it burn brighter.
He organized his thoughts and started from the most harmless angle: "Have you bought your train tickets yet?"
"I've bought the tickets, for the day after tomorrow. I even changed them to sleeper berths." Yang Shumei added water to the pot as she casually replied, "Oh, and I also ran into an acquaintance of my uncle's. He helped me change the tickets."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Jianbin looked up and focused intently on Yang Shumei: "I heard from the educated youth in the front yard that you and Yao Yao encountered danger this morning, but they don't know the specifics. Were you injured? Did he come to rescue you?"
"I'm fine. It's like this, Yao Yao and I were on our way to the park..." Yang Shumei told Zhao Jianbin the important parts, omitting the part about being coerced by Zuo Jun into becoming a son-in-law of a military family. "I didn't expect that he would have such a close relationship with Zhao Honghui and that he's been in the county town for a while now."
Zhao Jianbin's focus was: "So, his original intention was to go and help Xie Zhiqing?"
“Yes, his men rushed to that Master Zheng’s courtyard after learning that Yao Yao had been arrested, and that’s how we met him.” Yang Shumei narrowed her eyes, sizing up Zhao Jianbin. “So, is there any difference between him saving Yao Yao or saving me?”
Sensing danger, Zhao Jianbin's strong survival instinct prompted him to immediately declare, "No! As long as you're alright!"
Yang Shumei scoffed and ignored him.
Zhao Jianbin scratched his head, moved closer to her, and said softly, "Shumei, don't be angry. I was just worried and confused. I was afraid I couldn't compete with that person."
"Don't you know that comparing yourself to others is just asking for trouble! You and Xingchang are not even on the same level, what's the point of comparing?" Yang Shumei rolled her eyes at him.
"Hehe, I'm not afraid you'll look down on me or think I'm incapable of protecting you," Zhao Jianbin said with a forced smile.
Yang Shumei was both annoyed and amused. She put the lid on the pot, turned around and stared at Zhao Jianbin, saying seriously, "Zhao Jianbin, let me tell you this seriously, don't give me that inferiority complex."
If you feel inadequate, then strive to become stronger. If you expect me to fawn over you and constantly cater to your sensitive pride, I'm sorry, I can't do that.
Her aunt's younger sister married down, and her husband wasn't very capable. During family gatherings at holidays, the sensitive and insecure man always felt looked down upon and would go home wallowing in self-pity. Her kind aunt would comfort and forgive him, and it would take several days for him to recover, but a lingering gloom remained in her heart.
With such a living example before her, she rationally refused to agree to Zhao Jianbin's offer, no matter how hard he tried in the past two years.
If Zhao Jianbin hadn't picked up his textbooks again and studied diligently, creating a possibility for their future, they wouldn't be where they are today.
Besides Ye Xingchang, she also knows many outstanding young men. After all, her social circle is different from that of ordinary people. If he becomes suspicious of every single one she meets, how can she live her life?
"I'm sorry, Shumei, I was overthinking it." Zhao Jianbin panicked and quickly apologized. "It's mainly because of that Liu Dazui. She saw the four of you shopping together in the county town, and when she came back, she went to my house and started talking nonsense, saying that you have a lover in the county town. My mother came to the educated youth compound in a panic to ask me, and that's when I started to overthink it."
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