Chapter 20: "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
Chapter Twenty: "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
The alcohol had thrown her brain into a state of chaos, and Lin Su felt as if she were falling into a dark and bottomless abyss.
She clearly remembered that when she first transmigrated, she had a persistent high fever. She felt like she was dying and screamed, which woke up her fellow educated youth workers who were sleeping next to her. They helped her wring out a towel to cool her down and she managed to wake up the next day.
At that moment, her survival instinct made her scream.
In a daze, she heard someone urgently calling her name: "Susu, Susu, wake up."
Lin Su finally opened her eyes, and what came into view was Zhou Yunqi, whose brows were furrowed and whose face was full of anxiety.
She seemed to have lost her soul in fright, sat up, and hugged him tightly, sobbing incessantly.
Zhou Yunqi: "..."
She was terribly frightened, so Zhou Yunqi could only hug her back and pat her back, saying, "It's okay, it's okay. Did you just have a nightmare?"
Lin Su was still gripped by immense fear, her body trembling slightly. She didn't speak, only sobbing on his shoulder, clinging tightly to his neck, making it difficult for Zhou Yunqi to breathe.
He shifted slightly, catching his breath before continuing to reassure her: "Silly girl, don't be afraid, I'm here. You're just having nightmares because you drank too much, no monsters or demons will come to get you."
After what seemed like an eternity, the sobs escalated to soft whimpers, and the person in his arms finally quieted down a bit, though still buried in his neck, clinging to him, showing no intention of leaving. The winter sun shone through the window, casting its golden rays upon them, as if draping them in a golden coat.
After a long while, the man holding her gently patted her back and asked tenderly, "Tell me, what nightmare did you have?"
"I dreamt that..." she sniffed, her voice very nasal, "that I was dying, sob sob sob."
"..." Zhou Yunqi couldn't help but sigh, his cheek unconsciously brushing against her hair. "That's impossible. I promise I won't let you touch alcohol next time."
Finally, Lin Su caught her breath in this warm and strong embrace and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
A noisy voice came from outside the door: "Boss, boss."
Seeing that there was no one in the outer room but could hear voices coming from the inner room, Xu Yaodong didn't think much of it and went over to take a look.
But then he saw Lin Su sitting on the bed, covered with a thin blanket, wiping away tears on his shoulder, while the eldest brother sat on the edge of the bed, holding her.
What's going on? Xu Yaodong straightened up and quickly stepped back.
However, both of them saw him. Lin Su left the lingering embrace, and Zhou Yunqi looked at her red eyes and nose and chuckled softly: "Like a little rabbit that has suffered a great ordeal. Where did all the bravado you showed off when you were drinking go?"
Lin Su did not answer. After regaining some clarity and rationality, she threw off the covers and got out of bed.
"Want to sleep a little longer?" he asked.
"I need to go to the toilet."
She put on her shoes and went to the outer room, where Xu Yaodong was smiling at her: "You slept here?"
Lin Su: "Mm."
After saying that, he walked out.
Zhou Yunqi tidied up the pillows and blankets before going to the outer room.
Xu Yaodong continued to laugh strangely and called out, "Boss."
Zhou Yunqi glanced at him: "The car's back?"
"Of course, why is Susu crying?"
"I had a nightmare."
"Oh." Xu Yaodong stroked his chin. "He cried quite sadly."
Zhou Yunqi sat in his office chair, leaning back as if deep in thought.
"Boss, when are we going back to the farm?"
"I'll be back in a bit."
On the way back, the car was quiet. Xu Yaodong, sitting in the back seat, asked with a smile, "Xiao Lin, what nightmare did you have?"
Lin Su said, "I can't remember anything, but it was frightening."
Xu Yaodong said, "Could it be that I dreamed of ghosts?"
"almost."
"Could you elaborate?"
Zhou Yunqi said, "Stop it, don't bring people back to bad memories."
Xu Yaodong could only talk about some things that happened at the wedding banquet today, saying that the groom had been plied with drinks until he was completely drunk...
Lin Su leaned back in her chair, looking at the dim sky outside the window, and sighed inwardly. Drinking really does lead to trouble.
Her memory only went as far as asking him what kind of girl he liked; she didn't know if he answered after that, but she had absolutely no recollection of it. She never expected to wake up and be clinging to him like that… She really couldn't drink alcohol.
However… she glanced cautiously at the man driving the car; he seemed perfectly normal, without any embarrassment.
Lin Su looked away. Maybe we should just drop this topic.
Otherwise, everyone will feel awkward.
Back at the farm, before lunch was served, Lin Su peeked out from outside the kitchen. Suddenly, the head cook mysteriously called Lin Su into the kitchen and said, "I've saved you a bowl of pig's blood soup. Take it with you when you get your food. Since you didn't eat here for lunch, no one will say anything."
Lin Su was surprised: "Didn't we cook it this morning?"
There wasn't much pig's blood, but there were so many people eating it that there wasn't enough to go around.
The kitchen lady said, "The manager instructed that you should supplement your iron intake. I didn't finish cooking it all this morning, and I left a piece. I specially cooked a bowl for you, with your favorite ginger shreds, scallions, and a few slices of pork liver."
Lin Su: "Did the farm manager also give these instructions?"
"Yes, the manager really cares about you."
Lin Su forced a smile and thanked her.
Eating this meal won't do any good, but he would ask that a bowl be saved, simply because she mentioned that she liked the pig's blood soup made by her older sister.
This man... often leaves her speechless.
After getting her food, Lin Su carried the lunchbox and the bowl of soup back to her dorm. Sun Xiaoqing glanced at her soup and asked, "Did the kitchen leave this for you?"
"Hmm, would you like some?"
"No, you should eat it yourself. After all, the farm manager specifically instructed the kitchen to save it for you. If we eat it, what will you eat?"
Lin Su asked in confusion, "You all knew about this?"
Sun Xiaoqing said with a smile, "Xu Yaodong passed it on to my older sister. He's such a big mouth, he doesn't keep any secrets."
Lin Su was speechless. Xu Yaodong really was a big mouth, like a village committee megaphone... Wait, he wouldn't go around telling everyone what happened this afternoon, would he?
No, no, after thinking it over and over, Lin Su couldn't resist running to find Xu Yaodong after finishing her meal.
He had just finished eating at Zhou Yunqi's place and was coming out with two lunchboxes when Lin Su, after washing them, stopped him on the way and said, "I have something to tell you."
Xu Yaodong frowned repeatedly, looking her over with a strange expression: "Are you sure you haven't come to the wrong person? Are you looking for the boss?"
"No, I'm looking for you," Lin Su said seriously.
"What brings you here?" he asked with a grin.
Lin Su cut to the chase: "I'm telling you, you're not allowed to tell anyone about what happened this afternoon."
Upon hearing this, Xu Yaodong perked up: "What happened this afternoon?"
"Don't play dumb. If you tell anyone, I'll kill you."
"I didn't realize you were so violent, Xiao Lin." Xu Yaodong continued with a smile, "Tell me what happened, and I promise I won't tell anyone."
"Nothing's wrong, he just had a nightmare, and he comforted me."
Xu Yaodong asked pointedly, "Oh, so that was the boss's initiative?"
Lin Su was speechless.
If it were him who initiated it, the situation would be different. But in reality, he only hugged her once, in an emergency; the other times, he just patted her head...
But she had already hugged him twice.
Lin Su said, "Don't try to trick me into saying anything. It's not what you think. And keep your mouth shut, or I'll sew it up with a needle and thread."
After she finished speaking, she took her lunchbox and went back to her dormitory.
Xu Yaodong was left standing there laughing: "These two have pretty similar ways of thinking."
He also joked about the boss while eating in the office earlier, and got a scolding for it, being told to watch his mouth...
In the following days, Zhou Yunqi did not mention the question she had asked, as if he had forgotten about it. The sugar factory was very busy these days, and they did not return until after midnight on two occasions.
He didn't mention it, and Lin Su dared not mention it either. Seeing that things had been calm these past few days, she felt that the matter was over and welcomed her last weekend in her teaching career at this elementary school.
On Saturday, school was closed for only half a day, and Lin Su walked back to the farm.
Around 7 p.m., everyone gathered together to chat, and Lin Su joined them to listen to their conversation about the situation in the rainforest.
The situation seemed to have gotten worse. Someone said, "They're still making a fuss. Later, people from higher up came, but they couldn't make a decision. They could only promise to report the situation to higher authorities and try to calm everyone down."
Some people also said, "We're worried that someone might go there and cause trouble. We heard that the train station is under strict control."
Lin Su thought to herself, "She has proper paperwork; surely she can buy a train ticket and leave without it."
The only train back to Beijing runs from Kunming, and it takes seven or eight hours to get there from the city. She didn't care and decided to go to the train station as soon as she had a holiday to buy a ticket.
Suddenly someone asked, "If there's a good outcome, do you want to go back immediately?"
Some people said, "Of course, without the slightest hesitation."
But some people said, "I'll discuss it with my family and see. If they agree, I'll go back; if not, I'll continue working here for now."
Regarding this issue, Wang Ping also asked her husband, Accountant Li. Accountant Li said, "If we can go back to the city, of course it would be better to go back to the city. However, if we go back, we will also have to find a job, otherwise how will we support our children?"
Wang Ping couldn't help but complain, "If I had known, I wouldn't have stayed with you. Otherwise, I would have gone back to the city to live a life of luxury. Now, not only do I have to drag you back to the city, but I also have to take the two children with me."
Accountant Li was good at flattering people, and said with a smile, "You are a good comrade who is responsible for your relationship, much more noble than those who abandon their lovers and children and return to the city alone."
"What's the use of being noble? I see those who went back to the city are doing quite well."
"..."
Just as everyone was talking at once about the situation, Zhou Yunqi returned.
Someone called out for the farm manager.
Zhou Yunqi nodded, glanced at Lin Su, and said, "Come here for a moment."
Lin Su followed him toward the office and said, "We have our exams next Wednesday, and winter break officially starts on Saturday after the exams. I'm thinking of going to the train station to buy tickets on Sunday." He said, "How about I ask someone to buy them for me?"
"No need, I'll go by myself. I also want to stroll around the city and buy a warm coat."
He smiled and said, "Okay, I'll see if I'm free then. If I am, I'll go with you."
...
Time flies. After the final exams, Lin Su finished grading the papers and writing the student handbook, officially ending her career as a primary school teacher.
Back on the farm, I couldn't help but feel empty inside.
However, this feeling of emptiness did not last long. The next day, she took Zhou Yunqi's car to the county bus station.
He has a lot of work to do today. It's the end of the year, and people from all sorts of organizations will be coming over. He has to make sure everything is taken care of. He also has to accompany his superiors to inspect production and attend social events, so he can't go to the city with her.
"Buy your ticket and clothes, then hurry back. The last bus back to the county is at 4:30 pm. Remember the time. If you can't get back, call my office and I'll come pick you up," he instructed, standing outside the bus.
Lin Su nodded repeatedly: "Don't worry, I'm only going to the train station and the department store."
With the money he had given her still in her schoolbag, she happily boarded the bus to the city.
However, as soon as they parted, Zhou Yunqi began to panic.
I have a feeling that something bad is going to happen.
Back at the sugar factory, he told Xu Yaodong, "Drive to the train station to find her."
Xu Yaodong asked, "What about this side?"
"I can handle things here. I'll ride in their car."
"But what if you drink too much?"
"I know what I'm doing."
...
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Author's Note: I'll be posting updates on the 30th, and only updating that evening. Double updates will begin in October! [Applause]
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