Chapter 16: The Battle between Old Images and True Hearts
# Chapter 16: The Battle between Old Images and True Hearts
On weekends, the wind from Qingxi Village still carried the sweet aroma of strawberry jam. Chen Wang squatted by the shared field, measuring the spacing between his tomato vines with a tape measure. The engineering man was always meticulous about his work, even calculating the angles of the trellises to avoid obstruction. He was writing down data in his notebook when his phone rang. The words "Su Qing" popped up on the screen. His pen paused, and a small blob of ink spread across the paper.
She was his ex-girlfriend. When he resigned and returned to the village, they had a fight downstairs in the laboratory. Su Qing cried, hugging his lab notebook and saying, "You're leaving a stable R&D job to grow old, unwanted varieties—are you crazy?" She finally threw the notebook to the ground, saying, "You choose your land, I choose my future." They lost contact from then on.
Chen Wang walked to the end of the ridge and answered the phone. His voice was as steady as if he was reporting on work: "Hello."
"Chen Wang, I'm at the convenience store at the entrance to the village," Su Qing's voice came through the receiver. It wasn't as sharp as before, but soft as wet cotton. "I saw your live broadcast yesterday, and I saw that your method of kidnapping the tomatoes was still the same - always calculating the angle, afraid that the rope would damage the stem. I thought I'd come over to see you, and I brought you a box of stomach medicine. You used to forget to eat when you were busy, and you often have stomachaches."
After hanging up the phone, Chen Wang looked up at the backyard. Lin Xiaoman was helping tourists package vanilla soap, gently removing it from the mold with her fingers. The sunlight fell on the ends of her hair, making her eyes dizzy. He tightened the measuring tape in his hand and continued to walk towards the village entrance. He had never been good at evasion, especially when the other party mentioned "stomach medicine," a habit he had developed from staying up late doing experiments during his graduate school years. Su Qing had remembered it for many years.
At the village entrance, next to the convenience store, Su Qing stood beside a light gray sedan. She wore an off-white sweater, no heavy makeup, and her hair was loosely tied with a rubber band, looking a little gentler than before. Seeing Chen Wang, she didn't rush over like she used to. Instead, she pulled a paper bag from the passenger seat and handed it to him, carefully avoiding his hand with her fingertips. "This is the same brand of stomach medicine you used to take. I asked the pharmacy, and they said the old formula is still effective. And here's the instant coffee you loved in graduate school. You can make a cup when you're busy in the fields."
She didn't mention reconciliation or past arguments, only "old habits," as if reminding him of the many memories they shared. Chen Wang took the paper bag, his fingertips touching the cold medicine box, and felt a gentle nudge in his heart. He wasn't a heartless person. Those days together, staying up late in the lab and fighting over sweet and sour pork ribs in the cafeteria, weren't something he could just forget.
"You..." Chen Wang was about to speak when he saw Lin Xiaoman approaching, carrying a bamboo kettle. She had probably just stopped by after seeing off some tourists, clutching a piece of unfinished rice cake. Seeing the paper bags in their hands, she paused, her smile fading a little.
Su Qing noticed Lin Xiaoman first and immediately smiled warmly. Her tone was so natural, as if they had known each other for a long time: "You are Lin Xiaoman, right? Chen Wang always mentioned you in his live broadcasts, saying that you helped him organize the planting notes for old varieties and taught the villagers how to make vanilla soap. You seem really meticulous, much better than I was back then - I always thought he was too meticulous about recording data, even recording the watering times in a notebook."
These words sounded like praise for Lin Xiaoman, but every word carried the implication that "I understand him better than you do." Lin Xiaoman tightened her grip on the kettle's handle, not noticing the rice cake crumbs falling on the back of her hand. She only felt a sense of emptiness inside—she knew Chen Wang was meticulous in his work, but she had no idea that behind this "rigor" there was a past that others had been involved in.
"You guys chat, I'll go get Uncle Li a kettle." Lin Xiaoman forced a smile and turned to leave, but Su Qing stopped him. "Wait a minute, I haven't asked yet, how are your old cultural and creative products selling? Chen Wang used to be very reliable when it came to projects. The sensor project he led back then even won a school-level award. He'll definitely be able to do well in cultural and creative products now—it's just that the work in the fields is too hard. He's injured his wrist before, and it hurts easily when he lifts heavy things. You should keep a close eye on him."
She didn't mention "coming back" or "competition." Instead, she simply took the perspective of a caring person, laying out both Chen Wang's "weaknesses" and "strengths." This made her appear considerate while quietly demarcating the boundary of "I understand him." Lin Xiaoman stood there, her ears buzzing. The water in the kettle sloshed out, splashing on the tip of her shoe, cold as ice.
Chen Wang finally spoke, his voice lower than before, with the restraint unique to science and engineering men: "Su Qing, thank you for the medicine and coffee. But don't worry about the cultural and creative matters, we can handle it ourselves."
"I'm not just worried, I'm just worried," Su Qing pulled a light gray business card from her bag and placed it in Chen Wang's hand. Her fingertips gently touched his palm, so quickly that it seemed like an illusion. "My dad's company is currently working on a smart agriculture project, and we're in need of someone who understands both technology and crops. If you want to give it a try, or if you find farm work too tiring, feel free to call me anytime. The salary isn't a problem; the main thing is that you don't have to be exposed to the elements, and you can use your expertise."
She didn't say, "Come back with me," but simply said, "Use your expertise," leaving the choice entirely to Chen Wang. This gave him both a way out and a place to cherish his memory. Chen Wang held the business card, his fingertips rubbing against the embossed characters. He felt a little confused—smart agriculture was something he had previously considered, and Su Qing had chosen this as the right path, hitting the mark for him.
He looked up at Lin Xiaoman, who was looking down at the tip of her shoe. The sunlight fell on her face, making it hard to tell her expression. Chen Wang's Adam's apple moved, and he finally stuffed the business card into his pocket. He didn't say "yes" or "no", but just said, "I understand. Thank you. It's getting late, so be careful on the road."
This response was neither a rejection nor an acceptance, in line with his usual rationality—he needed time to digest the situation, rather than making an immediate decision. A subtle smile flashed across Su Qing's eyes. Without saying anything more, she turned and got into the car. "Then I'll be leaving. Remember to take your stomach medicine on time, don't forget."
The car slowly drove away from the village entrance. Chen Wang stood there, still clutching the paper bag containing medicine and coffee. Lin Xiaoman walked over and didn't ask about the business card. She just said quietly, "Uncle Li just said that the bamboo frame of the tomato vines needs to be reinforced, otherwise it might fall over in tomorrow's wind."
"Okay, I'll go now." Chen Wang stuffed the paper bag into his canvas bag, picked up the measuring tape, and headed for the shared farmland. Lin Xiaoman followed him and saw the corner of his business card sticking out of his pocket. She wanted to say something, but ultimately kept silent. She knew Chen Wang's character. He wasn't good at lying, but he wasn't good at severing ties with the past either. She needed to wait for him to figure it out.
The two of them worked together to reinforce the bamboo frame. Chen Wang measured the spacing, while Lin Xiaoman helped pass the ropes. No one spoke, only the thud of bamboo sticks colliding. In the nearby strawberry patch, the leaves, which had just been stretched out, curled up slightly, as if echoing the unspoken silence between them.
As the sun set, they finally finished their work. Chen Wang pulled out his phone, intending to take a picture of Lin Xiaoman, but accidentally clicked on an old photo in his album—a photo of him and Su Qing in the lab during their graduate school years. They were both holding award certificates, smiling brightly. He quickly closed the album, feeling a little panicked, afraid that Lin Xiaoman would see it.
"What's wrong?" Lin Xiaoman noticed his movements and asked softly.
"Nothing," Chen Wang put his phone in his pocket and picked up the paper bag on the ground. "If you want to drink this coffee, take it. I don't really like instant coffee."
Lin Xiaoman took the paper bag, her fingertips touching the cold coffee box, and she hummed softly. The two walked back side by side, Wangfu running ahead with a bar of vanilla soap in his mouth, his tail wagging happily, but it didn't dispel the subtle silence in the air.
Chen Wang pulled out his phone to take a photo, then opened "Orchard Diary," wanting to write something. In the end, he only managed a single line: "Old varieties of vines need time to grow, and the ties of human nature also seem to need time to untangle."
He didn't mention Su Qing or the film, he just wrote "ties".
Lin Xiaoman came over and took a look, but said nothing.
Some old memories cannot be dispersed just like that; some sincerity also needs time to overcome the ties of the past.
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