Chapter 26: The innocent educated youth who was deceived 8 From...
After returning from the county town, Shen Xiannian was obviously busier and worked even harder to make money. He only slept four hours a day, went out in the early morning when it was still dark, and rushed back to work after the sun rose. Except for Shen's mother and Qiao Yin, no one knew how hard Shen Xiannian worked.
Shen's mother felt bad, but she knew it was all because of her daughter's illness. There wasn't much she could do to help, so she could only help with some embroidery when she was feeling better, and then have Shen Xiannian take it to the black market to sell.
Qiao Yin had received so much care from the Shen family and wanted to do what she could to help. Seeing that Shen's mother was a skilled embroiderer, but always with the same pattern—orchids or peonies—she tried her hand at drawing a few cartoon animals. The lines were simple, yet they looked inexplicably adorable. The childlike charm captured with just a few strokes was unprecedented on the market.
This kind of simple drawing was a bit ahead of its time. When Shen's mother saw it, her eyes lit up. She had never seen this style before, so she tried to embroider a handkerchief. The final product was very good. Shen Anan liked it very much and begged Shen's mother to give her the handkerchief.
As expected, such patterns were very popular with children and had a good market value on the black market. Qiao Yin recalled that the department store she had seen in the county town that day also sold pillowcases. However, regardless of the size, the patterns on the pillowcases were tacky and old-fashioned, not at all as beautiful as the ones embroidered by Chen's mother. The elderly might like them, but younger people and children would not like them.
So she took the samples directly to the person in charge and successfully helped Shen's mother take over the pillowcase embroidery business from the county department store. The pillowcases embroidered with animal patterns by Shen's mother were indeed very popular, and she signed a long-term agreement with the department store, which also provided a stable source of income.
"Thanks."
Shen Xiannian knew what she had done, and it was rare for him to be serious. Emotions surged in his eyes when he looked at her.
Qiao Yin felt a little uncomfortable being stared at by him. She avoided his burning gaze, laughed dryly twice, and said, "It's okay, it's all for An An."
This kind of life lasted for half a year. Shen Xiannian was very busy. Qiao Yin taught at the commune primary school while reviewing for the college entrance examination. Sometimes she helped Shen's mother draw some drawings.
Every night, she would teach Shen Anan to read and write, and sometimes Shen Xiannian would listen beside her.
He only attended elementary school. After his father died, he lost the opportunity to go to school and had to carry the burden of the family on his still young shoulders.
Listening to my sister's clear voice reading each sentence, and Qiao Yin's soft and quiet voice, feelings of inferiority suddenly surged into my heart.
Shen Xiannian thought, she is good-looking, has read so many books, has a good temperament, is tough and kind, and she will shine just by standing there.
Unlike him, whose clothes always seemed to be stained with mud from working in the fields, a country bumpkin like him who grew up in the countryside would never have met her if it weren't for the policy of going to the countryside.
In fact, he fell in love with her at the first sight, but he knew in his heart that he was not worthy of her, so he was always mean to her at the beginning and even mocked her. That was his heart warning him not to overestimate his abilities.
But heartbeat is hard to control, it will make two people who like each other get closer involuntarily.
As the days go by, something is quietly changing.
Shen's mother recently discovered that the atmosphere between her son and Qiao Zhiqing was strange.
For example, when Qiao Zhiqing was teaching An An to read in the yard, Shen Xiannian was sitting beside him listening seriously. His eyes never left Qiao Zhiqing, and Qiao Zhiqing blushed.
For example, that day, Qiao Zhiqing tasted a few raspberries that An An picked from the foot of the mountain and said they were delicious. The next day, his son went up the mountain and picked a big bag of raspberries.
Mother Shen was surprised when she saw it. At this time, most of the raspberries had been picked by the children in the village. She didn't know how long he had been looking for to find such a big bag.
But he didn't say a word. If Qiao Zhiqing hadn't discovered the small cut on his hand caused by the raspberry thorns, he wouldn't have known that his hand was pricked. He was still smiling when Qiao Zhiqing applied medicine to him.
Mother Shen couldn't bear to look at this silly boy!
However, what made her happy was that she could see the heartache in Qiao Zhiqing's eyes. At least, Qiao Zhiqing did feel something for his silly son.
And today, when Qiao Zhiqing hadn't returned yet, Shen Xiannian couldn't sit still anymore. He rushed to the school with a flashlight, as if Qiao Zhiqing would be kidnapped if he was a little late.
"Mom, it's getting dark and the road is hard to walk on. I'll go pick up Qiao Yin."
Mother Shen was speechless. It was still daylight outside, but he went to pick someone up.
When Shen Anan heard her brother say that he was going to pick up sister Qiao Yin, she wanted to go too, but was stopped by Shen's mother.
"An An, be good. Mom will make you some steamed egg custard. Don't go with her. Stay home and wait for your brother and sister to come back."
Shen Anan was not happy about being pulled away. She didn't want to eat egg custard. She wanted to go with her brother to pick up sister Qiao Yin, but her brother had already walked away.
She pouted and said, "Mom, why are you pulling me? I want to go with my brother too."
Mother Shen thought to herself: You can't let him go. Your brother finally has the chance to be alone with Qiao Zhiqing, how can you ruin it?
When Shen Xiannian found Qiao Yin, he discovered that she was squatting under a tree next to the school, holding her stomach, her face pale.
Shen Xiannian walked over quickly, squatted down and asked anxiously:
"What's wrong?"
Qiao Yin bit her lip and said nothing. She felt waves of pain in her lower abdomen, and her brows were knitted together because of the pain.
"I'm fine, I just have a stomachache. No need to go to the hospital."
"What do you mean we don't need to go to the hospital? You're in so much pain! I'll carry you to the village doctor."
Chen Xiannian insisted on taking her to see a doctor. Qiao Yin became anxious and grabbed the corner of his clothes, saying:
"I...I really don't need it! I just have my period. The pain won't go away tomorrow."
Shen Xiannian was stunned for two seconds, then reacted and felt a little embarrassed.
Mother Shen's health was not very good either. She felt severe pain during her period and could only curl up in bed. I didn't expect that she was in so much pain.
This is not a disease and there is no cure. Shen Xiannian doesn't know how to make her feel better.
He looked at her worriedly, feeling a little hesitant about what to do.
"I'll just squat for a while."
Qiao Yin's dysmenorrhea comes in waves, and is only particularly painful on the first day. It will be much better in the following days.
Chen Xiannian squatted with Qiao Yin for half an hour. After the pain passed, Qiao Yin recovered. She met Chen Xiannian's worried eyes, bit her lip, and said a little embarrassedly: "I'm fine, let's go."
She stood up, but her legs were numb from squatting for too long, and she lost her balance and was supported by Shen Xiannian.
He frowned at her and said, "If you're not feeling well, I'll carry you."
Then he squatted down in front of her.
"No, I'm not in pain anymore."
Qiao Yin quickly waved her hands. She was not that delicate at all, and she really wasn't in that much pain anymore. She was just still a little dizzy and nauseous, and her hands and feet were a little weak.
Shen Xiannian thought she was being stubborn and urged her without hesitation: "Come up quickly, it will be even harder to walk when it gets dark."
Qiao Yin couldn't persuade him, and after hesitating for a while, she finally lay on his back, carefully holding his shoulders with her hands.
After Qiao Yin lay on top of him, Shen Xiannian stood up with her on his back. Qiao Yin suddenly pressed even closer to him. The weather was hot now, and both of them were wearing little, so the place where they were leaning against each other became even hotter.
Feeling the warmth and softness on his back, Shen Xiannian's heart felt numb, his wheat-colored skin turned a little red, and beads of sweat gradually appeared on his forehead.
At this time, most of the people working in the fields had finished their work and returned home. Qiao Yin was worried about what to say if she met someone on the road, but she didn't expect that there was no one along the way.
Because they had been delayed for a while, it was already dark. Qiao Yin used a flashlight to light the way for Shen Xiannian. The sounds of cicadas and frogs could be heard one after another along the way. Qiao Yin listened to the "crunching" sound of Shen Xiannian stepping steadily on the ears of grain and hay, and a sudden electric current passed through her heart for no reason.
After a few seconds of silence, Qiao Yin suddenly spoke, hesitantly saying:
"Shen Xiannian, do you... like me?"
Shen Xiannian paused, his body stiffening for a moment.
He opened his mouth, his heart pounding, and wanted to say something, but his throat seemed to be blocked and he couldn't utter a word.
How could he, a peasant, dare to admit that he liked her? If she knew that he liked her, would she hate him and feel disgusted with him?
But the person on his back was still waiting for his answer. He closed his eyes, made up his mind, and said in a hoarse voice:
"Yes, I like you. I have liked you since the first day you came to Green Water Bay."
After saying this, he froze his neck and didn't dare look back, cautiously waiting for the answer from the person on his back. It felt like a knife was hanging over his heart, waiting for her verdict.
Who knew that after waiting for a long time, Qiao Yin slowly replied with an "Oh."
Shen Xiannian was anxious. What did "oh" mean? Did he agree or disagree?
"What about you? What do you think of me?" Shen Xiannian continued to ask.
"You know all about my family situation. As long as you agree to be with me, I will definitely treat you well. I will give you all the money I earn. You can do whatever you want. Even if you want to make trouble, I will support you from below. If I treat you badly, you can kick me out. I promise I won't complain."
Shen Xiannian was not good at saying nice things. He expressed his sincerity in a dry and humble manner.
The harvest was good this year, and the grain here couldn't be sold. He made an agreement with Lao Zhou, a driver he met when he was reselling grain, to form a convoy to secretly transport the grain to Guangdong. Although there were risks, if it succeeded, he could make a lot of money, which would not only be enough for An An's medical treatment, but also leave enough money for his wife.
He hadn't planned to confess his feelings to her so early. He wanted to wait until he made some money before telling her, but plans can't keep up with changes.
In the darkness, Qiao Yin couldn't see Shen Xiannian's face, which was flushed with nervousness.
This was the first time he liked a woman, and also the first time he confessed his love. He had supported a family for so many years and appeared reliable and mature in front of outsiders, but in front of Qiao Yin, he was just a naive boy who longed for a response from his sweetheart.
"I......."
Qiao Yin had never thought about this problem before. Her previous idea was to stay in Green Water Bay for two years, avoid known dangers, leave here after the college entrance examination, and then do some small business. She believed that with her predictive ability, it should not be difficult to support herself.
But she encountered the variable of Shen Xiannian. Thinking of all the kindness he had shown her after going to the countryside, Qiao Yin felt something in her heart. Life in the countryside was too hard. If Shen Xiannian hadn't helped her, she might not have made it to the college entrance examination.
No one had ever been so kind to her before. Her biological mother passed away when she was very young, and her stepmother became biased after she entered her biological father's heart. If it weren't for her grandfather's help and her own cleverness, she didn't know what kind of life she would have been tortured by her stepmother.
His biological father is blind and his stepmother is sweet on the outside but bitter on the inside. No one would be like him. Just because she said she loved eating raspberries, he would go up the mountain to pick them and didn't care about getting blisters on his hands. When treating her, he was always hard on the outside but soft on the inside, and only treated her well.
Shen Xiannian's clothes were a little soaked with sweat. Qiao Yin felt a little wet on her hands, and her heart felt a little sour and swollen.
She thought, maybe she also likes him a little bit. Otherwise, why not give it a try?
She has never been in a relationship before, so if it's with him, then... it shouldn't be too bad.
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