Sweet nothings (Part 2)
Jiang Yichun still held He Yinxin's hand tightly, looking up at the faces that were either covered in fat or had sunken cheeks.
"Oh, Yi Chun, I'm your Uncle Zhang, and here's your Aunt Liu."
"We came here to use the air conditioning, hehe."
The man simply put down the hoe he was carrying and sat down casually on the sofa.
There was still a half-burnt cigarette butt between his fingers.
Jiang Yichun frowned, fanned her nose, and forced a smile: "Hello, Uncle Zhang."
"I'm going out to buy some sugar and salt for Grandma."
She grabbed He Yinxin's hand and tried to pull him outside.
The two dogs stayed close to her side, purring softly.
Whenever Jiang Yichun encountered these self-proclaimed helpful neighbors, all he could think of was running away, running far, far away.
If she had stayed away from those people for even a second longer, they would have made fun of her.
Especially the Zhang family, who on the surface maintained regular contact with our family, but always intentionally or unintentionally compared themselves to our family, using the excuse of visiting our home to inquire about our recent situation.
His favorite thing to say was how many sons he had, while the old lady's family only had daughters.
His sons are all mediocre, and one of them was imprisoned years ago. As for the old woman's children, her aunt is a doctor in town, her cousin studied abroad, and her mother used to be a singer, runs a bar in the county town, and earns quite a bit of money.
Jiang Yichun pursed his lips and pulled He Yinxin's hand to his side.
He Yinxin, like the two dogs beside her, obediently let her hold her hand.
"Hey, Xiao Yichun, is this your... boyfriend?" Uncle Zhang's voice rang in her ear.
Jiang Yichun's lips twitched, and she turned around to meet the man's amused gaze.
Those eyes that I had seen countless times, those eyes that I wanted to prove to them.
She squeezed He Yinxin's hand and smiled at Uncle Zhang: "Yes, he's my boyfriend."
Aunt Liu covered her mouth and laughed, "Oh, is that so? When are you getting married? How much is the bride price? What are your family's financial conditions like?"
"Judging from your boyfriend's appearance, can he afford to support you?"
Jiang Yichun could no longer suppress the nameless anger rising in her heart. Just as she was about to speak, her view was blocked by He Yinxin.
"Why should I support her?" He Yinxin frowned.
Aunt Liu's eyes widened: "Not going to support her? Oh, men don't support women!"
"He actually needs a woman to support him? That's amazing! Should I introduce you to someone?"
"You're going to pursue a master's degree now, I know. The Wang family's son is doing quite well, working in the internet industry..."
He Yinxin frowned, stepped forward, and met the gazes of the two people: "I'm sorry, I don't know of any rule that requires men to provide support to women in intimate relationships. Xiaochun and I are not related as parents, so the principle of support does not apply to us."
"I don't like treating my girlfriend like a pet. She is herself."
Uncle Zhang continued smoking, his eyes sweeping over He Yinxin: "Oh, young man, showing off your knowledge, huh? You spout theories all over the place, just sweet talk, good at making girls happy!"
"What's with all this talk about pets? Don't women need men to support them?"
"Besides, what business is it of yours, an outsider, that I discipline my relative's child?"
He Yinxin bit his lower lip, his gentle almond eyes turning completely serious: "Mr. Zhang, I cannot agree with your point of view. Please do not impose your shallow and ridiculous outdated views on me and Xiaochun."
"Xiaochun has no direct blood relationship with you, nor is she directly related to you. You have no right or obligation to give advice on my relationship with her."
"After all, it's a relationship between the two of us, so I'm not an outsider."
Jiang Yichun watched her boyfriend's back, a smile playing on her lips, and took his hand, turning their clasped hands into a tight interlocking grip.
"Oh dear, no wonder you're educated, you can't understand a word I'm saying!"
"He's good at sweet-talking and charming girls!"
The couple's faces stiffened, and they began to speak in their local dialect.
They chattered incessantly like two croaking bullfrogs.
Jiang Yichun still remembers the last time they came to her house, they couldn't even explain what a graduate student was, and they urged her to prepare for the graduate entrance exam just like their second son.
When I mentioned that I wanted to get into University A for graduate school, they started subtly inquiring about my academic progress.
It wasn't just these two; they were the ones who came to harass us today.
She had long been accustomed to the subtle malice that seeped into the details of life, and she had once thought of proving something.
But now, when she sees the inferiority complex behind these people's scheming, she only finds it laughable.
But... a certain robot dog's serious explanation left them speechless.
He Yinxin, Smart Dog, well done!
Jiang Yichun's eyes lit up, and her tone became even more determined: "That's right, Uncle Zhang, don't be so possessive of my relationship. Besides, I'll be attending A University soon, and I can support myself in the future."
“My mother, aunt and cousin are all able to support themselves. I am related to them, so it’s normal that I have inherited their genes.”
She walked up to He Yinxin with a smile, her eyes, which had been avoiding her gaze, finally meeting the eyes that had run away countless times but still wanted to prove themselves.
She took a deep breath, her smile still on her face.
"So, you don't need to worry about my boyfriend and me. You should take better care of your own children."
"Because this is my own business."
After speaking, she stopped looking at the two in-laws' flushed faces and turned to look at He Yinxin standing to the side.
A hint of sharpness appeared on his perpetually mild-mannered face, and his lips trembled as if he wanted to say something.
"Chunnan, Xiaoxin, eat watermelon..." At this moment, the old woman pushed open the kitchen door, took a plate of crisp and tender watermelon and walked into the living room. She quickly frowned.
"Zhang Ming, Mei, what are you doing in my house?" The old woman put down the watermelon and rushed to the two men.
"I haven't even bothered about your son borrowing money from me and not paying it back after doing that kind of thing! And now you're here to pick a fight with Chunnan and my grandson-in-law? Get out of here! I get annoyed just seeing you!"
"If you're going to plead for your bastard son, then get the hell out of here!"
The old woman angrily dragged the two people off the sofa and pushed them toward the door.
The two men seemed to know they were in the wrong, so they had no choice but to leave her house in a sorry state, without even taking a slice of watermelon with them.
Only Potato and his son were left shouting behind them.
Jiang Yichun let out a long breath, quickly straightened his back, and casually picked up a slice of watermelon from the table, stuffing it into He Yinxin's hand.
"Koharu?"
The gloom on his face vanished instantly.
She blinked. "Eat some watermelon to cool down. Didn't you just say you wanted some mung bean soup?"
He Yinxin blankly accepted the watermelon she was offered and began to chew it bite by bite.
"It's very sweet, but I won't drink the mung bean soup."
His ears turned red again.
Jiang Yichun casually pinched his arm lightly and then slapped his arm hard.
He Yinxin's lips curled up slightly as she swallowed the piece of watermelon and looked down at her: "What's wrong, Xiaochun?"
"Never serious."
Jiang Yichun felt rebuffed and could only take his arm in return.
She picked up a slice of watermelon from the table, took big bites, and then tugged at He Yinxin's arm: "Come on, Lao He, I'll drive you into the mountains for a stroll!"
"Isn't it supposed to be about buying sugar and salt for my mother-in-law...?"
"I was just saying that to fool those people!" Jiang Yichun said, waving his hand at the old woman with the car keys still in his mouth. "Grandma, I'm taking him out for a walk!"
Li Jianfang smiled and nodded at the two young people, seemingly in agreement: "Okay, go ahead, but watch out for snakes and mosquitoes."
"Okay, bye-bye, Grandma!"
Jiang Yichun took his hand and went out the door. He then pulled open the door to the gray-white sedan parked in the yard and plopped down inside.
Jiang Yichun started the car and drove out of the small courtyard.
He Yinxin sat in the passenger seat with his back straight, his fair hands gripping the seatbelt and rubbing it.
His gaze had long since ceased to notice the greenery outside the window and the town below; his eyes were fixed solely on Jiang Yichun, who was driving beside him.
"Baby, I feel like you're pretty good at driving." He secretly leaned closer, his eyes peering at her, while his hands slid to the air conditioning vents.
Jiang Yichun glared at him: "Of course, I got my driver's license right after the college entrance exam, and I passed every subject on the first try!"
"Yeah. That's great, I took my driving test twice."
"Xiao Chun is good at driving, and he's good at talking too..."
Jiang Yichun, turning the steering wheel, glared at him again: "He Yinxin! Shut up! Try copying me again!"
He Yinxin smiled slightly, obediently shut her mouth, and began peeling the grapes she had picked up. She then stuffed the peeled grapes one by one into Jiang Yichun's mouth.
Occasionally, her tongue would brush against his fingertips, and He Yinxin could only continue peeling grapes with her ears burning red, or swallow one by herself.
The car was parked on the side of the road halfway up the mountain, where the temperature was not as hot as in the valley due to the higher altitude.
Jiang Yichun took He Yinxin's hand and led him down a narrow, winding path.
He didn't speak, but held her hand tightly, the sticky grape juice binding their hands together.
After passing through a grove of trees and descending a few steps, I heard the sound of rushing water.
At the end of the road is a gently flowing stream.
"Xiaochun? What are you doing bringing me here?" He Yinxin stood there dumbfounded, his fingertips rubbing against his trouser leg to shoo away the mosquitoes.
Jiang Yichun tied a knot in the hem of her dress, took off her sandals, and stepped into the water with a "plop," smiling at him.
"Silly dog, let's go for a drive!"
"Besides, didn't you say you wanted freedom?"
She spun around in the water, and a gentle breeze, rising from somewhere in the valley, lifted her long hair that fell to her waist, making it bloom like a flower before her eyes.
He Yinxin stood there blankly, her Adam's apple bobbing, her face seemingly burning even hotter from the scorching sun.
She was clearly his girlfriend, but he lowered his eyes, no longer daring to look at her. He could only clutch his collar, trying to suppress his wildly beating heart.
She laughed, bent down, scooped up a handful of water, and splashed it at him.
"surprise!"
He Yinxin didn't have time to dodge, and a small patch of her hair and T-shirt got wet.
He looked up at her, and Jiang Yichun was still smiling.
He couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
The wind in the valley stirred her hair, carrying her scent towards him. He Yinxin opened his palms, as if trying to grasp that unique scent that belonged only to her.
Jiang Yichun continued to circle in the stream, her skirt spreading out in large patches of water.
Her feet waded through the water, splashing droplets.
"Hey Hey, come play here! I used to play in the water here all the time when I was a kid. Sometimes there were even little crabs under the rocks."
"Whenever I'm in a bad mood, I come here to catch small fish, shrimp and crabs, and then release them."
"You want to know about my past, right? This is where I grew up!"
He Yinxin stood still, but his eyes were glued to her like maltose, refusing to look away.
Jiang Yichun's eyes darted around, and she smirked mischievously, "Sometimes I come here with Yang Ge..."
"Thump!"
Before she could finish speaking, the silly man in front of her threw off his slippers and jumped into the water, splashing a small spray.
Jiang Yichun took a few steps back and stepped on a moss-covered rock. She lost her balance and almost fell to the ground.
A pair of warm hands supported her waist, and the two of them then fell into the water.
The stream water soaked her dress and calves, and the icy feeling gradually crept up her skin, leaving only the hands around her waist still burning hot.
He Yinxin's face suddenly loomed large before her eyes, along with his signature scent.
His forehead gently pressed against hers, water droplets falling one by one, as he gasped for breath.
"But today I'm all alone."
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