Chapter 39039 Tacit Understanding
pain!
Warm liquid flows out of the nose.
Xue Yi tilted her head back and covered her nose, the pain was so severe that tears were about to come out.
"Let me see."
Yu Zeyuan half bent over, spoke in a gentle tone, and looked down.
Xue Yi half-opened her tearful eyes, and the distinct eyelashes of Yu Zeyuan in her hazy vision touched her heart little by little.
Yu Zeyuan looked up and met her dark eyes filled with water. His heart moved and he reached out his hand to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes.
"You, what are you doing?"
A question in the ear broke the ambiguous atmosphere.
Xue Yi covered his nose and turned his head, red blood flowing out from between his fingers, scaring Chen Xin to scream.
Her voice called out everyone who was resting in the room.
Xue Yi was too embarrassed to say that she had bumped into Yu Zeyuan's arm, and explained awkwardly, "I just accidentally bumped into the door."
In the end, this misunderstanding ended in carelessness.
Wang Fa took them to Grandma Yang's house. He knocked on the door and asked, "Is Grandma Yang asleep?"
About two minutes later, a small, frail boy of eight or nine came out. "Grandma just took her medicine and is resting now," he said.
Wang Fa patted the child's head and said, "These two sisters are volunteers from the city. They are staying at your house for a few days. Please give them the vacant room."
The little boy frowned, "That's my mom and dad's room!"
Wang Fa nudged his head. "Hey, your parents rarely come back all year, so what's wrong with lending your room to your sisters? Go clean it up."
He smiled apologetically, "Children are ignorant."
"It's okay. I'll go help him."
Xue Yi followed the little boy and found that the house was still simple and bare. The bed was made of earthen tiles and bricks and covered with a thin sheet, and the original color could no longer be seen.
The pillows were made of worn-out clothes, and the room had a damp and musty smell because it never saw the sun.
Chen Xin couldn't bear it and covered her nose.
The little boy was young, but he was very skillful. He quickly changed the bedding, but it was still very worn out and barely cleaner than the previous one.
"That's my parents' bed. Sleep carefully, don't move anything inside, and don't make too much noise. My grandma is a light sleeper."
He stared at her and walked out.
Chen Xin rolled her eyes. "Are all kids these days so rude?"
She took out the toilet water she carried with her and sprayed it into the air. "It stinks."
Xue Yi had tissue stuffed in his nose and could only breathe through his mouth, which looked a little funny.
She took off her backpack and took out her compressed inflatable pillow and eye mask.
"Sister Yiyi, you actually brought this kind of thing!"
Xue Yi took out an inflatable pillow and an eye mask from her bag and handed them to her. "Do more volunteer work, and you'll be able to do it too."
"Thank you, Sister Yiyi."
Xue Yi took out the tissue that was blocking her nose and was finally able to smell the air. The damp smell was mixed with the fragrance of toilet water.
"Go to bed. You have to get up early tomorrow."
"OK,"
I didn't sleep well the whole night. The bed was too hard and there was constant coughing from the next room, which made it impossible to sleep.
When they woke up the next day, both of them stared at the heavy dark circles under their eyes.
They walked out of the room and smelled the fresh scent of grass and trees, as well as the cool breeze. It must be said that the only advantage of the countryside is the good environment and fresh air.
"Wow, it's so cool!"
Chen Xin tilted her head back and breathed in the air.
"Sister...good morning."
A timid voice came from behind.
Xue Yi turned around and saw a little girl who was only four or five years old blinking at them.
Her little face was dark and red, her eyes were big, and she was wearing a yellow T-shirt that didn't fit her at all, covering her ankles, and she had two pigtails.
"So cute! What's your name, little one?!"
Chen Xin put on a smile, half bent over, and asked softly.
The little girl looked at her and said seriously, "My name is Qiqi."
Chen Xin touched the little girl's face with her hand, "Qiqi is so cute."
"Don't touch my sister."
The little boy from last night stepped forward and protected the little girl behind him.
Chen Xin pursed her lips and said, "We are not bad people."
"Are there any guests at home?"
An old voice came from inside the house, and an old woman came out with a cane. She had gray hair, many wrinkles on her face, and a hunched back.
Xue Yi stepped forward to support her. "Good morning, grandma. My name is Xue Yi and this is Chen Xin. I came here from Sucheng to volunteer. I'll be in the office for three days."
The old lady looked up at them, her cloudy eyes glaring at the boy beside her: "Cong, why didn't you tell me that there were guests at home!"
Xue Yi spoke first: "Grandma, I told him not to tell you, for fear of disturbing your sleep."
Granny Yang placed her hand on Xue Yi's, which felt as rough as dry bark. "You haven't had breakfast yet, right? There's an egg at home. Go make egg noodles for the guests."
Qi Cong stood still, staring at them fiercely, "There's only one egg in the house, and it's for you to raise your child. I don't want it!"
Granny Yang raised her cane and pointed at him, "How can you be so ignorant, kid!"
"Grandma, we don't have the habit of eating breakfast, so no need."
"Yes, yes, we are not hungry!"
Xue Yi changed the subject and asked softly, "Is there any water at home? I want to wash up."
Granny Yang said, "Yes, yes, yes. Qiqi will take the sisters there."
Qiqi took her to the water tank.
Xue Yi took a look and saw that there was only a little left. She scooped a spoonful with a chipped plastic spoon and asked, "Are there only three of you at home?"
Qiqi blinked and nodded: "Grandma said that Mom and Dad went to the big city to make money and asked us to take good care of the house."
In other words, they all said about left-behind children and the elderly, “How do you get water on a regular basis?”
"Sometimes it's my brother, and sometimes Uncle Wang and the others also help."
Xue Yi's gaze fell on the thin body in the yard, and his eyes flashed slightly.
At this moment, there was a knock on the door. "Are the two ladies up?"
Xue Yi and Chen Xin walked over and opened the door.
"Get up!"
"We've cooked noodles at home, let's eat together." Finally, he added: "Congcong, help your grandma up and bring the bowl over!"
"good."
Chen Xin took Qiqi's hand and followed.
Wang Fa moved the table directly into the yard. Although their house was simple, it was spacious and could easily seat more than ten people.
The temperature difference between day and night in Zhizhou Village is huge. It may be only about ten degrees in the morning, more than thirty degrees at noon, and about ten degrees at night.
Yu Zeyuan was wearing a black and grey windbreaker, looking cool and stylish, with fair skin and delicate features. He was out of tune with the people around him, giving the impression of a young master blending in with the common people. He was helping the villagers set aside the dishes and chopsticks, restraining his unruly demeanor.
"Sister Yiyi, it's so nice to see a handsome guy so early in the morning!"
Chen Xin couldn't help but praise when she saw this scene.
Xue Yi was already used to it. She looked up and said calmly, "Let's have breakfast first."
While eating, they got a general understanding of the specific conditions in the mountains. Due to the steep mountain roads and geological problems, it was difficult to grow crops, so they only grew potatoes, peanuts, sweet potatoes, etc. Moreover, it took three hours to walk along the mountain roads to get to the city, and transportation was extremely inconvenient. Therefore, most of the young people in the village went to work in big cities, and most of the people in the village were left-behind children like Qi Cong. There were more than 70 households and about 200 people in total.
After dinner, everyone sat together and held a brief meeting.
Liu Maosheng was the first to suggest, "I see some daily necessities are in short supply in the village. How about we go to the city tomorrow and buy some for the villagers?"
Chen Xin immediately raised her hand and agreed: "I think it's okay!"
Xue Yi did not express her opinion immediately. Instead, she looked at Yu Zeyuan who was silent beside her and asked softly, "What do you think?"
He looked up at the voice, his gaze calmly sweeping over the crowd before he spoke slowly, "I just heard Uncle Wang Fa muttering that his water tank is almost empty and he has to rush out to fetch water this afternoon. I think we should help them solve their most urgent water problem first."
This idea coincided with Xue Yi's.
She immediately made the decision, "Okay, then today we'll focus on filling water tanks for those families in the village who only have elderly people and children. In the afternoon, we'll distribute the supplies we brought and deliver them door to door. We'll do the purchasing tomorrow. What do you think?"
"no problem!"
"Follow the instructions!"
Just do it.
After dinner, led by Wang Fa, the group carried shoulder poles and walked along the mountain road for more than 40 minutes to the only well in the village.
Wang Fa pointed at the well mouth and said, "Actually, we sometimes go to the mountains to get spring water, but it's too hot today and it's easy to get heatstroke. It's safer to draw water from the well. Thank you for your hard work, comrades!"
“It’s not hard!”
Wang Fa added, "Women are less strong, so each of them only needs to carry half a bucket."
Xue Yi was a strong-willed person and silently filled his bucket with water.
At first, with the heavy shoulder pole on our shoulders, every step felt difficult. But when we thought of the expectant and grateful eyes of the left-behind children and the elderly living alone, we seemed to be injected with new strength and our steps became more steady.
It was almost noon, the sun was scorching, burning the earth, and it was so hot that it was hard to breathe.
In order to dispel fatigue, everyone started chatting casually, and the topic gradually shifted from work to family matters.
Liu Maosheng sighed, his tone filled with helplessness and heartache. "Honestly, I really want to bring my two little brats over here to see! All they do at home on holiday is play with their phones and TV. Look at the kids here, they work in the fields, cook, do laundry... they do everything. They're so sensible it makes me sad."
Wang Wei nodded in agreement. He noticed Yu Zeyuan's silence and turned to ask him, "Xiao Yu, why haven't you said anything?"
Yu Zeyuan just quietly followed the team, listening to everyone chatting and laughing. Hearing this, he replied calmly, "I don't have anything to say."
Seeing this, Chen Xin smiled and interrupted, "Since you don't have anything to say, we're going to ask you! For example, what's your favorite color?"
Yu Zeyuan responded cooperatively: "Black."
"So what kind of food do you like to eat?"
He quickly glanced at Xue Yi out of the corner of his eye and replied in a low voice, "Egg noodles."
Chen Xin seemed to be encouraged. She mustered up her courage and asked half-jokingly and half-seriously, "So... what type of girls do you like?"
Yu Zeyuan paused noticeably.
Just when everyone thought he wouldn't answer such a personal question, he said in a very light voice, "Girls who don't want to be my mother."
What kind of answer is this?
Everyone looked at each other in confusion.
Only Xue Yi frowned slightly.
This kid really holds a grudge?
Before they knew it, the sun was setting and the task of fetching water was nearing its end. They then distributed the supplies they brought to families in need.
"Thank you, you are such nice people! You have worked so hard!"
The villagers didn't know how to express their gratitude, so they could only use the simplest way: they gave the best things in their homes to the guests.
Some would have a small basket of eggs they had saved, some would have a bowl of steaming dumplings, and some would even have to kill the old hen they hadn't eaten all year round...
Everyone's heart was touched by their simple and sincere appearance. Even Chen Xin, who had been complaining all the time, fell silent. For the first time, she truly experienced the happiness and satisfaction behind "helping others".
What impressed Xue Yi the most was a family surnamed Li living at the innermost part of the village.
Grandma is blind and grandpa has a serious back injury and can only stay in bed. Fifteen-year-old sister Li Chun and nine-year-old brother Li Qiang are silently packing peppers in the yard under the faint moonlight.
Xue Yi noticed this and took the initiative to ask, "What are you busy with?"
Li Chun raised his head, his face showing a calmness that didn't match his age. "I'm packing chili peppers. I'll carry them to town to sell tomorrow morning to save money for my brother's tuition."
"What about you?"
Li Chun lowered his head and said softly, "Junior high school is enough for me. My brother has to continue studying."
Li Qiang, who was standing by, was unhappy when he heard this: "Sis! If you don't study, I won't study either! Let's pick some peppers to sell. At worst, I can go move bricks. I heard you can earn a penny for each brick you move!"
"Don't talk nonsense," Li Chun interrupted him. "The family is counting on you. School has started, and we need someone to do the farm work and take care of grandpa and grandma."
"How many peppers do you carry to sell at a time?"
"About 60 kilograms."
"How do we transport it?"
Li Chun answered as a matter of course: "My brother and I carried it together. It's not a long way."
It's hard to imagine these two frail figures carrying dozens of kilograms of weight over mountains and across hills. Even adults would find this strenuous, but they've long been accustomed to it.
Yu Zeyuan, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke in a low voice: "Tomorrow, I'll go with you."
Xue Yi looked at him in surprise, then immediately said, "Yes, let's go together."
It's like an unspoken agreement.
Xue Yi returned to Qi Cong's house, where she was staying. As soon as she finished washing up, Chen Xin came over and said with a grin, "Sister Yiyi, my shoulder seems swollen. Did you bring any medicine for injuries?"
Xue Yi took out safflower oil from her backpack and said, "Yes, I'll rub some on you."
"I knew you had everything, Sister Yiyi!"
Chen Xin smiled and pulled down one side of her clothes, and sure enough, there was a red and swollen area on her fair shoulder.
Xue Yi poured some medicinal oil into the palm of her hand, rubbed it to warm it up, and then pressed it on the wound: "Bear with it, rub it in and it will heal faster."
"Hmm... Ouch, be gentle, be gentle, Sister Yiyi..."
"If it's too light, it won't be effective."
Chen Xin groaned for a few minutes, and finally the medicine was applied.
"Let me help you wipe it too," Chen Xin took the medicine bottle, "You've been tired all day."
"Okay, thank you."
While Chen Xin carefully rubbed Xue Yi's shoulders, she casually asked, "Sister Yiyi, can I give this bottle of safflower oil to Brother Liu and the others later? I'm sure they can use it."
The real intention was not to give it to Liu Maosheng, but to take the opportunity to give it to Yu Zeyuan.
Xue Yi saw through it but didn't say anything. He nodded and said, "Take it."
"Very good!"
About ten minutes later, Chen Xin came back with only half a bottle of safflower oil left and a sweet smile on her face.
Xue Yi was making the bed and asked casually, "Have you used them all?"
Chen Xin nodded, then leaned close to Xue Yi's ear mysteriously and lowered her voice, "Sister Yiyi, let me tell you a secret."
Xue Yi had no interest in other people's secrets and just said, "I'll turn off the lights first."
She lay flat on the bed and closed her eyes.
Chen Xin continued to speak on her own, her voice filled with the longing and shyness unique to young girls: "When I first met Yu Zeyuan, I thought he was so handsome that he didn't seem like an ordinary person. He had a cold temperament. We didn't dare to get close to him, and could only admire him from afar. At that time, I envied you, Sister Yiyi, for being able to take him with you every day and talk to him naturally...
"I didn't expect to be able to volunteer in the mountain village with him this time. I was so excited that I couldn't sleep all night. I prepared for a long time just to talk to him and even bought a lot of breakfast, but it was a pity that he didn't eat it."
"But I was already happy to be able to talk to him for a few minutes. And on the day we went into the village to climb the mountain, he actually offered to help me with my luggage! I was really shocked, and I couldn't help but think, does this mean I can give it a try? Even if it's just once, I don't want to have any regrets. So later on, I was more proactive...
"But the closer I get to him, the more I feel like, although he seems friendly on the surface, there's always something between us that makes it hard to get close to him..."
Chen Xin turned her head and found that Xue Yi had his eyes closed and was breathing steadily, as if he had fallen asleep.
She sighed softly, lay down, and murmured softly in the darkness, "But I don't know why, I always feel that... the way Yu Zeyuan looks at you is different from the way we look at you."
In the darkness, Xue Yi's eyelashes trembled almost imperceptibly. She slowly opened her eyes, looked at the faint moonlight coming in from the window, and fell into deep thought.
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