Xu Keke didn't go to work the next day. Xiao Han asked several people and searched around the village before finally finding Xu Keke in an abandoned, dilapidated temple at the west end of the village.
"Bai Lu, is it because of me that you don't want to go back to the city?"
Xiao Han's determination and emotion left Xu Keke feeling both amused and exasperated.
In their few interactions, Xu Keke discovered that Xiao Han, while seemingly shrewd at first glance, was actually quite prone to making assumptions. He rarely considered things from other people's perspectives and always oversimplified people and situations. To put it kindly, this could be called naivety; to put it bluntly, he only cared about himself and not others.
Xu Keke ignored him and paced back and forth in the courtyard in front of the dilapidated temple twice more. The windows here are too small; if it were used as a classroom, the lighting wouldn't be very good. She wondered if the windows could be enlarged a bit.
She had arranged with Chen Jianguo yesterday that after inspecting the dilapidated temple that was slated to be used as a school today, they would go to the old village chief's house. She needed to discuss a renovation plan with him later.
Seeing Xiao Han still standing dumbfounded at the courtyard gate, waiting for her reply, Xu Keke walked up to him and asked him in return,
"Weren't you supposed to go to the commune to explain the situation? Why haven't you gone yet?"
“I…” Xiao Han took a half step back, pushed up his glasses, and stammered for a long time without being able to say anything.
"You're afraid of straining your relationship with Gao Zhe, aren't you?" Xu Keke glanced at him and said knowingly.
Xiao Han remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement.
Xu Keke stepped out of the dilapidated temple courtyard and strolled forward. Hearing Xiao Han follow, she said unhurriedly,
“Originally, this spot to return to the city would definitely be yours if I didn’t want it. But now, because you have a disciplinary record, you’ve become the least hopeful one. There’s no way this spot will be yours. But the good thing is that you want to take the college entrance exam. Going back to the city to work and study at the same time is actually not much different from working in the fields and studying at the same time here.”
"They're worlds apart! How can they be the same?" Xiao Han thought to himself. "Going back to the city to work means getting a salary, and besides, it's so comfortable at home. It's nothing like the harsh conditions in the countryside."
Yesterday, when Gao Jie mentioned that Xu Keke was hesitating about returning, Xiao Han thought it was probably because he was there. Now, after hearing her words, Xiao Han was even more certain of his belief. If he wanted that spot, Xu Keke wouldn't hesitate and would give it to him directly.
It's no wonder Xiao Han thought that way; when he was with Wu Wanyi, she always treated him that way. She always put him first in everything, which made him misjudge her importance.
"I'm going to the commune right now." This time, Xiao Han was truly determined and wasn't going to wait any longer.
Since Xu Keke was so generous, in exchange, Xiao Han said to her, "By the way, I wanted to tell you last time that Chen Hong received another remittance, and it seems to be related to you again. But as for the specifics, I asked Gao Jie a few times indirectly, but she didn't say. I heard from Gao Jie and her brother that Chen Hong will definitely contact you again. You mustn't let her fool you."
She already knew yesterday that Chen Hong wasn't trying to harm her for the chance to return to the city. When she heard about the remittance, a thought flashed through Xu Keke's mind, but she couldn't quite grasp it.
Not hearing Xu Keke thank him, Xiao Han asked again, "Did you hear what I said?"
Xu Keke smiled and said, "Okay, I understand. You go ahead with your work. I'm going to the old village chief's house."
When Xiao Han was with Wu Wanyi and Chen Hong before, they were always the ones who took the initiative. Xu Keke's coldness left him somewhat at a loss. Yet, he also felt he should try to build a closer relationship with Xu Keke, as their current connection wasn't intimate enough.
Xiao Han readily agreed, "It's alright, I'll go with you. I'm not going to work today either. I'll go to the commune in a bit."
Xu Keke didn't care. However, she and Xiao Han had nothing to say to each other, and Xiao Han didn't know what to say to her either. The two of them walked silently along the village road.
As Chen Jianguo came out of the yard, he saw Xu Keke and Xiao Han walking side by side toward their house. The girl was petite and delicate, while the boy was not very tall but slender, and his scholarly air was something that these burly farmers could not match.
Chen Jianguo knew that many young women and wives in the village liked this kind of thing. He hadn't cared before, but today it annoyed him, and he couldn't help but frown.
"Brother Jianguo, let's go." Seeing that he wasn't getting on the car, Hu Zi pulled on the reins and urged him from the side.
"Wait a minute," Chen Jianguo said without moving, his eyes still fixed on the two people on the road.
As they approached, Xu Keke took the initiative to greet him and Hu Zi.
Xu Keke knew what she was doing. Looking at Xiao Han, Chen Jianguo's face darkened, and he said sternly, "Why aren't you working? What are you doing wandering around the village?"
Xiao Han pushed up his glasses, unable to guess why the brigade leader seemed particularly fierce today, so he answered cautiously, "I'm just about to go to the brigade to ask for leave. I need to go to the commune."
"Go to the commune," Chen Jianguo said, looking him up and down warily. "What are you going to the commune for?"
Xu Keke immediately noticed that Chen Jianguo's attitude was a bit off. Seeing that Xiao Han was still oblivious to the danger and kept making noises, Xu Keke was afraid of further misunderstandings, so she quickly answered for him, "He's going to the commune to explain what happened when he hit me last time. He's also going to report Gao Zhe and Chen Hong."
Not only Tiger, who was driving the carriage, but even Chen Jianguo was stunned. No wonder she asked him to announce two days later that she was going to stay in the village to be a teacher; it turned out that this was her plan.
Chen Jianguo glanced at Xu Keke without showing any emotion. The young girl looked calm and composed, without the slightest hint of guilt at being discovered. Although he disliked these educated youths who played mind games and tried to be clever, he actually found himself somewhat fond of her.
Chen Jianguo was startled by the thought that came to his mind: "I like you." How could he have even thought of liking someone?
Seeing Chen Jianguo's gloomy face and his handsome, sword-like eyebrows furrowing again, Xu Ke was about to think that he was just making trouble for no reason when he heard Chen Jianguo say to Xiao Han, "We're going to the commune too, come on up. I'll give you a ride, so you don't have to walk."
After saying that, he remembered Xu Keke and asked her, "Are you going too?"
Xu Keke quickly waved her hand and pointed inside, "I'm looking for the old village chief."
"Then hurry up and go, Douzi has been waiting for you all morning."
Chen Jianguo's words startled Xiao Han. Xu Keke and the brigade leader's family were so close. He suddenly remembered what Xu Keke was doing at the dilapidated temple, why she came to the old village chief's house, and why the brigade leader's son knew she was coming and was waiting for her.
Seeing that Xiao Han was still standing there dumbfounded next to Xu Keke without moving, Chen Jianguo, who had already sat down next to Hu Zi, impatiently shouted at Xiao Han, "Get in the car!"
Xiao Han was still in a daze, but he had already subconsciously followed Chen Jianguo's instructions and climbed onto the carriage.
Watching the carriage drive away, Xu Keke's eyes flashed with doubt. She wondered what had happened at the commune, judging from Chen Jianguo's tense appearance. It didn't seem like a trivial matter.
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