"We...we're dating!"
As soon as she said it, she was stunned. She was so ashamed that she wished she could disappear into the ground, but her eyes stubbornly did not flinch.
Du Jianshan felt as if his heart had been struck by this bold yet shy declaration, and a tremendous joy instantly filled his entire body.
Looking at the girl's blushing cheeks and her brave, clear eyes, all his mischievousness turned into tenderness.
"Yes!" He nodded emphatically, his smile dazzlingly bright: "That's right! We're dating!"
There were still quite a few people around. Although they couldn't hear exactly what the two were saying, seeing the two of them, they all smiled knowingly and tactfully moved away.
Wang Tieniu, holding the tray, grinned foolishly to the side, with an expression that said, "I knew it all along."
Du Jianshan found Ayiguli's shy and humiliating appearance incredibly endearing.
He quickly glanced around and, seeing that no one was paying much attention to them, gently placed a kiss on her smooth forehead.
The touch was soft and warm, carrying the fresh scent unique to a young girl's skin, and it was gone in an instant.
Aygul trembled all over, like a startled fawn, and suddenly covered her forehead, her eyes wide open, staring at Du Jianshan in disbelief.
The shyness reached its peak instantly, making even the roots of her ears turn bright red, yet a secret sweetness exploded in her heart.
She didn't dodge, but quickly lowered her head, though the corners of her mouth couldn't help but quietly curve upwards.
"Tonight," Du Jianshan said, his voice softening as he looked at her shy expression, "the performing arts troupe is putting on a show, shall we... watch it together?"
"I'll save up a front-row seat!"
"……Um."
Aygul lowered her head and responded in an almost inaudible voice, but her fingers secretly hooked onto Du Jianshan's clothes and tugged at them gently.
This subtle gesture warmed Du Jianshan's heart more than any words.
A beautiful woman's smile is truly the most beautiful flower in the world!
"cough!"
A deliberately amplified cough came from the side. He leaned closer, winking and lowering his voice with a mischievous smile.
"Brother, sister-in-law, have you had enough of being lovey-dovey? Under this blazing sun, shouldn't we take the 'military pay' back first?"
"I need to save a good spot for my sister-in-law to watch the show tonight!" He deliberately emphasized the word "sister-in-law".
"Get out of here! Who's your sister-in-law! Don't talk nonsense!" Ayiguli stomped her feet in embarrassment and pretended to hit Wang Tieniu.
Du Jianshan smiled and stopped her, then grabbed a handful of fruit candies from the tray Wang Tieniu was carrying and stuffed them into Ayiguli's hands: "Here, have some for fun. Remember to come early tonight."
"Um!"
Aygul clutched the candy tightly, as if holding a burning heart, glanced quickly at Du Jianshan, then lowered her head shyly, "Then... I'll go back first!"
After saying that, she turned and ran away like a light-footed deer, her black braids swinging behind her.
Du Jianshan watched her retreating figure, a smile lingering on his lips.
The sunlight shone on him, making even his faded old military uniform seem to be gilded with a layer of gold.
"Brother, isn't it beautiful?" Wang Tieniu nudged him with his shoulder and chuckled.
"I knew Ayiguli had a crush on you! Now you're officially my 'sister-in-law'!"
Du Jianshan withdrew his gaze, smiled, and punched Wang Tieniu lightly: "Stop talking nonsense! Come on, let's go back! I'll give you a share of this money and industrial vouchers later!"
"Really? Brother! You really are my brother!" Wang Tieniu was so happy he almost jumped up.
The two brothers chatted and laughed as they walked towards the educated youth settlement, carrying their heavy rewards.
In a corner not far away, where the crowd had completely dispersed, Ma Chunmei and her brother Ma Jinbao had faces so gloomy they looked like they were about to burst into tears.
Ma Jinbao stared intently at the spot where Du Jianshan and Ayiguli had just stood, his eyes filled with jealousy and resentment.
Seeing Ayiguli's shy and happy expression made him even tremble with anger.
"Pah! You vixen! Shameless!" Ma Chunmei spat fiercely, her triangular eyes filled with bitter resentment.
"They've been hooking up for only a few days! And they're even splitting the money? That bastard Du Jianshan is using public funds to curry favor with some young vixen! He'll get what's coming to him sooner or later!"
Ma Jinbao didn't speak, but his fists were clenched tightly, his nails digging deep into his palms.
What a character Du Jianshan is!
Steal his credit and seduce his girlfriend!
Sooner or later he'll make Du Jianshan spit it all out!
While Ma Jinbao and his companion were indignant, Du Jianshan and his companion were beaming with joy.
After arriving at the educated youth settlement, the two brothers quickly checked their belongings.
The rewards of grain coupons, cloth coupons, and industrial vouchers, plus some cash subsidies, didn't amount to much, but at this critical juncture, they were enough to make people envious.
Du Jianshan gave a small portion to Wang Tieniu, saved some of it, and used the rest for an extra meal at the educated youth settlement that night.
Seeing the large amount of supplies distributed, Wang Tieniu was so happy he almost jumped for joy, waving his hands repeatedly: "Brother, this is too much! I didn't do anything, just ran errands a few times, this isn't right..."
Du Jianshan nodded and then said, "Tie Niu, you've been with me for so long, I know you're not after these few coins. We're brothers, what's yours is yours, and what's not yours, we won't take. But as long as you work for me, good days are ahead."
Wang Tieniu's eyes reddened, and he nodded vigorously.
"I know, brother. I'm not just following you, I truly consider you my brother! You tell me where to go, and I, Wang Tieniu, will rush there, even if it costs me my life, I won't flinch!"
Du Jianshan laughed and patted his head: "Alright, stop being sentimental. I'll stir-fry some meat for you tonight, and those two bastards will be so jealous."
Wang Tieniu grinned widely: "That bastard Ma Jinbao always brags so much, but he didn't get a single penny this time. He just watched you win the heart of the beauty. He definitely won't be able to eat tonight!"
"We're deliberately trying to tempt them, to make those two jealous so they can't have what they want."
Du Jianshan's eyes flashed, carrying a hint of sarcasm:
"Isn't he always up to no good? I'd like to see what tricks he'll pull when I'm tempted tonight."
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