They sat there for the entire morning, and by noon, Yang Weimin sent everyone home for lunch.
It wasn't harvest time, so there wasn't much tension, and Yang Weimin relaxed a lot.
There were two hours in between when everyone could go home for lunch and rest before returning to continue picking broad beans.
When Song Lili heard Yang Weimin tell her to go back, she stopped, packed the good broad beans into a bag, tied the bag, and put away the bad ones before stopping.
Some quick-moving people had already packed up and were standing up and heading outside.
Zhang Qinghua had finished tidying up and was about to stand up when he felt a warm, delicate little hand being placed in his hand.
He didn't need to look to know it was Song Lili's hand, because he had held it before, and he remembered that feeling; he would never forget it.
So all the movement stopped, and we just stood there, watching people leave one by one.
Song Lili didn't move. After putting her hand into Zhang Qinghua's hand, she grabbed one of his fingers and held it tightly.
She knew that Zhang Qinghua was upset, and she wanted to explain so that he wouldn't go home in a bad mood.
The two of them sat there, waiting for everyone to leave.
Some people, seeing the two sitting side by side, would jokingly say, "Qinghua, time to go home."
“Even if you like Lili, you can’t skip going home for dinner. You’re coming back this afternoon. When you come, you can sit together. I’ll save you two seats.”
"That's right, that's right. We're still sensible enough not to separate you two."
"Exactly, young man, aren't you overjoyed to see your wife?"
Many people joined in the teasing, making Song Lili's face hot and red, like a red apple.
Zhang Qinghua was better than Song Lili, or rather, he concealed it better: "We're going back too."
"Hehe..." When everyone had almost finished eating, Zhang Qinghua looked at Song Lili's still red ears and laughed out loud in a good mood.
"Stop laughing." Song Lili patted Zhang Qinghua shyly, the force so light it was almost imperceptible.
"Why are you grabbing me?" Zhang Qinghua asked, feigning ignorance.
"Are you... are you angry?" Song Lili asked, biting her lip, feeling a pang of sadness in her heart.
"No," Zhang Qinghua said. "I'm not angry. I just feel a little uncomfortable and a little heartbroken."
"Really?" Song Lili turned her head and blinked as she asked him.
Zhang Qinghua looked at Song Lili seriously and said, "No, I... I just feel sorry for you." He wouldn't be angry with her.
“I know,” Song Lili said, tapping Zhang Qinghua’s hand. “I know everything.”
Seeing that Zhang Qinghua was about to speak, Song Lili tugged at him, stopping him from saying, "But everyone is like that."
“I know what you’re thinking, I… I understand your heart, but… I can’t be too different from others.”
"You know what? I can't draw other people's attention to myself, I can't let others notice me."
“You know, I… I have a lot of things to do that I can’t let others know, so… I can’t be special.”
As she spoke, Song Lili became anxious. She wanted to explain clearly, but the more she explained, the less she seemed to be able to explain.
Her eyes welled up with tears, worried that Zhang Qinghua might be upset.
"Okay, okay, I know, I know," Zhang Qinghua said, quickly comforting Song Lili as she was about to cry.
“I know what you mean, and I support you. I understand you. Don’t worry, okay?” Zhang Qinghua looked at Song Lili gently.
"I know what you're doing, I support it, and I understand your concerns. I know all of that."
Zhang Qinghua moved closer to Song Lili, their foreheads touching, and Zhang Qinghua looked directly into Song Lili's eyes.
"I know everything, you don't need to explain, I know everything."
"It's just that seeing you working so hard, I just feel sorry for you. You bear more than most girls, and I just feel sorry for you."
The last sentence was muttered to Zhang Qinghua, it was unclear whether he was speaking to himself or to Song Lili.
"I know, I know everything." Song Lili nodded, her voice choked with emotion.
The emotions that had been suppressed were now stirred up again by Zhang Qinghua: "I know everything."
She understood all the kindness Zhang Qinghua had shown her.
She's very perceptive; how could she not have noticed anything?
However, reality simply doesn't allow it.
"Okay, okay, let's not talk about this anymore, okay? Let's not talk about this anymore, and I won't talk about it again, okay?" Zhang Qinghua comforted gently.
Seeing Song Lili like this, he felt a pang of regret, regretting that he hadn't concealed his emotions well enough and that Song Lili had sensed them.
He felt even more heartbroken now; he had hurt the girl he cared about.
"Okay," Song Lili sniffled, her voice trembling with tears.
"Alright, let's go home." Zhang Qinghua stood up and helped Song Lili up as well. Everyone else had left, so he didn't need to worry about anyone else; it was just the two of them here.
"I still have work to do this afternoon, so hurry back. I'm going back too." Song Lili composed herself, feeling embarrassed, and quickly finished speaking before running away.
"Okay," Zhang Qinghua said with a gentle, tender look in his eyes as he watched the figure run away into the distance, a smile curving his lips.
When Song Lili returned home, she found Zhang Zeyu there as well. She greeted him, "Cousin, you're here too."
“Yes, I’m here to eat.” Zhang Zeyu nodded.
"Wait a minute, I'll go cook." Song Lili hurriedly ran to the kitchen.
They found that Song Fang had already lit the fire and washed the vegetables, and they were just waiting for her to come back and cook.
She made egg and brown sugar water for Xia Niu first, and only after delivering it to Xia Niu did she start making the other people's.
The batter, with chopped vegetables in it, smelled delicious and seemed to taste good.
Inside the stove, there were several potatoes, arranged around the fire; that was today's staple food.
Today we were in a bit of a rush, so Song Lili chose this simple method; otherwise, we would have had to boil it.
After all, potato peels are edible. Although they taste good when cooked, the potato shreds turn into charcoal, which is a waste.
After finishing their meal, the group rested for a bit before hurrying to the square, afraid of being late.
On the way, Song Lili said to Zhang Zeyu, "Cousin, if you don't know what to do, just ask someone else."
"Although Hongqi Village is backward, the people here are quite warm and welcoming. As long as you have a good attitude, they will teach you."
Song Lili was afraid that Zhang Zeyu might also have a sense of superiority from the city and unintentionally offend others.
"Don't worry, I know." Zhang Zeyu smiled slightly, feeling a warm glow in his heart. This cousin of his was really interesting.
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