Chapter 10
10.
That day, Guan Yue once again relied on Cheng Lingjun for meals. She gave him the firewood she had gathered, which was her small contribution. This way, Cheng Lingjun would have enough firewood to cook. However, this time, after cooking, Cheng Lingjun did not hide it from Li Guang. He told Li Guang that the rabbit they ate for lunch was also a gift from Guan Yue.
Upon hearing this, Li Guang was stunned, as if struck by lightning. He remained frozen for a long time before grabbing his father's arm and begging him not to deliver the food.
Cheng Lingjun sighed and said, "She's not the same hooligan she used to be. Xiao Guang, don't be afraid, Dad will be fine."
Li Guang shook his head vigorously, a sense of panic welling up inside him. It wasn't just fear of the scoundrel across the street, but also because his father seemed to be getting along well with someone else. His father used to ignore everyone else, but now he was cooking for someone else, and his father's attention was on someone else, and that person was a woman...
Cheng Lingjun only vaguely sensed that Li Guang didn't want him to have contact with Guan Yue, but he assumed that Li Guang was afraid of Guan Yue, so he didn't leave immediately. He just patted his son's back to reassure him that he would be back soon.
Li Guang couldn't express the panic in his heart, nor did he know how to stop his father. Only after Cheng Lingjun persuaded him several times did he pout and let go of his hand, repeatedly saying, "Father, you have to come back quickly, don't stay away for too long!"
Cheng Lingjun patted Li Guang's head before leaving the house. This time, he didn't enter Guan Yue's courtyard; he just knocked on the door. Guan Yue's ears seemed very sharp, and she came out immediately.
Guan Yue quickly walked to the door, looked around to make sure no one was there, and then whispered, "I was just about to come out and wait for you. Did no one see you?"
“…No,” Cheng Lingjun felt like she wasn’t delivering food, but something she couldn’t show to anyone.
This time he didn't bring a food box, but just a large bowl containing vegetables and rice he had grown himself, as well as a few pieces of rabbit meat left over from lunch.
Guan Yue raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Why aren't you eating?"
Is it not tasty?
Cheng Lingjun shook her head, "Xiao Guang and I can't eat much, and there's not much left. You finish it."
"Oh," Guan Yue thought, "Men in this world also have small appetites." She took the bowl and handed the food box back to him. "This is the food box you brought for lunch. Thank you for bringing me the food."
Cheng Lingjun took it, and when he looked up, he saw that Guan Yue had closed the door. She whispered to him through the wooden gate, "You should go back quickly, so that no one else can see you."
As soon as she finished speaking, Guan Yue dashed off to her room, as if she had stolen someone else's food rather than accepted it.
Cheng Lingjun was speechless. If he hadn't explained it today, he would have thought that Guan Yue was afraid of him, as if he was the infamous rogue and she was the innocent girl being harassed.
When Cheng Lingjun returned home and opened the food box, he was surprised to find that the bowls and plates inside had been washed clean. He had thought that women were usually rough and careless, but Guan Yue was quite meticulous, especially since he hadn't told her to wash them.
Small details always make people feel good. Cheng Lingjun put away the food box in a good mood and returned to the dining table. She noticed that Li Guang's chopsticks hadn't been touched and couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Why aren't you eating? Are you waiting for Dad?"
Li Guang nodded stubbornly and said, "If Dad doesn't come back, Xiao Guang won't eat."
Cheng Lingjun couldn't help but chuckle, "You're such a grown-up, yet you still can't be separated from your father. People will laugh at you if they find out."
“It’s just a joke,” Li Guang said, lowering his head and picking at his rice. Cheng Lingjun shook her head and put some food on his plate.
Li Guang looked at the food in his bowl. There was still some leftover rabbit meat from lunch, but his father had given it all to that woman. His father said that the woman had helped them carry water and they wanted to repay her. But he felt uncomfortable. His family didn't eat meat often, only once every few days. But Li Guang wasn't uncomfortable because he was craving the meat. He just didn't want his father to be so good to that woman.
Li Guang's mouth trembled as if he wanted to say something, but he didn't speak. He couldn't help his father much, but if someone else helped his father, his father would have an easier time. But why was it that person, and a young woman at that?
He ate his meal in silence. Cheng Lingjun noticed that he seemed unhappy and asked, "Is Xiao Guang unhappy?"
Li Guang shook his head, but didn't raise it. Cheng Lingjun frowned slightly. He had neglected Li Guang before, largely because he didn't have time to care about him, but also partly because Li Guang liked to keep his thoughts to himself and wouldn't talk about them. He brought Li Guang away because he didn't want Li Guang to be like before, keeping things to himself.
Cheng Lingjun got up and sat down next to Li Guang, gently hugging him and whispering, "Tell Dad if you're unhappy about anything, don't keep it to yourself."
Li Guang raised his head, his large eyes glistening with tears. He stared at Cheng Lingjun and said, "...Father, can you ignore that woman named Guan?"
"Ignore her? Are you afraid of her?"
Li Guang shook his head, then nodded again, "Just a little bit."
Cheng Lingjun smiled and said, "She has amnesia and is not the same as before. Dad will be more careful. She and I are just neighbors who help each other. She helped Dad, so Dad should help her back. That's right, isn't it?"
Li Guang's eyes widened in surprise. "She has amnesia?"
"Yes, Father was also surprised. She needs help from others. Father is only helping with small things, there is no danger."
Li Guang bit his lip, his little brows furrowed, "But...but anyway, Dad, you shouldn't get too close to her."
"Alright, alright," Cheng Lingjun patted his head. "Dad's favorite is Xiao Guang. No one else can compare to Xiao Guang."
Li Guang blushed, looking at Cheng Lingjun's knowing expression, and said with a mixture of embarrassment and anger, "I didn't mean that! Father, don't talk nonsense!"
Cheng Lingjun smiled and didn't tease her son any further. The two of them slowly finished their meal.
The next morning, Cheng Lingjun took Li Guang to Liu Niangzi's place. When she returned, she found Guan Yue already waiting by her door.
They didn't discuss what time to go out yesterday, since they lived across from each other and could see each other anytime. However, they both avoided Li Guang. Cheng Lingjun was because his son was obviously unhappy yesterday, so it wasn't good to see Guan Yue when Li Guang was around. But Guan Yue actually appeared after he saw Li Guang off, which surprised Cheng Lingjun.
But Guan Yue appeared calm, as if she had just happened to go out at this time and happened to run into Cheng Lingjun returning. Cheng Lingjun thought to himself, "He's probably overthinking it."
Guan Yue saw him and smiled, "You're back? Shall we go then?"
Cheng Lingjun paused. Did she know he went out? Well, at this hour, the sun was already high in the sky. It was normal for her to hear them leaving the house. Perhaps she was just waiting for him to come back.
But upon closer reflection, it's clear that Guan Yue rarely appears in front of Li Guang. For some reason, Cheng Lingjun senses that she's not so willing to run into Li Guang; it seems that if Li Guang is around, she'll deliberately hide.
This strange feeling made Cheng Lingjun somewhat incredulous. Li Guang was just a little child, so why would Guan Yue avoid him? Was she afraid of a child?
While Cheng Lingjun hesitated, Guan Yue had already closed her gate and walked a few steps away from him, calling out, "Young Master Cheng? Brother Cheng? What's wrong?"
Cheng Lingjun came to her senses and said, "It's nothing, there's no need to call me 'Young Master'."
"Then I'll call you Brother Cheng."
There seems to be no need to address each other as brothers. Cheng Lingjun said, "Just call me Cheng Jun. Actually, in the countryside, it's perfectly fine to call each other by our first names."
Guan Yue thought for a moment and said, "Then you don't need to call me 'Miss,' just call me Guan Yue. However, since we are men and women, we should be more careful when other people are present."
Looking at the other person's serious lecturing, Cheng Lingjun almost thought she was some kind of old-fashioned person, and couldn't help but sigh once again how terrible amnesia was, even changing one's nature.
Seeing her insistence, Cheng Lingjun could only nod and say, "Then I'll take you to Village Chief Rui's house."
"You go first, and I'll follow behind."
Cheng Lingjun turned around and walked towards the village chief's house. After walking for a while, he looked back and saw that Guan Yue had become a blurry figure in the distance.
This is... way too cautious. Cheng Lingjun was both amused and exasperated. Given the distance between them, it would be a stretch to say that Guan Yue was tailing him.
When Guan Yue saw him stop, she made a gesture. Cheng Lingjun shook his head and continued walking forward. Village Chief Rui's house was located in the middle of the village. If they walked too close, they would be easily seen. Now, no one would misunderstand their relationship.
Cheng Lingjun walked to the village chief's house and stopped. There were no villagers around. Guan Yue approached and asked softly, "This?"
Cheng Lingjun nodded, and Guan Yue said, "Thank you for leading the way. You can go back now."
Guan Yue paused only slightly when she asked the question, and then walked to Cheng Lingjun's side in a few steps, not daring to even turn her head in his direction, taking her cautiousness to the extreme.
Cheng Lingjun didn't say anything, watching her turn a corner and walk towards the village chief's house, until she disappeared from sight.
Only then did Cheng Lingjun breathe a sigh of relief. For some reason, he had also become tense, as if he really was doing something shameful. It was all Guan Yue's fault.
Guan Yue was unaware that someone was cricketing behind her back. The village chief's house looked bigger than the others, with a small courtyard surrounded by stones and a heavy door blocking the way.
Guan Yue gently knocked on the door, and heard a child's innocent voice inside, "Who is it?"
Guan Yue cleared her throat and called out, "It's me, Guan Yue."
The child stopped talking. Guan Yue waited for a while, and just as she was about to knock on the door again, she heard hurried footsteps and the door was suddenly opened.
"You…," Guan Yue said, a smile just beginning to appear on her face, "...Okay—stop!"
Before she could even see the person who opened the door clearly, a large broom was thrown at her face. Startled, Guan Yue scrambled to the side to dodge. The first broom missed, but then came the second, the third…
Guan Yue was narrowly spared from being grazed twice, but thankfully she wasn't hit. She raised her hands and shouted, "I need to see the village chief, don't hit me, stop!"
Guan Yue used her unprecedentedly sharp reflexes to dodge the opponent's attacks, but the opponent seemed not to hear her and continued to swing the broom with great force.
A familiar voice came from the other end. Cheng Lingjun shouted, "Village Chief! Village Chief, stop hitting her! She really needs your help!"
Guan Yue watched as the broom tip stopped just centimeters from her face, and she almost burst into tears. Her good neighbor had saved her life, and she would never forget to repay him in her next life.
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