Chapter 68
Shu Wanxiu had no idea how Xun Yi could appear and disappear so mysteriously and act so swiftly.
She only knows about her own family's affairs.
Her emotions fluctuated more that day than in the past few months.
After walking into the woods with Xun Yi, Shu Wanxiu's neck turned pink, and her heart was pounding.
She dared not look at Xun Yi's face, and kept staring at her own toes.
Xun Yi looked down and could only see the top of Shu Wanxiu's smooth hair.
Unable to fathom Shu Wanxiu's thoughts, he could only take a deep breath, muster all his courage, and begin to prove himself in front of the woman he admired.
"I only learned today that there have been some bad rumors circulating in the village recently. The rumors say that I... have a sweetheart and that a happy event is imminent."
"I am not in a relationship with anyone."
"These words should not be taken seriously."
In Xun Yi's previous view, it seemed that to prove something, one had to produce convincing evidence.
But he didn't know where rumors came from, nor how to prove something that was baseless.
He could only gain Shu Wanxiu's trust by adopting an almost pleading posture.
"I know you may have heard these rumors, but even if you have, please don't take them to heart, okay?"
He actually wanted to say more. He wanted to tell Shu Wanxiu that he had indeed been preparing for the wedding recently, and that he had also... hired a matchmaker and checked the betrothal gifts. The matchmaker would be coming to visit soon.
But saying it like that feels frivolous and abrupt.
Getting married is a major event in one's life.
If you make a verbal promise to a woman beforehand, who knows what she'll be hoping for?
If the man finishes on time, all is well; but if he is even slightly delayed, the waiting person will be heartbroken.
So he restrained himself several times and only said these words.
He didn't expect Shu Wanxiu to fully understand his feelings at this moment; he only hoped that Shu Wanxiu wouldn't take these rumors to heart, and that when Lin Xinghua came to propose marriage, she wouldn't refuse outright.
Shu Wanxiu felt her heart clench.
One moment it feels like it's soaking in vinegar, the next it feels like it's soaking in honey.
From the moment Xun Yi asked Shu Shouyi to relay those words, she had already made a guess about what Xun Yi was trying to say.
Even now, he has said something that coincides with her own thoughts, and she feels an overwhelming sense of joy.
These words even made Shu Wanxiu realize that Xun Yi was expressing his feelings.
But the last vestige of reason in her heart was slowly eroding this joy.
It is undeniable that Xun Yi helped them a lot after settling down, but raising a child to adulthood is not the same as temporarily helping two disaster victims.
Brother Xun is fond of him, but would he be willing to take Shouyi under his wing and raise him?
Before he confessed his feelings, did he think carefully about how to deal with Shu Shouyi in the future?
Shu Wanxiu felt completely lost.
So, after a period of anxiety and uncertainty, she had the idea of escaping.
"I have no misunderstanding." She glanced at Xun Yi, then quickly looked away.
The hands hanging at both sides were moved in front of the body and then behind the back, shifting back and forth, feeling uncomfortable no matter how they were placed.
"If you've finished speaking, then I'll go back to my room now."
Shu Wanxiu only stayed for two breaths before leaving, seemingly unable to wait any longer.
...
The weather is hot and dry.
Since the beginning of July, Fangyuan County has only experienced one or two light rains.
They came and went in such a hurry that they didn't even have time to wet the soil.
The water level in the stream continues to drop.
The scene of her hometown's complete crop failure due to drought last year seemed like yesterday. After learning of Xun Yi's feelings, Shu Wanxiu was only absent-minded for a day or two, and then she had no extra thoughts to devote to romantic love.
She hoped for a heavy rain every day, while also taking turns with the able-bodied men in the village to guard the water.
That's right, guarding the water.
The ponds in each village are almost empty.
Nowadays, most of the irrigation water comes from a stream that flows at the foot of the barren mountain.
That was a flowing stream; Wupai Village wasn't the only village that used water from the stream to irrigate its fields.
Wupai Village is at most a village in the middle. Above and below Wupai Village, there are five or six villages that rely on this stream for irrigation.
With the water flow decreasing, drawing water from streams to irrigate fields has become a continuous process that cannot be stopped day and night.
Pang Zhishan made arrangements so that every household in the village that farms would have to assign someone to take turns guarding the water.
First, guard the acre of land belonging to the Shu family by the stream, making sure the gap connecting to the stream remains unobstructed. Second, patrol all the fields in the village, ensuring that each acre is irrigated.
The goal of everyone in the village who guards the water source is to ensure that not a single acre of land is damaged by drought and not a single rice plant dies from the drought.
Of course, for safety reasons, it was never appropriate to have Shu Wanxiu guard the water with a bunch of men late at night.
However, if Shu Wanxiu is always given preferential treatment, other people will inevitably have objections.
Therefore, Pang Zhishan arranged for Shu Wanxiu to guard more during the day to win over the crowd.
That day, Shu Wanxiu dragged her sunburnt body home, only to find Shu Yanrong at her house.
“Xiu girl.”
Recently, all the villages have been busy with irrigation, and Shu Wanxiu hasn't seen her uncle's family for a long time.
"Uncle, what brings you here?"
"Take a rest first, then we'll go inside and talk." Shu Yanrong noticed that her face was flushed from the sun and gestured for her to go into the kitchen first.
Shu Wanxiu poured two bowls of water, one for herself and one for Shu Yanrong.
After she finished her bowl of water with gusto, she noticed that Shu Yanrong hadn't drunk any water and was deep in thought with a troubled expression.
The matter that could cause her uncle so much worry must be quite significant. She put down the bowl and frowned as well.
After a moment, Shu Yanrong snapped out of his thoughts.
The matter at hand was urgent, so he didn't exchange many pleasantries.
"What happened last year is a painful memory for all of us refugees, and logically no one wants to bring it up again."
"But this year's weather is frightening."
Shu Wanxiu hadn't been very involved in farming before, and she didn't feel the despair of last year's severe drought as deeply as Shu Yanrong did.
“It’s not a good sign that it hasn’t rained for such a long time. Your aunt and I discussed it and we think it would be better to buy some food to prepare as soon as possible.”
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