Chapter 31
For the next few days, Gu Yuanzhou was like a persistent ghost.
He followed He He wherever she went, always wearing a smile that Chen Jingbai couldn't stand.
He He lay in the dormitory for several days, finally recovering from the exhaustion caused by the autumn harvest. She ate a persimmon that Chen Jingbai had picked for her while he was gathering herbs on the mountain.
The persimmons are crisp and sweet, with a high sugar content. The flesh is stained black, a color only found in persimmons with excessive sugar. Deep inside, there is a very small, soft, and smooth seed.
Chen Jingbai only picked three for her, and told her to share the remaining four with the other educated youth in the dormitory. He said that eating too many persimmons could cause internal heat, which was why he didn't pick more for her.
He He was barely satisfied with Chen Jingbai's explanation.
The autumn harvest is over, but Chen Jingbai is still very busy lately, spending his days going up the mountain to collect medicinal herbs, which he then sells at the supply and marketing cooperative or in the county town.
He He didn't eat the box of peach shortbread she got from Gu Yuanzhou a few days ago; she gave it all to the others.
She finished the last persimmon with satisfaction, rubbed her hands, which were sticky with persimmon juice, and used the back of her hand to open the door, preparing to go out and wash her hands.
When she returned after washing her hands, she bumped into Gu Yuanzhou again.
Now, whenever He He sees Gu Yuanzhou, she's like a mouse seeing a cat—she wants to hide but can't.
Seeing that He He was in a good mood, Gu Yuanzhou asked the question he had been holding back for the past few days, "Hey, have you rested enough? Do you want to come up the mountain with me to pick persimmons?"
Chen Jingbai only picked persimmons for her and the female educated youth in their dormitory; the male educated youth didn't know, so Gu Yuanzhou didn't know that He He had already tasted the persimmons.
Having a legitimate reason, He He kindly advised Gu Yuanzhou not to go up the mountain so easily, "No need, I've already eaten persimmons, and I don't want to eat any more now. Besides, you have to climb a very high mountain to see persimmon trees."
“You’ve been staying in the city all this time, and you haven’t been with the Qianjin Brigade for long. You’re not familiar with the situation in the mountains. I advise you not to go up the mountain to avoid any danger.”
"The mountains are dangerous. I've heard there are wild beasts there. You'd better not go. If you really want to go, find someone familiar with the mountains to take you around."
He He really didn't want to go up the mountain; climbing up and down was exhausting.
She used to go up the mountain to pick plums because she was so hungry, and the plum trees weren't that tall, only a few dozen meters from the foot of the mountain.
Later, after she got together with Chen Jingbai, she didn't have to go to the mountain to eat anything she wanted. She only had to ask, and Chen Jingbai would pick it for her.
According to Chen Jingbai, the persimmon trees are located very deep in the mountains, and it takes at least half an hour to get there.
It's so far, He He didn't want to go at all. Besides, she had already eaten the persimmons Chen Jingbai gave her. Chen Jingbai said that if she wanted to eat more, he could pick some for her later.
Since someone else had already picked them for her, He He didn't want to bother going up the mountain to pick them herself.
A sinister glint flashed in Gu Yuanzhou's eyes. It must have been Chen Jingbai who picked them for He He, otherwise how would He He have gotten to eat the persimmons?
Chen Jingbai had actually gotten there first and secretly disrupted his plans. He had never stumbled like this before. The smile on his face froze instantly, and the anger in his eyes was impossible to hide.
He He had never seen anything like this before. She had been smiling the whole time, and Gu Yuanzhou, who was usually very easy to get along with, suddenly turned into such a fierce-looking person.
She subtly moved one step further away from Gu Yuanzhou, afraid that he might punch her at any moment.
Chen Jingbai is right. Gu Yuanzhou is not as simple as he seems. She didn't say anything, but Gu Yuanzhou suddenly changed his expression and looked very fierce.
Even with such a fierce face, Chen Jingbai had never shown the kind of terrifying look that Gu Yuanzhou had.
"We've already eaten. Didn't we agree to go up the mountain to pick persimmons together?" Gu Yuanzhou realized he had lost his composure and quickly put on a gentle smile again.
Seeing this, He He felt a chill run down her spine. "I didn't agree to it. I just said I would think about it. You didn't even consider whether I could climb the mountain. Besides, neither of us is familiar with the mountain. Are we just going to go up the mountain to be fed to wild beasts?"
He He had lost her initial intention to get along amicably with Gu Yuanzhou, and she no longer cared about propriety when she spoke, saying whatever came to mind.
Gu Yuanzhou realized that He He was heading in an uncontrollable direction, so he quickly tried to stop her, "That's not what I meant. Since you've already eaten the persimmons, then forget it. I won't go up the mountain anymore. It was my fault for not thinking things through beforehand."
He He: "It's nothing. I'm just reminding you that you shouldn't call me if you want to go up the mountain in the future. I don't like going up mountains."
Gu Yuanzhou frowned, swallowing his anger with difficulty. "Fine, then can I invite you to go somewhere else next time?"
He didn't want to give up. He had come this far, and giving up was not something he would do. He was also unwilling to accept defeat.
Where exactly did he lose? He was outdone by Chen Jingbai in every way. Gu Yuanzhou then thought of his own advantages and asked, "Xiao He, do you still want to eat Daoxiangcun from the capital? I'll have my family send it to me."
He He didn't want to eat. "Never mind, I'm a little tired of eating this. My family sent me a lot of delicious food, and I can't finish it all."
She began to understand why Gu Yuanzhou couldn't win against Cheng Sulin in the book. Gu Yuanzhou was a very strange person; his emotions changed very quickly, or perhaps rage was his true nature, but he knew how to pretend.
Gu Yuanzhou knew he had made a mistake and didn't dare say anything more to provoke He He's dislike. He could only go along with her words: "Then tell me whenever you want to eat it."
He He nodded, "Okay."
She knew there was no future, and she wanted to get completely away from Gu Yuanzhou.
For several days in a row, He He avoided Gu Yuanzhou as if he were a plague god, and even the other educated youth noticed that something was wrong.
Sitting next to He He, Zheng Xinxin asked her, "Hehe, have you been hostile towards Gu Yuanzhou lately? I've noticed you've been ignoring him, and you pretend not to hear him when he calls you."
He He explained, "I felt that Gu Yuanzhou was emotionally unstable, and I was afraid he would beat me up."
Upon hearing He He's words, Li Baiyun stopped reading and said, "Really? Is he that scary? No wonder you avoid him. If he is that kind of person, you really should stay away from him."
Even Wang Huihui was somewhat surprised, as she never would have guessed that Gu Yuanzhou was the kind of person He He described.
Zheng Xinxin couldn't believe it. "No way, he seems like a gentleman. Would he do something so rude?"
He He: "Of course, you can know a person's face but not their heart. I don't know what I said wrong last time, but the way he looked at me was terrifying."
Zheng Xinxin believed He He's words; He He never lied. She covered her mouth in surprise, "My God, how could he be like this? It seems I should stay away from him in the future."
Even Chen Jingyi, who only returned home that evening, was told the whole story by Zheng Xinxin.
Chen Jingyi comforted He He.
As a result, a strange phenomenon occurred at the educated youth settlement in the following week: all the female educated youth distanced themselves from Gu Yuanzhou.
Gu Yuanzhou was baffled, but his intuition told him that He He was definitely involved in this matter.
He got nothing and the other female educated youths even ran away when they saw him, which made Gu Yuanzhou furious.
Furthermore, the male educated youths, seeing that the female educated youths didn't like him, all seemed to have conspired to treat him as if he were invisible.
Gu Yuanzhou couldn't take it anymore. He had always been the center of attention and had never been treated like this before.
He immediately wrote home, asking his family to transfer him to another place, preferably far away from here and closer to the north. In less than a month, Gu Yuanzhou was transferred away.
With Gu Yuanzhou gone, the educated youth settlement became much quieter, and He He finally had some peace and quiet.
The happiest people after Gu Yuanzhou left were He He and Chen Jingbai.
They made up a long time ago, or rather, they never had much of a conflict to begin with.
It's harvest time again, and He He has been looking forward to the college entrance examination, which has finally been reinstated.
At the beginning of this year, the Qianjin Brigade installed electric lights and a radio, and the radio was broadcasting news about the liberation of students taking the college entrance examination.
Upon hearing the news, He He immediately stopped working and ran to the neighboring field.
Not only He He, but all the other educated youth also put down their farm tools and listened blankly to the news on the radio that the college entrance examination had been reinstated.
No one understood better than them what the resumption of the college entrance examination meant. It meant they could rely on their own efforts to get into university and return to the city. No educated youth was not excited.
He He forgot that they were in public and there were many people around. She rushed forward and hugged Chen Jingbai. "Brother Jingbai, the college entrance examination has been reinstated! We can go back to the city as long as we get into university."
Chen Jingbai was initially excited, but before he could be happy for long, he was suddenly filled with disappointment as he thought about his family's situation.
The college entrance examination should also require a politically correct and professionally competent identity, and he shouldn't even be eligible to register.
The small village was isolated from news, and Chen Jingbai was unaware that people were being exonerated one after another.
He He could tell that Chen Jingbai wasn't as excited as she had imagined. She squirmed in his arms, "Aren't you happy? We can take the college entrance exam and go back to the city!"
Chen Jingbai took a deep breath, looked down at He He, and said, "Given my identity, I might not be able to take the college entrance examination."
He He broke free from Chen Jingbai's embrace and said excitedly, "How could that be! You will definitely get into university."
That's what the book says, how could it be wrong?
Hehe added, "You're so smart, you can definitely do it. The broadcast didn't say there were any identity restrictions for registering for the college entrance exam. I don't believe you can't."
Chen Jingbai was greatly comforted by her affirmation.
As expected, He He and Chen Jingbai were interrogated after finishing work in the afternoon.
Zheng Xinxin pointed her finger at He He and then at Chen Jingbai, and said fiercely, "Tell me, when did you two start dating behind our backs? You were hugging each other this afternoon. Don't you treat us like family?"
Sun Jiabao was the only one who knew that Chen Jingbai and He He were talking, and at this moment he calmly watched the others interrogate the two of them.
Li Baiyun: "That's right. No matter how excited you are about the resumption of the college entrance examination, Xiao He, you don't have to go all the way to Chen Jingbai's side just to hug him."
He He surrendered, "I didn't mean to hide it from you. I just felt that it was fun to secretly date someone behind someone's back. I just didn't expect that it would take you more than a year to find out. This proves that Jing Bai and I did a good job of keeping it a secret."
Cheng Surin said sarcastically, "Oh, you're calling out to Brother Jing Bai now? Does it have to be so cheesy?"
How could his perfectly normal aunt have secretly started dating Chen Jingbai behind his back? If his family finds out, he's doomed.
He He slapped Cheng Sulin on the back, "You brought it up yourself, and I haven't even said anything yet. I'm the elder, and you're the elder, yet you dare to laugh at me."
Cheng Surin yielded: "No, no, I wouldn't dare."
After all, he also stole Chen Jingbai's sister as his girlfriend. It can only be said that he and He He are not from the same family. They both had their eyes on the two siblings from the Chen family.
Cheng Surin had another question, "In that case, should I call him 'little brother' or 'uncle'?"
As soon as Cheng Surin said that, everyone burst into laughter.
"Yeah, the way you address each other is really confusing. How should we address you?"
"I think Xiao Cheng should just go along with He He's call, after all, you can't beat her."
He He raised her chin and said to Cheng Surin, "That's right, you have to call Brother Jing Bai 'Uncle-in-law,' so say it now."
She was used to making things difficult for people, and Cheng Surin couldn't bring herself to yell at her.
Seeing Cheng Sulin's predicament, Chen Jingbai said softly to He He, "Let's call her later. Let's not worry about that now. Let's see how to register for the college entrance examination."
Chen Jingbai's words were met with unanimous agreement. Everyone excitedly imagined the future, wondering if they would be assigned jobs after graduation if they could get into university.
After contemplating the wonderful ideas, the practical problems came to the fore: they hadn't touched high school textbooks in a long time.
With the college entrance exam starting in two months, I'm worried about not being able to borrow any books, and I'm also worried that I don't know anything.
Finally, Chen Jingbai suggested that they go to the brigade leader's office tomorrow to discuss it.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com