Xie Zhao has been busy these days, and Cheng Yaoyao has not been idle either.
The news of the selection of workers, peasants and soldiers gradually spread, and the minds of the educated youth all became active. Even Liu Minxia, who knew that she was not capable enough, had some hope.
After all, who is really willing to settle down in the countryside for the rest of their lives? The enthusiasm they had when they first went to the countryside had long been worn away by the harsh environment and labor in the countryside. For the educated youth, even if there was only a glimmer of hope, they would do their best to grasp it.
Cheng Yaoyao was not interested in this quota, but she had the right to vote! The educated youth were organized together and held endless meetings and discussions, which inevitably led to meeting Shen Yan.
Ever since she helped Zhang Xiaofeng get the news, Cheng Yaoyao never looked at Shen Yan, and turned away whenever she saw him. But in Shen Yan's eyes, this attitude was playing hard to get. In the past, Cheng Yaoyao's heart was tied to Shen Yan, but he just abandoned her. Now Cheng Yaoyao turned her back on him, which made Shen Yan unable to stop wanting her.
Wherever Shen Yan is, there is Cheng Nonuo. In front of Cheng Nonuo, Shen Yan didn't dare to do anything, but his lingering eyes were so bright that others noticed it. How could it escape Cheng Nonuo's eyes?
Cheng Yaoyao was very annoyed with these two people, and others were talking about them. Only Zhang Xiaofeng and Han Yin knew the inside story, and they surrounded Cheng Yaoyao closely during every meeting, which prevented Shen Yan from getting involved.
That night, Xie Zhao returned home very late.
"Brother, you are finally back." Xie Fei greeted him happily and said, "We have been waiting for you to come back for snacks. Sister Yaoyao made almond tofu!"
Xie Zhao looked in the direction he was looking. On the small table were several bowls of something that looked like white tofu pudding, white and delicate. Grandma Xie and Cheng Yaoyao were both sitting at the table, seemingly waiting for him.
Xie Zhao's eyes fell on Cheng Yaoyao's face and paused for a few seconds. Cheng Yaoyao raised his eyelids and looked at him indifferently, and suddenly sniffed: "Where does the smell of alcohol come from?"
Grandma Xie also stood up: "Zhao Ge'er, have you been drinking? Where did you go for dinner tonight?"
Xie Zhao went to wash his face and said, "The secretary's house."
Cheng Yaoyao was immediately furious: "Why did you go to his house for dinner?"
Xie Zhao glanced at her and spoke a little slower than usual: "It was the grandson of the branch secretary who turned 18. He invited me to dinner and I had two drinks."
Cheng Yaoyao wanted to slap his face, but in front of Grandma Xie and Xie Fei, he could only stamp his feet and say, "You stink of alcohol!"
Grandma Xie stuffed the teacup into Xie Zhao's hand and said, "Rinse your mouth quickly. Hey, you'll have a headache tomorrow if you drink."
Xie Zhao rinsed his mouth obediently, drank a few gulps of tea, and said, "I'm going to sleep for a while."
Grandma Xie said worriedly, "Zhao, how about having a snack before going to bed?"
"No, I'm very tired." Xie Zhao took a few steps and then stopped, as if he had forgotten something, with a serious confusion between his brows.
His dark eyes moved and fell on Cheng Yaoyao's face, then suddenly brightened up: "Call me later to help my sister get a bath."
Grandma Xie didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so she pushed him and said, "Okay, go to sleep for a while!"
Xie Zhao repeated stubbornly: "Remember to call me."
Cheng Yaoyao said unhappily, "Got it!"
Only then did Xie Zhao walk away slowly.
Xie Fei smiled secretly and said to Cheng Yaoyao, "Isn't it fun to see my brother drunk?"
"Is he drunk?" Cheng Yaoyao asked suspiciously, "Why doesn't he blush?"
Xie Fei laughed and said, "My brother doesn't get drunk, but when he's drunk he acts like a child."
Cheng Yaoyao couldn't help but smile, then quickly straightened his face.
The package sent by Cheng's father last time contained a bag of southern almonds, which were of high quality and perfect for making almond tofu. Almond tofu has a delicate and light taste, with a slightly bitter almond aroma. Eating it for a long time can calm the nerves and relieve asthma, and whiten the skin. It's just that it takes a lot of effort to make it, and now there is no food processor, so everything depends on handwork. Cheng Yaoyao used a small grinder to grind it for an afternoon, and then filtered it several times with gauze to make such a delicate taste.
The almond tofu was served in a small bowl, white and tender. With a spoonful of honey on it, it was more tender than tofu pudding and mellower than jelly beans. Both Grandma Xie and Xie Fei praised it highly.
Grandma Xie hung the remaining portion back into the well and said, "Wait for Zhao to eat it tomorrow morning. Yaoyao spent so much effort to make it, he should have a taste."
Cheng Yaoyao hummed softly, "He deserves not to get to eat." Who asked him to go to the bald boy's house for dinner!
Grandma Xie yawned and went back to sleep. She always went to bed early, and she stayed up until now just to wait for Xie Zhao to come back. Xie Fei took a bath, boiled water for Cheng Yaoyao, and went back to sleep.
Cheng Yaoyao played in the yard for a while, and when the water boiled, he went to call Xie Zhao to get up.
Xie Zhao's house was converted from a storage room. Medicinal herbs and furs were placed in the outer room, and there was only a bed and a table in the inner room. It was extremely simple.
Xie Zhao lay on the bed with his shirt open, not even taking off his shoes, and fell into a deep sleep. The room was cool, and he slept soundly without a blanket.
Cheng Yaoyao called out twice: "Xie Zhao, Xie Zhao!"
Xie Zhao usually slept very alertly, and he would come over when Cheng Yaoyao called him from the next room, but now he was standing still. Cheng Yaoyao came closer to look at him and smelled the smell of alcohol on his collar, or kaoliang roasted!
He can't drink much, but he's trying to learn how to drink white wine. Thinking of where he went to drink, Cheng Yaoyao immediately pushed him away in disgust: "Wake up, I want to take a shower, get me some water!"
Xie Zhao said "hmm" and didn't move.
Cheng Yaoyao grabbed his collar and started shaking him like a frantic kitten: "Who told you to go drink? Get up, get up, get up..."
Xie Zhao frowned, closed his eyes, and pressed the man into his arms, "Don't make trouble."
Cheng Yaoyao fell heavily on his chest. Xie Zhao hadn't taken a shower yet, and he smelled of hormones and a slight smell of alcohol.
"Hmm..." Cheng Yaoyao covered his mouth, barely holding back a soft hum, and pinched Xie Zhao in anger.
Xie Zhao was thick-skinned and had no frown on his face. His arms were wrapped around her like an iron hoop.
Xie Zhao smelled good. Cheng Yaoyao took a deep breath of Yang Qi, her cheeks flushed, and she felt that her behavior was too pathetic. While she was despising herself, she took the opportunity to sniff around Xie Zhao's neck.
Xie Zhao chuckled softly; his deep and textured voice was so charming that it frightened Cheng Yaoyao sober up instantly. His whole body froze and he dared not move.
Xie Zhao rubbed his chin against her hair, murmured "sister", and then there was no movement.
Cheng Yaoyao slowly exhaled the breath he had been holding, and stared at Xie Zhao's collarbone angrily. It was so scary! Cheng Yaoyao waited quietly for a while, then carefully lifted up Xie Zhao's arm, twisting his waist to move back, and rubbing out little by little...
Xie Zhao uttered a vague grunt, turned over, and a long leg came up with a clang.
Cheng Yaoyao was almost vomiting because of the pressure, and he struggled to push him away, but Xie Zhao was like a naughty child whose toys were taken away, and he entangled with both hands and feet. Cheng Yaoyao's little strength was simply a mantis trying to stop a chariot, and in the blink of an eye, he was hugged in his arms like a pillow.
Cheng Yaoyao just stood there motionless in despair.
The yang energy surges into the body through the contact of the limbs, causing the small lotus leaves to instantly stretch out and sway happily.
Cheng Yaoyao stared at Xie Zhao's sleeping face, his narrow eyes closed, his eyebrows sharp, making him look even colder and more distant. Looking down, he had a high nose bridge, a pair of lips that were neither thick nor thin, slightly open, and a faint smell of alcohol in his breath.
Cheng Yaoyao stared at his lips for some unknown reason and whispered, "Xie Zhao, Xie Zhao, are you awake?"
There was no answer. Xie Zhao was sleeping soundly, breathing evenly and slowly.
Cheng Yaoyao pursed her lips. She was still angry with Xie Zhao and didn't want to kiss him! This was just to absorb his yang energy!
A pair of narrow eyes opened in the darkness, like a wolf ready to pounce.
…
Cheng Yaoyao was forced to absorb the surging Yang energy. The Yang energy that had been consumed in the past few days was quickly replenished, and it was too full.
After an unknown amount of time, the sound of dripping water was heard in the void, waking Cheng Yaoyao up.
The little lotus leaf grew a circle bigger and showed it to Cheng Yaoyao happily. Cheng Yaoyao was so annoyed that he blocked it out directly, kicked his legs randomly, kicked something solid and warm, and woke up immediately.
A little gray light leaked in from the skylight. Cheng Yaoyao looked at Xie Zhao who was sleeping with his neck intertwined with him. The memories of last night instantly flooded into his mind.
"..." Cheng Yaoyao tried his best to remain calm.
Cheng Yaoyao carefully lifted Xie Zhao's arm, rolled up the blanket and stuffed it into his arms. Xie Zhao turned over holding the blanket, and Cheng Yaoyao took the opportunity to slip out of bed.
She tiptoed to pick up the scattered clothes and put them on, then looked back. A corner of the blanket was covering Xie Zhao's lower abdomen, and his muscles undulated like mountains in the morning light. He slept with his brows relaxed, his short hair standing up in a mess, revealing a bit of youthfulness.
Cheng Yaoyao inexplicably wanted to put some money on the bedside table... She shook her head, picked up her slippers, and slipped out of Xie Zhao's room like a thief.
The next morning, Xie Fei knocked on the door and called Cheng Yaoyao to have breakfast, but Cheng Yaoyao pretended to be asleep and didn't dare to go out. It was not until noon that she slowly washed up and left the room.
As soon as he went out, he saw Xie Zhao sitting in the yard doing carpentry work.
"!!!" Cheng Yaoyao was startled and turned around to go back to the house.
Xie Fei had already called out, "Sister, you're finally up, get ready for lunch!"
"...Oh." Cheng Yaoyao had no choice but to turn around stiffly and go to the yard to wash up.
The yard was filled with the scent of wood. The bathtub had already begun to take shape, and Xie Zhao was polishing the burrs on the edge of the tub. His coat was wet with sweat, and he didn't know how long he had been working on it.
Cheng Yaoyao stared at the water tank beside him for a long time before he walked over to scoop some water with his hands and feet, then quickly ran away with the water in his hands.
Xie Zhao: “…”
Xie Zhao put down his tools with a sullen face, walked to the well and scooped water to wash his face.
The two of them, one on the left and one on the right, seemed to have a yard between them. When Grandma Xie put the food on the table, she didn't know whether she should be worried or relieved.
Grandma made lunch for us: mashed eggplant, green peppers and basil, bamboo shoot soup, mushroom scrambled eggs, and an egg in Xie Zhao's bowl of rice.
Xie Zhao was eating, his expression was unremarkable. Cheng Yaoyao glanced at him secretly, feeling very nervous. Did Xie Zhao remember what happened last night?
Grandma Xie picked up a piece of meat and put it in Xie Zhao's bowl with concern: "Zhao, what's wrong? Don't you have a good appetite?"
Xie Zhao said: "My head hurts a bit."
"It's inevitable that the sorghum is cooked too hard." Grandma Xie scolded, "Don't drink next time. You are driving a tractor now, and drinking can cause trouble. Look at you, you were drunk last night and didn't prepare water for Yaoyao to take a bath. When I woke up this morning, the pot was full of water."
Cheng Yaoyao choked on his rice and coughed until his face turned red.
"Look at you kid, why are you so careless..." Grandma Xie and Xie Fei were busy patting Cheng Yaoyao on the back to comfort him.
Xie Zhao poured a glass of water and handed it to her. Cheng Yaoyao glanced at him and turned away as if she was scalded. She drank several sips of water before she slowly calmed down.
Xie Zhao's eyes darkened, he ate a few mouthfuls of rice and stood up, saying, "I'm going to work."
Grandma Xie asked worriedly, "Does your head still hurt? How about taking half a day off and not going?"
"It's all right." Xie Zhao put on his hat and said, "Let's go."
On the day when the last batch of melons were transported away, the weather suddenly changed and it started to rain heavily. The villagers of Tianshui Village were very lucky, because picking melons in the rain is not a good job.
The rain was heavy, and it was dark in the afternoon. The strong wind made the windows rattle, and rain mixed with leaves flew into the house. Cheng Yaoyao and Xie Fei were busy bringing the dried vegetables drying in the yard back to the kitchen. They covered the chicken coop and the firewood pile with oilcloth and got soaked.
Cheng Yaoyao stood in front of the steps of the hall, stretched out his hand, and the raindrops hit his palm painfully: "It's raining so hard! It's much cooler now!"
"Yaoyao, don't stand outside. It's thundering." Grandma Xie lit a kerosene lamp and looked at the sky worriedly, "I don't know how long it will take for the rain to stop. Zhao Ge'er should be back by now, right?"
Xie Fei calculated the time and comforted grandma: "My brother went into the city this morning. He is probably taking shelter from the rain in the city now. He will be fine."
Even so, the three women were all worried as they saw the heavy rain.
There were thunder and lightning in the sky, and the light in the hall was dim. The flame of the kerosene lamp was blown on and off. Grandma Xie was weaving straw sandals. She had been weaving straw sandals for decades. Even with her eyes closed, her fingers could skillfully shuttle through the straw. She could weave a pair of sturdy straw sandals in half an hour. Liberation shoes are not breathable, so the villagers are still used to wearing their own straw sandals in summer, which are breathable and save money.
Cheng Yaoyao took a small stool and sat in front of the hall to enjoy the breeze, holding her chin with both hands, looking listless. Xie Fei took a rope and played cat-and-trap with her, but she was also not in the mood.
Gradually, the sky became dark.
Cheng Yaoyao finally came to his senses and said, "I'll go light the lamp."
She just stood up, and a series of knocks on the door broke through the rain: "Open the door! Open the door!!"
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