The streets were bustling with people and the sounds of hawking were endless.
The smoke rising from the popping popcorn and the drooling children surrounding it added a touch of fireworks to the scene.
Wherever Ning Zhihuan's eyes went, there was desolation and loneliness.
The young man, wearing a moon-white coat, stood by the wall, his eyes lowered, completely immersed in his own world, as if the bustle had nothing to do with him.
Recalling the pale face he saw when they first met, Ning Zhihuan couldn't help but think of himself in his previous life.
A sudden pang of heartache rose in her heart. When she came to her senses, she was already standing in front of the boy, looking into his eyes.
"Do you need my help?" Ning Zhihuan explained, fearing that this might be too abrupt, "I see you don't seem to be feeling well."
Xiao Yuchi frowned and said in a hoarse voice, "Thank you, but no need."
Ning Zhihuan shrugged, decided not to meddle in other people's business, and turned to leave.
"Wait, cough!" Xiao Yuchi pressed his right fist against his chin and coughed violently several times. After a moment, he finally managed to breathe normally and asked in a deep voice, "Can you take me home? I have a bicycle."
Ning Zhihuan nodded, "Okay then, wait for me."
She ran over and told the tractor driver that she would be back later, then ran back again.
Looking at her rosy little face and her energetic appearance, Xiao Yuchi's eyes sparkled.
"Let's go! Where's the bike?"
Xiao Yuchi pointed to the side and asked, "Can you ride?"
Ning Zhihuan was happily holding the handle, but when he heard this, he was stunned on the spot.
…She really can’t ride.
"It's okay, I can learn."
Ning Zhihuan recalled how others rode bicycles. He stepped on the pedal with one foot, pushed the bike up, passed his other leg over from behind, and then sat on it steadily.
It’s not that difficult!
It was the first time in her two lifetimes that she rode a bicycle, and she felt the envious eyes of others. It was so cool.
Ning Zhihuan held his head high and rode from the beginning to the end of the street. When he felt he had practiced well enough, he did a tailspin and stopped in front of the boy.
"Get in the car!"
Xiao Yuchi stood there, his handsome brows slightly furrowed.
Ning Zhihuan then realized that this 28-inch bicycle had no seat, and the only way to sit was on the iron bar in front.
If I really sit like this all the way, I will be exhausted to death.
Rubbing his temples, Ning Zhihuan looked around and his eyes fell on a strangely shaped wooden board thrown away in front of the tofu shop. His eyes lit up and he picked it up. He asked the shop owner for some unused cage cloth, tore it into long strips, and gestured on the iron bar. Finally, he paid attention.
"Come and help me." She waved her hand unceremoniously.
"Me?" Xiao Yuchi was stunned for a moment, and when he saw her nod, there was an inexplicable color in his eyes.
Ning Zhihuan tied the strips together, placed the board in the right position, motioned for him to hold it, then wrapped the strips around it a few more times to secure it, and handed him the other end of the strip.
"Just grab this end later." Looking at his frail little body, Ning Zhihuan was silent for a moment and sighed, "Forget it, just give it to me."
Xiao Yuchi dodged his hand and said, "No need."
Seeing his determined expression, Ning Zhihuan stopped being polite and began to study how to ensure that the wooden board would not shake.
His eyes moved away from her hands that were fiddling with the cage with grunts and fell on the cage cloth in her hands. Xiao Yuchi's lips curled up almost invisibly, as if he was enjoying the feeling of being ordered around.
He had been in poor health since childhood, and his parents and relatives treated him like fragile glass, not allowing him to get tired in the slightest. Others envied him for his comfortable life, but he hated the suffocating feeling of being restricted in every way.
Ning Zhihuan tied the board and pressed it with both hands to make sure it wouldn't shake. Then he clapped his hands and said, "Perfect. Go up and try it."
Xiao Yuchi came to his senses and sat on it.
"How is it?" Ning Zhihuan's eyes sparkled.
"Yeah, very stable."
Satisfied with the answer, the girl smiled, her eyes sparkling like stars. She raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead, and just happened to wipe the dust from the back of her hand, making her look like a big tabby cat.
Xiao Yuchi raised the corner of his mouth, wanting to remind him, but when the words came to his lips, he suddenly had a "bad idea" and said, "Wait a moment, I have a message."
He jumped out of the car, picked up stones, and wrote words on the ground that looked like ghostly scribbles.
Ning Zhihuan saw it, his eyebrows moved slightly, and a look of deep thought flashed in his eyes.
"Alright." Xiao Yuchi wiped his hands, sat back down, turned to face her painted face, his eyes slightly lit up, and said with a curled lip, "Let's go."
She was strong and the boy was light, so she rode the bike very fast.
The summer breeze brushed past his shoulders. Xiao Yuchi looked at the scenery along the road. He had seen it many times before, but at this moment, it seemed so novel.
The dust on the ground is new, the cicada chirping close to my ears is new, and the faint fragrance of a young girl in my nose is also new.
Feeling the warm breath behind his ear, Xiao Yuchi felt his neck go numb and couldn't help coughing.
"squeak--"
Ning Zhihuan stopped the car, leaned forward to see his expression, and frowned as she asked, "Where do you feel uncomfortable?"
Without the boy saying anything, she found out the reason and subconsciously massaged the acupuncture points, saying, "Are you feeling better?"
He turned his head and just happened to meet the enlarged rosy face. The girl's clear eyes were filled with worry, all focused on him.
Xiao Yuchi's heart skipped a beat.
He had seen many people express their concern, but her emotions were different, as if she had also experienced it and could empathize with his pain.
"Much better, thank you."
In fact, Ning Zhihuan regretted it the moment he pressed the acupoint.
From the boy's attire, to the martial arts practitioners protecting him, to the official script message he left, it was clear that he was no ordinary person. And yet, a man like him hiding in a remote village was most likely trying to avoid being hunted by his enemies.
Now I am just a little village girl from Hongxing Village. If I rashly expose skills that I shouldn’t have, it will inevitably arouse suspicion.
But when faced with someone who was in a similar situation to herself in her previous life, she couldn't just turn a blind eye.
Fortunately, the boy stopped coughing and didn't ask any more questions.
We rode in silence all the way. When we were almost at Hongxing Village, we saw two familiar figures in the distance.
"Grandma, second brother!" Ning Zhihuan said cheerfully.
Brother Ning took a tentative step forward and asked hesitantly, "Huanbao?"
Ning Zhihuan skillfully kicked the handle off the bike and leaned forward, "It's me! Second brother, are you stupid? How come you don't even recognize me?"
"Second brother is wrong." Second Brother Ning smiled innocently, his eyes fixed on the bicycle, his eyes full of excitement and amazement. "Huanbao, where did this bicycle come from? And this little boy..."
He suddenly lowered his voice and winked, "You can't have snatched this man away from you... Grandma, why did you hit me?"
Old Lady Ning pinched her waist, raised her eyebrows and scolded, "You don't study hard, you read useless things all day long, and you still want to teach Huanbao bad things! Beating you is the least of your worries!"
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