Chapter 11: The Spirited Girl of the Seventies (11)

Li Xiangyang was not a kind-hearted man. After the upheavals of those few years, he had resolved to live solely for himself in this world. Yet, to ease his own path, he didn’t mind doing a few things—securing benefits for the brigade so he could walk openly and without shame.

But ever since he saw that young girl, he seemed to lose his usual self. Wherever she appeared, he would unconsciously follow her shadow, wanting to know everything about her. His mind was filled entirely with her image.

One day, passing by, he saw her toiling diligently, making barely perceptible progress. A flower grown in a greenhouse like her should never have been exposed to such farm work. By some mysterious impulse, he stepped in to help. That assistance stretched into several days.

Sometimes he was glad she didn’t know he existed; other times, he felt a pang of disappointment that she was unaware of him. These conflicting emotions left him utterly bewildered.

Seeing him frozen in place, Liu Suihui stepped forward, hands clasped behind her back, approaching with a light step.

“Comrade Li Xiangyang, why are you helping me?” she asked, standing before him, tilting her head, a smile bright in her eyes.

His heart began to pound fiercely again. He dared not meet her gaze, instinctively lowering his head.

“I’m just... bored,” he muttered.

He was simply idle and came to the fields to do some work, unaware it was her land. It was all a coincidence; he harbored no deeper meaning. Yes, that was it!

“I see,” Liu Suihui pouted, then sighed. “I thought you liked me, that’s why you helped. Turns out, you’re just bored.”

Her tone carried a hint of regret.

Li Xiangyang stiffened, his throat dry and tight, utterly at a loss for words.

How could he even understand what was happening inside him?

Like her?

Impossible—how could he fall for someone after only a few meetings?

Besides, she looked so young, barely of age. If he truly liked her, wouldn’t that make him a beast?

He simply... saw her as a little sister. Yes, nothing more than that.

Noticing sweat beading on his forehead, Liu Suihui found it amusing.

She had once thought him meddlesome, but teasing him now was unexpectedly entertaining.

“Comrade Li Xiangyang, are you always this kind to everyone? Do you help others with their work? Are you like this with every girl?” she chirped, firing off a volley of questions.

Li Xiangyang felt awkward all over, then crouched down and returned to work.

After a moment, he muttered two words, heavy with meaning: “No.”

He didn’t help others, wasn’t this kind to others, and certainly didn’t assist every girl.

He just inexplicably wanted to be good to her.

“But you’re so good to me. What if I can’t live without you?” she said softly.

His heart trembled.

Then she continued, “If I lose your help, what will I do? I don’t know this, I don’t know that. Am I just too stupid?”

“...No,” he replied quietly.

It seemed that was the only word he could say.

He longed to promise her he would never leave, but the weight of such a vow felt too heavy, too solemn to utter lightly. Moreover, she might not even need his help.

Liu Suihui moved closer, crouching beside him, resting her chin in her hands as she studied him carefully.

At eighteen, just come of age, he was a handsome youth. But the scars of his childhood injuries had bred a great distance within him, lending him an air of cool aloofness and pride.

Yet now, with his ears flushed red, he seemed to have fallen from some celestial height. Though diligently working, he gave off an unmistakable shy aura.

“Comrade Li Xiangyang, you’re really kind,” she sighed.

“But I can’t keep doing this work forever. After these days, I might be assigned elsewhere. What then?” she asked.

“...That’s none of my business,” he answered stiffly, clearly distancing himself.

Liu Suihui pouted and whined, “I don’t care! I don’t care! Since you’ve helped me, you should help me all the way. Okay? Okay? Okay?”

Her soft, coaxing voice and playful tone would soften even the hardest heart.

Li Xiangyang nearly uprooted a seedling in frustration, a fire burning inside him. He closed his eyes, determined to ignore her, focusing solely on his work as if he were alone in the world.

After waiting a long while with no response, Liu Suihui felt a bit defeated.

This man was far too patient.

But under such blazing sun, if she kept standing there, she’d soon be tanned or suffer heatstroke. Since someone else was working for her, why not return and rest?

“Hmph, if you won’t help, I don’t care!” she said, stamping her foot and turning away.

At that moment, Li Xiangyang worried briefly she might suffer another bout of low blood sugar.

Watching her retreating figure, he sighed and resumed his labor.

If this work were left to the young girl alone, those delicate hands would surely be scarred.

Back at the young intellectuals’ quarters, Liu Suihui collapsed onto her bed, planning to sleep through the entire afternoon.

“Why hasn’t the favor rating dropped even though you’ve acted so shamelessly, host?” came a voice.

“You’re the shameless one!” she retorted.

“Being playful and throwing little tantrums in front of someone who likes you is called charm. You, artificial idiot, shouldn’t overthink it—I’m afraid your circuits will fry eventually.”

There is truth in that: the loved feel invincible.

In the following days, mornings were spent idling; at noon, she would casually stroll over once Li Xiangyang finished the work, then return soon after.

When that task was done, another awaited.

She didn’t know what he had done, but she was assigned as the warehouse manager.

Liu Suihui was curious—how did a nobody from the village manage to secure such an easy job for her? Was it simply because he was the only tractor driver in the village?

No matter her doubts, she had to put them aside for now because the villagers had learned of Li Xiangyang’s help.

Though most rested at noon, some still came out.

Rumors quickly spread throughout the village, all centered around one topic—

That nobody was courting the young intellectual girl.