Chapter 45: Matters of Love and Affection

Lin Jingyue paused internally, a sense of inevitability washing over her. "It's better if you handle this yourself."
She wasn't about to make a fool of herself, after all.
Li Cuihua felt a flicker of irritation but remained silent.
She failed to notice that Lin Jingyue had seen through her.
Since their conversation was so discordant, Li Cuihua could no longer sit still, despite her desire to wait here until Jiang Xun returned.
After seeing Li Cuihua off, Lin Jingyue was left speechless.
The once shy and adorable girl seemed to transform the moment romance was involved.
Is that even the real her anymore? Always on guard.
Just watching it was exhausting.
Lin Jingyue thought about it briefly and cast it aside. Nothing mattered more than eating.
Worried someone else might come looking for her, she locked her room, carried her fish into her personal space, and ate there.
No matter who came, she wasn't opening the door—hmph.
...
Li Cuihua never expected to run into Jiang Xun as she left the commune.
Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
Zhou Yan raised his eyebrows, shot Jiang Xun a teasing glance, and slipped away with a conspiratorial wink.
He was used to it; from the capital to here, the girls who saw Jiang Xun mostly reacted this way.
Jiang Xun glanced at Li Cuihua with cool indifference, rolling up his sleeves as he walked past her.
"Comrade Jiang..." Li Cuihua's face stiffened, but she couldn't hold back and hurriedly spoke.
Jiang Xun stopped, turned, and said calmly, "Is there something you need?"
"Comrade Jiang, I, I..." She faltered, unable to find the words, but when Jiang Xun began to look impatient, she closed her eyes and steeled herself. "Comrade Jiang, I like you. Would you be willing... would you be willing to date me?"
Afraid he'd refuse, she hastily added, "If you agree, this year's spot at the Workers' and Peasants' University—I can have my father give it to you."
She didn't realize that with those words, she had diminished him in his eyes.
Jiang Xun laughed coldly without hesitation, "Comrade Li, if I wanted to, I could choose any spot at the Workers' and Peasants' University. Do you believe that?"
Did he need a woman to help him return to the city?
Ridiculous.
Li Cuihua's face turned pale.
"I feel nothing for you, Comrade Li. You'd best not waste your time on me; it would only squander your youth." With those words, he turned and walked away, not looking back.
Li Cuihua stared at his retreating figure, his words echoing in her ears, tearing painfully at her heart.
She lost her composure, blurting out, "Comrade Jiang, do you dislike me because I'm from the countryside?"

Jiang Xun hadn't intended to respond.
But on closer consideration, her words were problematic. He felt impatient, his gaze growing colder. "It's got nothing to do with the countryside. Don't flatter yourself—you don't represent the countryside, so don't try to put words in my mouth."
"Who I like is my own business. The girl I fancy, no matter her background, I wouldn't care. If I don't like her, even if she's royalty, I wouldn't spare her a second glance."
"One last thing, Comrade Li—don't have anyone secretly send me things anymore, lest people misunderstand."
He finished crisply and strode away.
Li Cuihua's face alternated between red and white.
Standing there, she felt like a clown, tears rolling down her cheeks.
So he had always known she was the one sending things—no wonder he refused to accept them.
He...
"Tsk, rejected. How pitiful." Suddenly a gloating voice sounded nearby.
Li Cuihua spun around abruptly.
"Sun Lanlan, what are you doing here?!" Of all people, it had to be her who witnessed Li Cuihua at her most vulnerable.
"I was bored. Really, you fancy Jiang Xun? That's quite bold." Sun Lanlan sneered. Of all the female commune members, she disliked Li Cuihua the most.
Always playing the good girl, acting the part.
"You..."
"I'm saying you lack self-awareness. Jiang Xun would never be interested in you." She looked at Li Cuihua with disdain.
Sun Lanlan did want to marry a city man, but she wasn't so unrealistic. Not just Jiang Xun—even Zhou Yan or any of the other commune members—none of them would pick someone like her.
She knew well that if anyone did approach her, or Li Cuihua, there must be some benefit to gain.
She wasn't so foolish.
That wretched Lin Xinrou even tried to provoke her into confronting Lin Jingyue—idiotic.
"He won't like me, but you think he'll like you?" Li Cuihua glared at Sun Lanlan, assuming Sun Lanlan was also interested in Jiang Xun.
"I don't have such delusions." She wanted to say, with Lin Jingyue shining so brightly, even someone blind wouldn't pick Li Cuihua over her.
But as she was about to speak, she remembered the scene of Lin Jingyue thrashing Li Tongchui and four other men.
She instinctively held her tongue.
"Sun Lanlan!" Li Cuihua shot her a venomous glare and ran off.
Sun Lanlan glanced at the commune, her eyes flickering.
After returning, Li Cuihua locked herself in her room.
"This child is so stubborn," Aunt Chun sighed to the brigade leader. "Would I ever harm her? The man is from the county seat, his parents both have jobs, he himself is employed. If it weren't for my sister, would he even come to see her?"
Her sister had put in so much effort for this match.
Yet the girl didn't appreciate it.

"Is it really so easy to marry a commune member? Never mind now, what about when there's a chance to return to the city?"
The brigade leader took a drag from his pipe. "We'll see how tomorrow's meeting goes."
He didn't agree with his daughter marrying a commune member either.
Those commune members were all cunning. His daughter—she'd help count the money after being sold.
While the brigade leader sighed over his daughter, Lin Jingyue was enjoying a feast in her personal space—the sauce from the braised fish mixed with rice, so delicious it made her tongue tingle.
After the meal, a bright red apple to top it off—perfection.
She hadn't given Li Cuihua a second thought. Friends were like that: if you got along, fine; if not, keep your distance.
The next day, just as Lin Jingyue was about to leave to collect pigweed, Jiang Xun called out to her, "You've got a parcel at the post office."
Ever since things were taken by impersonators recently, the post office no longer allowed others to collect parcels on someone else's behalf.
"A parcel?" Lin Jingyue was surprised.
She was the sort who had no one to care about her, yet she actually had a parcel?
"Yes, I saw it yesterday when I went to pick up mine. It's been there for two days already." The postman hadn't come by lately; otherwise, there would've been a notice.
"Let me borrow your bicycle, I'll go see what odd thing it is. Oh, help me tell the brigade leader, will you?"
"Alright." Jiang Xun nodded.
Lin Jingyue put down her basket, went back to her room, and changed clothes—a pale yellow floral skirt, white blouse with a Peter Pan collar, light leather shoes.
At her blossoming age, one must make the most of pretty clothes.
Riding the bicycle through the brigade, she stirred up quite a sensation.
The girls and young wives looked on with envy, the young men stared with bright eyes.
A bicycle really was much faster. When she arrived at the post office, it was just after ten. Lin Jingyue locked her bike and went inside.
"Comrade, I'm here to pick up a parcel."
The clerk at the counter, bent over his records, didn't look up. "What name?"
"Lin Jingyue from Qingshan Brigade."
The clerk glanced up, stunned for a moment. "Your parcel's over there. It's a bit big."
"It's fine, I can carry it." Lin Jingyue smiled brightly.
[Extra]
Lin Jingyue: Though I'm not in the world of rivers and lakes, my legend lives on everywhere.