Chapter 13: Going Too Far

Now, Meng Jia was left speechless.

Of course, she wanted Tang Xin to marry Li Sheng; what surprised her was only the change in Tang Xin over these recent days.

That sense of things slipping out of her control was deeply unsettling. For the first time since her rebirth, Meng Jia doubted her own abilities.

She glanced at Tang Xin, quickly lowering her head, making sure the other wouldn’t notice the redness at the corners of her eyes.

She had always treated Tang Xin so well—how could Tang Xin bear to keep bullying her?

But it didn’t matter. The more harshly Tang Xin bullied her, the more Lu Liqin would feel sorry for her. Right now, Meng Jia pinned all her greatest hopes on Lu Liqin.

“Tang Xin, I… I just hope you can be happy.”

Even at this point, the little white flower still had the energy to put on an act.

Did she really think Tang Xin was so foolish, so gullible, that she could be deceived forever?

Tang Xin was at a loss for words, but recalling the fate of the pitiful supporting character in the novel, she had to admit—the original Tang Xin really was terribly foolish.

But seeing the little white flower’s performance, Tang Xin couldn’t be bothered to respond. She had to accompany her future husband to harvest wheat soon.

She labored, she was happy—oh, Tang Xin felt she was turning into a little bee who loved hard work.

Tang Xin changed into her work clothes, took her usual water bottle, and after some thought, also picked up the box of biscuits Li Sheng had left earlier.

But Meng Jia, standing to the side, reminded her, “You’re going to work in the fields. Bringing biscuits doesn’t look good.”

Tang Xin shot her a sidelong glance, “Why are you still here?”

Meng Jia looked aggrieved, her eyes full of wounded complaint.

Oh, right, this was also the room where the little white flower lived. Once again, Tang Xin felt she needed to get married soon.

Tang Xin originally planned to find Li Sheng in the fields but ended up spotting him outside the courtyard wall of the brigade office.

Surprised and delighted, Tang Xin ran over cheerfully, “Oh, what brings you here? Are you applying to the brigade leader about our marriage?”

Back then, the procedures weren’t complicated—usually, a simple registration in the team counted as getting married.

When he saw Tang Zhiqing, Li Sheng was reminded of the joy shining in his younger siblings’ eyes as they ate the egg pancakes earlier. Despite this, his expression remained cold.

He simply said, “No, I’m here on some business.”

Then he took a handkerchief from his satchel and handed it back to her.

Tang Xin took it, raising it to her nose to sniff, “Did you wash it for me?”

It carried the faint scent of soap.

Li Sheng said nothing, his features growing even more severe as he turned and strode away.

“Hey, wait for me! My legs are short, I can’t keep up!”

So, all along the way, Li Sheng kept a distance from Tang Xin, but never deliberately left her behind.

Even though he had just returned from working outside, Li Sheng couldn’t sit idle. Any spare time was naturally spent helping his family harvest wheat and earn work points.

To avoid trouble, Li Sheng didn’t take Tang Xin to the land assigned to her family, and even less to where the educated youth gathered.

Instead, he steered her away from the crowds, leading her to a shaded spot by the river—where they ran into several young men from their production team.

First, they saw Li Sheng, the famously taciturn youth, and then, trailing behind, Tang Zhiqing. The boys immediately started snickering.

If it had been the original Tang Xin, she would probably have lost her temper at their teasing.

But Tang Xin knew these young men meant no harm.

Farm work was exhausting and there was little excitement in the countryside—rare gossip was simply a bit of fun.

So when they made faces at her, she just smiled back in acknowledgment.

But when they realized Tang Xin had come to help Li Sheng harvest wheat, they all started laughing again.

“You? Harvest wheat? Ha! Harvest wheat? You don’t have a sickle—how are you going to cut wheat?”

Li Sheng was practical as always. He cut the wheat into neat piles and had her help bundle them.

Tang Xin felt proud—didn’t this mean her Li Sheng acknowledged she was a capable girl?

So she squatted down and started bundling the wheat, clutching the stalks together and tying them with a handful of straw, just as she’d seen others do.

But when it was her turn, she was stumped.

Why, every time she picked up the straw, the pile she’d just gathered scattered apart?

So she gathered it again, reached for the straw, and—again—the wheat scattered…

Tang Xin was dumbfounded, and the young men burst into good-natured laughter.

Li Sheng, even as he reaped the wheat, kept an eye on Tang Zhiqing. He had already cut a long way, yet looking back, she was still struggling with the first pile.

He wanted to sigh but merely set down his sickle and began bundling the wheat himself.

He worked quickly and efficiently, each sheaf taking only a second to tie upright—after about six, he gathered them into another pile.

Soon, he returned to where Tang Xin was.

Tang Xin looked up at him, her eyes sparkling, “Li Sheng, you’re amazing!”

Such open and unabashed admiration made even a man like Li Sheng a little uneasy. He avoided her gaze under the pretense of teaching her how to bundle the wheat.

Soon, Tang Xin managed to tie one up. It was lopsided and ugly, but still, it counted as a success.

She was proud of herself and, under Li Sheng’s guidance, managed to set the sheaf upright.

Then, right before her eyes, the sheaf collapsed again…

And again…

Tang Xin stared in disbelief, unable to understand, “My wheat…”

So, the rest of the time, Li Sheng would harvest a patch of wheat, then turn back to bundle it himself.

Tang Xin sat on the side, watching and cheering him on.

When the mischievous young men teased her, she didn’t get embarrassed but answered confidently, “I’m helping too.”

Well, being a cheerleader was hard work too.

She’d already drunk more than half the water from her little bottle.

Soon, she ran over, clutching her bottle, unscrewed the cap, and held it to Li Sheng’s lips, “Li Sheng, have some water.”

She grinned, “This is fairy water, it tastes especially good.”

Li Sheng took her bottle, raised his head, and, without even touching the rim, finished the remaining half in one go.

Tang Xin watched him, her clear eyes blinking, “Wow, Li Sheng, you’re so handsome—even the way you drink water is good-looking.”

Just then, from across the river, Lu Liqin dashed over like the wind. Though his face was a storm of emotions, he tried hard to maintain a veneer of composure, “You—what are you doing now?”

In just a few days, Lu Liqin felt he could no longer make sense of his childhood friend.

He used to think Tang Xin was just a little spoiled and headstrong, and because he couldn’t bear to see her father disappointed, he’d always sided with Meng Jia when Tang Xin bullied her.

But now, Tang Xin had grown even more willful, and, worse yet, was entangling herself with this country boy. Even if she was just trying to get at him, wasn’t this going too far?