Chapter 14

Zhou Ke clutched the money Ye Qingshui handed him, tears swirling in his eyes. He really wanted to be a person of integrity like his grandfather, someone who didn’t casually take things from others. But when he thought of his family’s dire situation, he broke down in tears.

With this money, he could buy medicine and get treatment for his grandfather.

Zhou Ke said, “Sister, I’ll help you sell buns from now on.”

Ye Qingshui didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Putting everything else aside, if the bead she was carrying was real, then this couple of yuan really didn’t amount to much. During those sweeping ten years, antiques were branded as remnants of feudalism and fell under the category of “Four Olds” to be destroyed. Priceless porcelain, paintings, and architecture were all to be smashed and burned. Yet if any of it survived, its value would later skyrocket by thousands of times.

Even if the bead wasn’t an antique, its luster was so good that Ye Qingshui felt it was burning hot in her hand. She tried to return it to Zhou Ke, but he refused, pushing it back to her. In the end, Xie Tingyu helped her put it away.

“Take good care of your grandfather. We’ll be going now.”

The two of them walked out of the communal housing building together.

Ye Qingshui walked to a hidden spot, took out the glass bead, and examined it closely. It was crystal-clear, and under the soft morning light, it resembled a vast blue sea, with slight ripples that made whoever looked into it feel mentally refreshed.

Xie Tingyu said, “No need to check—it’s real.”

“Give me the basket.”

He held out his large hand.

Ye Qingshui thought about the argument they’d had earlier. They hadn’t even finished arguing before being interrupted, and now she wasn’t angry anymore.

She brushed aside a lock of hair that had fallen over her forehead and said softly, “If I hadn’t come out to set up my stall today, I probably wouldn’t have had money for the medicine just now. Not a single cent.”

“I’m very poor, so don’t try to interfere with me. I know exactly what I’m doing, and I plan to keep doing it. Whether you disagree or look down on me, I only ask that you don’t secretly report me. Because… this is the life I’ve chosen.”

Ye Qingshui looked into Xie Tingyu’s burning gaze—it was the kind of look that seemed to try and see straight through her.

She smiled, brushed back her windblown hair, and said softly, “You think profiteering is wrong, that it’s illegal. But just look around—what even counts as right or wrong these days? It’s hard to say that what I’m doing is wrong, right? Just like how you’d allow your family or friends to buy from the black market, but won’t allow me to sell anything there. Time will tell everything—”

Xie Tingyu interrupted her with a serious expression. He pushed the bike forward and said, “You can’t go around saying things like that carelessly. Get on the bike.”

Ye Qingshui looked at him patting the back seat of his bike. She wasn’t moved. “I’ll walk back myself.”

“There’s still labor work later,” Xie Tingyu said, and without another word, lifted her onto the bike.

He was incredibly strong. He didn’t talk much, but what he said left no room for argument—he was the kind of person who meant what he said. That was something Ye Qingshui was quite familiar with.

The bicycle sped forward with a whoosh. Bumped up and down, Ye Qingshui couldn’t help but clutch the corner of Xie Tingyu’s shirt.

He was wearing an old cotton tank top, the kind he wore to sleep, the fabric faded from countless washes. But it was still neat, and the way it hugged his body outlined his tall frame—lean but muscular.

They rode in silence. Xie Tingyu said nothing, and neither did Ye Qingshui.

After a long time, Ye Qingshui tentatively asked, “Are you still mad at me?”

Xie Tingyu chuckled softly. “You still care whether I’m mad or not?”

He hadn’t expected that this little girl would view him that way in private.

Ye Qingshui felt a bit of relief and said, “Of course I care. What if… you went and reported me?”

Xie Tingyu almost burst out laughing when he heard that. He said lightly, “Oh? Then why didn’t you try harder to win me over, and instead scolded me like I was a dog?”

Ye Qingshui choked on her words.

“And you pulled out money to insult me—how’s that fair?”

When they reached the entrance of Ye Family Village, Xie Tingyu hit the brakes and jumped off the bike. He held the handlebars and looked down at the girl on the back seat, speaking in a calm tone:

“You’re right. Whatever you want to do, I won’t interfere. But remember to be careful. Starting this month, I’ll give you money for housing and living expenses.”

Ye Qingshui was satisfied. She slowly slid off the bike seat.

“No interference—deal!”

She paused, then added, “You really don’t need to give me that money. Consider it my compensation to you. Suddenly ending up with a wife is kind of unfair. If there’s anything you’re not used to in terms of food or lodging, just tell me.”

She waved her hand and yawned.

Xie Tingyu: “…”

Something didn’t feel right… Compensation?

…

Ye Qingshui’s stomach rumbled. She put down her basket and quickly ate breakfast. After eating, a wave of sleepiness hit her. She forced herself to stay awake and went back into the house. She still had work to do later. Yawning, she went to the bed to find some clothes for farm work, but sleepiness overtook her and she fell asleep as soon as her head tilted.

When Xie Tingyu returned home and saw this scene, he frowned. Such a stubborn temper—she looked delicate, but her will was anything but soft.

He pushed her body, which had fallen halfway outside the bed, back in and covered her with the quilt.

Xie Tingyu’s gaze fell on the black face mask she wore. He wanted to loosen it a bit so she could breathe more easily—he didn’t mind the acne all over her face that she was so ashamed of.

But just as his hand touched her face, Ye Qingshui turned over and continued sleeping sweetly. Her breathing was shallow, and she was sleeping quite soundly.

…

Ye Qingshui didn’t wake up until the afternoon. She had actually slept straight through to the afternoon.

Touching her face, she decided that from now on, she’d only pursue her black-market dealings on weekends. Poor as she was, she couldn’t afford to rush things. She sighed—it was just a different soul in the same body, yet this body really couldn’t handle much. Back in her prime, she could carry eight buckets of water in one go without even breaking a sweat.

As for missing her work today, Ye Qingshui figured she was in for a scolding from the team leader. She didn’t care about work points all that much, but being singled out and criticized wasn’t something she looked forward to.

When Xie Tingyu came back from work, he saw right through her worry with a glance.

He poured himself a bowl of water, gulped it down, and said calmly, “I took a sick leave for you. Told them you weren’t feeling well.”

“Oh. Thanks.”

Xie Tingyu pulled a slip of paper from his pocket and lightly tossed it in front of Ye Qingshui.

“Hereby, commune member Ye Qingshui of the First Production Team, Ye Family Village, Zihongqi Commune, is approved by the team leader to raise pigs.”

Raise pigs?

Now that was a light-duty job—no need to get up at the crack of dawn and toil in the fields. The only drawback was that it didn’t earn many work points. People who wanted to earn more would usually take on pig-raising in addition to fieldwork. The Ye family didn’t have any strong laborers. Even if her mother envied the three points that came with raising pigs, she had no way to earn them.

Ye Qingshui quickly calculated—if she were raising pigs, all she had to do was cook swill to feed them and keep the pen clean. That would be it. She could even sleep in. Sure, pigs stank, but what rural person was afraid of a little stink or hard work?

“Thank you.”

Ye Qingshui offered her thanks sincerely. She asked suspiciously, “But… didn’t you hate that I was doing that kind of thing?”

Xie Tingyu shot back, “If I didn’t allow you to do it, would you actually stop?”

Ye Qingshui answered bluntly, “I… I’m sorry.”

“But I’m still going to do it.”

Xie Tingyu was half amused, half annoyed. Shaking his head, he said sternly, “Let me teach you something—you should’ve said to me: ‘I promise I won’t do it again.’”

“If all profiteers were as honest as you, they’d have all been arrested already. I just baited you a little, and you confessed everything. Not even a shred of denial. What would happen if the police caught you and you spilled everything?”

Ye Qingshui was a little stunned. “But—”

Wasn’t that just being honest?

“I didn’t treat you like an outsider, that’s all.”

Xie Tingyu had intended to teach this little girl a lesson, but unexpectedly, she turned the tables on him. He looked at her steadily and said mildly, “And why exactly aren’t you an outsider?”

“At most, I’m your teacher who’s helping you read and write. If you’re doing something shady and you run into your teacher, your first reaction shouldn’t be to confess—it should be to deny and cover it up. Your reaction was totally wrong.”

“And insulting me like that? Also wrong. I’ve noted it down. Now go memorize three passages. If you can’t recite them, well… tomorrow I might remember something important that requires a visit to the Revolutionary Committee…”

Xie Tingyu said this in a calm, unhurried tone.

Ye Qingshui was left speechless.

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