Chapter 194: Missing
Xiangnan, Hongqi Commune Team One.
Unknowingly, the Fu Family’s house had already been built. After treatment, Fu Rong’s body was getting better day by day, and now he could even get out of bed and walk a few steps. In a bit more time, he should be fully recovered.
The day Su Ning left, Luo Shuangshuang buried her head in the Health School as an intercalary student and began systematic study. Fu Jiaming and Yan Bei, fellow sufferers, both couldn’t help but become wife-gazing stones, synchronously contracting lovesickness.
Chewing on a foxtail grass root, Fu Jiaming let out a long sigh and turned his head to look at his friend beside him who was gazing at the sky in silent contemplation. “Yan Qi, say something.”
Just him chattering nonstop, as if there wasn’t a living person sitting beside him.
“By my calculations, Su Ning should be back soon. It’s been almost twenty days.”
Excluding the round trip by train, Fu Jiaming even counted on his fingers carefully.
Seeing him mention this, his eyelids finally deigned to lift. Unsurprisingly, that graceful figure filled his mind again.
After so many days, Yan Bei finally understood what it meant to live a day like a year and why lovesickness was said to have no cure.
Whenever gazing at the big lock on the door of the old residence, his heart felt entirely soaked in bitter water of sourness and astringency. That dense, endlessly spreading longing made it impossible to hide or avoid.
He let out a wry chuckle, realizing for the first time that he had the potential to be a resentful husband.
“Seriously, don’t think about that slow-burn, long-term affection that drives people to death. You’re a real man—why not take the initiative to break the window paper? How can you wait for a girl like Su Ning to speak first?!”
He nudged his arm with his elbow, and Fu Jiaming earnestly continued to persuade, “What nonsense about not eating hot tofu if you’re impatient—that tofu won’t sit there cooling off without worry if you don’t eat it while it’s hot.”
“Don’t say you don’t know—there are plenty in this team secretly eyeing Su Ning. You gonna wait till someone steals her away first and then spit blood in regret?”
“Don’t give me that look. I’m telling you, tomorrow and accidents—who knows which comes first? Never count on tomorrow; just seize today.”
His family’s Shuang Shuang had said it—both openly and covertly probing, Su Ning wasn’t indifferent to this kid Yan Qi. At this point, did he really need someone to push his head down to make him eat?
Seeing the expression in his eyes soften considerably, Fu Jiaming struck while the iron was hot and actively offered ideas.
“Look, if you’re worried your current situation will implicate Su Ning, if nothing else, just keep secretly meeting like now.
Besides, aren’t you actively cooperating with the reform and doing self-criticism? Your teacher has been helping with that matter you want, and it’s very likely to succeed. Then everything will be fine, right? Don’t you think?”
Nodding slightly with some hesitation, Yan Bei raised his head and narrowed his eyes a bit.
It was a rare sunny day, with sunlight and the shadows of leaves swaying in the wind mixing on his body, giving a lazy comfort.
The greenery of the distant mountains showed little fading, but the nearby fields were full of withered yellow.
In the village during the farming off-season, after that night of frost, people gathered at the threshing ground in the village at high noon when the sun was strongest.
Women gossiped while not forgetting to work on shoe insoles or knitting sweaters; old men gathered to play mahjong using tobacco leaves as stakes.
The men at home rarely had time to idle; they were either busy repairing and patching around the house or going up the mountain to chop firewood or down to the river to carry water.
Only the educated youth at the Educated Youth Point were still in dire straits, miserably going to the fields to dig irrigation ditches.
The two on the mountainside took in the entire lower half of the village sprawling sideways below.
“Stop looking. Take what I said to heart!”
“Naggy.”
“Hey, who am I doing this for?”
“Let’s go. Dragging these back should be about enough firewood.”
Standing up and patting the grass crumbs off his clothes, Yan Bei first picked up the nearby bundled firewood and slung it over his shoulder.
Spitting out the foxtail grass from his mouth, Fu Jiaming followed closely, hoisting the remaining pile, still muttering all the way down the mountain.
Until he noticed the person ahead suddenly quicken his pace—realizing something was off, he quickly shut up.
“Speak of the devil and he shall appear!”
“Su Ning! You’re finally back!”
Back home putting things away, as soon as Su Ning stepped out the yard gate, she felt two gusts of wind rushing at her from front and back.
Seeing clearly who it was, she couldn’t help but smile radiantly with a hint of playfulness as she greeted, “Long time no see, you two.”
“Long time no see.”
“Missed you so much!”
“Hehe~”Hahaha.”
Not only rhyming, but also hitting right on someone’s thoughts.
Smugly, Fu Jiaming raised his head and flicked the fringe from his forehead. “Yan Qi, you stay with Su Ning. I’ll take the firewood back first.”
“Mm.”
“Perfect, I have something for you. Yan Bei, come inside with me first.”
Ungrudgingly placing the firewood bundle from his back onto his other shoulder, without sparing him an extra glance.
Yan Bei just gazed longingly at Su Ning, obediently following her into the yard as she said.
Fu Jiaming, nearly squashed flat, couldn’t help grinding his teeth: Damn, chose friends poorly—same type, valuing lover over friend!
……
“When did you get back?”
“Just back, less than an hour.”
“How’d it go? Smooth? Can you tell me what it was about? Anything else you need help with?”
Pouring a cup of freshly boiled hot water for herself and him, Su Ning smiled and shook her head, indicating the matter was done.
After sitting properly in the main hall and briefly chatting, she took an envelope from her bag and handed it to him casually.
“I went to Jilin Province and stopped by to visit Yan Big Brother and them on the way. This is the letter he asked me to bring back to you.”
“Wasn’t it to Beijing City? Why’d you go to Jilin Province?”
No wonder it took so long to return.
Hearing this, Yan Bei gripped the letter in his hand without eagerly opening the envelope. Instead, he looked her up and down thoroughly, and only after finding nothing amiss did he relax.
Time was short; Yan Dong simply outlined his own general situation here, then it was all arrangements for the upcoming exoneration.
After reading the last line, Yan Bei showed little expression on his face, just thoughtfully refolding the letter paper and putting it back in the envelope, planning to show it to Grandpa Yan before burning it.
“Ning Ning, thank you. Big Brother told me—you sent them quite a few things and money and ration coupons in my name.”
What he gave her last time was probably mostly used up; this time she must have covered most of it herself.
Looks like… for that matter Teacher mentioned, he still needed to secretly push harder and add fuel to get it done soon.
“Just convenient on the way.”
Waving her hand, as if afraid he’d overthink, Su Ning quickly stood up. “Almost forgot—you wait a sec.”
Without waiting for a reply, she turned and pattered quickly back to the room.
After the new house was built, the Fu Family members had moved in on their own.
But with the two families close, Ma Xiuzhen had come over in her spare time during this period to help clean, so she wouldn’t come home to a dusty room inside. Even their used quilts and bed sheets were washed clean and hung out to dry.
So when Su Ning got home, prepared to rest a bit and then tidy up, she found no place to start.
Seeing her drag a large sack of things from the room, clearly heavy as her dragging fingers were pale at the tips.
“Ning Ning, let go—let me.”
Yan Bei, whose attention had been at the door, immediately got up and hurried over. “How could you not call me for something this heavy?”
“I thought I could drag it out myself.”
Well, it was a bit reluctant.
A bit sheepish on her face, Su Ning cleared her throat and didn’t argue much, handing it over to him.
“These are nuts I bought at the large market near the Reclaimed Land Farm. Take them back for Grandpa Yan and them—eating a few every day is good for the body.”
“So many? What about you?”
“Rest assured I have some for myself—bought a lot, enough for a long time. Oh, right—remember to share some with Uncle Fu and Old Man Liu too.”
“Okay.”
Receiving these things, everyone would surely feel very happy—after all, the feeling of being constantly remembered was truly heartwarming.
Gazing at her flower-like smiling face, Yan Bei felt like a feather was gently brushing his heart—soft and itchy.
“Su Ning.”
“Hm?”
Caught off guard being called full name again, Su Ning looked up in slight surprise.
Seeing his unusually serious face toward her, with surging undercurrents in his eyes, that deep color threatening to overwhelm.
Bang bang bang~ Bang bang!
Two heartbeats gradually became clear in the quiet space, uncontrollably beating faster and faster.
Influencing each other and weirdly overlapping, making it impossible to tell whose they were.
