On the way back, Su Jin walked ahead, while Jiang Heng followed behind helplessly, carrying all the things.
Jiang Heng’s mood grew strangely restless.
What was going on with him?
His movements suddenly became stiff and awkward. Su Jin had always seemed rather fond of him before — soft and warm, like a little kitten with fluffy fur and bright starry eyes.
Today, since everyone was preparing to welcome the new educated youths arriving from the city, the workload in the village was lighter.
Su Jin was assigned to the oil-pressing team, but most of the women there — middle-aged aunts — had been called away to cook for the newcomers.
That left her with nothing to do.
So she sat back in a chair, one leg crossed over the other, eyes closed in relaxation, looking utterly content.
Ever since she had arrived in this place, she hadn’t really rested properly.
“Su Jin?”
A deep, magnetic voice called out to her. Jiang Heng spotted her lying lazily in the doorway.
Her long, thick lashes cast faint shadows across her face; her lips were soft and moist, her nose straight and delicate, with a refined little tip.
He knew how dazzling her eyes were when they opened — bright and shining, as if filled with starlight. Every time he saw them, it felt like the night sky had been crushed into her gaze.
Her soft, slightly wavy hair brushed just past her shoulders.
The first time Jiang Heng had seen a girl with gently curled hair, he’d been fascinated — the curls added a playful, lively touch to her.
Before he realized it, his fingers had reached out, brushing lightly against her cheek. At that moment, even his hardened heart softened completely.
His rough fingertips pressed against her smooth skin. She didn’t have much flesh on her face, but it was still so soft — irresistibly so.
It felt like only this delicate little wife of his could make him let down his guard, open his heart, and feel utterly at peace.
“Mm~”
Su Jin murmured in her sleep, and Jiang Heng jerked his hand back instantly. He stood up straight, hands stiffly at his sides, afraid to move again.
Only when he saw her still asleep did he finally exhale in relief.
What if she didn’t like him touching her without permission?
At that thought, his chest tightened uncomfortably.
He remembered what he had said that night — and how Su Jin had agreed.
Thinking of that made his expression darken slightly, his back looking lonely and heavy as he turned away.
But as he walked off, Su Jin’s eyelids fluttered open. Her eyes were bright and clear — not sleepy at all.
Hmph! ╭(╯^╰)╮
That repressed man! Touching her cheek while she was asleep!
When she teased him, he’d always act pure and proper, like some saint untouched by worldly desire.
“Ah-choo!”
At the stove, Jiang Heng suddenly sneezed loudly.
When he turned around, he saw Su Jin already awake, sitting on the stool.
From where he stood, he could only see her side profile — her small lips moving as she muttered something under her breath.
So the little troublemaker was talking about him behind his back.
The corners of Jiang Heng’s mouth lifted, and his heart started to pound faster.
Being nagged at by his wife like this… actually felt kind of nice.
After lunch, the two of them began tidying up their room.
Looking at the shabby house, Su Jin had long been wanting to make some changes.
“Do we still need this table?”
She pointed to an old wooden table, half-eaten away by termites, its surface peeling and cracked.
“No. I’ll chop it up later and use it as firewood.”
Su Jin’s gaze swept over the uneven mud walls.
What should she do? That broken table was bad enough, but these walls were even worse the longer she looked.
She really wanted to plaster them with cement and smooth them out.
Rolling up her sleeves, she started clearing out the old furniture — tossing out the worn table, the frayed bedding, and all the little useless odds and ends.
Then she washed the bedding with soap and hung it up over the wall, blocking the bits of dirt that occasionally crumbled down.
Just like that, the room suddenly looked much tidier and even somewhat cozy.
The bedsheets were changed, the walls no longer shed dust, and Jiang Heng built a new wooden table out of leftover boards.
For the first time, Su Jin felt their home looked like a real home.
“I really wonder,” Su Jin said, glancing at him, “how on earth did you live before this? You mean you were fine living like that?”
Jiang Heng’s expression dimmed. His brows furrowed as if weighed down by memories.
He kept sawing the wood in silence, hunched over for a long while.
Su Jin bit her tongue — maybe she shouldn’t have asked.
Just as she was about to change the topic, he finally murmured, “Yeah.”
She smiled lightly. “Well, it doesn’t matter — you have me now, don’t you?”
Jiang Heng’s head snapped up, his dark eyes widening in disbelief, a spark of light flickering within them — as if she were the one bright star in his world.
“Mm.”
His surprised look faded quickly, his face returning to its calm, stoic mask. As if nothing could ever stir him.
But only he knew how his heart was racing inside.
All because of her.
After a long pause, he asked softly, “If it wasn’t me you’d married… would you say the same thing to another man?”
Su Jin froze, stunned by the question, fumbling mentally for an answer.
The faint warmth in her heart flickered, almost extinguished.
He already knew — if not for fate, she might have said such words to someone else.
He felt an ache spread through his chest, an inexplicable sourness in his heart.
It wasn’t as though he’d forgotten to brush his teeth, but his mouth still felt bitter.
Su Jin’s expression turned solemn. She looked straight at him and said firmly, “I only say things like that to the man I love.”
Jiang Heng’s face stayed expressionless, but the instant he turned away, his ears went crimson.
Had his wife just confessed to him again?
He deliberately avoided looking at her, afraid she’d see how red he was — like a boiled shrimp.
Leaning against the wall, he muttered quietly, This little woman… does she even know what she’s saying? What if I actually take her seriously?
Was she saying it just to tease him?
His gaze sharpened slightly.
Su Jin smiled to herself. A real hunter never strikes directly — you make him restless first, then give him just the right push.
After that heartfelt confession, she was certain — he was hooked.
That night, Su Jin fell asleep as quickly as usual. But for a certain man, it was impossible to calm his pounding heart in the silence of the night.
“The truck’s here! The truck’s coming!”
“Look! So many people!”
Walking down the path, Su Jin looked up to see a military-green truck rumbling toward the village, kicking up clouds of dust.
The village children ran after it, shouting and laughing, sticks in hand, chasing the truck all the way down the road.
If this were modern times, their parents would’ve been scared out of their wits.
Su Jin stopped and watched. She’d already heard the rumors a few days ago — that a large group of educated youths from the city would be arriving soon.
The truck was full of young men and women.
The men wore Zhongshan suits and neatly combed hair — nothing like the simple buzz cuts of the village men.
The women, some with gentle long hair and others with neat, short bobs, were dressed in plain black clothes, steel pens clipped to their pockets — the typical style of urban intellectuals.
Su Jin could immediately sense their bookish aura — their skin was fair and smooth, their hands delicate, nothing like the rough, sun-worn villagers.
“They really are different, huh? You can tell they’re city girls,” someone whispered nearby.
“Of course! They’re educated people! If it weren’t for this campaign to send intellectuals to the countryside, we’d never get to see so many of them in our lifetime!”
