Chapter 18: The Spirited Little Troublemaker of the Seventies (18)

“Liu Zhiqing, have you finished shopping?”

Li Xiangyang sensed something was wrong and stepped outside directly.

He recognized those few men—they were just idlers loafing around the commune. Since their parents had jobs, they simply decided to slack off their whole lives.

When they saw him appear, their expressions changed instantly.

Not for any other reason, but because they had been beaten by him before.

However, people tend to remember the food but forget the pain. So at this moment, they had long forgotten their fear and only harbored hatred.

“I’ve been wanting to find you all along, but I didn’t expect you to come to me yourself. This time, I won’t let you off so easily!”

His initial interest in the little sister had ignited into a blazing fire.

“What should we do, Liu Zhiqing?”

Chen Zhiqing grabbed her arm anxiously.

Though older, for some reason she instinctively relied on him, as if he could solve this problem.

Liu Suisui’s eyes lit up at the scene—it was a classic hero-saving-the-beauty moment. She was the beauty, and Li Xiangyang was the hero.

But since she wasn’t very familiar with him, she wasn’t sure how strong he was in a fight.

The others were all thin as sticks but had the advantage in numbers.

If a fight broke out, it was hard to say who would win.

“Li Xiangyang, they’re bullying me.”

She couldn’t help but whine, just like before—whenever something happened, she’d complain.

She could handle it herself, but having someone nearby made her unconsciously depend on them. That feeling of being backed up brought a kind of psychological comfort.

Chen Zhiqing didn’t know what expression to make, her mind tangled in confusion, so she didn’t notice the subtle tension between the two.

This fight had to happen.

After all, the others had already made threats; if there was no fight, it would be too awkward.

There was hardly anyone around; those who were there avoided the scene.

War was about to erupt.

A few minutes later.

“Ah, ah, ah! I was wrong, I was wrong! Brother, please spare me, spare me!”

Several men lay on the ground, wailing in pain, tears streaming down their faces.

Li Xiangyang pressed his foot on their backs, looking down on them like a predator surveying insects.

Such a pose was so striking!

Liu Suisui blinked her starry eyes at him, wondering how she hadn’t noticed how handsome this man was before.

Right—she had overlooked his charm because he was too annoying. Besides, there were so many handsome men and beautiful women in this circle that she had grown numb to it.

Yet this unexpected journey stirred a flutter in her heart.

No way—had she fallen for the youngest uncle of the Qiao family?

Lost in self-doubt, Liu Suisui didn’t notice him walking toward her.

Li Xiangyang called her name a few times but received no response. His eyelids drooped slightly, lost in thought, looking as if his soul had drifted away.

It wasn’t until Chen Zhiqing shook her arm that she snapped back to reality.

“Huh? What’s wrong?” Liu Suisui looked at the two in confusion.

“Were you scared by them? Don’t worry, I’ve driven them off,” he said, trying to soften his tone and lower his voice to avoid frightening her.

“Not really. They just look disgusting, but I wasn’t scared,” she shook her head.

“That’s good. Let’s go back; it’s not very safe outside,” Li Xiangyang nodded and turned to leave.

Though he wanted to leave with her, given his status, it was better not to.

If anyone saw them together, rumors would surely start, damaging her reputation and dragging her down.

“Li Xiangyang…”

Liu Suisui called out, though she didn’t know why, but he didn’t look back.

Chen Zhiqing had been a bit puzzled before, but now she was certain—he was truly a hero who stood up against injustice.

“Liu Zhiqing, let’s hurry back. Once the ox cart leaves, we’ll have to walk home.”

“Okay.”

When they returned to the meeting point, most people were back as well.

Those who had grabbed things were naturally overjoyed; those who hadn’t looked rather dejected.

Several aunts clicked their tongues upon seeing the stack of books the two carried.

City folks were truly different from country bumpkins like them.

The return journey was just as bumpy, jolting for a long time until their bottoms went numb upon reaching the village.

Back at the sent-down youth camp, the meal was ready.

Liu Suisui first tidied up her belongings, then washed her hands before starting to eat.

“Really want to eat meat… I don’t even remember the last time I had meat.”

The meal was the usual leafy greens, no dry rice, only watery porridge.

Dry rice was only served during busy farming seasons.

The speaker glanced at Liu Suisui subtly, as if hinting at something.

Others, hearing the lament, chimed in with a few words but thought nothing much of it, so they didn’t notice the look he gave her.

But Liu Suisui noticed and felt somewhat annoyed.

Was he waiting for her to share her meat unconditionally someday?

She knew there were many ungrateful people in the world, but did they have to appear right beside her?

After a tiring morning, she finished eating, cleaned up her dishes, and went back to her room to rest.

She planned to stroll through the village in the afternoon—not to admire the local customs but to trade for some eggs.

No meat was truly frustrating.

But if she had known she would step on “dog poop” that afternoon, she would have stayed indoors even if an eight-magnitude earthquake struck.

After a short midday rest, Liu Suisui got up, took some candy from her suitcase, and prepared to go out.

Leaving the sent-down youth camp, she headed toward where the villagers lived.

Along the way, she needed to pass through a narrow path.

Suddenly, someone jumped out beside her, startling her.

“Ah!”

Liu Suisui instinctively stepped back, her heart pounding fiercely, almost thinking she was meeting the Grim Reaper.

“It’s me, Liu Zhiqing,” the young man on the other side said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head, his cheeks flushed.

“Yang Zhiqing, it’s you? What’s the matter?”

She instinctively felt this was trouble and wanted to find an excuse to leave, but it was too late.

“It’s like this. Liu Zhiqing, I wrote a poem and want to share it with you. Could you tell me if it’s good? I’ll recite it first.”

“No need—”

“Ahem! Ah, your appearance is like a ray of sunshine, illuminating me. Ah, your presence is like a fire, guiding my way. Ah, you…”

Liu Suisui: “...”