CHAPTER 100: CHAPTER 100: WOULD YOU BE MY PARTNER?

Luo Jinhao turned his head and saw Xu Qinghuan, looked at her, then at Jiang Xingye, clicked his tongue, greeted Xu Qinghuan, and sped away on his treasured big golden stag bike.

Jiang Xingye stood awkwardly, at a loss for what to do. As Xu Qinghuan approached, he hurriedly picked a tomato to hand to her. Xu Qinghuan didn’t take it, so he quickly turned around to wash it by the well.

"I’m not eating, I just finished eating, I’m so full. Have you eaten?" Xu Qinghuan saw the small square table inside the house with her lunch box on it, the one with braised pork.

"I haven’t yet, I’ve just prepared it. Do you want to eat some more?" After asking, Jiang Xingye wished he could bite off his tongue—she just said she was so full.

"Yes, I’ll have a taste!" Xu Qinghuan went inside and sat down at the small square table, resting her chin on her hand, watching Jiang Xingye awkwardly get the food, bumping his head against the wall, making her laugh uncontrollably.

Jiang Xingye was so vexed, he turned around and glared at her, but there was a smile in his eyes, not his usual fierce look, more like a charming big dog.

"Still laughing!" he softly complained, with a tenderness that didn’t match his usual voice.

Xu Qinghuan stifled her laughter, but her lips were gently bitten, and her eyes twinkled like fawns, moist and shimmering like autumn waters, causing Jiang Xingye’s heart to quake. He felt guilty, as if he’d done something wrong, hurriedly turned away, and got a bowl of corn and wild vegetable porridge for Xu Qinghuan.

His dinner tonight consisted of corn and wild vegetable porridge, along with mixed flour flatbread, which he served on a porcelain bowl, placing it on the table.

He also got himself a bowl of corn and wild vegetable porridge, handing Xu Qinghuan a pair of chopsticks, and the two sat facing each other.

Since his father’s death, he had no real home; dining at his uncle’s place meant sitting with a large group, but never did he feel such warmth and yearning as at that moment.

Xu Qinghuan picked up the wild vegetable porridge and poured more than half into Jiang Xingye’s bowl, "I can’t eat this much, I just want to taste your cooking."

Jiang Xingye nervously said, "I just made it casually for myself; if you come next time, I’ll cook properly!"

The wild vegetables had a sweet taste, though Xu Qinghuan didn’t know what kind they were, and the corn was cooked until soft, with a decent flavor.

Xu Qinghuan nodded towards the lunch box, "Why aren’t you eating the braised pork?"

Jiang Xingye pushed the braised pork towards her, "I’ll soak it in the well later; it should be fine. Save it for you tomorrow."

He had already eaten a bowl of rice soaked in the braised pork sauce at noon, which was tasty enough. Had he not worried about her disliking the half-eaten rice, he wouldn’t have left an entire lunch box of it.

Xu Qinghuan looked up at him, noticing his firm features, high nose, appearing fierce and wild, yet with a rogue charm that was hard to dislike. Who would have thought he had such a gentle side?

However, if the braised pork is left until tomorrow, it might not taste good even if still edible, "Then I want to eat it now."

Jiang Xingye was also a bit frustrated, today’s meal wasn’t great, yet he invited her to eat; he quickly heated the braised pork, pushing the whole box towards her.

Xu Qinghuan grabbed a few pieces and then pushed it back to him, "You eat, I can’t eat that much. Don’t keep it till tomorrow, the taste will be off."

"Okay." Jiang Xingye’s hand holding the chopsticks tightened reflexively, his happiness and emotion overflowed from his heart and eyes.

How could he not know? She didn’t actually want to eat; she wanted him to eat.

Jiang Xingye silently finished the whole lunch box of braised pork.

The mixed flour flatbread had more cornmeal, making it a bit hard to eat. Xu Qinghuan only broke off a small piece to taste.

Jiang Xingye saw she ate very little, quickly tidied up the cookery, "Wait a bit, I’ll make you red sugar eggs."

Xu Qinghuan rubbed her belly, "I can’t eat more, I’m really full; can’t sleep if I eat any more."

Jiang Xingye stood before her, quietly and greedily watching her, knowing full well that he was a world away from her, yet still unable to resist the urge to be close.

He had considered that perhaps Xu Qinghuan was just playing with him and would never want to marry a country bumpkin like him.

She had told him that her mother would find her a high-status match for marriage, allowing her to return to the city; she was like the moon in the sky, reflecting in the ditches, not meant to fall into them.

But he was bewitched, unable to resist wanting to care for her, to be good to her.

Seeing his deep-set, resolute eyes, Xu Qinghuan tilted her head and asked, "Don’t you have something you want to ask me?"

Jiang Xingye hesitated for a long while before turning his head, "Do you plan to return to the city?"

It wasn’t a question, it was a statement.

Xu Qinghuan said, "Yes, I will definitely go back to the city in the future."

Jiang Xingye did not speak further, dragging his heavy steps into the room, then coming out shortly after with a bundle of cash tickets to hand to her, "If you can’t handle the farm work, don’t force it, buy what you need with this money."

Xu Qinghuan received it in a surprised daze, looking at the bills in her hand, a dozen old banknotes, a roll of change, and rare ration tickets, oil tickets, soap tickets, who knows how long it took him to save these.

It was less than two hundred yuan in total, but in the rural setting of the time, it was a small fortune.

Xu Qinghuan couldn’t believe it, "You’re giving this all to me?"

Jiang Xingye hesitantly said, "No, not all, I’ve kept a small amount for myself, I need it for other purposes."

He needed a little money to handle some work.

He pulled it from his pocket, showing it to her, "If you need it, you can take it all."

Xu Qinghuan didn’t know what to feel; in all her life, no one had ever given her everything they had.

She’d always had to strive for what she wanted on her own.

For the first time, someone offered her everything she desired without her doing anything.

Xu Qinghuan tightly clutched the money in her hand, "I had a job lined up in the city. Before coming to the countryside, I sold two positions. Do you know why I didn’t stay in the city but came here?"

Jiang Xingye shook his head, though he knew she must have her unspoken troubles, and his heart ached for her, restraining the urge to hold her and console her.

"My father was a soldier before he died, earning many honors. Less than three months after his sacrifice, my biological mother remarried his comrade. She bore a son for the new husband and raised two stepdaughters. But because the mother-in-law didn’t like her, she couldn’t establish herself at her new husband’s house.

She wanted to pave a path for her youngest son using me as a marriage pawn. Before coming down here, I found a way to cancel the engagement she set for me, which was with the new urban volunteer, Jiang Chengxu."

Jiang Xingye clenched his fists tightly, the veins on his forehead bulged, a fierce and furious expression barely concealing his intense anger.

Xu Qinghuan reached out, holding his wrist, her hand cool and soothing, easing his rage.

"But she won’t give up easily, she’ll arrange another match for me, find a way to bring me back to the city, making me a pawn for her ambitions. Unless..."

Xu Qinghuan looked at Jiang Xingye, as he lowered his gaze to her, fire dancing in his eyes.

"Unless I have a marital engagement, marrying someone would keep my residency in the countryside, unable to return it to the city."

In time, when she could return to the city, she would have built enough networks and connections to counter her mother.

Jiang Xingye’s heart pounded, nearly jumping out of his chest.

"Huanhuan!" he said with difficulty, "We can get married—I mean, I can marry you, move your residency to the collective farm, and your mother won’t be able to control you; married, she can’t arrange another marriage for you."

He was so overwhelmed he couldn’t even keep his words straight.

"Well, that’s a good idea." Xu Qinghuan smiled at him and asked, "So, Comrade Jiang Xingye, are you willing to be with me?"

Jiang Xingye stood in stunned silence for a long time, suddenly turning to leave, stepping outside to look around, casting his gaze skyward as if unable to find his own spirit, then quickly stepping back inside, his usually dark eyes now shining brightly.

"Huanhuan, what did you just say?" he asked with a trembling voice, his expression urgent.