There was nothing wrong with what Zhou Cheng said.

Liu Yong was left speechless.

Xia Xiaolan thought to herself, He’s only twenty… is this young guy actually pursuing me?

Zhou Cheng’s youth reminded her that she herself was only eighteen, with a wonderful stretch of youth ahead to enjoy. The realization filled her with quiet happiness.

...

The Black carp was delicious too. The state-run restaurant’s chef was skilled, wasn’t it only natural for the waitstaff to be a little proud? Even in later years, many famous old restaurants had owners with bad tempers, yet customers still flocked to them.

The fish slices, thin as cicada wings, were tender and free of any fishy taste. Reluctantly, Xia Xiaolan set down her chopsticks.

The fish was good, but after Zhou Cheng spoke so frankly, she needed to respond.

“Brother Zhou, please sit down while we talk.”

Standing made things feel too formal, almost like he was proposing marriage to her uncle.

“I understand your sincerity, and I’ll speak honestly too…”

“You’ve probably heard how bad my reputation is. Some things, I have to resolve on my own. Only by becoming stronger can I stop fearing the mud others throw at me, right?”

“My mother and I are still living with my uncle. I’m not saying this to gain your sympathy... I know you want to help me. But for now, I won’t consider personal relationships. I hope to build a healthy, lasting relationship from a place of independence and self-reliance. Thank you, Brother Zhou.”

No matter how gently phrased, it was still a rejection.

Kang Wei instinctively shrank back.

He half-expected Zhou Cheng to flip the table. Brother Cheng had never been rejected like this in his life, had he?

And he hadn’t even minded Xia Xiaolan’s questionable reputation!

But Zhou Cheng didn’t overturn the table.

After looking at Xia Xiaolan for a moment, he actually sat down.

“I understand what you mean. We’ve only known each other for a short time. I’m not in a hurry. Don’t feel pressured. Let’s just interact as friends, naturally.”

“Eat the fish, the chef here is pretty good.”

Kang Wei’s eyes nearly popped out.

He accepted it?

Not even angry?

If Kang Wei himself were rejected, he certainly wouldn’t be calmly sitting back down to eat fish!

Yet Zhou Cheng and Xia Xiaolan seemed to have cleared the air completely, both behaving with ease. Zhou Cheng was open and generous, and Xia Xiaolan wasn’t shy or awkward.

It was strange. She was the proudest and most charming girl Kang Wei had ever seen, yet though she grew up in the countryside, she carried the frankness of a Beijing girl.

No. That wasn’t quite right.

The girls in Beijing might speak boldly outside, but turn bashful and pretend to be gentle in front of Zhou Cheng. Xia Xiaolan wasn’t like that. She was straightforward yet polite.

Neither servile nor overbearing.

A phrase suddenly came to Kang Wei’s mind.

A village girl, neither humble nor arrogant?

He felt like he needed a bowl of fish-ball soup to steady himself.

Now that the two young people had spoken openly, Liu Yong didn’t interfere further. Zhou Cheng wouldn’t stay in Anqing County forever, sooner or later he’d leave anyway.

Liu Yong happily continued eating fish. An eighteen-jin grass carp was completely finished by the four of them. Partway through the meal, Zhou Cheng stepped out for a cigarette.

When he returned, he had already paid the bill.

Now Liu Yong felt embarrassed.

“It’s nothing serious. Who treats doesn’t matter, as long as everyone enjoys the meal.”

Zhou Cheng spoke casually. He truly wasn’t short of money.

But in those days, when even buying eggs required careful budgeting, such generosity was rare. The restaurant waitress kept sneaking glances at him, thinking this man from Beijing must be wealthy... if only he were her boyfriend!

Then she saw Xia Xiaolan and couldn’t honestly claim she was prettier.

So stealing someone else’s boyfriend was out of the question.

After leaving the restaurant, Zhou Cheng asked what Xia Xiaolan and Liu Yong planned to do next and whether they needed a ride.

Xia Xiaolan shook her head.

“I need to buy a few things. You’ve already lost a day because of me. No need to see us off.”

Cars ran on fuel, after all. It was hard to go back to frugality once you’d grown used to luxury. Xia Xiaolan had only just adapted to life in 1983, she wasn’t ready to enjoy being driven around.

Zhou Cheng didn’t insist.

“Then Uncle and Xiaolan, be careful on your way home. Kang Wei and I will stay in Anqing County for two more days. If you come into town, you can find us at the guesthouse.”

Aside from still calling Liu Yong “Uncle,” Zhou Cheng didn’t pester them. He took Kang Wei and headed off in the opposite direction.

Liu Yong kept smiling.

Once the two were out of sight, his expression suddenly darkened.

“Those two might be smugglers, it's dangerous work, making money at the edge of a knife. Who knows when they might lose both life and fortune? Xiaolan, don’t let that handsome face and sweet talk fool you.”

Xia Xiaolan wasn’t too surprised.

Zhou Cheng wore a Rolex and drove a heavily reinforced Dongfeng truck, with an indescribable air about him. Calling him a smuggler didn’t seem impossible.

“Uncle, how could you tell?”

That was what puzzled her. Liu Yong was just a farmer who earned money repairing houses and building pigsties. How could he have such sharp insight?

Uncle, are you really just a mason?

He’d bought a new bicycle and now had the confidence to stand up for her and her mother. Could a mason’s wages really cover that?

Liu Yong chuckled and changed the subject.

“Your uncle’s just smart. What do you need to buy? Let’s hurry so we can get home early.”

Xia Xiaolan didn’t press him further.

They went to the county department store. Anqing County’s economy relied on two large factories, and the department store wasn’t big. There were only a few customers.

Seeing Xia Xiaolan walk toward the fabric and clothing counter, Liu Yong assumed she wanted new clothes.

Nothing wrong with a young girl liking new clothes.

At a few yuan per meter of cloth, he could afford it.

But when Xia Xiaolan reached the counter, she pointed to a colorful schoolbag with a little elephant on it.

“Comrade, how much is this schoolbag?”

The sales clerk was knitting and didn’t even look up. “Ten yuan. A schoolbag from Shanghai. Expensive.”

“I’ll take it. Please wrap it up.”

Only then did the clerk glance at her.

She didn’t care who bought it as long as they had the money. After paying, Xia Xiaolan turned to Liu Yong.

“Let’s go. Aunt said to come home early for dinner.”

Liu Yong realized what had happened.

“You’re not buying anything for yourself? That’s for Tao Tao? It’s too expensive… The canvas one next to it would’ve been fine. Your aunt even said she could sew him one!”

Though he complained about the cost, he felt warm inside.

Not because Xia Xiaolan spent money, but because she had become thoughtful, caring about her younger cousin. Blood relatives looking out for one another meant life would only get better.

He glanced back at the plain-colored fabrics at the counter and suppressed the urge to shop. He could always come back alone later.

When uncle and niece returned to Qijing Village, Li Fengmei and Liu Fen were still in the fields. Unable to sit still, Liu Yong went to help.

Tao Tao hugged the new schoolbag in delight.

“Sister Xiaolan, is this for me? Really for me?”

Xia Xiaolan decided to start cooking.

To be honest, the fish at lunch had left her a bit too full. Doing some work would help her digest.

She wasn’t used to controlling the heat of a rural stove. Though she had once been poor and cooked for herself at a young age, that had been on a coal-briquette stove, later replaced by a gas stove.

She had no experience with a traditional earthen stove.

Fortunately, she had Tao Tao.

Though only six, he often helped Li Fengmei tend the fire.

With his help, Xia Xiaolan steamed rice in a smaller iron pot. White radish simmered beneath the steamer, while the larger wok was used for cooking dishes.

Li Fengmei had someone deliver half a pig’s liver. A tricky ingredient Xia Xiaolan didn’t dare handle. But there were also crucian carp and loaches at home. Cleaning loaches was technical work. Their bodies were coated with slippery mucus. They needed to be washed in hot saltwater first.

Xia Xiaolan fumbled awkwardly while Tao Tao laughed at the loaches wriggling across the floor, showing his cousin no mercy.

After finally cleaning the loaches, Xia Xiaolan stir-fried dried chilies in hot oil and braised them with tofu, covering the pot and letting the flavors slowly meld.

Then she turned to the crucian carp. Those were easier.

She picked some scallions behind the house, pinched off a few leaves of wrinkled basil, and prepared a dish of crucian carp with basil.

By the time the people working in the fields returned, only the pig’s liver remained uncooked.

“Xiaolan already made the rice and dishes?”

…

At the Anqing County guesthouse, Zhou Cheng and Kang Wei were also talking about Xia Xiaolan.

T/N:  Happy Chinese New Year!