Speculation and Planning

Jing Qingxin quickly sifted through the people she’d met in the village, and in an instant, the image of the spoiled and willful educated youth, Liu Fangfang, flashed through her mind. During her time here, she had never gone out of her way to provoke anyone; the only person she’d ever quarreled with was Liu Fangfang. Other than her, Jing Qingxin couldn’t think of anyone else who would spread rumors and slander her in such a way. But without evidence, she could only bide her time and wait for the right moment.

Jing Qingxin firmly believed that no matter how someone tried to hide their misdeeds, they would always reveal some trace of guilt.

Gao Shen noticed the sly glint in Jing Qingxin’s eyes and the faint, cold smile at her lips. He asked in a low voice, “Qingxin, have you guessed who’s been spreading these rumors?”

She glanced back at him with a smile. “Yes. Other than her, I truly don’t know whom I could have offended. There are only a handful of people I’ve interacted with in the village.”

At these words, Li Xiaomei immediately caught on and asked tentatively, “Sister Jing, is it Liu Fangfang?”

Jing Qingxin nodded. “That’s my guess.”

Gao Shen frowned slightly and asked, “What happened?”

He could sense from their conversation that something had gone on, something he hadn’t been told about.

Hearing his question, the quick-tempered Xiaomei immediately rattled off the details of the two confrontations they’d had with Liu Fangfang, recounting everything to Gao Shen.

When she finished, Li Xiaomei said angrily, “Hmph, that woman really is awful. We never did anything to her, but every time she’s the one to start trouble. It’s baffling—I don’t know how we ever offended her. And now she goes around slandering you, Sister Jing.”

Jing Qingxin gave a wry, helpless laugh. This was what people meant by ‘lying down and still getting shot.’ She, too, found it ridiculous. She had no idea what she’d done to upset Liu Fangfang; every time they met, she felt a strange sense of hostility, as if she owed the woman something.

“Never mind her for now. There’ll be a chance to deal with her sooner or later,” Jing Qingxin said softly.

Li Xiaomei hesitated. “But what should we do now? There’s all kinds of talk in the village, and it’s probably spread to the Second Production Team by now. We can’t just let them talk nonsense, can we?”

“No need to rush. There are always ways to handle such things. It’s getting late, Xiaomei. Go home and start making lunch so your family isn’t kept waiting,” Jing Qingxin replied seriously, offering reassurance.

Li Xiaomei nodded, “All right.”

After seeing Li Xiaomei off, Jing Qingxin pulled Gao Shen back into the kitchen to continue preparing their lunch. As for the village rumors, both of them knew that now was not the time to offer explanations.

The fact was, they were living under the same roof. Sometimes, the more you explain, the darker things get.

After lunch, the two of them sat in the courtyard to rest. Gao Shen said quietly, “Qingxin, I want to make our relationship public.”

Jing Qingxin turned to him. “What do you want to say?”

“I’ll tell them you’re my fiancée, and that you’re here to take care of me while I’m injured.”

Gao Shen had no wish to see Jing Qingxin maligned. He didn’t mind being talked about himself, but she was the treasure of his heart, and he couldn’t bear for anyone to hurt her with their words.

Hearing this, Jing Qingxin couldn’t help but laugh softly. To be honest, the rumors didn’t bother her at all—she was entirely untroubled by them. Having grown up in the age of advanced information and media, she barely paid attention to such idle gossip.

For her, the most important thing now was to live a good life with Gao Shen. But if anyone kept pestering her and disturbing their peace, she would not hesitate to fight back.

She took Gao Shen’s hand and said gently, “Don’t worry. Their words don’t affect me, and I won’t take them to heart. Let the villagers talk. When the gossip dies down, we’ll speak up if we need to. Those people aren’t important—it’s not worth getting upset over. Living our own lives well is what matters.”

Unable to hold back, Gao Shen embraced her tenderly, saying nothing. Jing Qingxin smiled and patted his back softly, understanding that he was worried for her.

“In the afternoon, let’s hurry and plant the vegetable seeds in the garden,” she suggested, changing the subject with a cheerful tone.

After all that had happened, Jing Qingxin had no desire to go out, much less head into the mountains. Those plans had long been set aside. Since the vegetable plot in the courtyard was ready, she might as well plant the seeds now so they could enjoy fresh, tender vegetables sooner.

The afternoon passed in peace. The two of them, unconcerned with the outside world, took turns digging holes and sowing seeds, chatting and laughing as they worked. This, truly, was the happiest of times.

They shared funny stories while their hands moved swiftly, neither growing tired. In fact, time seemed to fly by. Jing Qingxin had chosen seeds for bok choy, tomatoes, and cucumbers—vegetables with short growing cycles—from her “Glorious Brocade.”

The layout of the courtyard had been planned early on: one side for vegetables, the other for flowers and plants. Now that the vegetables were sown, Jing Qingxin considered the flower bed. She had no intention of planting flowers from seeds and waiting ages for them to bloom. She wanted their home to be fresh and pleasant, so that those who lived there would be in high spirits. Her “Glorious Brocade” had no shortage of flowers—she could easily transplant some now. The only problem was how to explain their sudden appearance.

After all, it wasn’t as if no one ever entered their courtyard—especially the neighbors, the Li family. If a patch of flowers appeared overnight, it would be too conspicuous. She couldn’t very well claim she’d carried them in herself. The image was simply too absurd.

Vegetable seeds were small and plausible, but flower vines and branches were not. Still, Jing Qingxin had a plan: going into the mountains would be the perfect cover. This was the season when wildflowers were in full bloom.

She and Gao Shen had already agreed—they would set out tonight and enter the mountains tomorrow. For now, Gao Shen still had to pretend to be recovering at home. Luckily, their house was on the edge of the village, nestled at the foot of a hill. Just a few hundred meters behind the house was a path leading into the mountains.

They decided Jing Qingxin would make sure to be seen coming down from the mountain, at least by the Li family, so there’d be no questions about where the flowers came from.

With their plans for tomorrow settled, they set about making dinner. Jing Qingxin was preparing noodle soup with fish and a side of sweet and sour fish.

As they cooked together in the kitchen, warmth filling the air, they were suddenly interrupted by a knock at the door and someone calling out. It wasn’t the voice of anyone from the Li family. Gao Shen’s brows furrowed at once.

Jing Qingxin looked puzzled. Who could be calling at this hour?

—End of chapter—

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