Chapter Two

“Here they come! Here they come! The teacher is here!” The children at the village entrance shouted excitedly, their voices carrying for over two miles.

Qin Xiaoyue bit down on her bowl of braised pork, scrambling up the tallest and largest old locust tree at the village entrance. This spot offered the best view and was the main path for anyone entering the village. It was also her favorite secret hideout.

She just lifted her eyes when she saw the village chief driving the ox cart turn in from the small dirt road outside.

Two young men sat behind the cart. The one on the left leaned back casually, legs splayed, head tilted back, showing only a partial profile.

The one on the right sat upright, smiling as he took in the scenery before him.

Seeing the children at the village entrance gathering in groups, jumping with joy, Fu Weichen felt a stir in his heart and broke into a grin.

The man’s smile caught Qin Xiaoyue off guard. Instinctively, she grabbed some locust leaves in front of her face to shield her gaze, then peeked out to look more closely.

As they drew nearer, the man’s features became clearer: deep-set eyes, a high, straight nose, lips slightly thin but curving upward. When not smiling, he carried a noble and commanding air; but when he smiled, his youthful vitality shone through. A gentle breeze lifted his hair, adding to his rugged handsomeness.

Qin Xiaoyue didn’t know what “handsome” truly meant, but the boy’s smile made her heart pound wildly.

“Kids, the teacher has arrived!” Old Yang, the village chief, called happily to the small group before him.

“Yay! Yay!” The children cheered, rushing forward. Some scrambled to greet the teacher and show their faces; others pulled out candy or boiled eggs from their bags to offer; the tallest even eagerly helped carry the teacher’s luggage.

The scene was lively and bustling.

“All right, all right, everyone has seen the teacher. Now go back.”

“Teacher, teacher, come have dinner at our house! Mom made chicken soup just for you,” a young boy, shorter than Xu Duowen’s waist, tugged at his pants, coaxing persistently.

Xu Duowen softened at the boy’s pleading, gently patting his head with a warm smile. “Thank you to your mother for her kindness. Chicken soup is my favorite. When I start school, I’ll definitely come to try it.”

“Teacher, please don’t say no,” the boy clung to Xu Duowen’s leg and wouldn’t let go.

Old Yang was delighted inside. These kids had good eyes—life was only going to get better from now on.

“Teacher, my son already prepared a meal at home. Why not eat first before settling in at the school?”

“Of course not a problem. Finally, a proper meal. These days, I’ve been living on pancakes and steamed buns, cleaning out my stomach,” Xu Duowen said, taking some candy from the child’s hand and popping it into his mouth without hesitation.

“Mmm, sweet. You kids are really adorable,” Fu Weichen smiled and nodded.

The children formed two circles on their own, happily swirling around, chanting, “Hello, teacher! Hello, teacher! Welcome, teacher~”

Surrounded by a crowd of children, they stumbled and laughed their way toward the village chief’s house, creating a lively scene.

From the tree, Qin Xiaoyue watched the man’s features grow clearer, a smile lingering on her face. A strange sensation pulsed in her ears.

She gripped the collar at her chest tightly, trying to stop her heart from pounding. But the feeling inside her body was beyond her control—the harder she held, the faster it beat.

When she looked up again, the people in her view had vanished, but the cheers and laughter remained close.

Suddenly panicked, she lifted a foot and accidentally stepped on thin air. The branch she grabbed couldn’t hold her weight, and she fell straight down.

“Ahhh!”

With a loud thud, a figure hurtled through the air and landed solidly on the ground.

The children quickly scattered behind the village chief and teacher. Xu Duowen didn’t react in time, and a bowl of braised pork flew straight toward his head.

Fu Weichen, trained in martial arts for several years, reacted swiftly. Sensing the bowl flying toward him, he grabbed Xu Duowen tightly with one arm and caught the braised pork with the other.

Old Yang watched the two, stunned.

“Teacher, are you alright?”

Xu Duowen, lying in Fu Weichen’s arms, felt awkward between the two big men. He quickly wriggled free and gave a thumbs-up to the man in front of him.

“Comrade Fu, you’re amazing! You must have trained. You saved my life today. I can never thank you enough!”

Behind them, the children shouted, “It’s the silly sister!”

Their nickname was peculiar.

“Silly sister, village chief, who is this man?”

Fu Weichen looked down at Qin Xiaoyue lying on the ground. She looked like an immature girl, her blue-and-white floral shirt and pants covered in mud.

“She’s the granddaughter of the Qin family aunt. When she was little, a fever damaged her brain. This girl has no sense, acts recklessly, a bit wild. Teacher, please don’t mind.”

No sooner had he spoken than Qin Xiaoyue trembled, “Ouch! That hurts!”

She shakily knelt up, rubbing her arms and legs, her face full of surprise and delight. “I’m fine!”

Old Yang shook his head. “You silly girl, why did you climb the tree branches again? I’ve told you many times it’s dangerous. Don’t do it.”

Qin Xiaoyue tidied her messy ponytail, letting it fall casually over her chest. “Uncle Yang, silly sister is fine!”

She looked up at the group before her, catching Xu Duowen’s shocked expression, and smiled innocently. “I finally got a good look at what you really look like.”

“You fell from the sky just to see what I look like?” Xu Duowen found her behavior truly amusing.

“Yes, but the brother next to you is so handsome, so I fell.”

Qin Xiaoyue shook her head, feeling a bit dizzy.

“Ha ha ha, dumb as she is, she’s a cheeky little flirt~”

Hearing Xu Duowen’s teasing, Qin Xiaoyue shot him a glare.

Her round eyes flashed with a touch of anger, which only made her look cuter. Xu Duowen couldn’t help but laugh. Well, he thought, might as well tease this muddy little girl a bit.

“Just joking, just joking. Girl, you say you came from the sky, but you look like you grew out of the dirt.”

Hearing this, Qin Xiaoyue pouted. “You’re no fun!”

As she spoke, she suddenly realized her braised pork was gone.

She bit at empty air, feeling nothing. Then she saw the small piece of pork held carefully in Fu Weichen’s hand.

“I haven’t even eaten it yet!”

Everyone looked at Qin Xiaoyue’s eager expression, then glanced at the meat in the teacher’s hand.

Old Yang guessed roughly that this young man’s family must have given her delicious food again.

“What is this?” Xu Duowen reached to take it.

Qin Xiaoyue took a quick step forward. “Don’t touch it!”

“Hey, what the—teleportation?!” Xu Duowen was caught off guard by her sudden advance.

The children scattered, shouting, “Crazy girl’s chasing kids! Crazy girl’s coming, run!”

Fu Weichen, who had never seen such a scene since childhood, instinctively stepped back as the muddy girl charged straight at him.

Seeing her hand reach for the bowl in his possession, Qin Xiaoyue grabbed it firmly.

The sudden warmth of her hand startled Fu Weichen, sending a strange tingling sensation through him, and he instinctively pulled away.

“Don’t drop it! It hurts!” Qin Xiaoyue held on tightly, refusing to let go.

“Teacher, don’t mind her. She’s just naturally lively,” Old Yang said nervously, easing the girl’s hand away slowly.

“No worries. She just seems playful,” Fu Weichen smiled gently, thinking back on his own childhood antics and how rare it was to find someone to share that playful spirit with. She was perfect.

He smiled warmly and handed the bowl of braised pork back to Qin Xiaoyue. “The meat’s still warm. Eat it while it’s hot.”

Leaning forward slightly, a gentle curl played at Fu Weichen’s lips as he watched her.

For the first time, he got a clear look at the girl’s face: fine eyebrows, a small mouth, round cheeks with two bright black eyes sparkling with innocence — like a kitten, a puppy, and even a little like the young deer he’d seen at Director Li’s house.

In the sunlight, the man’s beauty made Qin Xiaoyue stunned; his fair skin seemed to merge with the light, blurring the edges of his features.

“Say thank you to the teacher!” Old Yang urged the silent girl.

“Oh, th-thank you, teacher~” She took the bowl from his hand, holding it in a daze.

Seeing her hesitate, Fu Weichen pulled out two pieces of chocolate wrapped in wax paper from his bag. “Looks like you love sweets. This is sweet, but eating too much can turn bitter. You should eat it slowly.”

“Xiaoyue likes candy!”

“Silly girl, this isn’t candy, it’s ch-o-c-o-l-a-t-e! And you carried it all this way without it melting,” Xu Duowen emphasized the word chocolate heavily. In Shanghai and Hong Kong, this was a rare and expensive treat. Fu Weichen must be someone special.

“It’s a new product made by a friend’s factory. It has a lower fat content than before, and if stored properly at a low temperature, it won’t soften easily,” Fu Weichen explained, handing both pieces to Qin Xiaoyue. “Try it.”

The wax paper on the brown squares even had embossed patterns. Old Yang realized these were precious, worth more than just two sugar cubes.

“Thank you so much, teacher. Such fine things are truly precious.”

“No problem, keep them. If you don’t eat them soon, they’ll expire,” Fu Weichen said, extending his hand again.

Qin Xiaoyue glanced at the village chief’s expression and, unwilling to refuse, came up with a compromise: “Teacher, let’s each have a piece and eat together!”

Seeing her carefully take one, Fu Weichen couldn’t help but laugh. “Pfft! All good.”

He tucked the other piece into his pocket. “See you next time, girl.”

“See you next time, girl,” Xu Duowen said, slinging an arm around Fu Weichen as they continued forward. “Village Chief Yang, I’m actually quite hungry.”

With that, he reached into Fu Weichen’s pocket. “Comrade Weichen, we’ll be spending some time together from now on. Is it too much to eat one piece of your chocolate? I actually have a few bottles of Beibingyang soda in my bag. We can drink it tonight to celebrate your arrival.”

Standing still, Qin Xiaoyue stared straight at the man as he passed by. “See you next time~”

She shyly looked at the chocolate in her hand, her cheeks flushed and warm.

Upon arriving at the village chief’s home, Old Yang enthusiastically pulled Fu Weichen and Xu Duowen inside. “Come, come, quickly get some food. You must be tired from the journey.”

Fu Weichen surveyed the simple courtyard: mud-brown walls enclosed a square yard; the houses built from primitive earth and clay. Yet under the windowsill, a few plain purple orchids added a touch of elegance.

He glanced left toward the cattle pen, where several yellow oxen stared straight at him.

It wasn’t the serene, idyllic scene he had imagined, but rather an uneasy imbalance of life. The air was occasionally tinged with the scent of cow dung and fresh grass.

Yang Zishou came out of the kitchen carrying chicken soup. “Ah, the two gentlemen have arrived. The meal’s ready, come eat quickly.”

His tone was plain but warm, carrying the calmness of a scholar.

“And this?” Fu Weichen asked.

“This is my youngest son. He’s very capable—he prepared this whole table of dishes by himself.”

“Learning from his father. Kids without mothers always have to do more than others.”

“What about the village chief’s eldest son?” Xu Duowen leaned forward; besides them, the yard seemed empty.

“He’s out working,” Old Yang said awkwardly, urging them to sit.

They quickly ate, then Fu Weichen and Xu Duowen took their luggage and headed to the upstream school to settle in.

Before leaving, Fu Weichen noticed Yang Zishou filling a large bowl with leftover meat from the pot—the same meat that had been in the small bowl earlier. He suddenly understood.

“Is this for that silly girl?”

“Yes, she’s quite pitiful,” Yang Zishou said, wiping his hands and quickly packing the meat in a red net bag.

Fu Weichen pondered this.

“She is indeed pitiful. I heard her fever damaged her brain. Usually, her big round eyes are stuck outside, making people feel affection for her.”

“Yes, Brother Weichen, don’t look down on her. Except for being a bit slow, she’s quite nimble when working, just unlucky. Her mother ran away, her father’s gone, and she only has her grandmother to rely on.”

“Does little Zishou like her?” Fu Weichen asked. Yang Zishou gasped softly.

“No, Brother Weichen, she’s like a little sister. When we were young, our father often told me to take care of her because her aunt didn’t survive childbirth. The baby girl passed away, and in our hearts, Xiaoyue is that lost little sister.”

Fu Weichen pressed his lips together, sensing a special story. “And then?”

“Then... her mother ran off with my brother.”

“Hm, quite a dramatic tale,” Fu Weichen said, unsure how to respond.

“I never expected it, and neither did father. Actually, the aunt’s life wasn’t easy either. She often caused trouble. It’s better she left. But... Brother Weichen, this meat will be cold soon, please help me take it over to the girl and Duowen.”

Yang Zishou changed the subject.

“Well...”

“Here’s the thing, Brother Weichen: after you cross the river, there’s a melon and fruit garden at the end of the bridge. The third house behind it is where Xiaoyue lives. Just quietly leave it on the right windowsill.”

“Hey, that won’t do,” Fu Weichen waved his hand.

Caught off guard, Yang Zishou shoved the whole bowl into his arms. “Brother Weichen, just help me out, please, I’m begging you~”

Though young, Yang Zishou’s coquettish plea was quite effective.

Unable to refuse, Fu Weichen stuffed the meat into his bag and left with Xu Duowen.

“Watch your step, teacher,” Old Yang said briskly, leading the way.

The moonlight was faint. Without street lamps, the cobblestone path was dim. Fu Weichen walked cautiously, the red net bag swinging with each step.

Xu Duowen followed behind with a flashlight, finding Fu Weichen quite endearing.

“Teacher, after crossing the bridge, about two miles away is the newly built school.”

They had just crossed the bridge, spotting the lush garden at the bridge’s end.

“Only half an hour has passed, and the moon is already so bright.”

Xu Duowen remarked, feeling the village’s life intertwined closely with nature.

“Yes, tonight is the fifteenth day of the lunar month. The moon will be even brighter next month!”

“Indeed, indeed, wonderful! I wonder what new feelings we’ll have when the full moon comes again.” Xu Duowen looked up. “Comrade Fu, what do you think?”

“That’s the girl’s house at the village entrance, right?” Fu Weichen looked up at the closed gate of the Qin family yard, warm yellow candlelight glowing through the crack.

“Teacher, you’re sharp. That’s Xiaoyue’s home. The lights are still on at this hour—probably busy with last year’s cotton work,” Xu Duowen nodded.

“She’s actually quite clever,” Xu Duowen added.

“How so?” Fu Weichen asked, instinctively hiding the bowl of meat he was carrying.

“Just a hunch.”

The three walked toward the school under the moonlight.

The village chief laid out beds for the two men, then returned home.

Xu Duowen reached for some fruit wine when he noticed Fu Weichen still eyeing the bowl of meat.

“What are you thinking?”

“The village chief’s youngest son asked me to bring some meat to that dirty girl at the village entrance. I didn’t want to disturb her earlier when passing by.”

“No problem, we’ll go now!”

“That might not be appropriate...” Fu Weichen hesitated.

“There’s nothing wrong with it. I know the way. The moonlight is still good. Later it will be harder to see.” Xu Duowen was the type to act decisively; he dragged Fu Weichen along to Qin Xiaoyue’s house.