Chapter 56: The Fierce Rough Man Who Was Abandoned After the Storm (8)

His arms were stiff, and heavy, ragged breaths echoed across the fields.

Yet, as if entirely unaware of his inner turmoil, Shu Yao pressed close to Pei Zhi's ear and whispered softly, "Your face is so red."

His heart hammered violently against his ribs, beating so hard it felt as though it might tear through his flesh and leap from his chest. Even the tips of his ears were burning hot.

"Stop... stop talking."

He averted his face, putting some distance between them. His Adam's apple bobbed nervously, and his voice was so low it was barely audible.

Amused, Shu Yao wrapped her arms around his neck and asked a question she already knew the answer to.

"Stop talking about what? About how your face is red?"

Pei Zhi pressed his lips together and fell silent. He refused to believe she didn't know.

Shu Yao laughed, her shoulders shaking with mirth. Teasing him was simply too entertaining. This was the first time she had ever met a man so utterly innocent and pure. A couple of words made him blush, and if they held hands or kissed, would he actually explode?

Pei Zhi's mind was in utter chaos, and an inexplicable sense of heaviness weighed on his chest.

He recalled what Zhao Qiming had once said.

*‘That girl Jiang Shu Yao has never known hardship; coming down to the village for voluntary teaching is just for fun. Look, she’s pretending to be sick again, sigh.’*

*‘Can’t be helped, she’s pretty and comes from a good background. Who wouldn't like her? When she walks by in a skirt, the young men in our village stare so hard their eyes almost pop out.’*

*‘She only needs to act a little spoiled and say a few pitiful words, and the male educated youths in the brigade lose their minds, fighting over themselves to do her chores.’*

Zhao Qiming had been green with envy, cursing the fact that he wasn't a pretty woman.

At the time, Pei Zhi hadn't paid those casual remarks much mind, but now, his thoughts began to wander uncontrollably.

Would she act the same way with the male educated youths in the brigade?

Would she tease them without any sense of boundaries, and run to them for help when she got hurt?

What would it look like when she acted spoiled and coy...

Pei Zhi felt like he was losing his mind.

He ignored Shu Yao completely, maintaining a sullen silence the rest of the way.

As they passed an open clearing, the middle-aged aunties drying grain stared curiously at the two of them, whispering to one another without the slightest attempt to hide it.

Pei Zhi wished he could bury his head inside his collar.

Shu Yao, however, didn't care in the least. She slumped lazily against the man's back, pressing her cheek against his scorching skin until the flesh of her face puffed out.

"Whose young man is carrying her? He looks awfully familiar."

"Let me see, well, I'll be... isn't that Pei Zhi? And that girl he's carrying is mighty pretty."

"Are the two of them courting?"

"That girl doesn't look like she's from the village. Must be one of the educated youths from the brigade, right?"

Shu Yao had been in Shiyao Village for a full month now, but she had only worked for a total of two days, so many of the villagers had never even laid eyes on her.

Even so, Pei Zhi tried his best to shield Shu Yao's face, trying to keep her hidden from prying outsiders.

The village aunties had notoriously sharp tongues; there was no telling what kind of ugly gossip they might spin, ruining a young lady's reputation. She was a city girl who would eventually marry into a good family; she couldn't afford to be the subject of rumors.

The village clinic was essentially just a low-ceilinged building where people received basic treatments and intravenous drips. Its facilities were rudimentary and its conditions backward.

"We're here," Pei Zhi said hoarsely, carefully lowering her to the ground.

"Thank you so much, Pei Zhi," Shu Yao said sweetly, leaning on Pei Zhi's arm as they stood before the clinic.

With both feet injured, she had no idea which one she was supposed to put weight on. The throbbing ache of her sprained ankle had mostly faded, but the spot where she had been bitten now tingled and burned, sending sharp twinges of pain through her leg at the slightest movement.

The barefoot doctor was dozing over his desk. Hearing the commotion, he looked up and asked, "What's wrong?"

Shu Yao pouted, looking pitiful. "Got bitten by a bug."

In the fields, bugs were everywhere, and getting bitten was a common occurrence. To put it bluntly, only delicate and pampered educated youths would ever come to the clinic for medicine over a simple bug bite.

Unfazed, the doctor rummaged through a drawer for iodine and saline solution. "Come over and sit down."

Pei Zhi supported Shu Yao as she hobbled over and sat down, the thin wooden bed frame creaking under her weight. He stood off to the side, his expression blank and cool.

With rough efficiency, the doctor poured saline directly onto the wound.

"Hiss—"

Shu Yao winced sharply, instinctively gripping the hem of Pei Zhi's shirt.

Pei Zhi's breath hitched slightly. His gaze drifted from Shu Yao's calf to the hand clutching his clothes.

Her soft, fair fingers gripped his shirt so tightly her fingertips turned white, trembling uncontrollably. Pei Zhi frowned slightly, but in the end, he didn't pull away.

Glancing up and noticing their posture, the doctor let out a mocking chuckle and shook his head.

Young people these days—were all couples this clingy?

He set down the saline and picked up the bottle of iodine. "Bear with it; the wound needs to be disinfected."

Shu Yao bit her lower lip hard, not daring to make a sound.

The moment the cotton swab touched her skin, she flinched backward like a scalded cat, causing the entire bed to sway gently.

"It hurts..."

Hearing the girl's choked, whimpering whisper, sounding soft and spoiled, Pei Zhi's heart tightened, and he looked away.

As the iodine was applied to the wound, an intense, inescapable stinging sensation flared up across the broken skin. Shu Yao strongly suspected they weren't using iodine at all, but liquid chili pepper.

Her eyes welled up with tears, her long eyelashes fluttering violently. Pearl-like tears splashed onto the bedsheet, blooming into dark little dots.

"It hurts too much..."

The tail end of her sentence carried a trembling, tearful sob, coaxing and soft.

The doctor frowned, casting a sidelong glance at Pei Zhi, who was standing stiffly to the side like a wooden post. The doctor curled his lips in silent disgust, his face full of disdain.

How on earth did a block of ice like him manage to find a girlfriend?

The cotton swab swept around the edge of the wound once more, and Shu Yao abruptly grabbed Pei Zhi's arm, her fingernails nearly sinking into his sun-browned skin. Hot tears streamed down her flushed cheeks.

Watching her face scrunch up in agony, Pei Zhi said in a rough, hoarse attempt at comfort, "Just hang on a little longer. It'll be over soon."

His tone was stiff and cold, sounding nothing like comfort. Pei Zhi had no idea how to soothe someone, and the moment the words left his mouth, he realized how wrong they sounded, wisely choosing to shut his mouth.

Once the iodine application was finished, Shu Yao looked down at her bruised and discolored calf, feeling a lingering sense of dread.

The doctor instructed, "There are a lot of bugs in the fields right now. A bite isn't serious if you treat it, but if it gets infected, it becomes a big deal."

"If it's still red and swollen tomorrow, come back here and I'll put a herbal poultice on it."

With that, the doctor packed up his things and left.

As he neared the doorway, he suddenly remembered something, turned back, and said, "Oh, by the way."

"Tell your partner to pick some honeysuckle or forsythia tomorrow and boil it into a tea. It clears heat, detoxifies, and reduces inflammation."

Shu Yao's eyes widened in alarm, and she hurriedly waved her hands. "No, no, he's not my partner yet."

Given that level of dependency, and she claimed they weren't a couple? Who would believe that?

Now she knew how to be shy.

The doctor walked away with a chuckle, leaving just the two of them in the cramped room.

Pei Zhi felt entirely ill at ease, his heart racing at an accelerated pace.

He dropped the words, "Get some rest," and turned to step outside for some fresh air, but a moment later, the hem of his shirt was caught again.

Shu Yao looked up at him, her eyes glistening with moisture, devoid of any sense of security. Having just been crying, her voice was raspy and thick with a nasal twang.

"Are you leaving?"

Pei Zhi remained silent.

Softly, Shu Yao pleaded, "I don't want to stay here all by myself. Won't you stay with me for a while?"