沈乔 was obviously tired. She nodded and said, "Okay."

She wondered if tomorrow would be the same—just the two of them working together again. It seemed strange. Zheng Zhong was quite the catch, a sought-after guy. Who would be around him all the time? If you could work with him once a month, that would be considered lucky.

Zheng Zhong strode out of the river. His pants, which were rolled up to his thighs, had gotten wet. He stood barefoot in the river, thinking the stones probably hurt his feet.

He ground his feet into the grass at the riverbank, then slipped on his straw sandals. His toes stuck out, visibly bruised and bleeding.

沈乔 was surprised. "Your foot looks like it's hurt."

Zheng Zhong didn't seem to care. "Mm."

Just like that?

沈乔, who would cry at the smallest scrape, hesitated, feeling sorry for him. The next day, she would be carrying a hoe, trying to be strong, yet she couldn’t help but feel sad. She finally spoke up, saying, "Make sure to put some medicine on it when you get back."

Medicine.

Zheng Zhong thought of how she was a delicate city girl. In the countryside, you worked right after giving birth, and small injuries like that would heal by the next day. He never heard of anyone putting medicine on such minor wounds, but he didn’t bother to explain his thoughts. He just nodded indifferently, "Mm."

沈乔 felt a little disheartened. She blinked in confusion and said, "I’ll head back first then."

Finally, she was leaving, and Zheng Zhong realized it had been a while since he had spoken to anyone this much. His shoulders dropped, and he twisted his pant legs, shaking off the water dripping from them.

The water droplets seemed to fall into沈乔’s ears as the wind blew, causing her to shiver slightly. The chill of spring hung in the air. She gathered her courage, turned around quickly, and asked, "Zheng Zhong, do you want some biscuits?"

Her lips were pressed tight, a little nervous, and her eyes seemed to hold various emotions.

Zheng Zhong remembered the dog he once had. It had a limp leg, and that year, even though life was tough, he still shared his food with it.

That same look in the dog’s eyes when he took it in was the same look沈乔 gave him now. It was hard to turn her away.

For a moment, Zheng Zhong felt his heart stir. He didn’t fully recognize his own feelings but found himself saying, "Yes."

The words surprised him, and he froze for a moment. He awkwardly added, "Thanks."

沈乔 sighed in relief, smiling as she handed him the biscuits. "They’re really good."

She only had half a pound left, and afraid he'd change his mind, she quickly waved and ran off.

The biscuits weren't stored well, and they had absorbed some moisture, so they were a bit soft. Zheng Zhong found them to dissolve in his mouth as soon as he bit into them. They still tasted the same as yesterday. He’d never had biscuits two days in a row before, and he thought that the young city girl couldn’t just be earning work points for herself. She must be living off those points too, after all.

As he turned to leave, he had been heading home but suddenly veered off.

Zheng Chongba had only just gotten home and was surprised to see Zheng Zhong arrive.

They usually barely exchanged words all year, but now it had been two days in a row. That was unusual.

As Zheng Chongba patted off the dust, he said, "Zheng Zhong, you’re here?"

Zheng Zhong didn’t make small talk, "Uncle Ji, tomorrow will be like today."

"Like today?"

Zheng Chongba was caught off guard. He asked, "You mean with沈乔?"

Zheng Zhong nodded, feeling that the conversation was nearly over. He started to leave.

Zheng Chongba, knowing his nephew’s personality, never really pulled him into long conversations, but today he had to speak up. "Zheng Zhong,沈乔 is going back to the city eventually."

Everyone in the village could see it. She was a well-loved girl in her family, and though she'd been here six or seven years without getting married, she was still going back. She would leave sooner or later, and if Zheng Zhong cared too much, he’d end up suffering for it.

Zheng Zhong didn’t catch the hidden meaning in the words. "Soon?"

If it was soon, then there would be no need for him to work with her anymore.

Zheng Chongba thought, young girls were indeed different. Even someone like Zheng Zhong, who was usually reserved, had been affected. Young people never give up until the very end. Zheng Chongba couldn’t argue with that, so he said, "It’s not soon. You guys will be assigned a task together again."

Zheng Zhong, having accomplished his goal, said, "Thanks."

And then, he went home to feed the pigs.

Zheng Chongba’s wife, on the other hand, overheard and whispered, "What does this mean? Does Zheng Zhong have feelings for沈乔?"

At this point, it seemed to be the only possible explanation. After all, this was someone who never cared about his partner, but now he was voluntarily assigning tasks for two consecutive days.

Zheng Chongba also thought this way. "Actually,沈乔 is a good girl. It would be great if she didn’t want to go back to the city."

People in the village often gossiped that沈乔 looked down on the rural folk, but he thought it was just because she came from the city and had her heart set on going back home. After all, who would want to stay married in a place so far away from their roots? Moreover, according to the regulations, the village was supposed to guarantee the basic livelihood of the educated youth. If their work points didn’t add up, they were still supposed to be fed.沈乔 was the only one who had never taken advantage of the village.

Zheng Chongba’s wife agreed, saying, "Remember when our daughter Yanzi got sick and threw up on her? She didn’t get angry."

That dress was clearly almost new, yet沈乔 calmly wiped the mess off and even gave the child some candy, softly comforting her.

The bottom line was,沈乔 wanted to go back to the city, and that was a huge problem.

The old couple exchanged looks and sighed, feeling for Zheng Zhong. They decided they would have to talk to him more seriously in the future.

Meanwhile, Zheng Zhong, back at home, didn’t bother changing clothes. He went straight to feed the pigs.

The two piglets were still small and didn’t eat much, but the chickens and ducks were eager for their food. The two rooms where the animals were kept were connected, and despite frequent cleaning, there was still a faint odor.

Zheng Zhong swept up the dirt on the floor, planning to turn it into fertilizer later. Then he went inside to change clothes, washed his hands, and started the fire.

His work was all manual labor. With only 360 jin of grain a year, it was nowhere near enough, but thankfully, he earned enough work points to exchange for food.

He always cooked in large batches, preparing a big pot of food. He kept it simple, usually only stir-frying one dish. After heating the pan and adding oil, he would stir-fry it with soy sauce and salt.