"Listen to me!"
Gu Yu grabbed him from behind, and Shen Jianan slammed instantly into his solid chest.
Everything happened so suddenly. By the time the young man realized what was happening, he and the person behind him were pressed tightly together, without a sliver of space between them.
He froze, his heart suddenly hammering like a drum. "Brother Gu!"
"Hmm. Don't go."
The other man responded in a low voice and pulled his arms tighter. The heat radiating from his arms through the thin fabric felt like burning coals, making Shen Jianan’s entire body flush with heat and color.
He looked down at the strong, powerful arms locked across his chest and reached up to touch them lightly, like a dragonfly skimming the water.
Gu Yu felt a jolt of ticklish sensation shoot straight to his heart, causing him to tremble involuntarily before he slowly loosened his hold on the person in his arms.
Shen Jianan clenched his fists and turned around, head bowed. "I... I can stay, but you aren't allowed to say those things again in the future. Otherwise..."
"I promise you everything."
Gu Yu cut him off, voice low and urgent. "As long as you don't go."
Shen Jianan nodded. Just as he was about to speak, he smelled a pungent, burnt odor. He suddenly remembered the cornmeal porridge on the stove and jumped in panic. "Our dinner!"
His shout instantly shattered the romantic atmosphere between them. Gu Yu rushed into the kitchen in a frenzy, discovered the contents of the pot were already smoking, and quickly took the pot off the stove.
Shen Jianan, who had followed him in, grabbed a spatula, quickly scooped out the porridge, and then added water to soak the pot. This was a lesson he’d learned in his past life: whether it was porridge or anything else, if it was just stuck to the pot, stirring was fine, but if it had burned, you absolutely must not stir it, or the burnt smell would ruin the entire meal and make it taste even worse.
After a chaotic scramble, they finally cleaned up the mess. Shen Jianan looked at the yellow-black sweet potato and corn porridge on the table and couldn't help but laugh. "It’s all your fault for provoking me. Now look, the porridge is really burned."
"My fault."
Gu Yu scratched his head, looking sheepish. "I won't make you angry again."
"That's more like it."
Shen Jianan’s eyes curved into crescents as he picked up the remaining vegetables to chop. "Let’s hurry and stir-fry the vegetables so we can eat! I still need to distribute the fabric later!"
"Right!"
Gu Yu went to the stove and squatted down to tend the fire. Working in coordination, Shen Jianan quickly finished the cooking. After the meal, Gu Yu volunteered to take on the dishwashing so Shen could focus on his work. "I’ll head over to the cow shed to deliver food, then come right back to help you."
"Okay."
The young man replied with a smile and left the kitchen. Gu Yu watched his retreating back, a flicker of dark intensity in his eyes, before he returned to his chores. He seemed much more cheerful than before, no longer the gloomy, pessimistic person of the past.
Once inside, Shen Jianan immediately found a bedsheet, spread it flat on the *kang*, and covered it with the quilt before he began organizing the fabric. The items had gathered dust from sitting in the factory for so long, and putting them directly on the bed would dirty the bedding.
He nimbly opened the burlap sack and pulled out a handful of fabric. Good heavens, there was a piece of yellow Dacron, about a foot wide and 40 centimeters long, though the edge was snagged, and there were two thumb-sized holes right in the center.
While the piece was large, he would need to patch the damaged parts before using it for clothing. However, these were all minor issues for Shen Jianan.
Since he was a child, his parents had never cared for him, but he had received a great deal of help from the neighbor, Grandma Niu. She was a widow who, in her youth, had been a master tailor, and her embroidery skills were truly remarkable.
Seeing that Shen Jianan was a pitiable child, she feared he would have no future and passed her skills on to him.
Unfortunately, he only studied with her for three or four years before she passed away due to illness. Fortunately, the boy was bright and talented; although he hadn't mastered all ten-tenths of her skill, he was a fully qualified artisan.
However, in his past life, he hadn't thought about pursuing this career. It wasn't a trade a teenager could easily enter, and since he had to attend school, he had temporarily given up on it.
Shen Jianan happily set the Dacron aside and continued sorting. It had to be said, the money spent was well worth it.
The bag of fabric Wang Hong gave him contained quite a few treasures. He found over 20 pieces of various types of fabric, including several large pieces of denim that had only slight defects.
He was overjoyed, thinking to himself that he would use the fabric to make denim jackets for himself and Gu Yu.
But before that, he would need to buy a few spools of denim thread. After all, denim was quite thick and coarse, and regular sewing thread wouldn't be able to handle it.
The young man was still calculating when Gu Yu returned. Seeing the fabric piled all over the *kang*, he was stunned. "So much? And there's some good material here, too?"
"You know about these?" Shen Jianan looked up at him, his eyes full of curiosity.
"A little bit."
Gu Yu picked up a piece of corduroy, seemingly lost in memory. "My family used to have a fabric business."
"Oh!"
Shen Jianan leaned over and nudged his shoulder. Gu Yu knew he was trying to comfort him, and a smile blossomed in his eyes as he patted Shen's head. "I'm fine. Alright, let's hurry and sort the fabric."
"Yeah!"
Shen Jianan nodded, his eyes crinkling. "Help me sort the fabric by material and size into piles. It will be much more convenient for making things later."
"Sure!"
Seeing the pile everywhere on the bed and half a bag left on the floor, Gu Yu said, "Tomorrow at work, I'll ask Cheng Hu to weave some small lidded baskets for you to store the materials, so the rats won't get to them."
Upon hearing this, Shen Jianan recalled the silent, lame man from the book. He was a bit surprised. "He knows how to do that?"
"Yes, and he’s very good at it."
"I see!"
Shen Jianan rubbed his chin. Thinking back on the plot of the book, although the ending for Cheng Hu wasn't explicitly stated, his current miserable state was inextricably linked to the Zhao family.
Hmm... the enemy of an enemy is a friend. Besides, since Gu Yu took the initiative to mention him, the man couldn't be all that bad. After a moment of thought, he nodded.
"I wonder if he can weave other shapes. If he can, I could help him earn a little money to support his family."
Gu Yu’s eyes flickered, and he spoke up, "We'll know once we ask tomorrow."
"Mm."
As they talked, they finished sorting the fabric. Since it was still early, Shen Jianan was in high spirits and took out the needles, thread, and elastic bands he had bought today. He chose some brightly colored floral fabric, intending to make modern-style scrunchies.
Gu Yu watched as his hands moved nimbly, threading the needle, and finally sewing exquisite bows onto several of the scrunchies using matching fabric. They looked incredibly beautiful, and he was amazed. "You, how do you know how to do this?"
"What's so hard about this?"
Shen Jianan looked up. Seeing the doubt in the other man’s eyes, his heart gave a little thump, and he silently scolded himself for being arrogant. He quickly explained, "Needlework isn't that hard. When I was little, my parents were busy with work and didn't have time to look after me, so they sent me to my grandmother’s place. I followed her, and naturally, I learned these skills."
"So that’s it."
Gu Yu nodded with a smile, asking no further questions. He knew the other hadn't told him the full truth, but since the other wasn't willing to say, why should he press? He simply assumed he wasn't doing well enough yet to earn the other's complete trust and changed the subject. "Now that these scrunchies are finished, are you planning to sell them or..."
"No, I'm giving them away."
Shen Jianan turned to look at him, wearing a mysterious expression. "You'll know tomorrow. Who knows, these scrunchies might bring us some unexpected surprises."
"Alright."
Gu Yu didn't nag him further. He stood up to help move the unused fabric to the corner of the *kang* and the table. Once Shen Jianan finished the scrunchies, they went to wash up together.
The next morning, Shen Jianan tucked the scrunchies into his pocket and went to work with Gu Yu.
On the way, they happened to run into Lu Xiaoyue and the other female educated youths. With Jiang Hongmei and Huang Qimei absent, Shen Jianan took out the scrunchies and gave one to each of them.
They were stunned, looking at the exquisite and unique scrunchies. "Educated Youth Shen, these must be expensive, right?"
"Not really."
Shen Jianan said nonchalantly, "In Haishi, these ones with bow decorations cost sixty cents for the small ones and eighty cents to a yuan for the large ones, depending on the material. As for the plain ones, they're thirty cents each."
"So expensive!? Then we can't take them."
Lu Xiaoyue was startled and quickly tried to hand the scrunchie back, even though she liked it very much. Li Jiaojiao and Wang Wenwen shook their heads repeatedly, trying to return the items. As for Chen Li and Qian Xiaojuan, their eyes were full of hesitation.
However, how could Shen Jianan accept a gift he had already given? Especially since he had an ulterior motive. He pretended to be unhappy and darkened his face. "Just take them! Didn't we agree that we were all friends from now on? If that's the case, what’s wrong with me giving you a few small things!?"
"If you don't accept them, it means you don't see Brother Gu and me as friends and you look down on us. If that’s the way it is, let's just not have anything to do with each other in the future."
"That's right."
Gu Yu, seeing what Shen was doing, quickly chimed in, "Educated Youth Lu, you should just take them. Jianan has been telling me that since we've been at Hongqi Commune for so long, we’ve finally made some friends. He’s very happy about it."
He pointed to the scrunchies in their hands and smiled faintly. "These scrunchies were all painstakingly prepared by Jianan. He saw that the rubber bands you use were breaking your hair and weren't sturdy, so he wanted to make some good ones for everyone. If you don't take them, wouldn't that be letting down his good intentions?"
Upon hearing this, the girls were deeply touched, feeling that Shen Jianan was a good and thoughtful person—otherwise, how could he have noticed such a small detail?
"Thank you, Educated Youth Shen."
Lu Xiaoyue clutched the scrunchie tightly, her eyes full of gratitude. "In that case, I will accept the gift."
The others followed suit, thanking him profusely. The young man waved his hand with a smile. "Don't be so polite, we're all friends!"
With that, he pulled Gu Yu and ran off. The others thought he was just shy and couldn't help but chuckle. A moment later, they each tucked their scrunchies into their pockets, thinking to themselves that once they washed their hair tomorrow, they would use them. They would surely look beautiful.
When the two arrived at the fields and saw Zhao Gang and Zhao Hongjun talking under a tree, Shen Jianan let Gu Yu head to work first while he went to give the scrunchies he had prepared for them.
"What's this?"
Zhao Gang shook the object in his hand, looking at the grinning young man before him, finding it somewhat funny. "Flashy and colorful, why are you giving this to me?"
Zhao Hongjun tugged at the scrunchie, realized it was very elastic, and asked uncertainly, "These are for tying hair, right?"
"Yes."
Shen Jianan nodded with a smile. "Give them to the two little sisters to play with. They're so cute; they'll look great with these in their braids."
Having said that, he didn't give them a chance to refuse and ran off. The two men stood there, staring at each other in bewilderment. After a long while, they helplessly tucked the items away, though their impression of Shen Jianan had improved even further.
Finally, there was one dark red satin "fat intestine" scrunchie and one yellow-green scrunchie with a bow left. Taking advantage of the fact that Zhao Jianguo and Zhao Qiancheng were away, Shen Jianan gave them directly to Qin Fengying. "Director Qin, these are for you and Sister Xiufen. When I first came to Hongqi Commune, I didn't know anything and was always causing trouble. If it weren't for you and the Secretary looking after me, I don't know what I would have become."
He scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed. "So, I wanted to give you something as a sign of my gratitude."
Qin Fengying was both surprised and delighted. She never expected him to give her a gift, especially something so high-quality. She wasn't a fool; she knew what she was looking at.
These scrunchies weren't sold in the town, or even in the county seat. They must have come from a department store in the city. But since he hadn't had the opportunity to go, there was only one possibility: his family had mailed them from Haishi. Qin Fengying’s heart suddenly felt quite warm. This boy, Shen Jianan, was truly worldly.
Seeing the wolfish gleam in her eyes, he knew she had recognized the value of the scrunchies, so he continued to butter her up. "Director Qin, you’re just like the people in the city—very stylish. Plus, your hair is so thick and black; wearing this dark red satin one will definitely look beautiful."
"Really?"
The young man's words made Qin Fengying burst into a smile. After all, what woman doesn't like to be complimented? She gripped the scrunchie, the corners of her mouth almost reaching her ears. "Educated Youth Shen, thank you!"
"Tsk!"
Shen Jianan clicked his tongue in displeasure. "Why are you thanking me?"
He turned and walked away as if sulking, muttering, "This is treating me like an outsider! It's just a scrunchie worth a few cents or a yuan!?"
Qin Fengying felt even warmer inside, feeling that this child was good in every way. Before, people in the brigade said he was full of trouble; they must have been jealous of his good background and excellence, so they deliberately spread rumors. Yes! That must be it.
Seeing her lost in thought, Zhao Xiufen couldn't help but wave her hand in front of her. "Mom!"
Her daughter’s voice brought Qin Fengying back to reality, and she couldn't help but glare at her. "What is it?"
Zhao Xiufen wasn't angry; she grinned and reached out to grab the scrunchie from her mother’s hand. "The one with the bow is for me."
Seeing her daughter so eager, Qin Fengying laughed and tossed the scrunchie into her arms. "Take it, take it, as if anyone was going to keep it from you!?"
"Hehe! Thanks, Mom."
Zhao Xiufen caught the scrunchie, held it up against her braid, and then carefully tied it on. Qin Fengying’s eyes lit up.
Her daughter was naturally pretty, and while her skin wasn't as fair as a city dweller's, it wasn't bad. The one Shen Jianan had given her was a large yellow-green satin scrunchie with a large bow in the same color.
Tied in her hair, it instantly made the girl look full of spirit; she seemed to come alive. She couldn't help but sigh, "Xiufen, you look really beautiful with that on."
"Really?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Xiufen touched it happily. After a moment, she took it off. "I'll save it to wear when I go into town, so I don't get it dirty or broken."
"Right, right, tuck it away carefully. These are very expensive."
Qin Fengying agreed, tucking her own away into her bag, and then they continued their work, feeling reassured.
Back to Shen Jianan—after giving away the gifts, he returned to the field he shared with Gu Yu. He saw Jiang Hongmei standing on the ridge, hoeing weeds while keeping her eyes fixed on Gu Yu.
The love-hate entanglement in her eyes made him feel nothing but admiration. If this person were in the modern era, she could definitely win awards if she were a celebrity starring in movies.
Unfortunately, Gu Yu didn't spare her a single glance from start to finish, treating her like air. Shen Jianan found it somewhat amusing and walked directly to Gu Yu’s side, joking, "Jiang Hongmei's gaze is almost enough to bore a hole in you."
"It's fine. As long as she doesn't provoke us for now, let her be."
Gu Yu handed him a farm tool. "I already told Cheng Hu we'd go to his house after work."
"Good."
Shen Jianan didn't say anything more, picked up his hoe, and started working.