Chapter 6: Peek

 The next day, the whole family woke up before dawn. They took a quick shower and after finishing, some goes outside to refill the water, and some goes to the kitchen.

A pot of sweet potatoes was boiled on the stove and the tortillas made in advance were steamed. Some pickles and wet radishes were cut and put on the pot. Breakfast was made.

If they slack, the breakfast would just be porridge and the busy farmers will just eat some dry foods such as cakes and steamed buns to satiate the hunger.

After the meal, Feng Qiuyue sent the family to the fields and He Xiaoyun washed their clothes. He Xiaoyun was afraid that Wei Yuanhang would wake up alone so she took him with her to the river.

Children rarely get up so early, he yawned while walking but upon seeing the river, he became energetic.

He Xiaoyun found a shallow spot and asked Wei Yuanhang to squat beside her and play with the sand.

After a while, a woman from the same village came to wash clothes, she greeted her and asked, "Why did you bring the child here so early in the morning?"

"Everyone in the family has gone to the fields. I'm worried about leaving him in the house alone." He Xiaoyun responded with a smile. 

"Okay." The woman said, squatting down not far from her spot, and then went to tease the child, "Your Dad is back, is xiaoyuan happy?"

Wei Yuanhang was playing and digging on the sand when he heard his name, he raised his head and answered with 'happy' before continuing his play.

The woman continued to say a few pleasantries while the women arrived one by one, by then, the river became lively.

After washing their clothes, He Xiaoyun carried the tub with one hand and dragged the reluctant child home with the other.

Wei Yuanhang couldn't help but look back at the pit he had dug, "I will come tomorrow with you again, Mom."

"Let's talk about that when you can wake up early, you little slacker." He Xiaoyun teased unceremoniously. 

When they arrived at home, Feng Qiuyue had already returned. She had washed the bowls and the chopsticks and was currently picking beans at the yard.

He Xiaoyun aired the clothes and was about to beat a basket of hogweeds, otherwise, the pig will run out of feed. 

Fearing that Feng Qiuyue would be alone, she said to the child, "I'm going to get some pig feed. Your aunt is all alone, will you accompany her?"

"But.." The child was reluctant. "I want to go with Mom."

"I want you to go with me too but your aunt has a little baby in her belly. What if bad guys came and we're not at home? Who will protect the little baby?" He Xiaoyun coaxed.

"Then...I protect the little baby?" 

"Yes." He Xiaoyun pat his little head.

"Xiaoyuan is going to be an older brother. You must be a great brother who will protect the little baby, ok?"

Wei Yuanhang suddenly felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders, he nodded his head and said, "I am a good brother!"

After coaxing the child, He Xiaoyun turned to Feng Qiuyue and changed her tune, "If he isn't obedient, don't worry about it and don't make yourself angry. When I come back, you can tell me and I will sort him out."

Feng Qiuyue smiled, "You can go, Xiaoyuan is obedient."

He Xiaoyun went out carrying a big bag and walked along the riverside and the paddy fields where there were lush weeds on the way. The spring plowing had already begun, she stood on the river bank and glanced at it. 

The fields are full of people bending to work. She hopes the weather would be smooth this year and the hard work will be rewarded.

She went home with a basket of pigweeds on her back, now it's time to prepare lunch.

She and Feng Qiuyue discussed what to do. One was to wash the vegetables and ignite the fire, the other would cook three dishes. The dishes were fried eggs, fried cabbage with oil residue, and a hot soup, pair with a steaming large pot of rice.

The lunch was heavy so He Xiaoyun didn't ask for Feng Qiuyue to send it, so she brought it to the field by herself.

Yesterday, Wang Chunhua already told them where they're going to plant the seedlings so she quickly found the place. 

It was time for lunch, the people on the fields came to rest and eat under the trees beside the side of the field.

Before she can reach them, Wang Chunhua said to her, "The team said that there was a shortage of people working near the river. Jianwei was arranged there, you need to again."

He Xiaoyun nodded, thinking that she hadn't seen Wei Jianwei when she was washing clothes nor when she was picking pigweed. 

Fortunately, she had brought clean and extra bowls, which were originally meant to cover the food so dust won't fall to it. 

When Wang Chunhua and the others finished eating, she carried the remaining food and walked to the river. Because of the extra trip, when she arrived, there were a lot of people who were already eating. Only Wei Jianwei was left to the field.

Seeing her passing from a distance, others shouted, "Jianwei! Your wife is here!"

Someone joked, "Well, what did you make? Is it delicious for it to take so long?" Then he craned his neck to the basket she was carrying.

He Xiaoyun politely smiled without answering.

Wei Jianwei came out of the field, wash his hand and feet by the river, and splashed his face with water, before walking over.

Because she didn't want to listen to other people talking and laughing, He Xiaoyun deliberately placed the basket some distance away from everyone. 

Wei Jianwei arrived and sat down to eat. He Xiaoyun stood there for a moment and feel awkward sitting down. She want to go sit down farther but was afraid to be made fun of by the people.

She thought for a while and sat down on a rock near him. Although it was only April, she felt the heat while basking under the sky. The wind blew and immediately cooled her down.

People who spent the whole day on the field must felt hotter. Thinking of this, He Xioayun couldn't help but glance at Wei Jianwei. 

He was slurping the soup. His face dripping with sweat, his neck and chest were wet. His clothes tightly clung to his chest, and his muscles rose and fell as he breathe.

He Xiaoyun felt a little uncomfortable, feeling like she's molesting him. She moved her eyes but she met Wei Jianwei's eyes instead. 

She suddenly felt embarrassed and guilty of having been caught peeking at him but she gotta be strong, bluffing to him, "What are you looking at?"

Wei Jianwei lowered his eyes and continued to eat without a word. That demeanor seems to be lazy to care about her.

He Xiaoyun became upset.

When he finished eating, she packed up the dishes and chopsticks and walked back home stiffly. 

The men at the field ate and drunk enough. They sat and rested for a while, chatting with Jianwei.

"Jianwei, what did you say to your wife? Look at her, she's angry."

"Yes. I'm afraid you won't be able to enter your bedroom tonight."

"If it was me, it would be kneeling to the washboard!"

The others burst into merry laughter.

When He Xiaoyun came home, she found out there was another person at home. Wei Jianhua, Wei Jianwei's younger brother who only returned from school at weekends.

Wei Jianhui is 19 years old this year. Because he was naughty when he was young, he dropped out of a grade and he is only a second-year high school now. 

 It was now a 'Five-Two-Two' System (T/N: Anyone who knows about that?) You can study for high school for two years and participate in labor. If you want to go to the university, you need to be recommended by your unit or the production team.

Workers, peasants, or soldiers with two years of practical experience have the opportunity to be recommended. 

However, it is now 1975. He Xiaoyun remembers that the country will resume the college examinations at the end of 1977.

When she was in high school in her previous life, a teacher once showed a video about the college examination being resumed. She remembered the fanatical appearance of the students in the film. It's not just an exam, it was more like a fight for destiny and faith.

At that time, she said to herself that she must study, get out of the backward mountain village, and enter university. It was almost her obsession. 

Later, while wandering around the big city, she also wandered at the gate of the university several times but hadn't any opportunities to enter because of her cancer.

Seeing Wei Jianhua, He Xiaoyun felt her heart throbbing. A thought appeared on her mind: 'Since god asked her to live again, is this giving her a chance? An opportunity to retake the Gaokao exam, opportunity to walk in the university?'

Being married and having children, it's not an obstacle. She remembered when the college exam resumed, the country especially relaxed the age limit to take care of the older educated youths. So at that time, it was common for husbands and wives to go to the same examination room. 

And she still has two years to prepare, enough to pass the examination exam!

As soon as this thought appeared, she couldn't restrain it anymore. She took a few deep breathes and managed to calm down her throbbing heart.

After she came here, she encountered all the unsatisfactory things: the backward environment, the lack of materials, the embarrassing situation of being forced to marry, and children. Now it all disappeared. 

He Xiaoyun felt that she had never been so grateful, so happy. At this moment, she truly admitted that it was a new adventure for her.

When she felt better, everything seems pleasing to the eyes. In the evening, Wei Yuanhang said that he's going to play with Wei Jianwei, He Xiaoyun hugged the chubby boy and asked, "What so funny about him? Mom will accompany you to play hide and seek."

The child talked about it several times before and wanted to play hide and seek. She felt that it was too naive and didn't want to cooperate and let it go.

When Wei Yuanhang heard this, he was overjoyed. "Okay!"

He Xiaoyun put him down, turn her back, and said, "Hurry up and hide! I will find when I count to ten. One, two..."

"Mom, slow down!"

Hearing her counting so fast, the child yelled in hurry, walking around the room, trying to find a place to hide. 

He Xiaoyun slowed down and listened attentively. She heard Wei Yuanhang open a cabinet door. Maybe because there are so many clothes in the cabinet, he couldn't hide there.

He can only give up and ran to the table and walked to Wei Jianwei's side, and said in a low voice, "Dad, I'm hiding with you, don't tell mom."

Wei Jianwei had just made his bed, he looked at the child's bright eyes and him urging him, "Dad, lay down already!" 

He Xiaoyun can clearly hear the child's voice and counted ten. Turning around, she saw the obvious bump on Wei Jianwei's bed. In order not to undermine the child's self-confidence, she decided not to reveal him on the spot.

She looked through the cabinet and looked behind the door. "Where is xiaoyuan? Why can't I find him?"

After a full circle of cooperation, she was about to lift Wei Jianwei's quilt when the child couldn't stand it anymore, Suddenly he came up, his cheeks flushed, "I'm here!"

He jumped straight to her, "It's mommy's turn! Mommy hides."

He Xioayun felt speechless but this was a game she promised the child, no matter how naive it is, she had to finish it with a smile.

Wei Yuanhang had already closed his eyes and began to count. The numbers from one to ten were counted smoothly not long ago, otherwise, he will need his dad's help when counting.

He Xiaoyun looked around the room, there were only a few hiding places. Under the bed was too dirty, behind the door was too conspicuous. She gently opened a closet door and pushed the hanging clothes aside. Stand in, close the cabinet door, hang the clothes in front to cover her.

The cabinet was dark, with only a gleam of light coming through the slit of the cabinet door. She heard Wei Yuanhang finished counting and began to look for her. The first place where the child started looking for was Wei Jianwei's bed, she felt funny and angry inside. 

The child's eyes are so big, is it a decoration? She's so big that she can't hide there, can she hide near that man's feet?

The pattering footsteps approached and she held her breath. When Wei Yuanhang came close to the closet, both hands worked hard to open the closet door. 

He Xiaoyun thought she had been found and was about to go out when the child just looked inside, seeing that it was dark, turned his head back and left without closing the closet door. She stared outside.

Wei Yuanhang looked around the room but couldn't find her. He ran to Wei Jianwei and asked him in a low voice, "Dad, did you see where mom is?"

Through the open closet door, He Xiaoyun clearly saw this scene. She saw Wei Jianwei put down the book he was reading and looked over at her. He Xiaoyun looked at him threateningly. 

But it was too late, the child understood the hint, the child ran to the closet again and pulled the clothes covering her. "I found mother!"

He Xiaoyun could only get out and settle the accounts with Wei Jianwei, dissatisfied, she glared, "How can you cheat?"

She could count the words that they have said to each other these past two days with a single hand. If not for this unkindness, she wouldn't heed him any mind.

Wei Jianwei silently looked at her.

Wei Jianwei was clearly sitting but He Xiaoyun felt short so she puffs up her chest, "You didn't follow the rules of the game, Do you know what it means to watch chess without talking? It's the same with games."

"I didn't speak." Wei Jianwei replied.

"But you hinted with your eyes, isn't it the same?" He Xiaoyun wouldn't let him make excuses.

Wei Jianwei still has a calm tone, "My eyes are not good as yours."

"What do you mean?" He Xiaoyun reacted subconsciously.

Did the other party mean that he knows she stared at him at noon?

Her face turned red all of the sudden. Her ferocious aura weakened and she retorted, "What is it that I will look at? I did not stare at you!"

She dared not settle the accounts again and hurriedly turned to the child to coax him to sleep. She regretted not keeping her eyes in check.

When the awkwardness passed, she felt her mind calmed, but then felt something wrong...

This Jianwei, she always thought that he looked taciturn, calm, and reliable. But to think he has a teasing heart! Not honest at all!

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T/N: Stare pa more, He Xiaoyun~

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