Chapter 133: Earth-Shattering News
“Alright, I’ll go slower.” Ning Xiyue slowed down the speed of the bike, listening to her brother’s advice as she pedaled gently forward, taking a leisurely ride.
After the thrill and scare of their previous high-speed cycling incident, both of them just wanted to calm their nerves now.
Feeling the speed drop, Ning Qingyuan finally relaxed, the tension in his chest dissipating.
“Yes, that’s the speed you should keep. Sis, always ride at this pace in the future. And make sure to brake properly when going downhill. My heart can’t handle any more shocks.”
“Got it. From now on, I’ll always ride slowly.” Ning Xiyue smiled, trying to comfort her brother. He had truly been frightened earlier.
Now that he was reassured, Ning Qingyuan’s thoughts turned to other matters. “Sis, do you know those two people from earlier? You must never follow their example, understand?”
Ning Xiyue smiled helplessly. “Brother, I’m still young. I’m not thinking about things like that.”
“Right, right, don’t think about them. Those things don’t fill your belly. The two of us should just focus on studying and working hard. Mom and Dad said that if we study well, we’ll have a better chance when job opportunities come along.”
“Mm.”
Hearing her reply, Ning Qingyuan was satisfied again. No young man would get close to his sister on his watch. He was determined to guard her carefully and come visit often — no one was going to take her away from him.
Hmph, he’d even keep an eye on his elder brother’s army buddies — they were the biggest threat. His little sister was still too young; there was no rush.
Since his sister didn’t have those kinds of thoughts, there was no need to keep warning her — that might only give others an opening.
“Da Huang—”
“Da Huang, where are you? Da Huang!”
Aunt Qiuju’s anxious voice echoed across the hillside, with others calling out too.
“Xiyue, have you seen Da Huang from the team?”
Ning Xiyue stopped her bike and looked up at Aunt Qiuju, who was shouting in panic on the slope. “Auntie, who is Da Huang? Are you looking for the team’s big yellow ox?”
Aunt Qiuju nodded excitedly. “Yes, yes! Xiyue, have you seen our team’s big yellow ox? Where is it?”
Ning Xiyue had thought they were calling for a child named Da Huang, but it turned out they were actually looking for the ox.
All the other women searching for the ox turned to look at her — though most of their gazes were fixed on Ning Qingyuan sitting behind her, their faces full of gossiping smiles.
Of course, Ning Xiyue could instantly guess what was going through their minds. They were probably already weaving dramatic stories in their heads, planning how to gossip about it later.
Well, she couldn’t let them have their way.
“Auntie, don’t worry. Just now, the ox suddenly appeared at the bend of the slope not far below the clinic. My brother and I almost crashed into it while riding. Luckily, we were lucky and slid down the slope instead of getting hurt.”
Ning Xiyue spoke clearly, word by word. “We were planning to go tell the team leader where the ox was when we ran into you. Isn’t that right, brother?”
“Yes, aunties. Just go where my sister said, and you’ll definitely find it,” Ning Qingyuan added with a cheerful smile.
“Alright, thank you, Xiyue. I’ll go look for it first. We’ll talk later once we’ve found the ox.”
Armed with the new information, Aunt Qiuju hurried off in the direction Ning Xiyue had pointed out, afraid the ox would wander off again if she was too slow.
Once the other women realized that the person sitting behind Ning Xiyue was her second brother, the fire of gossip in their eyes instantly died out, replaced by disappointment. They lost interest and followed Aunt Qiuju to find the ox.
Ning Xiyue crossed her arms proudly.
Hmph, they’d wanted a juicy story to gossip about. As a veteran member of the “gossip brigade” herself, she knew their thoughts all too well.
Hmm… but the direction they were heading in…
Ning Xiyue smirked playfully as she glanced that way.
Aunt Qiuju and the other women searching for the ox were heading straight for the slope where she and her brother had ridden down — and it looked like they were planning to take a shortcut by climbing up that way.
That made her think of the scene she’d witnessed earlier — those two people hugging each other like there was no tomorrow.
She chuckled with amusement. “Brother, what if those two haven’t left yet? If a whole crowd sees them, that would be quite a show.”
“No way. Who’d be stupid enough to still be standing there after being seen? They must have left by now. Don’t worry about it. Even if they do get caught, it has nothing to do with us. It’s their own fault. If you’ve done nothing wrong, you don’t fear your shadow.”
Ning Qingyuan didn’t care at all. Other people’s affairs had nothing to do with him — he couldn’t be bothered.
“But if something does happen and they blame you, just tell me. I’ll deal with them. We’re not people to be pushed around.”
“Mm, okay. But this really isn’t our problem. Come on, let’s go home and cook. I’m starving.”
Ning Xiyue was just a little curious. She’d thought Li Jiandang had feelings for Chen Yechu before — so how had he ended up with Wang Fenglan?
Sigh, she really couldn’t understand the love lives of young people in this era. Weren’t people supposed to be so innocent and pure back then? Yet what she kept seeing was anything but.
Since she couldn’t figure it out, she decided to stop thinking about it. Romance was incomprehensible anyway. Better to go home and cook.
Back at the youth dormitory, Ning Xiyue and Ning Qingyuan went straight to the kitchen, parking the bike outside.
The siblings began to cook.
Since her brother was visiting, Ning Xiyue wanted to make sure he ate well. She steamed a big pot of pure white rice — no extras, just rice — enough to fill him up completely.
As the rice neared readiness, she crouched by the cabinet, pretending to take something out, but actually retrieving steamed buns and braised meat from her space.
She presented them proudly to Ning Qingyuan. “Brother, look! I made this braised meat and saved these big meat buns for you. Once we heat them up, they’ll be ready to eat. You can cook the rabbit cubes, and our lunch will be complete.”
“It smells amazing.” Ning Qingyuan’s eyes locked on the plate of braised meat, drawn in by the aroma. “Sis, what did you put in there? It smells incredible.”
“Ha, I just added all kinds of spices. I didn’t expect it to turn out so well. I even saved you a few pieces to take home.” Ning Xiyue crouched again and took out several lunchboxes of braised meat she’d prepared that morning.
Seeing the four boxes of meat prepared just for him, Ning Qingyuan’s heart felt warm, and he couldn’t stop smiling. “Thank you, sis. One box is enough for me. You should keep the rest for yourself.”
Who wouldn’t be happy to be remembered and cared for by family? Knowing his sister thought of him made Ning Qingyuan so happy he felt he could sprout wings and fly.
He cooked the rabbit cubes with even more energy, full of strength and motivation, and ended up eating several bowls of rice.
When he was on his third bowl, focusing entirely on the braised meat and ignoring the other dishes, Ning Xiyue had to remind him by placing the large meat bun she’d saved into his bowl. “Brother, eat the bun — I brought it especially for you.”
“Alright, alright, I’ll eat it.” Ning Qingyuan happily picked up the bun and took big bites.
While eating her own rice, Ning Xiyue kept watching to make sure he finished that special bun before relaxing. Then she added some rabbit cubes to his bowl.
“Brother, eat more. There’s plenty of rice in the pot.”
“Mm, you too, sis.” Ning Qingyuan couldn’t stop eating.
Honestly, in all the years he’d spent working in the countryside, this was the best meal he’d ever had. His sister truly treated him well.
After finishing their meal, Ning Qingyuan cleaned up the kitchen while Ning Xiyue prepared the basket he’d brought.
She placed the two sets of autumn long underwear she’d bought for him in town yesterday inside, then put the four boxes of braised meat at the bottom.
Next, she took a small bag of flour and a sack of rice out of her space — a little something to improve his meals — and covered them with dried mushrooms and wild greens before tying the basket securely with a sackcloth cover.
Only then did she hand the basket to him as he was about to leave.
When Ning Qingyuan took the basket and felt how heavy it was, he almost dropped it. “Whoa, sis, what did you pack in here? It’s so heavy.”
“Just some sweet potatoes, that’s why it’s heavy.”
Ning Xiyue lied without blinking, looking at him with utter sincerity as she pushed the basket toward his back, pressing down on the rope so he couldn’t peek inside.
She quickly changed the subject. “Brother, don’t forget to go to town tomorrow.”
Sure enough, Ning Qingyuan didn’t question it further. He obediently slung the basket onto his back. “Alright, I won’t forget. I’ll wait for you at the commune gate. I’m off now — see you tomorrow.”
“Mm.”
Ning Xiyue watched her brother walk off into the distance before turning back into the youth dormitory.
Just as she stepped into the courtyard, Liu Yao waved to her cheerfully from a table in the main kitchen. “Xiyue, come here! Sister Fenglan says she’s got good news for us.”
Ning Xiyue raised an eyebrow. She’d run into Wang Fenglan at noon, and now there was good news in the afternoon?
Inside, the other youths were already seated, and Chen Yechu walked out of a room just as Ning Xiyue entered. With her arrival, everyone was now gathered.
Wang Fenglan beamed at them all, stood up, and announced, “I’m getting married. I’d like to invite you all to my wedding feast next week, on the fifth day.”
The news was nothing short of earth-shattering — everyone in the youth dormitory was completely stunned.
