I secretly sold grain at age 60

Chapter 18 Unsettled Mind

Before Gao Huaiyi could ask what was going on, the girl took a step forward, a gentle smile on her face, and said sincerely and politely, "Hello, my name is Zhou Xiuying. I was among the first batch of educated youth sent to the countryside to support rural development, responding to the call of the nation. It's a pleasure to meet you, Comrade Huaiyi."

Gao Huaiyi, with a calm expression, quickly nodded in response, his tone polite and proper: "Hello, Comrade Xiuya." Gao Huaiyi asked, puzzled.

"I don't know you. I just asked you about this today." Gao Huaiyi was stunned and hadn't quite recovered yet. He asked, "Comrade Xiuya, we don't seem to have met before. Do you have something to discuss with me?"

The sun was setting at three o'clock in the afternoon, casting warm light through the sparse shadows of the trees onto the dirt road. The surroundings were quiet, with the occasional rustling of the roadside weeds in the wind.

Zhou Xiuying remained calm and said softly, "I didn't come to you for anything else."

As she spoke, she subconsciously glanced around to make sure no one was nearby before moving slightly closer and lowering her voice to look at Gao Huaiyi, saying, "I saw you hitting someone yesterday, which is why I wanted to get to know you."

Gao Huaiyi was stunned by what he heard. His mind went blank for a moment, his scalp tingled, a chill ran down his spine, and every hair on his body stood on end. The afternoon sun shone on Gao Huaiyi, yet he was drenched in cold sweat. He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word for a long time. He just stared blankly at Zhou Xiuying in front of him, frozen in place.

After a long while, Gao Huaiyi finally came to his senses, his face still stiff and tense, his tone somewhat flustered: "What are you saying? I stayed home all night and didn't go out at all. How could I possibly have hit someone?"

Seeing his flustered and guilty look, Zhou Xiuying couldn't help but chuckle. She quickly waved her hand and explained, "Don't be nervous. I didn't mean anything by it, and I'm not threatening you. I'm just curious and want to make friends with you."

"Really? I..."

Before Gao Huaiyi could finish speaking, a familiar voice suddenly called out from afar, "Big Brother!"

Gao Huaiyi's heart tightened, and he subconsciously looked ahead. He saw his parents and family walking towards him on the dirt road on the other side of his house.

Normally, he would be able to spot someone coming from afar, but just now, Zhou Xiuying's words had shaken him so much that he didn't notice a thing. This shows just how strong the shock of those words was.

As the group drew closer, Gao's mother spoke first, her gaze shifting between the two men, her tone tinged with doubt: "Huaiyi, why aren't you coming inside? What are you standing here for? Is this your friend?"

As she spoke, she looked Zhou Xiuying up and down, her eyes revealing the curiosity and scrutiny of an elder.

Zhou Xiuying was not intimidated at all. With a polite smile on her face, she bowed slightly and took the initiative to greet them: "Hello, Uncle and Aunt. My name is Zhou Xiuying. I am a friend of Comrade Huaiyi."

After a pause, she politely added, "I just came to catch up with Huaiyi. It's getting late, so I'll take my leave now."

Before he could finish speaking, Gao Huaiyi felt a surge of anxiety and blurted out instinctively, his voice suddenly rising: "No!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he suddenly realized his mistake, quickly composed himself, lowered his voice, and forced out a few polite words: "You've come all this way, don't rush off, you should at least have dinner before you go back."

Seeing this, Gao's parents quickly chimed in, their faces beaming with enthusiasm: "Yes, young lady, since you're Huaiyi's friend, how can you leave without eating? Come inside!"

Zhou Xiuying waved her hands repeatedly to decline, but after several rounds of polite exchanges, she realized she couldn't refuse the Gao family elders' hospitality, so she had no choice but to agree and follow the family into the courtyard.

Gao Huaiyi stood by, outwardly calm, but inwardly his mind was in turmoil. He clenched his fists, determined to get to the bottom of yesterday's events today. Otherwise, he would remain anxious and could not easily let Zhou Xiuying leave. If she refused to tell the truth, then he would have no choice but to…

Seeing Gao Huaiyi still standing there in a daze, his younger brother Gao Huaijun ran over in a flash, grabbed his arm, and pulled him home with all his might.

Gao Huaiyi was already unsettled, and when his younger brother pulled him so suddenly, he staggered and almost fell to the ground.

Gao Huaijun didn't notice his brother's strange behavior at all. While pulling his brother forward, he looked up and cheered excitedly, "Great! We get to eat meat again today!"

Gao Huaiyi was pulled back into the courtyard by his younger brother, his heart still pounding with anxiety, unable to relax for a moment. He dared not linger, turning and heading straight into the kitchen to prepare to deal with the pheasant. He added firewood to the stove, and the iron pot quickly boiled, steam rising in wisps. He worked swiftly, first slaughtering and bleeding the pheasant, then scalding it with boiling water, carefully removing its feathers and gutting it, rinsing it thoroughly repeatedly, before cutting it into pieces and putting it in the pot to stew.

In the courtyard, Zhou Xiuying sat on a small stool with Gao Huaiyi's parents, chatting and laughing about everyday things.

With a kind face, Madam Gao spoke first, asking, "Miss Xiuya, how old are you this year? Where are you from?"

Zhou Xiuying smiled slightly and said in a generous and proper tone, "Auntie, I'm sixteen this year." Her hometown is Beijing, which is the capital!

"Sixteen? From Beijing?" Gao's mother was somewhat surprised.

"Yes, Uncle and Aunt," Zhou Xiuying nodded sincerely. "I'm from Beijing. I responded to the national call and was among the first batch of educated youth to go to the countryside to support rural development. We all came voluntarily; we just wanted to work hard with everyone and contribute to the collective."

Mr. Gao, smoking his pipe nearby, nodded approvingly upon hearing this, saying, "Rare indeed, truly rare. Such a young age, yet such high level of awareness. People from Beijing are indeed different."

"Uncle, you flatter me. It's all what I should do," Zhou Xiuying said modestly.

Gao's mother then asked, "Is everything alright at home? Are your parents in good health?"

"Everything is fine, thank you for your concern, Auntie," Zhou Xiuying replied. "Before I went to the countryside, my parents were very supportive, telling me to work hard and get along well with the villagers." She wanted to contribute more to the country.

And so, the three of them chatted back and forth, from city life to farm work in the countryside, from the daily lives of educated youth to village trivia, talking about everything under the sun. Half an hour passed in a flash, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.

In the kitchen, the firewood crackled, and the aroma of pheasant gradually filled the yard. The food was also steaming hot.

"Dinner's ready!" Gao Huaiyi carried the last plate of stewed pheasant out of the kitchen.

The family quickly got up and sat down around the small square table, with Zhou Xiuying being warmly invited to take the seat of honor. Although the table only contained a pot of pheasant soup, a plate of green vegetables, and a bowl of pickled vegetables, it was a rare feast in those famine years.

Zhou Xiuying picked up her chopsticks, tasted a piece of pheasant meat, and couldn't help but exclaim sincerely, "So delicious! It's been so long since I've had such delicious meat!"

Upon hearing this, Gao's mother sighed, "With food so scarce now, every household is struggling to make ends meet. It's already difficult enough to have enough to eat every day, and meat is an even rarer commodity. We might not even get to eat it twice a year."

"Yes," Zhou Xiuying said with deep feeling, "Having been in the countryside for so long, let alone eating meat, sometimes we don't even have enough coarse grains to eat. It's such a blessing to be able to eat such delicious pheasant meat today." This is all thanks to Comrade Huaiyi!

Hearing this, Gao's mother felt even more sorry for her. She quickly picked up two pieces of plump chicken and put them in her bowl, saying warmly, "Girl, eat more! Make yourself at home here, don't be shy."

Zhou Xiuying quickly stood up and thanked her, "Thank you, Auntie. There's too much. I can take it myself."

"It's alright, you eat yours," Gao's father also advised. "It's a rare trip, eat more and nourish yourself. It's not easy for you educated youth out there." It's even harder in the countryside.

Zhou Xiuying felt warm inside and stopped refusing. She ate in small bites while thanking him repeatedly.

At the dinner table, her family frequently served her food, urging her to eat more; the atmosphere was harmonious and warm. Only Gao Huaiyi, seemingly engrossed in his meal, was actually deeply troubled. He kept glancing at Zhou Xiuying, a constant tension gripping his mind: He had to find a chance to clarify the incident of hitting her yesterday, no matter what. Most importantly, she had witnessed him leaving and entering the spatial dimension yesterday! He couldn't let her leave in such a muddled way. And he couldn't let her tell anyone about it.