Axiang hurried to the corner of the wall, anxiously looking at Zhao Datu, “What are you doing here? Hurry up and leave, don’t let my mother find you.”
Zhao Datu remained perched on the wall and was grinning, “Axiang, how about we go chop wood together on the back hill tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow? Let’s not go tomorrow, I plan to turn over the soil in the field,” while speaking to Zhao Datu, Axiang kept an eye on the kitchen, to prevent her mother from discovering them.
“No way, I really want to chop wood, and it would be great if you came with me. Otherwise, it would be so lonely for me to go up the mountain all by myself, I’d be so pitiful,” Zhao Datu pretended to whine.
“But… ah, you’d better leave now, don’t stay here anymore, in case my mother es out,” Axiang was being increasingly distressed.
“Axiang, if you don’t go, I won’t e down. Let your mother e out and break my legs,” Zhao Datu began to act shamelessly, posing as if he’d rather have his legs broken than not be with Axiang.
Inside the kitchen, the widow Chen had finished cooking the last dish and called out, “Axiang, it’s time to eat. Have you taken care of your clothes?”
Axiang panicked and quickly replied, “Mother, I’m ing.”
After responding, she looked at Zhao Datu, who still didn’t want to e down, “Axiang, if you don’t agree, I won’t leave. I want to go chop wood on the mountain with you.”
Axiang bit her lip, “Then… alright, wait for me at the entrance of the village tomorrow morning, no, wait for me at the foot of the mountain.”
“Okay, then we shall not miss each other tomorrow.”
“…”
Zhao Datu said his piece and climbed down from the wall, and just at that moment, widow Chen happened to e out of the kitchen. Seeing Axiang standing in the corner holding the freshly taken-down clothes, she couldn’t help but scold, “What are you doing standing there with the clothes? Really, such a big person and still daydreaming all the time.”
Axiang had long grown accustomed to widow Chen’s tone and learned to endure it without plaint. She simply responded faintly, “Alright, I’ll go take care of the clothes now.”
…
The next day, Axiang got up early.
She bed her hair first, then changed into a dress that was neither too flashy nor too plain, and opened the drawer to see the box of perfume powder inside, which she couldn’t help but take out.
She hadn’t used the perfume powder much and had kept it tightly hidden, but today she opened the lid and dabbed a little bit behind her neck.
As she was applying the perfume powder, she suddenly remembered what Xia Dabao had said — Xia Dabao considered Zhao Datu no good.
Was that really the case?
Indeed, before she had any contact with Zhao Datu, Axiang also thought he was bad, his bossy demeanor in the village particularly irked her. However, after spending time with him recently, Axiang felt that Zhao Datu could actually be gentle, attentive, caring, and rather cute when acting spoiled, like a child.
She convinced herself that Xia Dabao simply didn’t understand Zhao Datu. Xia Dabao thought Zhao Datu was bad because she hadn’t had much interaction with him. Zhao Datu’s badness was only superficial; in fact, once you really got to know him, he was quite nice.
With these thoughts in mind, Axiang then put on the wooden hairpin and left the house.
It was still early, the air was filled with mist, and widow Chen had also gotten up. Seeing Axiang fetching the rope for the wood-cutting knife, she couldn’t help asking, “Going to chop wood?”
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