Chapter 43 My Partner, If Not Me, Who Should He Love? (1/2)

Hearing Ruan Tang's clear and matter-of-fact reply, "Yes,"...

Yan Yu was overjoyed, and his whole body was swaying with excitement.

His fingers, hanging by his side, suddenly clenched, his knuckles turning white. He used all his self-control to suppress the urge to pull the girl next to him into his arms.

Gu Jinzhou, standing on the other end, frowned almost imperceptibly.

His gaze lingered for a moment on Yan Yu's "spreading his fins" posture, which seemed to want to announce it to the world, before falling back on Ruan Tang with a dark and unfathomable scrutiny.

Suddenly, Gu Jinzhou felt a chill creep up his spine, like the feeling of a wild beast wanting to tear its prey apart. He straightened his back instantly and carefully looked around.

He saw Yan Yu staring at him with icy eyes, the chill in his gaze making him shiver involuntarily.

Gu Jinzhou's legs went weak for a moment. He forced himself to look away and didn't dare to look at Ruan Tang again. Even the jealousy that had just risen in his heart dissipated.

Seeing the other person's pale face and fearful appearance, Yan Yu looked away and stopped paying attention. What a coward! If it weren't for the fact that the other person was looking at his little girl, he wouldn't even bother to give him a second glance.

Ruan Tang, who was standing to the side, did not notice the man's actions. She was listening attentively to the captain's speech on the stage.

Captain Chen Fengshan cleared his throat. His square face exuded authority without anger, and his deep voice instantly drew everyone's attention back.

"Alright! Quiet down!"

He looked around, his gaze sweeping across everyone's faces, and said in a deep voice, "The heavy rain the night before last flooded a lot of fields. I worked with the villagers, young and old, for a day and two nights, and we finally managed to drain most of the water."

"The wheat that wasn't too badly lodged was also bundled with straw and propped up with branches underneath to prevent the ears from rotting."

"But we can't let our guard down!" he emphasized. "Starting today, everyone must rush to harvest! Any ears of grain that look dull must be cut first!"

"This wheat harvest is quite hard, so please be careful not to cut yourselves. Also, a few educated youths have come this year. We have a long time ahead of us, so I won't introduce them for now. The male educated youths will follow the carts and carrying poles to transport the wheat ears to the threshing ground."

"Female educated youth, follow Zhao Guizhi, Zhao Xiuqin, and Chen Fengxia to the drying ground to sweep away the accumulated water and clear the land! Once the wheat arrives, quickly spread it out to dry, and remember to turn it frequently!"

His words were concise and to the point, without a single wasted word.

After giving his instructions, he waved his hand and said, "Chen Defu, take them to get their weapons!"

Production team leader Chen Defu responded and led everyone to the warehouse next door where farm tools were stored.

The crowd surged forward, lining up to receive sickles, shovels, and carrying poles.

Yan Yu didn't squeeze in. After most people had received theirs, he followed Chen Weidong, a fellow member of the commune, to the threshing ground. Just now, Li Fengshou, the team leader of the first team, had asked him, Zhao Weiguo, Gu Jinzhou, and Chen Siming to go with Chen Weidong to push the carts. There were five carts in the Jixiang brigade, just enough for one person.

This is also to take care of them. Children in the city may not know how to carry loads on a shoulder pole, but they should at least know how to push a cart.

Anyway, I don't know if others can do it, but at least on the afternoon Yan Yu arrived, when he was delivering the cart back to the brigade headquarters, Li Fengshou saw him and knew that he could.

The group marched in a grand procession toward the threshing ground at the east end of the village.

The morning chill had been dispelled by the rising sun, and the air was filled with the fresh scent of damp earth after the rain. As the sun climbed higher, moisture began to evaporate, and the weather at the end of June suddenly felt both humid and hot.

Upon arriving at the threshing ground, Yan Yu first placed the basket steadily next to a stone pier under an old locust tree.

When he turned around, he saw that the little girl's fair face had been tinged with a thin blush by the sun.

His heart skipped a beat, and he cursed himself for being careless.

Under the cover of the basket, Yan Yu took out two neatly woven straw hats from his spatial storage, and also took out a pair of gloves that he had previously put in the basket.