Chapter 14 He Xuebing

On New Year's Eve, the collective farm was bustling with activity for the annual celebration.

Xia Xiao approached Zheng Xianghong to help pick vegetables. Zheng Xianghong said, "Go sit over there, don't dirty your clothes. You're going to perform on stage in a bit."

"It's ok, working with Auntie is fun. I'm just singing a couple of songs, it's no big deal." Xia Xiao wasn't indifferent, it was just that being nervous now wouldn't help, and besides, she had been on big stages at school before and didn't find it nerve-wracking.

"Sister Hong," a lean young man in a military uniform greeted Zheng Xianghong.

Zheng Xianghong smiled and said, "Gangzi, how many days off did the army give you?"

"Five days," the young man in uniform grinned, revealing a row of white teeth.

"So, you'll have to return to the army right after the New Year's."

"Yeah, Sister Hong, I'll go help out first and visit Ah Zhi tomorrow."

"Alright then, go ahead with your business."

Zheng Xianghong had just finished speaking when the young man in uniform walked away.

"Auntie, who is he?" Xia Xiao couldn't help but ask.

Part of it was the military uniform that reminded her of the recent gossip; Dong Meihua had mentioned that Li Shengmei's sons were quite handsome. But the soldier she just saw had a youthful and masculine face, probably slightly over 1.7 meters tall, not particularly tall, and she didn't find him strikingly handsome. However, soldiers generally have good physical fitness, and his walking and standing posture exuded a heroic and upright air.

"He's the village women's director's eldest son, named He Xuexiang," said Zheng Xianghong. "His dad is my mom's cousin."

"Oh," Xia Xiao responded, showing no further response. Li Shengmei's son? She lost interest in knowing more.

"Xianghong, if you ask me, you should let your eldest try joining the army. Look at the He Family's sons; both are in the army, and now they're sergeants. That's great. Your second son is big and strong, and he's agile too. I'm telling you, if your two sons joined the army, they'd probably do even better than Li Shengmei's sons."

Some women who were picking and washing the vegetables had already started discussing this, and Xia Xiao learned that Gao Jiazhi wanted to join the army but was stopped by Zheng Xianghong.

"There's no need to fight the Japanese now. It's enough to farm at home. My kid doesn't have the ability to be a soldier."

After Zheng Xianghong spoke, Xia Xiao noticed that Zheng Xianghong seemed upset. She had also heard that Zheng Xianghong's brother had sacrificed his life on the battlefield, and the leader's brothers had also died in combat, so it was understandable that Zheng Xianghong didn't want her sons to join the army.

After finishing picking the vegetables, Xia Xiao went to find Yang Xuehua and the others. She took out a snowflake stone from her pocket and played with it in her hands, wishing the stone could shrink a little to make it easier to wear.

Hmm, Xia Xiao wasn't paying attention and bumped into something as solid as a wall. She stumbled, almost falling over, and while stabilizing herself, the stone fell to the ground. Xia Xiao saw she had run into Gao Jiaxing's back. Rubbing her nose, which hurt, she said to Gao Jiaxing, "Brother Gao, why are you standing here motionless, blocking the way?"

Gao Jiaxing didn't respond to Xia Xiao and walked away.

Xia Xiao then noticed another person. As soon as she saw him, her eyes widened – such a handsome soldier. Xia Xiao felt as if she had been struck by lightning.

She didn't have a thing for military uniforms, suits, or any uniforms, but this soldier took her breath away at first glance.

Such a handsome soldier, Xia Xiao now fully understood why those women were so keen on marrying soldiers. Just standing there, they exuded a sense of safety and dependability.

"Miss, is this stone yours?" He Xuebing asked as he picked up the snowflake stone from the ground.

Xia Xiao snapped back to reality, saw the stone in He Xuebing's hand, and gasped in surprise, hastily snatching it back, "Yes, it's mine, thank you."

"Miss, you should watch where you're going when you walk," said He Xuebing with a hearty smile, and then he left.

Xia Xiao stood there, stunned, her heart pounding wildly and her cheeks feeling hot.

Without thinking, Xia Xiao pressed the stone to her cheek and indeed, it was cool. Oh no, she felt like she was falling for him; she had lived two lifetimes and this was the first time she had developed a crush on a soldier.

Xia Xiao, you're only thirteen, not in your twenties, keep it together, keep it together.

Xia Xiao kept telling herself that, but she couldn't calm the turmoil inside her heart, and she was frightened by her own reaction.

In her past life, she had seen plenty of handsome men, the school heartthrobs looked great too, there were even more dashing and attractive male classmates in university, and even the military training instructors were handsome, but Xia Xiao had never felt this fluttering in her heart. And now, suddenly, she was electrified by a soldier from the sixties.

When Xia Xiao managed to cool down her inner heat somewhat and return to her normal self, she was about to leave when she saw Gao Jiaxing, who had left earlier, standing there, not knowing for how long he had been watching.

Xia Xiao felt embarrassed as if some secret of her heart had been discovered, and she couldn't help feeling awkward. However, Gao Jiaxing wasn't the type to gossip, so Xia Xiao felt slightly relieved.

"Brother Gao, I thought you left?" Xia Xiao hurriedly said.

"I was just passing by," Gao Jiaxing replied.

Xia Xiao breathed a sigh of relief, and thinking of the soldier from just now, she asked, "Brother Gao, who was that just now?"

Gao Jiaxing glanced at Xia Xiao, a look that put pressure on her, "Director Li's son."

Right away, Xia Xiao's heart, which had been blazing hot, instantly cooled. Why did it have to be Li Shengmei's son? He didn't resemble Li Shengmei at all, nor did he look like He Xuegang from before.

Because of the initial astonishment and the crush, she had completely forgotten about Li Shengmei. The thought that her first crush in two lifetimes was on Li Shengmei's son, one could imagine Xia Xiao's mood; as strong as her heart had been pounding, that's how cold she felt now.

It wasn't that Xia Xiao was so opposed to Li Shengmei for no reason; it was because Li Shengmei had always been unpleasant to her, never had a good face when they met, and often picked on Xia Xiao, just like those menopausal headteachers, unbearable to deal with.

"You have a thing for He Xuebing?" Gao Jiaxing raised an eyebrow.

"No way, what are you talking about?" Xia Xiao vehemently denied.

"Just a reminder, it's best not to set your sights on Li Shengmei's son. Not just anyone can become her daughter-in-law. But even with you, Li Shengmei wouldn't be interested," Gao Jiaxing said.

His words immediately made Xia Xiao feel like an arrow had pierced her heart, and she couldn't help but roll her eyes at Gao Jiaxing, "Brother Gao, I'm still young, I won't start dating early."

"In our village, people start dating and getting married at fifteen or sixteen." At this point, Gao Jiaxing looked down at Xia Xiao, saying condescendingly, "But you, you're indeed very small, like someone who's underdeveloped, no different from a primary school student."