"Nonsense, I’m just growing up." Yang Chuxia swats away his hand and sits down on a chair nearby, saying, "But it’s true that I have been too busy lately. I’m fine, but my mother is really exhausted. If we can get a few more people to take over her work in the coming days, that would be even better."
"That should happen soon. I just met Uncle Liu in the town yesterday, and he said a group of people will be coming over in a few days. We’ll pick the good ones and send them to you for screening." Ye Zi’an said.
"That would be great. But this time, I need to buy more, in case there aren’t enough people when we urgently need them. There are only a limited number of people in the village who can handle major responsibilities, and they can only do some simple cleaning and filling tasks." Yang Chuxia frowns, looking quite troubled.
"Alright, don’t worry about it. It’s not a big deal, just a staffing issue." Ye Zi’an pulls her up, "Come on, let’s go for a walk and clear our minds."
"Where?" She asks, following behind Ye Zi’an.
"Just walk around, it’s better than staying at home and worrying."
"Yeah, you’re right, getting out of the house is better. Staying at home all day makes people feel bored and old."
"Hehe," Ye Zi’an pats her head, "You’re funny. How can people get bored and old?"
"Why can’t they? Staying at home, without sunlight, exercise, and social contacts can easily affect one’s mood. When people feel down, they’ll always frown and grow wrinkles. Especially for women, it can lead to aging."
"You seem to have it all figured out."
"So, Brother An, did you bring the sleeve arrows with you?" Yang Chuxia asks as she touches Ye Zi’an’s sleeve.
"Yes, I brought them. You told me to carry them with me, so of course, I have them."
Upon hearing this, Yang Chuxia giggles, "That’s great. Let’s go to that evil river, and maybe catch some fish on the way back."
"Go there? Let’s not. It’s not safe." Ye Zi’an says, but actually, he’s mainly afraid that Ms. Wang will criticize them if they go. Last time they went, Ms. Wang got angry.
"What’s unsafe about it? We’ve gone there before with no problems, and we brought back so many fish." Yang Chuxia continues with curiosity about the red shadow. Alright, she just wants to see what the red shadow really is.
As she drags Ye Zi’an forward, she says while running, "What’s with the fuss, big man? Nothing will happen. If anything does, I’ve got your back."
"Slow down, will you? I agree to go, isn’t that enough? If you run too fast, you’ll fall." Yang Chuxia slows down upon hearing this, and they walk together.
After a while, they arrive at the evil river.
"The fish here are still so abundant." Yang Chuxia looks at the river, where the fish are almost being squeezed out. "Oh no!"
"We forgot to bring a bucket. How are we going to carry the fish home after catching them? We can’t just put them on a stick and bring them back, can we?" Yang Chuxia says.
Ye Zi’an thinks for a moment, then spots some small vines near the mountain. "That’s easy. You wait here!" He goes and collects some vines, squatting down and weaving them together with nimble fingers.
In no time, a makeshift basket appears. "Use this!"
"Brother An, you’re amazing! I can’t believe you can make this," Yang Chuxia looks at the vine basket. Although it’s simple, it’s impressive that he could weave it quickly using materials at hand. It’s evident that Brother An is very resourceful and dexterous.
Yang Chuxia can’t help but feel a little smug when she thinks that this talented young man will be her future husband.