"What’s the use of going to college? Even if I get into college again, Xia Xiao still won’t like me," Gao Jiaxing said.
Zheng Xianghong immediately found the root cause, "How do you know Xia Xiao doesn’t like you if you never pursued her?"
Gao Jiaxing did not speak; Xia Xiao had already told him she liked He Xuebing, affirmed it more than once. Gao Jiaxing wasn’t deaf or blind; how could he not know?
"I’m telling you, you don’t know how to woo girls. You’ve never told Xia Xiao about your feelings; how would she know you like her?" Zheng Xianghong said, understanding her son well—his stubbornness was not lost on her.
"What’s the point of talking about it now? Xia Xiao is already starting to date Bingzi," Gao Jiaxing lamented, recalling the moment he carried Xia Xiao on his back from the county to the production team when she had asked if he liked her.
What had he answered then? He said no.
Gao Jiaxing smacked his forehead hard, wishing he had said yes back then. Perhaps things would have been different.
But there were no what-ifs, and at that time, Gao Jiaxing genuinely did not believe he would like Xia Xiao. To think that despite meeting her often, he did not make as much of an impression as He Xuebing, who she saw only once every few years—Gao Jiaxing felt deflated.
"Studying and going to college is for your own future. You can’t possibly be doing it just for Xia Xiao. Besides, even if Xia Xiao dates Bingzi, whether it’ll work out is still up in the air. Maybe if Li Shengmei stirs things up, it won’t last."
Gao Jiaxing remained silent. He was indeed studying for Xia Xiao’s sake, which is why now that she was considering dating He Xuebing, books felt alien to him, and he couldn’t absorb anything.
Zheng Xianghong didn’t say much more; she just said, "Son, think it over. If you don’t make yourself outstanding, how can an outstanding girl like you? We have known Xia Xiao for years. Your mother understands her better than you do. You may think she is young, but she is smart and ambitious. If she doesn’t fancy you, it is surely because you are not good enough yet."
Zheng Xianghong said no more, letting her son reflect as she went out.
Inside the room, Gao Jiaxing sprawled on the bed, staring at the ceiling, Zheng Xianghong’s words echoing in his head: he was not good enough, and because he was not good enough, that’s why Xia Xiao didn’t like him.
After a long while, Gao Jiaxing sat up and began to focus on his books again.
Zheng Xianghong snuck back to peek in and nodded with satisfaction; as long as her son didn’t give up on himself, that was fine.
Meanwhile, Xia Xiao spent her days laboring and cooking dried vegetables and pickles in Black Bear Cave. She had bought many jars, salt, and chili peppers to make them herself from the county.
Once done, she stored them in her space, and she noticed the Black Bear family enjoyed her homegrown vegetables, so sometimes, she would trade their hunted game for some veggies or spring water.
Xia Xiao had quite a collection of game and cultivated vegetables and fruit trees in her space. She asked Shitou to protect the spring water from being spoiled by the game.
"Auntie, I picked some wild greens and wanted to make some pickles," said Xia Xiao, bringing some wild greens from her space to Zheng Xianghong.
"Sure, these wild greens look so fresh. Where did you pick them?" Zheng Xianghong asked.
"In the mountains. I happened upon them and picked as many as I could. There aren’t any left around there," Xia Xiao replied.
"Then let’s get started," Zheng Xianghong said. "I happen to be free right now."
As soon as Zheng Xianghong finished speaking, Xia Xiao nodded, and the two of them began making pickles together.
After they finished, Xia Xiao gave Zheng Xianghong two jars, sent a couple more back home for her family to taste, and kept one for herself. As for sending some to He Xuebing in the military, Xia Xiao gave it some thought but then decided to send him a jar as well.
Looking at the abundance of pickles in her space, Xia Xiao thought she would need to find an opportunity to sell them all before the next year, or else it would be even more challenging.
However, now she couldn’t disguise herself as easily as before, for fear of being recognized, and she couldn’t pretend to be a little boy anymore.
In the military, He Xuebing, having received the pickles from Xia Xiao, was overjoyed.
"Is it that Educated Youth Xia?" He Xuexiang asked.
He Xuebing nodded: "Yes, Father has agreed, but it’s hard to speak to Mother about it."
"If Educated Youth Xia is a good match, Mother will change her view," He Xuexiang said.
He Xuebing felt that would be difficult. His mother’s prejudice against Xia Xiao seemed firmly rooted. Just the thought made him anxious.
Seeing this, He Xuexiang said, "If Educated Youth Xia wants to marry you and become a daughter-in-law of the He Family, she definitely needs to get along with Mother. They’re both in the production team now; there are plenty of opportunities. Mother is reasonable. If Educated Youth Xia really wants to build a good relationship with her, how could it not work?"
He Xuebing also thought this made sense. Xia Xiao was such a good person that if she made an effort, she’d surely change his mother’s mind.
"Brother, what about Dong Meihua? Are you really interested in her?" He Xuebing asked He Xuexiang.
He Xuexiang replied with a question of his own: "What do you think about Dong Meihua as your sister-in-law?"
He Xuebing shook his head, "Not much."
He Xuebing had shared the family news with He Xuexiang upon returning to the military. However, He Xuexiang’s eyes weren’t on Feng Ying; instead, he was interested in Dong Meihua. It wasn’t Dong Meihua who had made a mistake.
"When picking a partner, you want someone solid, not skinny and bony with nothing but bones to feel," He Xuexiang stated. In the military, where men were more and women fewer, the bachelors often discussed women.
He Xuebing quickly added, "Xia Xiao isn’t skinny; she’s changed a lot recently, and none of the women I’ve seen are as beautiful as her."
He Xuexiang shook his head, his image of Xia Xiao being vague and recalling only a frail girl. He then said,
"You only see beauty in the person you love. In my opinion, Yu Zhen is good; she’s the commander’s daughter. You can forget about Xia Xiao. She doesn’t get along with Mother, and this could lead to trouble. Yu Zhen is different; she’s in the military. If you establish a ’revolutionary’ emotional bond with her, it will benefit you both in every way."
"Brother, what are you talking about? What does Yu Zhen have to do with this? Xia Xiao and I have nothing. And if you are concerned about Xia Xiao and me living apart, won’t you and Dong Meihua be the same?" He Xuebing said.
He Xuexiang shook his head, "It’s different. Dong Meihua gets along well with Mother; she’s the daughter-in-law Mother approves of. If Dong Meihua is at home taking care of Father and Mother, I’d be more at ease."
What He Xuexiang really wanted was someone appealing who could care for his parents at home. Being the eldest, he naturally thought more about his parents’ welfare.