"You can’t really say it’s toying around, can you? Matters of the heart are by mutual consent; only the individuals involved truly understand their own situation. If they’re compatible, they come together; if not, they split apart.
If they can’t get along, they can’t be forced to."
"Sun Yuhua has always been too proud, she looks down on everything. Would she ever fancy my brother?" Gao Jiaxing said.
"Brother Gao is a great guy, and he and Sister Yuhua are quite a match, but right now they aren’t dating, so why are you worrying so much? And it’s not like Sister Yuhua is the type to lead someone on and then abandon them. If she truly got together with Brother Gao, as long as he treats her well, she would certainly stay true to him."
Xia Xiao then observed Gao Jiazhi and Sun Yuhua and noticed they indeed seemed closer, but it was also clear that they were not in a relationship.
Xia Xiao also saw Sun Yuhua spending a lot of time with Gu Weiguo, which made her frown, wondering what Sun Yuhua was up to. Was she choosing?
"Is Sun Yuhua taking a fancy to you, Weiguo?" Yao Wangchun asked.
"Not at all, we are just discussing matters," Gu Weiguo shook his head.
Yao Wangchun said, "Sun Yuhua is quite a catch, beautiful and from a family of equal standing to yours. It’s a perfect match. If you choose her, your family would certainly not object."
"I’m not considering these things for now," Gu Weiguo of course knew that if he paired up with Sun Yuhua, his family would not object, but the problem was that he didn’t feel anything for Sun Yuhua; instead, he was always paying attention to Xia Xiao.
Among all the educated youth girls, even though Sun Yuhua and a few others were very beautiful, Gu Weiguo’s eyes would always find Xia Xiao. He liked the vivid liveliness about her, always irresistibly drawn to it.
Xia Xiao was unaware of all this; she was not interested in romance. Besides working every day, she was setting traps to catch game and then splitting the money with Gao Jiaxing.
Another autumn year came around, and it was a busy time for farming. This year, the production team saw another good harvest, and everyone was joyful.
After last year’s thief attack, the production team had placed greater emphasis on security, but unexpectedly, that night, a messenger from Red Star Production Team came.
"Captain Gao, our Red Star Production Team was attacked by thieves, and the captain sent me to ask for your support."
The whole production team was stirred up in the middle of the night.
Gao Guoqiang assigned Gao Jiaxing to lead people for support, leaving some behind to guard the granary of Guangming Production Team, in case thieves attacked and they were short-handed.
Xia Xiao hesitated about whether to go along, but thinking that thieves might come to her own production team, in the end, she decided not to go.
As the second half of the night passed and dawn approached, everyone got up to start working.
Xia Xiao had yet to see Gao Jiaxing return, so she entered her space and went to Red Star Production Team.
The fight at Red Star Production Team had been very fierce; by the time Xia Xiao arrived, the thieves had fled, and unfortunately, Captain Liu Jiefang had been shot.
"Jiefang, Jiefang, you can’t go, heaven, why do you do this to me?" Liu Jiefang’s wife was already crying out loud.
The whole Red Star Production Team was in a state of tragedy; though the grains were saved and the thieves driven away, they had many casualties, and the captain was about to die.
"Ge Lai!" Liu Jiefang called out to Ge Lai.
"Uncle," Ge Lai approached, holding Liu Jiefang’s hand, holding back his tears, "Uncle, we’ll take you to the hospital, you can definitely be treated."
"It’s no use," Liu Jiefang waved his hand and said to Ge Lai, "Ge Lai, I have a favor to ask of you."
"Uncle, tell me whatever it is. You’ve protected me for so many years; if it weren’t for you, I would have starved to death. I will definitely agree to whatever you ask," Ge Lai said.
Liu Jiefang looked at Ge Lai with relief, "I hope you can marry Haihua and take good care of her. You’ve grown up together, only you can tolerate her."
"Dad, I don’t want to," Liu Haihua protested as soon as Liu Jiefang finished speaking.
Liu Haiguo shouted, "Do you want to make dad die with unease?"
Liu Haihua fell silent, but her face clearly showed reluctance.
Ge Lai nodded, "Uncle, rest assured, I will take good care of Haihua."
"I hope you marry Haihua and give me a grandchild. When the baby is born, bring him to my grave to let me see." Liu Jiefang spoke with difficulty, as though his breath would leave him at any moment, and both Ge Lai and Liu Haihua nodded their heads in agreement.
"Haihua, take good care of your mom. Jiaxing, tell your father thank you for me." After Liu Jiefang finished speaking, he closed his eyes forever.
The Red Star Production Team erupted in sorrow, and Gao Jiaxing and others stayed to help handle Liu Jiefang’s passing and other matters of the team.
Xia Xiao didn’t stay long at Red Star Production Team before leaving; her heart was also very heavy. The thieves were too brazen; Liu Jiefang was a good person, but she had never expected him to pass away .
When Gao Guoqiang’s side received the bad news about Liu Jiefang, they were also deeply saddened. The mood in Guangming Production Team was somber, and they even tightened security at night, vigilant for thieves.
"Where are the thieves from?" someone asked, since the last time thieves attacked Guangming Production Team, they were all caught by Guangming Production Team.
"We don’t know yet. These thieves are too despicable; they must be the same group who stole from East Wind Production Team. Now that they’ve hit Red Star Production Team, they should be eradicated, executed by firing squad."
"Yes, these thieves are so inhumane."
Everyone condemned the thieves; theft was already despicable, and their viciousness was even more detestable. The county was shocked as well, and the police station also issued a warrant for the thieves.
After Liu Jiefang’s death, Liu Haiguo took over as captain of Red Star Production Team, something Xia Xiao had not anticipated. While it’s said that a tiger does not father a dog, Liu Haiguo was far from measuring up to Liu Jiefang.
"Brother Gao, can Liu Haiguo, so young, really manage the production team as the captain?" Xia Xiao couldn’t help but speak out, and she could only say this freely in front of Gao Jiaxing.
"Of the two educated youths in Red Star Production Team, Luo Mingzhe, and Liu Yue, have strong backing. They support Liu Haiguo, and so does Ge Lai. Plus, Liu Haiguo is Liu Jiefang’s son, and Liu Jiefang was well-respected in the team; it’s not surprising for Liu Haiguo to become the captain."
"Those two again," Xia Xiao narrowed her eyes.
"Who?" Gao Jiaxing asked.
"Luo Mingzhe and Liu Yue," Xia Xiao said.
"When have they ever wronged you?" Gao Jiaxing said.
"Luo Mingzhe was originally Sister Xuehua’s fiancé, but the Luo Family took a liking to the Liu Family’s power, called off the engagement with Sister Xuehua, and chose Liu Yue."
"That’s none of your business," Gao Jiaxing said. "Those two are quite well-matched; breaking off the engagement was a stroke of luck for Yang Xuehua."
Xia Xiao immediately nodded, "I think so too. That Luo Mingzhe looks so unreliable."
Gao Jiaxing raised an eyebrow, "You don’t fall for good looks, do you? The kind that makes good eye-candy. Luo Mingzhe should fit your taste."