Chapter 24: The Lazy Educated Youth (24)

Chapter 24: The Lazy Educated Youth (24)

The moment Luo Chengxing said that, the room erupted into chaos.

Luo Fang, who hadn't actually left and had been hiding outside listening the whole time, burst in the moment she sensed trouble and shouted, "Dad! Don't you dare hit my brother! When I get married, my kids will carry the Luo surname!"

"Get out! All of you, get out!" Luo Dasheng, who was usually even-tempered, couldn't take both his kids riling him up at the same time.

With Luo Fang butting in, the tension in the room evaporated.

Luo Dasheng glanced at the kneeling Luo Chengxing, then at He Yubin next to him. Luo Chengxing was holding up okay, but He Yubin, though, was gritting his teeth, swaying on his knees like he might keel over any second.

He let out a sigh and relented, his voice softening: "He Yubin, get up. If somebody sees this, what'll folks say about me?"

Luo Fang said, "It's fine, Dad. I've got the door bolted shut. Nobody's getting in."

Wang Fengxia tugged at her clueless daughter—couldn't she see her father was trying to give He Yubin a way out?

Luo Dasheng didn't tell him to get up, so Luo Chengxing stayed on his knees and said, "Dad, I think Fang is right. When she has kids, they can take the Luo surname too. They'll still be the Luo family. How's that any different from me?"

He Yubin had been kept up half the night by Luo Chengxing, hadn't eaten a bite that morning, and had knelt at the Luo house for a good while. His lips and face were both pale.

Luo Fang noticed and grabbed a stool for him, but He Yubin gave a small shake of his head.

The Luo family had always known that Luo Chengxing was quiet, but once he set his mind on something, even ten oxen couldn't pull him back—let alone something like this... Looking at He Yubin's swaying form, the Luo family had to admit that no matter how they looked at it, Luo Chengxing had clearly gotten the better of him.

They had to acknowledge that Luo Chengxing... hadn't come out the loser.

"Just give me a minute," Luo Dasheng sighed. "What's going on between you two... don't let anyone else find out."

Luo Chengxing said, "Thanks, Dad."

The veins on Luo Dasheng's forehead popped—he'd only told them to be careful, not that he was okay with the two of them being together!

He thought both Luo Chengxing and He Yubin had gone crazy. How could two men be together? The very thought made his stomach churn, and now one of them was his own boy... Luo Dasheng reckoned he'd wait—maybe after spending some time together, they'd realize that a man still needed to marry a woman.

But Luo Dasheng never figured this waiting would stretch on for over a year without him even realizing it.

Luo Chengxing and He Yubin's courtyard was filled with signs of their life together. The cooking area had gone from a shed made of wood and oiled paper to a small brick room open on one side.

Luo Fang showed up around noon. When she came in, she saw He Yubin sitting by the stone table eating candied hawthorns—they'd picked the hawthorns off the mountain themselves, mostly sour with just a touch of sweet.

Her brother... she craned her neck to peek—he was inside cooking.

She didn't bother with formalities, set down her basket, sat down, and grabbed some to eat.

"What are you doing here?" He Yubin lifted his eyelids.

Luo Fang popped a hawthorn in her mouth and mumbled around it, "What, I can't come now?"

He Yubin stretched lazily: "Didn't your dad tell you to stay away from here? Afraid you'll catch the craziness."

"Sister-in-law..." Luo Fang drew the word out, "You know my dad—tough on the outside, soft on the inside. It's been a year now, you think he'd really cut you two off?"

Luo Chengxing heard her voice and knew right away who it was. He came out and said to Luo Fang, "Folks outside don't know about our family's business. A while back, word spread that your dad wanted He Yubin as a son-in-law, and it nearly sent him into another rage."

"You better be careful or you'll end up an old maid." He Yubin also deliberately teased her.

Luo Fang waved her hand at them: "I'm not in a hurry to get married. I think Mom and Dad are more anxious than I am. But honestly, there's no one in the village that catches my eye."

Luo Fang could now talk about romance without blushing or her heart racing—she was totally chill, clearly over it.

Luo Chengxing sat down and smiled at Luo Fang: "Our Fang is educated now. When the time comes, find yourself a cultured city guy."

Luo Fang chatted with them for a while before heading back. She'd just come by during her lunch break and still needed to get back to eat.

In the courtyard, He Yubin ate a few hawthorns and held out his hand to Luo Chengxing, who dampened a cloth and wiped his hand clean.

After wiping his hand, Luo Chengxing gently brushed at He Yubin's left cheek with the cloth.

He Yubin rubbed his face: "Did I get some on my face?"

Luo Chengxing shook his head no.

He Yubin went red: "Luo Datou, is that all you ever think about?"

"If you hadn't insisted on carrying on half the night, your dad wouldn't have caught us!" The longer he looked at Luo Chengxing, the more irritated he became. He pushed him and said, "Go cook. I need to go see the brigade leader this afternoon—he said he's got something to tell me."

Luo Chengxing hummed in acknowledgment and reached out to gently stroke He Yubin's face again, even though there was nothing on it.

He didn't want much—two people, two bowls of porridge, two pairs of chopsticks—that was enough.

But he knew from his memories that the college entrance exam would be restored, and He Yubin would leave. This sweetness in his heart was tinged with a hint of bitterness.

He desperately wanted He Yubin to remember him—even if they weren't together in the future, he wanted to be remembered for a few more years.

He Yubin carefully covered the hawthorns with a mesh lid and looked up to see Luo Chengxing still staring at him.

He clearly misunderstood, pressing his lips together and whispering, "Luo Datou, not during the day... I won't agree to it."

"I have to go to the brigade this afternoon."

Luo Chengxing snapped back to reality, thinking about what He Yubin had just said, and an involuntary smile spread across his face.

"What are you smiling about?!" He Yubin raised his voice.

It was all Luo Datou's usual behavior that made him think that way.

After lunch, as usual, Luo Chengxing went to work.

But he kept feeling uneasy in his heart.

Until Luo Fang came to find him, saying Dad wanted him to come home—there was something to discuss.

"Brother, I noticed Dad didn't look well during lunch." Luo Fang remarked.

What could it be?

Luo Chengxing thought about it—according to his memories... it was indeed about this time.

Since moving out with He Yubin, he hadn't been back to the Luo house in a long time. When he finished work and stepped into the courtyard, he saw his father already waiting there, face troubled as he puffed on his pipe.

"Dad, what's the matter?" Luo Chengxing walked over.

Luo Dasheng looked at him and sighed. "You... I've got something to tell you. I went to a meeting today, and the brigade leader said..."

"The college entrance exam is going to be restored."

Luo Chengxing knew this day would come, but he still froze when he heard Luo Dasheng say it. "That's good news. Fang's been studying all along—she might actually get in."

"That's not it!" Luo Dasheng took a hard drag on his pipe, looking at Luo Chengxing's dull expression with worry. "With the college entrance exam reinstated, use your head—do you think those educated youth will stay in Shanbao Village?"

"Mm." Luo Chengxing nodded. "Even if the educated youth leave, it shouldn't cause any problems."

Luo Dasheng sighed. "Luo Datou, are you really that dumb, or just playing dumb?"

Luo Dasheng had once thought that when his son reached the right age, he'd naturally settle down, get married, and have kids. But ever since he learned about him and He Yubin, Luo Dasheng had gone through many changes—from being against it at first to now not caring much.

As Wang Fengxia said, Luo Chengxing was grown up, no longer at that immature stage, and he'd always been well-behaved and never once caused trouble.

Living with He Yubin... that was what he truly wanted.

"You think He Yubin doesn't want to leave?" Luo Dasheng asked in a low voice.

Of course he wanted to.

Luo Chengxing remembered one night when He Yubin woke up crying, his face streaked with tears, which scared him. He hurriedly asked what was going on.

He said he wanted to go home.

Now He Yubin was about to get the chance to go back to the city.

Luo Chengxing's heart gave a couple of tight squeezes, but he kept his face expressionless.

"When the first list of people going back to the city comes out, He Yubin will definitely be on it," Luo Dasheng said.

Wouldn't He Yubin leaving be exactly what he wanted, anyway? Let Luo Chengxing drop that idea and settle down for good in Shanbao Village.

Luo Dasheng didn't know why, but the first thing he thought of was calling Big Head over to talk it through and get his take.

Hearing his dad say that, Luo Chengxing felt a little happy. He Yubin now wasn't like he remembered; now he had drive, knew where to focus his energy, and had made a name for himself in Shanbao Village on his own.

He didn't need his dad to pull strings; he could earn a spot on the return-to-city list on his own.

"When the educated youth need recommendation letters to go back to the city, the brigade they were sent to gets to vote on it. If you don't want him to go, I..." Luo Dasheng thought for a bit, then went on in a low voice like he'd made some big decision.

"Dad, what are you talking about!" Luo Chengxing interrupted him. "No way. He Yubin wants to go back to the city, and I want him to go."

Luo Dasheng gave Luo Chengxing a complicated look. "You..."

He felt like he'd never really understood this son of his.

"Dad, you should be happy. Fang's been studying with He Yubin for so long; she's definitely got what it takes to get a good score on the exam," Luo Chengxing said, turning to comfort his father instead.

Luo Dasheng let out a frustrated laugh. "I don't need you to tell me that. I know all about Fang. Worry about yourself first."

Luo Chengxing remembered how his father had once opposed his relationship with He Yubin, yet now, at the first sign of trouble, he hurriedly came to discuss it with him.

His father had been the village chief in Shanbao Village and had never used his position for personal gain. But for the sake of the return-to-city matter, he was actually willing to...

And in his memories, his dad had tried to do something against his conscience twice.

Once, in his memories, he'd given in to Luo Fang's begging and added He Yubin's name to the return-to-city list. And he'd done it.

The other time was now, trying to keep He Yubin there for Luo Chengxing's sake, but it hadn't worked.

He said, "Dad, I know what I'm doing with my life."

Luo Chengxing wasn't trying to piss his dad off; he meant what he said. Even if He Yubin left and they never saw each other again, Luo Chengxing wouldn't be with anyone else.

It felt like that was just how it was meant to be.

He knew how unfilial this was, how much it disappointed his parents...

Luo Dasheng was quiet for a long while, even forgetting to smoke his pipe.

He didn't say anything for a while, and the two of them just sat there.

Until Luo Chengxing heard his dad say, "Okay."

"Dad, I'm sorry," Luo Chengxing said, looking down.

Luo Dasheng said in a rough voice, "Big Head, your mom and I won't interfere. You... you need to know what you're doing."

"I'm not getting a wife now, and in the future... I won't either," Luo Chengxing said, gripping his hands on his knees.