Zhou Gu'er saw Zhou Duo'er and knew exactly what she was thinking, but she acted as if she hadn't noticed her at all.
"Mom, it's so stuffy lying down that my chest hurts and my head feels dizzy. I thought I'd come out for a bit of fresh air."
Zhou Gu'er offered an excuse, though it was also the truth. The room was indeed stifling. With six people sleeping on a single large kang bed at night, it would be a wonder if the air inside was fresh.
"Oh, all right. Stay in the yard or near the gate for a bit, but don't wander off. If you start to feel unwell again, go back and lie down."
Li Hua nodded, and with that, she returned to the kitchen to continue her work. With Zhou Gu'er not helping, and her other two daughters being slow and clumsy, she was truly run off her feet.
With her mother's permission, Zhou Gu'er ignored Zhou Feng'er's glare and walked straight out of the yard.
Zhou Feng'er, who was sitting and chopping pig feed, watched her sister leave. She slammed the cleaver viciously into the wooden block, as if it were the only way to vent the rage burning inside her.
Like her older sister, Zhou Duo'er stared at the empty doorway, her heart filled with resentment.
Zhou Gu'er stepped out of her home and looked at the village she remembered so well.
The village wasn't particularly large, comprised of a few dozen households.
As for the houses, most families lived in three-room, single-story homes with a kitchen and a utility room. The yards were quite spacious; the front yards were kept tidy, while the backyards were usually used for growing a few vegetables.
The layout was similar from house to house, the only difference being that better-off families had newer homes, while poorer ones had houses that were more run-down.
In terms of living standards, there wasn't a huge disparity between families. Of course, those who were better off ate better and had a bit more money to spare.
Zhou Gu'er followed the paths of her memory as she walked.
She didn't run into anyone on the road, as there weren't many idle people who would be out for a stroll at this hour.
Most women were busy with chores at home; very few could be found gossiping on the street corners.
As for the men, they were either busy with work or, like her adoptive father, gathered at someone's house to drink and shoot the breeze.
Walking, watching, and thinking, Zhou Gu'er couldn't help but sigh. The village of this era was so vastly different from the one in her later memories.
As she reached a bend in the road, someone suddenly darted out from around the corner and bumped right into her.
Zhou Gu'er hadn't expected anyone to appear. The person was walking in a hurry and clearly hadn't anticipated anyone coming either, so the two of them collided.
However, neither of them were children, and their reflexes were quick enough that the impact wasn't severe.
But since Zhou Gu'er hadn't fully recovered, she stumbled, catching herself on a nearby fence to steady herself.
"Sorry, I didn't see you."
"I'm sorry, are you okay?"
They both apologized at almost the exact same moment.
Zhou Gu'er froze for a second before the corners of her lips curved into a slight smile.
It was an accident that neither of them had seen coming. Her apology had been instinctual, but she hadn't expected him to apologize as well. In the future she knew, if someone were bumped like this, their first words would usually be, "Are you blind?"
So when Zhou Gu'er heard him apologize too, she was taken aback for a moment. It put her in a good mood; his apology suggested he was a decent, reasonable person. Once she was steady on her feet, she took a moment to look him over.
Standing before her was a young man in his early twenties.
He had a crew cut, thick dark brows, and large eyes with pronounced double eyelids and long lashes, giving them a dewy look. Zhou Gu'er thought they looked more like a girl's eyes, but on a boy's face, they weren't out of place at all. In fact, they were rather striking. *He's quite handsome,* she thought.
After her internal assessment, her gaze fell to his clothes. He wore a blue canvas shirt, matching blue canvas trousers, and canvas shoes.
To Zhou Gu'er's eyes, the outfit was hopelessly dated, but for this era, it was actually quite decent. In their village, no more than five families could afford such clothes. It was a style seen more often in the city.
She didn't recognize the boy at all; he left no impression on her. It was true she didn't know everyone in the village, especially the younger people. Between her daily chores and trips up the mountain, she simply had no time or energy to socialize. She only really knew her immediate neighbors and a few of the more well-known villagers.
But Gu'er had a gut feeling that this boy wasn't from their village. He was probably visiting from the city. If a young man this striking were local, she would have at least heard of him, even if she'd never seen him. The fact that he was a complete unknown felt wrong. Then again, it was possible she had simply forgotten after so much time had passed.
The young man saw her looking him over and grew a little embarrassed, a faint blush coloring his cheeks. Her gaze was very direct, which was rare for a girl, but it wasn't unpleasant. Not feeling offended, he found himself discreetly studying her as well.
Zhou Gu'er was about five-foot-four. Not tall, but definitely not short either.
Because she had been lying on the kang, she hadn't braided her hair before going out, instead letting it hang loose.
It wasn't too long, reaching the middle of her back, and it had a slightly yellowish tint to it—a sign of malnutrition.
She had beautifully shaped eyebrows that required no grooming.
Her eyes weren't especially large, but they weren't small either. They had distinct double eyelids, irises as black as ink, and a bright, immediately likable expression.
Her nose and mouth were both small and delicate. She could be considered a beauty. Her only flaw was that her skin wasn't perfectly fair, though it wasn't dark either. This was to be expected; how could anyone working at home, in the fields, and on the mountain every day stay as fair as jade? The fact that her skin wasn't deeply tanned was already a blessing from the heavens.
The boy's heart skipped a beat; he hadn't expected to see such a pretty girl in the village. But his surprise was quickly followed by a pang of sympathy. She was too thin, and her complexion was poor, as if from years of malnourishment or ill health.
"Are you all right?"
When she didn't answer right away, he asked again, noticing her haggard expression. He was worried she might actually be hurt.
"I'm fine. This has nothing to do with you bumping into me. I caught a fever yesterday after being out in the rain. It's not your fault."
Seeing the concern in his eyes, Zhou Gu'er found herself telling him the truth. It wasn't surprising she'd be so candid with a stranger. In the Zhou family, apart from her adoptive mother, no one treated her well or cared about her. To have a stranger show her such concern moved her more than she could say. It was a clear sign of how starved for affection she truly was.
Warmed by this good impression of him, her gaze softened considerably. However, her feelings weren't those of a woman towards a man, but rather those of an elder towards a junior. Though she was young now, in her previous life she'd had a granddaughter. Her heart couldn't just flutter for any young man she met; her mindset hadn't adjusted that quickly.