Chapter 17: Bite as You Please

Pei Huaiye's expression was gloomy. He placed the canned oranges into the bull cart and returned to the village with a cold face.

The next day, Yuan Guang sought out Pei Huaiye to report on work. Seeing the canned goods on the table, he teased, "Colonel, why are they still sitting there? Why haven't you taken them to give to Su Qianqian?"

Pei Huaiye had barely slept all night; there were dark circles under his eyes.

He said in a deep voice, "Help me find out if the people in the village have been bad-mouthing Su Qianqian behind her back."

All night long, Pei Huaiye's mind was filled with the image of his beloved being angry. That cold, disdainful look in her eyes had nearly pierced through him—a look he had seen countless times back at the Pei family home.

He had woken up from his dreams multiple times last night, his heart aching so much he couldn't breathe.

Yuan Guang went to the fields to find Dai Xiaohong and ask if anyone had been bullying Su Qianqian.

Dai Xiaohong sat under a tree and shook her head repeatedly, "No one dares to bully her!"

Who would dare provoke the Chief of Staff's daughter?

Yuan Guang set down his water bottle, "That's good. By the way, has Su Qingyue ever bullied you?"

Dai Xiaohong was stunned, "Su Qingyue? How could she bully me?! We don't have much interaction. I think she lives at the end of the village."

Yuan Guang scratched his head, "What do you mean? Isn't she an Educated Youth? Don't you see each other every day? If she doesn't live in the Educated Youth Courtyard, why is she living at the end of the village?"

Dai Xiaohong suddenly realized, "Ah! Comrade Yuan! Actually, the person who bullied me on the train wasn't Su Qingyue, it was Su Qianqian."

Dai Xiaohong pointed to Su Qianqian working in the distance, "Look, that's her! She deliberately said her name was Su Qingyue at the time."

Yuan Guang looked over, "Right! She is that short-haired female Educated Youth from the train! You mean her name is actually Su Qianqian?!"

Dai Xiaohong lowered her voice, "Yes, she's so overbearing, no one dares to bully her. And she even bad-mouthed Pei Huaiye behind his back, saying he wasn't good enough for her."

Yuan Guang stood up with a start!

Cold sweat broke out on his back!

"Comrade Dai, thank you, I'm leaving now!"

As he ran, he thought that he and Colonel Pei had both made a very serious mistake!

Yuan Guang ran panting to Pei Huaiye's home and repeated Dai Xiaohong's words exactly as they were.

Pei Huaiye's pupils constricted, his expression like a deep, cold pool, "You mean I got the name wrong?! The girl in the Jeep was named Su Qingyue? The overbearing Educated Youth on the train is named Su Qianqian?"

Yuan Guang nodded, "So, the few times you sent canned goods to the Educated Youth Courtyard, you were completely mistaken!"

Pei Huaiye bolted like a startled leopard. The wind whistled against his face. Every time he thought of the grievances Su Qingyue had suffered because of him, his heart felt like it was being fiercely squeezed, leaving him breathless and stifled.

And this suffering was something he had caused with his own hands!

*Slap! * Pei Huaiye struck himself across the face.

He found the Su family home at the end of the village, but the Su Mingqiang family had all gone to the fields, and the front gate was locked.

He ran to the fields to search for that graceful figure, but there was no one around, and it wouldn't be appropriate to rashly ask her family.

With no other choice, he found Xiang Jianming to explain the situation, "Captain Xiang, I made a mistake last time!"

"I thought Su Qingyue's name was Su Qianqian, which is why I asked you to arrange light work for her. Please restore it to the original arrangement."

"Also, Su Qingyue is a kind, generous, beautiful, and lovely girl. I will hand over the wild boar to you tomorrow; please arrange for her work to be lighter."

Captain Xiang stroked his chin, processing this for a long time, "I did think it was strange."

He smiled and shook his head, "You kid, really! You can even get a name wrong! Besides, Su Qingyue doesn't need to earn work points; she's been working at the Hongqi Supply and Marketing Cooperative for several days now."

Pei Huaiye's stride halted once again, his expression terrifyingly cold.

Only then did he realize how little he knew about Su Qingyue; he had never truly tried to understand her.

Relying solely on his so-called deep affection, he had been self-righteous and had made many mistakes.

Pei Huaiye's dark eyes were dim. He wiped the sweat from his face haphazardly and then rushed to drive the bull cart to the Hongqi Supply and Marketing Cooperative in the county.

Yuan Guang sat in the bull cart, his stomach feeling like it was about to be shaken out, "Boss, let's slow down, don't tire out the bull!"

Pei Huaiye turned a deaf ear, continuing to crack the whip to urge the bull forward. The journey that usually took an hour was completed in just half an hour today.

Before Yuan Guang could even stand up, Pei Huaiye threw the whip over, "I'm going to find someone, you watch the bull cart!"

Pei Huaiye sprinted in a few strides to the entrance of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative and spotted Su Qingyue at the third stall at a glance.

She was wearing a light blue floral dress; the cinched waist design accentuated her slender waist and rounded hips, highlighting her graceful figure. Her beautiful swan-like neck was snow-white and soft, and the skin exposed on her arms and calves was as smooth and tender as congealed fat. A few strands of hair scattered beside her delicate ears added a touch of unique charm.

Su Qingyue had a pair of beautiful peach-blossom eyes. Usually gentle and bright, at this moment, as she smiled and spoke to customers, she appeared lively, approachable, beautiful, and generous.

The customers in line, regardless of age or gender, were deeply attracted to her. Some even turned back to look a few more times after finishing their transactions.

Pei Huaiye stood at the entrance, staring blankly at Su Qingyue working like a stone statue waiting for his wife, his nervous and uneasy expression slowly relaxing.

"Comrade, the pattern of this fabric actually suits you very well. You have big eyes and fair skin; it would be perfect to buy it and make a Lenin suit or a dress!"

"Your mouth is too sweet! In that case, I'll add two more feet of fabric."

"Comrade, you are welcome to come again!"

Su Qingyue raised a smiling face to see the customer off, but her expression turned cold the moment her eyes swept over Pei Huaiye at the entrance.

She pretended nothing had happened and returned to her work.

Pei Huaiye took a deep breath, went to the counter to buy six cans, and lined up at the third stall.

Su Qingyue pursed her red lips tightly and said fiercely, "Six yuan in total, plus one canned food ticket."

Pei Huaiye took out the money and ticket. Su Qingyue lowered her head, packed the items into a net bag, and handed it to Pei Huaiye.

Pei Huaiye pushed the net bag back toward her, "This is for you."

Su Qingyue's beautiful eyes were fierce, her small face solemn, "Comrade Pei, please do not disturb my work!"

Pei Huaiye restrained the emotions in his eyes, took the net bag, retreated to the entrance of the cooperative, and watched Su Qingyue work in silence.

Su Qingyue was watched for the entire afternoon, feeling completely uncomfortable.

As soon as she got off work, she headed toward the station, her small face tense and expressionless. Pei Huaiye followed and blocked her path. His throat bobbed as he spoke with difficulty, "Qingyue, I'm sorry, please let me explain."

Su Qingyue furrowed her delicate brows and spoke coldly, "There is nothing to explain between you and me!"

Passersby cast curious and gossiping glances. Pei Huaiye blocked those unfriendly gazes and followed closely behind Su Qingyue.

Seeing they were almost at the station, Pei Huaiye suddenly pulled her into a deserted alleyway.

He circled her to keep her from leaving. Su Qingyue looked up and was startled by his fierce expression.

A long-accumulated sense of grievance and sadness suddenly welled up from her heart. Her nose soured, and two lines of hot tears slid down her soft cheeks.

Pei Huaiye was at a loss, taking out a handkerchief to clumsily wipe her tears.

Su Qingyue turned her head away, deliberately dodging him. Her small mouth pouted, and tears fell *pitter-patter*, "You, you are bullying people."

Pei Huaiye looked at her tear-reddened eyes, and his heart felt like it had been punched, feeling stifled and particularly uncomfortable.

His eyes were red as he apologized, his voice as gentle as he could make it, "I'm sorry, Qingyue, I came here to apologize to you."

"We finally met after parting in the Capital. I heard you asking at the post office entrance if there was a package for Su Qianqian, so I assumed your name was Su Qianqian."

"I deserve to die for not asking for your name directly. I was too self-righteous!"

"When I returned from my mission a few days ago and couldn't find you, I sent the canned goods to the Educated Youth Courtyard to be passed on to Su Qianqian."

"So, this was all a misunderstanding!"

"From beginning to end, I only wanted to send you canned goods and pheasants!"

"I'm sorry, Qingyue, I'm an idiot, I'm a jerk!"

After finishing, Pei Huaiye took Su Qingyue's hand and patted his own face with it, "You can hit me or scold me, just don't ignore me!"

Su Qingyue was stunned after hearing everything, her delicate brows tightly furrowed, "Su Qianqian is from the same village as you, how could you not know her?"

"Su Qianqian was called Su Qingqian in the village before; I didn't connect the two."

"I'm not popular, so I never take the initiative to greet female comrades. I really never looked at her properly."

"The canned goods were always passed on by others. If I had met her and known it wasn't you, I certainly wouldn't have sent them!"

Su Qingyue knew about the name issue; she had also changed her name back from 'Su Yueyue' to 'Su Qingyue' after learning her true identity.

Seeing Su Qingyue's emotions stabilize, Pei Huaiye carefully used his fingertips to help her wipe away her tears.

Su Qingyue never expected that such a misunderstanding was caused by a wrong name. She glared at Pei Huaiye and said sullenly, "How do I know if you're lying to me?"

Her nose and eye sockets were red, and the way she glared lightly made her look both cute and pitiful.

Pei Huaiye's heart itched, and he pulled her into his arms.

He stroked Su Qingyue's hair and said patiently, "Yuan Guang can testify. I will take back the canned goods and pheasants as soon as I return to the village!"

Su Qingyue looked around, her heart jumping to her throat. Unable to break free from his embrace, she had no choice but to open her small mouth and bite his arm angrily.

Pei Huaiye let out a muffled groan of pain. The force of her pearly teeth slackened slightly, replaced by a fleeting, soft, and moist sensation.

In an instant, it felt as if flames were spreading everywhere. Pei Huaiye tensed the muscles in his forearm and said in a hoarse voice, "Is that enough? If not, use more force." ===== CHAPTER 18 =====