Chapter 41

Song Jinping, a man well over one-eighty, was practically draped half over Bai Xinmei.
She still hadn’t realized how serious this was, and muttered under her breath, “Comrade Song, you look all tall and skinny, but you’re really heavy.”
He was already close to losing control. He bit down hard on the tip of his tongue, then pressed the roof of his mouth to force himself to clear his head. After all, he didn’t know whether Ming Xiaoxiao had done herself serious harm when she hit that rock.
Since that woman had plotted against him, she’d clearly come prepared.
He couldn’t allow himself to go mad and do something he’d regret.
His voice came out hoarse and a bit impatient as he told Bai Xinmei to go out.
“Uh… but you really don’t look so well.”
Seeing him burning up, cheeks flushed, he looked like a patient burning with a high fever, which made Bai think of the scarlet fever and leprosy cases she’d seen as a child in Western hospitals. She couldn’t help worrying.
“Get. Out.”
He growled, eyes already shot through with red, veins standing out from the effort of tamping down the desire surging through him.
From childhood she’d been well protected, and after coming to Lotus Village she’d lived a simple country life, she’d basically never thought about things like aphrodisiacs.
All she knew was that Song Jinping looked a little frightening right now, and on top of that he was yelling at her. How was she supposed to swallow that?
She frowned. “Fine, I’ll go! Who wants to bother with you anyway!”
She managed to get him to the edge of the kang, then gave him a shove, thump, and he toppled onto it.
“Alright, rest up. I’ve still got to rush back to that meeting.”
But when she reached the threshold, she heard the heavy, uneven sound of his breathing.
Fine. She’d chalk this up to a favor owed. So she turned around again.
“Out…”
His voice was low and rough, like he was fighting something inside.
“I’ll definitely go, don’t worry,” she huffed. “Drink some water first. Do you have any medicine? Take something at least.”
She poured a bowl of water, planning to help him drink.
Instead, the crisp crack of shattering porcelain rang through the quiet night. Song moved first, flipping the situation, looming over her and pressing his mouth to hers in a kiss that was hungry and searching.
His breath was scorching hot against her ear as he murmured, “I told you to leave. Why didn’t you? Hm?”
Xinmei realized far too late what was happening. She planted her hands on his chest to push him off, but it was like shoving a brick wall, he didn’t budge.
Her face went crimson. “If you take liberties with me, you can forget about ever going back to the city!”
“If I can’t go back,” he rasped, “then I’ll stay here with you. With you and our child…”
His shamelessness was unbelievable. Normally you’d never see it, but right now Bai Xinmei wanted to die of humiliation.
“What our child! Niuniu is my child!”
She tried to struggle again, but he held her firmly. His head dropped, hair brushing her skin as he buried his face in the warm white hollow of her neck, breathing in her scent greedily.
“Don’t move. If you move again, I really can’t promise what I’ll do.”
At that, she froze like a frightened bird, not daring to twitch. Her usual temper was absolutely useless right now, there was clearly something wrong with Comrade Song’s condition.
She wasn’t some innocent girl. The hard, burning thing pressed against her thigh made it very clear what, exactly, was going on.
Her heart slammed against her ribs. She stammered, “W-what’s wrong with you, S-Comrade Song?”
Song groaned, voice muffled with pain. “I took the wrong medicine. Go to the village clinic. Get the doctor.”
Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to let go of the only thing that could bring him any relief.
Right now his mind was clouded. If he kept her here, he would be forcing her. While he could still control himself, he had to let her go.
Took the wrong medicine? Xinmei couldn’t help thinking: could it be that kind of medicine?
His touch was like a brand; the moment he let her go, she bolted for the door. Once again, she didn’t see what was in front of her and tripped.
By the dim light of the moon she looked back to see what she’d stumbled on.
A person.
Ming Xiaoxiao, one of the educated youths who’d been sent down with Song.
Blood streaked her forehead, half her face smeared red. Her complexion was chalky, and she was out cold. If Song Jinping hadn’t been incapacitated in the house because of the drug, Xinmei might have thought she’d walked into a murder scene.
Hands shaking, she pressed her fingers under Ming Xiaoxiao’s nose. The breath there was steady, and she finally let out a sigh. Still alive.
She had no idea what had happened between Song Jinping and this woman.
But if someone died here, it would become a very big problem.
Right then, a noisy cluster of voices approached the door. Xinmei, crouched on the ground, looked up.
The educated youths had already returned from the meeting. Tonight the village secretary, surprisingly, hadn’t launched into one of his long speeches.
“What are you doing!”
The group came in to see a pretty woman squatting on the ground, her dark eyes wide as she checked whether someone was breathing.
At her feet lay a motionless body… Ming Xiaoxiao?
Everyone jumped, stunned. What on earth had happened?
“The moment I came in, she was already like this. Comrade Song doesn’t look too good either. He and Ming Comrade didn’t go to the meeting, so the Party secretary sent me to call them, you were all there.”
Only then did they remember: the village secretary had indeed sent Bai Xinmei to fetch them, and they’d all heard it.
They hurried over to help. “What on earth… how did this happen…”
One of them suddenly remembered that a few months back, in the neighboring village, an old hunter had gone up the mountain and almost got disemboweled by a bear.
Bear beasts held grudges. After that, it had come to the village and eaten a lot of chickens and ducks.
Could it be a bear?
At the thought, several of the younger female educated youths went pale.
Xinmei shook her head. She didn’t think so. Based on what Song Jinping had just said and Ming Xiaoxiao’s condition, she was pretty sure the woman had given him some kind of drug.
She’d seen this female educated youth a few times before; it was obvious she fancied him.
And tonight, that dress… really quite revealing.
It was hard not to think in that direction.
But she didn’t share her suspicions or what Song had told her with the others.
The group carried both injured people to the village clinic.
Ming Xiaoxiao’s injuries were relatively minor, a knock to the head, just a superficial wound. But Song Jinping’s condition sparked all kinds of speculation.
Dr. Ma said he’d taken the same drug they used for breeding livestock.
Why on earth would a young gentleman from the capital, living a good life as Young Master Song, take something so damaging to his health? His brain couldn’t be broken… right?
Unless someone had slipped it to him.
The whole affair sent shockwaves through Lotus Village. But the three people present had completely different stories.
In the end, it became a cold case.
Of course, that wasn’t the truth. Xinmei really didn’t know what had happened. As for Song Jinping, he had a mission on his shoulders now.
He decided to swallow his anger and not go after Ming Xiaoxiao, for now. But that woman had better keep her mouth shut.
Yes, it rankled. But Old Master Zhao would be rehabilitated soon; it wouldn’t be long now.
And the other reason was this: he had finally admitted to himself that he was absolutely set on Comrade Bai. Comrade Bai, no, Meimei, his own Aphrodite, goddess of love… It was about time he brought their relationship a step closer.
Thinking of this, Song Jinping rubbed his lips. That faint floral fragrance seemed to still linger there, and his gaze darkened involuntarily.
Ming Xiaoxiao hadn’t managed to gain any advantage from him, but he, on the other hand, had gotten a bit of what he wanted…
As for that ambiguous, lingering kiss between the two of them that day, Bai Xinmei was clearly far from calm. She’d been flustered and restless for days.
Did Song Jinping like her?
But he’d never really made it explicit.
What was she supposed to do? Wang Shuisheng was still waiting for her answer. And Song Jinping was the male lead, sooner or later, he was bound to end up liking Wang Lanhua anyway.
Conquering a man who was both scheming and sharp-tongued, how easy could that be?
That day, Wang Shuisheng, who could no longer wait, asked her to meet him by the small river at the village entrance.
“Xinmei, I, I mean, about our engagement… have you thought it through?”
Wang Shuisheng asked nervously. Recently, Lanhua seemed to have returned to normal. After being rejected by Song Jinping the other time, she’d run off for a while, muttering strange things to herself.
But after she came back, she seemed much calmer, no longer as restless and impulsive as before.
A while back, she’d either been hanging around Hao Jianguo or talking about starting some kind of braised-food business, greenhouse vegetables, ideas all over the place.
Her ideas were new, sure, but had she ever considered that others could think of them too? If it was really that good, why hadn’t anyone else done it already?
Thankfully, these days Lanhua had stabilized again. Even his mother had once considered inviting a spirit medium to perform rituals.
Superstition was unacceptable, of course, but the way Lanhua had acted before really had seemed off.
That morning, Lanhua had even asked him if he was going to propose to Xinmei. He’d been afraid she might kick up another fuss.
Who would’ve thought that instead, the girl handed him a few small bunches of daisies, saying that when you went on a date, you had to prepare flowers and gifts for the girl if you wanted to win her favor.
She even said she’d bless him, admitting that before, she’d only made trouble because she was afraid that once her sister-in-law entered the family, her brother wouldn’t dote on her anymore.
This… this was the Lanhua he knew.
“Huh?”
Bai Xinmei was a little absent-minded.
She answered vaguely, “Okay.”
“Xinmei, you agreed? That’s great! Once we pick an auspicious day, we’ll get it settled!”
Overjoyed, Wang Shuisheng hugged her and spun her around several times.
Wait, what had she just agreed to?!
By the time Bai Xinmei realized how serious the problem was, Wang Shuisheng had already run off like the wind to tell his parents the good news.
Within days, the whole village was buzzing with talk of her and Wang Shuisheng getting married soon.
Quite a few unmarried girls and young wives even envied her, her second marriage was shaping up no worse than her first.
Xinmei’s heart grew even more tangled. Blisters popped up around her mouth. Could this be pre-wedding jitters?
Finally, on a bright, breezy afternoon, as she was on her way to deliver food to the Qin family, Song Jinping stopped her.
His face was so dark it looked like it might drip water, a storm brewing beneath the surface. He hadn’t expected Wang Shuisheng to move so fast, while he’d been away seeing Old Master Zhao again, the two of them were already on the verge of settling things. He realized that if he didn’t act now, he’d truly lose his chance.
“You’re going to marry Wang Shuisheng?”
At first, Xinmei shrank back under his imposing presence. Then she straightened up, answering righteously, “Yes.”
“Then what about me?!”
Song Jinping pinned her against a willow tree, anger and jealousy surging as he pressed her for an answer in a low voice.
“In what way am I, Song Jinping, inferior to Wang Shuisheng? Family background, looks, education, which one? Tell me, which is it that made you choose him instead of me?”
He was too tall, too forceful. Trapped within the circle of his arms, she couldn’t escape, couldn’t push him away. Pouting, she shot back with a hint of grievance,
“What kind of relationship do you and I even have? You don’t like me, you wouldn’t marry me, and you even look down on me for being a widow. Wang Shuisheng won’t! He’ll marry me and take me to the city to live a good life!”
Did he think she didn’t know? The first time they met, he hadn’t even spared her a glance, he’d disdained her…