Chapter Twelve: Might as Well Be a Bargain for Me

The next morning, Li Xiangyang rose early. The rare sunshine that day cast a sparkling glow on the thick snow covering the courtyard. Such weather was perfect for chopping firewood.

Rising with the dawn, Li Xiangyang followed a familiar path to a nearby forest. The trees here bore many dead branches—prime firewood. He skillfully snapped the branches and tied them into neat bundles.

“Wow, someone’s already out chopping wood so early!” a voice exclaimed. Li Xiangyang turned toward the sound and saw several educated youth gathering pine cones. When they recognized him, they smiled and greeted him. Li Xiangyang nodded in acknowledgment and returned to his work. He chuckled inwardly; in his past life, he had grovelled to these people, which now seemed utterly ridiculous.

After cutting over ten bundles, he dragged the firewood back to the village, arriving near noon. Just as he reached his courtyard gate, voices drifted from inside.

“Auntie, please don’t busy yourself. I’m here on behalf of the instructor,” came a familiar voice—Li Xiaoyun. In his previous life, this self-important female educated youth had made things difficult for him more than once.

Li Xiangyang sneered and pushed open the door.

“Oh, Li Xiangyang’s back,” Li Xiaoyun said arrogantly from the heated kang bed, glaring at him. “Why didn’t you go hunting? Couldn’t bag anything?”

Li Xiangyang busied himself stacking the firewood, ignoring her.

“What’s with the attitude?” Li Xiaoyun pressed on. “Do you know why I came?”

“No, and I don’t want to,” Li Xiangyang replied coolly. “If you have something to say, say it. If not, please leave.”

Her expression froze. The Li Xiangyang who had once fawned over Su Yan and even her seemed gone.

“You…” Li Xiaoyun stood, fuming. “I’m here to deliver a message from the instructor! It’s freezing cold—are you planning to freeze to death on the mountain? The instructor said, since you’ve helped the educated youth before, you’re allowed to come down and spend winter with us in the foothills.”

She lifted her chin proudly. “If you had a better attitude, maybe you’d even get a cotton-padded jacket.”

Li Xiangyang finally laughed aloud. “Is that all?”

“What do you mean, ‘all’?” Li Xiaoyun’s eyes widened. “Do you know how many people want to come down with us but can’t?”

“Then I wish you all a smooth journey,” Li Xiangyang said as he headed toward the kitchen. “No farewells.”

“You…” Li Xiaoyun’s face drained of color in anger. “Don’t be ungrateful! Do you think you can survive winter up there? It’s freezing, and your house is drafty everywhere. Don’t you find that hard to bear? Ungrateful.”

Li Xiangyang stopped and turned to her. “That doesn’t seem to concern you, does it?”

He then ignored her entirely. Li Xiaoyun stamped her foot in frustration and stormed out.

Just outside the courtyard, she ran into Su Yan.

“Xiaoyun, what’s wrong?”

“None other than Li Xiangyang!” Li Xiaoyun fumed. “I don’t know what you ever saw in him. No manners at all!”

“You’re right,” Su Yan tugged at her sleeve, her eyes flickering. “He used to be very kind to me, always indulging me. Now…” She hesitated, unwilling to speak further, a trace of resentment in her eyes.

Li Xiaoyun sneered. “What’s there to pretend? He only acted that way to win you over, to marry you. Now that you’re with Wang Ming, he’s showing his true colors.”

“We really don’t have anything…” Su Yan hurried to deny.

“Really?” Li Xiaoyun cast a meaningful glance at her. “So you plan not to return to the city and live with Li Xiangyang?”

Su Yan opened her mouth but couldn’t reply.

Returning to the city was every educated youth’s dream, worth any sacrifice. Truthfully, no matter how good Li Xiangyang was, she never wished to spend her life with him.

“I want to go back, but no one can say for sure if it’ll happen…”

Su Yan spoke honestly for once.

Just then, a mouthwatering aroma of meat wafted from the courtyard. Both young women swallowed hard.

“Smells delicious…” Li Xiaoyun’s eyes gleamed. “I heard he bagged a deer a couple of days ago. He’s probably stewing venison now.”

The scent made Su Yan’s heart ache. In the past, the first thing Li Xiangyang would do upon hunting something good was to give it to her. Now, she could only smell it from afar.

Seeing Su Yan’s expression, Li Xiaoyun lowered her voice. “Su Yan, to be honest, my family has no connections in the city; my chances of going back are slim. If you really don’t intend to be with Li Xiangyang, why not…”

She trailed off, but the meaning was clear.

Su Yan looked up sharply, disbelief etched on her face. “You…”

“What? I’m not wrong,” Li Xiaoyun said confidently. “You’re not planning to be with him anyway. Might as well let me have him. A hunter like that is quite a catch in the countryside.”

“You…” Su Yan was rendered speechless by anger.

She never expected Li Xiaoyun, once her close friend, to try to steal Li Xiangyang.

A surge of bitterness, anger, and helplessness overwhelmed her.

“Enough, don’t be angry,” Li Xiaoyun patted her shoulder. “We’re all trying to get back to the city. Isn’t everyone just looking out for themselves? Aren’t you?”

Her words hit Su Yan like a slap, burning her cheeks.

“I’m different from you!” Su Yan bit her lip and turned away.

Li Xiaoyun watched her retreating figure and smirked. “Of course, you’re different. You have Wang Ming.”

Inside the courtyard, Li Xiangyang was busy at the stove. The venison in the pot had simmered to tender perfection, filling the air with savory aroma.

He added a spoonful of salt and was about to taste it when the courtyard gate was pushed open forcefully.

Looking up, he saw Su Yan.

“Li Xiangyang!” Her voice trembled. “Are you doing this on purpose?”

Li Xiangyang ignored her and focused on the stew.

“You knew I was coming, yet you choose to stew meat now…”

“You’re imagining things,” Li Xiangyang interrupted calmly. “My mother and sister like it, that’s why I’m cooking it. It has nothing to do with you.”

His words poured a bucket of cold water over Su Yan’s heart.

She finally realized that this Li Xiangyang was no longer the foolish boy who would do anything to please her.

“Li Xiangyang, you…”

“Leave,” he said without looking up. “Don’t come again.”

Su Yan stood frozen, tears welling up but stubbornly refusing to fall.

Just then, Li Xiaohua came home from school. Seeing Su Yan, the little girl frowned and hurried to Li Xiangyang’s side.

“Brother, venison stew today? Smells amazing!”

“Mm, go wash your hands. It’ll be ready soon,” Li Xiangyang said, affectionately ruffling his sister’s hair.

Watching this scene, Su Yan’s heart twisted with bitterness.

She realized she had completely lost her place in Li Xiangyang’s heart.

As she turned to leave, Li Xiaohua’s clear laughter rang out behind her: “Brother, your cooking smells really good!”