A peaceful night came to an end, the surrounding environment was quiet and profound, with only a gentle whisper of the late-night sand. One person had too many secrets, while the other had too many guesses.

In the morning, I opened my weary eyes, blinking to confirm the familiar sight before me. But this time was different, for as soon as I opened my eyes, a cold face appeared in close proximity.

Her pupils shrank in shock, a sour taste filling her mouth. She quickly closed her eyes, knowing deep down that it was true, but still wanting to slowly accept the reality.

I leaned my head back slightly so I could see his face more clearly. My heart was pounding with excitement, and I smiled, wanting to drink in this rare sight with my eyes.

With utmost care, from the hair to the chin, it's like a galaxy flowing through, an extraordinary sight. Even though he is someone I see every day, at this very moment, he appears as perfect as the Milky Way, with shining stars and dreamy colors painting an unparalleled landscape on his face.

Like such an outstanding man, I suddenly feel sad. Maybe because he is too excellent that I feel unmatched. My heart yearns to OS: "When can I have you? Or when will you like me? I really want to wait for you, but I'm not a girl, what result will waiting bring me? Do you have feelings for me? Why can't I feel it?"

My despondent heart, with a placid countenance, gazed earnestly once more at Leng Yang.

Suddenly, Leng Yang raised his right hand and pulled me into his embrace. We leaned closer, so close that my forehead lightly touched his nose. I could clearly feel the warm breath he exhaled hitting my brow, easing the soreness in my eyes just right.

My heart felt warm because his breath was warm too, and even his tight embrace felt warm. Suddenly, looking at his tender and plump lips, I comforted myself as well. oS: "Who cares what happens later! At least for now, I really like us. At least right now, in his heart, I'm still so beautiful. Most importantly, I can now sleep soundly in his arms without any hesitation. Isn't that better than breaking the window paper?"

Just like that, it continued for a while. Maybe Leng Yang felt hot, he gently let go of me and lay flat. How could I bear it! I lightly snuggled upwards, my shoulder against his, and tried to tilt my head to rest against his. I really liked the feeling of leaning against each other, like we had leaned on each other for support. Even though my current posture was almost lying horizontally on the bed, it didn't affect my desire to stay close to his head at all.

After a while, I suddenly remembered what grandpa had told me last night. I leaned my head and whispered to Leng Yang who was sleeping soundly, "You're sleeping so soundly, you probably forgot what grandpa told us to do!"

"Impossible!" A voice suddenly rang in my ear, it was Leng Yang. I turned my head in shock, feeling both flustered and a little frightened.

Seeing him with his eyes slightly closed, I softly called out, "Leng Yang, are you awake?"

Leng Yang didn't speak, and even his breathing was very regular, like he was fast asleep. I gently shook his shoulder, "Isn't it? Don't mess around! Hey!"

Leng Yang's mouth twitched into a secret smirk. Opening his eyes, he calmly said, "It's me, don't panic!"

I got a little angry, got up and leaned in, looking him straight in the eyes. "Damn it, when did you wake up? You just popped out of nowhere and scared the crap out of me."

He pressed his right hand down on his head, scrutinizing me with a cold gaze from my forehead to my collarbone, then sneered, "I woke up long ago."

My face flushed slightly, and I couldn't contain my nervousness. I stammered, "Really? That early?"

Leng Yang saw my embarrassment and whispered, "It's actually okay. You were just pressing on my shoulder and it was uncomfortable, so you woke up. Then you started mumbling something."

I suddenly felt relieved, then looked at him with disdain, sat up and pulled the blanket that was covering most of his body up with me. The sudden chill also woke him up. I said, "Okay, time to get up and get things done."

Leng Yang nodded, watching me get up and leave. Leng Yang leaned against the headboard, looking smug with a triumphant smirk, savoring the moment.

As it turned out, just before I woke up, Leng Yang was already awake. Both of us were lying on our sides facing each other, but there was a bit of distance between us. Leng Yang moved closer silently, looking at my familiar face and smiling faintly. I didn't understand what he was thinking, but his expression was incredibly doting.

Láng gently brushed my hair strands that lightly touched my eyelids, carefully pulling the quilt down to my ears. He was about to gently tap my back to lull me to sleep.

Leng Yang gently touched my cheek with his finger. I murmured uncomfortably and burrowed deeper under the covers. Leng Yang felt me waking up and followed me down, pressing his face close to mine on purpose.

……

We stepped out, it was only 8 o'clock then. Grandpa caught up with us and said, "So the two of you are going to wear this to slaughter the pig!"

"Do you have to dress up for slaughtering pigs?" I stared at my grandfather with my intelligent head.

"Grandpa said, 'You idiots, you don't know how dirty that pigsty is, do you! Change into some clothes you don't mind getting dirty.'"

"But I don't have any clothes that I don't value!" I said to my grandfather.

"Grandpa looked at me with disbelief and retorted, 'I know you too well! You have so many old clothes and want to throw them away every time. It's me who always tidies them up for you.'"

I felt a little awkward and then said, "Oh gee, Grandpa, I don't want those clothes anymore. Why are you still keeping them?"

Grandpa said earnestly, "You child, you're wasting so much! We always mended our old clothes carefully and never threw them away. Your things are just old, aren't they? There's no need to throw them away, wash them and they can still be worn."

I looked at him helplessly, "Grandpa, times have changed..."

Before I could finish my sentence, grandpa interrupted me, saying: "Times are different, but that's not a reason for you to waste your time."

Leng Yang agreed with his grandfather, saying, "That's right, wasting is wrong."

I looked at Leng Yang, "Oh! You're so amazing, I don't believe you wouldn't do that?"

Leng Yang shook his head, “We’ve been through hardships before, I actually enjoy doing old stuff recycling.”

I was shocked, looking at him, "Damn, you're so good!"

Grandfather looked at him with satisfaction, "Well done. When you have time, teach Xing Yi! This child is good in every way, but he wastes too much time."

Leng Yang nodded, "It's nothing, leave it to me."

Grandpa nodded and then asked, "Yangyang, what about you? You wouldn't want to wear your new clothes, would you? Do you have any old clothes?"

Cold Yang shook his head obediently.

I said, “Wear mine! I don't want those big clothes of mine anymore.”

"Alright!"

When we arrived at Big Yong's house, there were many people in the yard, mostly children. Four or five middle-aged men stood by the pigsty. Big Yong came out of the house, and an uncle said, "Little Yong! Have you got the table ready?"

Zhang Dayong nodded. "Alright, let's begin." He turned his head and saw me and Leng Yang approaching. Compared to their usual attire, Zhang Dayong immediately noticed how plain our clothes were now.

I was wearing my old, gray down jacket that I had thrown away. It was long enough to cover my butt, and Cold Yang wore his own black wide-leg pants with the brown fleece coat I'd thrown away because it was too big for me. Actually, he looked pretty good in it, but I just felt outshined.

Zhang Dayong shouted: "Xing Yi, you came so early."

I shouted: "Big Yong, let's help kill the pig."

Zhang Dayong laughed after hearing this, "Really? Afraid you guys can't hold back!"

The middle-aged men nearby started to cheer: "Leave this to us, uncles."

"That's right, we'll all get our clothes dirty later."

We shook our heads, “No worries, just wanted to lend a hand!”

Uncle Chen said, "That's alright, the more people, the more power." Uncle Chen was like a leader. In the village, he was the one who handled slaughtering pigs. He didn't need to hold the pig down, but he always moved swiftly and accurately, instantly killing the pig.

So his words carry a lot of weight. Uncle Chen is almost 50 years old, but he never shivers when it comes to this, so everyone always asks him to help slaughter pigs. He is also a respected figure in the village.

Hearing what Mr. Chen said, the surrounding uncles said: "Good idea, let's catch pigs together!"

"Okay," Both Cold Yang and I, wearing the rain boots our grandfather had prepared, arrived at the pigpen. A wave of stench hit us as we got closer. Two older uncles beside us took off their special butcher aprons and handed them to us, saying: "Put these on, don't get your clothes dirty."

"No, Uncle. It's alright," I and Leng Yang replied together.

"Yes, Uncle. You keep them! I'm afraid your clothes might get dirty later."

The uncles shook their heads and insisted on handing us the aprons. "Take these, your clothes are dirty and hard to wash."

Zhang Dayong entered the pigpen. His father said, "Put it on quickly, it's about to start."

Leng Yang took over and helped me carefully tie it up. The few of us went into the pigpen together, and later, Uncle Chen called the two of us out, “You two children come out first.”

"We, Leng Yang and I, came out obediently and asked, 'Uncle Chen, aren't we going to help inside?'"

Mr. Chen smiled and said, "Yes, but first let them lure the pig and tie its legs up. Then you all go in together and carry it out to put it on the long table."

"Oh!" I seemed to understand, nodding slightly.

Because there were too many people, the pigs ran around frantically in the pen. The pigpen was suddenly very noisy, and the adults inside chuckled, “Oh, they weren’t tied up.”

"Close the door first, I'll run out in a while."

"Get a few people to hug him first, and I'll tie him up before releasing him."

"Hurry, we have to run out!"

"Ugh! This pig stepped in mud and it went in my mouth!"

"Hahaha... "

"Tell him not to get too excited, close his mouth a little."

……

We were laughed at outside the door. A little boy next to us was laughing and said, "Oh! Jiaxing, your father ate pig dung!"

The kid next to him started laughing and said excitedly, "How did you know it was my dad? What about your dad?!"

"That's right, what about your father!"

……

Leng Yang smiled slightly then leaned closer to me and whispered, "Xing Yi, what do you think pig dung tastes like?"

I angrily said, "Damn it, how the hell should I know!"

Leng Yang chuckled and said, "You should know that!"

"What the heck, I've never even tried it, how would I know!"

Leng Yang couldn't hold back his laughter, "Didn't you get tripped by a pig and fall into the pigpen when you were little? You must have eaten pig feces back then, right!"

I punched him in the back and said, "Get out! Please don't spread rumors! I'll sue you for defamation later."

"Okay, okay, I'll stop."

I glared at him fiercely.