The next day, Educated Youth Xie went directly to the mountain where Qin Du usually hunted to intercept him.
It was extremely cold on the mountain. He was already wearing thick clothes, but his legs still couldn't stop trembling.
The cold wind constantly battered his face, stinging him sharply. He looked at the vast expanse of snow and shrank his neck.
The snow underfoot was very slippery; a moment of inattention would lead to a fall.
He hid behind a large rock, constantly pacing back and forth on the spot, his breath forming endless puffs of white steam.
How could anyone find prey in such weather? Educated Youth Xie suspected that Qin Du might be using some illegal methods.
Even though he kept moving, his entire body was getting colder and colder, to the point where his teeth were chattering.
Finally, he saw a figure not far away, who was just about to head down the mountain.
Educated Youth Xie felt a rush of blood to his head and hurried forward, shouting as he ran, "Qin Du!"
His voice quickly vanished into the wind and snow. The cold air rushed into his throat, cutting it like a knife. He tripped and fell while running, but he gritted his teeth and stood back up, because he knew he wasn't fighting for himself, but for Zhaoxi.
How could this not be considered a kind of heroism?
His body was freezing, but his heart was burning with passion.
Finally, the heavens saw Educated Youth Xie's sincerity and allowed Qin Du to hear his voice.
Qin Du stopped in his tracks and looked at the person running toward him.
"Qin Du, do you have any humanity left at all!"
Educated Youth Xie was out of breath from exhaustion. He hunched over, resting his hands on his knees.
"You're the one stopping Zhaoxi from going to the compound to study, aren't you? How can you be so selfish? Do you want Zhaoxi to live a life of hardship with you forever?"
He had to gasp heavily for air after every sentence he spoke.
The thought of the girl who used to follow behind him now being snatched away by Qin Du filled him with absolute hatred.
Qin Du looked down at him condescendingly, saying nothing.
He remembered that the last time Ji Zhaoxi sat on the field ridge crying, it was because of him.
When those educated youths were gossiping about her behind her back, this guy surnamed Xie didn't stop them; instead, he cowardly agreed with them. He truly looked down on this kind of person. What kind of man was he?
He also didn't believe that if Ji Zhaoxi went to the compound, this Xie guy could take good care of her. He probably didn't even know what temperature she liked her thermos water to be.
Qin Du didn't look at him anymore and turned to walk down the mountain.
Educated Youth Xie was furious, but the intense running just now left him extremely exhausted, so he could only keep talking from behind.
"You have no right to control Zhaoxi. You two have no relationship. You are the descendant of the Five Black Categories. You'd better stay away from her and not ruin her life."
Qin Du finally stopped walking. His deep, narrow eyes stared intently at him, flashing with a hint of ruthlessness.
Educated Youth Xie was so frightened that he couldn't help but take two steps back.
The look Qin Du gave him was full of extreme mockery.
Educated Youth Xie stood rooted to the spot, clenching his fists tightly, so angry that he could hardly breathe.
Qin Du had never taken Educated Youth Xie seriously. That little bit of affection meant absolutely nothing.
He would not ruin Ji Zhaoxi's life; he would only take good care of her.
When he was still some distance from the foot of the mountain, he suddenly saw a familiar figure ahead.
Ji Zhaoxi was carefully climbing up, holding a stick in her hand.
Ji Zhaoxi saw him too and smiled, waving at him.
But Qin Du's expression wasn't very good. Ji Zhaoxi gave an awkward smile and didn't walk any closer.
Qin Du walked up to her, grasped her hand tightly, and frowned deeply. "Why did you come up here?"
Ji Zhaoxi looked at his expression. "Because I saw that you hadn't come down for a long time."
Qin Du sighed. "Even so, you shouldn't have come up. It's too dangerous."
Many experienced hunters didn't dare to come up here, yet she had the nerve to just march up with a stick.
Seeing him angry, Ji Zhaoxi felt a bit wronged. "I'll never come wait for you again next time, and I don't want to talk to you either. You hate me anyway."
Ji Zhaoxi not coming to wait for him was exactly what Qin Du hoped for. After all, the weather was so cold, and waiting there every day meant she could easily catch a chill if not careful.
But the rest of what she said wasn't true.
Qin Du had never known how to coax people. It was only after getting close to Ji Zhaoxi that he realized people needed to be coaxed.
He touched Ji Zhaoxi's face; it was cold. Qin Du sighed, put down the rope holding his prey, and cupped his warm hands over her face.
"I was worried about you."
His voice was very soft and drifted away with the cold wind in an instant, but Ji Zhaoxi still heard it.
Qin Du adjusted her hat for her, and only after making sure no more of her skin was exposed to the wind did he continue holding her hand and walking down the mountain.
Her hands were also freezing. He didn't know how long she had been there.
Qin Du didn't dare to scold her anymore. He just held her hand tightly to help it warm up faster.
The two stayed close together. Qin Du looked down at Ji Zhaoxi's face, feeling a warm sensation in his heart.
"I'll stew the meat in a bit. Drink more soup tonight to warm up your body."
Ji Zhaoxi nodded vigorously.
Just as they reached the foot of the mountain, they saw Lin Yitang standing in a sheltered spot looking at them, her face somewhat pale.
Ji Zhaoxi called out to her happily, "Educated Youth Lin."
The last time she went to the hospital, it was Educated Youth Lin's family jeep that took her.
Educated Youth Lin was different from the other educated youths; she was a good person.
Lin Yitang nodded stiffly, looking at their tightly clasped hands.
Qin Du glanced at the sky. Stewing the soup would take a good while. If they delayed any further, it would be very late before she could drink it.
He leaned down close to her. "Shall we go?"
Ji Zhaoxi nodded and smiled, waving at Lin Yitang. "Goodbye, Educated Youth Lin."
Just as they were about to turn and leave, Lin Yitang suddenly spoke up.
"Aren't you preparing for the college entrance examination right now? Why are you always going hunting? Do you even have time to study?"
Qin Du caught the underlying meaning in Lin Yitang's words. He replied calmly, "There is no need for you to worry about that."
Watching their retreating figures, Lin Yitang silently lowered her head.
Is that so.
Was it really him who wanted to hunt, or was it Ji Zhaoxi who wanted him to hunt?
It was clearly winter now, and hunting was much harder than in the summer, yet Qin Du's hunting frequency was even higher than during the summer.
Was Ji Zhaoxi completely clueless? How could she so comfortably enjoy the prey Qin Du caught by wasting his study time?
She had tried to help him time and again, but Qin Du's attitude only grew colder each time.
Since Qin Du rejected her, she wouldn't try to get close anymore. She, Lin Yitang, never lacked people who liked her.
In the evening, the house was filled with the aroma of meat soup, incredibly fresh and tender.
Ji Zhuxin had been chatting with Mother Qin about domestic affairs. The two chatted as they drank their soup, their voices growing louder.
The biggest regret of her life was not having a daughter. How comforting it would be to have a daughter by her side to share intimate conversations with.
Ji Zhaoxi burned her mouth slightly, and Qin Du quickly handed her some water. She ate until a thin layer of sweat appeared on her forehead, and her face became extremely rosy.
"It's so delicious! Brother Qin Du, your cooking is even better than the head chef in the county."
Although he had spent a lot of time with Ji Zhaoxi, Qin Du was still not used to her straightforward praise. Whenever this happened, he would just stay silent.
Fortunately, Ji Zhaoxi didn't expect Qin Du to respond anyway. She just liked to express herself; as for the rest, she didn't really mind.
