Rebirth 70: I am a Koi

I dragged my heavy steps to the booth and pretended to be calm as I started to sort out the brochures on the booth. I caught a glimpse of Bai Hanchuan from the corner of my eye. He seemed to have lost some weight, his jawline was more distinct, and his eye sockets were slightly sunken. He was still wearing the washed-out blue shirt, with his sleeves rolled up, revealing his strong arms. The sun danced on his body, but it could not illuminate the haze between his brows.

It was as if there was a thick layer of glass between us. We could see each other, but we couldn't hear each other's voice or feel each other's warmth. I forced myself not to look at him and mechanically sorted out the brochures, one, two, three... Each one was like a huge rock, pressing me so hard that I couldn't breathe.

At this time, a kind old man walked to our booth with a smile. "Xiao Mu, Xiao Bai, you are here so early!" It was Uncle Wang, an old resident near the trade fair. He often visited our booth and was very familiar with us. He was holding a basket with some fresh fruits in it, which exuded an attractive fruity fragrance.

"Uncle Wang, you are here." I forced a smile and took the basket from him. "Your fruits are growing really well, big and red, and they make me hungry just by looking at them."

Uncle Wang put the fruit on the stand and looked at Bai Hanchuan and me with a smile, "What's wrong with you two? The atmosphere seems a little weird. Did the couple have a fight?" His eyes were full of wisdom that could see through everything.

My cheeks felt slightly hot, and I lowered my head, not daring to look at him. Bai Hanchuan also remained silent, just quietly sorting out the samples on the booth.

Uncle Wang sighed and said earnestly, "How can a young couple not quarrel? They quarrel at the head of the bed and make up at the foot of the bed. There is no overnight hatred between husband and wife. If there is anything, just talk it out. Don't hold it in your heart and hurt your feelings."

His words were like a needle that pierced my heart. I raised my head and secretly glanced at Bai Hanchuan, and found that he was also looking at me. His eyes were full of complex emotions, with guilt, reluctance, and a subtle expectation.

I took a deep breath and tried to control my trembling voice, "Uncle Wang, you are right, we..."

Before I could finish my words, I was interrupted by a loud noise. The door of the trade fair opened, and a group of visitors poured in, instantly filling the exhibition hall. I had to turn my attention to my work and began to enthusiastically introduce our products to customers.

Bai Hanchuan also started to get busy, explaining to customers the development of the planting base and the advantages of our products. His voice was deep and magnetic, attracting the attention of many customers.

The morning passed quickly, and the exhibition site was still crowded. Bai Hanchuan and I worked in harmony, receiving batches of customers. Although we didn't speak to each other, the familiar tacit understanding still existed.

During lunch break, I walked outside the exhibition hall to get some fresh air. The warm sunlight shone on me, dispelling the haze in my heart. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and felt the fresh air.

Suddenly, I felt someone approaching from behind. I turned around and saw Bai Hanchuan standing behind me, holding a book in his hand. The dark green cover and the gold-plated fonts showed that it was the book I had been thinking about for a long time, "New Fruit Tree Grafting Technology". This book is not available on the market at all, and only the Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences has a small collection. I once asked someone to inquire about it, but there was no news.

Seeing me staring at the book, Bai Hanchuan awkwardly handed it to me, "Jinli, I know you've always wanted this..." He paused, and said in a low voice, "I asked a friend to get it for me with great difficulty."

I was a little surprised, and reached out to take the book. My fingertips accidentally touched the back of his hand, and a trace of warmth quickly spread throughout my body. I hastily retracted my hand and looked down at the book in my hand. The brand new pages exuded a faint scent of ink.

"About...Secretary Zhao," Bai Hanchuan's voice was a little hoarse, "I did not tell you everything, because the cooperation was not finalized at that time, and I didn't want to make you happy for nothing. Later, when things were finalized, I went to find you as soon as possible, but..." He paused, as if organizing his words, "That night, I saw..."

My heart skipped a beat. He knew I saw him and Secretary Zhao having dinner at the restaurant. An indescribable sense of embarrassment surged in my heart.

"That day, Secretary Zhao's father was hospitalized due to a sudden illness. She was extremely worried. I happened to be nearby, so I took her to the hospital. Later, I helped her contact the doctor and arrange hospitalization. As for the restaurant matter, she treated me to a meal to thank me after we finished our work. I should have told you the first time, but it was my inconsiderateness that caused you to misunderstand." He finished speaking in one breath, his tone sincere and his eyes full of apology.

I pursed my lips tightly and said nothing. In fact, I regretted my impulsiveness. That night, I only saw them eating together and didn't hear what they talked about, but I made a conclusion and said so many hurtful words. Bai Hanchuan's explanation was reasonable and I couldn't find any reason to refute it.

"Jinli," Bai Hanchuan's voice became softer, "I know I didn't do well enough. I didn't communicate with you in time and made you worry. I apologize to you." He took a deep breath, "Can you forgive me?"

My eyes were a little wet, and I felt mixed emotions. These past few days, I had been living in a daze, with my mind full of images of him and Secretary Zhao together. I couldn't eat or sleep well, and I lost a lot of weight. Now that I heard his explanation, the depression in my heart finally dissipated, and was replaced by a sense of relief.

I raised my head and looked at the man in front of me. His eye sockets were sunken, and there was a layer of blue stubble on his chin. He looked much more haggard. I realized that he had not been doing well in the past few days.

"Forget it this time," I tried to control my choking voice and said in a tough manner, "Next time something like this happens, you must tell me the first time, do you hear me?"

A happy smile appeared on Bai Hanchuan's face, "I promise, this will never happen again." He paused, tentatively stretched out his hand, wanting to touch my cheek.

I subconsciously took a step back and dodged his hand. "I can let bygones be bygones this time, but..." I deliberately dragged out my voice, "It depends on your performance."

His hand stopped in mid-air, and a trace of barely perceptible loneliness flashed in his eyes, which was quickly replaced by tenderness. He gently put down his hand and smiled, "Okay, I will definitely do well." There was a hint of flattery in his smile, just like a big dog that had done something wrong, which made me angry and amused.

The sound of whispers gradually rose around me, and I realized that we were standing in the center of the trade fair, surrounded by people coming and going. They probably saw what happened just now, and they were pointing at us with meaningful smiles on their faces.

I felt my face getting hot, so I lowered my head and pretended to organize the book in my hand. Bai Hanchuan seemed to be aware of the gazes around him, so he coughed and said, "Let's go back first."

I nodded and followed him out of the trade fair. The warm autumn sun shone on my body, dispelling the gloom of the past few days, and my mood also brightened.

When we got to the roadside, an old man selling candied haws stopped us with a smile and asked, "Have the young couple reconciled?" Uncle Wang is a resident near the trade fair. He often deals with us and is warm and kind.

I smiled a little embarrassedly and said nothing. But Bai Hanchuan admitted it openly, "I'm sorry to make you laugh, Mr. Wang. We had a little misunderstanding before."

"Young people, it's normal to quarrel at the head of the bed and make up at the foot of the bed." Uncle Wang said with a smile, "I see that you two have a good relationship, you must cherish it in the future." He handed me a string of candied haws, "Little girl, eat a candied haws, it's sweet and sweet, and your future life will also be sweet and sweet."

I waved my hands quickly, "Thank you, Uncle Wang, I don't want to eat..."

"Take it," Bai Hanchuan took the candied haws and stuffed it into my hand. "Uncle Wang is so kind, don't let him down." He turned to Uncle Wang and said, "Thank you, Uncle Wang, we'll leave first."

I held the candied haws, and my heart felt warm. The sweetness and sourness of the hawthorn spread in my mouth, and it seemed to sweeten my heart. I secretly glanced at Bai Hanchuan and found that he was looking at me intently, his eyes as gentle as a pool of spring water.

I quickly turned my head and pretended to look at the scenery on the roadside. After walking a few steps, I felt my hand warm, and Bai Hanchuan's big hand gently held my hand. His hand was warm and dry, tightly wrapped around my hand, as if he wanted to melt me ​​in his palm.

I didn't break free and let him hold me. At this moment, I felt extremely safe and secure.

Back at the planting base, I carefully placed the "New Fruit Tree Grafting Technology" on the desk and began to sort out the backlog of work from the past few days. Bai Hanchuan helped me sort out the documents, and occasionally poured me a glass of water and peeled an apple. There was not much verbal communication between us, but there was a tacit understanding flowing in the air.

"Jinli," Bai Hanchuan suddenly said, "I have some new ideas about the development of the planting base..."

I raised my head, looked into his serious eyes, and said, "Tell me about it."

He walked over to me, pointed to an area on the map, and said, "I want to take this area..." His voice was low and magnetic, and my eyes were involuntarily attracted to him, and my heartbeat began to speed up... He suddenly stopped, staring at me with burning eyes, "Jinli..."

I felt my cheeks getting hot, so I lowered my head and pretended to look through the documents in my hand. "What's wrong?" I asked calmly, but my heart was beating like a drum.

"Nothing," Bai Hanchuan chuckled and reached out to tuck a strand of hair that was scattered on my forehead behind my ear. "I just feel that it's great to be able to fight side by side with you." His fingertips gently stroked my cheek, bringing a tingling sensation.

I raised my head and met his gentle gaze, and all the grievances and resentments in my heart disappeared. "Me too." I said softly, with a sweet smile unconsciously raised at the corner of my mouth.

In the following time, we devoted ourselves to the development plan of the planting base. Bai Hanchuan's idea was bold and innovative. He proposed to transform the area near the water source on the map into a rice field, taking advantage of the water resources to develop rice planting.

"But rice cultivation requires very high technical skills, and we lack experience now..." I said with some concern.

"We can learn from the old farmers and also introduce new technical talents," Bai Hanchuan said confidently, "I believe that as long as we work hard, we will succeed." There was a gleam of confidence in his eyes, which infected me and made me full of hope for the future.

We discussed the future of the planting base, you and I talked, sometimes arguing, sometimes compromising, the air was full of tacit cooperation and a relaxed atmosphere. Unconsciously, night fell, and the stars were shining outside the window.

"That's all for today," I stretched and rubbed my sore eyes. "I have to go to the city tomorrow to contact suppliers of seeds and fertilizers."

"Okay," Bai Hanchuan stood up and put the map away, "I'll take you back."

The moonlight sprinkled on us, stretching our shadows. Along the way, we didn't speak, but just quietly enjoyed this rare tranquility and warmth.

When I got home, I walked to my desk as usual, preparing to sort out today's work records. Suddenly, I noticed a letter in the corner of the desk, with my name written on the envelope. The handwriting was beautiful, but it was unfamiliar.

I was confused and carefully opened the envelope and took out the letter. There was only one line of words on the letter: Be careful of those around you. The words were written crookedly, as if they were written in a hurry, but they conveyed a strong sense of warning.

My heart shuddered, and countless thoughts flashed through my mind. Who sent this letter? Who did "someone close to me" refer to? Could it be... I suddenly raised my head and looked at Bai Hanchuan. He was standing at the door, holding a cup of hot milk in his hand, with a hint of subtle tension in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly.

I tightly grasped the letter in my hand, feeling anxious. "I..."