According to their agreement, Yang Jian started picking up Lu Yao from work the next morning, but he only waited near her residential complex, not daring to go inside.
He picked her up again after work for dinner and a movie.
The third day was Saturday. Yang Jian planned to take Lu Yao shopping in the morning and to the movies in the afternoon. This would mark the end of their three-day arrangement.
At the entrance of the Teachers' Village complex, Lu Yao emerged wearing a denim outfit, white sneakers, and a backpack. She excitedly got into Yang Jian's car.
"Yaoyao, are you going hiking?" Yang Jian asked curiously as he started the car.
"Brother Jian, I want to see the rapeseed flowers. Can you take me to the countryside?"
It was March, the season when rapeseed flowers bloom, carpeting the land in gold. While farmers were accustomed to it, city dwellers considered it the most beautiful scenery.
"See the rapeseed flowers? Sure, there are some just outside the town. That's a simple request."
"The rapeseed flowers near the town are in small patches, not interesting. I want to see those vast, endless seas of flowers. How about going to your Xinqiao? We can also try your local specialties."
Lu Yao's request caught Yang Jian off guard. "You want to go to Xinqiao? Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure. Is there a problem?"
"Of course, there's a problem! If you go to my house, it'll be like an ugly bride meeting her in-laws. It'll mean you're really my girlfriend."
Lu Yao punched him lightly. "Why are you so old-fashioned? Just having a meal at your house means I'm marrying you? I'm planning to invite Wei Xia too. Are you going to marry her as well?"
"Hehe, just kidding. It's fine for me, but the villagers will really misunderstand."
"Let them misunderstand. They don't know me anyway, so you'll be the one feeling awkward."
"Then invite Wei Xia." Yang Jian couldn't argue with her. Having studied in a big city, her thoughts were progressive. She had no idea how much people talked in the small society of the countryside.
Lu Yao called Wei Xia, but was told she had to work overtime and couldn't come.
Yang Jian knew Wei Xia wanted to give him and Lu Yao some alone time. However, his confession had been rebuffed. This would require a gradual approach; haste makes waste.
Since Lu Yao wanted to try home-style cooking, Yang Jian specifically called his mother, telling her he was bringing a friend for lunch and asking her to prepare a few extra dishes.
As they spoke, they had already left the town and driven for over ten kilometers. Yang Jian noticed something amiss. A motorcycle had been following them at a distance of fifty to sixty meters. The rider wore a helmet, and their face was obscured, but it was definitely a man.
The country roads didn't allow for speeding, and with many pedestrians and vehicles on the road, cars could only go up to sixty kilometers per hour, making it impossible to shake off the motorcycle.
To confirm if the motorcycle was tailing him, Yang Jian deliberately stopped his car by a strawberry stall by the roadside. This area was known for its large greenhouses of strawberries, where customers could pick their own.
"Yaoyao, let's go pick strawberries. The milk strawberries here are famous and taste exceptionally good." While speaking, Yang Jian kept an eye on the motorcycle's movements.
Lu Yao was delighted. "Okay! It was a great idea to come out today. This is much more fun than staying in town."
After greeting the vendor, they each took a basket and went into the greenhouse. The motorcycle didn't stop and drove past. Perhaps he was being overly sensitive, Yang Jian thought he might have been mistaken.
An hour later, the two emerged from the greenhouse. They paid for the strawberries, totaling eleven jin. Lu Yao asked the vendor to package them into two boxes: one for Yang Jian's home, and the other to take back for her parents. She felt the strawberries she picked herself tasted exceptionally delicious.
Entering the Xinqiao area, Lu Yao was disappointed. There were no vast fields of rapeseed flowers along the roads. Instead, there were endless piles of wood bark and simple wood processing factories. In just over a month since Yang Jian had been away, Xinqiao had gained over a hundred wood processing factories, all of which had their factory buildings ready before the new year and started production after the holiday.
However, Yang Jian knew where to find the rapeseed flower sea. He directly took Lu Yao to Yangli Village. Here, his was the only wood processing factory, so rapeseed flowers were everywhere.
"Wow, it's so beautiful." Before the car even entered the village, Lu Yao, who had stopped at the edge of the fields, couldn't wait to rush out.
"Yaoyao, be careful not to step on the rapeseed. You see this as scenery, but the farmers rely on it for income," Yang Jian reminded her helplessly, as Lu Yao had run directly into the field, breaking quite a few rapeseed stalks.
"I'm sorry, Brother Jian. I was too excited. I haven't been this happy since my brother had his accident." Lu Yao carefully walked out and took a small camcorder from her backpack.
"It's okay. If you want to take pictures, you can do it on the ridge. You'll still be amidst the flowers."
"Then you take them for me." Lu Yao handed the camcorder to Yang Jian and taught him how to use it.
As filming began, Lu Yao struck various poses and expressions, then ran wildly on the ridge, not afraid of twisting her ankle. Yang Jian had no choice but to follow her, recording these beautiful moments.
Finally, after she had her fill of fun, he took her back to his home. They didn't stop at the factory as they passed by; there were too many people there, making explanations difficult.
"Yaoyao, this is my grandma." As soon as they entered the yard, they saw his grandmother sitting by the door, basking in the sun. Yang Jian quickly made the introduction.
Lu Yao was very polite. "Hello, Grandma."
The old woman was initially taken aback, then slapped her thigh and stood up. "Oh, my dear grandson! Why didn't you tell me you were bringing such a beautiful granddaughter-in-law home? This girl is truly lovely, like a painting come to life!"
"Grandma, she's not my wife, she's my friend." Yang Jian braced himself for the awkwardness he expected.
"She called me Grandma, so how can she not be your wife? Child, please come inside and sit."
"Er Jian, who is this?" Liu Xingzhi heard the commotion and came out of the house, accompanied by Guihua from next door, who was helping with the cooking. Since the factory workers also needed to eat, about a dozen people were returning for lunch.
"Mom, this is Lu Yao, a teacher from town. She came to see the rapeseed flowers."
"Hello, Auntie. I brought you some strawberries. They're freshly picked and very delicious." As soon as Yang Jian introduced her, Lu Yao proactively greeted them.
Guihua, standing nearby, stared with wide eyes. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, this girl is really beautiful, like a movie star. Er Jian, is this your new girlfriend?"
Before Yang Jian could answer, Liu Xingzhi took Lu Yao's arm and chided her son. "You child, you didn't explain things clearly on the phone. When a girl visits for the first time, we should set off firecrackers. Yaoyao, is it? Come, let's go sit in the house."
Lu Yao smiled and made a funny face at Yang Jian, showing no signs of embarrassment. After all, once lunch was over, she could just leave, letting Yang Jian handle the explanations.
Although Yang Jian had prepared himself mentally, explaining the situation proved to be too difficult. No one believed him. Lu Yao not only didn't clarify but also acted very demurely, like a well-behaved daughter in front of his mother.