Unable to endure the hardships of rural life, she returned home to arrange a marriage with a militar

Shu Yun served herself a bowl of noodles and slurped them down while chatting with Gu Jun about the day's events. Finally, remembering Shi Yan's loquat syrup, she tugged at Gu Jun's sleeve and said, "Let's go to the back mountain after we finish eating. I heard the loquats are ripe, and I'd like to pick some to make loquat syrup."

"That mountain is a bit steep. Why don't I go and pick some myself later? You can stay at home."

Shu Yun rubbed her tummy and shook her head. "I want to go too. I've climbed mountains before, so I have experience."

She's been eating and drinking well lately, and nothing's bothering her at work. She's gained a few pounds, but it's not showing on her face. However, when Shu Yun was tidying up her summer clothes during the day, she suddenly realized they were a bit tight and sadly poked her little belly.

I've only ever heard of people gaining weight in winter to stay warm, but it's summer already. Is gaining weight just for warmth?

After they finished eating, before it got dark, they packed up and headed up the mountain. Shu Yun carried a small bamboo basket on her back. The one she had bought at the market had been chewed through by Ah Xi and was no longer usable. This one was woven by Gu Junxin. It was much smaller than the previous bamboo basket, but it was woven more tightly and sturdily, and the size was just right.

As they walked up the mountain, they discovered that the soil in the valley was still damp from the rain, making the already steep mountain path even more difficult to traverse. Along the way, Shu Yun picked up a tree branch to use as a walking stick.

Gu Jun was worried about Shu Yun, so he kept checking on her condition as he walked beside her. Just then, Shu Yun stepped on a small stone, slipped, lost her balance, and swayed left and right for a while before she could steady herself by sticking her cane into the mud. Gu Jun's heart skipped a beat when he saw this.

He reached out his hand, "Let me lead you."

But Shu Yun felt good about herself, waved her cane, and said, "You go your way."

With that, Shu Yun took a few big strides forward, leaving Gu Jun behind, and looked at him triumphantly, "How about that?"

Helpless, Gu Jun could only say, "Then wait for me, I can't walk fast."

Shu Yun actually took it seriously, "Alright, I'll slow it down then."

However, when they finally reached the top of the mountain and saw several huge loquat trees, Shu Yun, leaning on her cane, became a little breathless. On the other hand, Gu Jun, who was following behind her, was not out of breath and was already helping her knock the loquats off the trees one by one with a stick.

Gu Jun raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Do you want me to carry you down later?"

"No, I'll just rest for a bit," Shu Yun said firmly.

Gu Jun shrugged. "Whatever." He clearly didn't believe her!

Shu Yun gritted her teeth. After a moment, she picked up a loquat that had fallen to the ground and tasted it. Instantly, her eyes and eyebrows furrowed. "So sour." She shuddered.

She squatted down on the ground, her eyes darting around as she watched Gu Jun diligently picking loquats. She picked the biggest, yellowest, and roundest loquat and held it up to Gu Jun. "Da Jun, want to try one? I just ate one, and it was super sweet and juicy. Let me peel it for you."

Gu Jun turned around. "What did you call me?"

Shu Yun didn't take it seriously. "Da Jun, isn't that what your mom calls you? Why can't I call you that too?"

"What are you laughing at?" Shu Yun glanced at him sideways, looking like she was not someone to be trifled with.

"No." Gu Jun quite liked seeing Shu Yun's lively and interesting side, which made him feel genuinely happy. He suppressed the curve of his lips. He was just a little unaccustomed to it, but it sounded very nice coming from Shu Yun's mouth. It felt completely different from how his parents called him.

Hmm... it's not old-fashioned anymore.

Shu Yun snorted, but diligently peeled the loquat for Gu Jun, revealing the tender yellow flesh, leaving only a stalk in her hand.

Shu Yun tiptoed and almost brought the fruit to Gu Jun's thin lips. Gu Jun lowered his eyes and saw the cunning look that flashed in Shu Yun's eyes. He silently swallowed the loquat in one gulp.

Shu Yun looked on expectantly, "How is it?"

Gu Jun remained expressionless. "It's quite delicious, very sweet."

Shu Yun carefully observed Gu Jun's expression and asked suspiciously, "Really?"

Gu Jun nodded seriously, "Hmm. Maybe it's because it's quite yellow, so it's ripe? What? Didn't you like what you ate earlier?"

Shu Yun immediately denied it, "No, it's delicious." Then, Shu Yun observed Gu Jun suspiciously for a while, and seeing that he still had no expression, she couldn't help but doubt herself. Could it really be that sweet?

Thinking of the sweet taste of loquats, Shu Yun couldn't resist picking out the yellowest and biggest one from a pile of loquats and taking a bite. It was so sour that tears welled up in her eyes, and she immediately spat out the fruit.

She wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, met Gu Jun's smiling eyes, and immediately realized that he was bluffing her.

Shu Yun glared angrily, no longer wanting to pick up the loquats. She picked one up from the ground and insisted on giving Gu Jun another one. She leaned against Gu Jun, stretched out her hand, and pressed the loquat to Gu Jun's lips. Her fingertips brushed against his lips, and Gu Jun's movements froze for a moment. Shu Yun seized the opportunity and stuffed the fruit into his mouth.

However, she also stuffed her index finger into Gu Jun's mouth. Gu Jun reflexively closed his mouth, bit his finger, and they looked at each other without saying a word.

Shu Yun moved her hand, and the burning heat from her fingertips was hard to ignore. Fortunately, the night covered her face, so no one could see the blush on her face. "You, you give in."

Gu Jun immediately opened his mouth and said, "I'm sorry."

Because of this little incident, the second half of the trip was a bit quiet, and I focused on picking loquats.

With a full basket of loquats on her shoulder, Shu Yun tried to stand up, but it was tiring.

Gu Jun reached out and took it. "I'll do it."

Shu Yun glanced at him. "Here you go."

The atmosphere between the two returned to normal, and Gu Jun let Shu Yun go first, while he followed behind.

However, going down the mountain was much more difficult than going up. Shu Yun had tried her best to be careful, but she still slipped and fell.

Gu Jun rushed forward to check on her. "How are you?" He helped Shu Yun stand up and patted the mud off her trousers.

Shu Yun moved her legs and breathed a sigh of relief, "I'm fine."

But Gu Jun didn't let go, frowning as he insisted, "You can't do it like this, let me carry you."

Shu Yun glanced down the mountain a few times, then gave up and obediently climbed onto Gu Jun's shoulder. "Thank you, I'll carry the bamboo basket."

Gu Jun didn't give it to her. He carried the bamboo basket on his back and walked down the mountain. He was very steady and walked much faster than Shu Yun.

Shu Yun was initially embarrassed, but the feeling of not having to walk was simply too wonderful. She leaned on Gu Jun's shoulder and looked down at the lights of every household below the mountain. The scenery was beautiful.

As they approached the family compound, Shu Yun tugged at Gu Jun's clothes, "There are people ahead, put me down."

After Gu Jun put the person down, Shu Yun immediately straightened her clothes and followed Gu Jun forward.

"Xiao Gu, you just came back from the mountain? This must be your lover, Shu Yun?"

The newcomer had a smiling face, but was a complete stranger; Shu Yun didn't recognize him. Among this group, Shu Yun only knew Ye Shufen, but their relationship was somewhat strained.