You Don't Expect Me to Carry You, Do You?

As they walked along the road, Bai Yao suddenly felt as if they were fleeing a famine.

It was a scorching day, but fortunately, there was some shade along the road to keep them from roasting the whole way.

But why was the road so long?!

Hadn't Dongfang Dazhuang said it was a little over an hour's walk? They'd been walking for an hour and a half already, so why weren't they there yet?

But when he thought back to asking Dazhuang a similar question on the train, he suddenly understood.

He never should have trusted Dongfang Dazhuang's answer about that sort of thing.

Of course, he couldn't blame Dazhuang. He might have calculated the time based on his own stamina.

With that thought, Bai Yao looked at the others around him.

Then he nearly shut himself off from the world.

Well, it turned out he had the worst stamina of the whole group.

Still, it was understandable. The first ten years of this body's life had depleted it far too much.

That also made him decide he had to nourish his body properly in the days ahead.

"Bai Yao, want me to carry you?" Kong Wu came over and asked.

Without waiting for Bai Yao to answer, he reached out and picked him up.

Seeing that, Bai Yao didn't insist on walking. His body really was too weak. If he kept pushing himself, he was afraid he'd put on a show of fainting on the spot.

"Thank you. I'll treat you to a meal later," Bai Yao whispered into Kong Wu's ear.

He wasn't speaking so softly because he was shy. He really was exhausted, and even his voice had grown weak.

Zhao Jianguo, walking ahead with the others, saw them and called out, "Kong Wu, put Bai Yao on the cart. You've walked for so long too. Don't wear yourself out."

He only offered because Bai Yao and the others had made quite a good impression on him along the way. Otherwise, he wouldn't have done so.

In the past, he would at most have had everyone stop for a short rest.

"Uncle village chief, I'm fine. I've got good stamina, so I'm not tired," Kong Wu replied.

He really wasn't lying. This distance was nothing to him, and even carrying Bai Yao on his back didn't feel like a burden.

Their conversations along the way had shown Zhao Jianguo that Kong Wu was a quiet, honest sort, so he said no more.

He looked at the others and saw Dazhuang just as he hoisted Hu Yang onto his back.

He knew Dazhuang well. Since he was carrying someone, he definitely had the strength for it, so there was no need to worry.

Finally, he turned to the young woman Jiang Rou. "Educated youth Jiang, why don't you sit on the cart and rest?"

Jiang Rou smiled and declined. "Uncle village chief, my stamina is good too. How about letting educated youth Gu take a seat?"

Gu Yang was in about the same state as Hu Yang. If Hu Yang couldn't keep going, how much better could Gu Yang be?

Hu Yang and Bai Yao had someone to carry them, but surely Gu Yang couldn't expect a woman like her to carry him?

Of course, even if she didn't mind, Gu Yang would probably be too embarrassed to stand it.

Zhao Jianguo: ...

At that moment, he felt inexplicably happy.

He'd thought he had picked five people who could only fill out the numbers, but unexpectedly, two of them actually had real strength.

The result made him quite happy.

"All right, then educated youth Gu can get on and sit down," Zhao Jianguo said.

He didn't want one person holding them all up, either.

Of course, adding one more person to the cart wouldn't put a burden on the ox. Otherwise, he wouldn't have agreed.

Gu Yang wanted to say he could keep going, but when Jiang Rou said, "You don't expect me to carry you, do you?" he hurried onto the cart, his face red.

As they continued on their way, Bai Yao noticed something that surprised him.

Kong Wu hadn't shed a single drop of sweat the entire way.

Could a normal person be like that?

Forget it. He could only envy him.

Only then did Bai Yao feel up to observing his surroundings.

And he found a concrete example of what it meant for the land to be vast and rich in resources.

Wild fruit and wild vegetables were everywhere.

It was nothing like later years, when you had to travel a long way by vehicle just for a chance of finding some wild vegetables to dig up.

His mental power spread out like mist and gauze, and Bai Yao saw more and more.

The corners of Kong Wu's mouth lifted slightly, as though he could sense Bai Yao's pleasure.

Another half hour or so passed like that before Bai Yao heard Zhao Jianguo say up ahead, "We're here."

Bai Yao couldn't wait to look, and saw a small village in the distance.

He looked down at the time, and the corner of his mouth twitched. He'd known he shouldn't trust Dongfang Dazhuang on this sort of thing.

It had taken nearly two and a half hours. A journey like this simply wasn't suited to someone in poor health like him making it on foot.

So he really did need to get a bicycle.

"Kong Wu, put me down," Bai Yao said.

He could walk the last stretch himself.

"It's fine. I'm not tired." Kong Wu didn't let go.

Bai Yao: ...

He knew Kong Wu wasn't tired, but if he was carried into the village like this, could he be sure the villagers wouldn't start rumors?

For example, that he was frail and sickly, in poor health, and a lifelong medicine pot...

Wait!

That actually seemed like a very good rumor.

He was attracted to men, so naturally he'd already prepared himself not to marry in this era.

But with his looks and assets, he had to consider the people who might set their sights on him.

A rumor like that would definitely weed out the vast majority.

As for those who still had designs on him, they would surely be people who had cast aside their consciences for money, so he wouldn't have to worry about hurting anyone innocent when he dealt with them harshly.

With that in mind, Bai Yao adjusted his position and took on a languid, listless appearance.

"Then I'm sorry to trouble you for the rest of the way," Bai Yao said in a full, vigorous voice.

"Mm." Kong Wu didn't know what Bai Yao was thinking, but he could tell that Bai Yao had a reason for doing this.

So all he had to do was play along.

Unlike Bai Yao, who continued to let someone carry him, Hu Yang and Gu Yang weren't nearly so thick-skinned. They had gotten down of their own accord and started walking long ago.

They had even wanted to remind Bai Yao, but after hearing his conversation with Kong Wu, they stopped worrying about it.

Bai Yao wasn't stupid, after all. Naturally, he had his reasons for doing this.

After covering the last stretch, the group entered the village.

As soon as they entered, they saw villagers on their way to work in the fields.

The two groups met face-to-face, and the villagers were startled when they saw the newly arrived educated youths.

"My goodness, these new educated youths are so good-looking. Each one's prettier than the last!"

"No wonder they're from the city. Look how tender those little faces are! They're even more tender than my Gou Dan's, and he's only just turned one."

As they talked, they spotted Bai Yao, the only educated youth being carried.

They wanted to speak, but when they saw the village chief ahead, none of them voiced their thoughts. Instead, they exchanged glances and communicated with their eyes.

Bai Yao naturally saw them too, and even had a guess about what they were thinking. So he deliberately coughed twice to make a deeper impression.

Then he buried his face against Kong Wu's neck. He couldn't show his face anymore, or he really would burst out laughing.

Feeling the warm breath against his neck, Kong Wu couldn't help tensing every muscle in his body.

Hu Yang noticed the problem too. Seeing the villagers exchange even more glances after Bai Yao coughed, he could more or less guess what Bai Yao had in mind.

At that moment, he admired him.

But he couldn't have done it himself. He was too thin-skinned to withstand it.

Village chief Zhao Jianguo didn't think that far. He just felt embarrassed by the villagers' reaction—a bunch of grown men gossiping like that.

"Don't just stand there! Weren't you going to the fields? Get moving!" Zhao Jianguo shouted, and the villagers hurriedly responded and left.

As they passed the ox cart, they also saw the cart piled high with luggage and how far its tires were pressed down.

Every one of them couldn't help being shocked by how wealthy these educated youths were.

Once they had walked some distance away, they couldn't help telling the people beside them how shocked they were.

Of course, Bai Yao and the others knew nothing of this, because village chief Zhao Jianguo had quickly led them away.

The villagers had all gone to the fields, and he had to hurry and get the newcomers settled before attending to his own work.