You useless thing

Potou Village in July was as hot as a steamer.

On his way back from the fields, Chen Yuan spotted an electric scooter parked beneath the Old Locust Tree at the village entrance from a long way off.

Only when he got closer did he notice someone squatting in the shade.

A woman.

She wore a floral dress, its hem barely covering the tops of her thighs, leaving two dazzlingly fair legs exposed.

On her feet were strappy sandals, her toenails painted red.

Hearing his footsteps, the woman looked up.

Chen Yuan faltered.

It was Zhang Xiu'e from next door.

No, I should call her Sis E!

Zhang Xiu'e stood and smiled at him. "Yuan? It's been a few years. Look how tall you've grown!"

As she smiled, her chest jiggled.

Chen Yuan looked away, his throat going a little dry.

Zhang Xiu'e must be twenty-five or twenty-six now, right? Yet she looked fresher and prettier than those young women in the city.

At over five foot seven, she looked like a model just standing there.

She filled out in all the right places, with curves where there should be curves. The floral dress hugged her body, cinching her waist until it looked as slender as a willow branch.

"Sis E!" Chen Yuan called, his voice a little tight. "You're back?"

"Sure am!"

Zhang Xiu'e brushed the dirt off her dress.

"I lost my ID, so I came back to get a replacement. The company needs it, too. I'll have to leave in a day or two."

She walked over, and Chen Yuan caught a whiff of fragrance.

It wasn't the cold cream the village women used. It was something else, something he couldn't put a name to, but it smelled nice.

"Were you out working in the fields?" Zhang Xiu'e looked him up and down. "You've finished your college entrance exams. Aren't you going to take a break?"

Chen Yuan nodded. "I didn't do well. Thought some work might take my mind off it."

"Didn't do well?" Zhang Xiu'e tilted her head at him. "How badly?"

"Probably a little over three hundred." Chen Yuan scratched his head. "Even getting into a vocational college is a long shot!"

Zhang Xiu'e burst out laughing. "So what are you planning to do?"

"I want to go away and find work." Then Chen Yuan added, "I haven't talked it over with Grandpa yet."

Zhang Xiu'e's eyes brightened. "Work? Where?"

"I don't know," Chen Yuan admitted. "I don't have any connections."

"Then come to Deep City with me!"

Zhang Xiu'e clapped him on the shoulder.

"I've been there seven or eight years. I know the place inside out. Electronics factories, clothing factories—you can pick whichever you like. Four or five thousand yuan a month, with food and lodging included."

Chen Yuan's heart skipped a beat.

Go to Deep City? With her?

He lifted his eyes to Zhang Xiu'e. She was looking at him, her eyes sparkling and a smile playing at her lips.

The sun shone from behind Zhang Xiu'e, making her floral dress slightly see-through.

Chen Yuan could make out two thin straps beneath her dress, drawn tight against her waist.

He hurriedly looked away.

"I... I'll have to ask Grandpa." Chen Yuan's voice sounded a little unsteady.

"Come on, then. I'll give you a ride home." Zhang Xiu'e turned toward the scooter.

She swung onto it and looked back, beckoning to Chen Yuan. "Hop on!"

Chen Yuan walked over and sat on the back seat.

The seat was too small!

The moment he sat down, he was pressed right up against Zhang Xiu'e.

The floral dress was as thin as paper. Chen Yuan's thigh rested against Zhang Xiu'e's, and he could feel the warmth of her skin.

Her fragrance was stronger now, filling his nose.

"Hold tight." Zhang Xiu'e twisted the throttle.

The scooter surged forward. Chen Yuan lurched backward and instinctively reached forward to grab hold!

Both hands wrapped around Zhang Xiu'e's waist.

So soft. It felt so good to hold!

Chen Yuan pulled his hands back as though he'd been burned, but the scooter jolted and pitched him forward again. This time, his whole body pressed against Zhang Xiu'e's back.

Summer clothes were thin. Chen Yuan wore only a pair of loose shorts, with just one layer of fabric underneath. Zhang Xiu'e was no different—her dress was incredibly thin!

He could feel Zhang Xiu'e's whole body enclosed in his arms. Her scent kept flooding his nose!

Chen Yuan's mind exploded into a buzz. His heart raced uncontrollably, and his entire body froze.

He shifted his backside backward, trying to put some distance between them.

But there was only so much room on the seat. As Chen Yuan moved back, his backside ended up perched on the edge. With nowhere to hold on and too afraid to wrap his arms around Zhang Xiu'e's waist again, he could only brace himself against the metal rack behind him.

"Hold on properly. Don't fall off," Zhang Xiu'e said without looking back. "Just put your arms around my waist. What's there to be scared of? I used to carry you all the time when you were little."

Chen Yuan didn't move.

Zhang Xiu'e glanced back at him and laughed. "What's this? All grown up and shy now?"

She twisted the throttle again, and the scooter rounded a corner. Chen Yuan tilted sideways and instinctively grabbed Zhang Xiu'e around the waist.

He held on tight!

This time, he didn't dare move.

It wasn't that he didn't want to. He didn't dare.

Because, to his horror, Chen Yuan discovered that his body had reacted beyond his control,

pressing awkwardly against her through the fabric.

Chen Yuan's face burned. He hurriedly drew his hips back, desperately trying to hide his body's reaction.

But the scooter kept bouncing, and the farther he pulled back, the less securely he sat.

At each jolt, their bodies were abruptly pressed together.

Chen Yuan was mortified. Every bump left him so tense that his scalp tingled.

Zhang Xiu'e seemed not to notice. As she rode, she asked, "Yuan, how many points did you say you got?"

"Th-three hundred or so." Even Chen Yuan's voice trembled.

"Three hundred or so isn't much," Zhang Xiu'e said. "But a college degree isn't worth much these days, either. You might be better off starting work early. There are plenty of opportunities in Deep City. Go there and work hard, and you'll do just as well as if you'd gone to college."

"Mm," Chen Yuan replied, his brain barely functioning.

The scooter jolted again.

Chen Yuan's body suddenly stiffened. Embarrassment rushed straight to his head, and he almost let out a muffled groan.

Still without looking back, Zhang Xiu'e continued, "If you go, I'll introduce you to a factory that makes phones. The work isn't tiring, though you do have to stand. You start at four thousand five hundred. Once you get the hang of it, you can earn five or six thousand."

"Mm," Chen Yuan answered again.

He heard his own voice, as faint as a mosquito's whine.

Zhang Xiu'e laughed. "What's wrong? Still feeling shy? You weren't this bashful when you used to run around after me as a kid."

Her words only made Chen Yuan more embarrassed.

That was then. This was now.

When Zhang Xiu'e had held him as a child, he'd only thought she smelled nice. Now, with her right against him, he was thinking about other things.

Things he shouldn't be thinking about.

The scooter turned into the alley and stopped outside Zhang Xiu'e's house.

Chen Yuan quickly let go and jumped off.

But that part of his body was still rigid. He could only stand awkwardly sideways, terrified someone would notice.

Zhang Xiu'e got off the scooter and glanced back at Chen Yuan.

Her gaze seemed to pass casually over his lower body.

Chen Yuan's face instantly flushed red!

Zhang Xiu'e smiled without saying anything and wheeled the scooter through the doorway.

After a couple of steps, she turned back. "I'm cooking tonight. Bring your grandpa over for dinner. It's been years. We can catch up."

"Okay," Chen Yuan answered, turning straight toward home.

He was in such a hurry that he nearly tripped over the threshold.

Zhang Xiu'e's laughter rang out behind him.

Chen Yuan fled into his own courtyard and leaned against the door, his chest heaving.

His body was still stiff, making even standing feel awkward.

Chen Yuan looked down and cursed, "You useless thing!"