A delicate beauty takes a place in a marriage, while a cold, rough man seduces her every night.

Tears streamed down her face as she gazed sadly at the man before her through a misty haze.

He must feel that he made a mountain out of a molehill and that he can't handle the blow.

Xiao Jingye wiped away her tears with his thumb, leaned slightly forward, and held her shoulder: "When were the results of the competition released?"

"Principal Zhou called a meeting with us this morning to announce it."

"Have you been feeling wronged and upset all day?"

"Mmm." Her voice was low, and her face was filled with disappointment and bitterness.

"Are you stupid?" Xiao Jingye pulled her into his arms, his broad, strong chest enveloping her thin, trembling body.

"Do you think I'm particularly fragile?" Qingyan asked, sobbing.

"No." His large hand covered the back of her head, stroking her soft hair slowly and gently. "I felt sorry for you because you were upset about this all day."

He didn't rush to explain anything, nor did he casually comfort her by saying it was okay.

He simply held her tightly, letting her clutch his clothes and bury her face in his shoulder, sobbing softly.

She let out all the pent-up frustrations of the day and cried it all out.

Zeng Yumei was playing with Duoduo outside the house, without coming in to disturb them.

After a long while, when her crying had subsided a little, Xiao Jingye pulled out a stool next to the desk and sat her down on his lap.

The girl's eyes were glistening with tears, her pale cheeks and the tip of her nose were red, making one's heart ache.

Xiao Jingye raised his hand to wipe away the remaining tears on her face: "Who said that all the effort was in vain?"

"I watched you work hard for almost a month, teaching classes during the day and studying late into the night, revising your lesson plans again and again. I saw how excellent you are, and all the teachers in the school saw it. Being first in the written exam speaks for itself; it's a strength that no one can erase."

Qingyan hung her head dejectedly: "I wasn't chosen, it must be because I'm not good enough."

"Is the evaluation process based on scores from higher-ups?"

"Um."

Xiao Jingye pinched her slightly cool chin, forcing her to look up and look directly at him: "Leaders are human, and as long as they are judged by humans, there can be no absolute fairness."

"Not being selected doesn't mean you're not good enough; it means the evaluation was biased, not that it's your fault. You can't doubt yourself, you can't think you're bad, and you certainly can't deny all the effort you've put in day and night."

Qingyan's voice choked with emotion: "But everyone assumed I was guaranteed a spot, and I even got first place in the written exam. I've been preparing for so long..."

"You earned first place through your own hard work and genuine ability," Xiao Jingye interrupted her endless self-destructive rant. He gently brushed his thumb across the corner of her reddened eyes, his voice low and soft. "You told me that the competition for public school positions involves a comprehensive review from multiple perspectives. You came out on top in the written exam, and even though you lost your lesson plan, you still delivered a brilliant public lesson. Everyone witnessed that; it's undeniable ability. As for the subsequent stages, which are entirely based on subjective scoring, we have no control over them; there are too many unpredictable variables involved."

"My wife is perfectly qualified for this government-affiliated position; she's not good enough for you."

"It's okay that someone else took your spot this year. I'll take the exam with you next year, help you study, help you prepare lessons, and go to the exam hall with you. Even if you still don't get a civil service job next year, it doesn't matter. Our family doesn't lack the salary or benefits of a government job."

He raised his hand, grasped her small hand, and pressed it against his heart:

"I work tirelessly, running between the city and the mountains, to earn money. I give all my money to you, not so you can desperately try to get a government job to prove yourself. It's so you can live as you please and be happy. If you want to teach, you can teach at the school. If you don't want to teach, we can quit our jobs anytime, stay home, and do whatever we like. I can support you."

Qingyan's eyes welled up again, and tears streamed down her face: "I truly love teaching."

"It's not that I'm trying to prove anything. Which teacher doesn't want to transfer to a public school? I just feel so unwilling..."

"I know." Xiao Jingye pressed the person's head into his arms.

His deep, dark eyes gazed out the window at the twilight sky, lost in thought.

I held her quietly for a while.

A moment later, he patted her bottom, brushed his lips against her forehead, and whispered comforting words:

"Let's not think about this anymore, okay? Let's eat first. I specially bought you a can of mandarin oranges from the city today, and Mom made you some sweet rice ball soup."

"After dinner, I'll take you for a walk along the riverbank and let you feel the breeze. When I rode my bike back today, I saw a huge patch of wild chrysanthemums blooming there, and even the wind smelled sweet."

After a moment, Qingyan sniffed and replied softly, "Okay."

The overwhelming emotions of sadness and grievance were like a damp and crumpled piece of paper, which were silently smoothed out by Xiao Jingye.

After drinking a small bowl of sugar water for dinner, Qingyan couldn't eat anything else.

When I'm feeling down, I have no appetite.

Xiao Jingye picked up the bowl, trying to coax her to eat a couple more bites, but Qingyan blocked him with her hand, frowning and saying, "I'm not eating anymore, I'm not eating anymore."

Sitting obediently on her little stool, Duoduo, who was eating by herself, watched this scene and giggled: "Mom, my sister-in-law still needs my brother to feed her, but Duoduo can eat by herself."

Qingyan was embarrassed by what was said, her ears turned red, and she glared at Xiao Jingye reproachfully: "I really can't eat anymore."

The other person stopped insisting, picked up the rest of her food, and finished it in a few bites.

After dinner, Qingyan felt sticky and uncomfortable on her face and body after crying, so she took a shower and changed into a soft and refreshing dress.

Xiao Jingye took her hand, told Zeng Yumei, and the two of them were going to take a walk along the riverbank to digest their food.

Duoduo insisted on going too, but Xiao Jingye said he wouldn't take her, which made Duoduo throw a tantrum. Later, Zeng Yumei took her to Chun Ya's house to play.

Night fell, and all was still.

The lingering heat of late summer has just passed, and the temperature is neither too hot nor too cold, making it a comfortable and pleasant time.

The river flows slowly from south to north, with several villages scattered along its banks.

Fearing she might catch a chill from the night wind, Xiao Jingye draped a thin jacket over his arm, while holding her hand tightly with his other hand the entire time.

His hands were large and thick, with a thin layer of calluses on his palms and fingertips. As he walked, his fingertips gently caressed the delicate skin between her thumb and forefinger.

The sound of the river flowing gently filled my ears, and the fluttering wings of unknown birds stirred the grass and leaves.

The pent-up frustration and anxiety in my heart slowly dissipated amidst the mountains and streams, bringing me much relief.

As Qingyan gazed at the river, she suddenly recalled an old story.

"When I was fifteen, my aunt had something to do and sent me back to the countryside from the city to stay for a few days. It was an evening like this when I accidentally twisted my ankle on the riverbank and couldn't walk a step. To make matters worse, it started raining heavily, and there wasn't a single pedestrian on the whole road. I was terribly panicked at the time, thinking that I was going to be soaked in the rain all night in the middle of nowhere."

Xiao Jingye paused slightly: "And then?"

Qingyan smiled and said, "Later, I met an older man. At first, I thought he was a bad guy, but he turned out to be a really nice person. He carried me for several miles and safely took me home."

"Looking back now, I feel both touched and regretful. I didn't know who he was, and I couldn't properly thank him."

"At that time, he asked me to hold the umbrella. He was wearing a black raincoat with his hood pulled low, and it was dark, so I couldn't see his face clearly at all. He took me to my doorstep and then turned around and left."

The two stood on the riverbank, where a sea of ​​wild chrysanthemums stretched before them, the fragrance carried by the wind brushing past Xiao Jinye's nose.

I don't know if it's the fragrance of the flowers or hers.

Qingyan kicked at the pebbles at her feet and sighed, "There are still many good people in this world. If I run into that uncle again, I will definitely thank him properly."