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墨書 Inktalez
Su Hailu walked through the fields, unsure of where to place her feet. This was probably her first time stepping into nature, entering the countryside.
Wearing delicate high heels and a flowing red dress, she cautiously walked along the narrow path, stopping occasionally to look ahead. The narrow path was indeed difficult to navigate, and it seemed like there was no one in sight for quite a distance. She began to regret coming here.
From the balcony, she had seen figures moving about, but now they had suddenly vanished.
She didn't realize that the workers had just been using a ladder to peek out from the dense Vine Leaves, tending to the Grape Vine branches and trimming the overgrown foliage. To ensure sunlight reached every leaf, they worked under the sun almost every day, turning each leaf over.
Now, with the sun setting in the west, they were likely resting inside the shed for a moment.
The mid-spring sunlight was still somewhat intense; after standing in it for a while, beads of sweat began to form on Su Hailu's forehead.
Since she was already here, it felt awkward to leave without seeing anything. Reluctantly, she stepped off the path and entered the neatly arranged Trellis shaded by Vine Leaves.
As soon as she stepped into the Trellis, Su Hailu gasped.
It was truly an unexpected world. The Trellis formed a straight corridor that provided shade, deep and inviting.
Once inside the corridor, it was indeed a completely different scene from outside; it was cool and lively. The workers were resting and chatting or busy with their tasks.
When a beautiful girl suddenly appeared at the entrance of the corridor, everyone turned to look at her.
Su Hailu instinctively halted in her tracks.
"Miss, you must be a Chinese exchange student too?" an elderly man with a bushy beard called out to Su Hailu.
Su Hailu nodded cautiously.
"Many Chinese students like to come here, but you are the first girl," the elder continued.
"Oh." Su Hailu relaxed her guard and took a few steps further in. "Is it a group of boys?" she asked.
"Yes." The elder nodded with a smile. "Sometimes it's a large group of boys, but the one who comes most often is a tall, thin boy who usually comes alone. He comes every Saturday morning without fail, and sometimes he comes on other days too, but almost always in the evening. He brings books with him and leaves after a while, saying he needs to go read."
"Oh," Su Hailu replied.
The tall, thin boy the elder mentioned could only be An Shaojie! He really does come here often.
So, Su Hailu no longer hesitated. By the time she approached the elder, she was already engaged in a lively conversation with him. The others did not interrupt, each busy with their own tasks; some had already left the Trellis to work in the fields.
The elder sat on a long bench, busily mashing something that resembled plant fertilizer. Su Hailu squatted beside him, watching him work.
"What do those boys come here for? Do they help you with work as part of a work-study program?" Su Hailu asked. She initially wanted to ask what that boy came here for each week but ultimately inquired about the group of boys instead.
Many Chinese students work off-campus in various jobs to earn some living expenses and lessen the burden on their families, which is why she asked.
An Shaojie had been admitted to this school on a full scholarship. When she applied to this school with him, she had told her family that if he couldn't get the scholarship, they would have to help pay his tuition. After he received the scholarship, she told him that her family would cover his living expenses as compensation for agreeing to pay his tuition. He didn't say anything at that time. After arriving abroad, he insisted on working part-time jobs to earn his living expenses and refused any money from her family.
As for how many part-time jobs he held outside, he never mentioned it to her, and she never inquired about it either.
One reason was that he didn't need to work; all he had to do was ask if he needed money and how much he needed, and she could provide it. Of course, if he wanted to maintain appearances and felt that as a man he should earn his own living, she would respect that. So she thought of his part-time work as leisure time after studying since he didn't have any particular hobbies; if he enjoyed it, then so be it—she wouldn't give him any worries.
The second reason was that he was a man. If his job was respectable, that was fine; if it was hard labor that wasn't respectable, she feared asking might embarrass him, so she chose not to ask at all. Moreover, from what she could see, he didn't seem overly exhausted and never asked her for money. Although he was frugal with his spending, he wasn't struggling financially; it seemed like his job must be decent enough for her not to need to inquire about his work situation.
"Yes and no," the elder said with a smile as he stood up, carrying a plastic bucket filled with the mashed substance and walked out of the Trellis.
Su Hailu followed him out, trailing behind until they reached the edge of a field where he set down a plastic bucket.
He crouched in the field and began to apply the fertilizer he had just prepared to another type of plant.
It was then that Su Hailu noticed that the plants in this estate were planted in an intercropping manner.
On one side of the field, grapes were growing, supported by wooden trellises. The leaves of the grapevines completely covered the trellis, creating a green shaded corridor. On the other side of the field, there was another type of small and delicate plant, and the bed for this small plant was much narrower. Sandwiched between the tall, dense grapevines, one could only see the lush green grapes from a distance, obscuring the view of these small delicate plants.
Earlier, Su Hailu had been under the grapevine trellis, so she hadn’t noticed that there were other plants growing in the middle of the grape field.
Crouching beside him and watching him scoop fertilizer, she asked, “That boy is your boyfriend.” It wasn’t a question but a definite affirmation.
Although it was a statement, Su Hailu nodded.
“Did you come for him?” he asked with a smile, his demeanor warm. The orange sunset cast a soft glow on his face, giving his somewhat aged and rugged features a gentle light.
“Mm.” Su Hailu nodded again.
“What do you want to know about him?” he asked, as if he understood Su Hailu’s thoughts and intentions.
Su Hailu was taken aback for a moment, her gaze lingering on his face as she scrutinized him, or perhaps she wanted him to scrutinize her. It seemed that from the moment she arrived, he knew who she came for and why. After a while, Su Hailu revealed a radiant smile to the elder, one more beautiful than flowers. However, she did not answer him; instead, she picked up the plastic bucket he had placed in the ditch and joined him in fertilizing those delicate plants.
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