WS - Chapter 163
Chapter 163
This sudden hoist through the air was indeed sudden, but to be precise, it wasn't entirely without warning.
It seemed that ever since Song Shiyue woke up yesterday, the taut string everyone had been holding had unconsciously slackened.
They had just finished breakfast, and they still hadn't decided on a specific plan for the day — whether to hike the nearby mountain they hadn't yet had time to explore, or to wait until the wheelbarrow was fully completed before breaking camp.
Right now, everyone was in camp, so naturally they weren't going to let Yu Nianbing clean up alone. Earlier, Yu Nianbing had been scrubbing inside while Ning Chuyang carried the clean dishes out. For this last batch, Ning Chuyang was inside stacking the clean utensils, and Yu Nianbing shook the water off her hands as she stepped out of the washroom first.
As she lifted the curtain, Yu Nianbing's wet hands flung water right into the face of Song Shiyue, who was standing just outside the doorway.
Yu Nianbing: "..." Her still-damp hand froze awkwardly for a moment.
Song Shiyue didn't seem to mind at all. Without even wiping her face, she grinned and stepped forward, as if about to snuggle up to Yu Nianbing.
The distance between them suddenly closed. Watching that person who kept drawing closer, almost touching her body, Yu Nianbing's heart suddenly raced.
If during the meal Yu Nianbing's heart had been like a deer bumping into things after being praised by Song Shiyue, then now... it was as if a hundred rabbits had been thrown inside. The speed, the frequency... it was beating so out of rhythm.
These days, the two of them had not lacked moments even closer than this.
Honestly... they could even be considered people who had once been close to a negative distance.
But... Song Shiyue's smiling, voluntary closeness still made Yu Nianbing's ears turn red in an instant, and she instinctively shrank back a little.
Yu Nianbing had been holding the curtain, one foot already out of the washroom and most of her body through the doorway. Now, with that little flinch, she entirely shrank back inside the washroom.
This motion made Song Shiyue, who had just been about to bend down, pause slightly.
"Teacher Yu, come out," Song Shiyue tried her best to smile amiably.
Yu Nianbing: "..."
Hah, that Song Shiyue, she really needs to polish her acting skills. As an actress, her acting goes online one moment and drops offline the next — is that acceptable?
The way she earnestly called that bitter soup sweet earlier was probably the peak of her acting.
Look at her now...
The tail of that big-tailed wolf is about to fall off, isn't it.
Although Yu Nianbing didn't know what Song Shiyue was up to, still...
Hmph!
Aren't we such good friends?
You want me to come out and I'll come out?
"You come in," Yu Nianbing didn't fall for it at all. She stepped back again, and the hand holding the curtain also slackened, as if she was about to retreat back into the washroom.
Song Shiyue blinked, looking somewhat innocent.
But honestly, she truly didn't know why Yu Nianbing suddenly looked like she was keeping her at arm's length.
Yu Nianbing's attitude — seeming aloof but actually wary — in Song Shiyue's eyes, was undoubtedly like shoving a big spoonful of coffee powder into her mouth, the kind without creamer.
Dry and bitter, it really didn't taste good.
We're all friends, what's with this attitude, aren't we getting along anymore?
Song Shiyue's heart crumpled a little, pretty uncomfortable.
But this bit of discomfort was quickly suppressed.
Things you can't figure out, don't overthink. Wasn't she just unhappy? I've already come up with a way to cheer her up, so let's do it!
"Come out, Teacher Yu, come out." Song Shiyue moved aside a little, no longer blocking the doorway, leaving a path for Yu Nianbing to come out.
Yu Nianbing: "..."
A mirror, is there a mirror to show this big fool what she looks like now, like a big-tailed wolf...
Her ulterior motives are written all over her face!
If this were before, Yu Nianbing might not have been able to resist Song Shiyue's coaxing manner; after all, Song Shiyue wouldn't do anything bad to her, and she might have gone along with it.
But now...
The anger from yesterday hasn't smoothed out yet!
And today's anger has been added on top!
Yu-Pufferfish-Nianbing silently backed up again.
But her back was blocked.
"Teacher Yu? Why aren't you going out?" Ning Chuyang, holding a basin, was blocked and looked baffled. "What's going on outside? What is Song Shiyue doing?"
Ning Chuyang's voice made both Yu Nianbing and Song Shiyue freeze for a moment.
One just remembered that they were not alone here; Ning Chuyang was present too.
The other felt the embarrassment of being caught skipping class by a teacher, since what she was about to do seemed not very proper.
The production team's temporary washroom was surrounded by tent-like fabric. Originally, Song Shiyue had planned to wait for Yu Nianbing to come out, cover her eyes, and take her for a surprise.
But now this person...
Hmm, since finishing the rabbit yesterday, she's been so dawdling.
Just get better already!
Song Shiyue couldn't wait any longer for the two inside to go back and forth saying something.
Keep it simple, when you're stirring things up, keep it simple.
Yu Nianbing was about to step back a bit more to let Ning Chuyang go out, when suddenly, that Song Shiyue who had already moved aside, abruptly lunged forward, and then...
"Let me...!" Suddenly lifted into the air, Yu Nianbing's head rushed with blood, and she only managed to say two words before she was too dizzy to say the rest.
The rush of blood here wasn't figurative anger at Song Shiyue's sudden action; she was really a bit lightheaded from the blood rush.
The basin in Ning Chuyang's hands clattered to the ground.
Fortunately, this last basin only contained chopsticks and stainless-steel lunchboxes; otherwise they might have lost a batch of bowls due to Song Shiyue's whim.
Ning Chuyang didn't bother with the fallen basin and hastily reached out to lift the curtain that had already dropped back down.
After only a moment of shock and that one motion, when Ning Chuyang looked outside again, Song Shiyue, carrying the person, had already walked a dozen steps away.
If I make it back alive this time, I will definitely, definitely pay out of my own pocket to send Song Shiyue to a romance course!
Ning Chuyang clenched her fist, thinking to herself so resolutely.
Of course... that was on the premise that Song Shiyue would come back alive later...
From the production team's temporary washroom to the wheelbarrow outside the fence, it was only about twenty-some steps.
Song Shiyue felt that when she carried the person, she paid great attention to strength and posture, and absolutely didn't press on Yu Nianbing's stomach.
Alright... actually, she had originally thought it wasn't convenient to maneuver at the curtain, so she planned to carry the person out on her shoulder first, and then switch to a princess-carry.
But... she didn't know why, once that warm, soft body was hoisted onto her shoulder, Song Shiyue inexplicably got a little nervous.
The first few steps she took, her left and right feet moved a bit uncoordinatedly... She had to pull herself together for a bit before she could walk properly.
Strange to say, during the apocalypse, birds with scales so slippery they couldn't be gripped, white-skinned pigs with hooves like stones weighing a thousand jin, sheep that would explode with the slightest improper force, giant fish with bones thick as pillars... Song Shiyue with her brute strength had shouldered and carried all kinds of strange things. Hundreds or thousands of jin, she could lift and walk with ease, in any posture she wanted, without any hitch.
But now, just a normal girl, who likely didn't even weigh a hundred jin, why was it that carrying her on her shoulder made her... made her not quite know where to apply her strength...
Song Shiyue's heart felt a strange panic. Managing to keep in mind not to press on Yu Nianbing's stomach while carrying her was the extent of her rationality. As for the original plan to switch to a princess-carry once she'd hoisted her securely... Song Shiyue's heart felt weak, her hands a bit soft, and her instinct was just to hurry to the spot and put her down.
And so...
With a spinning head and gritted teeth, Yu Nianbing was carried by Song Shiyue in great strides to outside the fence and placed onto the wheelbarrow.
From start to finish, she was exactly like a pig being transported...
Yu Nianbing sat silently on the wheelbarrow. Because her head was still a little dizzy, she had to reach out a hand to brace herself on the cart bed.
Beneath her was the wheelbarrow that Song Shiyue and Feng Qianqian had spent much time discussing and building. To the touch, the wooden boards were sanded smooth and clean... Yu Nianbing felt even dizzier.
To be honest, the dizziness when Song Shiyue suddenly hoisted her up, body suspended and head hanging upside down, was indeed from the blood rushing to her head.
But afterwards, including now, at least eighty percent of this dizziness was from anger!
Fine, fine, very well done...
For other girls, she'd do a princess-carry.
When it came to me, she carried me like a pig...
Yu Nianbing was so angry she couldn't speak anymore.
Resentment flew like daggers from the silent Yu Nianbing's eyes. Standing beside her and being stared at, Song Shiyue awkwardly rubbed her hands, but didn't know how to give an explanation that could salvage what had just happened.
Alright, the fact was... Song Shiyue truly didn't know... what had come over her just now.
She couldn't come up with an excuse on the spot. Seeing that Yu Nianbing was about to get truly furious, Song Shiyue barely managed to grab onto the last lifeline.
"Um... the weather is very nice today, let's go out for a spin." Song Shiyue piled a smile on her face and carefully approached the cart, circling behind Yu Nianbing and grasping the handles.
"I'm not going." Yu Nianbing wasn't stupid. The reason Song Shiyue had called her out of the washroom earlier was now obvious.
It's just...
A pig!
Doesn't deserve to go out and have fun!
Yu Nianbing's resentment condensed into a small temper. As she spoke, she started to move her leg to get off the cart.
Song Shiyue's idea to coax her, which she had come up with with great difficulty, had already offended her again in execution. There was no way she dared to stop now. She truly couldn't think of any other way to appease her.
A hand, from behind, gently pressed on Yu Nianbing's shoulder and pulled her back.
Before Yu Nianbing could recover her balance from the slight backward tilt, she heard Song Shiyue behind her say, "Hold tight, let's go~~"
Yu Nianbing sat on one side; on the other side of the board, for some reason, there was a section of a tree trunk.
It was clearly just a hand-pushed wheelbarrow, clearly the load on the cart was already quite heavy, but Song Shiyue managed to push it at flying speed...
A speed that made Yu Nianbing dare not jump off.
Of course, Yu Nianbing didn't doubt that if she really made a move to jump off, she would once again be suppressed by Song Shiyue's physical force.
Fine, fine, very fine...
Now that your body's better, your strength is back, you can conquer the world with force again, huh!
Yu Nianbing sat silently on the cart, without a trace of joy about "going out to play."
Song Shiyue, on the other hand, while pushing the cart so fast, didn't forget to cheerfully call back to the camp, "We're going out for a bit, we'll be back soon~~"
The sheer joy in her voice made Yu Nianbing feel like turning around and hitting her.
But... she had to admit, this was the first time in her life she had sat in a wheelbarrow being pushed along.
Song Shiyue pushed the cart very steadily. The wind, carrying the fresh scent of grass, blew past her face. It truly was a special experience, different from riding in a car.
It's... quite interesting...
Of course, these words, Yu-Just-A-Pig-Nianbing would never utter aloud.
Song Shiyue pushed Yu Nianbing swiftly all the way to the hillside where they had once dug rabbit holes. Originally a walk of over half an hour, now with Song Shiyue pushing, it took barely ten-some minutes.
"Teacher Yu, cheer up a little. When I finished this cart, the first person I wanted to try it was you. So, how is it? Is it steady? Is it fun to ride?" Song Shiyue stopped on the hillside and laughed.
Song Shiyue wasn't so thick-skinned. Along the way, she had long sensed that Yu Nianbing's reaction was quite different from what she had imagined. She had tried to strike up a conversation several times on the road, but Yu Nianbing ignored her, leaving Song Shiyue somewhat... at a loss.
Isn't it fun?
Not happy?
Have a little more childlike spirit!
"Steady." Yu Nianbing averted her eyes, but ultimately, softened by Song Shiyue's somewhat pitiful look, she slowly uttered a single word.
But, ah, some people just shouldn't be praised!
On the way here, going uphill, it was smooth and stable.
On the way back, having received that word "steady," Song Shiyue insisted on letting Yu Nianbing try the Song-style roller coaster...
Very good, very thoughtful.
Back at the camp, Yu Nianbing slowly stretched out her legs and landed on the ground. It took a long while before she could stand up, bracing herself on the cart bed.
This time, no matter how expectant or how pitiful Song Shiyue looked, Yu Nianbing absolutely would not say a single word to her.
It wasn't... that she was angry...
It was indeed... quite fun...
But... the morning soup hadn't digested yet. Yu Nianbing felt it was best to calm down and suppress it. Don't open your mouth; opening your mouth would cause trouble...
But to Song Shiyue, Yu Nianbing enduring her churning stomach in silence was just three words.
Not fun.
Not satisfied.
Still angry.
Song Shiyue held the cart handles and silently hung her head.
Yu Nianbing had just gone to drink some water and calm down. When she came out of the tent again, Song Shiyue's shadow was nowhere to be seen.
She hadn't disappeared, though; she had left word with Ning Chuyang: they could arrange their own day. If they wanted to go check out that nearby mountain that probably hadn't been touched by the production team, they could. As for Song Shiyue herself, she had to leave for a while.
What else could Yu Nianbing say?
This person, once recovered, was like a wild horse off its reins. Either she dragged others into wildness, or she went wild by herself... In any case, she just had to go wild!
The next time she saw Song Shiyue was in the evening, when it was almost dark.
Zhuang Jiachuan had sharpened the stone knife and was on his way to kill the rabbits, forced to do it, when Song Shiyue returned.
Song Shiyue was covered in dust and grime, as if she had rolled in the dirt, but she immediately ran up to Yu Nianbing with a face eager to show off a treasure.
"Look!" Song Shiyue extended her hands.
A handful of chestnuts.
"You, you, you..." Seeing Song Shiyue back, Zhuang Jiachuan let out a long sigh of relief and hurried over to hand over the knife. But seeing what was in her hands, he was stunned. "Those chestnuts, could they be, the ones I mentioned to you last night?"
"That's right, that tree you all saw before. Didn't you say Teacher Yu looked like she really wanted to eat them at the time?" Song Shiyue brought the chestnuts a little closer to Yu Nianbing's face, then pulled them back. "I picked them and brought them back. Is Teacher Yu a bit happier now? I'll go roast them for you right away. Wait a little, you'll be able to eat them soon!"
If Yu Nianbing remembered correctly, that chestnut tree... when she and Zhuang Jiachuan had gone, they had walked for about seven hours. The round trip was fourteen hours, maybe even more.
How long had Song Shiyue been gone? At most, seven hours...
Had she... for these few chestnuts... been running the whole time...
Could it be!
Could she be a fool!
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