Chapter 87: Covered in Mud

Yao Jia originally planned to have the family driver take her and Meng Xingzhe to the countryside.

However, Meng Xingzhe immediately rejected the idea. He insisted on driving himself, giving a lofty reason: “The conditions in the countryside are tough. Our fathers sent us there to toughen us up. Your driver is used to the comforts of city life; don’t drag him into our little adventure.”

Yao Jia almost believed his spiel. It wasn’t until after she agreed that she realized Meng Xingzhe simply didn’t want a third wheel intruding on their time together, but he was too stubborn to admit it.

The next morning, Meng Xingzhe arrived in an SUV to pick up Yao Jia.

When Yao Jia saw him, her eyes lit up. He had dressed impeccably, wearing a limited edition trench coat from the current season, a shirt, and tailored trousers underneath, topped off with a pair of shiny new black leather shoes.

At that moment, Yao Jia thought he looked so handsome he could walk straight onto a fashion runway and steal the show.

Despite his dashing appearance in the morning light, Yao Jia couldn’t help but suggest, “Maybe you should change into something more casual, like me. Wear sneakers. What do you think?”

Leaning against the car, Meng Xingzhe raised an eyebrow with a lazy yet charming demeanor. “Isn’t it a waste of time?”

After all, he had spent considerable time and effort to look this way.

Yao Jia thought for a moment. “How about we buy you a pair of sneakers on the way?”

Meng Xingzhe flatly refused. “No way. Wearing sneakers with this outfit? That would look terrible!”

Yao Jia was speechless. “Walking all day in those shoes might wear you out.”

Meng Xingzhe was resolute. “Then let me get worn out. It’s better than looking bad.”

Yao Jia was utterly speechless.

This guy was truly committed to his appearance, willing to endure anything as long as his style remained intact.

Yao Jia decided to let him do as he pleased.

Once in the car, Meng Xingzhe asked Yao Jia for their destination. She named a village in the countryside. It would take a few hours to drive there.

“We should explore the area first,” Yao Jia said, setting up the GPS on her phone and placing it in the holder. “Just a heads-up, I’ve heard the roads there aren’t great.”

Meng Xingzhe raised an eyebrow with a confident smirk. “No matter how bad the road, it will be smooth under the feet of Young Master Xing!”

Listening to his confident words, Yao Jia had a feeling she would soon witness the manifestation of Murphy’s Law.

They drove along the highway, then onto the national road, followed by the provincial road, and finally onto the county road. After the county road ended, Meng Xingzhe was dumbfounded.

In front of them lay a vast expanse of dirt roads.

The village they were headed to was just beyond these dirt paths, but the car couldn’t go any further.

Yao Jia unbuckled her seatbelt and said to Meng Xingzhe, “Stop staring. Your eyes won’t pave the road. Let’s get out and walk.”

Meng Xingzhe didn’t move.

“?” Yao Jia called out to him, “Young Master Xing.”

Meng Xingzhe turned to look at her.

“Do you hear something echoing in your ears?” Yao Jia asked.

Meng Xingzhe listened carefully and shook his head. “No.”

Yao Jia told him, “I do. I hear a voice saying, ‘No matter how bad the road, it will be smooth under the feet of Young Master Xing!'”

Meng Xingzhe’s handsome face immediately fell, turning dark. Yao Jia burst into laughter.

She dragged Meng Xingzhe out of the car, and they trudged through the dirt towards the village.

They hadn’t walked far when a layer of dust settled on Meng Xingzhe’s expensive leather shoes. He frowned deeply.

The uneven ground was full of clumps of dirt. Yao Jia, in her sneakers, walked steadily, while Meng Xingzhe, in his leather shoes, stumbled with each step, his brows furrowing tighter and tighter.

He watched his feet intently, each step a cautious endeavor. But despite his vigilance, he couldn’t avoid stepping into a half-wet mud puddle, staining his pricey shoes.

Taking a deep breath, he realized the mud puddle had a distinct odor.

Suddenly, Meng Xingzhe was struck by the realization of what he had stepped into.

It was most likely some animal’s urine!

Seeing Meng Xingzhe’s expression, as if he wanted to cut off his foot, Yao Jia couldn’t help but laugh again.

Meng Xingzhe, with a dark expression, asked her for tissues.

Yao Jia advised, “I don’t think it’s necessary to wipe them. Really, the road ahead is even rougher. You clean them now, and you’ll just step into another mess. Why bother?”

Meng Xingzhe insisted on having tissues. Yao Jia found some in her bag for him. With a face full of despair, Meng Xingzhe pinched his nose, crouched down to wipe his shoes, and then looked around for a trash can to dispose of the dirty tissues, but found none.

Yao Jia stifled her laughter and said, “Just hold onto it for now. Once we get into the village, we can ask where to throw it away.”

Meng Xingzhe, feeling squeamish, held the tissue at arm’s length, wishing his hand could extend indefinitely.

Entering the village, they saw a group of children playing wildly, each covered in dust, their innocence charming. When they saw the two striking strangers, they all stopped in their tracks.

Meng Xingzhe leaned down to ask the nearest child, “Hey kid, where’s the trash can around here?”

The young child grinned at him, reached up to grab his trench coat, and enthusiastically offered, “I’ll take you there! I’ll take you there!”

The child tugged on Meng Xingzhe’s coat and ran ahead, surprisingly strong for his size, catching Meng Xingzhe off guard and pulling him along with a surprised yelp.

Ahead was a puddle. The child, unbothered, leaped over it like a little warrior, cheering himself on with “Hee-haw!” But his legs were too short, and he landed right in the puddle, splashing mud and water all over Meng Xingzhe.

“Damn!” Meng Xingzhe exclaimed, as if half his soul had left his body.

The next moment, the child pulled him into the muddy puddle with both feet.

“Hey, kid, stop!” Meng Xingzhe’s voice sounded as if the rest of his soul was about to leave him.

But the child gave him no time to lament, dragging him toward a nearby garbage dump.

The stench of decay hit Meng Xingzhe like a biological weapon, enveloping him.

“This is where you throw the trash!”

The child’s voice was bright and cheerful, full of the joy of helping others.

Meng Xingzhe wished he could just vanish on the spot.

The child let go, leaving a wrinkled black fist mark on Meng Xingzhe’s limited edition trench coat.

Meng Xingzhe numbly tossed the dirty tissue away, looking down at himself with a sense of defeat.

His meticulously cleaned shoes were once again covered in mud, both feet entirely caked.

His crisp suit pants were splattered with mud stains.

His trench coat was no longer the pristine garment it once was.

He turned to look at Yao Jia, filled with a desire to disappear, his face a picture of despair.

But Yao Jia, seeing his sorry state, laughed so hard she could barely stand.

As she laughed, a small yellow dog suddenly darted out from nowhere.

The dog raced towards the child and Meng Xingzhe, its paws kicking up dirt.

Seeing Meng Xingzhe’s expression change, Yao Jia’s own expression shifted. She quickly rushed forward, racing the dog.

She managed to block the dog, which leaped into the child’s arms instead.

The child hugged the dog, turning to look at Yao Jia and Meng Xingzhe, then laughed loudly, “You’re afraid of dogs! You’re such a scaredy-cat!” he pointed at Meng Xingzhe.

“……”

Having just faced the reality of being covered in filth, Meng Xingzhe now had to deal with being mocked by a child for his fear.

Meng Xingzhe felt like he was repeatedly dying in this wretched countryside!

He no longer wanted the itchy jade pendant!

What bet? If he lost, he lost!

All he wanted now was to get out of this godforsaken place!!

Later, Meng Xingzhe stopped even polishing his shoes. He followed behind Yao Jia like a lifeless husk.

A little kid accompanied them, proudly introducing himself as Huang Dahuang and his dog as Huang Xiaohuang.

Huang Dahuang held onto Huang Xiaohuang the whole time. Yao Jia, worried that Huang Xiaohuang might scare Meng Xingzhe to death, quickly found a place to buy some candy for Huang Dahuang. She coaxed him with sweet words until both Huang Dahuang and his dog were appeased and left.

But soon, little Huang Dahuang returned. Flashing his small white teeth, he said to Yao Jia, “Thanks for the candy, big sister! I’ll be your Lei Feng! Who are you looking for? I’ll show you the way. If the uncle is afraid of dogs, I can keep them away for you!”

Meng Xingzhe’s face was still pale, but upon hearing himself being called “uncle,” he immediately regained some color. “What did you call me, kid?!”

Huang Dahuang’s voice rang out bright and clear, “Uncle!”

“Call me brother!” Meng Xingzhe insisted.

“Uncle!”

“Brother!”

“Okay!” Huang Dahuang cleverly took advantage of Meng Xingzhe’s insistence.

Meng Xingzhe’s face turned green with frustration.

He tried to catch Huang Dahuang to teach him a lesson, but the kid ran circles around him like a nimble little rabbit.

Yao Jia stood by, recalling how Meng Xingzhe looked when they left that morning—so sleek and handsome, like a runway model. But now, covered in mud, his hair disheveled from being scared by a dog, and chasing after a cheeky kid, he was a far cry from the king of cool he once was.

She laughed so hard she could barely breathe.

This wasn’t some king of cool; this was a man on a comical journey of misfortune.

She realized this countryside trip was not just a Waterloo moment for Meng Xingzhe’s life, but a complete transformation.

True to his word, little Huang Dahuang led Yao Jia to find the Village Head, helping to shoo away dogs along the way.

When Yao Jia met the Village Head, she introduced herself and explained her purpose.

Upon learning she was the Vice President of Kunyu Electric, the Village Head immediately showed respect, quickly fetching a chair for her to sit.

Then he glanced at Meng Xingzhe, and handed another chair to Yao Jia, indicating for her to give it to Meng Xingzhe behind her.

“Is this your driver?” the Village Head asked, eyeing the disheveled and muddy Meng Xingzhe, and said to Yao Jia, “Let your driver sit too.”

The chair looked like it was permanently stained with oil, the kind Meng Xingzhe would rather stand until his legs gave out than sit on.

Yet Yao Jia took the chair and handed it to Meng Xingzhe, expecting him to refuse it with disdain.

To her surprise, he not only took the chair but sat on it directly.

“…?”

Yao Jia shot him a puzzled look.

“Heh.” Meng Xingzhe responded with a cold laugh: Since I’m already dirty, what’s the harm in sitting on a dirty chair?

His look of resignation and self-abandonment made it hard for Yao Jia to hold back her laughter.

She turned back, composed herself, and began discussing business with the Village Head.

She asked, “What brand of home appliances do people here use?”

The Village Head replied with some enthusiasm, “Our entire village uses products made by your Kunyu Electric!”

Hearing this, Yao Jia quickly seized the opportunity to learn more.

“So, did everyone buy their appliances during Kunyu’s ‘Home Appliances to the Countryside’ campaign?” she asked.

The Village Head nodded, “Yes, most of them were bought then. The prices were very reasonable!”

Yao Jia thought for a moment and said, “Can I visit some homes to see how these appliances are being used?”

— Translator’s Notes —

• Lei Feng: Lei Feng was a Chinese soldier and cultural icon promoted by Mao Zedong as a model of selfless devotion and helpfulness; offering to ‘be your Lei Feng’ means volunteering to assist others altruistically.