Laughter filled the yard, but wails and cries echoed from the village entrance.
"Brother Yao, why do you live in a place like this?" Pan Yue, clutching her designer down jacket worth thousands of yuan, looked at the endless expanse of white fields at the village entrance with a hint of disdain.
She had thought she was meeting someone from a wealthy family and had followed him all this way, only to find herself on a rustic public bus after a journey of planes and trains!
Her father hadn't mentioned it would be like this when he told her to come.
Seemingly realizing she had said the wrong thing, she quickly tried to cover up, "I mean, the bus ride was so bumpy and uncomfortable."
Hearing her say this, Yao Jian also felt a bit awkward. "Uh... I'm sorry, the road isn't very good when it snows."
If his superiors hadn't insisted he bring Pan Yue along, he wouldn't have wanted the daughter of a rich boss to come to his village.
Although their village was already the best in the surrounding ten miles thanks to the experimental fields, there was still a significant gap compared to the bustling city.
Pan Yue forced a smile. "It's not your fault. When I get back, I'll have my dad donate a road, so it will be more convenient for you to come back in the future."
She said it so casually that Yao Jian felt even more embarrassed and scratched his head.
Snowflakes began to fall again. He quickly hoisted the bag of rice from the ground. "It's snowing, let's hurry. We'll be fine once we get back."
Pan Yue watched him stride nimbly ahead on the somewhat muddy and slippery path, carrying such a large bag of rice. She had to admit that Yao Jian was indeed a steady and capable person.
However, given her family's circumstances, why would her father let her get close to Yao Jian? She really couldn't see any good points about Yao Jian besides his character.
She followed behind Yao Jian in her new sports shoes. When her face and fingers were turning red from the cold, Yao Jian finally stopped.
Laughter from children and a man could be heard from inside the yard, along with a soft, charming woman's voice.
"Brother Yao, have we arrived?" Pan Yue, seeing Yao Jian stop, bloomed into a bright smile and asked breathlessly.
Hearing Huo Rou's voice from the yard, Yao Jian felt a sudden sense of calm.
"Yes, we're here," he remembered to answer Pan Yue. "This is my home. Come on in."
He opened the door and led the way with the bag of rice on his shoulder.
As soon as Pan Yue stepped inside, the snowman in the yard caught her attention.
The snowman wore a light blue hat and a red scarf, exuding a warm aura.
These two items were normal enough. What truly captured her gaze were the decorations on the snowman's face.
"Is that... a chrysoberyl cat's eye?" she exclaimed, unable to control her volume as she looked at the two large eyes on the snowman's face.
She shouldn't be mistaken, should she? Last time her father bought a small chrysoberyl cat's eye ring as a gift for a client, and she wore it for a few days.
Her gaze moved down. The snowman had a red nose. Usually, carrots were used for snowman noses, but this...
"Is that Nanhong?"
She was astonished. Who would use such a large piece of Nanhong to shape it like a carrot?
The snowman's mouth was even more outrageous.
Countless beads of藕粉色 (lotus root pink) Hetian jade were pieced together to form a smiling pink mouth.
This was the most extravagant snowman she had ever seen...
Pan Yue stared blankly as a man came out of the house holding two unusually shaped, smoky purple Hetian jade pieces. After comparing them with a little boy beside him, he inserted these items, likely worth over a million, into the snowman's body as arms.
As soon as Yao Jian entered, he saw Huo Rou standing by the snowman in a woolen coat, smiling faintly. His face instantly turned red.
Hearing Pan Yue's voice at this moment, he responded perfunctorily, "What?"