Ten Years of Yearning. My Love, Let Me Protect You.

"Hmm, it's a good name." She replied in an optimistic tone as she saw he was collecting lotus pods. 

He was wearing waterproof gloves and boots while grey shirt and pant; exactly like an old man. Luo  Lixi looked up and down at him as she pointed at the things in the boat. 

"I'll buy twenty of these lotus pods. Can I?"

"If sister likes these, I'll give them free to you. You don't need to buy." He became shy as he told her. 

"How can you...?" She didn't get to finish as another person cut in.

"No need. You should tell us how much these are. Or else we won't take them." Sheng Ruming said in displeasure. 

Penzi turned towards him as he felt uncomfortable. It was plastered all over Sheng Ruming's face that he didn't like him.

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"These two lotus ponds are my family's. You can just take the seed pods as much as you like. You don't need to give me money. I'm collecting them to sell some and to give away the rest." 

"Ow! You are so generous.You must be rich then." She said in a teasing manner. Penzi's face became red due to her playful voice. It also seemed that she was having a good time.

"Behave!" Sheng Ruming said as he glared at her. In return, she just chuckled. He became irritated as he searched for his wallet in his pant's pockets. After finding it, he took out a bunch of notes from it and directly shoved them in the boy's hands. 

Penzi didn't want to take it as it was a lot.   Even after Luo Lixi told him, he insisted against it. How could he accept money from them? He was a rather shy boy and his mother would scold him if she knew.

"You really don't need to be shy. It is just for you to eat chocolates. Nothing else." The young boy clenched his hands as he saw her smiling. 

 "Just...you can give us some more lotus and the best seed pods. Hehe!" He nodded his head as he put the money in a little black bag. Afterwards, he picked the best seed pods with some flowers and gave her thirty of them. Sheng Ruming took those from her and kept them aside.

Afterwards the boat became silent as he didn't pick lotus anymore. Luo Lixi soaked her hand in the pond water while they enjoyed the scene. Penzi rowed the boat for a long time as he stole occasional glances  at her. When Sheng Ruming caught his eyes, he turned his head away in fluster. After that he didn't dare to look at her again.

Sheng Ruming picked a big lotus seeds pod and peeled the seeds one by one as he gave them all to Luo Lixi. The gentle breeze shook the big leaves and flowers around them as she enjoyed the watery taste; she was playing with the lotus petals as she tore them one by one and threw them in the water as those petals flowed on the surface of the water. Sometimes, little fishes would come on the edge of them.

Amid the tranquillity, suddenly they heard a rumble of thunder. A little dragonfly was on her forefinger, resting. She was focusing on it. When Luo Lixi heard the loud boom sound she was startled for a second. She told Penzi to stop rowing any further.

"Penzi, hurry up. Bring the boat towards the car." She answered in panic as she hoped it won't be a heavy rain like before. She didn't want to drench in the rain again as she would become ill.

The pond was big, also they were nearly in the middle of it. So it took the boy ten minutes to reach the edge. Even if he was thin, his two skinny hands had a lot of strength.

Sheng Ruming jumped down as soon as they reached the ground. He carried her away and embraced her to shield her from rain as It had already started to rain drizzly.

When Sheng Ruming started the car, they heard someone calling them from behind. Penzi ran up beside the car as his hands had the lotus seed pods and some flowers..

"Sister, you forgot to take your things." Earlier, due to haste, they forgot to bring the lotus flowers with them. By then, the rain began to drop steadily while the boy was drenching in the downpour.

Luo Lixi hastily took the things and threw them on the backseat. Her mind didn't register that those would make the seats wet. 

"Penzi, this is for you. If you catch a cold later, remember to drink this." She took out a bottle of the herbal medicines from the paper box and gave it to him. 

Sheng Ruming became jealous immediately, 'How could she care about another man before me?! Also, she has given him a bottle before giving me one. This pathetic one...'

When Luo Lixi passed it, their skin came into contact for a slight second. The boy felt as if someone was tugging at his heartstrings. He stared at the beautiful face in front of him and felt his heartbeat was increasing. A thought came in his mind 'I...like her'.

"Sister, can I ask you something?" He asked as his hands rested on the edges of the glass of the car window.

"Yes, hurry up." She urged him as she glanced at the rapidly darkening sky.

"Can you tell me your name?" He really wanted to know her name. So that in the future he could search her by her name. His heart said he would see her again. There was such a vague hunch in his mind. He waited eagerly for her to speak. 

"It's Xi." Sheng Ruming told him in her stead as the jealous man closed the windows abruptly. Penzi immediately took away his hands from the frame of the window. 

Luo Lixi turned her head towards him and spat out a word, "Mannerless."