Chapter 13

Lu Lanlan picked up her belongings along with the dress and returned to her room.

In the courtyard, Fu Chunian saw her carrying the bag with the dress and smiled before heading back to his own room.

Inside, Gu Yu was lying on the bed facing away. Thinking she was asleep, Lu Lanlan quietly changed her shoes and went to wash her feet.

Afterward, she put on the dress.

It fit her perfectly—maybe too perfectly—accentuating her waistline and curves.

Since she couldn’t see herself and knew that Fu Chunian had bought the dress, she thought she should let him see it. So, she headed to his room.

—-

In the courtyard, a male educated youth was washing dishes. Hearing footsteps, he turned around and immediately dropped the bowl he was holding.

Hearing the noise, Lu Lanlan looked at him and said, “Comrade, your nose is bleeding.”

“Ah!” The male youth immediately covered his nose upon hearing her words.

Fu Chunian, hearing the commotion, came out of his room. The moment he saw Lu Lanlan, he immediately pulled her inside and shut the door.

“How is it? Does it look good?” Lu Lanlan asked.

To make sure Fu Chunian could see clearly, she even spun around once.

Fu Chunian reached out to grab her arm, stopping her from spinning and pulling her slightly closer—just enough so that he could only see her face and not her figure.

“This dress doesn’t fit well. Take it off. I’ll take it to town and have it altered,” he said.

“It fits just fine! I think it looks good,” Lu Lanlan said, glancing down. She didn’t feel it was too tight or too loose.

“It doesn’t look good. Don’t wear it. I’ll buy you another one,” Fu Chunian insisted.

“It doesn’t look good?”

“Mm.”

“Oh… But you don’t have to buy me another one. I have clothes to wear,” Lu Lanlan said.

“I told you, I’ll cover all your expenses—including clothes,” Fu Chunian said, draping his newly bought shirt over her shoulders.

Lu Lanlan resisted, but Fu Chunian said, “It’s still a bit chilly to be wearing a dress. Put this on, go back, and change into something warmer before coming back.”

“No need. It’s just a few steps. I can run back in seconds,” Lu Lanlan refused.

“Put it on,” Fu Chunian said firmly.

Lu Lanlan looked up at him, realizing how close they were. She instinctively stepped back.

Fu Chunian’s pupils constricted at her reaction.

“Fu Chunian, you have a bad temper,” Lu Lanlan frowned.

“I—”

Before he could finish, he felt a warm trickle from his nose.

He immediately tilted his head back, covered his nose, and turned away from Lu Lanlan.

“What’s wrong with you?” she asked, confused.

“Nothing. Just put on the shirt and go back, okay?” Fu Chunian said in a softer tone.

Lu Lanlan was puzzled. Why was he insisting so much?

“I’m not wearing it. I’m leaving,” she said, stepping around him toward the door.

Fu Chunian took one long stride and blocked her path.

At that moment, Lu Lanlan clearly saw his nosebleed.

“You’re bleeding too? Is it because the air is too dry?”

“The air is fine. Go check your reflection in the window,” Fu Chunian said.

Lu Lanlan walked to the window and, through the faint reflection in the glass, finally understood.

She quickly put on Fu Chunian’s shirt. “I’ll return it later.”

Then she ran back to her room.

Seeing that the courtyard was empty, Fu Chunian let out a sigh of relief.

By the time Lu Lanlan returned his shirt, his nosebleed had stopped.

“What about the dress?” she asked. She wasn’t sure what to do with it—she wouldn’t be wearing it again.

“Give it to me. I’ll see if someone can alter it,” Fu Chunian said, taking it from her.

“Alright.”

“Get some rest. We still have to plant vegetables later,” he reminded her.

“Okay, call me when it’s time,” she replied before heading back to her room.

When she woke up, it was already past three. Gu Yu had gone to the fields.

She got up quickly and opened the door, only to find that Fu Chunian had already tilled the plot of land for planting.

Originally, they had been assigned separate plots, but since they were both newcomers, Fu Chunian had arranged to switch so they could plant together.

After washing her face, Lu Lanlan turned to him. “Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“I just finished tilling the soil. I was about to call you,” Fu Chunian said with a smile.

“Alright, you dig the holes, and I’ll plant the seeds,” she said, picking up the seeds and heading to the field.

Since they worked together, and the plot wasn’t large, they finished quickly.

Afterward, they prepared dough, and Lu Lanlan taught Fu Chunian how to steam buns.

When the buns were ready, she stir-fried some vegetables just as the other workers returned from the fields.

One of the female educated youths who had been trying to switch rooms saw Lu Lanlan getting braised pork for lunch and white flour buns for dinner. Her jealousy flared up.

“Some people really have no shame,” she muttered. “Just dating someone, and they’re already living like they’re married. If he dumps her, she’ll be nothing but a used rag.”

Everyone in the educated youth compound knew that the only couple here was Lu Lanlan and Fu Chunian. It was obvious who she was talking about.

“Gu Yu, I guess you don’t need to find someone to switch rooms anymore. Some people will probably move in together soon,” she added.

Gu Yu glanced at her and said, “If you want to insult your love rival, leave me out of it.”

The female educated youth snorted coldly.

Inside the house, Fu Chunian and Lu Lanlan, who were eating, also heard the remarks.

Fu Chunian narrowed his eyes at the woman talking in the courtyard.

Lu Lanlan set down her chopsticks and walked outside.

“You’re right—some people have no shame. Like those who know a man has a girlfriend but still shamelessly throw themselves at him. Who knows how many men she’s tried to seduce to get so skilled at it?”

“You—what did you just say?!” the female youth snapped. “You’re the one who doesn’t know how many men you’ve been with! First, it was Xu Jianguo, then all the other male educated youths—”

“Hey, don’t drag us into this,” a few of the male youths quickly interjected, looking wary.

They had initially pursued Lu Lanlan, but since she was now with Fu Chunian, and seeing how generously he spent money, they had no interest in getting involved.

“You, you, and you—you were all circling around her before!” the female youth accused, pointing at several of them.

“Are you insane? We were just offering help. And that was before she and Fu Chunian started dating. What’s wrong with that?” one of them retorted.

“If you were just being nice, why didn’t you offer help to me? Or Gu Yu? Or any of the other girls here? Why only her?” she demanded.

She thought she was making a solid argument, but instead, she had just offended all the other female educated youths—especially Gu Yu.