Chapter 11

Ruan Mingfu stood at the entrance of the educated youth camp, looking at a middle-aged woman who was beaming at her.

“Who are you?”

“I’m Aunt Huang,” she introduced herself briefly, “I’m here to discuss a match for you.”

Aunt Huang was from the neighboring village and took on matchmaking as a side job to earn money. A few days ago, Zhou Peng had approached her, offering fifty yuan to arrange this match.

So, Aunt Huang had come early this morning. Little did she know Ruan Mingfu had been out, and she had to wait an entire day.

Other female educated youths at the point were watching the scene.

Ruan Mingfu put her things on the table. “You can go back. I’m not going to marry.”

“The Zhou family is a good family… What?!”

Aunt Huang, who had thought the matter was almost settled, was stunned by the rejection, thinking she must have heard wrong.

“Educated Youth Ruan, the Zhou family’s conditions are among the best in the commune. Marrying into them would mean a comfortable life, such a good family.”

If Zhou Peng could give up easily, she wouldn’t be so troubled.

“Tell Zhou Peng that I will not marry him,” Ruan Mingfu said irritably. Otherwise, the original owner wouldn’t have been eager to find someone to marry. In a couple of years, she’d be going to college, and her parents would be cleared of their charges.

The original owner might have yielded to Zhou Peng’s relentless pursuit, but Ruan Mingfu would never consider it.

Love gained through coercion isn’t love at all.

Even if she were to force this man to marry her, it would only be a business arrangement. Besides, she wasn’t planning to spend her life with Xie Yanzhao.

“Educated Youth Ruan, think it over. The Zhou family is really a good choice. Once you marry, you won’t have to work so hard every day. Zhou Peng is good-looking and has a job. Marrying him means becoming a city person.”

Aunt Huang was reluctant to give up. Fifty yuan was not a small sum.

Her words made other educated youths somewhat tempted.

“I’m already a city person,” Ruan Mingfu said, picking up her things from the table. “Aunt Huang, just tell him my decision.”

She went straight into the room and closed the door behind her. Aunt Huang tried to follow but was stopped outside.

Aunt Huang hesitated, held back her words, and eventually said, “Educated Youth Ruan, please think about it some more…”

It seemed she wouldn’t be getting that fifty yuan.

Aunt Huang sighed as she walked away. A female educated youth hurried over and asked, “Aunt Huang, how about me?”

“You?”

Aunt Huang looked the young woman up and down, “You want me to introduce you?”

“Yes,” the young woman replied. With no hope of returning to the city and her family’s subsidies decreasing year by year, she was already considering marriage but hadn’t found a suitable match yet.

Though the young woman wasn’t as beautiful as Ruan Mingfu, she was still a pretty girl.

Aunt Huang thought for a moment, “Alright, I’ll inquire about it when I get back!”

“Thank you, Aunt Huang!”

Hearing this, other female educated youths came over to join the conversation.

“And me, and me…”

Though she failed to persuade Ruan Mingfu, she managed to secure a few more opportunities, making the trip worthwhile.

…..

Ruan Mingfu opened the package from Gu Yilin, which contained quite a lot of items.

Besides a box full of braised pork, there were also some fabrics, canned goods, and various small things. It seemed Gu Yilin wasn’t aware of everything inside.

This plastic best friend didn’t seem so bad after all.

Ruan Mingfu didn’t need these things right away, so she put them aside. She opened the newspaper, savoring the faint smell of ink as she read through the content.

The newspaper had all sorts of content, with a style that was overly revolutionary and specialized, making it rather easy to imitate.

Ruan Mingfu was quite reliable when it came to serious work.

She read through the newspapers, clipping out the three articles that impressed her the most.

After careful analysis, Ruan Mingfu began to write.

She wrote about the recent experience of harvesting rapeseed, focusing on the unity and collective efforts of the villagers. At the end, she added a few lines of praise…

After revising, she looked at her freshly written article with satisfaction, neatly putting it into an envelope. All that was left was to find a chance to send it out.

*

Lin Yujiao, upon learning that Zhou Peng had sent someone to propose to Ruan Mingfu, was both angry and anxious. Unable to contain herself, she hurried to the Zhou family to gather information.

Previously, when she spread rumors secretly, it had failed, and she nearly got caught.

She was scared and had kept a low profile for a while.

The Zhou family was currently in turmoil, mainly due to the argument over Zhou Peng’s marriage to Ruan Mingfu. However, Zhou Peng was stubborn and wouldn’t easily change his mind, and now he wasn’t even returning home.

Mother Zhou had been ill several times due to the stress, and when Lin Yujiao arrived, she was moaning in bed.

“It’s Yujiao,” Mother Zhou said, taking off her sweat cloth. She tried to get out of bed, but Lin Yujiao stopped her.

“Aunt, if you’re sick, you shouldn’t move,” Lin Yujiao said, handing her a glass of water, “My mother heard you were ill and sent me to see if you need any help.”

Mother Zhou, who was furious with her son, felt somewhat comforted.

“There’s nothing much. I just caught a bit of a chill. I’ll be fine soon.”

Lin Yujiao’s eyes flashed with a hint of satisfaction, “Oh, in that case, I’m relieved.”

Mother Zhou valued her face, and even though there was chaos at home, she had to appear harmonious in front of others.

Moreover, no matter how bad Zhou Peng was, he was still her son, so she couldn’t speak ill of him to others.

“Auntie, Brother Xiaopeng must be very tired lately. I haven’t seen him return for a while. Could he be seeing someone?”

Mother Zhou’s expression froze for a moment, “How could that be?”

“Aunt, my brother was just like that,” Lin Yujiao said with feigned innocence, “He used to come home every day, but then he started coming less often, and soon he brought my sister-in-law home.”

“He’s not like that.”

Mother Zhou actually hoped Zhou Peng would find a partner. It was better than hanging on to Ruan Mingfu.

She was such a fool—how could she not understand her hints!

Lin Yujiao’s eyes darkened with irritation, “That’s not necessarily the case. There must be many female workers at Brother Xiaopeng’s factory. They’re together every day…”

“Right, how could I not think of that!”

Mother Zhou slapped her thigh, her eyes brightening with realization, as if her illness was suddenly cured.

The more she thought about it, the clearer the idea became. She looked at Lin Yujiao with a puzzled expression and her thoughts became increasingly clear.

Understanding the situation, Mother Zhou quickly lay back down and adjusted her sweat cloth.

“Yujiao, your Brother Xiaopeng hasn’t been home for a long time. I’m worried too. I don’t know how he’s doing now.”

Lin Yujiao’s eyes flashed with satisfaction, “Aunt, Brother Xiaopeng is grown up and can take care of himself. You don’t need to worry.”

“How can I not worry?” Mother Zhou pretended to sigh dramatically, “You don’t know, he’s never been good at taking care of himself. I’ll make some soup to help him recuperate. I’ll need your help to deliver it.”

Lin Yujiao looked troubled.

“Aunt, is this really appropriate?”

Mother Zhou stopped pretending to be ill, “What’s inappropriate about it? You’ve known each other since childhood; it’s not like you’re strangers now.”

What could Lin Yujiao say?

“It’s settled then,” Mother Zhou got out of bed with surprising agility, “I’ll go buy a big bone right now.”

As soon as she stepped out of the Zhou family’s door, Lin Yujiao’s smile vanished.

Damn!

Old hag!

She wants her to be a servant without giving her any benefit.

What a pipe dream!

Lin Yujiao’s face darkened.

Since the dream she had recently, where Zhou Peng built a family business in the future, Lin Yujiao’s desire for him had burned fiercely, making her see him as her own possession.

The thought of Ruan Mingfu only made Lin Yujiao’s face darker.

Since she had had that dream, no one would stop her from living a good life.

**