Xu Ning wiped the mud off Xu An’s face with a handkerchief, while Lu Xiaotang adjusted the direction of the bicycle. He then steadied it and let Xu An slowly practice again.

Xu Ning reminded him from behind, “Don’t ride so fast. Why are you in such a rush at the beginning? Get comfortable with it first, then speed up.”

After falling once, Xu An was no longer as excited as before. This time, his practice was much more stable.

Lu Xiaotang and Xu Ning stood by the roadside, watching him practice.

Perhaps the commotion from their earlier conversation when Xu An fell was a bit loud, as someone from the educated youth courtyard opened the door and came out.

Xu Ning glanced toward the entrance. It was Yang Wenli and Gu Wenping. When the two saw Xu Ning and Lu Xiaotang, they nodded and were about to go back inside.

Then, Gu Wenjing’s voice called out from behind, “Brother, who’s outside?” Before her words finished, she appeared at the door, accompanied by Lin Miao.

Lin Miao also noticed the two standing by the roadside. Xu Ning observed as Lin Miao said something to Yang Wenli, and after about two minutes, the group began walking toward them.

Yang Wenli greeted first, “Comrade Lu.”

“Hello,” Lu Xiaotang nodded in response.

Yang Wenli introduced the group, “Comrade Lu, this is Gu Wenping and Gu Wenjing, both educated youth from Beijing. And this is Lin Miao, from Jiangsu Province.”

Lu Xiaotang nodded but said nothing, creating a slightly awkward atmosphere. Xu Ning stood by, looking indifferent, as if the situation had nothing to do with her.

On the day he arrived, Lu Xiaotang had learned that Xu Ning had some kind of conflict with these people, so he had no intention of interacting with them.

Suddenly, Lin Miao spoke up, “Brother Lu, Wenping and Wenli thought that since you’re all from Beijing, you’d have many common topics to talk about, so they wanted to get to know you.”

Gu Wenjing discreetly rolled her eyes beside her, unsure why Lin Miao was acting so strangely. In her mind, there was no point in associating with someone from a family with such poor background.

Lu Xiaotang responded to Lin Miao’s words, saying, “Comrade, I’m not ‘Brother Lu’ — please call me Comrade Lu. I’m here to visit my cousins and don’t have time for a chat with you all. Apologies.”

Yang Wenli and Gu Wenping’s faces immediately darkened. They hadn’t planned to come over and greet him in the first place. It was Lin Miao who suggested that since they were all from Beijing, it would be good to make acquaintances and possibly gain more friends in the future. Who would have expected this person to be so dismissive?

Both of their families came from respectable backgrounds. Gu Wenping’s father was the logistics director at a large factory in Beijing, and his mother was a union officer. His two older sisters were also well-married, one of them to the son of a deputy director at the factory.

Originally, Gu Wenping didn’t have to go to the countryside. His parents had already arranged for him to enter the union right after graduation. However, his mother had conflicts with the union president. The president reported to the factory that although their family had four children, none of them had responded to the government’s call to go to the countryside. The two daughters were married, and the youngest was too young, so why couldn’t Gu Wenping go contribute to the country and leave job opportunities to those in need?

As a result, the factory held a meeting and decided to give his spot to another high school graduate from a less privileged family. At that point, even working as a factory worker was difficult to arrange for him. Though his parents and sisters wanted to use their connections to help him, Gu Wenping refused and directly volunteered to be sent to the countryside as an educated youth.

Yang Wenli’s family background was even better. His mother was a member of the Women’s Federation, and his father was the head of procurement for a company. The three siblings in his family were close in age, so one of them had to go to the countryside. As the eldest, Yang Wenli took the initiative to volunteer, so that his younger brother and sister could stay.

Although Gu Wenjing didn’t come from as well-off a family as the other two, she had been pampered since childhood. She wouldn’t have been in this impoverished place if her older sister, who didn’t want to go to the countryside, hadn’t secretly signed her up instead.

If it had been before Lu Xiaotang’s family had fallen from grace, Gu Wenjing would have eagerly wanted to get to know him. She had remembered him ever since meeting him once while accompanying Fang Qianqian. However, after hearing about his family’s troubles, she hadn’t inquired about him since.

The three of them, feeling embarrassed, turned to leave. Lin Miao, seeing them about to go, became a little anxious. What they didn’t know, she did—within a few years, these people would return to the city, and some would even regain their positions.

Though Gu Wenping and Yang Wenli’s family backgrounds were decent, they paled in comparison to people like Lu Xiaotang. Beijing was a place where crouching tigers and hidden dragons were everywhere. Even if the reform and opening up was carried out, without solid connections, the path forward wouldn’t be easy.

Lin Miao, having transmigrated from the future, knew very well that the influential figures of the future all had strong backgrounds. While a few came from humble beginnings, they were the exception rather than the rule.

Stopping the three from leaving, Lin Miao quickly said, “We’re all from the same place. Even if there’s no time to chat now, it’s still good to know each other. After Comrade Lu leaves, we can help look after Xu Ning and Xu An.”

When Lu Xiaotang heard her last sentence, his eyes narrowed dangerously as he looked at her. However, before he could respond…

Xu Ning suddenly jumped in, exclaiming, “Hah! ‘Look after us’? The last time you and Gu Wenjing ganged up on my little brother and hit me, where was that ‘looking after’ then? Now you’re talking about taking care of us? Your skin must be thicker than the city walls.” After finishing, she deliberately glared at them with mock anger.

Hearing this, Lu Xiaotang’s expression turned even more dangerous. In a low, controlled voice, he asked, “They hit you and Xiao An? Who did it?”

The group stared at her speechlessly.

For crying out loud, can you be clear about who hit who?

Lin Miao was left utterly dumbfounded by Xu Ning’s outburst. In her mind, she thought, You beat us up, and now we’ve come to make peace. Shouldn’t you be gratefully accepting? Even if you don’t feel it inside, shouldn’t you at least put on a polite front?

Before anyone could answer Lu Xiaotang, Xu Ning grabbed his arm, fuming as she said, “Big Brother Lu, let’s go. Stay away from these people from now on—they’re no good.”

She pulled Lu Xiaotang toward where Xu An was practicing riding the bicycle.

Lu Xiaotang allowed himself to be led for a few steps, but when he noticed the smile Xu Ning was trying to suppress on her face, he realized this little girl had done it on purpose. Clearly, she hadn’t come out of the fight too badly. Chuckling, he asked, “What happened? How did you end up with this feud with them?”

Xu Ning recounted to Lu Xiaotang the incident where Lin Miao had wanted to stay with her, and when she refused, it led to a fight between them in the fields.

After a moment’s thought, she added, “I don’t know why Lin Miao is so curious about Xiao Mo’s background. She kept asking what his parents used to do. She even asked me why I brought Xiao An to become an educated youth at such a young age, but I shut her down. Since then, I’ve avoided dealing with her. I think she’s pretty odd.”

Lu Xiaotang listened with a serious expression and said, “Stay away from those people from now on, and be careful when you go to the cowshed. Remind Xiao An and Xiao Mo to be cautious when they speak in public.”

Xu Ning nodded, replying, “Xiao An knows how to handle things. He’s never talked about our family affairs. My parents have also warned Xiao Mo, and despite his young age, that kid is pretty sharp. He doesn’t talk much when he’s outside. No matter how much the village aunties try to tease him, he just smiles at them. Now, all the village women are fond of him.”

She continued, “I’m careful whenever I go to the cowshed. Before heading out, I always check the surroundings first. I’ve also discussed it with Grandpa Qi—if anyone catches us, we’ll just say we’re delivering something to him.”

After finishing, she glanced at Lu Xiaotang, who was gazing at her with an affectionate look. Feeling a bit embarrassed under his gaze, Xu Ning coughed and said, “Shall we go check on Xiao An? Why hasn’t he come back yet?”

Inside, Lu Xiaotang felt relieved. Fortunately, he had acted early, not waiting a couple of years. Xu Ning was truly exceptional, and one day, someone would undoubtedly recognize her worth.