Chapter 9: He Looks So Good

The sunlight streamed down from behind Gu Nan, casting a large shadow that instantly enveloped Su Niannian.

A faint scent of soap lingered in the air.

Su Niannian felt her heartbeat quicken involuntarily.

Gu Nan took the snakeskin bag from Su Niannian and placed it onto the tractor.

Then, he turned back and shot a glare at Li Ergou.

That one look from Gu Nan sent a shiver down Li Ergou’s spine.

Li Ergou suddenly realized that he had just considered shaking hands with this young educated youth, which seemed somewhat inappropriate. He quickly laughed it off, clapped his hands twice as if he had only meant to give a welcoming applause in the first place.

Right after, Li Ergou placed Song Zhaodi’s cloth bag onto the tractor as well.

During this time, Su Niannian’s gaze remained fixed on Gu Nan’s face, not shifting in the slightest. Gu Nan could feel the young girl’s eyes on him.

His ears grew slightly warm, but he didn’t look back at her.

“You two get on the vehicle first. There are still four more educated youths to pick up,” Gu Nan said calmly.

Hearing this, Song Zhaodi immediately climbed onto the tractor.

After getting on, she noticed Su Niannian’s slender arms and legs and was about to reach out to help her up.

But before she could, Gu Nan had already extended his hand to support Su Niannian.

Su Niannian turned her head and softly said, “Thank you.”

For some reason, Gu Nan felt his ears grow warm again.

This little girl’s voice was surprisingly pleasant to hear.

As soon as the two of them sat down on the tractor, the remaining four educated youths arrived.

Aside from Zhao Sulan, the other three were all men.

When the men caught sight of Su Niannian, they couldn’t help but be a little stunned—she was simply too beautiful.

Among them, one man with tanned skin, a buzz cut, and a sturdy build looked at Su Niannian with a gaze that carried a hint of something else.

Meanwhile, when Zhao Sulan saw Gu Nan, a flicker of surprise flashed in her eyes.

That broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted frame, that tall stature, and that strikingly handsome face… Was he really just a country boy?

Gu Nan’s appearance was completely different from the image of a countryman Zhao Sulan had in mind.

Especially the aura he carried—his entire demeanor exuded a presence far more imposing than even her brother-in-law, who worked as a technician in a factory.

Maybe he was also an educated youth sent to the countryside? The thought made Zhao Sulan’s heart stir.

“The day is getting late. Now that everyone’s here, let’s head out,” Li Ergou said to the group.

The four newcomers quickly climbed onto the tractor.

Gu Nan took out the hand crank and started the tractor.

Slowly, the tractor rumbled toward Kaoshan Village.

After more than an hour on the road, the sky had gradually darkened.

“I feel like you keep looking at that guy, Gu Nan,” Song Zhaodi leaned in close to Su Niannian and whispered.

At that moment, Su Niannian was indeed still gazing at Gu Nan’s back.

Hearing Song Zhaodi’s words, she smiled and lowered her voice to reply, “He’s really good-looking.”

Su Niannian spoke openly and without hesitation.

The tractor wasn’t moving particularly fast, but the noise around them was still quite loud.

Yet, despite that, Gu Nan still caught the faint whispers coming from behind him.

His heart couldn’t help but skip a beat.

But then, as if remembering something, he quickly suppressed the fleeting emotion, keeping his expression steady as he continued driving the tractor.

Li Ergou, on the other hand, kept glancing back at Su Niannian from time to time.

“My goodness, she’s just too beautiful! If I could marry her, it’d be like my ancestors’ graves were blessed with rising smoke!” Li Ergou couldn’t help but think to himself.

By now, it was almost seven o’clock, and the sky had darkened considerably.

Before long, the group arrived at the entrance of Kaoshan Village.

Waiting there were the village chief and the village party secretary.

Beside them stood a group of children, eager to catch a glimpse of the new educated youths.

There were also a few gossip-loving aunties, watching with keen interest.

The strong laborers of the village had long since gone home to rest by this hour.

As for the arrival of new educated youths, they showed no interest or concern whatsoever.

“Hello, everyone. I am Li Guofu, the village chief of Kaoshan Village. This here is our village party secretary, Jiang Aiguo.”

Li Guofu appeared to be a middle-aged man in his fifties, with a square face and a slightly stout figure. At first glance, he seemed like a kind and amiable person.

But that was just on the surface…

“You all must be tired from the journey,” Jiang Aiguo said after a quick glance at Li Guofu. “It’s already late, so let’s have them head to the educated youth dormitory to rest.”

Jiang Aiguo appeared to be in his thirties. In Su Niannian’s memory, he wasn’t much of a talker, but he was someone who got things done.

The group quickly introduced themselves, and the village chief, Li Guofu, gave a brief welcome speech, full of the usual pleasantries about supporting educated youths moving to the countryside.

With that, the formalities were settled, and it was time for the newcomers to settle in.

If Jiang Aiguo hadn’t interrupted, given Village Chief Li Guofu’s nature, he would have likely gone on talking for quite a while.

Hearing Jiang Aiguo’s words, Li Guofu coughed twice and chuckled awkwardly. “That’s right. You’ve all had a long journey and must be exhausted. Head to the educated youth housing and get some rest.”

“Gu Nan, take them to the educated youth housing and return the tractor to the brigade,” the village chief instructed.

“Alright,” Gu Nan responded, cranking the tractor once more.

The other educated youths also acknowledged the instruction and climbed onto the tractor.

This time, however, Gu Nan did not come over to help Su Niannian up.

Su Niannian was pulled up by Song Zhaodi.

For some reason, when she saw that Gu Nan didn’t come over to help her, she felt a slight tinge of disappointment.

But… it didn’t matter. They had only just met. If Gu Nan were too eager, that would be impossible anyway.

Besides, she was already here in Kaoshan Village. She was already by Gu Nan’s side.

Sooner or later, she would win him over!

There was no rush…

Su Niannian tried to console herself, but in reality, she was anxious!

Very anxious!

She had endured thirty-seven years of torment in a life without Gu Nan!

The Educated Youth station wasn’t far from the village entrance.

The village chief had only asked Gu Nan to give them a ride because it was their first day here, and they had a lot of belongings with them.

After Gu Nan dropped them off, he and Li Ergou helped unload their luggage.

“I’ll take the tractor back,” Gu Nan said to Li Ergou before preparing to leave.

Gu Nan had assumed Li Ergou would follow him, but to his surprise, the man grabbed Su Niannian’s luggage instead, intending to carry it inside for her.

“Thank you, but I can carry it myself,” Su Niannian said, reaching out to take the woven bag back from Li Ergou’s hands.

Li Ergou scratched his head awkwardly before quickly running off to catch up with Gu Nan and the tractor.

The educated youth who were already stationed at the site came out upon hearing the commotion, curious about the new arrivals.

Among them, a few of the male educated youth immediately noticed Su Niannian. Seeing her, they couldn’t help but feel a jolt of surprise in their hearts.

“This educated female youth is really beautiful.”

“Yeah, but just one look at her and you can tell she’s not suited for hard labor.”

“So what? I’ve never seen such a pretty girl in my life. I wouldn’t mind doing the work for her!”

“You? Give me a break! If you’re so capable, why don’t you finish a full day’s work yourself first before talking big…”

Their hushed discussion didn’t go unnoticed, and Zhao Sulan’s expression darkened as she listened.