Chapter 16

The old man driving the carriage quickly returned. Once they got back into the cart, Chen Suihuan shrank back like a quail, hiding behind Qin Fei and Gao Yue, staying completely still.

After entering the village, Chen Suihuan was the first to get off the cart. She picked up her three bundles and left without a glance back at Qin Fei or Gao Yue.

During the whole journey, Lu Xingyan’s cousin had been staring at her, making her feel extremely uncomfortable, as if she were sitting on pins and needles.

At the Educated Youth Site, all the older educated youths had gone to work, so only Liu Lainan was there. When Chen Suihuan suddenly burst through the door with a loud thud, and then dropped her three bundles heavily onto the floor, Liu Lainan jumped in shock.

“What happened to you? Were you chased by a dog?” Liu Lainan asked, her eyes, however, kept darting toward the three large bundles Chen Suihuan brought in.

Chen Suihuan really disliked that kind of look. It made her even more determined to move out.

Before Chen Suihuan could say anything, Qin Fei and Gao Yue returned as well. As soon as they came in, they stared at Chen Suihuan and smiled.

“You ran way too fast—we couldn’t even keep up.”

“The aunties on the cart were just praising you, saying you’re really strong.”

Chen Suihuan gave a soft “Mm.” then climbed onto the heated brick bed and closed her eyes to rest. Although she might have misunderstood things earlier, she was sure Lu Xingyan had some intentions toward her.

But they had only met twice. Aside from appearances, they didn’t have any deep interactions. So why had Lu Xingyan taken a liking to her?

Sometimes, Chen Suihuan would forget, subconsciously, that this was the 1970s. In those days, travel was slow and deliberate—sometimes, a single glance could mean a lifetime.

In the modern day, dating a boyfriend might require a long period of observation. But back in this era, men and women would marry after just one or two meetings.

While Chen Suihuan was lost in her thoughts, the bell signaling the end of the workday rang. She paused for a moment, then went to prepare dinner with Gao Yue.

They had already arranged the cooking shifts the day before. As the newcomers, it was their job to handle today’s meals, as a gesture of thanks to the older educated youths.

Lunch had been made by Liu Lainan, and dinner was now Chen Suihuan and Gao Yue’s turn. Tomorrow, it would be Qin Fei and the male educated youth Ren Caiying’s turn to cook.

That had been Ren Caiying’s suggestion. Qin Fei wasn’t very good at cooking, while Ren Caiying came from a family of chefs. He cooked very well and even said that if Qin Fei just helped prepare the vegetables, he could handle the rest by himself.

Qin Fei agreed to partner with him.

Afterward, Gao Yue discussed it with Chen Suihuan, and both agreed that Ren Caiying probably had a crush on Qin Fei.

There wasn’t much grain, and it was all coarse grain. So Gao Yue made cornmeal pancakes and rice porridge—the kind of coarse food that scratched the throat.

Chen Suihuan was in charge of stir-frying the vegetables. Behind the Educated Youth’s Yard was a large vegetable garden, which was divided into private plots for the educated youths. The plot was packed with vegetables that they had grown themselves.

Since the newcomers hadn’t contributed any labor yet, they offered to take over the future work of watering and fertilizing the garden. This way, the older educated youths, who had some complaints, were silenced.

Once all the dishes were cooked and the pancakes were ready, the older educated youths returned from work. Every one of them was exhausted, like walking corpses, only coming to life when they smelled the aroma of food.

They washed their hands and sat down to eat. No one spoke throughout the entire meal.

The older educated youths were too tired, while the newcomers were all silently watching them, worried about whether they would be able to endure the work themselves starting tomorrow.

Just after the meal ended, Guo Lan, who had stepped outside, returned with a strange expression and looked at Chen Suihuan.

“Educated Youth Chen, someone’s looking for you outside.”

There was no need to guess—it had to be Lu Xingyan. Chen Suihuan nodded and walked out.

This couldn’t go on like this. It was time to have a proper conversation.

Outside the Educated Youth Site, Chen Suihuan indeed saw a familiar figure. Just from the back, she could tell the man had an excellent build—broad shoulders, narrow waist, and a tall, lean frame.

Hearing the sound of footsteps, Lu Xingyan turned around and saw Chen Suihuan approaching with a conflicted expression on her small face.

“Do you still want the wooden trunk?” Lu Xingyan asked.

Chen Suihuan nodded. “Yes, I do want it, but I want to buy it myself. I don’t feel comfortable using someone else’s things.”

Lu Xingyan looked at her again without saying anything. Chen Suihuan felt the atmosphere becoming a bit stifling, so she simply raised her head and met his gaze.

“Comrade Lu, you should’ve learned about my family situation by now.

Right now, I just want to stay here peacefully for a while, and then return to Beijing. I won’t marry into this mountain valley. There’s not enough to eat or wear here. This isn’t the life I want.”

“I’m currently a regiment commander in the military.” Lu Xingyan said. “As long as we get married, you can come with me and live with the unit. Our garrison is located in Beijing.

And my salary and allowance are quite high. Right now, I earn more than eighty yuan a month, and with additional subsidies and bonuses, it totals over a hundred.

If you don’t want to stay here, come to Beijing with me. If you don’t want to suffer hunger or lack clothes, I can give you enough to eat and wear. I can give you the life you want.”

Lu Xingyan looked at Chen Suihuan seriously, and in his eyes, a trace of anticipation surfaced.

“To be honest, your conditions really are great.” Chen Suihuan replied. “But right now, I really have no intention of getting married or dating.”

Marriage and having children were, undeniably, part of a woman’s expected path. But truthfully, whether in the past or now, Chen Suihuan had never really considered it.

After marriage came all kinds of constraints. She wanted to enjoy her freedom first before stepping into the grave of marriage.

Lu Xingyan was handsome, had a good income, and was undoubtedly an excellent candidate for a husband. But even so, Chen Suihuan didn’t want to wrong herself.

She had space, she could make her own money—there was no way she would suffer materially. As for everything else, she hadn’t even started to think about it.

Lu Xingyan paused for a moment. “Then when will you be ready?”

Chen Suihuan shook her head. “I don’t know. Maybe one or two years. Maybe three or five.”

Having said this much, Chen Suihuan felt there was nothing left to talk about. She turned and walked away.

Lu Xingyan just stood there watching her back. After a while, he finally turned and left.

In both appearance and personality, Chen Suihuan made it impossible for Lu Xingyan not to fall for her—deeply and helplessly.

“Love that comes without a reason, and once begun, never ends.”

That line used to be nothing more than flowery nonsense in Lu Xingyan’s mind. He had met all kinds of girls growing up, but none had ever moved his heart.

But ever since he saw Chen Suihuan on the train—that perceptive, warmhearted, and surprisingly strong girl—she had crashed into his field of vision and never left.

Lu Xingyan never considered himself a gentleman. On the battlefield, he had used every trick possible, and as long as it meant survival, anything was acceptable.

He wanted Chen Suihuan. So he would have her.

If she wanted time, he would give her time. No matter how much time it took—in the end, she would be his.