Chapter 11

“I came this time to visit family. My home is in Shengli Commune. You all are probably heading to Shengli Commune as educated youth, right? We’re just on the same route.”

After getting off the train, Lu Xingyan explained this to Chen Suihuan.

“So that’s how it is. Then let me take my luggage—I can carry it myself. I really troubled you just now, Military comrade.” Chen Suihuan said with a smile.

“No need to be so polite. My name is Lu Xingyan. How should I address you?” Lu Xingyan continued carrying Chen Suihuan’s luggage, with no intention of handing it back to her.

Chen Suihuan thought that since Lu Xingyan was a soldier, he probably wouldn’t covet her luggage. With someone helping to carry it, she could relax a bit, so she didn’t fuss over it.

“My name is Chen Suihuan. Then thank you, Comrade Lu, for helping me with the luggage.” The two walked side by side. Chen Suihuan smiled, and Lu Xingyan’s expression seemed to brighten up a bit too.

Behind them, three boys were helping two girls carry heavy items, while Qin Fei and Gao Yue only had light shoulder bags.

As they walked, the two girls chatted while glancing at the pair in front of them.

“Is that Military comrade trying to pursue Comrade Chen Suihuan?” asked Gao Yue.

Qin Fei nodded. “I think so. Just looking at their backs, the two of them do look pretty well-matched.”

Gao Yue looked very much in agreement. “Totally. Look, the Military comrade’s face doesn’t even seem so dark anymore. He doesn’t look so intimidating now either.”

“In the future, I definitely want to find someone who loves to smile. A serious-faced guy like that? I can’t do it—just looking at him makes me nervous.”

The town was a big one, which was why it had a train station. After coming out of the station, they quickly found the people who had come to pick them up. There were quite a few educated youth arriving this time—over thirty of them.

Between people and luggage, it took two tractors to barely carry them all.

One of the tractors had come from Shengli Commune. When Lu Xingyan saw the tractor driver, he walked over. “Third Uncle.”

The tractor driver was in his forties, squatting beside the vehicle and smoking a dry tobacco pipe. Hearing Lu Xingyan call him, he looked up and immediately broke into a smile.

“Xingyan? Weren’t you supposed to arrive tomorrow? Why did you come today? Your parents told me to pick you up tomorrow.”

Chen Suihuan didn’t listen in on what the two of them were talking about. Instead, she got on the tractor with Qin Fei and the others and sat on her own luggage.

There were fifteen educated youth on that tractor. Qin Fei, Gao Yue, and the three boys were all there too. Since they wanted to get to know each other, they had naturally clustered together.

Just after sitting down, someone tapped Chen Suihuan’s shoulder twice. She turned her head and saw a female educated youth dressed in gray cloth clothing, with two thick braids.

This female educated youth likely came from a modest background. Her clothes had many patches, and the black cloth shoes on her feet were worn out.

But she had quite delicate features—thick eyebrows, large eyes, rather pleasant to look at.

“Comrade, excuse me. Do you need something?” Chen Suihuan frowned slightly, puzzled.

The female educated youth gave an embarrassed smile, then kept glancing toward Lu Xingyan, who was still chatting beside the tractor.

Seeing this, Chen Suihuan immediately understood. This female educated youth had probably taken a liking to Lu Xingyan.

“Comrade, my name is Liu Lainan. I just wanted to ask—are you and that Military comrade… seeing each other?” Liu Lainan asked directly, without any beating around the bush.

Chen Suihuan actually quite liked people like this—those who put everything on the table and said what they wanted openly, without twisting words or playing games.

Such people were far better than those you couldn’t read.

“We’re not. We just met on the train.” said Chen Suihuan.

“Yes, we can vouch for that.” Qin Fei immediately chimed in.

Gao Yue and the others also nodded.

Liu Lainan’s eyes lit up, and her gaze toward Lu Xingyan grew even more fervent.

Just by her name, one could tell that Liu Lainan came from a family that favored sons over daughters. She was the fourth child in her family, with three older sisters.

All three of her sisters had been married off by her father in exchange for betrothal gifts. If it hadn’t been for the fact that she was close in age to her younger brother and had to replace him in going to the countryside, she likely would’ve been married off already as well.

Liu Lainan had suffered a lot since a young age. She had already made up her mind that, now that she had come to the countryside, she would find someone from a well-off family to marry. She didn’t want to work in the fields to earn labor points.

Lu Xingyan belonged to the Shengli Production Brigade, and he was a soldier—he even looked like an officer. If she married him, she would definitely be able to follow him into the military system, and then she wouldn’t have to toil endlessly ever again.

Liu Lainan gave a small hum in response and stopped engaging with Chen Suihuan and the others. Instead, she openly stared at Lu Xingyan.

Seeing this, Gao Yue tugged on Chen Suihuan’s sleeve and leaned toward her ear. “She’s probably fallen for Comrade Lu.”

“I can tell.” said Chen Suihuan.

Qin Fei also leaned in. “Since you can tell, don’t you feel even a little upset? I think Comrade Lu’s been really considerate toward you.”

Chen Suihuan smiled and shook her head. “Maybe we just clicked. Besides, since we’ve come to the countryside, we’ll definitely have to work in the fields to earn labor points.

As for marriage or relationships, I think I’m still too young. I’m not considering it for now.”

In another two years, the college entrance exams would be reinstated. After the second batch of reinstated exams, educated youth could return to the city. She had to seize that opportunity to return to the capital and reunite with her younger brother. She never intended to marry and settle down here.

To her, Lu Xingyan was just a stranger she had met twice.

Gao Yue and Qin Fei looked at Chen Suihuan and saw that she didn’t seem to be lying. They immediately understood that she simply hadn’t developed feelings for anyone yet, so they dropped the topic.

After waiting a little longer, the tractor finally prepared to depart. Lu Xingyan also got onto the vehicle and sat not far from where Chen Suihuan and the others were.

Just as he sat down, Liu Lainan scooted over a bit. “Hello, Military comrade. My name is Liu Lainan. I’m an educated youth from Shengli Production Brigade.”

Lu Xingyan sat upright, his back ramrod straight. Upon hearing her, he glanced at her coolly.

His face was expressionless, and his eyes held a frosty sharpness—nothing like the relaxed warmth he had shown when he was with Chen Suihuan.

Liu Lainan shivered under that look. The smile that had bloomed across her face froze in place immediately.

Gao Yue and Qin Fei had been watching them closely and happened to catch this scene. Both of them couldn’t help but cover their mouths to stifle their laughter.

They had actually already predicted this outcome and had even made a small private bet, wagering two White Rabbit milk candies.

Chen Suihuan had no interest in joining their bet. On the surface, she appeared to be resting with her eyes closed, but in truth, her awareness had sunk into the space—harvesting eggs and feeding animals.

If someone wanted to marry this cold-faced Military comrade, they had to be able to endure his coldness. Judging by Liu Lainan’s expression, she probably couldn’t.

Liu Lainan had only seen him from a distance earlier. When she saw how gentle and refined he was with Chen Suihuan, and how he smiled while talking to the tractor driver, she had assumed he was a pretty decent man.

But now, just one look from him made her knees tremble. He was terrifying!

Liu Lainan immediately backed off. This black-faced Military comrade was simply too much for her to handle.