Chapter 15

The woman who was dressed more meticulously glanced at Chen Suihuan and the others upon hearing the remark, her eyes full of affection.

She said: “All three of these girls are so likable. I’d be happy to have any of them as my daughter-in-law. But… sigh!”

The woman let out a long sigh, then shot a fierce glare at Lu Xingyan, who was sitting in the front with a straight back.

“But what’s the use of me agreeing? That stubborn son of mine refuses! He insists on staying single!”

This wasn’t something the three young women could respond to, so Chen Suihuan and her companions simply pretended they hadn’t heard and huddled together to admire the scenery around them.

There actually wasn’t much to see—tall corn, higher than a person, grew everywhere. It was harvest season, and in another two months, the crops would be ready to gather.

The harvesting period was the most exhausting. The Shengli Brigade had an especially large cornfield, and according to what the old educated youth had said yesterday, after harvesting corn, they would have to cut cabbage too.

It was said that there was a lot of cabbage as well. Chen Suihuan wondered whether she would be able to endure it all.

For the rest of the journey, whatever the older women in the village were talking about, Chen Suihuan didn’t really listen. It felt like no time at all before they arrived at the market town.

“The horse cart back to the village leaves at two in the afternoon. Same meeting point here. Don’t be late. Mind the time.” the cart driver said to the group before riding off. No one knew where he was headed next.

Once they reached the market, the educated youth dispersed. Chen Suihuan and her two companions strolled around a bit.

Pingzhen wasn’t big. It only took a little over ten minutes to walk from one end to the other.

Afterward, the three of them discussed and decided to visit the supply and marketing cooperative. However, they found that it was very small, with only some basic daily necessities—cooking oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar. There wasn’t much else.

“I thought the town would be much bigger. Turns out we finished exploring it in half an hour. Ugh!” Qin Fei said in disappointment.

She had been the most excited when they got off the cart, but after one round, she was also the first to lose enthusiasm.

Gao Yue said: “There’s no way this place could compare to the capital.”

They walked a little longer, and then Chen Suihuan saw the state-run restaurant not far off. It was nearly noon already, and with the return cart scheduled for 2 p.m., they figured they’d better have lunch there.

Thinking they might not get the chance to eat well in the future, Chen Suihuan pointed to the restaurant and said to Qin Fei and Gao Yue: “Let’s eat lunch there today!”

The other two nodded in agreement.

After entering the restaurant, the three of them found an empty table and sat down. Chen Suihuan liked rice, so she ordered two bowls of rice and a portion of braised pork.

Qin Fei ordered a bowl of shredded pork noodles, but after just two bites, she looked disgusted and dropped her chopsticks. Gao Yue ordered meat dumplings and seemed to be enjoying them.

Seeing how much Gao Yue enjoyed her dumplings, Qin Fei got up and ordered a portion for herself as well.

Looking at the bowl of noodles that had only been tasted once, Chen Suihuan thought to herself that Qin Fei must come from a well-off family—maybe even a spoiled young lady raised with indulgence.

“Qin Fei, you only took one bite from this bowl of noodles. Are you really going to waste it?” After they finished eating, she stared blankly at the uneaten noodles.

Qin Fei bit her lip. She was spoiled, but she also knew it was wrong to waste food. After thinking for a moment, she said: “I’ll pack it up and have it for dinner.”

At the mention of taking food to go, Chen Suihuan and Gao Yue also remembered and went to buy a few meat buns to bring back for the evening meal.

After lunch, they headed to the post office to pick up their parcels. Upon arrival, they saw that most of the new educated youth were already there—it seemed everyone had received something from home.

Qin Fei and Gao Yue each had one package, while Chen Suihuan had three. The other two were quite surprised by this.

Gao Yue said: “How come you have so many parcels? What’s in all of them? Did your father send you your family’s entire fortune or something?”

Chen Suihuan shook her head and then briefly explained her family’s situation.

“My younger brother joined the military. We sold our house. Except for the large items that couldn’t be shipped, I sent over everything that could be borrowed or used.”

“Your grandma and Eldest Uncle and Little Uncle are so awful! They really bullied you that badly? Good thing you’re clever—otherwise they probably would’ve even snatched your house.” Qin Fei said admiringly to Chen Suihuan.

Chen Suihuan simply gave a nonchalant smile. She and Chen Suian had already shaken themselves free of those people. There was no need to talk about it anymore.

Each of the three girls carried their own parcels and had just turned around when they saw Lu Xingyan standing behind them. No one knew how long he had been there.

Lu Xingyan’s gaze briefly swept across Chen Suihuan’s face. Then he took the initiative to greet them.

“I have a letter to collect. Once I get it, I’m done. You’ve got a lot of parcels—that must be heavy. I’ll help you carry two of them later.”

Chen Suihuan shook her head. She had started to notice that Lu Xingyan was being unusually attentive toward her. “No need. I’m strong. It’s just three parcels—no trouble at all.”

Even though she had refused, Lu Xingyan acted as if he hadn’t heard her. After retrieving his letter, he turned back and took two of Chen Suihuan’s parcels.

“You’ve got so many parcels. It’s not safe to leave them outside. When we get back, I’ll bring you two boxes. You can lock everything inside.” Lu Xingyan said to her.

Then he turned to Qin Fei and Gao Yue and explained that the boxes were just for Chen Suihuan, not for them.

To Chen Suihuan, the boxes weren’t that useful—one would be enough. Leaving it outside for show was fine. If there was anything valuable, she could just store it in the space.

She turned him down again. This time, Lu Xingyan only glanced at her and said nothing.

Chen Suihuan sensed that he might be a bit unhappy, so she tactfully didn’t say anything more. Worst case, she’d just give him some money later.

After all, she didn’t want to owe Lu Xingyan a favor.

By the time the four of them returned to the meeting point with all their parcels, quite a few people were already waiting there.

Among them were Lu Xingyan’s mother and the plump aunt from earlier. Both were surprised to see Lu Xingyan carrying two large parcels.

“Son, where did those parcels come from? Did the military send them to you?” the woman asked, walking over to take them from him.

Lu Xingyan dodged slightly, then placed the parcels down by Chen Suihuan’s feet. “They’re Educated Youth Chen’s. I just helped her carry them.”

His mother, Xu Xiu, was stunned again. Then her eyes lit up, and she stared fixedly at her son. Soon, she joyfully noticed that her son—who never avoided her gaze—had actually looked away.

Was he… shy?

This major discovery filled Xu Xiu with delight. If her son had finally awakened emotionally, could a grandson be far behind?

Xu Xiu immediately turned her gaze to Chen Suihuan. Being stared at gave Chen Suihuan a sudden jolt, but she kept her head down, eyes locked on a small stone by her feet, as if she was trying to stare a flower into blooming on its surface. No matter what, she refused to look up.

Lu Xingyan noticed her reaction and furrowed his brow ever so slightly.