Chapter 8

Hearing Liu Dayu’s words, Gu Zhenghong still felt a hint of pride in his heart. He was good-looking, came from a good family, and had always been used to being surrounded by people. But here in the countryside, the girls around him were naturally not comparable to those in the capital. He didn’t really care about their admiration for him.

But Xiaoxiao was different. Her almond-shaped eyes, sparkling with life, looked like they could speak, and her voice was clear and sweet, bringing a sense of comfort just hearing it. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have lent her such a precious notebook.

Wu Xiaoxiao smiled and said, “This is for everyone. There’s nothing much at home, only cucumbers just picked this morning, but they taste good. I added some sugar and eggs into the pancake, making it softer and more fragrant. I brought these over to thank everyone for letting me borrow books during this time.”

“Ah, you even added eggs, no wonder it tastes so good.”

Gu Zhenghong didn’t have time to refuse. The few male educated youths who had just woken up grabbed a pancake each and started eating.

They used to not care much about eggs, but now they were a rare delicacy. The corn and egg pancakes were made in a way that only the fragrance of the eggs could be smelled, without any fishy odor. A small pancake, no bigger than the size of a palm, wasn’t enough for a few young men. After finishing one, they were even hungrier.

There were still two pancakes left in the basket, but judging by the number, it was clear that there were six pancakes in total, one for each of the educated youths. Originally, they felt embarrassed eating someone else’s food, and now it felt even worse to take the portion meant for the female youths.

Liu Dayu looked around and said, “I’ll take the remaining two over to the girls.” With that, he grabbed the last two pancakes and left.

The girls had probably woken up earlier, and maybe they’d already had breakfast. If that was the case, then those two pancakes would be his.

The other two didn’t think of this idea. By the time they saw Liu Dayu rushing out, they couldn’t stop him. However, since they hadn’t eaten enough, they needed to steam a few more buns.

“Xiaoxiao, why don’t you eat a little more here?” Tian Zhuang said while starting a fire.

Wu Xiaoxiao shook her head. “No, my mom has already gone to the fields, and there’s a lot to do at home. I need to go back early. These cucumbers should be eaten fresh. Ours grow early, so next time, I’ll bring some for you to eat.”

With that, she waved goodbye to the educated youths and left.

Gu Zhenghong walked her to the yard door before heading back inside. As soon as he entered the room, Liu Dayu bumped him on the shoulder. “Xiaoxiao is quite a good girl, huh? It’s just that her family is a bit lacking.”

Gu Zhenghong shook his head. “Stop talking nonsense. She’s a young lady; we can’t ruin her reputation.”

Liu Dayu smiled and took a cucumber from the basket, biting into it.

Wu Xiaoxiao’s figure and face were rare, even in the city. It was hard to imagine how the rural environment could nurture such a person. It was just a pity that her family background wasn’t great—no one to help her, no brothers of any significance, and she had lost her father. Tsk, tsk.

Liu Dayu bit into the cucumber and said, “If we’re comparing, I think Wu Ningfang is better. Her father is the village head, her brother works in the county, and I’ve heard she has an older brother in the military. Not sure what his rank is now. If she can’t go back, marrying her wouldn’t be a loss.”

Gu Zhenghong frowned. “Why say such things? What about the girl’s reputation? And besides, why would she not go back? We’re all young, there’s no need to rush.”

“You’re only twenty-one, so you’re not in a hurry, but I’m twenty-six. If I don’t marry soon, I’ll be an old bachelor.”

Liu Dayu couldn’t stand Gu Zhenghong’s pretentious attitude. When it came to the village girls, Gu was always so righteous, always talking about how their reputation should be preserved.

In fact, just didn’t want to take responsibility.

He had been in this countryside for six years, and it was already more than enough. Every day was either weeding or farming, with no hope in sight.

If it weren’t for that Wu Ningfang, who always had her eyes glued to Gu Zhenghong, he would’ve tried to find a way to win her over.

“Big Liu, if you don’t want to stay single, there are plenty of girls in the village, just pick one.” At this moment, Mantou (steamed buns) were ready, and Tian Zhuang brought over a few and handed them to them.

The corn pancakes from earlier tasted so good, but eating these buns now felt rough and hard—it was really unpleasant.

Liu Dayu took the bun and said, “You’re still young, you wouldn’t understand. A female intellectual can’t just pick any man in the village, or she’ll be stuck here for life, and us men are the same. Marriage is a one-time thing, you have to be sure and think it through.”

“There’s nothing wrong with her, I think Xiaoxiao is great. She’s beautiful, literate, and does housework well. Among the girls in the village, she’s the top one. I think there are quite a few young guys in the village keeping an eye on her.”

Tian Zhuang didn’t really have any thoughts about Wu Xiaoxiao; he just thought she was good-looking. But he wasn’t in a hurry to get married, just saying this out loud.

“If we were still in the city, then yes, being pretty, literate, and good at housework would be great. But we’re not in the city anymore,” Liu Dayu said.

Tian Zhuang sighed, “Ah, speaking of it, we’re not going to stay here forever, are we? This intellectual youth sent to the countryside to learn doesn’t have a clear end date. When will it be over?”

His family was in Haicheng. Not to mention anything else, just in the malls on the streets, there were countless new and beautiful things. But in this shabby village, there wasn’t even a small stall selling anything. If you wanted to buy something, you had to wait for the big market on the 1st and 15th of each month, or else you had to take a bus to the town, and even then, there was only one supply and marketing cooperative in the town, with very few things available.

Talking about returning to the city, the few of them couldn’t help but sigh. When they first came to the countryside, it was a policy requirement, but there was no clear timeline for when they could return home. Over the years, many people had tried various ways to go back to the city, but only a few succeeded.

Were they really going to spend their whole lives as country folks here?