Chapter 16: Educated Youth

She looked good in her white dress, which particularly highlighted her gentle temperament.

To be honest, this batch of educated youth were all good-looking; aside from the girls, the other people were not bad either. Another girl, Wang Mei, had a delicate, refined look, and the three boys were handsome, especially that passerby who exceeded her expectations.

He lacked the masculine sturdiness typical of men today and instead had a delicate, fragile appearance. Wearing a white shirt with one button undone, he revealed skin that was even paler than most women’s. Clad in black trousers and black leather shoes, he wore an outfit that should have seemed normal for a man, but he somehow exuded an air of fragility and preciousness.

As for his looks—he had eyes filled with warmth, long eyelashes curling sweetly, lips that were clear and lovely, and a straight, delicate nose; his features were flawless.

She didn’t quite understand why she was using terms typically reserved for describing women’s beauty to describe him. Yet, upon seeing him, she was reminded of the delicate, sorrowful women from the novels she had read; tears would flow at the sight of them, though he was undeniably male.

While Shuxin was observing the educated youths, they were also sizing her up. Shuxin could be considered the most beautiful girl within ten miles, and her looks were undoubtedly worth mentioning. Moreover, she had money, so her clothing was naturally fine as well.

The boys didn’t have any complex thoughts about her; they simply found her attractive. However, the girls tended to have more thoughts. When they saw a pretty girl like her, they inevitably began to compare themselves. Zhao Li realized that she couldn’t compete with Shuxin in looks or figure, and even her family background fell short. With that one advantage, she felt she was losing ground as well.

Uncle Niu didn’t care what the educated youth were thinking. He busily had them load their luggage onto the ox cart, and then they set off on the road. The new arrivals exchanged glances, realizing that the cart wasn’t meant for them; it was just for their luggage.

In a strange place, what could they do? They could only follow orders! They plodded along behind the cart, and before long, Zhao Li and Luo Yue could no longer keep up. They bent over, propping their knees, and gasped for air.

Shuxin watched the beautiful passerby, Luo Yue, struggling to catch her breath, and she couldn’t help but think: Beautiful people are indeed beautiful—even their panting has a touch of charm, looking quite lovely!

Since there was a beauty in front of her, Shuxin spoke up, suggesting that they take turns sitting on the edge of the cart. Upon hearing Shuxin’s words, Luo Yue quickly scrambled onto the cart, leaning against the luggage and exhaling loudly, barely managing to mumble a thank you. Shuxin didn’t mind; beauties had their privileges.

After finally passing through the Liulin Brigade, Shuxin noticed a crowd of people gathered at the village entrance, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. She could already guess the topics of their conversations—they would likely be discussing the educated youth for the next few days.

Shuxin sympathetically glanced back at the educated youth, who were still catching their breath, completely unaware that they were about to become the focal point of gossip in the village. As the educated youth recovered, they looked around and noticed the throngs of people.

“Flower Aunt, look quickly! That guy is so handsome, and those two girls look great too.”

“Not just that, look at those city kids—their clothes are quite nice.”

“Just look at these city youngsters, all so delicate! What will they do when it’s time to work in the fields?”

“Will they cry? I heard that the educated youth in the neighboring village cried terribly the first time they went to the fields.”

The aunties gathered together, discussing excitedly, and they didn’t lower their voices at all. The educated youths felt a mix of embarrassment and annoyance upon hearing them. Just when they were about to burst, the brigade leader arrived and dispersed the onlookers.

After handing the list to the brigade leader, they intended to slip away. The educated youth received it, and Zhao Li also saw it—time to head home for a meal, the subsequent matters falling to the brigade leader.

As Shuxin walked along, she contemplated the events and noted that Zhao Li was clearly very familiar with the situation. The first backup love interest was evidently close to her; they were chatting and it turned out Zhao Peng was from the same family as Zhao Li, having grown up in the same courtyard.

The second one, Zhang Hongliang, likely met her on the train and seemed a bit interested in the female lead, Zhao Li. Throughout the journey, he had always been helping her out.

How can she be called the female lead? Zhang Hongliang had only known her for a few days, yet he was already all in. Shuxin had to admire her methods; Zhao Peng still had no clue that his goddess had just added a brother to the team.

As for Luo Yue, Shuxin had been observing him as well. He gave her a strange impression—looking that good and apparently from a good family background. Why hadn’t the female lead made a move, and why hadn’t he appeared in the novels?

Either Zhao Li had made a move but failed, or Luo Yue was just a variable.

Ah, forget it. Thinking about this gives her a headache. She’d rather let things take their course. As long as her brother was safe, that was all that mattered. She didn’t want to interfere too much. What happened with Luo Yue was none of her business.

That night, the Liu family was also discussing the new educated youth. Shuxin saw her brother talking, mainly discussing the looks of the educated youth, and there wasn’t much more to it. By the looks of it, her brother didn’t seem too invested in Zhao Li.

To sever her brother’s complicated ties, Shuxin joined the conversation and emphasized Zhao Li’s relationships with her two backup interests, forcefully discussing it with her brother.

She didn’t believe that if she exposed Zhao Li’s secrets in advance, her brother could still have any feelings for her.