Shen Xing was the first to answer, “Yes, we’re from the provincial capital. My name is Shen Xing, and this is my cousin Shen Xiaoyue. Everyone says we look quite alike, right?”  

Hu Qingqing felt awkward. She scrutinized their faces but couldn’t bring herself to say the word “alike.”  

Shen Xing was also quite pretty, but hers was a simple, unadorned beauty—slender limbs paired with the honest face of a laborer.  

Shen Xiaoyue, on the other hand, looked like someone straight out of the illustrated magazines Hu Qingqing loved as a child.  

With willow-leaf eyebrows, an oval face, ruby lips, and pearly white teeth, she was exquisitely beautiful, almost unreal.  

Ignoring Shen Xing, Shen Xiaoyue found a bunk and began unpacking, stuffing her precious belongings into the cabinet.  

Shen Xing, who had been starving after the long journey, didn’t come from as privileged a background as Shen Xiaoyue. Though her parents doted on her, many things were simply unavailable to her.  

She’d heard that Shen Xiaoyue had brought plenty of supplies this time. A little acting cute should do the trick.  

“Big sis, I’m hungry.”  

“Oh.”  

Shen Xiaoyue replied flatly without even lifting her head, speeding up as she packed her things away.  

Shen Xing was taken aback. Though her cousin could be pretentious, she had always been generous with family. In the past, Shen Xing had managed to wheedle quite a few things out of her.  

Unwilling to give up, she cleared her throat and tried again.  

“Big sis, can I have some of your malted milk powder?”  

At this, Shen Xiaoyue finished packing, locked the cabinet decisively, and replied bluntly, “No, I don’t have any.”  

Shen Xing paused, still unwilling to accept it. She was about to speak again, but Shen Xiaoyue ignored her, picking up a basin to fetch water for cleaning.  

She really didn’t believe her?  

If Shen Xiaoyue hadn’t brought anything, then what was in that big bag? Bricks?  

Shen Xiaoyue had no patience to entertain her. Her mind was preoccupied with figuring out how to get closer to Lu Ping’an.  

Before, she had approached him with ulterior motives, acting recklessly without investing much sincerity. But now, she didn’t want to be too careless—after all, this was for a lifetime.  

…  

After a night’s rest, the crowing of roosters signaled the start of a bustling day in Dahe Village.  

Today, Lu Guodong finally had time to take the newly arrived educated youths to familiarize them with their rural work assignments.  

Just as he was about to leave, he saw his youngest son—who usually slept in until the sun was high—squatting resentfully on the doorstep, swaying back and forth with a defiant air.  

Lu Guodong kicked him.  

“Brat! Either you don’t get up, or the moment you do, you’re right in the way. Didn’t I teach you not to stand on the threshold?!”  

Last night, for the first time, Lu Ping’an had trouble sleeping.  

He dreamed that the little educated youth from yesterday had transformed into a vengeful ghost, relentlessly chasing him to strip off his clothes. Smiling all the while, she was both mesmerizing and eerie, like a demoness draining men of their vitality.  

The nightmare jolted him awake, barely preserving his chastity.  

After getting kicked by his old man, he snapped out of it. Wait a minute—why was he scared of her?  

Not only should he not be afraid, he should go confront her. What a joke! No one had ever made Lu Ping’an cower before!  

“Dad, I’m coming with you today.”  

Lu Guodong froze, eyeing him suspiciously before glancing outside. Had the sun risen from the west today?  

As soon as Shen Xing woke up, she kept her eyes on Shen Xiaoyue. Seeing her open the cabinet and take something out, she immediately went over to beg for some.  

Shen Xiaoyue again replied indifferently with a “No,” stuffing a few White Rabbit candies into her pocket.  

She remembered Lu Ping’an loved these—he always pestered her to feed them to him by hand.  

She wasn’t sure if she’d run into him today, but she followed her instincts and tucked a few into her pocket anyway.

Shen Xing was so angry that she stomped her feet in frustration. Unable to resist her craving any longer, she took out a precious candy from her own stash and popped it into her mouth.  

As Shen Xiaoyue stepped out to dump the water, she happened to run into Xie Ning, who had also just come out. His eyes lit up, and he approached her with a greeting.  

“Xiaoyue, good morning. Did you sleep well last night?”  

Xie Ning had always regarded Shen Xiaoyue as his future wife and was eager to take care of her. He reached out to take the washbasin from her hands.  

Shen Xiaoyue subtly sidestepped, smiling as she put some distance between them. “No need, Brother Xie Ning.”  

With that, she casually tossed the water, splashing it onto Xie Ning’s shoes.  

His expression darkened, but Shen Xiaoyue quickly apologized, “Oh, I’m so sorry, Brother Xie Ning. The journey yesterday was exhausting, and my hands are still weak. I didn’t mean to splash you. Should I wipe it off for you?”  

Now, even if Xie Ning was annoyed, he couldn’t make a scene. His lips twitched, and he waved his hand dismissively.  

“It’s fine.”  

Having successfully annoyed two unpleasant people first thing in the morning, Shen Xiaoyue was in high spirits. Humming a tune, she headed to the gathering spot.  

Her mood brightened even further when she spotted the lanky, slouching figure of Lu Ping’an standing next to the round and stout Party Secretary Lu, looking like a crooked pine tree.  

She raised an eyebrow, locking eyes with him directly.  

Lu Ping’an hadn’t expected her to be so bold. He had only been stealing glances at her out of the corner of his eye, but now, caught off guard, he froze, unsure what to do with his hands and feet.  

A second later, as if snapping back to reality, he pressed his lips into a thin line and averted his gaze.  

*She looks so young—how can she be so brazen?!*  

*Doesn’t she know how to hold back at all?* *Sigh, being this handsome really is a nuisance.*  

His eyes darted around, refusing to settle anywhere, determined not to let her have the satisfaction.  

Behind Shen Xiaoyue, the female educated youths gasped in surprise. They had arrived later yesterday and hadn’t seen Lu Ping’an, nor did they know who he was.  

Now, faced with a young man with sharp, star-like brows and a tall, straight nose, they were flustered. The younger ones even blushed in embarrassment.  

Just yesterday, they had thought Xie Ning was quite good-looking, but now he seemed mediocre in comparison.  

Xie Ning had a scholarly air, but he was too rigid.  

This young man in front of them, though lazy and unkempt, had a unique charm.  

“Comrade Song, I think he’s looking at you.”  

Girls bonded quickly. After just one night together, they were already teasing each other.  

The one called “Comrade Song” was Song Weiya, a quiet girl with soft black hair styled in bangs and a pair of glasses.  

Hearing this, she felt uneasy. Though the political climate had relaxed somewhat over the past two years, such remarks still made her uncomfortable.  

“Don’t joke around,” Song Weiya whispered in protest.  

Hearing this, Shen Xiaoyue suddenly felt uncertain. In her past life, to avoid drawing attention, she had always met Lu Ping’an in secret. He had never shown up at the educated youths’ quarters for no reason.  

He and Song Weiya had hardly ever crossed paths.  

*What if Lu Ping’an actually likes this type, and I just got to him first?*  

Shen Xiaoyue had been spoiled by Lu Ping’an’s unwavering devotion in her past life. Just entertaining this possibility now annoyed her.  

She completely forgot her earlier resolution that if Lu Ping’an didn’t like her in this life, she would let it go.  

Glaring at Lu Ping’an, who wasn’t even looking at her, she took a few deliberate steps in the opposite direction.  

*Hmph! I refuse to stand next to such a fickle man!*