Chapter 52

Meng Yinyin looked at him in confusion.

Lu Chen snapped out of his thoughts and looked at her clear, innocent eyes. She probably wouldn’t know anything about this. Moreover, if he told her, would she be scared? That was another issue.

After hesitating, Lu Chen finally decided not to tell her the full truth. Instead, he said he had already spoken with Dou Zhengrong about what happened yesterday and had clarified things with Lin Xiuzhi.

“What did she say? Hmph, she must have denied it, right?”

After hearing this, Meng Yinyin, as expected, didn’t linger on Lu Chen’s strange behavior. Instead, she started asking him about the situation.

Lu Chen honestly told her Lin Xiuzhi’s response, which was pretty much what Meng Yinyin had guessed.

“These things, you have to believe me, I didn’t lie!” Meng Yinyin said proudly, her tail almost wagging in delight.

Seeing this, Lu Chen’s gloomy mood lightened a little.

However, even so, he felt the need to explain something.

He said to Meng Yinyin, “I’ve never doubted you or thought you lied.”

His firm gaze and trusting tone made Meng Yinyin feel as if no matter what she said or did, Lu Chen would always believe her unconditionally.

Being trusted by him made Meng Yinyin feel a bit of joy, but mostly, she felt anxious and burdened. After all, if Lu Chen knew that she was already thinking of ways to escape from him, would he still trust her?

Thinking this, she realized that she had become the kind of person she had once hated—two-faced person.

Feeling uncomfortable, Meng Yinyin quickly averted her gaze and awkwardly changed the subject.

“Uh, what should we have for lunch?”

Even though Lu Chen was used to Meng Yinyin’s playful and mischievous nature, this sudden question caught him off guard.

They hadn’t even had breakfast yet, and she was already asking about lunch.

After the surprise, Lu Chen seriously asked, “So, what do you want to eat for lunch?”

Once Meng Yinyin asked, she immediately realized it was a silly question. Feeling embarrassed, she casually mentioned two dishes and quickly excused herself to wash up. Lu Chen went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

After watching Lu Chen’s figure disappear into the yard, Meng Yinyin let out a sigh of relief.

She remembered how Lu Chen had played along with her, not exposing her awkward topic. She had to admit, his behavior was really good.

He could cook, had a great temper, and patiently continued the conversation despite her obvious awkwardness.

If he could keep acting like this, maybe living with him wouldn’t be so bad…

The thought popped into her head, but as soon as it did, she snapped out of it and shook her head furiously.

No, this was definitely an enemy’s trap, a sugar-coated bullet meant to make her let her guard down. She couldn’t fall for it!

No, no, no. It seemed like she still had to figure out a way to break up with Lu Chen. Otherwise, she’d be locked in a cage for the rest of her life!

But then came the question: after breaking up with Lu Chen, she wouldn’t be able to leave the brigade. Did that mean she’d have to return to the educated youth point?

Not to mention how the others at the educated youth point would look at her, she also felt that after staying at Lu Chen’s house for a while, where she had everything—good food, good sleep, and a good environment—could she really adapt to that life again?

Thinking about all these problems, Meng Yinyin felt overwhelmed.

Ugh, this was really troublesome!

In the end, it was all Lu Chen’s fault!

If he hadn’t been pretending, if he were just himself, life would be much easier. She wouldn’t have to deal with all these complicated issues. Hmph, Lu Chen was so annoying!

As she thought about all this, Meng Yinyin grew angry again, so much so that she had a long face during breakfast, making Lu Chen wonder if he had messed up the meal.

But after tasting it, he found it tasted the same as before.

He opened his mouth, wanting to ask what was wrong with Meng Yinyin, but before he could speak, he was met with a sharp look from her across the table. Her eyes clearly said: Don’t ask!

Lu Chen: “…”

Okay, he quickly lowered his head and pretended nothing had happened, continuing with his meal.

The breakfast ended in this strange atmosphere.

After they finished eating, Meng Yinyin thought that Lu Chen would, as usual, pack his things and head out to work. However, to her surprise, the brigade leader came looking for him. The brigade leader spoke with him hurriedly, said a few words, and then left.

When Lu Chen returned to the courtyard, his expression was a bit anxious.

Unable to hold back her curiosity, Meng Yinyin asked him what was going on. Lu Chen then told her that he was about to leave and had to go to the county to learn how to drive a tractor.

A while ago, Lu Chen and the brigade leader had attended a meeting at the commune. During the meeting, the commune announced that, after the leadership’s efforts, they had successfully acquired a tractor. However, since tractors were bulky and expensive, many people wanted to learn to drive it, but unfortunately, no one in their commune knew how. Therefore, they needed to choose someone to go to the county for training and return to become a tractor driver.

Being a tractor driver was an extremely sought-after position, and when the news spread, many youths eagerly applied for the training slots. Although not everyone who went for the training would necessarily become a driver, each brigade could send one person, and at least one of them would be selected. So, everyone was reluctant to miss this opportunity.

As for their Nanjiao Brigade, Lu Chen had somehow been selected to go to the county to learn tractor driving.

After thinking about it, Meng Yinyin suspected that Lu Chen might have benefited from his late father’s status as a martyr.

However, when she first heard the news, she was only shocked.

“What? You’re going to the county? How long will you be gone? When will you come back?”

The news was so sudden that she didn’t know how to react.

Lu Chen explained, “I’ll be gone for a week. I’ll first learn from the instructor, and on the last day, there will be a test. The best out of the five will be selected as the tractor driver.”

It seemed that the competition was fierce, as even a small commune sent five people for training.

While Meng Yinyin was impressed, she finally realized something important.

“Wait, if you’re going to the county for five days, I’ll be here alone?”

The county was not like the town, where it was only a couple of hours round trip.

To get to the county, he’d have to take a bus from the town, and even the bus ride took almost an hour. If he had to walk, it would take most of the day. So, Lu Chen definitely couldn’t return every day.

Moreover, he had to study, making it impossible for him to spare time to come back.

Once it sank in that Lu Chen wouldn’t be coming back for the week, Meng Yinyin looked around at the large courtyard and felt an inexplicable sense of fear.

“Well, I may not be back for five days.”

Lu Chen wasn’t entirely at ease leaving her alone, but the situation left him with no choice.

He suppressed his worries and tried to sound as casual as possible.

“But the security in the brigade is very good. You don’t need to worry.”

After a brief pause, he added, “Also, while I’m gone, you can invite your friends from the educated youth point over. They can stay with you if you want.”

In fact, secretly, he didn’t want anyone else to come and live with Meng Yinyin. You could say he was stingy or possessive, but he finally had a home with her, and he didn’t want anyone else to interfere too much in this home.

Before Meng Yinyin could respond, Lu Chen continued, “I remember you have a good relationship with a female educated youth with the last name Yu.”

“Her name is Yu Xiaoyu.”

Meng Yinyin pouted and felt a sudden wave of depression.

She probably hadn’t realized it herself, but Lu Chen’s leaving for such a long time had affected her more than she expected.

Just before breakfast, she was thinking about leaving him, but now, upon hearing that he would be away for so long, she felt strangely upset.

She told herself it was just the shock of the news. She wasn’t upset about him leaving!

And just as he had suggested, having Yu Xiaoyu come over to keep her company seemed like a good idea!

“Alright, I’ll talk to her. You go ahead.”

After making up her mind, Meng Yinyin urged Lu Chen to leave.

Lu Chen felt a little uncomfortable but, seeing that she wasn’t too upset, he was reassured.

Since the notice came on short notice, Lu Chen couldn’t accompany her to the educated youth point. He quickly packed two sets of clothes and reluctantly said goodbye to Meng Yinyin and their small home.

As Lu Chen’s figure disappeared, Meng Yinyin suddenly jumped up, feeling an unexpected sense of freedom, as if there were no more tigers in the mountains and the monkeys were king.

She hurried to her room, found some dried meat, stuffed it into her pocket, locked the door, and set off for the educated youth point.

It had been a while since she’d last been there, so she wanted to check if anything had changed.

After all, she might end up back at the educated youth point sooner or later!

Of course, the most important thing was to go find Yu Xiaoyu, persuade her to come stay with her, and then get her advice on how to deal with the situation.

Since she woke up early in the morning, even though Meng Yinyin had finished her breakfast, it was still not yet time for everyone to head out for work.

When she arrived at the Educated Youth point, she found the other Educated Youths either washing up or eating, and everything seemed just as it had been before.

Soon, Meng Yinyin spotted the familiar figure of Yu Xiaoyu in the crowd. After calling out to her, she quickly rushed over to her side.

It was Yu Xiaoyu’s turn to cook today. She had just finished her meal and was now cleaning up the group’s kitchenware. When she saw Meng Yinyin, she was thrilled.

“Yinyin, what brings you here?”

Although the two were in the same brigade, ever since Meng Yinyin had moved to Lu Chen’s house, she had barely gone out, and with the harvest season approaching, there was much work to be done in the fields. Yu Xiaoyu couldn’t find time to visit her, so it had been almost a month since they had seen each other.

After such a long time, seeing Meng Yinyin again felt like seeing a fairy.

“Are you even whiter than before? Oh my, what did you put on your skin? It’s so delicate and smooth!”

It was truly frustrating. Yu Xiaoyu looked at her own skin, which was much darker than Meng Yinyin’s, and almost felt like she would spit out a mouthful of blood.

Recently, Meng Yinyin had been eating well, sleeping well, and didn’t have to work. Not only was her skin better, but her overall appearance had improved significantly, almost back to how she looked before coming to the countryside.

She had always been beautiful, but now, among a group of Educated Youths who had tanned from working under the sun, she looked like a piece of fine jade among a pile of stones—unbelievably eye-catching.

Within just a few minutes, Yu Xiaoyu noticed several male educated youths sneaking glances at Meng Yinyin’s arm and upper body.

She quickly grabbed Meng Yinyin and pulled her behind her, using her now muscular arm to shield her from those gazes.

Meng Yinyin, however, was too busy laughing to notice anything. When Yu Xiaoyu asked, she cheerfully explained that she hadn’t put anything on her skin; maybe she was just naturally beautiful.

Yu Xiaoyu: “……”

Just as she was about to lose her temper, Meng Yinyin slipped a piece of dried meat into her mouth.

Yu Xiaoyu’s expression immediately changed. She was so moved that she almost burst into tears.

She announced that she and Meng Yinyin would be good sisters for life!