Chapter 6.2

So the next moment, Meng Yinyin hesitated slightly and then nervously looked at Lu Chen, softly negotiating with him.

“Uh, can you keep it a secret from the brigade leader for a while? Don’t tell him I didn’t learn from you. I’m not asking you to lie, just… when he asks, you don’t have to say anything, just stay quiet like now!”

After all, he was always so taciturn, the brigade leader probably wouldn’t notice anything.

“I’ll apologize to the brigade leader later… after I get married. By then, he probably won’t be able to send me away no matter how mad he is.”

When Lu Chen heard this, he remained silent, looking at her as though disapproving of her behavior.

Seeing his reaction, Meng Yinyin gritted her teeth, glanced around to make sure no one else was around, stamped her foot, and then began to act coy.

She’d rather be embarrassed than have the brigade leader send her back!

The next moment, she tilted her head back and clasped her hands together, her bright eyes full of hope as she looked at him, softly pleading.

“Lu Chen, please, please help me, okay? I really have something important to do…”

When Lu Chen looked down, he happened to see her looking up at him.

In that instant, her almost flawless face was unexpectedly imprinted in his vision.

This was the first time Lu Chen had seen her features up close, and he truly felt what it was like to see beauty that made him afraid to look for too long.

His breath hitched.

In the next moment, he hurriedly averted his gaze.

His throat moved involuntarily, and his heart began to beat erratically.

“Lu Chen, please…”

Her soft voice continued to call his name.

After a few seconds of silence, amidst the thunderous beating of his heart, Lu Chen heard himself humming in reply in his unpleasant voice.

“You agreed, you agreed!”

“That’s great! I knew you were a good person!”

Meng Yinyin was so happy with Lu Chen’s “Mm” that she almost jumped up with excitement. She was too thrilled to notice anything unusual about him.

When she came to her senses, she saw that Lu Chen had returned to the distant stone, facing away from her and getting back to work.

Taking advantage of the fact that he had his back to her, Meng Yinyin couldn’t help but smile at his figure.

After everything that happened today, not only did she think Lu Chen was truly a good person, but she also decided to include him in her circle of friends.

Although he was distant and didn’t talk much, he was kind-hearted and principled—definitely a friend worth making!

But then, recalling what Yu Xiaoyu had said at lunch—that he had been an orphan since childhood and seeing that Lu Chen didn’t dress well—she guessed his family conditions might not be very good.

If only his circumstances were a bit better, not necessarily great—just a small, separate courtyard where he wouldn’t need to deal with others when the door was shut. Occasionally, they could have rice and meat without her having to work in the fields. That would be enough for her.

These were her only current requirements.

In that case, he would probably meet all her criteria for an ideal husband, right?

But then she realized that this was impossible. After all, Lu Chen had such a tragic life, and maybe he was still living with relatives, dependent on them. How could he possibly have his own house, let alone one that was quite decent compared to others in the brigade?

Sighing, she dismissed the thought. It was better not to dream and instead think of a way to inquire about the other young men in the brigade.

That afternoon, Meng Yinyin didn’t do much, and Lu Chen didn’t come over again. He worked diligently, as if he had endless energy, never tiring.

When the scorekeeper came over to check on Meng Yinyin’s progress, she took advantage of the three work points she had earned in the morning. She shamelessly claimed that she was too tired to do anything in the afternoon since her hands were sore from the work earlier.

The scorekeeper, either used to such scenes or still in a good mood from seeing Meng Yinyin earn three work points in the morning, didn’t criticize her. Instead, he smiled and offered her some encouragement.

“Farm work is like that. It’s hard at first, and your whole body feels sore. But once you get used to it, it’s fine. Educated Youth Meng, I’m rooting for you. Keep it up tomorrow!”

Afterward, he glanced at Lu Chen, then wrote down a zero and a ten in his ledger before turning and leaving.

Although Meng Yinyin didn’t do much, she was hungry because she hadn’t eaten enough at lunch. Seeing the scorekeeper leave, she stretched, turned to look at Lu Chen, and noticed he was still in the same position, likely planning to continue working for a while.

She couldn’t help but admire him inwardly. He was truly a model of hard work. She then called out to him, “I’m heading back now,” and walked away with a light step.

Hee hee, now she had to ask Yu Xiaoyu which family in the brigade had the best prospects and happened to have unmarried young men!

As her cheerful footsteps faded into the bamboo forest, Lu Chen, who had been as silent as a statue, slowly lowered his aching wrist.

He raised his hand and couldn’t help but touch his chest. Although his heartbeat had returned to normal, the inexplicable flutter in his chest still lingered in his memory.

He tried to recall that feeling, but Meng Yinyin’s face involuntarily appeared in his mind.

Lu Chen almost jumped back as he lowered his hand, his brow furrowing.

What was going on with him?

……

Back at the Educated Youth point, Meng Yinyin got busy. It was her turn to cook dinner with Yu Xiaoyu. Normally, she would have pouted and been unwilling to go into the kitchen, but today, thinking she would be asking Yu Xiaoyu about something that others shouldn’t overhear, the kitchen, a small private space, was perfect for their conversation.

Once they were alone in the kitchen, Meng Yinyin couldn’t resist asking.

“Xiaoyu, do you know which family in the brigade is the wealthiest and has the best living conditions?”

Since she was going to get married anyway, she might as well marry someone with good conditions, otherwise, she would be at a disadvantage!

Yu Xiaoyu, not understanding at first, instinctively asked, “Why?”

Meng Yinyin blinked and replied calmly, “Oh, it’s nothing. I’ve been here for so long, but I realize I don’t know much about the other people and things in the brigade, so I thought I’d ask you.”

“Oh.”

Yu Xiaoyu didn’t think much of it and honestly shared what she had learned and observed recently.

“I think there are two families in Nanjiao Brigade with the best conditions. One is the brigade leader’s family, and the other is the Lu family.”

Meng Yinyin wasn’t surprised that the brigade leader’s family was well-off, as village officials had to be capable and powerful to hold their position. But the Lu family?

Was that the Lu family of Lu Chen?

Just as she was about to ask, Yu Xiaoyu added, “But this Lu family isn’t the same as Lu Chen’s family. It’s his uncle’s family, the Lu Dashan family.”

Meng Yinyin slowly let out an “Oh.”

For some reason, she felt inexplicably disappointed.

For a brief moment, she hoped Yu Xiaoyu meant Lu Chen’s family.

However, she quickly dismissed the feeling and curiously asked, “Are they very rich? Why?”

“I’m not sure, but I passed by their house last time and saw that it’s made of red bricks!”

At this time, most of the other villagers were still struggling to meet basic needs, living in mud or wooden houses, but Lu Dashan’s family had a brick house, and it was made of red bricks. It was no less impressive than a city house.

“Wow, their family is really rich!”

Meng Yinyin couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise.

“But isn’t their family also a farmer? How did they get so rich?”

Meng Yinyin’s confusion was also shared by Yu Xiaoyu. She shook her head and said, “I’m not sure, but I heard their family wasn’t wealthy before. It seems that many years ago, they suddenly came into a large sum of money and then built a new house.”

Suddenly came into a large sum of money?

Could they have found a treasure or met a benefactor?

Meng Yinyin muttered to herself, furrowing her brows.

Seeing her curiosity, Yu Xiaoyu couldn’t help but laugh.

“Why are you so interested in their family’s business?”

“No, it’s not like that!” Meng Yinyin quickly retorted. “I’m just curious. I didn’t expect to find anyone around here so rich.”

This explanation seemed reasonable, so Yu Xiaoyu didn’t suspect anything further. She said, “Tomorrow, their family is marrying off a daughter. Why don’t we go there too? We could also take a look at their house while we’re at it.”

When she said this, Yu Xiaoyu felt a little shy, her face flushing red.

Although she wasn’t as greedy as Meng Yinyin, she had been craving meat for a while. Plus, when she asked the brigade leader earlier about whether educated youths could attend the banquet tomorrow, she was told it was fine.

“Fine” meant they could go, right?

That’s why she couldn’t resist discussing it with Meng Yinyin.

As soon as Meng Yinyin heard this, her eyes widened, and without thinking, she eagerly agreed, “Yes, yes, let’s go together tomorrow!”

Just the thought of eating meat at the banquet made Meng Yinyin excited.

She also realized that a wedding banquet would likely attract many guests, and maybe even the entire brigade might attend.

In that case, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to gather everyone in one place and see what they looked like!

She could then take note of the ones she liked and ask around about them!

Attending a wedding banquet meant she could eat meat and, at the same time, screen potential husbands.

Meng Yinyin suddenly thought she was a genius!

She felt an overwhelming excitement for the next day.