Chapter 9.1

While Meng Yinyin was still stunned by the fact that Lu Chen had so much dried meat, the sound of a door opening suddenly came from next door at the Lu Dashan’s house, followed by the loud, exaggerated laughter of Jiang Guihua greeting them.

“Oh, my dear relatives, why are you here so early? I told you that we can handle it here and you don’t need to worry about it, but you are still so polite. Come on, come in!”

“Lu Dashan, your in-laws brought fish and meat! Hurry up and come out!”

Her voice was so loud, it seemed like she was about to announce it to the entire village with a loudspeaker.

“Lu Chen, did you tidy up the bench? Once you’re done, come help your aunt greet the guests!”

Jiang Guihua’s voice rang out, and Lu Chen had no choice but to go help.

He glanced at Meng Yinyin and realized, up until this moment, he didn’t understand why she was here. Was she looking for him?

Seeing the confusion in his eyes, Meng Yinyin quickly explained in a soft voice, “Actually, I came here today to eat at your uncle’s place!”

Lu Chen nodded in understanding.

However, it was only around seven or eight in the morning. Wasn’t it a little early to come for a meal?

Seeing the questioning look in Lu Chen’s eyes, Meng Yinyin certainly couldn’t admit she had come early to grab a good spot to observe everyone closely once they all arrived.

If she said that, it would lead to questions about why she wanted to observe the others, and her desire to find a husband and avoid labor would be too obvious.

So, Meng Yinyin nervously lied, “I didn’t feel like working today, so I took the day off. Since I had nothing to do, I thought I’d come over and see if there was anything I could help with. After all, we’re all in the same brigade now, so I might as well lend a hand.”

Lu Chen didn’t doubt her words at all.

However, his gaze lingered for a moment on her beautiful, obviously expensive dress, and his expression hesitated. Without thinking much, he immediately stopped her.

“Don’t go.”

Meng Yinyin froze, startled by his sudden stern tone.

“What’s wrong?”

Lu Chen had to explain, “It’s dirty work.”

Her dress was so clean and beautiful, and if it got even a little stain on it, she’d surely be upset.

After all, just from the way she carefully picked up a leaf to wipe her nose yesterday, he could tell she was a girl who loved beauty and paid attention to detail.

Meng Yinyin wasn’t foolish enough to actually become free labor, but she did appreciate Lu Chen’s concern.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be careful!”

From her tone, it seemed like she wasn’t planning to give up on helping out.

Seeing this, Lu Chen stopped trying to persuade her. However, he couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy inside.

He didn’t want Meng Yinyin to go help next door, but he didn’t really have a position to stop her.

In the end, he looked at her one last time and then decided to go back into the house to find the long bench that Jiang Guihua had asked for, intending to take it next door.

But Meng Yinyin called out to him again.

“Lu Chen, wait a moment!”

Lu Chen stopped, turned around, and looked at her.

She handed him the dried meat she had been holding and, with a frown, reluctantly reminded him, “Can you help me put the meat away for now? I’ll come by to get it when I leave at noon!”

She had no more space on her body to carry it, and it would be awkward to take it to the meal at the neighbor’s house.

She was hoping to bring the meat back to the dorm and savor it later. After all, once she had the meat, who knew when she’d have it again?

Life wasn’t easy, Meng Yinyin sighed.

Lu Chen looked at her dress and quickly understood. He took the meat back and put it away before continuing with his work.

Since Meng Yinyin had said she would help, she didn’t delay any further. When she saw Lu Chen go through the small gate to the next door, she quickly exited his yard and circled around to the front gate of the Lu Dashan family.

When she reached the front gate, the previously closed door had been opened, and a single-barred bicycle was parked outside with red cloth hanging on it. It should be the relative-in-law that Lu Chen’s aunt mentioned who rode here.

Standing at the front gate of Lu Dashan’s house, she peeked inside and couldn’t help but marvel at how impressive the inner courtyard was, just as she had imagined. The neat row of brick houses, each with windows made of glass, seemed to have cost quite a bit—probably a few hundred or even nearly a thousand yuan to build.

It seemed that their family’s unexpected windfall had really been substantial.

Meng Yinyin couldn’t help but sigh, and then she saw a middle-aged woman smiling widely, her teeth showing. Recognizing the sharpness of her loud voice, Meng Yinyin immediately identified her as Lu Chen’s aunt.

Just as she curiously peered inside, the people in the courtyard noticed her as well.

Perhaps Meng Yinyin didn’t recognize them, but no one in the entire Nanjiao Brigade was unfamiliar with the name Meng Yinyin!

After all, it had been decades since a girl as beautiful as Meng Yinyin had appeared in Nanjiao. On top of that, she was an Educated Youth from the city. Regardless of the reason, everyone in the brigade couldn’t help but take a few extra glances at her.

But why did this beautiful Educated Youth, who usually had little interaction with the local villagers, suddenly appear at their doorstep?

Compared to Lu Dashan’s simple curiosity, Jiang Guihua’s gaze was much more critical.

Although Meng Yinyin had only changed into a different dress and hadn’t made any other special effort in her appearance, Jiang Guihua thought Meng Yinyin was deliberately dressing up to stand out.

In particular, her dress was far more beautiful than the one her own eldest daughter had bought from the county for her wedding!

What was she thinking? Didn’t she know that the bride was the center of attention today? How could she have the nerve to dress so lavishly and steal the spotlight?

As for the Wang family, it was the first time for both parents to see Meng Yinyin, and they were immediately stunned by her beauty.

Recalling that they still had an unmarried son, Mother Wang leaned in and quietly asked Jiang Guihua, excitedly.

“Which family does this girl come from? Is she married?”

Jiang Guihua instantly understood that Mother Wang was interested in Meng Yinyin’s appearance. It made her even more uncomfortable.

But, since she was dealing with her in-laws on such an important day, she had to suppress her feelings and force a smile.

“She’s an Educated Youth newly assigned to the brigade. I heard she’s not married, but I don’t know if she’s seeing anyone. With her looks, she probably doesn’t lack suitors.”

Jiang Guihua said this deliberately, trying to imply that a woman with such striking looks was bound to attract attention and wouldn’t be content in one place. She might even stir up trouble with her beauty. If they were looking for a daughter-in-law, they should look for someone steady and well-suited for the family. Even if that meant they weren’t as attractive, at least they would be trustworthy.

Someone like their own eldest daughter was the perfect choice for a daughter-in-law.

Mother Wang wasn’t foolish, she could hear the hidden meaning in Jiang Guihua’s words.

However, she wasn’t naive enough to believe everything Jiang Guihua said. She wouldn’t just take her word for it.

The main reason she was so intrigued was that Meng Yinyin was incredibly beautiful. In all her years, she had never seen such a stunning girl.

Just seeing her standing there outside, looking so graceful and saying nothing, made everyone feel affectionate toward her.

If she were to become their daughter-in-law, their future grandchildren would surely be just as good-looking!

And the best part was that such a beautiful daughter-in-law would bring pride and honor when they went out.

The Wang family had some standing in the town. All four of them worked steady jobs and had a good income. Their family was well-off.

Such a family didn’t need to strictly follow rules about marrying only girls from a similar background or from the city. What mattered was that the younger generation got along well with each other. Otherwise, the marriage between their son and Lu’s daughter wouldn’t have happened.

So, they weren’t concerned that Meng Yinyin didn’t have her own home in the brigade. After all, they had already accepted Lu’s daughter, and Meng Yinyin’s external circumstances were much better than hers, so they didn’t mind at all.

Mother Wang quickly made up her mind to find a chance to learn more about this Educated Youth Meng.

Meanwhile, Lu Dashan, as the host, couldn’t help but walk toward Meng Yinyin with a puzzled expression and ask, “Educated Youth Meng, what brings you here…?”

Without any hesitation, Meng Yinyin smiled and cheerfully greeted him, “Uncle Lu, I heard your family has a happy event today, so I came to share in the joy. Congratulations to your family!”

Since she had come to congratulate them, there was no reason to send her away.

Though Lu Dashan was still a little confused, since he had never noticed Meng Yinyin to be so friendly, he smiled back and said, “Ah, thank you, thank you, Educated Youth Meng. Won’t you come inside and sit for a while?”

Lu Dashan had only asked out of politeness, thinking that, given Meng Yinyin’s usual avoidance of the villagers, she would likely decline. But to his surprise, the moment he finished speaking, he saw her eyes light up, and she replied in a bright tone, “Sure!”

So, Meng Yinyin accepted the invitation, walked in confidently, and became the first guest to enter the Lu family home.

Lu Dashan: “…?”

Jiang Guihua, on the other hand, was so shocked that her eyes almost popped out.

This girl, Meng Yinyin, was actually coming in as a guest?

But wait, if she stood here, everyone passing by would surely see her. With her standing there, who would even look at the bride? All eyes would be on her!

Was she trying to cause trouble on purpose?

Realizing this, Jiang Guihua was nearly furious, wanting to kick her out immediately. But seeing that the Wang family was present, she dared not say anything.

Instead, Mother Wang, noticing how poised and unflustered Meng Yinyin was, became even more impressed with her.

Just by this alone, Meng Yinyin was already better than Lu’s daughter! When that girl first met them, she almost had her head down to her chest and spoke so quietly that Mother Wang had to strain to hear her. It was as if she were hiding in a corner. She had such a small-town demeanor.

Comparing the two, Mother Wang felt even more enthusiastic. She couldn’t help herself and directly greeted Meng Yinyin.

“You must be the Educated Youth Meng. Welcome to my son’s wedding! My son and Xiujuan are getting married today, so we’re now practically family, haha.”

Meng Yinyin was still momentarily stunned before realizing who “Xiujuan” was. It must have been the bride who got married today, Lu Dashan’s daughter.

However, Lu Dashan’s in-law was truly enthusiastic, taking such good care of a guest like her.