Chapter 10 – Provoked During a Meal

Zhuang Kaixuan had used his decent looks and the position of deputy director of the personnel department—courtesy of his factory-director uncle—to toy with quite a few young women.

However, because he was generous with money and even arranged good jobs for those women, they dared not speak out even if they were angry. As a result, none of his misconduct had been exposed—yet.

This matchmaking with Huang Yali was only because he was nearing thirty and his family was pressuring him to get married. He figured if she turned out to be suitable, he could consider marrying her. After all, her looks and background were acceptable.

What he didn’t expect during this outing was the “bonus” discovery of Nanqiao and Shen Nian—each beautiful in her own distinct way—which stirred his wandering heart.

Nanqiao, upon hearing their arrogant talk, realized he was merely a deputy director of the personnel department. She had thought he was some powerful figure, judging by his arrogance.

Before Sheng Yanchuan could react, Shen Nian and Taohua had already spoken up.

Taohua glared angrily at Huang Yali. But being just a child, she didn’t know how to retort, so she could only glare with all her might.

Shen Nian, on the other hand, stood up for them directly. “Oh, so you’re a deputy director? I was wondering why you sounded so full of yourself. Turns out you just rode your uncle’s coattails to get where you are.”

Zhuang Kaixuan’s face fell. He had always been sensitive about being accused of riding his uncle’s coattails—even if it was true. His pride couldn’t tolerate such jabs.

People in the factory held their tongues because of the power he wielded. No one had ever dared to speak so directly in front of him.

Now a mere girl had openly mocked him. He was livid. His composure cracked as he snapped, “You brat! Even if I’m just a deputy director, believe me, I can make sure you won’t be able to stay here. Just a countryside-assigned educated youth—you think you’re some kind of prized delicacy?”

Shen Nian fired back sharply, “We came to the countryside in response to the government’s call. It’s part of a great revolutionary mission. What, are you against the educated youth movement now? If so, we’ll have to bring this up with the Revolutionary Committee and see what kind of tricks Deputy Director Zhuang thinks he can play here.”

“You damn girl—” Zhuang Kaixuan’s face twisted in fury, his gentle facade collapsing entirely under the weight of surrounding onlookers’ stares.

“You’re the damn one!” Shen Nian shot up from her seat, nearly ready to throw fists.

Sheng Yanchuan immediately stepped in front of Nanqiao and the others to protect them. His clenched fists betrayed his own suppressed rage.

Nanqiao, observing this, also grew wary. Zhuang Kaixuan seemed dangerous—not someone to be provoked lightly. She didn’t want to make enemies, but if someone stepped on her toes, she wasn’t one to swallow it quietly.

Their only way out of the countryside was through the college entrance exams, and that was still years away. If Zhuang Kaixuan decided to hold a grudge, they’d be in trouble. She figured it was better to handle the situation now. After all, he had a powerful uncle, but she had a powerful father.

Just as Sheng Yanchuan looked like he was about to explode, Nanqiao stopped him with a gentle touch on his arm. His fury instantly subsided, replaced by confusion as he looked at her questioningly.

Nanqiao gave him a reassuring look and stepped forward. “So, the director of the county steel factory is your uncle?”

Zhuang Kaixuan was caught off guard by the sudden question, but seeing her gentle and refined face, he managed to suppress his anger and nodded. “Yes.”

“His name is Zhuang Feng, right?” Nanqiao asked, digging into her memory. She recalled her father mentioning something the day before she left for the countryside.

If she remembered correctly, she once had a watch that was gifted to her by a director surnamed Zhuang. It was on her birthday, and her father thought the gift was too expensive. To even things out, he gave a men’s watch in return.

At that time, Zhuang’s factory was facing a crisis with reforms and shortages. Other provinces couldn’t help, so he came to Shanghai to seek assistance from Nanqiao’s father.

Her father’s steel mill was not only thriving domestically but also handling international business, bringing in significant foreign exchange and securing his top position in the industry.

Helping Director Zhuang was simply aiding a fellow brother in the trade.

That watch, however, was barely worn by Nanqiao. Shanghai’s styles were more advanced than Qingyang’s, and she found it too plain. If Zhuang Kaixuan hadn’t shared the same surname, she might not have made the connection.

In fact, when she came to Qingyang, her father even made a phone call to Director Zhuang, asking him to look after his daughter if she encountered any trouble.

Zhuang Feng had been extremely grateful, and naturally, agreed.

Nanqiao had been planning to visit him formally. She hadn’t expected to run into his nephew like this.

“You… You know my uncle?” Zhuang Kaixuan’s voice faltered, dread creeping in.

“We met once. I really liked the watch Uncle Zhuang gave me for my birthday. I was hoping to find time to visit him during my stay here,” she said with a casual smile.

Zhuang Kaixuan froze in place, eyes wide with panic.

“You… your last name is Nan?” he asked again, clinging to a sliver of hope.

He knew exactly how much his uncle appreciated Director Nan. If he found out he had offended Nan’s daughter… his position would be gone in a heartbeat.

He shivered. All his previous arrogance drained away.

With a sheepish smile, he bowed slightly. “Comrade Nan, I apologize. I was out of line. I sincerely apologize to all of you for my behavior.”

Under the stunned gazes of Huang Yali, Shen Nian, and the others, Zhuang Kaixuan continued nervously, “Please… don’t mention this to my uncle. I’m begging you.”

Then, without waiting for a response, he turned and fled.

Huang Yali flushed with shame and fury, chasing after him. “Kaixuan! Wait for me!”

She had no idea what was going on. Just a countryside-assigned girl—what could possibly scare Zhuang Kaixuan into fleeing like that? Did she have some kind of secret background?

Zhuang Kaixuan didn’t care about anything behind him. He just wanted to get as far away as possible.

Having his rise attributed to his uncle was his greatest insecurity—but it was also the truth. If his uncle found out about today’s incident, it wouldn’t be out of the question for him to be stripped of his job.

Losing his job was one thing. Worse would be if the women he’d harassed took the opportunity to come forward. Then he’d be finished.

So he didn’t even listen to Huang Yali’s calls. He jumped on his bicycle and disappeared down the street in a flash.

---

Back at the state-run restaurant, Nanqiao returned to eating her noodles and braised pork.

Such delicious food couldn’t go to waste—and besides, she wasn’t full yet.

“Qiao Qiao, do you really know his uncle?” Shen Nian asked, puzzled.

“I met him once. A few years ago, I think Director Zhuang had some problems in his factory, so he came to Shanghai to ask my dad for help,” Nanqiao replied casually.

Shen Nian frowned, thinking hard.

A moment later, she gasped, “Ah! I remember now! You’re Uncle Nan’s daughter!”

Nanqiao’s face went black. That was the most roundabout way to say something obvious. Of course she was Nan’s daughter—her surname was Nan.

“What kind of way is that to say it…” she muttered helplessly.

“No, no, hear me out. I’ve met your dad before! He’s the director of the Shanghai Steel Plant, right? My dad works in the Ministry of Commerce, and I met Uncle Nan once during an investment conference. He said he had a daughter about my age—so it’s you!”

Shen Nian was chattering away without realizing she’d just exposed both their identities completely.

Nanqiao gave her an exasperated glare and then quickly glanced at Taohua and Sheng Yanchuan, relieved to see they were quietly eating and hadn’t reacted.

It wasn’t that she was afraid—but she didn’t want to draw too much attention from the villagers or be seen by other educated youths as a ticket back to the city.

She just wanted to quietly finish these two years and then get into university through the college entrance exam.

Fortunately, both Taohua and Sheng Yanchuan weren’t the type to gossip. She relaxed a little and continued eating. The four of them seemed to reach a silent agreement not to mention the topic again.

But Sheng Yanchuan, while eating quietly, felt anything but calm.

He had known there was a gap between them—but not that it was this wide. For the first time, he felt uncertain about his own feelings.

He was just a villager. Even with his job at the transportation station, at most he could earn enough to help his older brother get married—not win the heart of someone like her.

---

For the next few days, Sheng Yanchuan kept his distance from Nanqiao.

After their meal, the four of them took a tractor to the train station to collect their luggage. There were four large bags. Nanqiao carried one, while Sheng Yanchuan handled the rest by himself.

Nanqiao was stunned by the sheer amount.

Anyone who saw this would think she was moving house, not heading to the countryside as a knowledge youth.

Given the era’s emphasis on frugality, bringing so much stuff was practically asking to be reported.

They piled the bags and some miscellaneous items onto the small tractor. It was nearly full.

Shen Nian looked at the mountain of goods and said apologetically, “Brother Sheng, do we have too much stuff?”

“It’s fine,” he replied, then added, “Let’s go. We’ll head back first.”

“Huh? Aren’t we waiting for the others? Weren’t we supposed to meet them at four?” Nanqiao asked.

“I saw Brother Erhu leave this morning. He’ll be there at four. It’s fine if we go first.”

Relieved, they headed back on the tractor.

They stopped right at the courtyard where Nanqiao and Shen Nian were staying.

It was the hottest part of the day, and most villagers were napping, so no one saw that Sheng Yanchuan had returned with them alone.

He helped unload their luggage, then returned the tractor.

Taohua helped carry the bags inside, then skipped home, eager to tell her mother all about the town and the delicious meat at the state-run restaurant.

Back home, everyone was still napping. Taohua peeked inside, then went to her room to rest.

Meanwhile, Nanqiao and Shen Nian carried their things to their rooms to unpack.

Nanqiao opened her bag to reveal bedding, clothes, malted milk, formula, basins, enamel cups, gloves—even fabric for making clothes.

Basically, anything one could imagine—or not imagine—her mother had packed for her.

Nanqiao smiled at the sight of the cotton gloves. She had been planning to rough up the ones in her storage space to make them look worn. Her mother had saved her the trouble.

She put away everything neatly. For things with no place, she simply waved her hand and stored them in her space. Then she climbed into bed and spread out the bedding.

Qingyang’s summer wasn’t as hot as Shanghai’s, but after all that unpacking, she’d worked up a sweat.

She locked the door, slipped into her space, and took a nice shower.

Sipping a cold Coke in the air-conditioned space, she felt thoroughly content.

She was tempted to nap there, but changed her mind.

Since she was here, she needed to adapt. The space was convenient, but she didn’t want to become too reliant on it.

So she returned to her room, lay down on the straw mat her mother had sent, and drifted off to sleep.