The reason Qi Xiaoyan and Qi Fangfang were on good terms was because they both studied in the county town. They traveled together and had company on the way.

However, Qi Fangfang was very shrewd. Liang Hongyu often whispered in Qi Xiaoyan's ear, warning her to be wary of Qi Fangfang. As an obedient and good child, Qi Xiaoyan's relationship with Qi Fangfang wasn't as good as she had imagined. Now that they weren't in school anymore, Qi Fangfang and Qi Xiaoyan wouldn't see each other for ten days or half a month at a time.

The next day, Secretary Qi went to the county town, Liang Hongyu went to work, and only Qi Xiaoyan was at home.

Qi Fangfang knocked on the door and called out, "Xiao Yan, are you home?"

As the youngest daughter in the family, Qi Xiaoyan didn't have to work outside the village like other teenagers, nor did she have to worry about going hungry. Furthermore, Qi Xiaoyan was physically weaker than most girls, and her family spoiled her, not allowing her to work.

Secretary Qi was shrewd. He had originally hoped that his daughter would study hard, go to university, become a city dweller, and stop working. But now that university entrance exams were no longer allowed, Secretary Qi started trying to find job openings for his daughter, hoping to spend some money to secure one so that she wouldn't have to suffer in the countryside.

Qi Xiaoyan recognized Qi Fangfang's voice and was also surprised. Since she stopped going to school, the two had rarely seen each other. She wondered what Qi Fangfang wanted to do there.

"Fangfang, what brings you here?" Qi Xiaoyan opened the door and let Qi Fangfang in. There were some sour dates that He Tiantian had brought over yesterday that she hadn't finished eating, so she took them out and gave Qi Fangfang a few to eat.

Qi Fangfang was half a head shorter than Qi Xiaoyan, about 1.55 meters tall. She had a round face, slender eyes, and slightly dark skin, but her features were still quite attractive. She had a full figure and was considered a pretty girl in the countryside.

Qi Fangfang didn't stand on ceremony, grabbed a handful, ate a few, and then said with a grin, "It's hot today, so my mom won't let me go to work. I came to play with you."

Actually, that's not the truth; it was her older brother who sent her.

"Oh, it is indeed quite hot today," Qi Xiaoyan said, and then fell silent.

Qi Fangfang knew Qi Xiaoyan was a quiet person; if she didn't speak, Qi Xiaoyan wouldn't initiate a conversation. Normally, she wouldn't even bother looking for Qi Xiaoyan, but her brother had taken a liking to the new educated youth and wanted her to go find He Tiantian and cultivate a good relationship with her. But she had never even met He Tiantian; how could she rashly go to find her?

Hearing that He Tiantian had visited Secretary Qi's home two or three times, Qi Fangfang thought of Qi Xiaoyan. She hoped that Qi Xiaoyan would introduce her to He Tiantian so that they could get along better in the future.

"Xiao Yan, did you see the educated youth from Xinlai come to your house yesterday? Were they looking for you?" Qi Fangfang asked Qi Xiaoyan while eating dates.

Qi Xiaoyan was an honest child, and nodded, saying, "Sister Tiantian didn't come to see me, she came to ask my dad to help her send a letter."

Sweetie Sister?

Qi Xiaoyan calls He Tiantian "Sister Tiantian," indicating a good relationship between them. He Tiantian's visit to Qi Xiaoyan was a good decision.

"Hey, none of the girls in the village talk to us. I'm just as lonely as you are. You and Sister Tiantian are pretty close. When we have time, let's go visit Sister Tiantian together, okay?" Qi Fangfang said with a grin, expressing her thoughts.

With a middleman, her friendship with He Tiantian wouldn't seem so forced.

Qi Xiaoyan was suspicious. She often heard her mother say that Qi Fangfang, like her family, wouldn't do anything without a reason. Now Qi Fangfang had come to see her specifically, hoping to become friends with He Tiantian. She wondered what Qi Fangfang was really up to.

Noticing Qi Xiaoyan's gaze, Qi Fangfang cursed inwardly, "How come this idiot has become so smart today? Before, Qi Xiaoyan would listen to whatever she said!"

"Hehe, I'm not afraid to tell you this, but I also have my own selfish reasons." Qi Fangfang lowered her head and whispered, "I saw He Tiantian from afar before. Her skin was so white, her hair was so black, and she was so beautiful. I was very envious, so I wanted to get to know her and ask her how to become whiter and prettier."

Hearing this, Qi Xiaoyan smiled slightly. Qi Fangfang did indeed frequently apply various things to her face, hoping to whiten her skin. Once, she didn't know what she did, but her skin had an allergic reaction, breaking out in a lot of messy red bumps. She had to go to the county town and spend a lot of money to get better. She had thought Qi Fangfang had given up on these little tricks, but hearing this, it seemed she was still persistent.

However, Qi Fangfang was right; He Tiantian's skin was the best she had ever seen—fair, delicate, without any blemishes, and incredibly smooth and supple. Although Qi Xiaoyan wasn't dark-skinned either, she had a few freckles on her nose, making her skin far inferior to He Tiantian's.

Everyone has a desire to look beautiful! Qi Xiaoyan also wants to become more beautiful!

“Okay, once Sister Tiantian stops working, I’ll take you to visit her,” Qi Xiaoyan said. They have parents who don’t have to work, but He Tiantian is an educated youth who has to work here and doesn’t have the leisure that they do.

Qi Fangfang's eyes lit up, and an idea came to her. She said, "Just because I'm so eager to look good, how about we go find Sister Tiantian after dinner?"

Seeing Qi Fangfang's eagerness, Qi Xiaoyan thought about what He Tiantian had said yesterday about Third Grandma eating early, and decided to go find He Tiantian later that evening; it should be fine.

"Okay, then after dinner tonight, let's go find Sister Tiantian to play." Qi Xiaoyan agreed. She rarely went out to play with others, but since Qi Fangfang was with her, she also wanted to go out and have some fun.

"Thank you, Xiaoyan, you're so kind," Qi Fangfang praised, and then chatted with Qi Xiaoyan for a while before leaving.

At noon, Qi Jianguo returned from work and was unhappy to find his younger sister at home. He told her not to do any work so she could go and play with He Tiantian and get closer to her, but she stayed home and didn't help him.

"Didn't I tell you to go find He Tiantian?" Qi Jianguo said irritably, his face looking unpleasant. He had given all the cloth ration coupons his grandmother had given him to Qi Fangfang to make clothes, and this brat was actually not helping him with his work.

When Qi Fangfang saw her brother return, she quickly poured him some water and said, "Big brother, have some water. I've never failed to keep my promise to you. It's just that I don't know He Tiantian. If I went to her without permission, she wouldn't even acknowledge me. Besides, if I were too enthusiastic, she might think I have ulterior motives and be wary of me."

After hearing his sister's explanation, Qi Jianguo felt slightly relieved and then asked, "So what do you want to do?"

Qi Fangfang smiled like a little fox and said, "Hehe, it's very simple. He Tiantian knows Qi Xiaoyan, so I'll have Qi Xiaoyan take me to find He Tiantian. That way, everyone will naturally get to know each other."

Qi Jianguo nodded and said, "That's right, you're starting to use your brain when you do things."

"Big brother, your sister has always been very smart, isn't she?" Qi Fangfang said unhappily, "Don't worry, I'll help you win this sister-in-law back too."