He shook his head, his cheeks flushed.

I can't think about it anymore!

Pushing this thought away, she couldn't help but think of the times she had gone to see him, when she was often awkward and at a loss.

But Chen Yifei would always be careful to take care of her feelings, and would say to her, "It's okay, take your time."

He Runqing always felt at ease whenever she heard his voice.

Is this love? She doesn't know.

However, one thing is certain: my feelings for Chen Yifei are growing stronger...

Wang Mei held her hand, feeling a pang of heartache:

"We don't know anything about Chen Yifei right now. We don't even know if he will be as scoundrel as before."

"But overall, his family isn't too bad; they're considered good in the village. His parents aren't bad either, so you won't encounter any difficult mother-in-law/daughter-in-law issues. As our brigade leader, Chen Jianguo treats everyone well on a regular basis."

"Otherwise, when educated youth return to the city, they will also have to get married, but it's uncertain whether they will be able to marry into a good family."

I know this guy fairly well!

This is a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.

After Wang Mei said this, He Runqing nodded.

Whoever you choose, it's for life.

Getting married is nothing more than a matter of luck.

What she didn't say was that she seemed to have a strange courage in her heart, believing that Chen Yifei would definitely get better.

“Wang Mei, it’s no use saying all this now. Since that happened between him and me, we were bound to get married. Otherwise, I couldn’t stand the gossip, and I couldn’t pretend it never happened.”

He Runqing smiled bitterly: "Although I was schemed against, when something happens, I have to face it. I'm not the kind of coward who's afraid to face things."

“At first, seeing myself so humiliated in front of so many people, I really felt like I couldn’t go on living. But thankfully… Chen Yifei stood in front of me, he shielded me with the blanket, and my ridiculous pride at that time was protected.”

"Actually, it's not a responsibility or a problem if he doesn't marry me."

Speaking of this, He Runqing is indeed grateful to him.

Wang Mei felt sorry for her too; what a good girl.

"Why is it so heartbreaking? I'm so sorry, Qingqing. I wish I had been there then. How could I have come back all alone? I don't even know how drunk I was..."

"If we had been more attentive, and if I had desperately searched for you back then, wouldn't things have turned out differently? Would we have had more options?"

"I remember you had a childhood sweetheart named Yang Lixin, but there's absolutely no possibility between you two now..."

Wang Mei felt wronged when she thought about He Runqing's actions.

He Runqing shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes: "Things are already much better now, and we have to keep going no matter what."

"That was someone I admired when I was young. Back then, I didn't know what liking someone meant. I don't know if I might fall in love with Chen Yifei in the future."

That's fine too.

Wang Mei sighed: "It's definitely for the best that you think this way. I'm just worried that you might do something rash."

"Qingqing, has Chen Yifei said when we'll get engaged?"

"If he can't raise enough money for the 'three turns and one ring' (a traditional Chinese stringed instrument), does that mean the engagement is off? What if you get pregnant later?"

Although Wang Mei's words were unpleasant, she still had to make things clear.

Having sex beforehand has already generated a lot of gossip in this area.

Moreover, their relationship is common knowledge.

So even if you have nothing, you can still get married and have a wedding banquet.

He Runqing also had some hesitation and worry.

She also felt that she didn't care about these formalities of engagement.

Moreover, Chen Yifei hadn't given her a specific time, which made her a little nervous...

She had never thought about it before, but now that Wang Mei brought up pregnancy, it was something she never dared to even imagine.

If Chen Yifei doesn't earn enough money this year, she won't be able to survive even with her big belly.

He fidgeted with his fingers, somewhat at a loss.

"Think about it, even in the city, you can't afford to buy three turns and one ring. They are native rural people, and they can only save up three hundred yuan a year or two in the city. This thing costs more than four hundred yuan."

"Your pride is important, but that can be taken care of later. Getting married is the most important thing."

He Runqing nodded; Wang Mei's words made sense.

I was thinking of asking him carefully when he came back in the evening.

But the problem is, as a girl, she keeps asking these kinds of questions. Will Chen Yifei think she's pressuring him to get married?

——

Chen Yifei hummed a little tune as he rode his new bicycle today.

The start is much faster.

I'll buy myself a 28-inch bicycle and my wife a nice three-wheeled motorcycle and a radio. Then I'll be much happier.

He rode his bike to find the gatekeeper.

"Hey! Yifei, you're here!" the uncle greeted him warmly.

"Yes, I brought some mushrooms from the mountains. I'll bring you some first." Chen Yifei was very enthusiastic and handed him two handfuls.

The old man accepted it.

"What, are you going to sell all these?" the old man asked, pointing at the mushroom.

Chen Yifei came to his place to move thick iron pots, stoves, and various furniture.

"Yes, that's right! I'm planning to ask if anyone likes to eat this." Chen Yifei pretended to be clueless; he brought these with him precisely to ask for his help!

This uncle must have known he had connections in his past life.

Otherwise, why would you have prepared so many things and handed them over to please him?

Seeing Chen Yifei's cheerful expression, the old man frankly said that he felt the child was kind and good, and should help him out as much as possible.

“These things are precious. If you take them out to sell at a stall, they will spoil in no time. Even if you bring them into this staff compound that I guard, they won’t be of much use. Everyone is still at get off work, and they will all be exhausted by the time they get off work in the evening.”

"So, I have a great idea."

“If you go directly to the state-run restaurants, you definitely won’t be able to sell them if you carry them there like that. In that area, mushrooms are bought only if you have connections; it’s all about nepotism.”

"Let's win with quality!"

Chen Yifei listened attentively and looked at the gatekeeper with admiration.

"Uncle, what should I do? I'm sorry, I really don't understand these things."

"These mushrooms were picked by the villagers together."

"Hmm." He sat down on the stool, and Chen Yifei handed him a cigarette at the opportune moment. He even lit it for him.

"It's not difficult. There's a union official in this workers' compound whose husband is the manager of the state-run restaurant."

"The couple went out together. It just so happens that neither of them was at work today, and they were playing with their child in the nearby park. I even saw them just now."

"Go over there now, take a basket and sell them."

"Okay! Thank you, Uncle." Chen Yifei nodded excitedly.

I never imagined it would be this easy.

I was just hoping this uncle would help me come up with some ideas, but I never expected... he would directly target the person in charge of the state-run restaurant!