Zhu Jiawen, smelling the aroma of fine grains emanating from Wen Xi, unconsciously swallowed. His family was poor; otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to the countryside. Now that he was married to Xu Xiaohong and lived in her house, life was hard. They couldn't afford good food, and if he took a second piece of meat, Xu Xiaohong's parents and grandparents would stare at him, making him afraid to take another piece.

Wenxi was rich and bought a house as soon as she arrived in the countryside. Moreover, the three of them looked even better than when they first arrived, which showed that they were living a very good life. After all, people in the countryside often suffer from malnutrition and are pale and thin because they don't have enough to eat.

I had planned to have New Year's Eve dinner at the former educated youth settlement so I could eat more good food, but Wenxi refused without hesitation.

Zhu Jiawen's plan failed, and he did not linger outside the gate of Wenxi Courtyard. Instead, he sighed and turned to leave. Why is it that when they are all city dwellers and sent-down youth, others can live a free and easy life, while they can't even get enough to eat despite all their scheming?

If Wenxi knew what Zhu Jiawen was thinking, she would definitely tell him, "Then go ask your parents, why are you asking others?"

Not long after Zhu Jiawen left, Wen Xi heard a knock on the door again. Thinking that it must be Tian Shengnan and the others, she went out to open the door. Tian Shengnan and the others also brought three dishes.

"Did the educated youth settlement invite you to have New Year's Eve dinner together?" Wenxi asked.

Tian Shengnan said, "They invited us, but we declined. I don't want those people to take advantage of us. Our relationship isn't that good to begin with, so it's best if we each eat separately and don't bother each other."

“Yes.” Wen Xi nodded. “Hurry up and take the vegetables to the kitchen. Let’s go to Captain Qian’s house together and make a good impression on him.”

Tian Shengnan was taken aback, then said, "I didn't bring anything with me, so maybe..." Then she looked down at the dishes she was holding, wondering if she should take them to Captain Qian's house.

To make a living on someone else's turf, they do need to make connections and offer small gifts to make their future lives easier—it's not a bad deal.

After all, you can't just show up empty-handed when you need someone's help; it's a matter of attitude.

"I'll lend you a bag of peanuts. You can just chip in and give it to me." Wen Xi went back to her room, took out a bag of peanuts she had signed and handed it to Tian Shengnan.

Captain Qian will definitely drink during the Chinese New Year, and these peanuts are perfect for drinking with. Wenxi and the other two have a bag of brown sugar. Brown sugar is a very precious thing and a good nutritional supplement. Otherwise, why would it be so hard to buy?

Wenxi and Tian Shengnan hid the things in their arms, and then the group of six headed towards Captain Qian's house. Before they even reached Captain Qian's house, they saw two people walk past the door of Jin Changfeng's former house, past Captain Qian's house, and head forward. There were rice paddies and a river bend ahead, and they didn't know if they were heading in that direction.

A man and a woman walked side by side.

The man's figure resembled Qian Qiusheng, who was getting married in the first month of the lunar calendar. It was because of his upcoming marriage that Jin Changfeng exchanged his large house for theirs.

But why does the woman next to Qian Qiusheng look so familiar?

"Isn't that Chu Wan'er?" Song Lan asked in confusion. "Why is she with all the male comrades in the team?"

"You care so much about Chu Wan'er, do you like her? Have you forgotten what she did to Xiao Xi? If you really like Chu Wan'er, then we'll kick you out, so you don't become her lackey and betray us." Upon hearing Song Lan's voice, Tian Shengnan couldn't help but become alert.

Song Lan hurriedly said, "How could I possibly like someone like Chu Wan'er? Don't try to pin this on me. Besides, I won't find a partner or get married in the countryside, not even a fellow educated youth."

Before he went to the countryside, his parents repeatedly told him not to find a partner in another place, and that if he did, he could only find someone he knew well from the neighborhood.

Seeing Song Lan's serious expression, Wen Xi knew he was telling the truth. If Song Lan really liked Chu Wan'er, he would betray them to please the goddess, and she would definitely kick him out. Since that wasn't the case, they could still be good friends.

"Song Lan, are you sure the woman in front of you is Chu Wan'er?" Wen Xi asked for confirmation.

Song Lan nodded, "I saw Chu Wan'er go out, and Chu Wan'er was wearing this color of clothing."

Wen Xi stared thoughtfully at the backs of the two people ahead. How could Chu Wan'er have any connection with a gay man who was about to get married? Did she intend to break up the couple and marry Qian Qiusheng herself?

When they arrived at Captain Qian's house, Wenxi stopped thinking about the matter. Aunt Meihua was very happy to see them and led them into the house, where they sat down to rest. She also brought them nuts and tea, using the small tea bags that Wenxi had given them earlier.

Wenxi and Tian Shengnan secretly slipped the things they had brought to Aunt Meihua. As outsiders, they wanted to try their best to get along well with the locals.

There's a saying that goes, "To catch a thief, first catch the king." The same applies to interpersonal relationships; you need to find someone whose words carry weight to be effective.

Captain Qian and Aunt Meihua are very open-minded people. They don't care about the principle of not separating the family while the parents are alive. Instead, as soon as their children get married, they immediately separate them so that they can run their own small families without disturbing each other. Aunt Meihua will not interfere too much in her daughter-in-law's affairs, nor will she mistreat her like other people do.

This is also why Wenxi and his group didn't see many people when they came, because their children and grandchildren don't live here.

Less than ten minutes into their conversation, a villager rushed over in a panic, shouting urgently, "Captain Qian, something terrible has happened! Something terrible has happened! A fight has broken out..."

Captain Qian's expression immediately turned serious. "What happened?"

"I don't know what happened, they're fighting in the river bend." The villager was panting heavily; he was just there to deliver the message and didn't know the specifics of what had happened.

Captain Qian quickly walked outside. Wen Xi and the others exchanged glances and followed. Qian Qiusheng and Chu Wan'er had just walked in that direction, and they wondered if this matter was related to them.

It wasn't until I arrived at the river bend that I realized it really was related to Chu Wan'er and Qian Qiusheng.

It turns out that Qian Qiusheng and his fiancée, whom he was about to marry, had known each other for two years since their blind date. Just two days ago, Qian Qiusheng suddenly went to his fiancée's house to break off the engagement and asked for the return of the betrothal gifts and other items he had given her.