She winked at him playfully: "Besides, didn't you say you'd be going to Haicheng later? So, how about we try harder to shorten our long-distance relationship?"

"Okay. I'll go there soon. Be good over there. Listen to your mom and dad."

Hearing his words, Xue Fu was furious, but she secretly chuckled.

Gu Chong, however, was not so calm inside.

He has a strong sense of crisis and he cannot allow them to be separated by such a long period of time.

He's already thinking of a solution and working on it.

Gu Chong counted down the days in his mind, cherishing every moment he spent with her, yet time still passed so quickly.

But he doesn't intend to waste time on his self-pity.

Instead of wasting time feeling resentful, you should think about her more.

After March, Gu Chong spent significantly more time at home, and he and Zhou Zhi went out less often.

Gu Chong temporarily entrusted Zhou Zhi with all the sales matters, giving him a portion of the profits in exchange for his help.

He also finished the land clearing work in the production team early on, without wasting any time.

He spent all the remaining time by Xue Fu's side, accompanying her to work.

When she was focused on her studies, he would sit quietly beside her and watch her.

He became clingy.

Especially when the two of them are alone, Gu Chong is even less able to control himself than before.

It's either a hug or a kiss.

To use an inappropriate and vulgar analogy, his attempt to leave as much of his scent on her as possible was a bit like a dog marking its territory with urine.

However, because Xue Fu was very understanding, she hardly ever stopped his 'lack of self-control'.

She was the only one who suffered.

It feels like someone has gnawed the skin off it.

Every night when I returned to the educated youth settlement, my lips were red and numb, and my whole body was flushed with an ambiguous and alluring pink blush.

If it weren't for the late hour, and the dim light from the kerosene lamp in her dormitory, Liu Ling and Zheng Peipei wouldn't have noticed her unease.

Otherwise, Xue Fu would be so embarrassed.

Moreover, he left marks on her body.

A dog's mouth would occasionally slide down from her lips to nibble at her collarbone and shoulder blades.

If it weren't for the weather requiring her to wear a jacket outside, those red hickeys and chrysanthemum marks from being sucked wouldn't be enough to explain her 'innocence'!

Gu Chong's actions are like an old house on fire, the fire getting bigger and bigger.

Xue Fu didn't dare to provoke him any further. These days she had been behaving herself and hadn't dared to do anything rash, for fear of provoking his anger again.

In the dormitory of the educated youth settlement, Xue Fu has already packed two sacks of luggage in the past few days.

It mainly contained bedding and clothes.

These two sacks aren't even full yet; there's still a lot left to pack.

The Xue family had sent far too many things over.

They have everything: food, clothing, and daily necessities.

As for the food, that's fine; she took it all to feed the Gu family.

She can take things like buckets and basins to Gu's house later, so they can be reused and not wasted.

The main items are clothes; those are the most numerous.

She has three or four sets of bedding, such as four-piece sets and quilts, which take up most of her space.

The rest of the clothes are for all four seasons.

Summer is fine; summer short-sleeved shirts and shorts are lightweight and don't take up much space. It's winter coats and padded jackets that take up a lot of space.

And her shoes, there were quite a few of them.

As Xue Fu continued to tidy up, her head started to spin more and more.

Gu Chong will probably have to make three or four trips back and forth from the county town to send all the things for her.

"Liu Ling, Pei Pei, you can keep these newspapers," Xue Fu said to the two girls when she returned to the educated youth settlement that evening to continue sorting through the papers.

Her mother, Ji Yazhi, sent over a lot of newspapers, all from different newspapers, a thick stack of them.

Xue Fu couldn't possibly read all these newspapers by herself. She had previously told Liu Ling and Zheng Peipei that they could take them if they wanted to read them.

Thus, these newspapers also became a form of entertainment and relaxation for the female educated youth in their dormitory.

They were so isolated in the countryside; apart from Qingtang Village, they had no idea what was happening elsewhere. It was as if they were cut off from this place by an invisible glass dome.

As one's vision narrows, one's thinking seems to become limited as well.

With newspapers, they knew what news was happening all over the country, and their cognitive horizons were broadened.

Liu Ling and Zheng Peipei were very grateful to Xue Fu for providing the newspaper.

Now that Xue Fu is leaving, she actually wants to leave the newspaper for the two of them, which moves them even more.

Zheng Peipei secretly wiped her eyes: "Xue Fu, you're so kind. Take good care of yourself when you return to the city, and stay safe and healthy."

Zheng Peipei and Xue Fu were sent to the countryside in the same batch of educated youth. Xue Fu was able to return to the city at this time, but Zheng Peipei herself did not know when she would be able to return.

But Cheng Pei-pei wasn't jealous at all.

Xue Fu is very good, really very good.

Cheng Pei-pei liked her very much.

Liu Ling was not jealous either. Like Zheng Peipei, she hoped that Zheng Peipei would have a good life after returning to the city and that no more bad things would happen to her.

She hopes that good people will be rewarded.

The news that Xue Fu, an educated youth from the educated youth settlement, was about to return to the city finally spread in Qingtang Village.

Some people were curious about how Xue Fu was able to go back. In those days, the main way to return to the city was through a recommendation to attend the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers University.

A male educated youth next door was also curious and envious, and he came to ask Xue Fu about it.

Xue Fu did not hide anything.

After all, she was hired through a proper interview process. Even if she wanted to report it, she couldn't.

She wasn't afraid to speak up.

She very tactfully and subtly told everyone that although she had used connections, she was officially hired by her company.

Everyone: "......"

This method of returning to base is too rigid and not suitable for them.

Besides curiosity, Xue Fu also received many inquiries about her marriage and love life.

They were especially worried that she would abandon him after starting a relationship, forgetting about Gu Chong who was still rooted in Qingtang Village once she went to the city, as if she were a Chen Shimei (a notorious figure in Chinese folklore known for abandoning his wife).

"Little Xue, once you go to the city, are you coming back? What did you say to the eldest son of the Gu family? Are you not getting married?"

"Let me do the math. Little Xue, the educated youth, and the Gu family's boy have been dating for half a year. It's about time. Are they going to have a wedding banquet before they leave?"

"I know that Xiao Xue, the educated youth, is definitely not the kind of person who easily falls for someone else; she definitely won't forget her boyfriend..."

"......"

Their questions were sharp and to the point.

Xue Fu also knew that if she left without saying anything or expressing her opinion, how would others view Gu Chong?

Gu Chongzhen became a pitiful figure and a laughing stock in other people's eyes.

After all, the prevailing view these days is that "any relationship not aimed at marriage is just playing around."

These days, people don't date for very long. They usually date for a few months to see if their personalities are compatible. If not, they break up. If they are compatible, they get married.

If you date for a year or two and don't get married, people will definitely gossip and say there's something wrong with you and that you don't want to take responsibility.