Xue Fu and Gu Chong have been dating for more than half a year.

According to the established practice at this time, they should indeed be discussing marriage.

"No, no, my uncles and aunts all know what kind of person I am. How could I do such an immoral thing?"

Xue Fu quickly waved her hands to deny it, making a serious statement.

“I’m very serious. My uncles and aunts know that my family came over last time, and they’ve all met Gu Chong. My family approves of him and is very satisfied with him. That kind of thing won’t happen.”

Xue Fu smiled, her attitude firm, and she appeared poised and confident in front of everyone.

Her calm and composed demeanor silenced the questioning. It made it clear to everyone that she truly meant what she said.

While Xue Fu received so much concern from people who genuinely cared about Gu Chong, Gu Chong, on the other hand, received many envious glances from those eager to see him suffer and kick him while he was down.

They all seemed certain that he would end up being abandoned by Xue Fu.

Their gazes toward Gu Chong were filled with blatant disdain.

Many young men in the village were very jealous of Gu Chong. Being chosen by such a good-looking, kind-hearted, and well-off urban educated youth meant he could rise to prominence overnight. He was incredibly lucky.

Meanwhile, Xue Fu, the educated youth, was about to return to the city before even getting her marriage certificate with him. In their eyes, it was like a duck that had been in their hands flying away.

Similarly, they also thought Gu Chong was useless. He hadn't managed to win her over after all this time, and hadn't managed to coax Xue Fu, the educated youth, into getting a marriage certificate with him.

If one of them had been dating Xue Fu, they would have already made it a fait accompli and gotten Xue Fu married to them.

That way, when Xue Fu returns to the city, they can go with her, become city dwellers, and eat commercial grain.

Instead of ending up like Gu Chong, abandoned in Qingtang Village.

They all thought that Gu Chong was a complete waste of a good opportunity and didn't know what he was missing.

Gu Chong heard their sarcastic and veiled sarcasm, which they dared not speak directly but were instead being tactful. He forgot about it as soon as he heard it and was too lazy to mock them back.

These words only made him feel that they were jealous, jealous that he had received Xue Fu's love.

He was even happier that Xue Fu had chosen him from so many people.

Gu Chong didn't have time to pay attention to these people's gossip; they were just being nosy.

Team leader Zhou Jianguo sent someone to call Xue Fu and asked her to come to his house after work.

Xue Fu nodded to indicate that she understood.

She thought that Zhou Jianguo must have called her to hand over the work at the fishpond; she was leaving, and these tasks should be handed over to the new people.

I just don't know who this newcomer will be.

She hoped he would be an easy person to get along with, and she didn't want to cause trouble in these last ten days or so.

After finishing her work, Xue Fu went to the home of team leader Zhou Jian.

She knocked on the door, and the team leader's wife, Aunt Li Fuying, saw that it was her and greeted her with a smile, saying that Zhou Jianguo was in the main room at the moment.

Xue Fu went to the main room, where there were now three people.

One is Zhou Jianguo, and the other is Secretary He from the village whom she recognized; he is also the father of the male protagonist, He Luosheng.

The last one was a little girl, not very old, with smooth, healthy wheat-colored skin, delicate features, and two braids hanging over her shoulders.

The little girl wasn't shy at all; she seemed lively and cheerful. When she saw Xue Fu enter, she gave her a polite smile.

Xue Fu smiled back, feeling a little relieved. At least for now, the person opposite her seemed like an easy-going child.

“Little Xue, the educated youth, is here,” Zhou Jianguo greeted her and introduced her, “This is Secretary He, whom you know. And this is He Rui, the girl who will be taking over your work at the fishpond.”

"Hello, Xiao Xue, I am He Rui."

The little girl waved to her, which looked very cute.

Xue Fu reached out and shook hands with her: "Hello, hello, I'm Xue Fu."

"He Rui will be working with you tomorrow. Little Xue, you have to teach her carefully. You know our production target this year is not easy."

Zhou Jianguo hissed and sighed.

Secretary He, who had been silent until now, chimed in: "Little Xue, He Rui is careless and sloppy. When you're teaching her, don't hold back. Say what you need to say, scold her if you need to. If she doesn't listen, just tell me, and I'll deal with her when I get back."

He Rui, who was standing nearby, grimaced and gasped as she listened to her second uncle say this.

He Rui spread her hands at Xue Fu, looking worried: "Second Uncle, I will definitely listen to you, I will definitely be honest."

He Rui is fifteen years old this year. She was the only daughter in her family and everyone doted on her. She had never done any farm work since she was a child.

He Rui's parents both hoped that she could study more and get a high school diploma so that she could find a job in the city, which would be much easier than being a farmer.

Unfortunately, He Rui was spoiled rotten and became a playful person.

Moreover, the girl has a clear self-awareness; studying is something that causes her great pain.

Although He Rui knew that farming was even harder work, and she had tried her best to study, the knowledge just wouldn't stick in her head.

She's good at climbing trees and catching birds, but she's really bad at studying, which is not her fault.

She went to junior high school all the way from elementary school. Few girls in the village could study like her, and her family supported her education.

However, she couldn't get into high school.

Moreover, even if she got into high school, she wouldn't be able to go to university right now, so He Rui didn't miss high school that much.

Her family tried to persuade her to take the exam again next year, but He Rui was stubborn and said she couldn't concentrate on studying.

So her second uncle, Secretary He, scoffed and said, "Fine, if you don't want to study, then you can go farm."

They'll become obedient after experiencing the hardships of labor.

Upon hearing this, He Rui, the troublemaker, excitedly agreed: "Farming is fine!"

She insisted that the team leader assign her work too, because she wanted to earn work points. Women can hold up half the sky! She's no less capable than anyone else!

She made a fuss about wanting to do chores, and the He family actually went and arranged for her to do so.

However, the He family still felt sorry for their daughter/niece and came to ask Zhou Jianguo to discuss whether there was any easy work they could do for their child.

Coincidentally, there was a vacancy at Xue Fu's fishpond, and the work was easy, so it was just right.

So He Rui was assigned to be Xue Fu's apprentice.

He Rui is a talkative person who can't keep things to herself.

On her first day working with Xue Fu, He Rui explained everything about her family and why she was working at the fishpond to Xue Fu in less than half an hour.

Xue Fu: ...Okay. Turns out she's a feisty one.