When they returned to the educated youth settlement, they had already finished dinner.

Xue Fu received several more scrutinizing glances.

Li Jing, in a good-natured manner, came over and told her that the food she had left for her was in the pot, and that she should eat it while it was hot.

Cheng Pei-pei also came over and asked her if she had finished pulling out her tubes.

Xue Fu nodded. Then she went to the kitchen to eat.

She was very hungry.

I've never experienced hunger before, but now even getting a full meal is difficult.

Not to mention all the farm work they did.

Xue Fu drank the porridge and then took out a piece of dried meat that she hadn't given away earlier to chew on.

She recalled those cold and disdainful looks from earlier, and felt a little depressed.

If things continue like this, the conflict will definitely escalate.

Xue Fu bit her lip, quickly thinking of a solution.

She can contribute extra food to make up for the missing work points.

But she still needs to learn how to cook.

We can't keep bothering others.

Xue Fu sighed silently.

"What's wrong?" Li Jing came over to pour water and asked when she heard her sigh.

Xue Fu shook her head: "It's nothing."

However, upon seeing the original female lead, Xue Fu suddenly remembered some plot details.

Let's eat together!

In the original book, there is a scene where Li Jing goes up the mountain to dig for wild vegetables, but accidentally falls and sprains her leg.

The male protagonist felt sorry for her, thinking that the food she ate at the educated youth settlement was bland and lacked nutrition, so he persuaded her to eat at his house.

To avoid gossip, the explanation given to outsiders was that Li, an educated youth, was given tickets to eat at someone's door.

Xue Fu clapped her hands, "She can do it too!"

If you eat with other villagers, you'll avoid being looked down upon!

She pays for everything and provides the tickets, and I don't even have to cook! That's fantastic!

However, as she clapped her hands, she forgot about the blisters on her hands, wincing in pain and hissing several times.

Li Jing looked over: "Hmm?"

Xue Fu remembered the medicine she had just bought from the village doctor, which still needed to have the blisters popped.

She smiled at Li Jing and said, "Jingjing, could you help me pop this blister later? I'm a little afraid of needles."

Li Jing thought she was a bit childish, and nodded with a smile: "Okay."

The most agonizing part of pricking a blister isn't the pain of the needle piercing it, but the time before the needle goes in.

Xue Fu couldn't help but pull her hand away, her hand trembling, but Li Jing pressed her down forcefully, preventing her from moving.

Li Jing swiftly cut through the mess, making a decisive thrust that caused Xue Fu to tremble, her eyelashes seemingly becoming wet.

Li Jing gently applied the medicine to her. Xue Fu looked at Li Jing's gentle appearance under the kerosene lamp, sniffed, and said, "Sister Jingjing, you are so kind. You will definitely be happy in the future."

She would never play a villainous supporting character and disturb Li Jing's life!

Li Jing tied a pretty bow on her head and then patted her head: "Rest now. You have to go to work tomorrow."

Xue Fu nodded emphatically.

The next day, Xue Fu finally opened her eyes and woke up in time. She hurriedly got up and dressed, had breakfast with the educated youth at the settlement, and then went with them to the village entrance to meet up.

On the way, Xue Fu asked, "Sister Jingjing, besides weeding, are there any easier jobs?"

When asked, Li Jing glanced at the people around her and replied in a low voice, "Those jobs are not available to educated youth."

Those easy jobs, such as scorekeepers, warehouse managers, and tractor drivers, are mostly filled by people with connections.

Xue Fu understood.

That's true... they'll definitely prioritize their own people.

However, Xue Fu thought of her mother's past business dealings. Although it was said that personal connections were not a reliable way to get things done, it was still possible to win someone over by catering to their preferences and making several connections.

This approach is somewhat unorthodox.

But Xue Fu's small arms and legs meant that the work points she earned in a year were simply not enough to support her.

She had to try this 'unorthodox path'.

Xue Fu went to work and spent another day weeding.

Yesterday I picked at the blisters, and today I was pulling weeds, and those blisters have turned into calluses.

However, she had become much more skilled at weeding, and she finished weeding all the weeds by herself before dark, without needing anyone's help.

After taking off her gloves, Xue Fu wiped her sweat. She didn't head towards the educated youth settlement; she still had some things to do.

When she went to work today, she specifically asked an aunt from the neighboring village where the team leader's house was located.

The aunt was very enthusiastic and immediately pointed out the direction to her, and then described to her what the team leader's house looked like.

"The first house with blue bricks and tiles when you enter the village is the team leader's house."

The aunt looked at the little girl and thought she was really pretty.

Their village has never produced such a beautiful girl. Just looking at her makes one happy.

The aunt asked Xue Fu again, "Little girl, why did you go to find the captain?"

Xue Fu smiled and pretended to be nonchalant.

What she wanted the captain to do was something she couldn't reveal.

"There are still some policies about going to the countryside that I don't quite understand, so I need to ask the team leader."

Hearing her say that, the aunt lost interest.

Their experiences as educated youth during the Cultural Revolution sound complicated.

The team leader's house is very conspicuous in the village; you can find it at a glance as soon as you enter from the village entrance.

These days, families who build houses with blue bricks and tiles are considered quite well-off.

It's clear that the team leader's family is quite well-off.

Xue Fu, carrying the bundle she had brought out during her lunch break, patted the gate of the captain's courtyard.

After a while, Xue Fu heard footsteps approaching, followed by a familiar voice asking, "Who is it?"

"Auntie, it's me, Xue Fu from the educated youth settlement."

She introduced herself.

Then the door was opened.

The team leader's aunt stood behind the door, looking at her suspiciously with a scrutinizing gaze.

The aunt glanced at her face, then noticed what she was carrying. Her expression softened slightly, and she continued, "Comrade Xue Fu, what's the matter?"

Xue Furou smiled, looking even more obedient.

She first revealed the malted milk powder inside the bundle.

These days, malted milk powder is a good product.

Xue Fu was initially unaware of the value of malted milk powder in those days. It was only when she took it out of the box that she heard Zheng Peipei exclaim in surprise and ask her if she could still get some malted milk powder, as she also wanted to buy a can.

Xue Fu then realized that this was a good thing.

It's presentable enough to give as a gift.

When Xue Fu saw that her aunt's gaze had fallen on the thing in her hand, her expression became even more amiable, and she had a feeling that something was going to happen.

She was good at saying nice things and acting coquettishly, so she immediately seized the opportunity: "Auntie, it's like this, this is my first time going to the countryside, I don't know anyone here, and there are many things I don't understand."

"I'm also a bit slow at work, always slowing others down. Sigh... I'm really afraid of embarrassing our brigade's educated youth settlement... and preventing the brigade from being recognized as a model unit..."

Xue Fu lowered her head, pushed the things in her hands toward her aunt, and said softly, "Auntie, sigh, this will have to trouble the captain again. I was actually too embarrassed to come today."

The aunt smiled at her, though her tone remained official, and said, "Sigh, the team leader isn't home yet. I don't understand these things either. Oh well..."

But Xue Fu did take the malted milk powder from her hand.

Xue Fu smiled sweetly, indicating her understanding: "I won't disturb Auntie's cooking any longer, I should go back now."

Gu Chong rushed back from the county town and saw Xue Fu skipping around in the distance.

She's too easy to recognize.

There are no girls this fair-skinned in the village.

The arm that was exposed looked exceptionally white in the dim afterglow of the evening.

She was visibly happy, like a wild rabbit hopping around in the countryside.

Gu Chong glanced at her and saw that she had returned from the brigade leader's room, and he understood.

He's definitely a shrewd one, not a fool.

The Gu family also lived at Chaishan behind the village, which was part of the same route as the educated youth settlement.

Gu Chong wasn't in a hurry to go back. He waited a distance and followed behind Xue Fu.

When they reached the fork in the road, Gu Chong headed towards his home, but before he could take two steps apart, he heard a girl scream from the other direction.

Gu Chong turned around and saw Xue Fu flailing her arms and legs wildly, her hair braids disheveled, looking terrified, and running in his direction.

She didn't have time to look at the road or figure out the direction, and Gu Chong, for reasons he couldn't quite explain, didn't step aside to make way for her, and just waited for her to crash straight into his arms.

soft.

Why is she so soft?

Gu Chong's train of thought was suddenly disrupted by the person who had bumped into him.

He looked down blankly, then met her up-looking, watery, flustered fox-like eyes.

She felt extremely wronged, and when she realized it was Gu Chong, she clung to him as if she had found a lifeline.

"What's wrong?" Gu Chong's voice was softer than he had noticed.

She choked back a sob: "There are bugs."

Gu Chong raised his hand, intending to wipe away the tears at the corners of her eyes, but stopped halfway through the movement.

He asked, "Where?"

"On my pants."

Xue Fu felt a chill run down her spine. She was walking normally when the insect jumped right onto her.

She got goosebumps and felt like crying just thinking about it.