Chapter 16, Round 1: Push and Pull

Everyone joined in the excitement and followed her to the educated youth settlement. Da Hong was in a hurry to go home to use the restroom, so she left. Before leaving, she told Jin Ran to watch carefully so she could tell her later.

When it comes to joining in the fun, Jinran is truly outmatched!

Shen Yanhong's generous and appropriate remarks won the favor of the educated youth, and Wang Dali, not to be outdone, also joined in the fun.

For a time, the scene was quite lively.

"You're new here and might be feeling a bit out of sorts. If you encounter any inconvenience, just come find me. My name is Shen Yanhong, and my home is the sixth room from the east. That's my house. Right now, I don't have much to do except work and study. I want to take the high school entrance exam."

The educated youth were very interested when it came to studying. Meng Fan also took a few more glances at Shen Yanhong and thought she was a girl with ambition.

Wang Dali said dismissively, "Yanhong, with your grades, I think it'll be difficult for you to get into high school. You'd be better off working in the fields to earn some work points to support yourself. I heard your mother is looking for a husband for you!"

Shen Yanhong seemed to have thought of something, her eyes reddened slightly, and she remained silent.

But in the male protagonist's eyes, this appearance made him look like a pitiful little thing who had been bullied.

"Comrade, what you said was a bit harsh. Comrade Shen has the right to education, and she is working so hard. She may not be the best student, but we should help her even more. And let's all make progress together."

Everyone chimed in. "That's right." "Well said, we should all improve together."

The villagers watched the spectacle with amusement, some whispering among themselves, "This boy named Meng Fan is quite handsome. It seems that Dali from our village chief's family and Yanhong from Old Shen's family have both taken a liking to him. I wonder if city people will be interested in any of the girls from our village."

"Come on, what do they want from this? These people will all be going back to the city eventually. My daughter, I'll have to make sure she stays away from these educated youths from now on. They can't lift a finger or carry anything."

"Who says otherwise? Let's keep watching the show."

The village chief overheard this and his face darkened.

He said sternly to Wang Dali, "This is none of your business. Go home. Your mother has chores for you to do."

Wang Dali looked at Shen Yanhong's smug face, gritted her teeth in anger, and turned and ran away.

Meng Fan turned to Shen Yanhong and said, "Comrade Shen, I graduated from high school. If you have any questions, you can ask me, or any of us."

Shen Yanhong looked at Meng Fan in disbelief, and asked in a trembling voice, "Is it true? Can I ask you for advice?"

Meng Fan laughed heartily and said, "Yes, you can come and ask me anytime you want to learn."

Shen Yanhong said shyly, "I had some questions before, and I figured them out on my own. I don't even know if some of them were right. If someone could help me, I would be so grateful."

The girl with the oval face said unhappily, "Are you ever going to stop? I need to rest. I'm exhausted."

Shen Yanhong blushed deeply, glanced at Meng Fan, and lowered her head. She felt a pang of resentment; she had wanted to say more to leave a good impression.

Meng Fan smiled reassuringly, and Shen Yanhong's face turned even redder.

The village chief then spoke up: "That's settled then. You can rest tomorrow to buy what you need. The day after tomorrow, you'll be working in the fields with the rest of the village."

Jinran watched the dull back and forth, then pouted in disinterest, and then Da Hong arrived, smelling like the toilet.

She asked curiously, "Nini, what happened?"

Jinran wrinkled her nose and said, "Dahong, how long have you been squatting here? You're practically infused with flavor."

Da Hong said embarrassedly, "I will stop squatting whenever my legs go numb."

Jinran thought, "What a bizarre hobby!"

"Nothing happened, just some push and pull between men and women, it was extremely boring."

Da Hong asked, puzzled, "Nini, I can't understand what you're saying anymore. I can't understand what my second sister is saying either. Is there something wrong with me?"

Jinran comforted her, "It's okay, just ask me if you don't understand anything. I know a lot."

Da Hong nodded seriously, "Yes, Jinran, you are the smartest person I have ever met besides Grandma."

Jinran proudly raised her head and accepted the praise.