Although she would have to endure hardship after coming here, her family has always been harmonious, and the siblings have a good relationship. All three siblings were vying for the spot this time, but in the end, she registered first before it was her turn.

However, her family didn't treat her badly. They prepared a lot of things for her to bring over and sent her money every month. As long as she didn't cause trouble, her life here was no worse than in the city.

Her family said to let her rest, and they would find a way to get her back as soon as possible. But her family isn't so idealistic. They say they're going to support rural development, and that city people are useless in the countryside, only good for suffering. Any parent who truly cares about their child wouldn't want their child to come here and suffer.

Xiao Hua settled down not long after arriving, mainly because the villagers here weren't as scary as others had described. They seemed pretty much the same as the aunties in the alleyways—a bit talkative and sharp-tongued, but really not that malicious.

Xiao Hua smiled gently: "Little friend, what's going on over there?"

The child sniffled and carefully put the candy into his pocket. This must be what Sister Erdan meant by equivalent exchange. However, Sister Erdan also said that these treats should be shown to an adult at home before being put in one's mouth.

Xiao Hua was a little surprised: "Aren't you going to eat any?" Even city kids would immediately stuff these candies into their mouths when they see them.

"I'm not in a hurry to eat. I'll share it with my younger siblings when we get back. You want to ask about what's going on over there?"

Xiao Hua nodded: "Yes, what's going on over there? Why are so many people gathered around? Did something happen?"

"No, today is the day that Sister Erdan is leaving for university. The villagers have come out to see her off."

"Erdan? Is that the kid from the family that had the feast in the village a while ago?"

The banquet was definitely held, but Qian Xiao didn't make a big fuss about it. This year wasn't a good year, and no family had that much extra grain. It was just that each family sent a representative to have a meal.

"Yes, that's the family. My sister Erdan is amazing. She was the first college student in our village to be admitted to university, and she's also the youngest college student in our commune this year."

The child's eyes sparkled as he spoke these words, showing just how much he admired him.

I've met Erdan Xiaohua, the girl the kid mentioned. She's quite pretty, just a bit dark-skinned. But which kid in the village isn't dark-skinned? She doesn't look very tall, so I thought she was just short. Turns out she's just young.

How young can she be? Even if she started school at eight or nine, she'd be seventeen or eighteen by now, right?

Xiao Hua wasn't the only one who heard the news; everyone from the educated youth compound was there. One of the male educated youths asked curiously, "So, how old is this 'Sister Erdan' you mentioned?"

This kid actually knows, because Erdan's sister got into university, and the adults in the family always talk about it, so he knows how old Erdan's sister is now.

"My sister Erdan is eleven years old this year," he said, puffing out her chest proudly. Her grandfather had said that someone like Erdan was a genius with the talent of a top scholar, and it was rare to find one like her in a hundred years.

The children in his maternal grandmother's village all envied him and asked him about Erdan's sister. Of course, he didn't say a word he shouldn't have; he was a smart man.

"What? Is this for real?" What a joke! They're all eighteen or nineteen when they graduate high school. How can an eleven-year-old kid get into college? Who are you kidding?

The child was unhappy: "I never lie or cheat, how can you say that about me? My sister Erdan is eleven years old this year, everyone in our village knows that, humph..." The child angrily ran away. These outsiders were indeed very annoying.

The surprised young man scratched his head: "I didn't say anything, did I? Why are you angry?" He had only asked a few questions for a piece of candy. Was he losing out?

Xiao Hua didn't seem to care: "Let alone in the village, even in our area, anyone who gets into university is a source of pride for everyone. How can you expect them to be happy if you question the pride of their village like this?"

"I... I was just too surprised. The teaching quality here is definitely not as good as in the city. It's really amazing that you were able to get into university."

Xiao Hua added, "They got into Longda University, the best university in our country, which only shows that they are really smart and outstanding."

Xiao Hua felt no jealousy, only envy and admiration. She was a poor student, the kind who could only study but never learn, so she especially envied those who were good at studying.

The male educated youth didn't have any bad intentions: "That's really impressive. No wonder almost the whole village came to see him off. This kid named Erdan must be very popular."

"But I heard that child call her Sister Erdan. Why would a girl have such a name?" Doesn't she feel ashamed to go out like that? Her nickname is Menshuan (Door Bolt), and after she became sensible, she refused to let her family call her that, because it would make others laugh at her.

Xiao Hua couldn't help but laugh: "The nicknames here all seem pretty much the same, except this one's nickname is quite different from the gender."

Qian Xiao, who was in the crowd, seemed to sense something and glanced in their direction unconsciously. Several other educated youths smiled a little embarrassedly, not caring whether Qian Xiao could see them or not.

The same male educated youth who had spoken earlier said, "She looks really young, but you wouldn't guess she's only eleven years old. Sister Xiao Hua, do you know what this little girl's real name is?"

Xiao Hua shook his head. Although the villagers here weren't exactly xenophobic, they weren't particularly close to them either, and they certainly wouldn't proactively talk to the educated youth about the people in the village. Maybe things would get better over time.

Qian Xiao was being instructed sentence by sentence until he was dizzy from all the instructions. It was only when Qian Baozhu saw that it was almost time that he raised his hand to stop everyone from continuing.

"That's enough. Let Erdan leave quickly, or we'll run out of time. The train won't wait for us."

Qian Xiao... Yes, yes, let me go quickly. This guy is making a huge fuss, as if I'm some important person.

She quickly climbed onto the oxcart at the back, forced a smile and waved: "Grandpas and grandmas, uncles and aunts, I'll be fine, you can all go back now."

"Okay, okay, be careful on the road. Don't talk to strangers or eat anything they give you. Remember to come back and visit when you're on holiday."

"Erdan, when you get there, remember to let Grandma know you're safe."

Qian smiled and nodded.

"Erdan, keep the medicine powder safe. Take it out and use it if there's any danger." These were Old Zhang's instructions.

Qian smiled and nodded.

"Erdan, go check on things first. If there's not enough food, write back and we'll send some back." That's what Aunt Qian said.