Xiao Li thought for a moment. She realized that she couldn't hide this, and she didn't want to. She would probably have to move out of the educated youth settlement soon. Thinking of this, she smiled shyly and said, "That's my boyfriend."

Guan Miaomiao: ...

"Is he from the village? I've never heard you mention him before." Guan Miaomiao looked surprised. She hadn't been close to anyone before, so how come she suddenly had a boyfriend?

“We knew each other before, and now he’s back from military service.”

"Oh, I know, you mean Li Dajiang's son?"

Guan Miaomiao suddenly realized that this was the most talked-about topic in the village recently, and his family was the only one who had returned from military service.

Xiao Li nodded and went back to her room to sleep.

Li Qi was unable to calm down for a long time. He hadn't expected such a pleasant surprise as soon as he returned. He was so excited about being able to fall asleep with his soft and sweet wife in his arms that he couldn't sleep.

So he got up, picked up a branch in the yard, and practiced a set of sword techniques until dawn before going to sleep.

The next morning, the brigade leader came in person to inform them that a new batch of educated youth would be arriving that day and to ask the person in charge to arrange the beds.

Looking at the spacious dormitory-style bed, Xiao Li decided to put moving on her agenda. Before she could even go to find Li Qi, he came looking for her first.

When I finished work, I saw a man leaning against a tree branch by the roadside. He was wearing a navy blue jacket and black pants. His hair and beard were neatly combed, and he looked like he had been waiting for me.

Upon seeing Xiaoli approaching, he immediately smiled and handed her a brown paper package.

"I went to town this morning and there was a place selling braised food. I tried it and it tasted good, so I brought some back. You should try some too."

Xiao Li didn't stand on ceremony and took the item into her arms. Seeing that the person was still standing still, she glanced at the onlookers and said with a smile in a low voice, "Is there anything else? I'll come find you tonight, and we can talk then. Everyone's watching."

Li Qi knew it wasn't convenient to talk about this at the moment, so he nodded and left, leaving behind a group of villagers staring wide-eyed.

"Li Qi is quite something. He's only been back a few days and he's already snagged the prettiest educated youth in our village. Wow!"

"What's in that paper package? It's not food, is it? Oh my, this kid's good days are coming. Tang Zhiqing can earn eight work points, and her family is quite wealthy. This dowry will be quite substantial."

"I should have made my move sooner. This kid is too fast. I was just about to ask my mother to propose marriage. No, I'll have to discuss it with my mother myself."

☆

Everyone had their own opinions, and Li Dajiang's family was filled with regret. If they hadn't separated their households, Tang Zhiqing would have been theirs. They were kicking themselves for missing out!

New educated youth arrived at the educated youth compound, a total of four men and five women. Although there were enough rooms, the space was very small, and the beds were close together with no extra room.

Xiao Li sighed. She had originally planned to stay put for a while longer, since there were still almost three years until the college entrance exam. But now she decided to move out as soon as possible.

As usual, a welcome dinner was held for the new educated youth. While everyone was eating together, Xiao Li noticed a resentful look. When she looked up, she saw that it was Sheng Zehua.

He kept glancing at her while eating, as if he were looking at a faithless man. Xiaoli touched her nose and looked left and right. He wasn't looking at her, was he? We don't have any connection.

Seeing the strange atmosphere, Wang Fen struggled to suppress her laughter, her face turning red. The newly arrived educated youth were even more bewildered, simply lowering their heads to eat their rice. There must be some big gossip going on.

After washing the dishes, Wang Fen couldn't help but pull Xiao Li aside.

"I heard you have a boyfriend?"

"Yes, that's Li Qi."

"Are you really planning to settle down in the countryside? You should think it over carefully. There have been people who have returned to the city in recent years, and the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers University is also an option."

“Sister Wang Fen, I’ve known him for many years, and I’ve thought it all through, so you don’t need to worry.”

Seeing that she had a plan, Wang Fen knew she wasn't someone who acted without thinking, so she felt relieved.

"As long as you've thought it through, that's fine."

"What's wrong with Sheng Zehua? I don't think I've offended him." Xiao Li couldn't help but ask.

Wang Fen stared at her in surprise, and after a long while sighed, "Didn't you accept the oranges he gave you a few days ago?"

"Oranges? Didn't they pick those together with the male educated youth? He even ate the pheasant I hunted. What about the rabbit? What did I say?"

Wang Fen shook her head and tapped Xiao Li's forehead with her finger. "You know, he's taken a liking to you, didn't you realize?"

Xiao Li opened her mouth wide and couldn't close it for a long time. She's really taken eating an orange to heart?

Wang Fen laughed again, "He's dreaming. Our Xiao Li is so good, how could she possibly be interested in him? He's not even half as good-looking as Li Qi, how dare he even think about it. Don't worry, he wouldn't dare do anything."

Xiao Li knew she was doing it for her own good, so she smiled and pulled the others along to share some braised food.

★

That evening, the two met again in the cabin, sneaking away from everyone, which was quite exciting.

"Ah Li, are you eighteen yet?"

Xiao Li grinned and nodded; she had just turned eighteen.

Li Qi and she wanted to go together. She was just about to bring it up. Originally, there was no rush, but now that so many people have moved into the educated youth settlement, not only are the rooms small, but there will also be conflicts over meals. It's better to stay away.

“Then let’s get our marriage certificate tomorrow. Your relatives back home are practically nonexistent; they haven’t sent a single letter in a year. I’ve already separated from my family, so you can just move in with us.”

Xiao Li nodded. In this day and age, it's best to keep things simple. Even a little extravagance can lead to disaster. It's better to keep a low profile.

"I'm sorry to trouble you. I've seen that era in my dreams, where weddings could be incredibly grand. I wish we were in that era."

Xiao Li was taken aback for a moment, then realized he was referring to the 21st century.

“Life will be like that in the future. It’s 1974 now, and in twenty years, things will be completely different.”

Li Qi had also thought of that, and asked in surprise, "Is that so?"

"Yes, that's pretty much right. This is just the beginning; it'll take off soon."

The two whispered to each other for a while. Xiao Li knew that he had no memory of the future, so she brought up the future development direction, which made Li Qi sigh.

They agreed to get a letter of introduction and register their marriage the next day, so the two of them decorated the room and planned to move in after registering their marriage.

Li Qi took the person back to the educated youth settlement and then practiced boxing for half the night.

The next day, Xiao Li woke up early. She had been disturbed by snoring all night, and she was once again grateful that Li Qi had appeared in time.

I took out the clothes I had prepared last night, put them on, washed up, and went out of the yard.

As soon as I came out, I saw Li Qi waiting at the door.

"Have you been waiting long?"

"No, I just arrived recently too. I'll go find the captain first." The two stood together, a handsome man and a beautiful woman, a perfect match.

Although the captain was very curious, he happily stamped the document and gave his nephew ten yuan so that he could take his wife to buy a new dress.

Li Qi did not refuse and mentioned that he wanted to hold a banquet today, inviting his family to eat together and asking his second aunt to find a few other women to help prepare the food. The brigade leader agreed to all of them.