Shen Shi and Song Jiajia stayed until noon the next day. After getting off the train in the county, they traveled a long and tiring journey, finally arriving back in Songjiawan in the afternoon.

Shen Shi has been in Songjiawan for almost a year since he was sent to the countryside.

That year, he got married and started his own family, and his mindset underwent a complete transformation.

After being away for more than half a month, standing on this land again and looking at the familiar scenery, I felt an unprecedented sense of warmth and familiarity.

After returning home, the newlyweds began enjoying their sweet time together.

Life was peaceful and wonderful, the only downside was being neighbors with Deng Jie and Liu Yiyi.

Since they got married, the two of them have been arguing constantly, sometimes a little, sometimes a big one. The sounds of plates and bowls being smashed can sometimes be heard in the yard.

Fortunately, the couple are both people who can calm down, and besides, they have more important things to do.

The news of the resumption of the college entrance examination will come down next October. There is still more than a year. The two of them study together every day. When Song Jiajia doesn't understand something, she will explain it to her.

Time passed slowly, and before we knew it, it was the scorching summer again, with the sun baking people until their foreheads were dripping with sweat.

That day, Song Jiajia was reading a book in her room. She had learned a lot from Shen Shi during this period, and her interest in learning was growing stronger. Sometimes she even forgot to eat.

Just then, Shen Shi called out from the courtyard, "Wife, come out quickly, see what good things I brought you!"

Upon hearing this, Song Jiajia stood up, walked out of the house, and saw two large, bright green watermelons. She was both surprised and delighted.

"Where did you get these two huge watermelons?"

Watermelons aren't very filling, and they're not grown around here, so they're quite a rarity.

"I just happened to run into him while I was wandering around town," Shen Shi said, rubbing his nose, before heading to the kitchen to get a knife.

Seeing his guilty look, Song Jiajia knew he wasn't telling the truth. What he said about just running into someone clearly meant he bought it on the black market!

However, since Shen Shi is always cautious, Song Jiajia wasn't too worried.

The watermelon is bright red when it's cut open, and it looks incredibly sweet!

The two found a shady spot and squatted down in the yard to eat watermelon.

"This melon is so sweet! You really know how to pick a good one." Song Jiajia said to Shen Shi with bright eyes as she ate the watermelon.

"That's right, there's nothing I can't do," Shen Shi said proudly, raising his chin.

The melon they bought was too big, and even though they ate their fill, they only managed to eat half of it.

Shen Shi patted Song Jiajia's head and said, "It's so hot, you should stay home for now. I'll take the melon to Mom and Dad."

Shen Shi only stopped after he had completely messed up Song Jiajia's braids.

"Chen Shi! You..." Before Song Jiajia could react, Chen Shi ran away in a flash.

He ran while shouting, "Wife, be a good girl and wait for me at home~"

Chen Shi carried a watermelon out the door, humming a little tune and skipping along, "Sweet, sweet, your smile is so sweet, like flowers blooming in the spring breeze."

As Chen was walking, he was suddenly stopped by an unfamiliar older woman. "Hey! Young man, can I ask you how to get to the educated youth settlement?"

Shen Shi scrutinized the other person's expression; the upturned eyebrows and triangular eyes gave the other person a cunning look, and Shen Shi immediately became wary, wondering if the other person had ill intentions.

So he asked politely, "Auntie, I've never seen you before. Are you going to the educated youth settlement to look for someone?"

Unexpectedly, the old woman immediately became unhappy when he asked the question. "You country bumpkin, why are you making excuses? I'm from the city. If it weren't for my daughter, who would come to this wretched place?"

Aunt Wang glanced at Shen Shi's country bumpkin attire and thought it was a waste of his good looks, then pouted and said disdainfully.

"Oh, your daughter was a sent-down youth!" Shen Shi said knowingly.

"Of course! My daughter is educated and beautiful, not someone you country bumpkins can even look at." Aunt Wang said with great pride when people talked about her daughter.

"But where exactly is the educated youth settlement?" Grandma Wang asked Shen Shi, but received no answer. She had said quite a lot herself, and felt a surge of annoyance.

The educated youth's family members didn't pose any threat to the villagers, and Shen Shi kindly pointed her in the right direction.

"Tch~ You're so slow at asking for directions, no wonder you're digging in the fields," Aunt Wang complained.

Shen Shi was speechless, but he didn't want to argue with the older generation. Besides, these days, the old ladies were no ordinary people; their fighting power was terrifying.

After delivering the watermelon to his father-in-law's house, Shen went home to be with his wife.

When the weather gets hot, people tend to lose their appetite.

I made some mung bean soup for lunch, and the other dishes were all very light.

After lunch, Shen Shi and Song Jiajia went inside to study. Song Jiajia was very sensitive to the heat in the summer, so Shen Shi fanned her with a palm-leaf fan.

The two studied and exchanged ideas, creating a very sweet atmosphere.

Meanwhile, things were in complete chaos next door.

Liu's mother came with a purpose: her sister's factory director had lost his wife and wanted to find another wife who could take care of the children.

Previously, when Liu Yiyi was shopping with her aunt, she was seen by this director. Liu Yiyi was beautiful, and now that Director Wang's wife had died, he couldn't help but have designs on her.

Director Wang said that as long as Liu Yiyi agreed, he would arrange a temporary job for her, bring her back to the city, and also give her a dowry of 100 yuan.

For Liu's mother, this was like a windfall—one hundred yuan!

He and his father had saved up this much money over half their lives, and now they had enough for their son's wedding. Director Wang was only in his early forties, which was a perfect age.

Without hesitation, Liu's mother agreed.

However, she also knew that her daughter was very opinionated, and that she would definitely not be able to force her; she would have to use her wits.

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