After a satisfying meal, Shen Xuyue and his fellow educated youth thanked him profusely and left. They had all drunk a little, not enough to get them drunk, but enough to excite them; all three were somewhat excited. Liu Weiguo remarked, "The Zhao family's daughter is so beautiful; I almost fell for her."

Another person slapped him on the head: "A friend's wife is not to be trifled with, Wei Guo, don't you dare make any advances on her."

Liu Weiguo, reeking of alcohol, waved his hand and said, "I didn't mean anything by it. I was just remarking that Zhao Mingyue is indeed quite beautiful. Old Shen has good taste. Old Shen, are you really not considering pursuing that girl?"

Although Shen Xuyue had been drinking, his mind was perfectly clear. He looked up at the gray sky and sighed, "It's too early to say anything now."

"The early bird catches the worm. A pretty girl like that is bound to attract unwanted attention. You'll regret it when she marries someone else," Liu Weiguo said.

“She’s still young, it’s too early for her to get married,” Shen Xuyue said hesitantly, clearly trying to comfort himself. “Besides, I don’t know where I’ll be tomorrow. This feeling of uncertainty is not good. I’m a little afraid of holding her back.”

Another friend sighed, "The Zhao family's daughter is quite nice, but she's from the countryside. It'll be troublesome if she goes back to the city. By the way, why don't you go to university? You have all the qualifications, and the village's recommendation list all goes through your hands, right? If you could go back to the city sooner, you wouldn't have so many worries." The concept of a city person marrying a country person is different from that of an educated youth marrying in the countryside. At least going back to the city wouldn't involve so many troubles.

Shen Xuyue said, "We've only been able to get one spot every few years. Before that, we were completely controlled by people like Zhao Jinyun. Why would they let me stand out?"

Liu Weiguo suddenly chuckled: "I'm telling you, if you really want to marry her, there's nothing wrong with being a live-in son-in-law."

Shen Xuyue gave a wry smile. What can men do? They're always greedy. They want to have it all—power and beauty. He was truly unwilling to spend his whole life stuck in this small village. Could there ever be a day when he achieved great success, and Zhao Mingyue was still unmarried, so he could marry her in a grand and glorious ceremony?

Another friend sighed, "It's better to be careful. Don't end up like Lao Que, who married a wife and had kids, then abandoned them. That's so immoral and unfair to everyone." Lao Que was also a sent-down youth in their area, a few years older than them. He married a rural woman and had two children. Later, he had the opportunity to return to the city, but because he couldn't transfer his wife and children's household registration back to the city, he divorced her, saying he would come back to take his wife and children back after settling down. But he never returned.

Liu Weiguo sighed and said, "Yeah, is Lao Que even a man? Selfish and immoral. Even Lao Shen wouldn't do something like this." He patted Shen Xuyue on the shoulder, "Let's wait a little longer. The movement is over, and everyone's problems will be solved one by one. Maybe there will be a good solution that satisfies both sides."

At this moment, Shen Xuyue couldn't help but feel fortunate that Zhao Mingyue was still young and not yet of marriageable age. The physical activity had ended, and there would be endless possibilities ahead.

Another friend said, "By the way, Lao Shen, what about that young lady who often comes to see you? Is she going back to the city soon?" He was referring to Wu Jie. Although Wu Jie was also an educated youth who went to the countryside with them, she was always proud and arrogant with a bad temper. Apart from Shen Xuyue, no one liked her much. Of course, she didn't like others much either.

Shen Xuyue thought of Wu Jie, then of Zhao Mingyue, and suddenly felt a little irritable. He shook his head and said, "I don't know. Let's not talk about it. Let nature take its course."

Shen Xuyue knew, of course, that Wu Jie was returning to the city. Her father had been reinstated, and although he hadn't been exonerated yet, it was only a matter of time. Wu Jie's family had already found her a job, and she would be returning to the city soon. A few days ago, Wu Jie had come to see him, asking if he would like to go back with her. She said that if he agreed, she would write to her father and ask him to help Shen Xuyue find a job as well.

What Wu Jie didn't say was that if he nodded, it would be equivalent to them establishing a romantic relationship, and he would have to marry her. Shen Xuyue didn't answer Wu Jie. He didn't like Wu Jie; she was too spoiled, even a bit domineering, a typical rich girl, far from his ideal partner. He had always known that Wu Jie liked him, but he pretended not to hear, treating her like a younger sister, after all, their fathers had a good relationship and were assigned to the same county. He knew Wu Jie had tried many ways to transfer to Moon Bay, but for some reason, it hadn't worked out in the end.

Shen Xuyue looked up at the gray sky, the thick clouds blocking out the sun, and wondered when they would dissipate and reveal the blue sky and bright sun.

Before the sunny weather arrived, the cold rain came first, drizzling and biting, damp and chilly. People could finally rest for a while and didn't have to go to work. In those days, the only day off for farmers was rainy or snowy days. This only meant that the work in the fields could stop; the work indoors still had to continue. Zhao Mingyue still had to go to the mat-making area to weave mats.

The new reeds have already been harvested, and now is the peak season for weaving. Weaving mats is better than working in the open fields, at least you don't have to worry about wind and rain. But there's one downside: winter is especially dry, and it's easy to cut your hands. When it gets cold, the reeds harden and become as sharp as knives. If you're not careful, you'll get cut by the reeds. So every woman's hands are covered in cuts and scars that take a long time to heal.

Zhao Mingyue bought clam oil to apply, but it wasn't moisturizing enough, and the wounds healed very slowly. Moreover, her hands were constantly exposed to the air, and despite being frequently in motion, she still couldn't avoid getting chilblains. When she got busy and her hands warmed up, the chilblains would start to burn and itch, which was extremely uncomfortable. Zhao Mingyue planned to go to the market tomorrow to buy some fine yarn to knit a pair of gloves.

That night, it suddenly started snowing, the snowflakes falling thick and fast, continuing until the next day. The ground was completely white. The children cheered and ran off to build snowmen, and the adults finally had a reason to stay home and warm themselves by the fire. After a year of hard work, they deserved a couple of days of rest. Because of the snow, the roads were slippery, so Zhao Mingyue couldn't go to the market and had to go to work at the market instead.

As evening fell, Zhao Mingyue returned home from work at the banquet hall. The snow had stopped, and it was already dark. There were few people around; the children, having played in the snow all day, were tired. The New Year was just two days away, and she would take a break from work starting tomorrow, resting at home and reading. As she walked past the clump of bamboo, a figure appeared and called out to her, "Zhao Mingyue."

Zhao Mingyue looked up abruptly and was surprised to find that it was Shen Xuyue: "Secretary Shen."

Shen Xuyue strode towards her: "Just finished work? It's so cold outside, is it cold at the banquet?" His breath was still steaming as he spoke.

Zhao Mingyue shook her head at him: "It's alright, there are a lot of people at the venue, so it's not too cold."

Shen Xuyue took his right hand out of his pocket: "I saw your hand was all cut up last time. I went to the county town yesterday and saw this, so I bought you a box." He opened his hand, revealing a box of Pien Tze Huang Pearl Cream.

Zhao Mingyue looked at the box of pearl cream with surprise. This kind of cream was rarely sold in their area these days; it was usually only available in big cities. She suspected it might be sold in their county, but she felt a sweet warmth in her heart. She hadn't expected Shen Xuyue to notice such a small detail. She lowered her eyes, not daring to look at him, and asked, "Thank you. How much is it?"

Shen Xuyue looked at her and said, "It's free, I'm giving it to you."

Zhao Mingyue hesitated for a moment, then took it: "Thank you."

Shen Xuyue looked at her hands: "You have chilblains?"

Zhao Mingyue withdrew her hand, placed it behind her back, and nodded: "It's a little long."

Shen Xuyue said, "Liu Weiguo in our house also got chilblains on his feet. He applied sparrow brains to them a few times, and it seems to have gotten better. But that stuff is quite disgusting and a bit scary. You can soak your feet in boiling water with eggplant stems several times; that will also help, but it's a bit slow."

Zhao Mingyue smiled and said, "Okay, thank you, Secretary Shen."

Shen Xuyue felt uneasy hearing her call him "Secretary" all the time. He wanted to hear her call him by his name. He opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn't say what he wanted. "Never mind, I'll think about it later," he thought. "Well then... I'll go back now."

"Okay, Secretary Shen, take care." Zhao Mingyue nodded, looking down at his canvas shoes. They were probably wet from standing in the snow for so long. Would he get frostbite too? Zhao Mingyue stood there, waiting for Shen Xuyue's figure to leap around the bamboo and disappear from sight before breaking off a bamboo branch. She then used it to trace Shen Xuyue's footprints in the snow before taking the branch home.

Hu Nianchun is a typical housewife, spending her spare time sewing and mending to ensure everyone's clothes are neat and clean. She's also quite skilled at making shoes; Zhao Mingyue has seen her mother make them more than once, but she's never tried it herself. Now, she has the idea to make a pair of cotton cloth shoes. It's a bit late now, and she's not very good at it, so by the time she finishes, the weather will probably be warm. Even so, she's still determined to make a pair and give it a try.

Hu Nianchun noticed her daughter's change of heart; she had started learning to make shoes. Curious and supportive, she noted that while canvas shoes were now fashionable, her daughter still preferred the cloth shoes she made—they felt comfortable, breathable, and breathable. Every year, she insisted on making two pairs for each member of her family. Looking at the shoe soles her daughter had cut out, Hu Nianchun asked, "Mingyue, with such long feet, who are you making these for?"

Zhao Mingyue said, "Is it very long? I don't know who I'm making it for, I just want to try to learn."

Hu Nianchun looked at his daughter and said, "Even if you're just trying to make it, you should make it according to the size that the child can wear. Otherwise, it's a waste." These days, everything is precious. Even the scraps of fabric used to sew shoe soles are hard-earned.

Zhao Mingyue looked at her mother: "Then let me see, it should be okay for my third brother to wear." (Sorry, third brother, I'm just using you as a shield.)

Hu Nianchun laughed, his son and daughter had such a good relationship: "You're really good to your third brother."

"Of course, my third brother is good to me too." Zhao Mingyue wrinkled her nose.

Zhao Minglang returned and entered Zhao Mingyue's room: "I heard someone wants to make shoes for me?"

Zhao Mingyue was sitting on the edge of the bed, pasting layers of white cloth onto the sole with glue. The sole of the other shoe was already pasted on. She looked up at Zhao Minglang and gave him a sheepish smile. Zhao Minglang held up the pasted sole and gestured with his hand: "This foot is longer than mine! It wasn't made for me, was it, little girl?"

Zhao Mingyue quickly snatched the shoe sole back: "Shh, Third Brother, this wasn't made for you. Don't tell Mom."

Zhao Minglang sat down next to her: "Who was that made for? Dad's feet aren't even as long as mine."

Zhao Mingyue remained silent; if she spoke, Zhao Minglang would surely laugh at her to death. Zhao Minglang noticed a box on her bedside table, picked it up, and asked, "What's this? Face cream? Where did it come from?"

Zhao Mingyue quickly snatched it back and hid it under her pillow: "Don't go through my things."

“Alright, Comrade Zhao Mingyue, confess honestly, who have you been secretly seeing behind our backs?” Zhao Minglang said sternly.

Zhao Mingyue turned to look at her brother: "We didn't secretly meet."

"So that's aboveboard and aboveboard?" Zhao Minglang said.

Zhao Mingyue bit her lower lip, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Shen Xuyue gave it to me. He saw that my hands were cracked and gave me a box of pearl cream to apply. I offered to pay him, but he refused. I couldn't just take someone's things for nothing, so I thought I'd make him a pair of shoes as a return gift."

Zhao Minglang said, "What else could this be but a clandestine affair? Only young couples do this. Mingyue, if people find out, it won't be good for your reputation. Your relationship is so ambiguous, why would you make shoes for him?" Making shoes for a strange man is basically a confession, indicating that she likes him.

Zhao Mingyue looked up at Zhao Minglang and blinked: "What does it matter? Haven't you ever worn shoes that Sister Youfen made for you?"

Zhao Minglang was stumped by his sister's question. He and Yu Youfen had been dating in private and had not made it public. Yu Youfen had indeed made him a few pairs of shoes before, but it seemed that she hadn't done so this year.

Zhao Minglang stood up: "Fine, whatever you want. I just think girls should be more reserved and not be so proactive."

Zhao Mingyue said, "I know my limits, don't worry, brother." It wasn't her initiative; she was just returning the favor. Anyway, she now knows that she's definitely not the one-sided one.