Zhao Minglang had never heard of this idea proposed by Zhao Mingyue; he had never even considered that they could run a factory themselves! After pondering for a long time, Zhao Minglang asked, "Who do you think will run this factory?"

Zhao Mingyue said, "It's organized by the village. The village collects the tea leaves, then processes and sells the tea."

Zhao Minglang frowned and said, "If that's the case, then the tea garden shouldn't have been subcontracted in the first place. It would have been better if the village had managed it directly. They could have arranged for people to pick the tea, and then process and sell it."

Zhao Mingyue shook her head and said, "I'm afraid the people assigned there will just slack off like before, and the distribution will also be a problem. Will it be based on the number of people or the amount of labor? There are advantages to subcontracting to individual households now. The village is responsible for unified tea production and sales. The tea factory's income, after deducting production costs and wages for the person in charge, the tea makers, and the sellers, is distributed according to the amount of tea leaves each person provides. This incentivizes everyone to pick tea; if they want to earn more money, they have to pick more tea. If someone doesn't want to deliver their tea to the factory, they can make and sell their own tea." For now, this is the only option. Later, whoever has the ability can contract the tea factory, purchase tea leaves, and produce and sell tea.

Zhao Minglang asked, "What if people from other villages bring tea leaves? Is it the same?"

Zhao Mingyue said, "I estimate this would be difficult to implement in other villages, as trust is a major issue. If they don't agree to this model, we'll have to buy their tea leaves."

“It sounds like it’s feasible,” Zhao Minglang said.

“Brother, let’s discuss this further, take all the details into account, and then go talk to the village head. But this is just a preliminary plan, and I don’t think we need it for now. Let’s talk to them first. The most urgent thing is to subcontract all the farmland.” Zhao Mingyue took out her notebook and pen and began to make a plan.

Since Shen Xuyue wasn't there this time, Zhao Mingyue and her brother had to step up. To bolster their influence, they also brought Yu Youqing along. As the only college students in the village working for the benefit of the villagers, the village officials naturally listened to their opinions very sincerely.

Every household in the village has a tea garden, and they have obviously encountered the same problem as Zhao Mingyue's family. They are also worried about this matter. It has only been two years since the tea purchase was resumed, and everyone had just tasted some sweetness. Now they are all saying they don't want it anymore. Isn't this cutting off their source of income?

Upon hearing Zhao Mingyue say that they could find sales channels themselves, the village head became interested: "Who will find sales channels, and where will they look?"

Zhao Mingyue said, "My brother and I will go. We'll find a few people from the village who are of good character, have good reputation, and are worldly-wise to go with us."

The village chief slammed his fist on the table: "This is a great idea! You young people are quick-witted and daring, after all, you've had a few more years of schooling. We will give you our full support."

Taking the opportunity, Zhao Mingyue brought up the issue of dividing the responsibility for farmland. This matter had been raised during the summer vacation, and the village officials had already given it careful consideration, saying that they would resolve the issue before the Spring Festival.

Before the Spring Festival, the village held a meeting of commune members to announce the resolution. Each production team then remeasured its land and redistributed it per capita, re-dividing the original large, hilly fields, which were originally tens of acres wide, into smaller plots. These fields were originally small pieces, but after collectivization, the ridges between the fields were removed to facilitate mechanized farming. However, mechanization only lasted a year or two; the costs were too high, and eventually, all farming became manual. The large fields were not re-divided, which caused significant problems for farming, especially when fertilizing and spraying pesticides. But people are inherently lazy; they try to maintain the status quo as much as possible, only making changes when absolutely necessary.

Zhao Mingyue felt that her task for the year was finally completed when she saw the farmland being distributed to individual households.

During the Chinese New Year, relatives and friends come to visit. In the past two years, since Zhao Mingyue and her brother were admitted to university, relatives have been visiting more frequently. They probably want to build good relationships with them so that they can ask for help if anything happens in the future.

Relatives love to visit, it's a matter of pride, but when they come, they expect food and drink—not necessarily a lavish feast, but at least meat every meal. Hu Nianchun was worried sick about this. He'd borrowed his last hundred yuan from Zhao Minghui, leaving him short of money. In the end, it was Zhao Mingyue who stepped in to help the family, allowing them to get through the New Year. Hu Nianchun sighed, thinking how considerate his daughter was; his sons were all just money-grubbing.

That day, Zhao Mingyue's uncles and aunts all came to pay their respects for the New Year. The sun was shining brightly, so everyone basked in the sun, eating melon seeds and chatting. Naturally, everyone's attention was focused on Zhao Mingyue and Zhao Minglang, surrounding the siblings like stars around the moon. They started by asking about Zhao Mingyue and Shen Xuyue, and Zhao Mingyue, of course, only gave positive feedback to avoid causing any worry. She had to temporarily put aside her mother's difficult topic and deal with it slowly, but she was genuinely a little worried about whether her mother would give her a hard time when the relatives visited at the wedding. There were still two and a half years until graduation, and she estimated that she should get married after graduation, since Shen Xuyue would be thirty then. She wondered if her mother's attitude would change by then.

Everyone envied Zhao Mingyue, saying she was lucky and had good taste to have found Shen Xuyue, a Beijing native. Zhao Mingyue could only smile on the surface, bearing her inner bitterness alone. Zhao Minglang roughly knew Shen Xuyue's parents' attitude; he had visited Shen Xuyue's home last year when he went to Beijing. At that time, Shen Qixue and Mao Jianlan's affair hadn't yet come to light, and while Shen's mother's attitude wasn't exactly kind, it was still acceptable on the surface. Zhao Minglang didn't take it too seriously, and since Zhao Mingyue told him not to tell his family, he hadn't mentioned it to his parents.

After everyone finished talking about Zhao Mingyue, they all turned their attention to Zhao Minglang. The aunt asked, "Minglang is twenty-three this year, isn't he?"

Zhao Minglang laughed: "That's right."

Have you found a partner yet?

Zhao Minglang said, "Not yet, I haven't graduated yet, so there's no rush."

My aunt said, "You should find someone. You're old enough to be married. You're still studying, that's why you're not married yet. You'll graduate in a little over a year, and then you'll be twenty-four. Aren't you married yet?"

Zhao Minglang said, "No rush. I'll work for two years first, save some money, and then get married."

My aunt said, "It's good to save some money after working for two years, but you can date first and then get married. The longer you date, the more you'll understand each other."

Hu Nianchun and her daughter Zhao Mingyue were sewing shoe soles when Hu Nianchun heard her two younger sisters say, "Eldest sister, second sister, if you have any suitable girls, you could introduce them to Minglang."

Auntie smiled and said, "I was just about to tell you. My husband's older sister has a niece who works at the supply and marketing cooperative in our town. She gets a government job and was promoted through a succession arrangement. Her father used to work on the railway. The girl is pretty and eloquent. What do you think of Minglang? If you think so, I can play matchmaker for you."

Zhao Minglang was taken aback. How could things have changed so quickly? "Ah? This..."

Zhao Mingyue said with a grin, "Auntie, Second Aunt, why are you in such a hurry? My brother will be assigned to work in a hospital, and all the nurses there will be women. How can he not find a suitable partner? My brother is going to be a doctor, so he can find a nurse or a female doctor. Isn't that perfect harmony between husband and wife?"

Zhao Mingyue heard that the other party had taken over a position and worked at the supply and marketing cooperative. Such people are usually eloquent and persuasive. Moreover, these days, most of the employees in department stores and supply and marketing cooperatives are very snobbish and there are no easy people like them. Besides, in a few years, the supply and marketing cooperatives will be closed down, and they will be the first to be laid off. Those with ideas will start their own small businesses, and those without ideas will become housewives. At that time, a group of idle people will get together and gossip about this family and that family, which is not a good thing, especially for their parents. Therefore, she was not very willing to let her brother find someone like that.

Aunt Zhao was a little stunned by what she said, while Aunt Zhao and Uncle Zhao both said, "Mingyue makes a good point."

The aunt said awkwardly, "That makes sense. But Minglang is not young anymore, it's time for him to find a partner."

Zhao Mingyue laughed and said, "What's the rush? Shen Xuyue will be thirty when he graduates from university. Many of my classmates didn't start university until they were twenty-four or twenty-five. My brother isn't that old."

Zhao Minglang breathed a sigh of relief after his sister came to his rescue: "That's right, thank you Auntie, I'm not in a hurry." Although arranged marriages are the mainstream these days, most young people still prefer to date freely, and Zhao Minglang is no exception.

Zhao Mingyue privately told Zhao Minglang, "Brother, keep your eyes open and find me a good sister-in-law."

Zhao Minglang smiled and said, "Let's try our best to complete the mission."

With school starting soon, Zhao Mingyue was eager to return to school because she hadn't seen Shen Xuyue for almost a month. She wondered if his family had had a peaceful New Year. Her older sister's family had gone to Northeast China for the New Year, and she didn't know if her older brother had come back. If he had, there would definitely have been a huge uproar at home, and Shen Xuyue certainly wouldn't have had a good New Year.

Finally able to set off, Zhao Mingyue and Yu Youqing set off together to return to school. Yu Youqing still remembered that Bian Hongyu had asked him to come find her and go to school together before the New Year. Zhao Mingyue was not happy about it and did not want to go with Bian Hongyu, but Yu Youqing said, "We already agreed on it back then, so I'll go and call her, otherwise people will say I broke my promise."

Zhao Mingyue couldn't bear to dampen Yu Youqing's enthusiasm. She thought Yu Youqing was a truly honest person and believed that Bian Hongyu was just saying it casually and might not actually wait until they arrived to leave. "Then go and look for her. I'll wait for you at the station."

Yu Youqing actually went. Zhao Mingyue waited for most of the afternoon before Yu Youqing returned alone. He looked dejected and said, "Bian Hongyu has already left."

Zhao Mingyue sighed. What a foolish boy. He wanted to play the role of Wei Sheng, but he didn't keep his promise. "Never mind if he leaves. Let's go by ourselves."

Yu Youqing was very embarrassed: "I didn't expect her to just say it casually."

Zhao Mingyue said, "Don't take her words to heart in the future. Just ignore her. She's not from our world. I told you that before."

Yu Youqing nodded: "Oh."

When they arrived in Beijing, Shen Xuyue picked them up again. This time, he drove himself. In fact, Zhao Mingyue hadn't told him when she was coming. He guessed that Zhao Mingyue should have arrived by now, so he came to wait for her.

Looking at Shen Xuyue, who had come to pick him up without saying a word, Yu Youqing felt even more annoyed. He couldn't say he liked Bian Hongyu, only felt a little vain. A city girl's enthusiasm towards him was overwhelming. Besides, he had always harbored feelings for Zhao Mingyue, but his affections were unrequited; he had nowhere to express them, only to let them fester in his heart, growing stronger with each passing moment. He could only avoid Zhao Mingyue. Then Bian Hongyu appeared. Her subtle flirtation was a clear hint to the innocent Yu Youqing. He thought perhaps this would alleviate his unrequited love for Zhao Mingyue, but he was only deluding himself.

Zhao Mingyue had no idea what Yu Youqing was thinking; her attention was entirely on Shen Xuyue: "Have your older sister and brother returned yet?"

“My eldest sister and her family are all back. My eldest brother isn’t back yet; he said he’d arrive in the next couple of days,” Shen Xuyue said.

"He didn't come back for the Spring Festival?"

"No. My mom is also angry with him about this, saying that he didn't come home for the Spring Festival and only came back after the festival. Actually, my brother said that some of his comrades were going back for the Spring Festival, and he and his comrades took turns, so their leave times were slightly different."

Zhao Mingyue nodded: "I see." She understood that although Shen Qixue said he was taking turns with his comrades, he probably delayed his return so that he could spend more time with Mao Jianlan.

When Zhao Mingyue returned to school, she found that Mao Jianlan had already returned, probably also eager to see Shen Qixue. Thinking about their problems, Zhao Mingyue couldn't help but feel a little downcast, wondering what kind of bloodshed would ensue in this confrontation.

Before Shen Qixue returned, Zhao Mingyue visited Shen's parents, bringing some tea and local specialties. Shen's mother remained indifferent, though she didn't speak coldly. Zhao Mingyue realized how shameless she was; she actually thought it was already a great favor that the old lady didn't scold her. Ah, how easily people are satisfied! If her parents knew she was being treated this way at Shen Xuyue's house, they would surely be heartbroken and shed tears.

On the first day of school, Shen Qixue returned to Beijing and came to see Mao Jianlan that afternoon. After Mao Jianlan left, she did not return all night. She did not come back until the next day. Everyone was getting ready to go to class when they saw her looking haggard, with what appeared to be tear stains on her face. She silently crawled into bed.

Zhao Mingyue asked a couple of questions but received no response. Everyone looked at each other, wondering what had happened. Apart from Zhao Mingyue, no one knew the truth about Mao Jianlan's relationship. Qian Sisheng had guessed something, but wasn't sure. Zhao Mingyue heard Mao Jianlan sobbing quietly in bed, and her heart skipped a beat. Had she already confessed to Shen Qixue?

Everyone tiptoed out and grabbed Zhao Mingyue: "Little Zhao (the youngest), tell me quickly, what exactly happened?"

"I'm not quite sure either." Zhao Mingyue looked up and saw a military green jeep parked in front of the dormitory. "Wait a minute, I'll go take a look."

Zhao Mingyue ran to the jeep: "Big Brother."

Shen Qixue was smoking with a furrowed brow, the smoke obscuring his face. He turned his head, saw her, and stubbed out his cigarette: "Are you free? Let's talk."

Zhao Mingyue remembered that she still had classes in the first two periods, but given the current situation, neither of them seemed quite right. So she told her roommates to ask the teacher for leave for her before getting into Shen Qixue's car.

Shen Qixue drove the car out of the campus and finally stopped in a relatively secluded place. He got straight to the point and said, "Xiao Mao and I are dating, you know that, right?"

Zhao Mingyue nodded: "Yes, she told me that last year."

"She wants to break up with me! I specially arranged a month-long vacation to come back around the same time she starts school, and the first thing she said when we met was that she wanted to break up!" Shen Qixue complained in a standard Beijing accent. He had come back full of enthusiasm, only to be doused with a bucket of cold water, feeling like he had fallen into an ice cave. Anyone would find that unbearable.

Zhao Mingyue lowered her eyes: "She told me last year that she wanted to break up with you, and I said it would be better for her to tell you in person. It seems that she did say it as soon as she saw you."

Shen Qixue stared at Zhao Mingyue with bloodshot eyes: "Why did she break up with me? Because I'm a rough, uneducated man?"

Zhao Mingyue knew Shen Qixue was getting stuck on something: "Didn't she tell you why she broke up with you?"

“She said we weren’t compatible. Our family backgrounds are too different, we live in very different regions, and our lifestyles are completely different, so she wants to break up with me,” Shen Qixue said. “Didn’t she already know all this before? Why did she suddenly bring it up as a problem after we’d been talking for so long?”

Zhao Mingyue thought to herself, "Why didn't Mao Jianlan explain the reason? If she won't say, I'll say it myself: 'Actually, the main reason is because of your mother. Your mother didn't let you break up with her?'"

Shen Qixue stared wide-eyed at Zhao Mingyue, who ignored him and continued, "Your mother doesn't like people from the countryside. She doesn't like me, nor does she like your brother-in-law. But your brother-in-law's situation is already settled. She hopes that Xu Yue and I can also separate so that I can find a girl like Wu Jie or some other girl, someone who is a good match for your family. Xu Yue hasn't agreed. Your mother doesn't like me, so do you think she would like Mao Jianlan, who also comes from the countryside? Especially since this Mao Jianlan is my classmate."

Shen Qixue looked at her, his brows furrowed, and after a long while said, "I see. So she came to see Xiao Mao?"

Zhao Mingyue said, "Yes, she told Jianlan that she hoped you two would break up. Jianlan couldn't handle the pressure at the time and wanted to write a letter to you to break up, but I persuaded her not to. I felt that it was not good to tell you this in a letter. You are thousands of miles away, and you can't even ask her a question. It would be clearer to tell you in person."

"No wonder, she said she wanted to break up with me as soon as she saw me." Shen Qixue clenched his fist and slammed it on the steering wheel, then punched the horn, which blared loudly, "Xiao Zhao, I'll take you home."

Zhao Mingyue said, "Brother, don't be impulsive. Don't go back and argue with your mother. We need to calm down and talk about this properly."

Shen Qixue said loudly, "How can you expect me to stay calm about this?"

Zhao Mingyue said, "Aunt Shen already dislikes Jianlan. If you go back and cause trouble, it will only deepen her bad impression of Jianlan and will not do her any good."

Shen Qixue finally took two deep breaths to calm down. He thought for a moment and nodded, "You're right. Thank you, Xiao Zhao, I know what to do. I'll take you home now. I'm sorry for taking up your time." He started the car as he spoke.

Zhao Mingyue waved her hand: "It's alright. But I think you'd better respect Jianlan's opinion and see what she's planning. In my opinion, she's still too young and hasn't experienced enough."

Shen Qixue looked at Zhao Mingyue in surprise: "Xiao Xu said you're even younger than Xiao Mao, but you sound like an older sister."

Zhao Mingyue smiled and said, "Although I am young, my mental age is much older than my physical age."

Shen Qixue nodded: "I do have that feeling. You're too calm. Does my mother usually make things difficult for you?"

Zhao Mingyue smiled helplessly, "She didn't make things difficult for me in any way, but she basically ignored my existence and sometimes made sarcastic remarks. Because of the two of you, Xu Yue and I got a good scolding last time, saying that I deliberately colluded with my classmate to seduce her eldest son to isolate her. I think the old lady is quite pitiful. Alas, in all honesty, this really has nothing to do with me."

Shen Qixue smiled helplessly, "This matter really has nothing to do with you. My mother wronged you."

"That's right, even if you jump into the Yellow River, you can't clear your name," Zhao Mingyue sighed.

Shen Qixue suddenly said, "If only Xiao Mao were as open-minded as you."

Zhao Mingyue raised an eyebrow, wondering if she was really that open-minded.

Shen Qixue was almost at the school gate when he said, "Could you comfort Xiao Mao for me? Tell her I'm sorry, I was too emotional last night. Tell her to wait for my news."

"Okay." Zhao Mingyue thought to herself, they hadn't come home all night, and they were alone together. Could they have already slept together? But it wasn't her business. They were adults and would take responsibility for their actions. She wouldn't interfere and would just do what she was supposed to do.

Over the next few days, Shen Qixue frequently visited Mao Jianlan, but neither Mao Jianlan nor Shen Qixue reported the progress to Zhao Mingyue. Over the weekend, Zhao Mingyue went to Tsinghua University and found Shen Xuyue. He now had an office to work in, a special office approved by the department for the editorial department. Usually, only Shen Xuyue was there; the room had heating and was quite comfortable.

"Have you gone back recently?" Zhao Mingyue asked him.

Shen Xuyue said, "I've been busy these past two days and haven't been home. What's wrong?"

Zhao Mingyue laughed: "Why don't you go back and support your brother?"

Shen Xuyue sighed: "I can barely take care of myself, so they should just pray for themselves. Actually, I think the problem between the two of them isn't my mother's attitude, but Xiao Mao's. If she could be as indifferent to these things as you are, then no matter how much my mother tries, it won't make a difference."

Zhao Mingyue glared at him: "Who said I don't care?"

Shen Xuyue stood up and put his arm around her: "I know you care, but you are strong and determined, so I'm not worried. Thank you, Mingyue."

Zhao Mingyue giggled twice. Shen Xuyue lowered his head and kissed her forehead. Zhao Mingyue felt something was amiss, and suddenly looked up, meeting Shen Xuyue's smiling eyes. Her face instantly turned red. Shen Xuyue kissed her nose. Zhao Mingyue closed her eyes. Shen Xuyue's Adam's apple bobbed, then he lowered his head and gently kissed her pink lips.

Their lips met, the gentle touch leaving them both somewhat dazed. Shen Xuyue extended his tongue and gently licked Zhao Mingyue's lips. Zhao Mingyue subconsciously parted her lips slightly, and Shen Xuyue tentatively probed inside.

This was their first kiss, and it came rather suddenly; Zhao Mingyue hadn't even expected it. The feeling of kissing the one you love is so wonderful, it makes your soul relax, your senses completely fail, only the touch remains, and the wonderful feeling reaches the depths of your soul. The two are intoxicated by this beauty, lingering and reluctant to part.