Chapter 182 Planning to Go to the Provincial Capital

After the girls finished eating, Zhou didn't rush back!

Snow White in the backyard didn't eat with them; instead, she sat by her overheated stove, lost in thought.

I used to be Zhou Ye's best friend, but now?

Instead, they became outsiders!

She gave a wry smile, took a bite of the dry bread, and felt as if she were chewing wax!

Sister Zhou, I'm happy as long as you're doing well! I used to think I harbored resentment towards you! Actually, it was a mixture of love and hate!

I hate you, but I also hope you're doing well!

Destroying that dress was the worst thing I ever did to you. You were so kind to me, treating me like your best little sister!

He was considerate of me, took care of me, and even gave me his last bit of trust!

I've let you down!

sorry!

Sister Zhou, I only hope that you will be happy every day from now on!

I took a sip of water, listening to the laughter coming from the front yard...

Bai Xue remained silent.

Huang Ying looked at Zhou Ye expectantly, and Zhou Ye knew something was wrong.

"What's wrong? Tell me!"

Huang Ying chuckled: "It's just... it's just that seeing you meet such a good family makes me... a little envious."

"Um...you want to get married?"

"Um!"

Huang Ying nodded decisively!

"You want me to introduce you to someone?"

Zhou asked, puzzled.

To be honest, I know Huang Ying's personality. She did have some bad intentions in the past, but overall, she's a good person!

And now it's changed!

However, the personality traits and habits ingrained in one's bones are still difficult to change!

People are the hardest to change, aren't they?

"Okay! Is that alright?"

Seeing Huang Ying's expectant eyes, Zhou hesitated for a moment, but couldn't resist asking out of curiosity, "What kind of person are you looking for?"

Huang Ying chuckled: "I want to find someone good-looking, someone I can click with! If she's too ugly, I definitely won't be able to sleep. I won't be able to live a good life then, right?"

Is this too much to ask?

Zhou Ye thought about it and agreed. Under the same conditions, everyone would choose the better-looking one! But... to be honest, Huang Ying's appearance is rather ordinary!

But you still have to have aspirations, what if you achieve them!

"Hmm, it's alright, not too bad. Anything else?"

Zhou also gestured for her to continue!

Huang Ying continued, "Then I'll say it! I still want to be in charge and don't want my mother-in-law to control me!"

Seeing Zhou Ye's expression, Huang Ying knew what she was going to say. These days, a mother-in-law is like a sword hanging over your head.

But she needs to have hope!

"Oh, don't make that face. I know it's too difficult without my mother-in-law. As long as she's around, I can forget about being in charge!"

But after seeing so many daughters-in-law being bullied at home, I'm really scared!

I can't be fighting with people all the time, can I?

I also want to enjoy life!

"Alright, go on!"

"Alright, then I'll say it! I don't want too many brothers, two at most. I can't handle any more than that!"

If my sister-in-law is easy to talk to, that's fine, but if she's demanding and lazy, I won't tolerate it! So, I still have to find someone with fewer brothers!

Is this okay?

Zhou rubbed his temples. Actually, being a matchmaker is the hardest job ever!

Where can I find one like this?

In any family with a mother-in-law, who lets the second daughter-in-law take charge of the household?

Are you kidding me?

"Hehe... there's one last one!"

"Okay, go ahead!"

Zhou also felt like she had no will to live!

Huang Ying hesitated for a long time, feeling embarrassed, and said, "I don't want to work! I haven't been working in the fields for years!"

"That must have been so tiring!"

Zhou Ye was so angry he laughed.

"So you think this is a place to make wishes? I'm telling you, if you can't find it, you definitely won't find it!"

I don't have that ability!

Upon hearing this, Huang Ying slumped onto the stool, tugging at Zhou Ye's sleeve!

"What am I supposed to do? I'm already looking for a man, and I still have to work in the fields. How tiring will that be!"

Waaah...

I don't want to work in the fields anymore! I was already dark-skinned, and now I'm even darker from the sun!

I'm already over twenty. If I delay a few more years, I'll be even more unmarriageable! I'll become an old maid!

Chen Lan chuckled: "You still can't get married now! Haha... Who told you to have such high standards?"

"Let you laugh at me!"

The two of them started fighting!

Zhou Ye found it amusing, and seeing that it was almost time, he heard Xie Jianshe's voice outside, so he immediately got up.

"Alright, I'm heading back now! We can talk about everything tomorrow!"

"Okay, the autumn harvest is almost here. Once it's over, we'll have some free time. We can buy a few pounds of sunflower seeds and chat while we eat them!"

Huang Ying's wishful thinking is quite something!

"OK!"

Zhou reluctantly agreed!

Huang Ying and the others saw Zhou Ye to the door. Zhou Ye and Xie Jianshe walked back together. After everyone had gone home, Zhou Ye's gaze unconsciously drifted to the backyard.

Are you alright?

Zhou also snapped out of his daze, smiled, and said, "It's alright, let's go back! It's getting late!"

Xie Jianshe looked around: "I secretly went to see Grandpa this afternoon! Grandpa is in good health."

Should we go now?

Zhou checked the time and thought for a moment: "Grandpa should be going to bed early now, shall we go first thing tomorrow morning?"

Since his injury last time, Grandpa's health has probably been damaged, and he sleeps like any other elderly person!

I used to have inexhaustible energy, but now I wish I could rest every day!

"Okay, I'll also make some food and send it over!"

"good!"

After returning, the two rested in the same room, but on separate beds. Xie Jianshe was a gentleman and did not cross the line.

Zhou Ye also told Xie Jianshe, as if it were a joke, about the criteria for choosing a spouse that Huang Ying had mentioned that night!

It was just a joke! I didn't expect Xie Jianshe to take it seriously.

What do you think of Hei Zi?

Blackie?

That brother who grew up with Xie Jianshe?

only……

Zhou hesitated for a moment before saying, "Hei Zi probably doesn't meet Huang Ying's standards, or maybe Hei Zi doesn't like Huang Ying either."

After all, Huang Ying has been in Hongqi Village for so many years!

Although Hei Zi deals with Da Shan every day, he must know Huang Ying and recognize her.

If they really had an idea, they should have known about it already.

"That's true. Hei Zi is straightforward and a good man! He should treat his wife well in the future!"

The family is poor and has few relatives; the woman needs to understand that!

Xie Jianshe said with concern.

Zhou nodded; the black mark had been crossed out!

"Then who else is there? There shouldn't be any left in Hongqi Village! Actually, Huang Ying is already twenty-three years old in the village, which is considered quite old!"

Do you know if anyone arranged a marriage for her a few years ago?

Xie Jianshe actually didn't return very early, so I'm not entirely sure!

"Should I ask Mom tomorrow?"

"Okay, go to sleep early!"

Zhao Dalan did not sleep all night, and felt so upset that she didn't sleep until the next day.

"Honey, what are you having for breakfast?"

When the old man of the Song family got up and saw that there was no food, he asked...

Zhao Dalan lay there, not wanting to get up; she was sleepy but couldn't fall asleep.

"See what you have to eat and have some! I haven't slept all night!" Zhao Dalan was in a bad mood.

What's the use of having many sons?

One by one, they can't even find a wife!

And these two daughters-in-law are incredibly obedient! Every morning, they bring out their own food and the three of them cook together!

Whatever I say, I do.

But if I don't say anything, I won't cook. It's not that I don't want to, but I'm afraid to take the food. When was the kitchen cabinet ever locked? Just kidding...

I'm so angry!

But there was no other way!

"good!"

The old man had no temper; he told me to go and take a look, so I went by myself!

Zhao Dalan was completely speechless!

I tidied myself up quickly, then got up and went to the kitchen!

"Mother!"

"Hmm!" Sigh, he really can't say a single unnecessary word!

"I got up late, so I'll just make some dumpling soup!"

"good!"

Zhao Dalan looked at the peaceful family and thought, "See? There's not a ripple in their emotions! They can't even start an argument!"

I'm not one to cause trouble, so I'll just eat and go earn work points!

The men in the family are capable, and there are many children, so the women in the Song family don't need to work at all!

But they were afraid of having a bad influence, so they just went for a short while and then came back to cook!

Zhou Ye and Xie Jianshe got up early and took steamed buns and some vegetables to their grandfather's place.

"grandfather……"

"Hey!" Zhou Weiren hugged Zhou Ye tightly, his whole body trembling!

He's getting old and can't take any more exertion. This trip, although he wasn't seriously injured, probably took a toll on his spirit. He has to accept that he's getting old...

When he heard that his granddaughter had been kidnapped, his heart was broken!

If anything happens to his granddaughter, he'll be the first to be buried with her!

What future? What finding my son...?

It all means nothing now!

"Grandpa, I'm fine, I'm great! Xie Jianshe found me! It's alright, don't worry!"

Zhou Ye offered quiet words of comfort.

Zhou Weiren sighed, slowly released Zhou Ye, and tenderly touched Zhou Ye's face.

"Good child, you've been wronged! It's Grandpa's fault for not taking good care of you! This time, Grandpa has come to his senses, and we won't go out anymore!"

I'm not looking for your parents anymore!

If they're willing, they'll definitely come looking for us!

If they don't look for us, it means they don't care about us. Why should we bother?

Yes or no?

From now on, my grandson and I will live on our own, okay?

Zhou Ye hugged her grandfather again, tears streaming down her face: "Grandpa, don't worry, we'll all be fine!"

I'll take care of you from now on!

"No, silly girl, this is Red Flag Village!"

What if outsiders see this?

Zhou Weiren refused.

Xie Jianshe suddenly spoke up: "Zhou Ye, how about we move to the provincial capital?"

"The provincial capital? What are your plans?"

Zhou asked in confusion, "Xie Jianshe has never mentioned this to me before!"

Xie Jianshe laughed and said, "I can find a job in the provincial capital and settle down there! You've found your grandfather too!"

Grandpa's health might require better conditions to recuperate! He also needs someone to take care of him, as this place isn't very convenient!

The medical conditions in the county town are also generally poor! What do you think?

Yes, here, I can never properly keep my grandfather by my side to take care of him!

But the provincial capital is fine!

Not many people know me!

"I think it's great!"

With Zhou Ye's approval, Xie Jianshe breathed a sigh of relief! Xiao Ye was simply not suited to rural life!

The conditions here are terrible!

Although he had his parents and himself to take care of him, he didn't want Zhou Ye to suffer any injustice!

Grandpa is here, but I can't take care of him!

Always sneaking around isn't a long-term solution!

Since you already own a house in the provincial capital, it would be better to take it over!

"Alright, the autumn harvest is coming soon. It's cold here. Once we've harvested the grain, we'll head to the provincial capital!"

"OK!"

Looking at the two of them, who seemed like a happy young couple, Zhou Weiren felt very relaxed.

I can't deny that I'm getting old!

As I get older, I don't ask for anything else, as long as my children are doing well!

He felt that the best thing he had ever done was to ask Xiao Ye to marry Xie Jianshe.

He's someone you can trust!

Huang Ying, Chen Lan, and the other female educated youths walked on their way to work. Although they were very tired, they were still happy at the thought of receiving their share of grain soon.

"Huang Ying, what are you laughing at?"

Chen Lan saw Huang Ying smile several times along the way!

Huang Ying quickly pursed her lips: "Is it that obvious?"

"Of course! Obviously not! What are you thinking?"

Huang Ying chuckled: "I was thinking, if Zhou could find me my ideal partner, that would be wonderful!"

From now on, I can rest easy and enjoy the fruits of others' labor from the comfort of my home!

They can eat and drink well and make their own decisions!

"I can sleep as late as I want, that's great! Haha..."

Chen Lan made a face: "What are you dreaming about! I think you're not asking Zhou Ye to find you a partner, you're asking a god to grant you a wish!"

Ha ha……"

"You're asking for it!"

Huang Ying and Chen Lan are now the best of friends! The two of them bickered and teased each other until they arrived at their assigned area.

Bai Xue walked up to them, didn't say anything, and started working!

It seems that the lively and lovely Snow White from before is gone forever!

Not far away, a figure seemed to flash by, and Bai Xue looked over instantly!

Looking around and seeing that no one had noticed, Bai Xue followed.

A man covered her mouth and pulled her to a corner where no one was around and it was secluded!

"How's the thing I asked you to do going?"

Bai Xue's expression turned somber for a second, then she suddenly laughed: "As you know, my relationship with Zhou Ye is now broken!"

What should I do? She doesn't believe me anymore!

"Your background can be used! Zhou is a soft-hearted person, you can give it a try! I'll give you one last chance!"

"It's a choice: your own life, or your friendship with Zhou Ye!"

"Friendship? Ha... Do I even have that? She's my father's killer, I wish she were dead every single moment!"

You can just leave this task to me!

I can get that box from her house very soon! Don't worry!

The man paused for a moment and said, "The orders from above are that we must not harm her unless absolutely necessary!"

Bai Xue sneered: "Your people are really good at pretending!"

"What did you say? You dare to question the master?"

The man grabbed Bai Xue's neck tightly, making it almost impossible for her to breathe!

"Cough cough... If you strangle me, there will be no one to help you!"

The man flung Bai Xue away, leaving her barely able to stand!

"You have seven more days. If you don't get it, you can die!"

"yes!"

Bai Xue agreed.

It seems that, for the sake of my own life, I still have to take the initiative to get closer to Zhou Ye again!

She blinked her sore eyes and looked into the distance...

Can't she really live a normal life?

Because of having a father like that, you can never hold your head up high in your entire life, right?

She sniffed. In the past, when she felt wronged, she could throw herself into Sister Zhou's arms without any hesitation. In those days, she really treated Zhou as an older sister.

But……

Now, she can only suffer in silence!

He walked briskly to his assigned field, multitasking as he worked while listening to Huang Ying and Chen Lan's conversation.

That's about Sister Zhou!

The autumn harvest begins tomorrow, and the work is piling up. Men are being treated like animals, women like men, and even children are being counted for work points, all working themselves to the bone.

Because the worst thing for grain to ripen is rain.

If it rains, the whole year's harvest will be ruined!

Fortunately, we don't have to pay grain taxes this year!

All the harvested grain can be distributed to the villagers, and each household can receive a considerable amount more grain!

"Ugh, I'm so tired! Just thinking about the autumn harvest tomorrow makes me want to die! This is no job for a human being!"

We have to get up at five in the morning to go to the fields!

"Waaah..."

Huang Yingsheng wailed in despair, but what could he do? He was also happy, at least he was going to get some food!

That's some consolation, I suppose!

The afternoon is for rest. The village chief instructed everyone to be well-rested so they can get up early tomorrow! This also gives everyone some time to prepare more dry food!

Because it's harvest season, there's not much time to cook!

Everyone steamed the buns and pickled the vegetables!

When you come back from work, you can just heat it up and eat!

That's what the educated youth planned too! They'd be getting their food distributed soon, so they could eat as much as they wanted!

Although there isn't much food left, it's enough to last for the next few days!

On her way back at noon, Huang Ying was walking when she saw Song Chengxue standing at the intersection. She knew Song Chengxue before; he was shy and didn't talk much!

You can't get a fart out of me even if you hit me three times!

So she never took it to heart. Even though he had helped her once before, they were just acquaintances at most!

"Hey, is it because I'm looking at you?"

Chen Lan noticed that Song Chengxue kept looking this way but wouldn't walk this way, so she nudged Huang Ying and asked.

"Impossible! What do you want with me?"

Huang Ying directly denied it!

"that……"

Seeing that Huang Ying was about to walk past, Song Chengxue became extremely anxious and hurriedly shouted, thinking his voice was very loud, but in fact no one heard him!

Are you talking to us?

Huang Ying asked directly.

Song Chengxue swallowed hard, feeling a little nervous! But he still mustered his courage and stepped forward: "I'm looking for you!"

"ah?"

Huang Ying pointed to herself in surprise, then asked in astonishment, "Are you looking for me? Or someone else?" Song Chengxue blushed and pointed at Huang Ying: "You!"

"Me? You're really looking for me?"

Huang Ying was astonished!

Chen Lan raised an eyebrow: "See? I told you it was for you!"

Huang Ying rolled her eyes: "Since you're looking for me, then you can go back first! I'll get my food when I get back!"

"Don't move!"

"Okay! I won't touch your food!"

Chen Lan shouted!

Once everyone left, Song Chengxue breathed a sigh of relief!

What do you want from me?

Song Chengxue became nervous again, coughed twice, and then said, "I just heard you say that you were worried about the autumn harvest tomorrow."

I want to say…

What do you want to say?

"I wanted to say, cough cough..."

Huang Ying wasn't impatient, but she was curious about his mental state: "Have you always been like this?"

I've been here for several years, are you only just getting to know me?

Why are you nervous?

Song Chengxue's face was already red all the way to his neck.

Her voice trembled as she said, "I'm not usually like this, I'm just a little nervous! You...you don't need to worry!"

I'll help you tomorrow!

"Is...is it okay?"

Huang Ying heard clearly this time and looked at Song Chengxue in surprise: "You want to help me with the work? Is that what you mean?"

Did I hear that right?

Song Chengxue didn't dare to look at Huang Ying. Despite being 1.8 meters tall, he looked like a timid young wife in front of her.

His aggrieved look suggested that Huang Ying was scolding him.

"That's right! I'll help you..."

Huang Ying chuckled: "You're helping me? Why? What's the reason for this?"

You don't actually like me, do you?

Song Chengxue suddenly looked up, his eyes fixed on Huang Ying, somewhat flustered!

Why aren't you saying anything? Do you really like me?

Huang Ying continued to press for answers.

Song Chengxue: "I'll help you tomorrow! I'm leaving now!"

Then the person ran away!

"Hey...hey..."

The more Huang Ying shouted, the faster Song Chengxue ran!

Huang Ying was speechless and could only ignore it, heading back home first! She still had good things to do!

She didn't take it seriously.

Zhao Dalan: "What's wrong with you? Why are you running so fast? Did they reject you?"

Zhao Dalan was the only slightly outgoing person in the family.

I quickly asked my son, and seeing how nervous he looked, it was clear he hadn't succeeded!

Song Chengxue looked at Zhao Dalan and said dejectedly, "She...she asked me if I liked her."

"Huh? So what did you answer?"

If that's the case, Zhao Dalan will be much more energetic!

My son is amazing!

Unexpectedly, Song Chengxue blushed and said, "I...I ran away!"

"What? They ran away?"

Zhao Dalan was furious! This son of hers is so useless! The girl asked him, and he didn't even answer properly! What if she said yes?

Song Chengxue murmured, "I'm afraid...she'll refuse! If I leave, she won't hear me! I'll go to work tomorrow!"

"So, do you like her? We've known Huang Ying before, but we've never met! I just feel that she, as an educated youth, would definitely look down on us!"

But this time it was by chance that you two got to know each other!

If you really like her, then Mom will go and talk to her!

Zhao Dalan was also terrified!

However, if you want to talk to someone, you can ask them to do it.

For example, Wang Guihua, the village chief's wife?

Okay, it'll definitely work! If it fails, it fails. It's normal for people not to like my son anyway!

Song Chengxue thought about it carefully: "She... is quite good!"

"What's so good about it? Tell Mom, and I'll hear your thoughts!"

Song Chengxue thought for a moment: "Impressive, impressive! He dares to fight!"

"..."

Zhao Dalan paused for a moment, then said, "Fine, my spineless son needs a capable wife! I'll go take another look!"

He took a deep breath and said, "Son, go help them with their work tomorrow and see what they think!"

If someone asks you to do it, it means they might be interested in it!

"good!"

"And another thing, if they refuse, at least be dignified. Don't let your eyes well up with tears! People might think someone bullied you!"

Zhao Dalan didn't forget to give instructions!

They're all useless, what can we do!