The four students had a full schedule every day, and it took the seven of them a whole day to figure out how to rearrange their schedules.

After working late into the night, they stretched as they left the school gate, feeling relieved. They locked the school gate and headed back.

Qiu Yi and several other educated youths returned to their settlement. He originally intended to take Wen Yan and Zhao Huanhuan home, but since Tao Shize's family and the Lin family lived not far apart, only two or three houses away, he said he would take Zhao Huanhuan and Wen Yan back to the Lin family home on the way.

Tao Shize is twenty-five years old this year. He originally thought that he would spend his whole life farming. His parents were also planning to find him a wife this year. However, Qiu Yi wanted to build a primary school, and the brigade leader recommended him to take the exam.

Tao Shize was naturally happy. He took the exam and passed. Qiu Yi thought highly of him and kept him on the team.

He was very grateful to Qiu Yi, considering him his benefactor, so he always took the lead in doing any hard or tiring work at school.

This is also why Qiu Yi decided to make him the vice principal when several people were being assigned homeroom teachers a few days ago.

Zhao Huanhuan and the others naturally had no objections. Tao Shize was originally from Taojia Village, unlike them who were sent-down youths who came halfway through. He had a deep affection for this village, so it was reasonable for him to become the vice principal.

"We've worked hard for months, and we're finally all ready. I hope tomorrow's registration day goes smoothly," Qiu Yi said as they parted.

After everyone agreed that everything would go smoothly, they waved goodbye and went home.

After returning home, Zhao Huanhuan parted ways with Wen Yan, went inside to wash up, and changed into her pajamas. Only then did she notice a bamboo plate of freshly washed pears on the table.

Her gaze softened slightly; it must have been her mother-in-law who put it there.

Since returning home, she has been busy with the primary school's affairs with Qiu Yiwen and others, and she rarely stays at home. She only comes back for a meal. Sometimes when she comes back, the Lin family elders have already gone to bed. She always finds some snacks, food, or fruit, such as watermelon, that her mother-in-law has left for her on the table.

Once these things are ripe and harvested, they are distributed to the commune members for consumption.

Unsurprisingly, she also saw a familiar envelope with familiar handwriting next to the fruit plate.

When she first received those letters, she thought they were sent back to her by Lin Yuan.

But after reading it, she dismissed it; there was no mailing address, no stamp, and the envelope even had a serial number on the back.

Furthermore, since the letter would always appear on the table, cabinet, or pillow in her room when she returned home, she knew that Aunt Chu had left it for her.

While she was touched, she also felt a little warm inside. Lin Yuan's actions warmed her heart. Aunt Chu secretly passed a message between the two of them and pretended to be fine the next day, still chatting and laughing with her, which also warmed her heart.

However, although she has received six letters left by Lin Yuan before he left, she has not replied to any of them. She plans to send him a letter when he actually sends one back from the army.

While eating a pear, he opened Lin Yuan's sixth letter.

My wife Huanhuan:

Zhan Xinyue!

Hehe, are you used to this way of addressing me? This is the sixth letter I've written to you, and the sixth love letter I've written to you since we met. Although we've only known each other for a short time, I feel that my longing for you has been very long.

I don't know what you did today, or whether you're happy, but I know that you are still as beautiful as you were when I first met you.

Hehe, Huanhuan, do you think I'm being a bit glib? Actually, I do think I am being a bit glib, but these are the sweet words I want to say to you every day. I think you are as beautiful and lovely as when I first met you, and I fell in love with you at first sight.

While I'm away from home, Huanhuan, remember to take good care of yourself, be happy, and remember to think of me every day!

To your loving husband, Lin Yuan!

This guy, using family letters as love letters and even having his mother deliver them, only you, Squad Leader Lin, could do that.

After reading it, Zhao Huanhuan chuckled, but still went back and read it twice more.

After reading it, he chuckled a few more times before slowly folding it up and putting it in an envelope. He stood up, washed and dried his hands, picked up the envelope, opened the cabinet, and took out a square bamboo basket.

Five letters were neatly arranged inside. After Zhao Huanhuan put this letter in next to the fifth one, she picked up the pair of red hair clips that Lin Yuan had bought for her, looked at them for a while, smiled, closed the small bamboo basket, and put it in the cabinet.

She finished tidying up and was about to go to sleep when Wenyan came over in her pajamas, carrying a pillow.

"We've been waiting for you, have a pear!" Zhao Huanhuan handed Wen Yan a pear.

Wenyan paused for a moment, holding the pear, then smiled wryly, "Huanhuan, this is quite fitting. I was planning to move to the educated youth settlement tomorrow, but I didn't expect we'd be eating pears today!"

Zhao Huanhuan asked in surprise, "Are we moving tomorrow?"

"Yes, after we finish registering and assigning classes in the morning, we'll move in the afternoon. I already told my godmother at noon today," Wenyan said softly.

"Ah, can't you stay here forever?" Zhao Huanhuan sat silently on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), feeling uneasy.

She and Yan Yan spent several months together, and Yan Yan even accompanied her to her wedding. But now she's about to move to the educated youth settlement.

"Of course not. The brigade leader told me the other day that I was the only one who hadn't moved in yet, and that I should move in at the end of the month. But we've been so busy these past few days that I haven't had time to move, so we've set it for tomorrow," Wen Yan said softly.

Afterwards, she came to Zhao Huanhuan, took her hand and said, "Huanhuan, don't be sad. I just moved out. Even if a daughter stays at her parents' home, she will get married one day. But we are still a family. You will always be my sister-in-law, and the Lin family will always be my second family."

"Besides, we'll still be teaching the children together every day, so we'll still see each other every day," Wen Yan comforted Zhao Huanhuan, worried that she might be lonely here alone.

Zhao Huanhuan nodded and gave a soft "hmm".

After they went to bed that night, they talked a lot more, about the past, about the future, about life, and about ideals.

The next day was Friday, September 1st, the day Qiu Yi set out for student registration, distributing books, notebooks, and pens.

They scheduled registration to begin at 8:30, but villagers started arriving with their children to register as early as 8:00.

The registration fee for first grade is 58 cents, which includes 43 cents for textbooks and 15 cents for miscellaneous fees.

Starting in second grade, it's 70 cents or 80 cents, plus music and art books.

The third and fourth grades cost 90 cents, and they also received a moral education book.

The pencils, erasers, and markers were bought for the children by the teachers. Qiu Yi asked the homeroom teacher to explain to the parents that these were gifts from the teachers to the children for their first meeting, and that the children would not need them afterward, so the parents would need to pay for their own replacements.