Jian Dan suddenly realized that of all the educated youth who had come, two couples had gotten married, both of which were arranged internally. This was the first time she had started dating someone from the village. To be honest, she really hadn't expected it.

It really was quite unexpected.

"This... will work?"

We strolled leisurely until we reached the foot of the mountain.

"Of course it's possible. He found a wife who was a sent-down youth, and he seems quite happy about it."

Since they're all surnamed Liu, the other families naturally gravitated towards them.

That's true. Although the country has been liberated, the concept of clan is still quite strong, especially in villages where it has been passed down for generations. You might not see it in everyday life, but people are sticking together from the bottom of their hearts. No matter how bad their own people are, they are still their own people, and no matter how good others are, they are still outsiders. It was an accident that Jian Dan was accepted by others by chance.

After glancing at Wei Shujuan, Jian Dan also felt that she was indeed somewhat wronged.

But since Liu Weimin said to vote, you should be prepared not to be elected. Besides, he's doing it openly and honestly, so he doesn't need to do anything underhanded. Just stand next to Liu Guoqiang, and everyone can see what's going on.

Wei Shujuan also sensed everyone's feelings. This wasn't the first time in the past few days, and it wasn't a big deal to begin with.

She went to the countryside because of Ling Weidong; that vague little thought had been lurking in her mind all along.

She had long since figured out Ling Weidong's attitude. It just so happened that Mingzhu was giving birth, and she thought the children were doing well, so she decided to take them in and not have to face Ling Weidong all the time.

She had it all planned out: the work points from teaching the children weren't enough to support those educated youths; Mingzhu couldn't leave after giving birth; Jian Dan didn't seem interested; and the possibility of male educated youths was slim. Who knew that Du Xiuling would cause such a change in the middle of things?

I wasn't extremely disappointed, but I was still somewhat disheartened, since it was the first thing I seriously wanted to do well after going to the countryside.

"It's okay, I just wanted to give it a try anyway. Besides, with so few work points, I might as well work with you guys, have some fun, and earn more work points. That way, I can have a few more full meals at the end of the year."

The group looked at each other, and Su Hong patted Wei Shujuan first.

"Yes, we're still together, isn't that great!"

Others offered their comfort, and in the end, Wei Shujuan was left both laughing and crying.

"I'm really fine, it's just that this didn't work out, and I feel a bit uneasy about it. It's not like I absolutely have to do that kind of thing."

Laughing and joking, Wei Shujuan's initial annoyance vanished completely before they even reached the mountain.

"Hurry up, hurry up! A few days ago we found a shady slope with a lot of those trays on it. They're almost ripe now."

"Really? It's so late, is there still any left? Is it really that late?"

"Where? Isn't that a shady slope? It gets darker there than in sunny areas anyway."

"That's fine, but don't go any further in. There are not only big wild boars in there, but also many poisonous insects and snakes. It would be dangerous if you encountered them."

Knowing their own capabilities, the group readily agreed.

They were all very aware of this. While Jian could move freely in the mountains, they dared not take it for granted. The last time they encountered a wild boar, they were almost scared out of their wits.

Once they got up on the mountain, they were like children, overjoyed to find even a wild fruit. Jian Dan was also infected by this joy, and the laughter of the girls echoed on the mountain.

Since we were already here, we couldn't just play around. We didn't let any firewood we saw along the way go to waste, regardless of size. We also picked mushrooms and wild vegetables, even though they weren't in season. While resting, we even found a few wild grapevines with bunches of grapes the size of a thumb, all bright green and making our mouths water.

Everyone felt it was a great pity.

"If they were ripe, we could pick them all and leave them here. They wouldn't be easily spotted, but the birds would probably gnaw on them."

"They've just grown big enough; they'll have to wait to ripen. Some wild grapes are harvested early, some late; I don't know if we'll be able to eat them."

Li Yan ignored everyone else, stood on tiptoe, and grabbed a few grains before anyone could stop her.

"It's not ready yet; it's sour, both sour and astringent."

Several people sat down, waiting to see Li Yan's expression change. But she ate them one by one, and then reached out to pick more. This time she picked a whole bunch and sat down to eat them one by one.

Even a simple person feels a sour taste in their mouth.

"Sister Yan, isn't it sour?"

Li Yan ate happily without even looking up.

"It's not sour at all, it tastes pretty good."

Several people didn't believe it, and Su Hong, who was closest, also got up, grabbed a handful, and divided two grains among herself.

"Could this be the breed?"

Let alone two pills, after each person ate one, the only sound left in the room was Li Yan eating.

Several people turned into bitter faces, stood there frozen for a few seconds, and then couldn't wait to bend over and vomit.

"Oh my god, what... ugh, what's this taste like?"

"It's so sour it's made my tongue numb."

"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey..."

"Water, I need water!"

Everyone took several gulps of water from their bottles before feeling their mouths return to normal. They all turned to look at Li Yan, who was still scratching her head.

"What's wrong? Is it not tasty?"

He then popped two more into his mouth.

"It tastes pretty good!"

After just a few simple dishes, my mouth started watering again.

Su Hong glanced at the fruit, confirming that she and Li Yan had picked them from the same tree. She reached out and took one from Li Yan's hand, took a bite, and immediately spat it out. Then she stared intently at Li Yan.

"When you have time, go find Uncle Chen to check your pulse."

Li Yan was stunned.

"Why? I'm not sick!"

Su Hong smiled.

“It’s okay. I know you’re not sick. Just go back and tell Chen Jianguo, and he’ll know.”

Lin Zhaodi, Tan Yajun, and Wei Shujuan were not only children; moreover, they weren't naive young girls who knew nothing. Before going to the countryside, their families had given them some basic advice on this matter. Hearing this, they understood, and their perspectives changed.

"Really?"

"That's about right, it's been several months already."

"Pretty much, look at what she's eating,"

It took him a while to realize what was happening, and then he looked down at Li Yan's stomach.

With this guess in mind, the group behaved much better on the way back. Although Li Yan didn't understand what was going on, seeing how they were acting, she also followed suit and walked properly.

Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, the group remembered the topic they hadn't finished discussing that morning.

"When are we going to see Mingzhu?"

“It’s not good for her to have so many people coming and going during her postpartum period. Why don’t we discuss a time to go and visit her together? That way, we can save her the trouble of going through all that trouble.”

"Okay, what are you all planning to bring?"