When Gu Yu's mother-in-law was mentioned, Hua Baoguo couldn't help but frown again, feeling unhappy whenever she was brought up.

Hua Xiangyun guessed that something must have happened during this trip back, but since her parents didn't mention it, she didn't want to investigate further.

This trip back home will only take a few days, and soon he will have to go back to work. Hua Baoguo felt a pang of guilt.

He always came and went in such a hurry, while the elderly and children at home needed him less and less.

"Don't worry, just stay home. In a few months, Dad will give you this job." Hua Baoguo felt that retiring early wasn't without its advantages. At least he could take care of the family, arrange his two children's weddings, and look after his grandchildren.

“No need,” Hua Xiangyun quickly stopped him, fearing that Hua Baoguo would complete the formalities as soon as he returned.

She already had plans for the future: first, she would work as an educated youth for a few months, and then she would take the college entrance examination.

“Dad, it’s not easy to train a driver, and it’s not easy for someone to take over your position.”

I don't think going to the countryside is a bad idea. My second brother spent two years there before. You can let me try it out first. If I don't adapt, I'll naturally ask to be transferred back."

Hua Xiangyun can only stall for time now; there are many things she can't say too much about.

“Going to the countryside is too tough,” Hua Baoguo said. Although he had never lived in the countryside, many of his colleagues’ children had gone there, so he had heard a lot about it. “You simply can’t do those farm chores. When you visited your maternal grandfather’s house before, you saw your cousins ​​working in the fields. It wasn’t just for a day or two, but for years.”

Besides, Dad has worked for decades and is getting tired. Retiring now will allow him to take care of your grandparents.

Although it might be difficult for him to back out at this point, it's unlikely that his superiors will make things difficult for him.

Hua Xiangyun grabbed his hand and brushed the dust off it. "You forgot that I'm still apprenticing under a master. Jiang Yi has already promised to arrange for me to stay in a village nearby, probably near the end of the county."

Hua Baoguo said, "But this is too tiring. After finishing farm work, who has the energy to learn these things?"

Hua Xiangyun patted her arm, winked at him, and laughed, "You forgot that I'm quite strong. If I can't handle this, I'll definitely come back crying and begging you."

Hua Baoguo said, "...I'll discuss it with your grandparents then, since we agreed on it before."

It's not right to arrange jobs for both sons and send the pampered daughter to the countryside to do farm work.

If that doesn't work, go to the city and ask around to see if anyone is willing to transfer their job; they're willing to pay more.

Hua Xiangyun was unaware of his plans, but genuinely felt that Hua Baoguo was still in his prime and held such an important position, it would be a great pity for him to step down.

Besides, it's only a few months; it'll be over in a flash.

The father and daughter each had their own plans and neither intended to persuade the other.

&

Time moved smoothly forward, and Hua Xiangyun was about to graduate from high school.

She sat in the classroom, writing the last word on her test paper, which also marked the end of her high school career.

The students sitting in this classroom are about to embark on different paths in life.

Some people have already been assigned jobs by their families, while others can only go to the countryside.

Under her persuasion, the Hua family ultimately did not buy the temporary worker quota that they had finally managed to find out about, which also meant that she was about to go to the countryside.

However, thanks to Jiang Yi's efforts, some of them were assigned to nearby villages this time, and she was one of them.

There are several villages on the edge of the county, and she happened to land in Qianjin Village.

Even though it's a bit far from the county town, it's very close to Wu Chenxi's place.

Even if she doesn't live in the educated youth settlement, she can bring her family's bicycle there and travel back and forth between the village and the county seat.

The two places are really not far apart; it only takes about ten minutes by bicycle.

Hua Xiangyun was already thinking about what to bring to her master, but it seemed like she didn't lack anything.

When the time comes, I can go to the village during the day and have more time to cultivate at night. Moreover, I can live with my master and ask him questions whenever I don't understand something.

Zhou Xiaolan also put down her pen; after all, whether she did well or poorly on the exam, she would still get a high school diploma.

During this time, her family has been trying to find her a partner, but none of them have been satisfactory.

Come to think of it, most families couldn't afford the "three turns and one sound" (referring to a set of three watches, a watch, a radio, and a watch). The best family would only agree to provide a bicycle, and even then, the bride had to take it home with her.

These days, Zhou Jinfeng and the others have started to regret their actions. Although Liu Qingshan used some clever tricks, at least the items he dealt with were real.

Not to mention the betrothal gifts, they didn't skimp on them at all, and were even willing to give extra.

Zhou Xiaolan, however, felt somewhat fortunate; otherwise, she would have faced a miserable life as a stepmother.

During this time, she did try to contact Hua Zhian, but the Hua family was very wary.

You should know that right now, only the Hua family can meet the conditions that parents have set.

It's not that she doesn't want to marry someone decent, but right now, he has no say in the matter.

Anyway, the family has set the conditions, and no matter what kind of family they are, as long as they meet the Zhou family's requirements, they can come to propose marriage.

Because of the trouble Liu Qingshan caused last time, the Zhou family doesn't want things to be like that anymore. They've laid out their conditions clearly, and even if someone comes with sincerity, they can't lower their prices any further. Zhou Xiaolan is a high school student, and she's still quite popular.

Zhou Xiaolan stared at the back of Hua Xiangyun's head diagonally across from her. If she had Hua Xiangyun's appearance, she wouldn't have to worry about any of this.

Why was He Ping'an so useless back then? If that stone had hit her pretty face directly, would Jiang Yi still have been willing to marry her?

Thinking of He Ping'an, Zhou Xiaolan lowered her head and gripped her pen tightly. He was lucky; his parents had found him a temporary job, and he could go straight to work after the exam today.

The school has already started counting the people to go to the countryside, but she keeps delaying. No unit in the city will accept her, and she hasn't been able to get married during this time. Is there no way to escape going to the countryside?

No, I've been so focused on my marriage these past few days that I forgot to find out how Hua Xiangyun planned to arrange things.

There's been no word from the Hua family. Could it be that they're really going to take over Xun Liangfen's job?

While others were making a great deal of noise about going to the countryside to find work, the Hua family remained so calm, suggesting they were already prepared.

It's all the Hua family's fault for interfering; otherwise, if she had dated Hua Zhian, she wouldn't have been unable to compete for a job in the city.

Thinking of Hua Zhian, who was never alone, Zhou Xiaolan felt anxious. No matter how many ideas she had, she had no way to put them into practice.

How could Hua Xiangyun not feel being stared at like that?

She didn't even need to turn around to know who it was.

It's obvious that Zhou Xiaolan hasn't been focusing on her studies at all these days.

If she puts in the effort, a few months might be a great opportunity to turn things around.