The northwest corner of Xiaochengzhuang is the former residence of educated youth.

Xiao Jing followed her memory and searched all the way, but the road under her feet seemed more and more unfamiliar.

Since the incident where she jumped into the river that year, she hadn't been to the educated youth settlement for seven or eight years. Every year when she returned to her hometown, she would deliberately avoid this place.

Seven or eight years is neither a long nor a short time.

Some old houses collapsed in the village, and some new houses were built.

Along the way to the educated youth settlement, many new houses have been built on the formerly vacant homesteads on both sides of the road.

Those kids I remember have all grown into young men, married, and had children in their new houses.

The river of time flows relentlessly forward, and people shouldn't remain stuck in the mire of the past. It's time to move forward.

There was little work to be done in the fields during winter, so the educated youth were assigned to thresh corn cobs.

This job didn't require going outside; each person could work in the educated youth center with a bag of grain. To prevent anyone from hoarding grain, the village also sent people to supervise and serve as scorekeepers.

When Xiaojing came looking for someone, the male and female educated youths were all huddled in the empty rooms of the educated youth settlement, working.

Each person had a small stool, surrounded by a pile of corn kernels, a large pile of unthreshed corn cobs, and bare corn cobs.

Removing corn kernels by hand is a very time-consuming and laborious task. First, you have to use a screwdriver or nails wedged into a wooden board to poke slits into the corn kernels, and then peel the rest by hand.

Some people wear work gloves, while others just hold a corncob in their bare hands and rub it back and forth. It looks easy, but it's actually quite tiring for the hands. After a whole winter, their hands will inevitably get blisters.

Xiao Jing pushed the door open and came in. She looked around the room but didn't see Liu Qing.

Someone asked, "Who are you looking for?"

Xiao Jing said, "I'm looking for Liu Qing."

"Liu Qing isn't here; she went back to the city to visit relatives."

Xiao Jing's eyelids twitched, and she looked in the direction of the sound, asking, "When did this happen?"

Just two days ago.

"The day of the exam."

"No sooner had Liang and the others left than Liu Qing went to the village to get a letter of introduction. She left in such a hurry that she didn't even have lunch that day."

The educated youth started talking all at once.

Xiao Jing's heart skipped a beat, feeling that her ominous premonition had come true.

The thief committed the crime the night before the college entrance exam, and Liu Qing packed her things and left just one day later.

If it's a coincidence, then it's far too coincidental.

The timing of her departure was so subtle that Xiaojing couldn't help but suspect her.

Seeing Xiaojing's pale face, the others gradually lowered their voices.

Zheng Ming stepped forward and asked, "Cheng Jing, what do you want with Liu Qing?"

"It's nothing, just a personal matter."

The city and the village are far apart. When Xiao Jing came back, she didn't tell anyone about encountering the thief. She only told her family, so no one in Xiao Cheng Village knew about it.

"It can't be anything good, can it?" Zheng Mingchao winked at her and speculated, "You two don't get along, you wouldn't come looking for her for no reason."

"It has nothing to do with you."

"I know it has nothing to do with me, can't I even ask?"

Xiao Jing ignored her and turned to leave.

Looking at the closed door, Zheng Ming curled his lip, "So stingy."

At this moment, Chen Qiuyu suddenly stood up.

Zheng Ming turned around and was startled: "What are you doing? You scared me!"

Chen Qiuyu pursed her lips and whispered, "Going to the toilet."

After saying that, she ran out of the house as fast as she could.

"Why are you in such a panic when I just need to use the restroom?"

Chen Qiuyu didn't speak; the only response he received was the door slamming shut.

Zheng Ming was completely ignored. He was already in a bad mood because he failed the college entrance exam, and being ignored by two people in a row made him feel even worse.

He looked dejected and muttered, "Why did you rush off without suffocating?"

Outside the door.

Chen Qiuyu called out to Cheng Jing.

"Cheng Jing, wait a moment."

Cheng Jing turned around, recognized Chen Qiuyu, and nodded slightly to her: "Chen, did you call me over because you need something?"

Chen Qiuyu nodded: "Cheng Jing, there's something I want to tell you."

"you say."

"Yes, it's about Liu Qing. She won't be coming back."

Xiao Jing's pupils contracted sharply: "She's not coming back? What does that mean?"

“She’s not going back to visit relatives this time, she’s going back to get married,” Chen Qiuyu said. “On the day you took the exam, she went to the village chief with money and tickets. She not only got a letter of introduction, but also submitted a report to return to the city. Her household registration and grain ration were also transferred.”

How did you know?

“I, I live in the same room with her, we're together every day, I can't hide her secrets from her.”

Chen Qiuyu explained, "Actually, she could have returned to the city at the end of October. Her family introduced her to a man who was a factory manager. He promised to bring her back to the city and even arrange a job for her. But she was proud and thought he was too old, being thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old. She didn't want to be a stepmother, so she didn't leave."

"Do you know why she agreed later?"

"Maybe, maybe she was desperate because she couldn't go to university. She broke her arm on the day of the preliminary exam, and afterwards she came back and her whole personality was off."

"Actually, it's not bad for Liu Qing to marry that factory director. Although he is a bit older and has several children, she herself is not young either. He is still a leader with a secure job. As long as Liu Qing marries him, she will be the factory director's wife and will live a life of luxury without having to suffer from hunger and poverty. Isn't that great?"

At this point, Chen Qiuyu lowered his eyes and said dejectedly, "No matter what, it's better than staying in the countryside. Those who are educated have gone to university on their own, and those from well-off families have left because their families arranged jobs for them. We, who have no skills or connections, are left behind. I don't know if we can ever make it in this life."