The village chief's wife ran to open the door and saw Chen Jianguo standing outside the yard with two unfamiliar girls. She immediately guessed who they were and quickly ushered them inside.

"Come in, come in."

His gaze remained fixed on Gu An'an and Zhou Yue. Both girls were beautiful, but their beauty was different.

Sure enough, city kids are more refined than the kids in their village.

"What a striking young lady! How old are you? Are you used to the cold here?"

The village chief's wife was kind and easygoing. As they chatted, Gu An'an and her companion cooperated well, speaking in a pleasant tone. In just a short distance of a dozen meters, they managed to make the village chief's wife laugh heartily.

Village Chief Wang sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) listening. He already knew who the visitors were and wondered what they wanted to see him about.

If it's a minor matter, he'll help handle it.

If anyone dares to cause him trouble, they'd better see if they can handle his bad temper.

A moment later, the three of them stomped the snow off their shoes at the door and went inside.

"What's up?"

Gu An'an took out a bag of brown sugar and handed it over. She and Zhou Yue had brought it together. "Uncle Village Chief, the dormitory at the educated youth compound is too crowded. We've thought about it and decided to move out."

Village Chief Wang frowned. He thought these two girls would be better than that clueless one, but he didn't expect them to cause him trouble as soon as they arrived.

"Where would you like to stay? In a villager's house?"

That's not impossible. In the past, some educated youth had shared rooms with villagers, and all they needed was some food rations and money coupons. However, this method had many drawbacks. On the one hand, there were safety issues, and on the other hand, conflicts could easily arise over a little food, and then he would have to deal with it.

Therefore, as long as the educated youth compound can accommodate them, Village Chief Wang doesn't want to take this step.

"No, they want to rent the house next to the educated youth compound."

That house has been abandoned for several years, and the village chief has almost forgotten about it. It wouldn't be a problem if it were there. "Five yuan a room, didn't Xiao Chen tell you that?"

Gu An'an nodded and took out the money from her pocket and handed it over.

Zhou Yue was the same; she couldn't hide the smile on her face. She was going to have some alone time with An An.

The village chief accepted the money. It belonged to the village, and not a penny could be taken away; otherwise, there would be more trouble.

Seeing that the two were still young, the village chief reminded them, "The house needs to be tidied up before you can live in it, and I'll have someone take a look at the roof tomorrow."

The two quickly thanked him.

"There's no firewood in that house, so you'll have to prepare some yourself to heat up the kang (heated brick bed). But there's still snow on the mountain, so don't go there for now. You can buy some from the villagers to start burning; it's not expensive."

Gu An'an naturally agreed; anything that could be solved with money was a minor issue.

“You don’t have any work points right now, so I had the accountant send you some food rations to tide you over. They’ll be deducted from your work points after the autumn harvest.”

After the matter was settled, the three were about to say goodbye and leave when the village chief called them back.

"Take the brown sugar back."

This is a valuable item; it's hard to get without money or tickets. His family is quite well-off, and he doesn't want to take advantage of two young girls.

Having already given away the gifts, how could the two possibly accept them? They pushed and lifted their feet as they quickly left the village chief's house.

The village chief's wife was making tea for the group when she realized it was over so quickly. By the time she picked up the brown sugar and chased after them, the three of them were already far away.

"These two kids are really..."

Actually, she was happy. Over the years, her husband had had a lot of headaches because of those educated youth, but very few of them were truly grateful. Some even complained about the unfair treatment.

Is it really an unfair treatment?

I've never done it at all, and sometimes when I think about it, it still makes me feel quite disheartened.

Village Chief Wang didn't say anything, but he thought about the same thing as his wife.

The house is not habitable yet, so the two of them will have to stay in the educated youth compound for the time being.

When Qin Xue saw the three of them come in chatting and laughing, she knew that the matter had been taken care of, which made her grit her teeth in anger.

Why are those two richer than each other, while she has nothing and can only squeeze into the educated youth compound with others?

"Zhou Yue, it's not that I'm jealous, but it's not safe for you and Gu An'an to live there alone. What if those men with ill intentions sneak over in the middle of the night? What will happen to your reputation?"

Qin Xue's main message is that even if I can't enjoy it, you have to suffer with me.

"If you're not jealous, shut up. I don't like listening to you talk."

After arguing with someone, Zhou Yue gave Gu An'an a look, as if to say, "Have I improved again?"

The new educated youth didn't find her attitude strange, but the older educated youth were quite surprised.

Zhou Zhiqing was quite polite when talking to others, so why did he start arguing with them so easily? Did the two of them have a grudge?

Although they were still busy with their work, their perked-up ears revealed their desire to watch the show.

"you!"

Qin Xue pouted, tears welling up in her eyes as she looked at Xie Yuan, "Brother Yuan, I really didn't."

Lin Qingqing noticed Xie Yuan as soon as he arrived. In her opinion, none of the boys in the village or the educated youth in the institute were as good-looking as Xie Yuan.

She has been working in the countryside for three years. At first, she looked forward to going home, but now she is so worn down by life that she can no longer see any hope of returning to the city. So she has shifted her focus to getting married.

If she had gotten married like those other female educated youth, wouldn't she have had someone to help her with the work and wouldn't have to live such a hard life?

But she considered herself to be of modest appearance and from the city, so she had to find someone worthy of her.

After looking around, Chen Jianguo was the only one who was somewhat suitable. Although he was older, he was considerate and was from the city.

Just as she was preparing to make her move, Xie Yuan appeared.

His appearance made Chen Jianguo seem ordinary and unremarkable.

Of course, she would choose the better one.

But Qin Xue lingered by Xie Yuan's side, occasionally calling out in a sweet voice, which deprived Xie Yuan of the opportunity to get close to her.

She knew Qin Xue was asserting her dominance, but so what?

Xie Yuan was clearly ignoring Qin Xue, so she definitely had another chance.

Thinking of this, Lin Qingqing slightly curled her lips and said, "Comrade Qin, you're overthinking it. The villagers in Xiaowang Village are still very honest and simple. Besides, the two courtyards are close to each other. If anything happens, we can get there quickly and nothing will happen."

Lin Qingqing spoke gently and politely, as if she were treating Qin Xue like an immature child, which made Qin Xue feel displeased.

"I wasn't talking to you."

Lin Qingqing lowered her head somewhat aggrievedly, revealing her rather beautiful right cheek.

"I was meddling in other people's business. I just felt that as fellow educated youth, we should unite so that we can live better in the village."

Her words reflected the sentiments of all the former educated youth. Although they had their share of disagreements in private, they remained united in public and knew what to say and what not to say.

Unlike Qin Xue, who spoke recklessly as soon as she arrived, almost implicating them.

Noticing the displeasure in the old educated youth's eyes, Xie Yuan said impatiently, "Xiaoxue, be quiet. If you don't speak, no one will think you're mute."