Upon arriving at the Shengli Brigade, everyone had finished work and gone home, gathering in front of their houses or under some trees to chat.
Xia Anyan's arrival quickly attracted the attention of those people, especially after noticing her appearance, the old women became even more excited.
"Hey, Captain, who is this woman? We've never seen her before."
"Yeah, look at her, she's really beautiful. How old is she? Does she have a boyfriend?"
Zhou Chuan's expression was rather unpleasant as he glared at the group of people who kept crowding around Xia Anyan: "Don't you have anything better to do? What are you staring at this woman for?"
"I'm warning you all, put away those thoughts. This is Xia, an educated youth sent to the countryside. She's here to help build our rural area. If I find out you're causing trouble behind our backs, don't blame me for being ruthless. You can forget about getting any work points!"
Upon hearing this, everyone felt a sudden panic and backed away, no one daring to approach.
Xia Anyan narrowed her eyes and looked at the faces of the group of people.
I noticed that those people were looking at me strangely, and I'm afraid they were up to something.
Because of Zhou Chuan, no one dared to make any moves, and Xia Anyan successfully entered the Zhou family's gate.
But the old man who was driving the carriage didn't leave; instead, he came in with them.
"Little girl, don't look at me like that. This is my home too."
Um?
Zhou Chuan kindly introduced her: "This is my uncle, he lives with us now."
Then, they brought the person into their home.
The Zhou family has a large number of members, but everyone is very kind. Aunt Zhou is a very warm-hearted person. She talked to her for a long time and arranged a separate room for them, as well as providing bedding and other necessities.
Even at home, she hadn't enjoyed this kind of treatment in a long time.
"Auntie, thank you. Don't worry, I won't stay for nothing. This is just a small token of my appreciation, please accept it."
"By the way, I just arrived here and didn't bring any food. Here are some money coupons. Can I share them with my family?"
Xia Anyan was already pleasing to the eye, and her way of speaking was also so endearing that Aunt Zhou became more and more satisfied with her and finally agreed.
If it weren't for the fact that every household was short of money, she would have really wanted to keep this girl around and eat and drink for free.
Xia Anyan settled down here with peace of mind, and at least in the short term, things wouldn't change.
The newly arrived educated youth could rest for a day. Xia Anyan planned to go to the county town to deliver a letter to her grandfather and buy some things to bring back, as it wouldn't be good to just sit around and do nothing.
Grandpa Zhou goes to the county town every three days. Today is a special case, but he will go again tomorrow. Villagers who want to go will also go with him.
It only costs three cents at a time, or you can exchange it for something else.
It's so cheap, Xia Anyan is even thinking of subscribing to a monthly plan.
“Little girl, you’ve just arrived at our brigade, and there are many things you don’t know. There are quite a few young people in our brigade, and you’ve come here without any relatives or friends. You must be careful when you interact with people in the future.”
"Although our rascal has a bit of a grumpy face, as long as you stay behind him, you'll be fine."
After the meal, Aunt Zhou held Xia Anyan's hand and chatted, telling her a lot about the brigade.
Xia Anyan smiled and thanked her, saying she would definitely listen to her advice.
Aunt Zhou's smile didn't fade all night.
She was so sleepy she could barely keep her eyes open before she reluctantly left.
Xia Anyan found it funny, but she was also in a good mood and slept well that night.
As the gong signaled the start of work, Xia Anyan opened her eyes.
After having dinner with the Zhou family, Xia Anyan went out with Grandpa Zhou.
When we arrived at the village entrance, there were already quite a few people standing there, some carrying baskets and others carrying crates, clearly on their way to the county town to exchange goods.
At first, those people were still chatting together, but as soon as the oxcart approached and they saw Xia Anyan, they changed.
Once they were on the oxcart, the people's gazes became tangible, landing on Xia Anyan's body and face.
Xia Anyan frowned in annoyance, clearly displeased.
“Xia Zhiqing, you’ve only just arrived at our brigade, and you’re probably still not used to it, right? My team is one of the top performers in our brigade. Why don’t you come with me tomorrow? I can even take you along.”
“Xia, come to our team. Our team always ranks in the top three, and everyone in the team is easy to get along with. If you come, we can tell you about our brigade.”
“Xia Zhiqing…”
The sounds around me were like annoying flies, buzzing incessantly.
Xia Anyan raised her head, her expression somewhat indifferent: "I thank you all in advance, but no need. I've already arranged with the head of the brigade's wife that I'll be going with her."
“I’ve just arrived and I’m not familiar with many things. If I rashly join the group of aunties, I’ll definitely hold them back. Aunt Zhou said yesterday that she would teach me, and I’ve already agreed.”
These people were clearly unhappy after hearing this.
They then asked Xia Anyan about her family situation.
Some people were even bolder, directly introducing their sons or grand-nephews to Xia Anyan.
“I appreciate the kindness of all the ladies, but I came to the countryside to help develop rural areas. I have no intention of finding a partner; I just want to work hard.”
"If needed, I will tell the older women, and then they can work together."
After being rejected several times, those people became somewhat unhappy.
They speak with a sarcastic tone, and they don't even try to hide it anymore.
“This city girl knows how to talk, she looks down on people. She cuts ties with us in just a few words, and you guys are all still eagerly crowding around her. Isn’t that embarrassing?”
"If you ask me, our brigade shouldn't have taken in those educated youth. The brigade was doing just fine, but when outsiders came, things started to go wrong."
As he spoke, his eyes swept across Xia Anyan's face, and his thoughts were crystal clear.
Grandpa Zhou initially didn't want to pay attention to these old women, but as their words became increasingly outrageous, he couldn't help himself.
He snorted coldly: "You're just talking, yet you're bullying this young girl. She's only just arrived at our brigade, and instead of getting along with her, you're trying to stir up trouble. Have you forgotten what the brigade leader said?"
Grandpa Zhou's words did have some effect; those people indeed dared not speak openly anymore.
But Xia Anyan wasn't stupid; how could she not understand the way they were whispering with their heads down?
They simply thought she was easy to bully.
Heh! That's interesting.
"Uncle, I won't be coming back with you this afternoon."
Grandpa Zhou was a little worried: "Girl, are you going to walk back by yourself? It'll take a long time to walk back, are you... sure you can manage?"
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