The commune canteen was built in the early years using mud and clay, on a small hill in Luxian Village, with rows of willow trees on both sides of the hill.
When the season arrives, the swaying willows create a picturesque scene.
But since it's not the right season yet, all you can see is a lonely mud house, standing there on the verge of collapse.
Two men were standing not far from the mud house.
I've been standing here for a while.
Su Zhao, dressed in a well-tailored gray suit and wearing silver-rimmed glasses, stood out as a refined and handsome figure among the drab working people.
Luxian is a remote small town in the south, and Luxian Village is just one grain of rice among hundreds of bushels of rice, rarely visited by outsiders.
Now that such a handsome young man has arrived, the villagers are naturally curious and keep glancing at him openly and secretly.
"Hey, who is this? What brings you to our village?"
"How would I know? I heard from Li Hong that she was looking for Luo Chen, a former educated youth."
"Looking for Comrade Luo Chen? Are you also one of those educated youth sent to the countryside?"
"It doesn't look like it. He came with that lady from the city."
There were many different opinions, and the discussion never stopped.
Suddenly someone exclaimed "Huh?" and whispered, "The lady from the city is here."
Deep in the green hills and clear waters, a slender figure, with a charm and temperament that the village girls lacked, slowly walked towards Luo Chen and the others. After saying something to them, the three of them headed towards the commune canteen.
The people who were just chatting enthusiastically suddenly dispersed.
Xu Nuo didn't know what the two had talked about, but seeing that their expressions weren't good, she was afraid that their conversation had broken down, so she turned to Su Zhao and mouthed, "Did you say it?"
Su Zhao nodded slightly, indicating that he had already spoken.
It's just that they said it; the outcome is still unknown.
Chen Bo's actions were dishonorable. He stopped Luo Mei on the street while drunk. The matter could be considered a serious offense, or even a case of indecent assault. In today's country, there is a strict crackdown on such activities. If the Luo family insists on pursuing the matter, Chen Bo might actually be executed.
Chen Qingxia called his school, crying her heart out, so he had no choice but to buy a train ticket that night and rush back. He accompanied his grandfather to the Luo family's house twice, but they refused to see him.
Having no other choice, he came to Lu County to find Luo Chen, hoping to ask him for some forgiveness.
…
Xu Yan, who has difficulty moving around, waited for Xu Nuo in the commune canteen kitchen.
Upon seeing that familiar figure, she said in a seemingly reproachful tone, "Where did you run off to again? I only blinked and you were gone again."
Xu Nuo didn't want to tell her that she had gone to see Li Xian herself, so she gave a vague answer: "I went to Duan San's place to talk about something. Is your leg better yet?"
Xu Yan looked around before pulling Xu Nuo closer, her eyes filled with worry and caution: "Nuonuo, that day... were you alright?"
"It's okay."
Xu Nuo knew what Xu Yan wanted to ask, so she said, "He saved me, but the rain was too heavy, so he had to take me home first..."
Before she could finish speaking, Xu Yan's eyes reddened and large tears streamed down her face. Xu Nuo quickly squatted down to comfort her, "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"
Xu Yan became more and more upset. She didn't know about Xu Nuo and Li Xian's relationship and felt that Xu Nuo had suffered a great loss: "You were alone with him in a room. What if word got out?"
"No, that's not true. He stays in the kitchen. We're not in the same room," Xu Nuo said softly. "And no one else will know."
Xu Yan's eyes were filled with tears: "Really?"
"It's true, absolutely true. But you and Luo Chen, no one else knows, right?"
When this matter was brought up, Xu Yan felt rather embarrassed, but her embarrassment was tinged with shyness. She shook her head at her and said, "Only Duan San knows about it, but he is a reliable person and won't talk nonsense."
"That's good," Xu Nuo breathed a sigh of relief.
The two sisters chatted for a while longer, and Xu Yan said, "Nuonuo, now some educated youth are applying to return to their hometowns. Some people from the neighboring Gaoshan Village have gone back, and it seems that Lu Xueyun's family is also trying to do so. Luo Chen and I are also preparing to apply to the higher authorities to see if we can go home."
Xu Nuo said happily, "That's great, now you can go home."
Xu Yan nodded, but then said, "Yes, but I'm afraid it won't be that easy. Li Hong's family sent her a letter saying that the application process is too difficult and that she should take the college entrance examination or try to get a spot as a worker-peasant-soldier college student."
The situation has changed so much in the last year or two that even the slightest disturbance can reveal something.
Xu Nuo frowned slightly, quickly recalling the timeline of the book in her mind.
She vaguely remembered that Xu Yan and Luo Chen did not leave at the same time. It seemed that Luo Chen left first, and Xu Yan went to Shanghai with Li Xian after Li Xian's parents were exonerated.
After thinking for a moment, Xu Nuo said to Xu Yan, "Why don't you try taking the college entrance exam this year?"
"What?"
"It's probably going to be hard to get accepted, but if you get into university, you can still leave here."
The college entrance examination is just a few months away; the time is neither long nor short.
Xu Yan pursed her lips, somewhat tempted.
…
The Chen family's affairs were in complete disarray. Chen Qingxia had become noticeably thinner in the past few days. She pushed open the door and asked, "Ah Zhao, what did you say when you went to find Luo Mei's brother?"
As Su Zhao packed his things to return to Shanghai the next day, he said calmly, "What else can people say? They can only say they won't exaggerate, and that's all they can do."
Chen Qingxia sighed. Thinking about the things at home, she felt a surge of resentment and couldn't help but vent it: "What else does the Luo family want? Chen Bo only stopped that woman on the road and didn't have any bad intentions, yet they say he has ulterior motives and want to charge him with hooliganism."
Su Zhao stopped and said something unpleasant: "You know your second uncle best. If he had no bad intentions, why would he stop him?"
Chen Qingxia paused for a moment, her face turning pale, and then remained silent.
Su Zhao didn't say anything more, packed the things into the box, and paused for a moment on a box of plum candy.
Knowing that Xu Nuo was going to take the college entrance exam, he organized his notes for her, and she reciprocated by giving him a box of plum candy.
Thinking of that girl who was sweeter than sugar, Su Zhao's worries dissipated somewhat.
I wonder what she's doing right now.
Xu Nuo was already asleep and slept until the next day. She groggily got up and was boiling water to cook eggs when someone knocked on the door.
Xu Nuo walked over and opened the door.
The man was still wearing that blue overalls, standing at the door.
"Why are you here so early today?" Xu Nuo was a little surprised. These past two days have been busy with farming, and Luxian Village even sent a few people to Gaoshan Village to repair the dike. Logically speaking, Li Xian shouldn't have had time to come today.
"Duan San said that there are people selling summer mangoes on the black market. I'm afraid that if I don't go soon, they'll be gone."
Li Xian was holding several mangoes in his arms; they were golden yellow with a hint of green.
Extremely cute.
He placed the mango on the table, glanced at the somewhat messy pile of books beside it, paused for a moment, and asked her, "Where do you want to apply?"
"Shanghai, I guess," Xu Nuo answered casually, only to see him suddenly turn his head, his eyes filled with surprise: "Shanghai?"
“Yes.” Xu Nuo nodded. Her hometown is Shanghai, which is now known as Hushang.
"Nuonuo".
Suddenly, Li Xian called out to her. Xu Nuo hummed in response, waiting for him to continue, but remained silent for a long time. When she looked up at him, she found him pursing his lips, seemingly considering whether or not to speak.
Xu Nuo put down her pen: "What's wrong?"
Li Xian's voice sounded calm, but his eyes were turbulent as he said to her, "I received a letter from my maternal grandparents."
Xu Nuo was taken aback: "Your maternal grandfather?"
She was secretly delighted. Could it be about the exoneration of Li Xian's parents?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com