In the summer, the sun blazes down, and the ground is scorching hot.
Xu Yan's hand turned bright red from the heat shortly after touching the ground, and she glanced back towards the kitchen.
The educated youth who had just entered were gathered around a wooden table with most of the paint chipped off, chattering away. Xu Yan didn't believe that no one had seen her being deliberately pushed over, but no one came to help her up.
It was as if she were invisible and intangible air.
Even so, in the original owner's memories, the educated youth at the educated youth settlement treated her fairly well.
Because they would occasionally praise her and say nice things about her in front of Han Xiaoyu.
Xu Yan: "..."
From today onwards, I'll change my name to Xu Wuyu!
The cicadas continued their incessant chirping. It wasn't time to go to work yet, so most of the villagers were taking a nap at home. The courtyard gates were wide open, but hardly anyone passed by.
Xu Yan sat on the scorching ground for a while before she had the strength to slowly stand up.
The original owner's health was so poor that even if she fell into the river on a hot summer day and survived, she would still be bedridden for a while.
However, now is not the time to lie down; she still has things she hasn't gotten back!
Xu Yan narrowed his eyes, a cold glint in them, and slowly walked towards the bustling kitchen.
Before even entering the room, Ye Wei's slightly exaggeratedly surprised voice rang out, "Hey! Whose clothes are these... This dress is brand new, why is it lying on the floor?"
As he spoke, he affectionately patted off a bit of dirt that was stuck to his skin.
“It’s definitely new,” Liang Qian looked over when she heard her voice, and reached out to touch the clothes. “The material is good, and the color is unusual. Whose is it?”
Qin Li didn't speak, and Zhou Jingjing glanced at Xu Yan who had just come in, but didn't say anything either.
“I think this color suits me quite well,” Liang Qian said, her back to the door. She didn’t see Xu Yan walking in, and seeing that no one claimed the clothes, she simply grabbed the clothes from Ye Wei’s hands and held them up to herself.
"See? The size is just right!"
Liang Qian already had dark skin, and after working in the countryside for half a year under the sun and wind, she became even darker. Wearing this highly saturated red coat made her skin look even darker and worse, which was a real disaster.
But in this day and age, especially in the countryside, the most common colors of coarse cloth are blue, black and gray, and there are very few brightly colored fabrics.
Firstly, many families didn't have the money or the ration coupons to buy clothes. Being able to make a new set of coarse cloth clothes every two or three years was considered a sign of a wealthy family.
Secondly, farmers have to spend all day tending to their crops in the fields, so dark-colored fabrics don't get dirty easily, and even if they do, it's not very noticeable. Unlike light-colored fabrics, which might get dirty before they even have a chance to work in the fields, just by walking from one end of the village to the other.
Therefore, no matter how this red dress looks when worn, it is still a rare and precious item.
Ye Wei thought the clothes were beautiful at first glance and really wanted to try them on, but before she could say anything, her hands were suddenly empty.
She turned to look at Liang Qian, her eyes darkening slightly. After a long pause, she still added a flattering remark, "It is indeed quite suitable."
It wasn't mentioned that it suited Liang Qian, but Liang Qian didn't care at all. She touched the clothes again and again, unable to hide her delight.
She even thought about wearing this outfit next time she went to the city.
Last time, the saleswoman at the supply and marketing cooperative gave her a bad look because she was wearing a patched-up dress. Next time she goes, she'll definitely wear a brand new dress to dazzle her eyes. Bah, let her look down on people again!
Liang Qian became happier and happier as she thought about it, as if she had already gone to the city's supply and marketing cooperative to show off.
They completely forgot to ask whose clothes they were.
On the other side, several male educated youths were still gathered around the table, watching eagerly as Han Xiaoyu took out the things he had brought back one by one.
When they saw the canned syrup, their mouths gaped open and their eyes almost popped out.
Han Xiaoyu's face, which was originally expressionless, changed slightly when he saw the canned food.
In this era of scarcity, being able to eat one's fill was already a luxury, let alone having a refined and rare snack like canned food.
In smaller county towns, the supply and marketing cooperatives don't carry it at all. Even in supply and marketing cooperatives in big cities, canned syrup is a hot commodity. As soon as it becomes available, it's quietly pre-ordered by people with connections. Even ordinary families in the city may not be able to buy it.
There's a can right in front of them!
A few pitted and sliced yellow peaches are placed in a clear glass bottle, soaking in sweet juice. Even before opening the bottle, you can almost taste the sweet and sour fruit bursting in your mouth.
Of course, most of these educated youth had never eaten it; they had only read about it in books or newspapers, where people described the taste after eating it.
Is it really that delicious?
"Plop—"
In the small kitchen, you could clearly hear several people swallowing their saliva.
"Brother Xiao Yu, what else is inside?" The male educated youth standing opposite Han Xiao Yu couldn't help but eagerly peek into the package.
"Move back, move back, don't stand so close to me, aren't you hot!"
Before the male educated youth could even see what was inside the package, he was pushed backward by the person next to him with an elbow. Although he was anxious, he at least didn't force his way forward.
Han Xiaoyu didn't answer his question. He reached in and pulled out a wad of money and tickets, followed by peach shortbread, malted milk powder, honey-glazed pastries, soap, and other food and daily necessities that the educated youth usually couldn't afford or were reluctant to buy.
The crowd gasped in surprise again.
Finally, there was a stack of letters, each with a name written on it and a stamp affixed to it.
Unfortunately, no one is interested in finding out whose letter it is; everyone's attention is on the food.
Although they were all sent-down youth, they always considered themselves to be more cultured and refined than the peasants from the countryside. At this moment, some of them couldn't help but secretly touch the peach shortbread with their hands.
Although we could eat it in the past, it was always distributed by Ye Wei, and everyone received a small amount. Most of them didn't even have time to taste it before it was gone.
Moreover, Ye Wei always gave Han Xiaoyu the largest amount.
With so much food today, and even the stuff hidden in the cupboard not finished, it wouldn't be unreasonable for him to eat a little more, right?
Thinking this, Wu Shi, a male educated youth, reached out more firmly towards the oil paper package containing peach shortbread. However, before he could tear the oil paper and touch the peach shortbread inside, he was stopped by a thin, white hand.
Wu Shi glanced to the side following the hand.
Xu Yan was standing next to him at some point. Up close, her face was even paler, expressionless, and her eyes were pitch black, staring intently at him. One hand was firmly pressed on the peach shortbread.
"What...what are you doing?"
Wu Shi was startled and accidentally brushed against Xu Yan's hand. He quickly moved to the side, his expression slightly cold, as if he had been stained with something dirty.
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