The autumn air is crisp and clear, and the autumn breeze carries the fragrance of wheat—the scent of harvest. The members of the Guangming Brigade are working with great enthusiasm, their brows beaded with sweat, their backs slightly bent as they bear the heavy burden of life.
It was the 1960s. People's lives were stable but not wealthy; they could barely make ends meet. Guangming Brigade was considered moderately wealthy in the surrounding area, and many families were willing to form marriage alliances with Guangming Brigade. They weren't rich or powerful, but they could make ends meet, which was enough for people of that era.
Sending educated youth to the countryside has become a trend, with countless educated youth responding to the call of the country and taking root in remote rural areas.
The educated youth compound was a residence prepared by the Guangming Brigade for the educated youth. It was located in the northwest of the village and was a spacious courtyard with two large rooms for people to rest. It was also the home of the educated youth.
The male educated youth's room contained countless wooden plank beds and large trunks, with curtains separating small areas. The corners of the room were kept spotless and immaculate. It was a world apart from the filth and chaos of other places.
The blankets on the bed rose slightly, revealing a few strands of black hair. Then the blankets shifted, revealing the man's handsome face, his cheeks flushed, his nose red, and his heavy breathing could be faintly heard.
Opening her eyes, the sunlight slanted and shone on her eyelids, causing a momentary discomfort. Wuyou put her hands in front of her eyes, and it took a while for her to adjust to the sunlight.
"Cough cough..." Unable to stop coughing, Wuyou felt a heavy weight on her body, her head was throbbing and dizzy, and her body felt like it was being pressed down by countless lead weights, making it difficult to move even slightly.
Taking out specially made cold medicine from his personal space, Wuyou drank it, closed his eyes, and felt drowsy as he sorted out his thoughts. The original owner's name was Yan Wuyou, an ordinary educated youth sent to the countryside in the 1960s. He was a worker's son with impeccable revolutionary credentials. In order to prevent his two older brothers from going to the countryside, his parents left their jobs to them. Urged by the policy, Yan Wuyou could only carry his baggage and come to Guangming Brigade.
Although he was not favored at home, he was still a child who grew up in the city. He was good at studying but not good at physical work. He fell ill as soon as he arrived at Guangming Brigade due to the change in environment.
He was handsome and refined, with fair skin and impeccable attire. Among a group of tanned rural men, he stood out like a crane among chickens, instantly attracting the attention of all the young women in Guangming Brigade.
But good looks can't put food on the table. The villagers gradually realized that these educated youths were not good at carrying heavy loads and earned fewer work points than a girl.
At first, his family would send Yan Wuyou some spare change, food coupons, cloth coupons, etc., but as time went on, his older brother and sister-in-law were no longer willing to support their younger brother and cut off his food.
Yan Wuyou was quick-witted and had already made a plan when her brother and sister-in-law showed that they were unwilling to support her. She had no choice but to learn from the men in the village and toil in the fields to make a living.
For educated youth in the 1950s and 60s, returning to the city was incredibly difficult. Initially, they might have still harbored the idea of returning to the city, but later, life and time gradually wore down their edges, and they settled down and started families in the rural areas they once looked down upon.
Yan Wuyou couldn't endure hardship. Seeing that the other educated youth had either left or started their own families, leaving only a handful of people in the educated youth compound, she gradually began to have her own thoughts.
It just so happens that there was a girl in the Guangming Brigade who had always had a crush on Yan Wuyou and often volunteered to help with chores. She didn't care about her family's objections. She wasn't exactly beautiful, but she was still considered one of the top three among the village girls.
The two began a secret relationship, and Yan Wuyou planned to marry her when the time was right so that he could have a woman to support him.
Unexpectedly, not long after, Sun Xiaoying was arranged by her family to marry Zhou Jiajun, a man from the same village. The Zhou family was a well-known poor household in the village, and they had an elderly mother who was bedridden to support. Although Zhou Jiajun was capable, the girls in the village still avoided him like the plague.
It was only later that everyone learned that Zhou Jiajun had spent a full twenty yuan, his entire savings, to marry Sun Xiaoying, and only then did he get his wish.
Yan Wuyou simply couldn't accept reality. It wasn't that he was deeply in love with the other person; it was just that he believed he was in a much better position than Zhou Jiajun, even if he wasn't good at earning work points. Yet, the other person had chosen someone even worse than him, which he couldn't accept, and his self-esteem was severely damaged.
Afterwards, Sun Xiaoying went to Yan Wuyou to complain, and the two remained entangled. Yan Wuyou benefited greatly from this and continued to pursue her relentlessly. A few sweet words, a bargain, and no responsibility—naturally, he was happy.
Yan Wuyou was adept at putting on a show. He often went up the mountain to pick wild vegetables with the other educated youth from the educated youth compound. One day, he encountered An Jin, who had injured her foot on the mountain, and carried her home. An Jin was a villager from Guangming Brigade, and her life was also miserable. Her parents had died, and she lived with her uncle and aunt. She was busy every day, struggling to make ends meet, and also had to endure beatings and scoldings from her aunt.
Eighteen-year-old An Jin is beautiful, even more so than Sun Xiaoying. Although Yan Wuyou is inherently a scoundrel, he also possesses a certain artistic sensibility and a tender heart.
Unexpectedly, this incident sparked rumors in the village, binding the two together and even suggesting that they had been having an affair.
Afterwards, Yan Wuyou was thoroughly swindled by An Jin's uncle and aunt, who took all his wealth, leaving him penniless before marrying An Jin. Although An Jin was beautiful and capable, men always have some pride, and being forced to marry someone at such a great loss, Yan Wuyou naturally refused.
The deed was done, and no matter how unwilling he was, he could only accept it, venting his anger and resentment on An Jin. What followed was utter chaos. Yan Wuyou was gossiped about in the village, his relationship with An Jin was strained, and he lived a difficult and aimless life.
After enduring three or four years of hardship, news of the resumption of the college entrance examination arrived, finally offering hope for the educated youth to return to the city. Yan Wuyou was determined to take the college entrance examination and return to the city, preparing to abandon everything in Guangming Brigade. In the end, he failed the college entrance examination and died in this small mountain village, dragging An Jin down with him for life.
On the contrary, Sun Xiaoying, who had a past relationship with him, rose through the ranks. Her husband, Zhou Jiajun, became a famous businessman. Years later, he returned to his hometown to develop it. She herself was admitted to university and became a university professor. She had many children and grandchildren and lived a happy and fulfilling life.
Yan Wuyou was extremely unwilling. He felt that although he had made mistakes, he didn't deserve to be treated like this. He wanted to make a name for himself and leave this chaotic and dirty village, but he had been hoping for it all his life and was still living in obscurity, which was why he had attracted Wuyou.
Yan Wuyou aspires to rise above his circumstances, leave his small village, and make everyone look down on him; the system issues him a mission to make amends to An Jin and ensure her a happy life.
The mechanical voice of San San suddenly rang out, and what followed made Wu You raise an eyebrow in surprise. He hadn't expected the system to upgrade and even proactively issue missions. He really liked this mission; An Jin was indeed the most innocent person in this story.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
