“You’re going to work at the machine factory, and you’ll probably be very busy when you first start, so I won’t go with you and cause trouble. Besides, I don’t know what arrangements the machine factory has made, and if they only give you a single dormitory, it won’t be very convenient for me to go with you! I’ll stay in the brigade, with my lackeys to keep me company, so I don’t have to worry about safety. In addition, I need to go to the county every now and then. I’ll bring you some produce from our family’s private plot!”
Xu Ningyan's plan was sound; this was the best she could do to help Gu Zhiyuan.
From now on, she won't be able to help Gu Zhiyuan with his life or his career.
However, with all this help in the early stages, it's good that Gu Zhiyuan won't treat her badly when he becomes successful in the future.
Why insist on clinging on? What if you accidentally say the wrong thing one day and offend him, erasing all goodwill towards him?
Moreover, she now has a job, and no one in the brigade dares to offend her. Once Gu Zhiyuan leaves, she will be the only one living in this small courtyard. She can close the door and do whatever she wants.
All the delicious food and drinks in the space are waiting for her to enjoy.
Unlike now, when you have to sneak around and come up with a good excuse if you want to take something out.
She's recently realized she's running out of excuses to come up with.
Moreover, the college entrance examination will be reinstated in just over two years, so she needs to start studying. Ideally, she should get into a university in Beijing and buy several courtyard houses to wait for their value to appreciate in the future.
Don't be fooled by Xu Ningyan's constant talk of clinging to Gu Zhiyuan's coattails; she's just waiting to win without lifting a finger.
That's just the most normal reaction an ordinary person would have when they know they have the chance to meet a future big shot.
I want to befriend them in advance, because you never know when you might need their help.
Putting everything else aside, if a powerful figure takes a liking to you in the future and gives you a helping hand, you'll benefit from it for a lifetime.
But she knew very well that she could only rely on herself.
Therefore, she needs to study hard and get into a good university in the future. Putting aside everything else, if she can get into a good university after the college entrance examination is reinstated, she will be able to get a good job.
You know, the end of the universe is the government job. She doesn't have much ambition. She just wants a stable and respectable job, money, a house, and powerful backers. That's how she can live a carefree life.
So Xu Ningyan was the happiest when Gu Zhiyuan was going to work in the county town.
She thought to herself that since she was so understanding and had even offered not to go to the county town, given their mutual understanding, Gu Zhiyuan only needed to accept it.
Two years from now, who will really care whether they have a marriage certificate or not? Even if they do care, they can just make up an excuse to get away with it. After the college entrance examination is reinstated, I'm afraid no one will care about this anymore.
Xu Ningyan, who was feeling increasingly pleased with herself, failed to notice that Gu Zhiyuan, standing beside her, had a deep gaze and dark eyes that were fixed on her. After a long while, he finally spoke: "That won't do! I'm worried about you living here alone. You're coming to the county town with me!"
Xu Ningyan was immersed in her own joy and didn't pay any attention, nor did she expect Gu Zhiyuan to disagree with her. She casually said, "You agree too, right? Then tomorrow—"
She realized what she was saying halfway through her sentence, and stared wide-eyed at Gu Zhiyuan: "What did you say?"
Gu Zhiyuan remained calm and composed, saying each word slowly and deliberately: "You're coming with me to live in the county town!"
"What are you talking about? No, no, brother, are you kidding me? Why would I have to go to the county town for no reason?" Xu Ningyan blurted out.
"No matter what, we're husband and wife! How can I go to the county alone and leave you alone in the countryside? I'm afraid people will gossip about me and call me a heartless man!" Gu Zhiyuan said meaningfully.
Xu Ningyan chuckled: "They're just standing up for me because they don't know the truth, right? I know in my heart that you're not that kind of person, big brother!"
“That won’t do. My arrival at the machinery factory would be like being parachuted in, and there will definitely be people who don’t like me. What if they use that to attack me?” Gu Zhiyuan said righteously.
Xu Ningyan tried to reason with him: "Brother, look, I've already said it before, even if the factory assigns you a single dormitory, we won't have enough room, right? How about I wait in the countryside for a while, and then move to the city after the factory assigns you a big house?"
The machinery factory was a large factory with thousands of employees. Xu Ningyan had heard Lin Hong mention it before. Although the residential area behind it was large, it still had a lot of people. Many older employees and their families, spanning several generations, were crammed into narrow one- or two-bedroom apartments in the tenement buildings.
For a young person like Gu Zhiyuan, being given a single room is already an exceptional favor.
Otherwise, you'll have to share a dorm room with someone else.
“Then we won’t stay in the dorms. I’ll ask Sun Zhou to help us find a place nearby. If necessary, I’ll ask Sun Zhou to vacate the yard where he lives.” Gu Zhiyuan resolved the issue without even blinking.
Sun Zhou, who was far away in the county town, sneezed and muttered, "Who's cursing me?"
Xu Ningyan: I thank you on behalf of Sun Zhou, you really are his good brother!
If one plan fails, another will be devised.
“I’m a salesman for both the brigade and the department store. If I go to the county and don’t even know what the brigade is going to sell to the department store, wouldn’t I be letting down the brigade leader and Uncle Jianguo if I can’t even do my job properly?”
Gu Zhiyuan said coldly, "What's so difficult about that? If the brigade has anything to sell, just have him call the department store at the commune, and that'll solve the problem."
Xu Ningyan continued to resist stubbornly: "What about our family's private plot? It's our hard work, we can't just abandon it, can we? And what about the lackey? If we leave for a few days, Aunt Xie can help feed him for a few days, but what will happen to the lackey if we go to the county town? Even if we entrust him to someone else, who can guarantee that they will treat the lackey well in the long run?"
Gu Zhiyuan calmly countered the move: "We'll entrust our private plot to the brigade leader and the others. When the harvest comes, we'll give 20% of the harvest to the people who take care of it."
"As for lackeys, Sun Zhou's yard is big, so we can bring the lackeys over there to guard the house."
“But, but—” Xu Ningyan was still racking her brains for a reason.
Gu Zhiyuan suddenly spoke up: "You don't want to come to the county town with me at all, do you?"
Xu Ningyan felt a chill run down her spine. She looked up and met Gu Zhiyuan's dark, seemingly calm eyes. Her sixth sense kicked in, and she quickly shook her head: "How could that be? Of course not! Absolutely not!"
First came a triple denial.
Then he immediately declared his determination: "I really want to go to the county town with you! I only want to go to the county town with you! Even if you don't take me, I'll still shamelessly follow you to the county town! I swear!"
After saying that, he raised two fingers.
Gu Zhiyuan glanced at it and casually reminded him, "Swear to use three fingers."
Xu Ningyan quickly raised her ring finger, put the three fingers together, and smiled ingratiatingly at Gu Zhiyuan.
"I'll go back to my room and pack my things right away!"
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