She looked at the educated youth dragging their heavy steps, each step feeling as if they were walking on cotton, and mentally crossed them out again. Their bodies were so weak that what should have been a one-hour journey to their destination had now taken twice as long—a full two hours!
Only Xiahou Jie and Li Xiang are a little better. Sigh, it seems my destined one isn't so great; he's physically weak.
Just as the group was on the verge of collapse and could no longer take another step, Chen Xiaoxiao's voice rang out like heavenly music: "Our village is just ahead!"
This simple sentence was like a shot of adrenaline, instantly invigorating everyone.
Almost simultaneously, all eight people raised their heads, their eyes fixed on the front, their joy barely concealed.
Shen Xiaoxiao led everyone straight to the gate of the educated youth compound, and then gently knocked on the gate.
At this moment, the people in the educated youth compound were immersed in a sweet afternoon nap when a sudden knock on the door broke the tranquility.
A short while later, a slight noise was heard, and then the door slowly opened, revealing a tall, handsome man.
Shen Xiaoxiao stared at the unfamiliar yet handsome man in front of her, a sense of doubt welling up in her heart.
She wondered to herself: When did such a handsome and dashing man come to the educated youth compound? She had no idea!
After a careful examination, she found that although the man was handsome, he seemed to be slightly inferior to Dai Xingyun, whom she had just greeted that day.
Weng Fan stood at the door, her gaze sweeping over the group of men and women before her, and she had already guessed the general situation.
Nevertheless, he politely inquired, "Who are you looking for? What can I do for you?"
Shen Xiaoxiao replied calmly, "They are new educated youth who have just arrived here. I have safely delivered them. Now it's up to you to take care of the arrangements."
As soon as she finished speaking, she slowly turned around and looked at the few newly arrived educated youth behind her.
Then, Shen Xiaoxiao smiled and said, "This is the courtyard where the educated youth live. You will be living here."
Hurry up and unload your luggage. As for other things, the older educated youth who arrived earlier will patiently teach you, so don't worry too much.
After finishing her story, Shen Xiao urged impatiently, "Hurry up and get all the luggage down!"
Before long, everyone had hurriedly unloaded all the luggage from the oxcart.
At this moment, Shen Xiaoxiao didn't leave a single extra word. With a skillful flick of her whip, she steered the old ox pulling the empty cart away at breakneck speed.
The few educated youths left behind looked at each other, still somewhat bewildered.
After Shen Xiaoxiao skillfully drove the car back to the cowshed, she saw an old man with a weathered face and gray hair silently sweeping the cowshed.
This old man was one of those who had been sent down to this place. When he saw Shen Xiaoxiao returning with the oxcart, he quickly put down his broom and, with faltering steps, went forward to help unload the yoke from the oxcart.
Throughout the entire process, the old man kept his head down, remained silent, and didn't even glance at Chen Xiaoxiao.
Shen Xiaoxiao seemed used to this. She didn't say anything either, but just watched quietly as the old man finished doing all this. Then she turned around, strode quickly away from the cowshed, and headed straight home.
Along the way, she pondered to herself: What kind of story does this taciturn old man have? She shook her head, banishing the thought; whatever story he had was none of her business.
Not long after, Shen Xiaoxiao arrived at her doorstep.
Looking into the distance, she noticed that the gate to the courtyard was wide open, and she immediately understood—her parents must not have taken their afternoon nap yet and were waiting for her to return home.
Although many families in this village do not close their gates during the day, my family still habitually closes our gates to prevent people from accidentally trespassing or losing our precious herbs, since we dry various kinds of herbs in our yards.
Sure enough, as soon as Shen Xiaoxiao stepped into the courtyard, Shen Zishan and his wife greeted her with smiles on their faces.
Ma Aning spotted her daughter entering the yard and rushed forward, tightly grasping her daughter's slightly slender hand, softly asking, "My dear, you're finally back!"
"Are you hungry? Did you run into any trouble along the way?"
Shen Zishan stood quietly to the side, watching the interaction between the mother and daughter.
Upon hearing her mother's question, Shen Xiaoxiao first mischievously stuck out her tongue, then pouted her rosy lips and muttered in a slightly complaining tone.
"Oh, Mom, don't even mention it! I'm starving! Nothing really happened along the way, just some ordinary little things."
She paused slightly at this point, then added angrily, "But what's most infuriating is the group of educated youth I brought back!"
“They all looked strong and healthy, but who knew their physical condition was so poor? They had only walked a few steps when they started complaining that they wanted to stop and rest for a while.”
"Hmph! Because of this, our time to get home has been delayed until now. It's infuriating!"
After speaking, Shen Xiaoxiao shook her head helplessly, as if she was utterly speechless at the behavior of those educated youth.
"Okay, honey, Mom will go and bring out your delicious food right away. Go wash your hands quickly." Ma Aning said with a smile and a very gentle tone, then turned and walked towards the kitchen.
A short while later, she carefully carried out several plates of steaming hot, delicious-looking dishes and gently placed them on the table.
At this moment, Shen Xiaoxiao's gaze swept across the room, as if searching for someone's figure.
Shen Xiaoxiao frowned slightly, her face full of doubt, and asked, "Dad, Mom, why don't I see my brother? Where did he go?"
When Ma Aning, who was setting the table, heard her daughter's question, she paused slightly, then looked up and replied.
"Your brother left in a hurry after lunch, saying he had some things to take care of, but we don't know exactly where he went."
As she spoke, Ma Aning picked up another plate of food and placed it steadily on the table.
After listening to her mother's words, Shen Xiaoxiao nodded thoughtfully and did not ask any further questions. Instead, she quickly walked to the dining table, sat down, picked up her chopsticks, and began to wolf down her food.
It looked exactly like a starving little tiger.
Thanks to Ren Shangming, who loves curry shrimp, no more fighting over food at kindergarten! Mu Zi's love is what makes this possible!
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