Ye Yun shrugged and said, "Have you ever thought that if I had studied hard back then, I might be a student at a prestigious university now, preparing for graduate school?"
"I have indeed thought about it. If that were the case, I'm afraid I would have to live a hard life for the rest of my life," Lin Shuyue sighed.
"Why?"
"Hehe, if you're going to take the postgraduate entrance exam, it's questionable whether you can even come back. Even if you do come back, you wouldn't give up the exam for me, would you?"
“Uh…” Ye Yun was stumped by the question.
Then, Lin Shuyue smiled slightly, leaned into Ye Yun's arms, and stroked his cheek, saying, "So, life doesn't have so many 'what ifs.' There are good and bad things. If you had taken the postgraduate entrance exam, I would have had to live a hard life. To be selfish, I'm really glad you didn't make a name for yourself in the city, otherwise I would never have had a chance to escape this world."
"Uh...it's not that exaggerated. Even if I take the postgraduate entrance exam, I'll definitely come back to take care of you once I've made something of myself," Ye Yun said.
Lin Shuyue snorted and said, "Come on, everyone online says that the postgraduate entrance exam is difficult. It takes ordinary people three to five years to pass. I don't even know if I can hold on for three to five years. Maybe I'll be a haggard old woman by the time you come back, or I might be forced to remarry."
"Who said that? Even if three or five years have passed, you're only in your twenties. How could you possibly become a haggard old woman?" Ye Yun pinched her smooth, delicate face and teased her.
"Hmph, the internet says that a woman's beauty needs the nourishment of love and the care of her. If it weren't for you, I would have to endure the gossip of the village every day, as well as the harassment from those bachelors. I would be frowning every day, and I would age so fast," Lin Shuyue complained.
"Moisturize? How so?" Ye Yun teased.
Lin Shuyue rolled her eyes at him and got up to get off the kang (a heated brick bed), but Ye Yun pulled her into his arms and bit her earlobe.
Lin Shuyue couldn't help but let out a muffled groan and went limp in his arms.
………………
One hundred acres of cornfield, not too big, not too small, still took ten people four and a half days to work on, it was really tiring.
As the foreman, Ye Yun only needed to give instructions and supervise the work; cooking was a task he voluntarily undertook.
After the last acre of land was moved, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and sat down to rest.
"Brother Yun, we're done!" Gou Sheng shouted excitedly to Ye Yun.
"Not yet. We'll haul these corns to each household, and once that's done, we can pay the workers," Ye Yun said.
Hearing this, everyone regained their strength and began to get up and carry the sticks.
After finishing, Ye Yun paid everyone their wages and then went to the village chief's house.
"Dad, I'm begging you, please give me some!"
"You brat, all you do is loiter around outside. Get out of here!"
"No, you have to give me the money today, or I'm not leaving."
Ye Yun entered the village chief's house and saw a young man standing in the yard, confronting the village chief, his wife, and his second son, Liang Lu.
The village chief was furious, his face flushed. Holding a broom, he pointed at the man and cursed, "I've really suffered to give birth to such a worthless thing as you. You idle around all day, have no proper job, and just mess around outside."
Without a doubt, the person being scolded was Liang Hu, the village chief's eldest son. He was one of Ye Yun's childhood playmates, a good-for-nothing who was good for nothing except for his father being the village chief.
"Dad, I'm begging you, please give me some money! Those people said they'd chop off my hand if I don't pay them back!" Liang Hu pleaded, kneeling on the ground.
"Chop them up, let them chop them up! What else can you do with your hands besides gambling and chasing women? I went to great lengths to get you such a beautiful wife like Zhang Ya, thinking you'd change your ways, but you're still a leopard that can't change its spots. You're never around, only running back when you owe money. Do you think this house is a bank? Get out of here!"
Despite the village chief's tirade, Liang Hu remained unmoved, displaying a shameless attitude of not leaving until he received his money.
Seeing this, Ye Yun was not surprised at all. Back in high school, Liang Hu had become addicted to gambling and had been chased and beaten several times for owing money. Ye Yun was the one who helped him.
Ye Yun looked around the courtyard and saw only four people. Zhang Ya, Liang Hu's wife, was not there. He thought that Zhang Ya would be the most angry at this moment.
Seeing that the village chief was furious, his wife quickly took out several hundred yuan from her pocket, threw it on the ground, and urged, "Hurry up and leave, don't make your father sick."
Unable to get money from the eyes, Liang Hu had no choice but to accept his loss, taking the money and turning to leave.
However, when he saw Ye Yun, he was stunned for a moment and almost didn't recognize him.
"What, you don't recognize me?" Ye Yun teased.
"Ye... Ye Yun!" Liang Hu was taken aback, his eyes filled with surprise and fear. Like a mouse seeing a cat, he fled without daring to linger for a moment.
Watching his hasty retreat, Ye Yun chuckled, then walked over to Liang Lu, patted his head, and said, "See? If you don't study hard and have no skills, this is what will happen to your brother."
Liang Lu clenched his fists and said angrily, "I know, I definitely won't be like him."
"Well, actually, studying isn't that important. What's important is that a person is diligent, a man should be able to take responsibility, and have a strong sense of duty. You even know how to earn money for your girlfriend, which makes you much better than him in that respect," Ye Yun praised.
The village chief, panting heavily, gradually calmed down and sighed, saying, "What a tragedy, what a tragedy, how could such a thing have been born?"
"It's alright, take it easy. Even if your eldest son is useless, you still have your younger son! Although Liang Lu isn't a great student, he's very filial and responsible. He's been working hard with me these past few days, and he'll definitely amount to something in the future." Ye Yun patted Liang Lu on the shoulder and said to the village chief.
The village chief glanced at his youngest son, and his mood improved considerably. However, rural people still had a habit of belittling their own families, and he said disdainfully, "This brat is in a relationship too early, and he earns money all for his girlfriend."
"It's good to have a relationship early on. It means you're capable, and at least you won't have to worry about finding a wife in the future. Unlike me, I still don't have a girlfriend," Ye Yun said self-deprecatingly.
These words made all three of them laugh. No, it should be four people. Zhang Ya, who had just come out of the house, was leaning against the door with her arms crossed, looking at Ye Yun with a playful expression.
"Yunzi, I heard from Luzi that the corn cobs have all been harvested?" the village chief asked.
"Yes, it's all moved. I came over to let you know, and asked Uncle Liu to use the pole-throwing cart to do it!" Ye Yun said.
The village chief sighed, nodded, stood up, and said to Liang Lu, "Come on, Lu, let's go to your Uncle Liu's house!"
"Um."
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