When the two came out again, they had the opened letters of introduction in hand. They greeted the villagers who had returned to the big tree to relax and chat, and then drove back to the educated youth settlement.
He Chaoyang had driven several times when he came, so when the jeep stopped at the gate of the educated youth settlement, the people there were no longer surprised.
However, when the two of them entered the gate hand in hand, carrying large and small bags, the educated youth in the courtyard crowded around them.
You have to understand that in this day and age, relationships between men and women are still quite conservative. Couples who are dating rarely hold hands in public like this, and even married couples rarely do.
Moreover, Chen Shuning and He Chaoyang have been dating for some time, and they have always been very careful, never doing anything like this before.
So as soon as the two entered the courtyard, Wang Chunni, who was the first to notice their state, immediately called out.
"Oh dear, Shuning, what's going on?"
Seeing her friend, Chen Shuning's face beamed with happiness. She took He Chaoyang's hand and said with a smile, "What else could it be? We just accidentally got married!"
He Chaoyang, dressed in a crisp military uniform, was tall and imposing, exuding an aura of authority. He smiled and greeted the new educated youth he had never met before.
Holding a bag of candy, he distributed candy to the educated youth, unusually talkative, and said some polite words while also handing out wedding candy to everyone.
The familiar educated youth responded one after another, and the female educated youth's eyes revealed expressions of envy and jealousy.
"Sister, you are so lucky to have found such a handsome soldier husband. I'm so envious," a newly arrived female educated youth said with a face full of envy.
“That’s right, Shuning, you’ll be a military dependent from now on. You won’t have to suffer like us anymore. Once Brother He reaches a certain rank in a few more years, you can go and join him in the military. You’ll have endless blessings then.” Fang Qing chimed in with envy in her eyes.
Chen Shuning rarely mentioned He Chaoyang's rank in front of the other educated youth at the settlement, and since the military uniforms didn't reveal his rank, everyone knew that He Chaoyang was a soldier, but no one knew his specific position.
Given how young He Chaoyang looks, it's hard for anyone to imagine that he has already reached the rank of deputy regimental commander at such a young age.
Fang Qing's words were quite interesting. What she meant was that even if Chen Shuning married a soldier, what difference would it make? She would still have to suffer in the countryside just like them.
What's the use of being handsome? You're still just a common soldier, like that blockhead Gao Hongyuan.
Living alone in this rural area, without parents or any family to rely on, they'll probably just spend their whole lives stuck here.
Fang Qing's thinking was not without reason, and the reason why she spoke sarcastically about Chen Shuning this time was because she had received news of Chen Shuning's arrival at her home a few days ago.
Things have been mostly settled back home. The temporary job at the boiler factory is basically secured, and with a job, she can return to the city by the end of this year. She'll never have to suffer in the countryside again.
Hearing everyone's praise, he was very happy and naturally didn't care about Fang Qing's sarcastic tone, which was made out of jealousy.
Instead, she generously took He Chaoyang's hand and said with sweet eyes, "Thank you for your blessings, everyone. We will definitely be happy."
Although Brother He's rank qualifies him to accompany me to the military, I don't plan to. After all, I came here in response to the nation's call to support rural development; how can I run away just because I'm afraid of hardship?
As soon as Chen Shuning finished speaking, enthusiastic applause and praise for his high level of awareness rang out from the surroundings. As for what everyone was really thinking, no one knew.
Many people were genuinely happy for Chen Shuning when they heard about her marriage, with Wang Chunni and Xu Laidi being the happiest of all.
The two women surrounded Chen Shuning, offering their heartfelt blessings. Several other female educated youths also offered their blessings, though it was impossible to tell which were sincere and which were not, and the two women were too lazy to bother to discern.
Everyone knew the requirements for being able to join the army in that era, so everyone immediately realized that He Chaoyang was no ordinary soldier.
Upon hearing Chen Shuning's words, Fang Qing's face turned ashen, like a palette of colors, because no one knew better than her what price she would have to pay to return to the city.
Everyone knows how difficult it was for an educated youth to return to the city in those days. She was just a lowly temporary worker in a boiler factory, but the price she had to pay was to marry the factory director, a man whose brain was damaged by a childhood fever and whose mental capacity was only that of a four or five-year-old child.
But why is it that some people can obtain happiness so easily?
At this moment, everyone was focused on Chen Shuning and He Chaoyang, and no one noticed the resentment and jealousy on her face.
Only when fewer people were talking did He Chaoyang smile and say, "Thank you everyone. I will take good care of Shu Ning, please don't worry."
Shuning and I prepared some food and drinks. It's getting late, so Shuning and I will cook a few dishes tomorrow. We hope everyone will come and join us for a lively gathering.
After hearing He Chaoyang's words, the educated youth at the settlement all expressed that they would definitely come. Several female educated youth who were close to Chen Shuning even said that they would come to help first thing tomorrow morning.
Of course, while some were happy for the two, others were unhappy, just like Yang Wanqiu, who was standing outside the crowd at this moment.
When she first saw He Chaoyang, she could tell that he was no ordinary person, and she even remembered that there was a famous He family in her previous life.
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