The sun slowly set, casting an orange-yellow hue over the Qingshan Brigade. With the sound of the bell, the first day of labor for the educated youths had come to an end.
At this moment, as she walked back, Ye Qiu swung her arms, her steps exceptionally light. Especially compared to the heavy, dragging footsteps of the other youths beside her, she looked like she was returning from a leisurely stroll rather than having worked a full day of farm labor.
“My waist really feels like it’s going to snap.”
“The villager in my group was truly strict; he stared at me the whole time, and I didn’t dare to slack off at all.”
“I was a bit luckier. I had more time to rest, but I’m still exhausted. I feel like I won’t even be able to get up tomorrow.”
The few new educated youths shared their thoughts on the day’s work. Yuan Chao didn’t pay much attention to them; they were all walking in the same direction, and he had heard more than enough of Hu Kang’s wailing.
He glanced to his side, his gaze landing on Ye Qiu. At first, he had been worried that the two new female youths would be bullied, especially Ye Qiu, who looked like the type who was easy to push around.
But… every time he had looked over, he saw Ye Qiu weeding at a sluggish, slow pace. When they finished work, the other youths were able to exchange a few polite words with the villagers who led them, but Qian Feng, who had been in a group with Ye Qiu, didn’t even cast a glance at her. She had strode away, and the resentment she radiated was so strong that he could feel it from far away.
He was genuinely curious about how Ye Qiu had handled Qian Feng. After all, he, as an educated youth, knew very well that Qian Feng had a reputation for being lazy and cunning. How had a newcomer like Ye Qiu managed to bring her to heel?
Before he could ask, Qu Tong stopped in her tracks. “You guys go back first. I left something in the fields; I’m going back to get it.”
Su Qing, as warm-hearted as ever, said, “I’ll go back with you to look.”
Qu Tong waved her hand in refusal. “No need. I remembered where I put it. I’ll be back soon. You don’t need to accompany me. You’ve been tired all day; go back and rest early.”
To achieve her goal, the “young lady” Qu Tong rarely said something kind and caring.
Su Qing had no choice but to nod. “Alright then, be careful on your own.”
Qu Tong nodded repeatedly and turned to run away with light, nimble steps.
Ye Qiu raised an eyebrow. The direction Qu Tong was heading was not where they had been working; it was toward the small hill on the other side.
Everyone had their own destiny. Ye Qiu said nothing, following the footsteps of the other youths while thinking hard about how to add a little extra to her meal tonight.
Should she have bread or instant noodles? Instant noodles had a strong smell, so maybe she should stick with bread, accompanied by a cup of milk tea. Delicious~
Back to Qu Tong, she followed a route she had scouted in advance and ran all the way to the small hill where the Jiang family lived.
Carefully assessing the surrounding environment to ensure no one was around and no one could see her, Qu Tong gingerly knocked on the dilapidated gate. “Hello, is anyone home?”
Not long after, with a creak, a head peeked out from the gate. “Who is it?”
The person peeking out was a handsome little boy of eight or nine years old. His eyes were ink-black, revealing an innocent simplicity, and his features were exquisite. Even at such a young age, one could glimpse the stunning appearance he would surely have when grown.
The only flaw was that he was too thin, and his washed-out clothing hung on him like a small, fragile tree branch that could easily snap.
Qu Tong was stunned for a moment. In her past life, she had seen many child models on the internet, but very few could compare to this little boy.
“Sister, who are you looking for?” Seeing a strange face, the boy tilted his head and asked.
“My name is Qu Tong. I’m a new educated youth, and I live on the mountain across the way.” She pointed in the direction of the educated youth living quarters and continued, “Is there anyone else home? I’m looking for the adults of the house.”
“My name is Jiang Ting.” The boy copied Qu Tong’s way of introducing himself and replied, “Grandma is still at home. I’ll go call her.”
With that, he tried to run back into the courtyard but was grabbed by Qu Tong.
“Hey, wait a second. I’m not looking for your grandmother.”
Jiang Ting’s ink-black eyes were clear and deep. “But there are no other adults at home.”
Qu Tong pulled at the corners of her mouth, trying to smile as gently as possible. “It doesn’t matter. Can Sister come in and wait for your brother to return?”
Jiang Ting shook his head vigorously. “No.”
Although his memory was poor, he still remembered that his brother had told him long ago never to let strangers into the house.
Refused without mercy, Qu Tong felt a bit awkward. She tried to patiently coax the child, “Sister isn’t a bad person. I just have something to discuss with your brother. It wouldn’t be good if people saw us talking out here.”
Jiang Ting didn’t listen to her explanation and continued to shake his head in refusal.
Just as the two were at a stalemate, a hostile child’s voice came from behind. “What are you doing at my house?”
Turning around, Qu Tong saw a little girl carrying a bamboo basket.
She looked very similar to Jiang Ting, but her eyes were more elongated—a standard pair of phoenix eyes. She glared at Qu Tong with anger, like a charging little wolf cub.
Seeing someone who could actually communicate, Qu Tong’s eyes lit up. “Little sister, I came to look for your brother, but he won’t let me inside.”
Jiang Qiong walked over, set down her basket, and shielded Jiang Ting behind her. She gave a stiff refusal, “My brother isn’t here. Come back another day.”
Shut down by that response, Qu Tong frowned. She wanted to lose her temper, but considering that these two children were likely the younger siblings of the villainous bigwig Jiang Yi, she had to swallow her anger and force a smile. “Then I’ll come back tomorrow. Just remember to tell your brother that someone came looking for him today and that it is a very important matter.”
After saying this, she took out the fruit candy she had prepared in advance and forced it into Jiang Qiong’s hand before running away.
Jiang Qiong didn’t have a chance to refuse. She could only stare at the fruit candy clutched in her palm in confusion. Once she was sure the person had run far away, she closed the gate and asked Jiang Ting suspiciously, “Third Brother, do you know this strange person?”
Jiang Ting shook his head. “I don’t know her, but she said her name is Qu Tong. She’s a new educated youth living on the mountain across the way.”
Jiang Qiong furrowed her brows in thought. Why did a new female educated youth run all the way to their house to find her brother?
She was young, but she wasn’t a fool. Of course, she knew that ever since her eldest brother had sent their grandmother to the city hospital, rumors had been swirling in the village. People always suspected that her eldest brother was involved in shady business, and there were always people trying to get close to her and her third brother, hoping to extract information from them.
Fortunately, even though the third brother’s brain had been damaged by a fever when he was young and his memory was poor, he was the most obedient toward their eldest and second brothers. He hadn’t told outsiders a single thing about their family matters, which was why their family had been able to remain safe until now.
Unable to figure out the strange educated youth’s intentions, Jiang Qiong decided to tell her eldest brother that night so he could handle it.