At the educated youth residence, Zhou Jingyuan was helping the newcomers move their furniture. He had always envied his second brother for finding a girlfriend. Ye Qinglan was beautiful and elegant, Tan Siyu was attractive and came from a good family, while Ye Bailian seemed a little petty and small-minded.
Zhou Jingyuan had ambitions of his own. Ever since graduating from high school, he had become somewhat arrogant. He looked down on the village girls and instead set his sights on the educated young women. He hoped to follow one of them back to the city someday, so he intended to pursue whichever one had the best family background.
As the male lead of the story, Zhou Jingyuan was naturally handsome. He resembled Zhou Beihan by about sixty or seventy percent, though he lacked his brother’s heroic aura. His skin was fairer, and he carried more of a refined, scholarly appearance.
“Hello, Comrade Zhou! My name is Ye Bailian. I’m seventeen years old.”
The heroine eagerly introduced herself.
“Hello, Comrade Ye. My name is Zhou Jingyuan. I’m twenty-one years old.”
Just as expected of his character, he spoke in a gentle and refined manner.
Ye Qinglan watched with great interest, but after introducing himself, Zhou Jingyuan simply turned and left. Weren’t they supposed to fall for each other at first sight? What had gone wrong?
Ye Bailian was also furious.
Does he think I’m not good enough? What’s so great about this country bumpkin?
With no drama left to watch, Ye Qinglan locked her room and headed toward the foot of the back mountain to gather firewood. She couldn’t keep relying on other people’s supplies forever.
Her bed had already been made. Underneath was the bedding from home, while the blanket on top came from her space. It was covered with a plain four-piece bedding set with no floral patterns, perfectly matching the simple style of the era.
She had washed the bedding set before coming to the countryside, so she could use it immediately. Having the space made life much easier. She could even wash her clothes with a washing machine. The space had both electricity and running water, making everything extremely convenient.
Looking toward the distant mountains, Ye Qinglan knew there had to be countless wild beasts inside. She had heard that Northeast China was famous for its wild ginseng.
I really want to go into the mountains and take a look. What should I do?
“Qinglan, why are you here?”
Zhou Beihan was planning to head into the mountains to catch a wild chicken so he could bring his girlfriend a bowl of chicken soup that evening.
“Beihan, I came to gather some firewood. I don’t want to keep taking advantage of others.”
She answered honestly.
“I’ll bring you some firewood later. But don’t even think about going deep into the mountains. There are wild boars, black bears, tigers, and even packs of wolves in there. Even when I hunt, I only stay around the outer areas. Go back to the educated youth residence now.”
His voice was full of concern.
“Alright. You be careful too.”
After saying that, she turned and left.
Only after Ye Qinglan had disappeared into the distance did Zhou Beihan dash toward the deeper parts of the mountains.
When he was young, he had studied martial arts under an old master whose skills were exceptional. The old man later left because of personal matters and never returned.
After graduating from high school, Zhou Beihan enlisted in the army. Thanks to his outstanding combat skills, he eventually rose to the rank of battalion commander. He was educated, handsome, and admired by many young women.
That evening, Zhou Beihan brought Ye Qinglan a bowl of chicken soup and carried a huge bundle of chopped firewood on his back.
“Qinglan, I’ve brought you some firewood.”
He called out from the courtyard.
“Beihan, thank you!”
Ye Qinglan was genuinely touched.
Although they were already dating, they had only just met, and their feelings for each other weren’t that deep yet.
“Silly girl. I’m your boyfriend. Don’t thank me anymore.”
After speaking, Zhou Beihan placed the chicken soup on the table, stacked the firewood inside the room, and took out three steamed buns.
“Have you eaten dinner yet?”
Ye Qinglan asked with concern.
“Not yet. I can’t stay long, so I have to go. I’ll come pick you up tomorrow morning.”
With that, he turned and left.
Ye Qinglan happily drank the chicken soup while eating the steamed buns. There was even a chicken drumstick in the soup, and all the meat was the best cuts.
After dinner, she heated water for a bath.
The other educated youths were still eating, so this was the perfect time to boil water before everyone started competing for the stove.
Fortunately, there were two separate bathhouses, one for men and one for women, located in different directions. Even the toilets were separated, which was actually quite nice.
She slept soundly that night.
In reality, Ye Qinglan slept inside her space. It was far too hot outside, and there were mosquitoes everywhere.
I have to buy a mosquito net today, or I’ll never get any sleep.
Early the next morning, Zhou Beihan rode his bicycle to the entrance of the educated youth residence.
Just as he arrived, Ye Qinglan walked out.
The two of them seemed perfectly in sync.
“Qinglan, did you sleep well last night?”
Zhou Beihan asked.
“Not at all. There were too many mosquitoes. I’m buying a mosquito net today. Otherwise, I won’t be able to sleep.”
She complained.
“Come on. I’ll take you shopping. First we’ll exchange for some ration coupons. Without them, you won’t be able to buy anything.”
He gestured for her to get on the bicycle.
The rear seat even had a padded cushion tied onto it.
He really was thoughtful.
After sitting on the back seat, Ye Qinglan held onto the corner of his shirt.
Looking at his broad shoulders and narrow waist, she couldn’t help admiring his fit body.
There wasn’t an ounce of unnecessary fat on him.
He definitely has an eight-pack.
I really want to touch it.
Just then, they came upon a large pothole.
The bicycle braked suddenly, and the momentum threw Ye Qinglan forward.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, she stretched out her mischievous hand, wrapped both arms around his waist, and secretly rubbed his firm abs several times.
The feeling was amazing.
Zhou Beihan froze instantly.
A wave of heat surged through his lower abdomen.
This little girl is unbelievably bold.
She even deliberately touched me several times.
“Qinglan, since you touched me like that, you have to take responsibility.”
He spoke pitifully.
“We’ve already had physical contact. When I get back, I’ll submit my marriage application. You can’t refuse to take responsibility. Otherwise, you’ll be guilty of hooliganism.”
“Ah? I was just curious and touched you a few times. If you want, you can touch me back.”
Ye Qinglan blurted out without thinking.
She hadn’t planned on getting married so soon.
At most, she thought they could get engaged first and wait another two years before marrying.
If they turned out to be incompatible, they could always separate.
“Curious? That was clearly you taking advantage of me.”
A smile spread across Zhou Beihan’s face, though she couldn’t see it.
“Fine. I’ll take responsibility.”
Only then did Ye Qinglan remember that in this era, even married couples couldn’t openly hold hands on the street.
Her earlier actions really had been reckless.
I’d better be more careful in the future.
The crime of hooliganism was extremely serious during this time.
In the worst cases, people could even be executed.
I really need to keep my hands to myself from now on.
Just like that, Zhou Beihan would be able to marry his wife two years earlier than originally planned.
He couldn’t have been happier.
That’s right.
Zhou Beihan really was this shameless.
Compared to winning his wife, his pride wasn’t nearly as important.
“Then I’ll tell my mother to ask a matchmaker to visit your family. We’ll get engaged first, and once my application is approved, we’ll register our marriage.”
He decided to strike while the iron was hot.
“Alright. You can handle those arrangements.”
Ye Qinglan was still regretting her impulsive wandering hands.
“I’ll come see you at the educated youth residence this evening. Today I’ll buy you a wristwatch first. We’ll buy everything else after you come with me to the army. If we leave it at home now, someone else might take advantage of it.”
Zhou Beihan was truly cunning and calculating.
“Oh. I also want to buy a coal stove. Do you have an industrial coupon?”
Ye Qinglan quickly recovered from her embarrassment.
“Even without coupons, it’s fine. I’ll take you somewhere to buy one.”
Zhou Beihan had a retired army comrade who now handled business on the black market.
Ye Qinglan’s eyes lit up the moment she heard that.
The legendary black market… I really want to see it for myself.
By then, they had already arrived in town.
They first went to the state-owned restaurant for breakfast before heading to the commune to do some shopping.
The supply and marketing cooperative was located right at the entrance of the commune.
Villagers from all the nearby areas came there to shop.
The place was spacious and stocked with plenty of goods.
The two of them entered the state-owned restaurant.
The daily menu written on the blackboard included beef noodles.
Their luck was excellent today.
Zhou Beihan ordered two bowls of beef noodles and bought ten meat buns.
“Qinglan, take these meat buns back with you.”
He kept only two for them to eat immediately and handed the remaining eight to Ye Qinglan.