Gu Zhouye could tell that Shen Qiuqiu was angry, but now, looking at her face, that anger seemed to have vanished. He had always been a sensitive person, so he pressed further.
“Really, it’s nothing. Don’t be mad.”
Shen Qiuqiu smiled at Gu Zhouye and, as usual, copped a feel of his abs.
“If you really don’t want me to be mad, then put in some effort in another area.”
Gu Zhouye naturally knew what this woman meant. He touched his slightly burning cheek.
“Why are you so hungry for it?”
Shen Qiuqiu withdrew her hand nonchalantly. “I already have a nickname: ‘The gluttonous girl with all the desire but none of the guts.'”
Gu Zhouye laughed and looked at Shen Qiuqiu.
“Gluttonous girl, have you had enough to eat?”
Shen Qiuqiu quickly picked up her chopsticks and resumed eating.
“Of course not. After all the ways you’ve been wearing me out these past few days, my stomach is starving.”
Shen Qiuqiu turned the blame around. Gu Zhouye smiled helplessly and went into the other room, his smile fading the moment he was alone.
That letter wasn’t from Bai Kerou. Gu Zhouye knew why Shen Qiuqiu was angry, but this was something he couldn’t explain.
After dinner, the team announced a meeting to commend Xiao Yi for his contributions. Shen Qiuqiu was furious. She wished she could grab a microphone and tell everyone that the grain was earned by her man.
But no one would listen to her.
Shen Qiuqiu sat next to Gu Zhouye, a hint of worry on her face. She tugged at his hand.
“It was clearly you who…”
Before Shen Qiuqiu could finish, Lin Dazhi stepped forward to praise Xiao Yi. Xiao Yi had even changed into new clothes and stood before everyone, putting on airs. It made Shen Qiuqiu’s teeth itch.
“Thank you all for your support. It’s because of you that I was able to borrow grain from the town. I don’t want any other reward — I only ask that you vote for me in this year’s election for Advanced Educated Youth.”
The Advanced Educated Youth would get to attend a study session in the county, where many leaders would be present. Many capable educated youths had used this opportunity to be transferred away from the harsh rural life.
Qingshantun only got a turn once every five years, so this spot was extremely important.
Shen Qiuqiu clenched her fists. Meanwhile, Wang Lixia, ever the enthusiastic supporter, spoke up. “Of course we will! If it weren’t for you, none of us would have food to eat.”
Even Song Qiang began to chime in. Ding Rui just kept her head down and said nothing.
Shen Qiuqiu glanced at Gu Zhouye. Gu Zhouye smiled and asked, “Do you want this spot?”
Shen Qiuqiu was taken aback.
Gu Zhouye continued, “I heard the food in the county is really good. You can even get rice.”
At the mention of rice, Shen Qiuqiu’s eyes went wide.
Rice! She had been here so long and had only eaten steamed buns three or four times. Every night she dreamed of giving birth to rice — mountains and mountains of rice.
Shen Qiuqiu nodded, her eyes shining.
“I love rice more than anything.”
After Xiao Yi finished speaking, Lin Dazhi went up to announce the procedure.
“This year’s Advanced Educated Youth will be selected during New Year’s Eve dinner.”
The meeting ended. Gu Zhouye took Shen Qiuqiu’s hand to head back to their room, but Shen Qiuqiu said she wanted to talk to Ding Rui for a bit. Frowning, Gu Zhouye left.
Ding Rui took Shen Qiuqiu to the warehouse. Ding Rui was now the warehouse keeper — which was really just a run-down shack without even a place to build a fire.
Sitting there was like sitting in an ice cave.
Ding Rui’s fingers were red from the cold. Shen Qiuqiu’s heart ached for her, so she gave Ding Rui her scarf.
“Jobs like this are usually given to men, and they’re supposed to provide charcoal for heat. Why are they making you do it?”
Ding Rui didn’t seem to mind much. She took Shen Qiuqiu’s hand and said with a smile, “Never mind that. I’m also in charge of receiving and sending letters now. Let me tell you — I went through a whole bunch of letters and discovered that this woman named Bai Kerou has been writing to your man nonstop.”
Ding Rui pulled out a stack of letters from a cabinet.
“But Gu Zhouye basically never accepts them.”
Ding Rui looked at Shen Qiuqiu. “Do you want me to give these to you?”
Shen Qiuqiu waved her hand.
“I don’t want to read them. Let me go find you a brazier. A young girl like you can’t be freezing in this cold.”
Shen Qiuqiu, her mind full of troubled thoughts, went and found a brazier for Ding Rui. They chatted a bit longer, and then Shen Qiuqiu went home.
It got dark early at the forestry station — the sky would turn black by three or four in the afternoon. Shen Qiuqiu and Gu Zhouye lay on the bed, drowsy. Gu Zhouye had barely slept the night before, so he quickly fell asleep.
Hearing Gu Zhouye’s steady breathing, Shen Qiuqiu tiptoed out of bed and headed to the warehouse.
Ding Rui had already gone to sleep. There was still a little bit of warmth in the room. Shen Qiuqiu hurriedly searched for the letters, but Ding Rui must have hidden them.
She couldn’t find them. She was about to curse under her breath when she heard voices outside the door. Shen Qiuqiu quickly hid under a table.
In walked Wang Lixia, her face flushed, looking quite nervous. A moment later, a man pushed the door open and came in.
The man wore glasses and looked gentle and refined.
When Wang Lixia saw him, she blushed. The man pulled her straight into his arms.
Shen Qiuqiu’s eyes went wide. She had stumbled right into the front row of some hot gossip. Her frustration over not finding the letters vanished instantly.
Shen Qiuqiu recognized the man. He was Sun Yuming, a teacher who had been promoted to work in town. This guy was the fiancé of Wang Dahua, the village chief’s daughter — considered something of a phoenix who had flown out of the village.
Before, Sun Yuming had seemed like an honest man. Who would have thought he’d be messing around with a female educated youth?
Sun Yuming put his arm around Wang Lixia’s waist.
“I’ve missed you so much. I finally have time to see you during the New Year’s break.”
Wang Lixia reached out and grabbed Sun Yuming’s collar. Her face, usually so harsh, now looked almost alluring.
“I heard you gave Wang Dahua a gold ring.”
The moment Shen Qiuqiu heard “gold ring,” her eyes lit up.
Sun Yuming pulled a bracelet from his pocket and slipped it into Wang Lixia’s hand. Shen Qiuqiu could see clearly — it was a gleaming gold bracelet.
Since when did Sun Yuming have this kind of money?
Wang Lixia was equally shocked when she received it.
“Forget a gold ring — you bought a whole bracelet? Sun Yuming, what have you been doing to make so much money?”
Sun Yuming cleared his throat.
“Lately, there’ve been a lot of rumors that the college entrance examination might be reinstated soon. Lots of students’ parents have been asking me for tutoring. I came specifically to tell you this news.”
Shen Qiuqiu’s eyes lit up.
Even though it was different from what she remembered from history…
Wang Lixia excitedly put the bracelet on her wrist. But her hands, rough from years of labor, fumbled, and the gold bracelet fell to the floor under the table.
The floor was cluttered with all kinds of miscellaneous items, making it hard to find. Wang Lixia searched frantically.
Meanwhile, Shen Qiuqiu was hiding under the table, trembling.