The donkey cart rolled along slowly. Besides the educated youth, there were also a few aunties from the village on board. Although Su Yun still didn’t know all the villagers well after more than ten days, she could at least recognize who was who.
Several of the aunties were eyeing Li Jianjun with fervent looks. He was currently their top candidate for a son-in-law!
Every family had a daughter, niece, or granddaughter of marriageable age. Li Jianjun was tall and sturdy, with a broad, square face that fit the current beauty standards—he looked handsome and capable!
Over the past ten days, everyone had also discovered that he had a gentle disposition and was always willing to help others.
He had directly outshone all the other young men in the village, skyrocketing to become the aunties’ favorite topic of conversation over tea. They were all itching to snag him for their own families!
But since he hadn’t been around long, they hadn’t dared to ask him directly. Now, they finally had a perfect opportunity!
Aunt Cuihua straightened up and spoke first: “Comrade Li, how old are you this year? You’re so tall! There’s no one in the village as tall as you!”
“Auntie, I just turned 19. Everyone in my family is tall—it’s genetic, hehe…” Li Jianjun scratched his head, a bit embarrassed by the aunties’ intense stares.
Gu Beihai, sitting beside him, glanced up at Aunt Cuihua. Su Yun was dying of laughter inside. This auntie really knew how to talk—Gu Beihai was actually taller than Li Jianjun, and Zhao Jiayan was about the same height as Li Jianjun.
But right now, Aunt Cuihua only had eyes for Li Jianjun. Though honestly, Li Jianjun was broader—with muscular shoulders and arms, he looked more imposing and sturdy.
Standing side by side, he might not have been taller than Gu Beihai, but if you looked at them separately, anyone would think Li Jianjun was the taller one.
“Comrade Li, you’re from the city, right? You must be a high school graduate too? Have you found a sweetheart yet?” another auntie couldn’t help but chime in.
“I just graduated from high school. My family doesn’t want me dating this early—maybe in a few years!”
Li Jianjun wasn’t stupid. He caught their drift and quickly made an excuse to refuse. Otherwise, he’d never have a moment’s peace, constantly dealing with these aunties. Just thinking about it gave him a headache!
Having hit a wall, the aunties’ gazes began roaming over the others.
They skipped straight over Su Yun and Gu Beihai. Su Yun looked too young—she’d need at least another two years before anyone would bring up marriage.
As for Gu Beihai, he was just too cold. In over ten days, he hadn’t spoken more than a few words to anyone. Some villagers even thought he looked down on country folk.
Between his unapproachable aura, his sharp, intimidating features, and the hint of rebelliousness in his otherwise scholarly appearance, the aunties all felt he wasn’t a good match. He just didn’t look like a decent person!
The male lead, Zhao Jiayan, and his good buddy Li Feng had received the same treatment when they first arrived a year ago. But over the past year, they’d remained completely unresponsive and slippery as eels, and everyone had already learned all there was to know about them.
There were quite a few village girls secretly smitten with them, but the adults didn’t want to interfere and just let their daughters handle it themselves.
Now the aunties’ attention shifted to Tao Yining. This female educated youth came from a well-off family!
Although Su Yun’s clothes were nice and new, even well-off village girls could have one or two nice outfits.
Liu Huan and An Qin also came from good families, but people of this era were thrifty and took good care of their clothes. When working, they wore older, half-worn clothes and saved their pretty new ones, reluctant to ruin them. Liu Huan had even brought two sets of her mother’s old cloth clothes specifically for farm work.
The female lead, Tao Yining, had arrived wearing only one new outfit. Later, she’d gotten a few ready-made clothes from the black market and the supply cooperative—all dacron shirts and sailor-stripe tops. It hadn’t occurred to her to prepare anything else. As a time-traveler, she was used to wearing something a few times and then discarding it, so she’d never even thought about it.
So she wore those same few pieces to work every day, not seeing anything wrong with it. But the villagers took one look and thought she must be loaded—her clothes must have cost a fortune!
Since the other three female educated youth kept a low profile, only the people at the educated youth site knew they were well-off and lacked nothing. But in the village, Tao Yining stood out—everyone knew there was a rich and pretty female educated youth who’d arrived!
So the moment they had a chance, the aunties couldn’t hold back. Who wouldn’t want an easy life?
“Comrade Tao, tell me, what kind of man are you looking for? I have a nephew who’s a real catch—you two would be a perfect match! I’ll set up a meeting for you!”
Aunt Cuihua started up again. She wanted to introduce her brother’s son to Comrade Tao.
“Your nephew didn’t even finish middle school—he’s not worthy of Comrade Tao! These days, young people talk about… what’s the word… common interests! My son is a high school graduate—he’d definitely have common interests with Comrade Tao!”
Before Tao Yining could even refuse, Aunt Niu, sitting at the back of the cart, jumped in to counter.
That set off a hornet’s nest. Aunt Cuihua had no sons, only three daughters, but she was deeply patriarchal and treated her brother’s sons as if they were her own.
How could she tolerate someone badmouthing her nephews? She forgot all about Tao Yining, and the two went straight at each other. They bickered the whole way, digging up each other’s dirt. If not for the people wedged between them, they might have come to blows!
Su Yun watched in stunned silence. As expected of the female lead—she really had good luck. Whenever something annoying came up, she didn’t have to say a word, and the situation would somehow resolve itself, leaving her untouched.
It seemed you really shouldn’t mess with a protagonist!
Listening to the two of them argue the whole way, they quickly arrived at the county town. As soon as the donkey cart stopped, the educated youth scrambled off like their butts were on fire.
It was just too noisy!
The two loud voices had been hurling abuse at each other for nearly an hour, giving everyone a headache.
By the end, they’d run out of insults and started cursing each other’s ancestors for eighteen generations, with increasingly crude and vulgar language. The female educated youth had no choice but to cover their ears and pretend they couldn’t hear.
The other aunties on the cart had tried to mediate, but no one listened. They couldn’t pull them apart either, so they gave up and let them argue the whole way.
After getting off the cart, the educated youth split up as usual, each heading off to their own business.
Su Yun went to the photo studio first, handed in their receipts, and picked up their photos.
She couldn’t resist opening her own paper packet to take a look. The photographer really was skilled—not only did he make her look beautiful, but the composition had a certain artistic flair!
Photos from this era weren’t as sharp and had a hazy quality to them, almost like they’d been run through a few layers of filters. The effect was softer and more flattering, doubling her beauty.
Su Yun happily tucked the photos into her cloth bag and decided that from now on, whenever she bought a new pretty dress, she’d come take a photo as a keepsake for herself!