Over here, Zhou Muyan was eating his meal without tasting any of it, frequently glancing outside.
When he returned today, he had told Yao Yao how to get to his house, so why hadn’t she arrived yet?
Just as he couldn’t resist going out to check, the door outside was knocked.
The corners of his lips lifted—Yao Yao was here.
He immediately put down his chopsticks, sprang to his feet, and said, “I’ll get the door.” Then he dashed out like a gust of wind.
“What’s up with Third Uncle today? He always lets me open the door,” little Zhou Chengnan wondered, his small head filled with big confusion.
The others were also puzzled—what was going on with Third Brother?
Zhou Muyan ran to the courtyard gate and opened it, only to see Shen Jingyao standing under the moonlight with a radiant smile.
Zhou Muyan felt a stir in his heart and couldn’t resist reaching out to pat her head. “Yao Yao, you’re here.”
Shen Jingyao gently nuzzled against his palm and said with a smile, “I came over right after dinner, following the directions you gave me.”
“Good girl.”
Inside, Liu Huilan noticed that her third son had gone out but hadn’t brought anyone in yet.
She decided to go check and called out loudly as she walked, “Third Son, who’s here?”
Hearing his mother’s voice, Zhou Muyan withdrew his hand from Shen Jingyao’s head, stepped aside, and let her in.
“Mom, it’s Educated Youth Shen from the Educated Youth Point.”
Upon hearing it was someone from the Educated Youth Point, Liu Huilan quickened her steps and came face to face with Shen Jingyao as she entered.
Shen Jingyao’s delicate features seemed even more dazzling under the moonlight.
Earlier during work, people had been discussing how among the newly arrived educated youths, there was an exceptionally lovely girl—it must be Educated Youth Shen.
Seeing her, Liu Huilan felt as if their entire courtyard had brightened. She immediately put on a warm, friendly smile and said, “Oh, it’s Educated Youth Shen! Please, come on in.”
Meeting A Yan’s mother in this world, Shen Jingyao thought she seemed quite amiable and replied with a smile, “Auntie, sorry to disturb you.”
“Oh, you educated youths from the city always speak so politely! No disturbance at all, please come in,” Liu Huilan chuckled warmly and promptly led Shen Jingyao inside.
Liu Huilan took her directly to the room she shared with her husband. In the countryside, it was customary—there was no dedicated main hall, so guests were welcomed directly onto the kang.
Shen Jingyao didn’t sit on the kang but instead found a stool nearby and sat down.
Liu Huilan handed her a cup of water and sat on the edge of the kang with a smile. “Educated Youth Shen, what brings you to our home?”
After taking a sip of water, Shen Jingyao replied, “I came to see the Brigade Leader about something.”
“Looking for my husband, eh?” Liu Huilan turned and saw her third son standing by the door. “Third Son, go get your father. Educated Youth Shen needs to speak with him.”
“Right away.” Zhou Muyan headed to the kitchen to find his father.
In the kitchen, everyone had finished their meal and was cleaning up.
“Dad, could you come to the room? Educated Youth Shen said she needs to talk to you about something.”
Zhou Youlin frowned thoughtfully. What could Educated Youth Shen want from him? He hoped she wasn’t going to ask for something he couldn’t manage.
“Alright.”
Back in the room, Liu Huilan kept staring at Shen Jingyao. Whose child was she? Her parents had raised her so beautifully.
Shen Jingyao felt her intense gaze and grew restless under the scrutiny.
Just then, Zhou Youlin returned to the room, and Zhou Muyan remained standing by the door, watching them.
Shen Jingyao stood up and greeted, “Uncle Team Leader.”
Zhou Youlin nodded and sat by the kang, “Educated Youth Shen, what urgent matter brings you to me?”
Shen Jingyao placed the brown sugar and pastries in her hand on the kang table, “Uncle Team Leader, I bought some brown sugar and snacks. I want to move out of the Educated Youth Point and build a small house outside. Could I trouble you to approve a homestead for me?”
Outside, Zhou Lao Da and Zhou Lao Er were also listening to their conversation. When they heard Shen Jingyao had brought brown sugar, Zhou Lao Er’s eyes lit up eagerly.
His wife was about to give birth and needed brown sugar. Sugar ration coupons were hard to come by in the countryside, so he hoped his father would agree.
Zhou Youlin frowned deeply, “You want to move out—is there some conflict at the Educated Youth Point?”
He didn’t think this Educated Youth Shen seemed like a troublemaker. Had he misjudged her?
Shen Jingyao knew he had misunderstood and immediately explained, “There’s no conflict. It’s just that I’m not used to it. Uncle Team Leader, don’t worry, I’ll cover the cost of building the house myself.”
“I just need to trouble you to find a few people to help me build it. I’ll pay each person thirty cents a day as wages.”
She had learned this from A Yan beforehand—a full day’s wage was sixty cents. Since they would only work after finishing their regular duties, thirty cents was quite reasonable.
Zhou Youlin was still thinking and hadn’t replied. No educated youth had ever built their own house before.
Zhou Muyan immediately saw his father’s concern, “Dad, just agree to Educated Youth Shen’s request. Since she’s paying for it herself, my brothers and I can help her build the house after work and earn an extra thirty cents a day.”
“Besides, if other educated youth come to you, you can treat them the same—let them cover the construction and labor costs themselves. It’s not like you’re showing favoritism, right?”
Shen Jingyao looked at Zhou Youlin with earnest hope, wishing he would agree.
Hearing there would be wages, Zhou Lao Da and Zhou Lao Er also came to the doorway, “Dad, just agree to Educated Youth Shen’s request.”
Zhou Youlin thought for a moment and felt somewhat tempted, “Alright, I agree. I’ll approve a homestead for you. But if you return to the city in the future, the house will still belong to the village. As long as you stay, it’s yours.”
Hearing his agreement, Shen Jingyao broke into a bright smile, “Thank you, thank you, Uncle Team Leader.”
Zhou Muyan’s eyes also held a hint of a smile. He pressed further, “Dad, why not assign her that empty plot a few hundred meters from our house? It’s the most suitable, and it’ll be convenient for us to work.”
Since he had already agreed, he might as well see it through. Zhou Youlin nodded and turned to Shen Jingyao, “Educated Youth Shen, is that location acceptable to you? As a young woman living alone, being close to our house means if anything happens, we’ll hear you call out.”
Liu Huilan gave Zhou Muyan a deep look and chimed in, “Yes, yes, it’s safe here.”
Shen Jingyao glanced at Zhou Muyan out of the corner of her eye and saw him signaling. She smiled and replied, “Thank you, I think it’s fine.”
“Educated Youth Shen, what kind of house are you planning to build?” Zhou Youlin asked.
“Uncle Team Leader, I’d like one larger room, plus a small kitchen and a toilet. Is that possible?”
Zhou Youlin did a quick mental calculation, “That’s possible, but it can only be an adobe house. Bricks are out of the question. The cost should be around sixty yuan.”
Shen Jingyao knew bricks were hard to come by without connections. “That’s fine, an adobe house will do.”
“Good. After work tomorrow, I’ll find people to start building. It should take about ten days or so.”
Zhou Youlin thought besides his three sons, he’d find two more reliable people—that should be enough.
“Alright, thank you then, Uncle Team Leader. I won’t disturb you further—I’ll head back now.” With matters settled, Shen Jingyao took her leave.
Zhou Youlin pointed at the items on the table. “Take these things back with you.”
Without a word, Shen Jingyao immediately ran off.
“Ah, this child.” Liu Huilan thought this Educated Youth Shen was truly straightforward.
“Let it be, just keep them. We’ll look out for her more in the future,” Zhou Youlin said.
“Dad, it’s too dark outside. It’s not safe for Educated Youth Shen to go back alone—I’ll see her home,” Zhou Muyan said, watching Shen Jingyao’s retreating figure.
Zhou Youlin didn’t overthink it. “Then go see her off.”
Although the village atmosphere was generally good, there were always one or two ruffians around. If anything happened, his responsibility would be significant.
Seeing Zhou Muyan hurry after her, Liu Huilan wondered—was it what she thought?
She must be overthinking! They’d only just met. Probably not.
She called her grandson and granddaughter inside, breaking off small pieces of sponge cake to share with them.
“Grandma, it’s so delicious!” Five-year-old Zhou Xiaojing tasted sponge cake for the first time, her face filled with bliss.
“Is it good?” Liu Huilan affectionately patted her little hair bun.
The Zhou family didn’t favor boys over girls—grandsons and granddaughters were treated equally.
Seeing her son and daughter eating sponge cake, Xu Xiu’e’s smile deepened.
Gu Yunzhi touched her belly while looking at the brown sugar on the table, thinking she’d tell her husband later that they should properly build Educated Youth Shen’s house.