Shen Gang had been looking forward to it all day.
After dinner, he could not sit still at home. He eagerly dragged Shen Yao toward the educated youth compound.
There was no need to bring a kerosene lamp or little stools if they were only coming to listen to stories. They just needed to bring a small snack for the educated youths. The Eighth Production Team was not far from the village headquarters, and it only took about ten minutes to walk from home to the educated youth compound. By the time the siblings arrived, it was not even dark yet.
Logically, they had come too early. The educated youths were particular about such things. After a day of farm work, they would always bathe in the evening, change into clean, attractive clothes, and make themselves look handsome and pretty before gathering together. It was no different from how ladies dressed up elaborately before attending flower-viewing parties or poetry gatherings.
Shen Yao had originally thought they would have to wait outside for a while, but when they arrived, she discovered that the educated youths were much quicker than they had been the previous day. There were already eight or nine of them seated inside.
And among those eight or nine people, she saw He Shi.
It was not that she was paying special attention to him. He Shi naturally drew attention wherever he went, whether because of his looks or the way he dressed. Besides, everyone else was sitting on the edges of the beds, while he alone occupied the room’s only rattan armchair. Leaning back lazily, one arm resting casually on the armrest, his legs crossed, he exuded an indescribable air of ease and leisure.
This was the third time Shen Yao had encountered He Shi. She felt a strange sense of familiarity about him. After a moment’s thought, she understood. It was his bearing and mannerisms. They were remarkably similar to those pampered young aristocratic playboys from prominent families back in the capital.
While she was observing him, He Shi happened to look up at her. Their gazes met briefly. Shen Yao naturally looked away first.
The room was half full of educated youths. When they saw the famous beauty of Shenjia Village, one smooth-talking male educated youth let out a teasing “Oh?” and laughed.
“Well, now, this is a rare guest today. Little brother, are you here to listen to stories too?”
The older educated youths who had been assigned to Shenjia Village for one or two years all knew Shen Yao’s situation. The question was directed at Shen Gang.
Grinning, Shen Gang pulled several handfuls of roasted pumpkin seeds from his pocket and placed them on the room’s only square table.
“My sister and I came to listen to stories. These are for all the older brothers and sisters.”
“Then thank you, little brother. You really didn’t need to bring anything. It’s just a gathering for fun.” The educated youth smiled politely and warmly invited the siblings to find a place to sit.
The room was spacious. Six single beds lined the walls, and four of them were completely empty. Without hesitation, Shen Yao chose a seat as far away from He Shi as possible. Shen Gang was still only a half-grown boy and did not care much about distinctions between men and women, so he sat beside his sister.
When he spotted He Shi, he glanced at Shen Yao. Seeing that she sat quietly without even looking in He Shi’s direction, he finally let go of the lingering suspicion that his sister liked He Shi.
The siblings sat beside two beds placed end to end. On the edge of the other bed sat four female educated youths, all openly studying Shen Yao.
Compared to the male educated youths, the women were not nearly as fond of her.
A group of city girls who had been tanned dark from hard labor in the countryside, they found it difficult to like a village girl who had been pampered and spared field work. Sitting together, Shen Yao actually made them look more like country girls by comparison. The only reason they tolerated it was because she was simple-minded and happened to have a father who was a production team leader. Otherwise, accusing her of carrying herself like a capitalist young lady and dragging her out for a struggle session would not have seemed unreasonable to some of them.
Among these women, nearly half had once been Red Guards during their school days, the sort who had traveled across the country and targeted whomever they pleased. They had enthusiastically answered the Chairman’s call to go to the countryside, but after two years in this impoverished backwater, they had become much more restrained.
At the very least, they now understood that a production team leader was not someone they could casually offend.
The female educated youths chatted among themselves and paid no attention to Shen Yao whatsoever. Their exclusion could not have been more obvious.
Shen Yao was perfectly happy with that.
She was pretending to be simple-minded anyway. Quietly sitting there and gathering the information she needed from their conversations was far more useful than listening to stories.
A few minutes later, five more female educated youths entered together.
Unlike the women already in the room, who wore military-style trousers or khaki pants, three of the newcomers wore dresses. They carried an elegance and gentleness characteristic of southern women, and it was obvious that they had put considerable effort into their appearance.
The group brought things to place on the table, a few biscuits, some candy, and small pastries. Laughing and chatting, they found seats and sat closely together.
Listening to their conversation, Shen Yao learned that the female educated youths were divided into northern and southern groups. The women in dresses were from the south, from places like Shanghai and Zhejiang.
Both groups seemed particularly interested in the newly arrived He Shi and Xu Xiangdong, especially He Shi.
Several female educated youths from good backgrounds immediately recognized the Swiss watch on his wrist. Their eyes frequently drifted in his direction during conversation.
Unfortunately, their flirtatious glances were wasted on a blind man.
He Shi did not even bother to raise his eyelids.
Supporting his head with one hand, he wondered why he had suddenly decided to join such a gathering in the first place.
Without drawing attention to himself, he glanced toward Shen Yao, who sat on a bed in the corner.
Her appearance was entirely unremarkable. The oversized clothes she wore were rustic to the point of being unfashionable. Yet those clothes only made her palm-sized face appear even more delicate. Her complexion was fair and luminous. Sitting quietly on the edge of a crude wooden bed, she somehow projected an air of dignity and serene beauty.
Outside, darkness had already fallen. Inside, only two oil lamps provided light.
He Shi thought to himself that lamplight truly was the most flattering thing for a beautiful woman.
Otherwise, how had he never noticed before that this little fool was so captivatingly beautiful?
Song Jincheng was a frequent visitor to the educated youth compound. When he entered and saw He Shi, he paused in surprise.
Wasn’t this the man who rarely associated with the other educated youths?
Sweeping his gaze across the room, he unexpectedly spotted Shen Yao and Shen Gang. Shen Gang had already greeted him with a smile.
He walked over to the siblings, smiled at Shen Yao, and asked Shen Gang,
“Here for class today?”
Shen Gang shook his head.
“No class today. My sister and I came to listen to stories.”
“Since Song Jincheng isn’t teaching tonight, of course she came in for the stories.” One of the southern female educated youths leaned toward a companion and whispered with a laugh. She was the same one who had gossiped about Shen Yao the day before.
“Didn’t I tell you? Her real interest isn’t the class.”
The whisper reached He Shi’s ears.
He saw Shen Yao smile and nod at Song Jincheng.
His expression remained unchanged, but a trace of coldness appeared in his eyes.
Behind him, Xu Xiangdong was seated on a bed and had been watching Shen Yao ever since she entered. Seeing her smile at Song Jincheng, he leaned over the back of He Shi’s rattan chair and whispered:
“Tell me, does she really look like a…?”
He left the word “fool” unspoken.
He Shi pressed his lips together and said nothing.
But this time, he no longer bothered concealing his gaze as he looked toward Shen Yao.
Just before the storytelling session began, several villagers arrived.
At last, Shen Yao and Shen Gang were no longer the odd ones out in the room. A few village girls came over and sat beside Shen Yao.
Shen Yao soon discovered that, compared to the stories, what interested them far more were the educated youths.
The first male educated youth to tell a story that day was an exceptionally gifted speaker. He recounted a tale from the Warring States period, and the crowd listened with great interest. After hearing a few lines, Shen Yao realized it was the story of Lord Xinling stealing the tally to rescue Zhao from the Biography of the Prince of Wei. Having grown up reading such stories as casual entertainment, she could not help finding it rather dull.
Only after that story ended did Song Jincheng volunteer to tell one of his own. His story was about a battle during World War II. Since Shen Yao’s father and brothers were military commanders, she was naturally curious about the countries, military ranks, and weapons he mentioned. Tilting her head slightly toward him, she listened with exceptional attentiveness.
She had listened absentmindedly while the previous educated youth was speaking, but when it was Song Jincheng’s turn, her eyes sparkled as she watched him. He Shi pressed his tongue lightly against the inside of his cheek and idly spun a lighter in his hand.
The little fool really had found herself a new target.
Only then did he suddenly understand why he had come here on a whim in the first place. He had come to confirm a suspicion lurking in the back of his mind. Now that he had seen it clearly, a faint, almost imperceptible discomfort stirred within him.
He did not believe he was interested in Shen Yao. Any normal person would feel at least a little unsettled if a silly girl who had been infatuated with him for days suddenly transferred her affections so quickly.
By all rights, he should have left by now. Yet for some reason, he remained seated, too lazy to move. Outside, the sounds of the educated youths attending class drifted in. Inside, Song Jincheng continued his story, occasionally interrupted by questions about minor details. The voices blended together into a murmur, but none of it truly registered with He Shi.
From where he sat, he could only see Shen Yao’s profile. He had never really looked at her before and had never noticed that she possessed such lively, expressive eyes.
Shen Yao watched Song Jincheng while He Shi watched her with casual indifference. It was remarkable. For nearly half a day, she had not spared him even the slightest glance.
Had he really scolded her that harshly that day?
He Shi did not think he had done anything wrong at the time. He had not known then that Shen Yao had a cognitive disability. Moreover, she had made her feelings for him far too obvious over those few days. Waking up in the middle of the night to find someone in his arms, and that person being the production team’s captain’s daughter, his first thought had been that she was trying to trap him.
He hated getting entangled in messy situations. Even if the matter became public, he was confident he could thwart whatever scheme she had planned. What disgusted him was that a young woman could have so little self-respect and resort to such methods merely to get into the city.
As for claiming it was love, he had only been in the village for a few days. Could someone really fall so deeply in love in such a short time? What a joke. That was why he had shown absolutely no mercy with his words. It was only after learning that Shen Yao had cognitive issues that he felt a slight sense of guilt.
Lately, she no longer looked at him the way she used to. Today, despite sitting in the same room only a few meters apart, she had not given him a single glance. He Shi felt that the little fool actually had quite a temper.