Although everyone was busy working in the fields, when they saw Wu Hongliang walking toward the educated youths, they all subconsciously kept working while secretly paying attention to what was happening.
The distance was too far for them to hear anything, but soon enough, they saw Wu Hongliang retreat in embarrassment.
The reason was simple—he had just approached An Yanyan and barely said a couple of words when Jiang Xueming stepped forward, looking every bit like a knight protecting a lady.
Wu Hongliang wasn’t afraid of him—after all, his father was the village production team leader. But after only a few seconds of eye contact, he backed down.
Jiang Xueming had grown up in influential circles and had seen all kinds of people. In terms of presence, he completely overpowered Wu Hongliang.
Wu Hongliang silently marked him down—he was going to report this when he got back!
This small incident didn’t stir any waves among the educated youths, but it caused a minor stir in the village.
On the way back from work that afternoon, Song Yunqiao walked side by side with He Suxia.
Song Yunqiao asked, “He Zhiqing, do you know where I can exchange for some eggs?”
He Suxia smiled. “You’ve asked the right person. I was just planning to exchange for some eggs too. Let’s tidy up when we get back and go together.”
“Sounds good.”
Song Yunqiao had been wondering how to ask someone to go with her—now it worked out perfectly.
Ma Xiaoping overheard their entire conversation and thought to herself that if Song Yunqiao was going to get eggs, she could tag along and get some nourishment too.
Since it wasn’t Song Yunqiao and He Suxia’s turn to cook that day, they washed up quickly. He Suxia grabbed a bamboo basket and led Song Yunqiao out of the educated youth dormitory.
There were restrictions on raising chickens, so eggs were relatively scarce. About half the villagers were reluctant to eat them and would instead trade them for money or goods. It was an unspoken understanding among everyone.
He Suxia had been an educated youth in Houhe Village for three years and was already familiar with the place. Since it was Song Yunqiao’s first time in the village, He Suxia briefly introduced the route and then led her to a household she often traded eggs with.
Aunt Liu quickly packed the eggs into He Suxia’s basket. In total, they exchanged for thirty eggs—ten for He Suxia, and the rest for Song Yunqiao.
After the exchange, Aunt Liu held onto them and wouldn’t let them leave, chatting endlessly.
Mainly because it was her first time seeing such a pretty girl like Song Yunqiao—she simply couldn’t contain her enthusiasm.
After leaving Aunt Liu’s house, the two women both let out a sigh of relief. They looked at each other and laughed.
He Suxia explained, “Aunt Liu is a good person—just a bit too enthusiastic sometimes.”
Song Yunqiao shook her head, not minding at all. She could sense a kind of simple, genuine warmth from Aunt Liu—there wasn’t a trace of malice.
As they walked and chatted, a glass marble suddenly rolled to Song Yunqiao’s feet.
A wooden door nearby opened. A little boy who had been about to step outside saw the two of them and quickly retreated back inside, shutting the door.
Song Yunqiao and He Suxia exchanged a glance.
It was normal for Song Yunqiao not to recognize people in the village, but even He Suxia hadn’t seen this boy before.
After thinking for a moment, Song Yunqiao picked up the marble, walked to the door, and placed it at the entrance before leaving with He Suxia.
Only after they had gone far away did the wooden door slowly open again.
The boy was none other than Jiang Ji’an. His family had gone out to work and hadn’t returned yet, so he was home alone. Out of boredom, he had taken out his favorite marbles to play with. He hadn’t controlled his strength properly, and one rolled out through the crack in the door. He wanted to retrieve it, but when he saw two unfamiliar women, he got scared and instinctively hid.
However, he didn’t run far. Instead, he peeked through the crack in the door and watched as Song Yunqiao picked up his marble and placed it at the entrance.
As Song Yunqiao and He Suxia continued walking side by side, He Suxia suddenly slapped her forehead.
Song Yunqiao was startled.
He Suxia muttered, “No wonder he looked so familiar—that child should be the third son of the Jiang family.”
???
Song Yunqiao didn’t understand why she reacted so strongly to just a child.
“About the Jiang—”
He Suxia was just about to tell her about the Jiang family when she suddenly saw someone walking toward them.
Following her gaze, Song Yunqiao saw a tall man approaching.
The man was tall and straight-backed. His clothes were faded from washing and even patched in places, yet he was strikingly handsome. She didn’t know what others thought, but he perfectly matched her taste. However, he also gave off a distant, unapproachable aura.
Their eyes met by accident.
Song Yunqiao felt her heart skip a beat.
Even after Jiang Jiyuan had walked past, she still hadn’t recovered.
“Song Zhiqing? Song Zhiqing?”
Seeing her standing there in a daze, He Suxia called her several times before finally waving a hand in front of her.
Song Yunqiao snapped back to her senses.
Seeing that she had finally responded, He Suxia asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing… I just got lost in thought,” Song Yunqiao replied, a little awkwardly.
“That’s good. Let’s go.”
By now, the villagers were returning from work, and more people were appearing on the road. He Suxia could feel quite a few of them glancing their way.
Song Yunqiao nodded and followed, her cheeks faintly warm. It was the first time she had ever been so captivated by a man.
He Suxia, eager to leave quickly, didn’t notice the change in her.
Suddenly, Song Yunqiao asked, “He Zhiqing, who was that just now?”
“Which one?”
There had been quite a few people, so He Suxia wasn’t sure.
“The… tallest one,” Song Yunqiao said, almost blurting out “the most handsome.”
After thinking for a moment, He Suxia said, “You mean Jiang Jiyuan.”
Song Yunqiao pondered. So that was Jiang Jiyuan. He had been mentioned in the novel, but like the original host, he was only a supporting character—and an unlucky one at that. She remembered that he eventually ended up in prison because of the male and female leads, and after that, his mother and younger brothers also passed away. In short, his fate was tragic.
He Suxia kindly warned her, “If you see him again, stay far away from him, understand?”
“Why?”
“I was just about to tell you about the Jiang family earlier, but then we ran into him. Anyway, it’s better if you keep your distance.”
He Suxia didn’t usually encounter Jiang Jiyuan. Even when she did, she was either with other educated youths or far away. She had never been this close to him before. For some reason, just seeing him made her feel uneasy.
Meanwhile, Song Yunqiao was thinking that since Jiang Jiyuan was only a supporting character in the book, there hadn’t been much description of him. She hadn’t expected him to be so handsome—honestly, she felt he could outshine the male lead by miles.