Volume One, Chapter Nine: The Unreasonable Educated Youth Zhang Yulan

After Liu Guihua had walked away and the lively crowd had dispersed, the onlookers each bent down to tend to their work in the fields, and the brief commotion was soon forgotten.

The sun today was as scorching as ever. It was nearly the end of July, and Yu Nian’an calculated that given the geography, it wouldn’t truly cool down until September.

Her eyes casually glanced toward Gu Shen, who was working two ridges away. The half-sleeve of his shirt revealed an arm sunburned to a reddish hue, but his complexion looked much better than it had a few days ago.

It seemed his constitution was strong; his recovery was swift.

Seeing that he had adapted, she withdrew her gaze and resolved to finish her share of the day’s work quickly so she could return home and see how her little courtyard had changed.

It wasn’t that she distrusted Uncle Jianping or his two nephews, but witnessing the transformation firsthand would bring greater satisfaction.

After clocking out and greeting Aunt Chunxing, Yu Nian’an hurried home. At that moment, Ye Xiao arrived just in time to see her departing figure.

“Hey, I say, this young lady is always in such a rush every day,” Ye Xiao remarked.

Gu Shen watched the spirited figure, full of energy and purpose with every step, and shook his head.

For three whole days, he hadn’t even learned her name, let alone anything else.

Fortunately, Ye Xiao’s question was casual and fleeting, not dwelling too long on it. After Gu Shen tidied himself up, they headed together to find Lin Zhi, who was at the other end.

The woman responsible for Lin Zhi’s care was a familiar-looking auntie, currently chatting with her.

Conversations among the older generation rarely strayed from a few topics. Lin Zhi’s gentle nature showed no discomfort as she responded kindly.

A passerby teased, “Oh, Sister-in-law, why are you always dragging little Lin Zhi around? Are you thinking of making her your daughter-in-law?”

Laughter erupted around.

Lin Zhi’s expression remained unchanged, though her smile faded slightly. The auntie was about to retort when an intrusive, discordant voice cut in.

It was Zhang Yulan, a female educated youth from the same batch as Lin Zhi.

“Auntie, if you’re thinking that, you better drop it. Lin Zhi can barely handle those two already; don’t let your son get involved too,” she said sharply.

At that moment, Ye Xiao and Gu Shen walked over.

Hearing those words, they immediately realized the two mentioned were themselves.

Ye Xiao’s face darkened; he had not taken a liking to Zhang Yulan since their arrival.

The Yu family’s brigade was located in a small county town under Dong Province. Without a train line directly there, they had traveled by bus from the nearby city to the county, then walked to the brigade.

Lin Zhi suffered from motion sickness and, after getting off the bus, had walked under the sun for nearly two hours before fainting upon arrival at the youth work station.

Gu Shen had helped her to a shaded spot to rest. Seeing her still dazed, Ye Xiao had taken her luggage inside and even made up her bed. When he came out, Zhang Yulan had also fainted.

Among the five of them—two men and three women—two had fainted immediately. Gu Shen and Ye Xiao exchanged glances. Another female youth seeing this screamed and ran out to find the party secretary who had brought them.

The older youths were all working in the fields. Ye Xiao approached the unconscious Zhang Yulan and helped her to the eaves but refrained from touching her belongings.

They were hardly acquainted, and if anything went missing later, it would be hard to explain.

When Zhang Yulan slowly regained consciousness and found her luggage scattered across the yard, she immediately confronted them, asking why they hadn’t helped gather it.

Ye Xiao voiced his concerns, only for her to turn and accuse Lin Zhi, “But you took her things inside?”

“We grew up together. What do you think?” Ye Xiao replied.

Zhang Yulan’s face flushed with embarrassment. She spat at him, “So what if you grew up together? Aren’t we all comrades sent down to the countryside?”

Ye Xiao found Zhang Yulan unreasonable and refused to argue further. He turned and went to the male dormitory.

He thought it was just a minor incident, but that evening in the kitchen, Zhang Yulan made another capitalist-leaning remark, and from then on, Ye Xiao kept his distance.

Yet, since she was a female comrade, he never showed it openly and avoided her when possible.

But today’s words, spoken publicly, not only smeared Lin Zhi but also implicated them, risking gossip.

He didn’t care for himself, but Gu Shen’s situation was delicate; he couldn’t afford to be talked about.

With that in mind, Ye Xiao stepped forward, feigning sudden realization. “I was wondering why Zhang Yulan is always hanging around this patch of land. Turns out, she’s got her eye on someone’s son.”

Zhang Yulan was caught off guard by this unexpected remark and was momentarily speechless, staring at him in disbelief.

Seeing her reaction, Ye Xiao smirked. So she only dared bully Lin Zhi.

He pressed his advantage, “Maybe tomorrow I should speak to the brigade secretary about assigning you to this field, so you can keep a closer eye on things?”

Changing the subject was the best way to divert attention, and clearly, it worked. People’s gaze shifted from Lin Zhi to Zhang Yulan.

No one pondered who the two people Zhang Yulan had referred to were.

The auntie seemed to have taken the words to heart, though she had noticed Zhang Yulan’s recent laziness during work and openly showed her disdain.

Zhang Yulan’s face paled instantly, and she fled from the field as if escaping danger.

With the excitement gone, the others gradually dispersed. Before leaving, the auntie took Lin Zhi’s hand gently and said, “Girl, you’ll be working in my field again tomorrow. I just find you so dear, like my own daughter who married far away. Don’t take it the wrong way.”

Lin Zhi smiled and nodded.

Yu Nian’an missed this small uproar. By now, she was almost at home and could see that the stone wall outside her courtyard had been built up to half a person’s height.

The progress was rapid.

The old broken door had been completely removed, leaving only the doorway for people to pass through.

Entering, Yu Nian’an saw Uncle Jianping digging a pit on the left side of the house, while his two nephews handled the wall construction.

The division of labor was clear, and at this pace, the work would surely be done in two or three days.

Seeing them busy, Yu Nian’an pitched in by carrying away the clumps of earth they had dug up.

Since her household did not provide meals, by the time the last rays of sunlight faded, Yu Jianping had packed away the tools and was ready to leave.

Before departing, Yu Nian’an called out to him, a tinge of apology on her face.

“Uncle, I have to go to the county tomorrow. If we run out of water, you might have to boil some yourselves.”

Hearing this, Yu Jianping shrugged, not thinking it a big deal. “No problem, girl. Don’t worry; we can handle it.”

After seeing them out of the courtyard, Yu Nian’an gathered some stones and stacked them in the doorway, forming a makeshift “stone gate.” Though not solid enough to fully block entry, it would crumble if someone tried to step over it, serving as a warning.

She hadn’t forgotten that Yu Dingguo still bore a grudge against her. If he sneaked in under cover of darkness without a sound, she might fall into his trap.