Chapter 79: Educated Youth Who Abandoned His Wife and Child -10

Early the next morning.

The morning earth gave off a unique fragrance, and dew still clung to the leaves, not yet dissipated.

The sky had just begun to brighten with a hazy white light. The sun hadn’t yet risen above the horizon, but the three members of the Su family were already up.

Su Mingyue, just shaken awake, was still a little dazed.

She glanced out at the sky, confused—what was going on? Why was she being woken up so early?

It was still far from the time to head to the fields.

Liu Yanyun patted her daughter’s face. “Mingyue, wake up. Your father said to go call Educated Youth Shen over to our house.”

“???”

Su Mingyue’s brain hadn’t quite caught up, and hearing something like that out of the blue, she was momentarily stunned.

Liu Yanyun continued, “Have him come over early for a talk, it won’t delay fieldwork later.”

Worthy of his title, Su Brigade Leader truly had the work ethic of a brigade leader—no matter how major the event, even his daughter’s marriage, it couldn’t interfere with his scheduled labor.

“Oh…” Su Mingyue responded blankly.

Then, finally, her brain booted up and everything clicked into place.

“!!!”

“Mom, why so early? Can’t we do this tonight…”

She still wanted to talk to Brother Shen first to coordinate their story.

Liu Yanyun thought to herself, Of course not. The whole point was to catch him off guard.

No time to prepare meant any flaws would be easier to spot.

But she didn’t let that show. Instead, she gently touched her silly daughter’s head. “Didn’t you say you wanted to get married? Then it should be swift and decisive.”

Su Mingyue widened her eyes. “Still, isn’t this a bit too fast…”

Liu Yanyun smiled faintly. “Not at all. Didn’t Educated Youth Shen already propose to you? Since the intention’s there, it’s all the more reason to have a good talk right away.”

Thinking about it, she added for persuasion, “Last month, Er Niu from the village got married just like that. One introduction, both sides liked each other, and by the second week she was already married. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s pregnant by now.”

“All right, don’t just stand there—go on. Your dad’s going to get impatient.”

That old man had been tossing and turning all night. Who knew what he was thinking? He’d even made her lose sleep.

If everything went well and they still had time left, maybe she could squeeze in a nap before heading to the fields.

After washing her face and brushing her teeth, Su Mingyue floated out the door like a ghost.

Wuwu~ why so fast…

They didn’t even give her a moment to prepare.

And what if Brother Shen thought she was desperate to get married?

Nervously, she arrived at the gate of the educated youth quarters. At this hour, everyone was just starting to wake up, cooking breakfast by the outdoor stove.

Someone spotted Su Mingyue and subtly nudged the person next to them.

“Hey, look over there.”

“Whoa, isn’t that the brigade leader’s daughter? What’s she doing here?”

That person looked stunned. “No way. You don’t know? Educated Youth Shen is dating her.”

“What!!” The person practically shrieked, drawing everyone’s attention.

Seeing all eyes on him, he shrank his neck and muttered to the person next to him, “Since when? I had no idea.”

“I only found out yesterday. Must’ve been going on for a while. You know those few girls who used to trail after Shen Xiuyan all the time? They spread the word all over the village yesterday. By now, pretty much everyone knows.”

“Damn, unrequited love—must be eating them alive.”

“Hahaha, you’re not wrong.”

These educated youths generally looked down on the village girls.

Since Shen Xiuyan was one of them—a fellow educated youth—they naturally sided with him.

If he had shown any interest in those girls, the gossip might have been understandable. But Shen Xiuyan had always kept his distance from them. So what business was it of theirs who he dated?

The moment Su Mingyue stepped into the compound, she could feel the stares coming at her from all directions.

Her feet faltered. She didn’t know if she should continue forward.

Just then, a female educated youth greeted her warmly, “Heiniu, you’re here to see Shen Xiuyan, right? I just saw him go wash up. He’ll be out soon.”

Su Mingyue sensed her kindness and smiled in response. “Okay.”

But that smile set off another round of whispers.

“Honestly, this Heiniu—aside from being a bit dark—doesn’t seem to have any other flaws. She actually looks kind of pretty. No wonder Shen Xiuyan’s into her.”

“Yeah, and she’s the brigade leader’s daughter. Hardworking, good-tempered—if I were marrying a village girl, I’d pick someone like her too.”

“Ha! Give it up. Don’t think I don’t know about you—you’re still holding out hope of returning to the city, right? City girls aren’t the same as village ones.”

The other rolled his eyes. “And you’re not?”

“Of course I am. That’s why I respect Shen Xiuyan.”

“What’s there to respect? Just means it’s true love.”

Shen Xiuyan hadn’t done anything, but his reputation suddenly soared—at least among the educated youths.

After all, none of them knew the original owner’s dark inner thoughts.

Freshly washed and just stepping outside, Shen Xiuyan immediately spotted Su Mingyue looking like a lost little rabbit, standing nervously like she’d wandered into a den of wolves—utterly helpless.

He quickly walked over, beaming with joy. “Mingyue, what brings you here?”

“Yo, Xiuyan, you came out pretty fast, huh.”

“Yeah, did you sense Heiniu was here or something?”

The crowd burst into playful teasing.