Chapter 80: The Educated Youth Who Abandoned His Wife and Child – 11

He didn’t act coy either. With poise, he introduced, “This is Mingyue. You all know her, right? She’s my girlfriend.”

His candid way of introducing her earned admiration from the other educated youths.

As expected of someone who, like them, had come to the countryside—he handled things openly and honestly.

When encountering someone he liked, he had the courage to be true to himself and pursue genuine love.

He didn’t let the difference between City and Countryside stand in his way.

A real man.

“So Heiniu’s real name is Mingyue? I had no idea. We’ve all just been calling her Heiniu. I thought that was actually her name.”

“Same here. What a shame not to use such a beautiful name.”

“Exactly! From now on, we should call you Comrade Mingyue.”

“Right, right.”

Su Mingyue nodded happily. Finally, someone was calling her by her name—all thanks to Brother Shen.

As for her Brother Shen, he waved with a grin, saying, “Who knows, pretty soon you might be calling her Sister-in-law or Little Sis.”

As soon as he said that, a wave of laughter broke out.

“Wow, who would’ve thought—you’re the first among us to be getting married! Congratulations, congratulations!”

No one expected Shen Xiuyan, the most outstanding among them, to truly make up his mind to marry a countryside girl.

They had really misjudged him before, thinking he looked down on countryside folk.

“Alright, alright, I won’t joke around with you anymore,” he said, then squinted and pulled Su Mingyue outside. “Ignore them. They’re always like that.”

Su Mingyue’s face turned red, as if it could drip blood, but her heart was inexplicably full.

Brother Shen had actually acknowledged their relationship in front of everyone at the Educated Youth Station.

And he even said… said… they’d soon be changing how they address her…

Then, when she brought up her parents wanting to meet him, he probably wouldn’t turn her down, right?

“Mingyue?” Shen Xiuyan noticed the worry on her face. His deep, puzzled voice rang out again.

Su Mingyue didn’t dare look up. She stared at her toes and stammered, “I went home yesterday and told my family about us. My dad wants to meet you…”

She nervously added, “If—if you don’t want to go, I—I’ll go back and explain to them.”

Shen Xiuyan’s eyes lit up. He hadn’t expected Mingyue to already have told her family about them.

Well done.

That must mean she’s quite satisfied with him—otherwise, why wait until now to bring it up?

So confident.

He grinned a goofy smile that didn’t quite match his refined features.

“Let’s go, let’s go! We’d better hurry—don’t want my father-in—uh, I mean, the Brigade Leader—to wait too long!” Shen Xiuyan blurted out without thinking.

Then he took Su Mingyue’s hand and strode ahead with long, determined steps, afraid of being late and leaving a bad impression on his future father-in-law.

Su Mingyue stumbled a bit from his urgency, but quickly matched his pace.

She stared at the back of Shen Xiuyan’s head and smiled giddily.

Hehe~

Father-in-law~~~

Brother Shen called her dad father-in-law~~~~

He must be even more eager to get married than she is.

Su Mingyue’s heart was brimming with joy.
Liu Yanyun watched as Brigade Leader Su paced back and forth in front of her, feeling dizzy. She said with a note of disdain, “Hey, old man, can you just sit still for a minute?”

Brigade Leader Su gave her a slightly resentful look with his sun-darkened face.

This was their daughter’s lifelong happiness. How many people could stay calm about such a thing?

Liu Yanyun inexplicably sensed a bit of grievance in his eyes.

“……”

Alright, maybe she spoke too soon. If the girl’s father wanted to pace, let him pace.

It’s not like she was the one tiring herself out. Worst case, she’d just stop watching.

Seeing that his wife didn’t say anything else, Brigade Leader Su resumed pacing with satisfaction, like a headless fly waiting for his final judgment.

The creak of the door broke the silence. With lightning speed, Brigade Leader Su darted to the table and sat down properly.

Still as a mountain—he looked nothing like the man who had been anxiously pacing.

But the slight tremble in his fingers gave him away. To calm himself, he grabbed the bowl of water in front of him and gulped it down.

He drank too fast and choked, breaking into a fit of coughing. He clutched one hand over the other to stop the trembling.

Then he turned to Liu Yanyun and said with forced calm, “Yanyun, go see if it’s them.”

Liu Yanyun felt like she was watching a dramatic performance. Holding back a laugh, she asked, “Why don’t you go?”

Brigade Leader Su chuckled sheepishly, trying to be charming. “I’m so nervous my legs have gone weak.”

Liu Yanyun gave him a sideways look. Such a coward—where did all that pacing energy go?

She walked to the door and glanced out. “It’s them.”

She turned and said, “I’ll go welcome them.”

“Go, go.” Brigade Leader Su was still busy bracing himself mentally.

As Shen Xiuyan stepped through the Su family’s gate, a woman emerged to greet them.

He was startled at first but quickly collected himself.

He hadn’t expected to have a mother-in-law in this life—but it was a good thing. At least Mingyue’s life would be more joyful.

He recalled how Mingyue had often reminisced about her late mother.

Unconsciously, he straightened his posture and put on his best manners as he walked forward.

If it were just Old Su alone, he would’ve felt confident—after all, they were practically familiar now.

But the mother-in-law was a first. Since he didn’t yet know her temperament, he had to be ten times more cautious, and work extra hard to win her favor.

As the distance between them shrank, Liu Yanyun finally got a clear look at him for the first time.

Then, without thinking, she swallowed hard.

Oh my…

This young man was far too ethereal…

How does her daughter not get self-conscious standing next to him…

People always said that Shen, the educated youth, was handsome, but since he had nothing to do with her directly, she’d never paid much attention.

Now that she took a closer look, she instantly began to question what, exactly, this educated youth saw in her daughter.

The young man before her shone like a flawless jade, radiating a glow that could not be ignored. His eyes were full of emotion, his figure tall and slender, and his lips curled into a faint smile that gave him a gentle, noble aura. A person like that standing here looked completely out of place in this small rural village…

Such a man—what kind of City woman couldn’t he marry? Yet he came to their village to marry a Countryside woman.

Although no educated youth who’d gone to the countryside had yet returned to the City, that didn’t mean it would never happen. What if things changed with time…

Weren’t plenty of people at the educated youth station thinking the same way?

Only those with poor family backgrounds, without parents or support, would seriously consider marrying and settling down in the countryside.

Why?

Why on earth?

Liu Yanyun’s mind was practically spinning like a mosquito coil.

She truly couldn’t figure it out…

“Hello, Auntie,” Shen Xiuyan’s voice interrupted her thoughts.

Liu Yanyun replied with a stammer that was even tinged with respect, “Hello, hello—please, come in.”

A trace of confusion flashed in Shen Xiuyan’s eyes. Why was his future mother-in-law’s attitude different from what he’d imagined? She even seemed a little afraid of him?

But he didn’t dare let his guard down. Maintaining his proper manners, he said, “Please, go ahead. We’ll follow behind you.”

As Liu Yanyun walked in front, she felt like she’d forgotten how to use her own legs.

No one had warned her this Shen educated youth would be such a striking figure. If she’d known earlier, she definitely wouldn’t have come out.

This job should’ve been left to that old man. She really couldn’t handle it.