Chapter 84: Educated Youth Who Abandoned His Wife and Child -15

After a moment, everyone finally snapped out of their daze—shocked beyond belief.

With this almost unbelievable idea in their heads, they couldn’t help but follow behind Shen Xiuyan’s bicycle.

Sure enough, after twisting and turning through a few paths, the Bicycle came to a stop at the Brigade Leader’s front gate.

By this time, lunch had already been eaten, and a good number of nosy villagers had long gathered at the Brigade Leader’s house, hoping to hear the latest gossip firsthand.

But after waiting for quite a while, no one had shown up.

Some people, their thoughts tinged with malice, were thinking: So the old Brigade Leader is finally going to be embarrassed at his age?

Could it be that Shen Xiuyan got cold feet and backed out?

If that really happened, now that would be something to talk about.

The busybodies began to cluster together, and their gossip grew more and more outrageous. Just as everyone was convinced that Shen Xiuyan must have bailed at the last minute—he actually arrived.

And not only did he show up—he rode in on a bicycle.

Gasps rang out like a wave, one after another, completely unstoppable.

Humans are visual creatures, after all.

That tall, handsome young man stood there, propping up his clearly expensive bicycle with one hand, tilting his head in mild confusion at the gathered crowd.

The image hit them like a thunderclap.

Shen Xiuyan, already good-looking to begin with, now stood out even more dazzlingly with that aura—he nearly blinded them all.

Hearing the commotion outside, Brigade Leader Su hurried over.

When he saw Shen Xiuyan, a smile bloomed on his face. “Xiuyan, you’re here.”

Shen Xiuyan swiftly dismounted and gave the Bicycle a light pat. “Here you go.”

“Oh, good, good.” Brigade Leader Su beamed as he took the Bicycle, gazing at the Phoenix-brand bicycle like it was a treasure.

Still puzzled by the constant gasps, Shen Xiuyan glanced at the crowd and asked, “Brigade Leader, who are all these people?”

Did they come to the gate to practice qigong?

But even qigong isn’t practiced like this…

Brigade Leader Su snapped out of his embarrassment, scratching his head as he explained sheepishly, “Somehow they all found out that you courting Mingyue. They came to ask me about it today, and I told them you two are getting married soon—so they’re all curious and came to take a look.”

He’d let it slip in a moment of pride—and now look at the fuss it caused.

He wasn’t sure whether the kid would be upset.

But Shen Xiuyan didn’t seem upset at all. In fact, he couldn’t be happier for the whole world to know about his relationship with Mingyue.

He casually pulled out a few handfuls of candy. “Didn’t expect everyone to already know—well, anyone who’s here gets a piece of the joy.”

Seeing he was about to hand out candy, the crowd surged forward.

Candy was a luxury in those days—you couldn’t give too much. One piece per person would do just fine.

Even so, people still praised Shen Xiuyan’s generosity.

After all, it wasn’t a wedding banquet, just a bit of excitement, and they still managed to score some sweets? That was rare.

Chewing on the rich, milky candy, someone remarked with emotion—it was even the kind that cost one fen per piece. Shen Xiuyan really spared no expense in marrying his bride.

Everyone having tasted a bit of that festive air, the mood naturally turned more pleasant.

Someone boldly asked, “Shen Xiuyan, where did you get this Bicycle from?”

Shen Xiuyan answered with a smile, “I bought it.”

“What!” A few people gasped again, not daring to believe it. So this really was Shen Xiuyan’s own bicycle?

Shen Xiuyan added, “I mean, I’m getting married. Originally, I planned to get the full ‘Three Turns and one sound,’ but Brigade Leader thought it’d be too hard on a poor down-to-the-countryside educated youth like me, so he only let me buy a Bicycle.”

The onlookers: “…”

What were they supposed to say to that?

Three Turns and one sound? Brigade Leader, you’ve really got some nerve. Heiniu is worth that?

Has anyone in this village ever gotten all that when marrying? Just this one bicycle alone would be something to brag about for years—and you’re talking about all Three Turns and a radio?

Poor Brigade Leader Su—his reputation took a hit for nothing.

Sensing the mob’s mood turning, Shen Xiuyan quickly spoke up, “Don’t look at Brigade Leader like that. He didn’t ask for anything—but I can’t not give something, right? Marriage is once in a lifetime. It’s got to be dignified.”

The way people looked at Shen Xiuyan changed.

Look at how beautifully he put that.

He gave Brigade Leader plenty of face—just look, his expression was practically glowing with pride.

If they’d known he could afford a Bicycle, even if it meant losing face, they’d have pushed their daughters to follow Shen Xiuyan around every day.

Who would’ve thought this frail, sickly-looking educated youth would turn out to be so wealthy?

And buying a Bicycle seemed like no big deal to him at all…

Don’t ask—if you ask, they’re just full of regret.

The kind that seeps into your bones.

Brigade Leader Su noticed the crowd’s eyes turning green as they stared at his future son-in-law. No way—he had to protect this gem.

Where else would you find such a thoughtful, respectful son-in-law?

Protectiveness welled up in him.

Turning to the crowd with a smile, he said, “Alright, you’ve all seen enough—time to go. Xiuyan, let’s go.”

“Coming.” Shen Xiuyan answered and followed him in.

Watching Brigade Leader Su lead Shen Xiuyan away like they were fleeing the scene of a crime, the crowd couldn’t help but laugh.

But the moment their eyes fell back on that bicycle—they couldn’t laugh anymore.

If only they’d seized the chance, maybe it would be them rushing into the house like that now.

Not that they were greedy for the Bicycle or anything—they just wanted to experience what it felt like to escape into a house.

…Okay, even they didn’t believe that.

They were just plain jealous.

Sigh, a skinny camel is still bigger than a horse.

This down-to-the-countryside educated youth clearly came from a better family than any of them here. No wonder he didn’t want to marry a village girl and only ever thought about going back to the city.

Shen Xiuyan’s off the market—but maybe they could start eyeing the other educated youths. Who knows, they might just get lucky.

Not far from the Su household, under a big tree, Huaizi bit her lip so hard she was about to draw blood.

She hated it. If Su Mingyue hadn’t suddenly appeared, the one everyone was envying now would have been her.

A bicycle. A bicycle!

She might never be able to afford one in her entire life.

Why was Heiniu not only able to find a good man, but also easily receive a Bicycle as a gift?

Was Shen Xiuyan blind, that he didn’t pick her but chose some Heiniu?

Blinded by jealousy, her mind was clouded. She gritted her teeth and cursed Heiniu, swearing her days ahead would be miserable.

Her friends beside her were just as green with envy, muttering bitterly:

“Just wait, Shen Xiuyan must have an ulterior motive for marrying her!”

“Exactly, that’s gotta be it. Otherwise, who would ignore Huaizi and go pick Heiniu?”

“There’s no way she’ll live a good life in the future.”

“Yeah, yeah—she’ll definitely regret it someday.”

Fortunately, in this era, the worst thing they could do was curse her.

No matter how angry or jealous they were, all they could do was stand there—furious and powerless.

—————

Qigong is a traditional Chinese practice that combines gentle movement, breathing, and meditation to cultivate and balance qi (life energy). It’s used for health, healing, and inner peace. There are medical, martial, and spiritual types. Benefits include reduced stress, improved energy, and better overall well-being.