Chapter 77: Chapter 77: As Bright as Snow, Good News at the Educated Youth Spot

“Hey, you there—Xiao Gu, come over and help the guests carry their luggage upstairs!” the manager called out loudly.

Gu Lanting put down his cleaning rag, quickly wiped his hands, and hurried over to help the guests with their suitcases.

The suitcase was quite heavy. Gu Lanting mustered all his strength just to lift it, struggling to carry it upstairs.

By the time he finally reached the second floor, he couldn’t help but gasp for breath.

The female guest, perhaps noticing how hard he was working, politely took out a banknote and handed it to him. “Thank you for your help.”

She actually gave him a tip—Gu Lanting was a little surprised. After hesitating for three seconds, he reached out and accepted the money.

“Thank you!”

Ten yuan.

That was half a month’s salary for him.

The woman looked at his face and suddenly exclaimed in surprise, “Are you… Xiaotingzi?”

That nickname instantly uncovered memories Gu Lanting had long buried.

Looking closely, he realized the woman in front of him was his childhood best friend, Ming Ruxue.

Didn’t she go abroad with her parents? Why had she suddenly come back?

She was dressed in stylish clothes, staying at the best overseas Chinese hotel, and could casually hand out a ten-yuan tip.

Meanwhile, he had become a waiter, living in embarrassment, making a living by serving others.

The difference between them now was like heaven and earth.

He instinctively avoided her gaze.

“You must be mistaken. My name isn’t Xiaotingzi.”

With that, he turned and fled in embarrassment, even tripping and falling flat on his face at the door.

After work that evening, he didn’t know why, but he found himself standing outside his high school, looking at the lit-up classrooms inside, feeling empty inside.

“Gu Lanting? Why haven’t you been coming to school? You’ve got a letter and a package—they were sent to our school. The teacher asked me to give them to you, but I haven’t been able to find you,” the class monitor suddenly called out to him.

Gu Lanting, puzzled, followed the class monitor to collect his letter and package.

On the way, the two chatted about a lot of things.

“Gu Lanting, I hope that no matter what situation you’re in, you never forget that knowledge is power, and learning is a lifelong journey,” the class monitor encouraged him before leaving.

“Okay, thank you.”

Only after receiving the letter did Gu Lanting realize it was from his older sister. He opened it right away.

To his surprise, there were thirty yuan tucked inside the envelope.

His sister was living in the countryside—where did she get so much money?

He couldn’t help but start to worry.

The next day, he immediately sent a reply.

—

The autumn harvest was exhausting, but the whole family seemed to have puffed up like balloons, visibly putting on weight.

Especially Xu Huaian, who used to be skin and bones.

Now, he was filling out nicely.

Not only had he gained weight, but his muscles were firm and well-defined. After a day’s work, his sweat-soaked shirt clung to his body, outlining attractive lines that made it hard for people to look away—lest they couldn’t help themselves.

One night, Gu Qinghuan went to the bathroom and happened to catch Xu Huaian taking a cold shower in the yard. She was startled at first, but then couldn’t help drooling—was this physique even human?

Every muscle was perfectly placed—not overly bulky, not skinny, just right in all the places that tugged at her heartstrings.

It was just a pity he was wearing shorts; otherwise, the view would have been even better.

Xu Huaian, worried he’d startled Gu Qinghuan, hurried to put on his clothes.

But then he noticed a certain someone was sneaking glances at him, especially at his lower abdomen, her gaze lingering.

Suddenly, he had an epiphany—he finally understood how to “seduce” Gu Qinghuan.

Doesn’t matter if it’s a black cat or a white cat—as long as it catches mice, it’s a good cat.

So, for a while after that, Gu Qinghuan found herself “accidentally” running into Xu Huaian changing clothes all the time.

Whenever they were working in the space, he’d always complain about the heat, wandering around shirtless, making her sneak peeks again and again. Sigh, that body—what a specimen. Too bad she could only look, not touch.

With Chen Jianghe and Gu Qinghuan both married and moved out, there were some changes at the educated youth compound.

Jiang Xue had fallen ill and was depressed for a while.

Her sidekick, Qiu Shuxia, suddenly married Qian Caihua’s son, Tugen.

Tugen was deeply infatuated with Gu Qinghuan. Qian Caihua had tried to set him up with several village beauties, but none were willing. So she set her sights on the educated youth.

She knew her son wanted someone educated.

Jiang Xue was too much trouble and was also Chen Jianghe’s backup plan—not suitable.

Lin Shengnan was tall, strong, and ate a lot—a rice bucket. She might eat the family out of house and home, and her son probably wouldn’t like that.

There was also Luo Ruyue, who looked okay but was too short—what if she had short children?

Qiu Shuxia, on the other hand, was pretty balanced in all aspects—decent looks, hardworking, and obedient, easy to manage.

So Qian Caihua steeled herself, brought 110 yuan as a bride price, and used her silver tongue to persuade Qiu Shuxia to marry Tugen.

Tugen, knowing Gu Qinghuan was out of reach, figured that at least Qiu Shuxia was an educated youth, gentle and soft-spoken—not bad. He happily agreed to the marriage.

Qiu Shuxia also understood that as she got older, if she couldn’t return to the city, she needed someone to rely on. The older she got, the harder it would be to find someone.

As for the men at the educated youth spot, they could barely support themselves—she didn’t dare take the risk.

She knew Qian Caihua’s son, Tugen—he was a decent-looking guy, considered a good catch in Xujiatun.

If she was destined to spend her life in Xujiatun, it was better to find a local, just like Gu Qinghuan did. Being a local’s wife was better than being an educated youth.

You had to admit, this girl might be muddled in daily life, but she was clear-headed when it came to big decisions.

Unlike Jiang Xue, who aimed too high and ended up wasting her own time.

If this were modern times, Jiang Xue would be the type of young woman who yearned for freedom. But in this era, she was already considered an old maid—over twenty and still unmarried, while her peers were all married.

Her future would be tough.

Qiu Shuxia and Tugen’s wedding was quite respectable.

Qian Caihua was tough on the outside but soft on the inside—loud in public, but good to her family.

For their wedding banquet, Gu Qinghuan was invited by Qian Caihua. Qiu Shuxia, perhaps feeling guilty for having offended Gu Qinghuan before, was too embarrassed to invite her.

But Qian Caihua came right to her door and invited Gu Qinghuan to the banquet.

Of course, Gu Qinghuan went and gave fifty cents as a wedding gift.

After Qiu Shuxia left, there were only three female educated youths left at the spot: Jiang Xue, Lin Shengnan, and Luo Ruyue, along with three male educated youths: Zhu Chunlin, Song Chunlai, and Jiang Hong.

No one was left to manage the big and small affairs at the educated youth spot.

Problems started cropping up within a few days.

No one was managing the communal supplies like grain and firewood. When it came time to pick someone, everyone felt it wasn’t quite right.

There were a few squabbles at the educated youth spot.

Not long after, Lin Shengnan and Zhu Chunlin announced that they had officially formed a “revolutionary friendship” and would live separately.

The two moved in together in Zhu Chunlin’s room—after Chen Jianghe moved out, he lived alone.

Although they still lived at the educated youth spot, their food and kitchen were completely separate.

To be honest, the two were quite a good match—both had good personalities and were willing to work hard, not looking for shortcuts.

Lin Shengnan might seem a bit simple-minded, but she was actually quite shrewd—life would get better for her.

Gu Qinghuan also gave them fifty cents as a wedding gift.

Lin Shengnan was a bit embarrassed—they hadn’t given anything when Gu Qinghuan got married.

A lot of people got married in the winter, since it was the only time of year when things slowed down, there was enough food, and people had some extra money.

So lately, there had been quite a few weddings in the village."