Chapter 8: The Pretty Boy Youth Ye

They had been expecting that person to come over and bring things today as well.

But the next second, they were proven wrong.

Fang Youyou led a group of small children away with long strides, not stopping for even a moment.

"She didn't come over?"

"Did she not see Educated Youth Zhao?"

"That must be it. If she had seen Educated Youth Zhao, why wouldn't she come over to bring things?"

"It must be that."

However, Su Xue, who was not far away, lowered her eyes to hide the complex emotions within them.

Zhao Yiming also felt it was strange. In the past, whenever that chubby girl saw him, she would always come up to curry favor, but today, it was as if she hadn't seen him at all.

This feeling was strange.

That chubby girl finally stopped pestering him, which made him heave a sigh of relief; now, Educated Youth Su wouldn't misunderstand anymore.

This was a good thing.

Several curious educated youths stopped their work, looked at the group in the distance, snuck a glance at Zhao Yiming, then withdrew their gazes and lowered their heads to continue working.

The quotas for returning to the city and for the worker-peasant-soldier university were both in the hands of the Fang family's branch secretary and the Fang family's brigade leader. These two men were brothers, and the Fang family's only girl, Fang Youyou, was the easiest point of entry.

But this Comrade Fang was still young, only fifteen years old.

Fang Xiaosan was a sharp kid. He had noticed those educated youths. He knew that his aunt used to frequently bring food to that Educated Youth Zhao at the educated youth dormitory. He had even heard his mother say: "Your aunt is a fool. Educated youths will eventually return to the city; what will she do if she gets abandoned later?"

But he didn't think that Educated Youth Zhao was all that good-looking; he wasn't even as good-looking as that Educated Youth Ye. It was just that this Educated Youth Ye looked very difficult to talk to, yet many girls still snuck looks at him.

"Aunt, Educated Youth Ye is good-looking, better-looking than the female educated youths," Fang Xiaosan said very seriously.

A man better-looking than a woman?

She had seen such people before—men with feminine features.

She herself had once been mistaken for one.

Even when she wasn't in the capital, she had still been crowned the number one handsome man.

"You've seen him?"

The other little ones also chirped in, "Educated Youth Ye is good-looking."

Over there, Educated Youth Ye was forced to sneeze.

"Educated Youth Ye, do you have a cold?"

The educated youth who was called a "pretty boy" shook his head and responded to the female educated youth's concerned words with an expressionless face, "No."

They had been in the countryside for several months now, yet Educated Youth Ye hadn't tanned at all; he was even fairer than the female educated youths.

Fang Youyou brought the group of little ones home.

"Aunt, we'll head back first."

Although the little ones said this, their eyes couldn't look away from the pheasant and the birds; they wanted to eat them.

"I only went to wash some clothes, and you already took them into the mountains?" Mother Fang hadn't gone to work in the fields; she was at home watching her daughter. Besides, she was getting on in years and wasn't usually very busy, so she rarely went to work.

Her sons gave her grain every year; this had been agreed upon before the family split.

"Grandma..."

"Grandma, we're heading back first."

The little ones were still afraid of their grandmother, Mother Fang.

"You go play for now, and bring your bowls and chopsticks over at noon to eat."

Fang Youyou was thinking about the pheasant. She would stew a pot of it later so they could at least taste a bit of meat; she was too thin.

After the grandsons left, Mother Fang went to sort the chestnuts. Seeing the pheasant and birds inside, she began to nag incessantly, "If this chicken is to be eaten, it should be for you. Giving it to them is a waste of good things. Your body is too weak; you need to be nourished."

Sure enough, a mother always thinks her child is thin.

Although she hadn't weighed her, she could make a rough estimate: at least 150 jin, if not more.