By the time Li Yi returned to the village, it was already past four in the afternoon.
After unloading his newly purchased supplies at home, he packed up a bunch of items and headed over to the Knowledge Youth Settlement! Although they weren't officially married yet, Li Yi had already decided that Tang Xue was going to be his wife. He knew that life at the settlement was tough, and he couldn't help but want to bring her some nutritious food.
Besides, as far as Li Yi could tell, Tang Xue was likely already carrying his little one.
Since Tang Xue was now eating for two, he had to make sure she had all the nutrients she needed.
When he arrived at the settlement, however, he found her dorm locked. She wasn't there.
He didn't need to guess—she must have gone out to work!
Even though the movement to send knowledge youth back to the cities had already started nationwide and the college entrance exams had been reinstated for three years, only those with good academic performance or connections had managed to leave the countryside.
But those who went back were a minority, and most knowledge youth still waited in the countryside, holding out for their chance to return.
Take the settlement in Nianzi Mountain, for example. Originally, there were 16 male and female knowledge youth there, but over the years, only five had returned to the city. Eleven were still waiting at the settlement.
Life for the ones who stayed was as hard as ever. They still had to work with the production team every day to earn work points; otherwise, they'd be short on food by autumn.
However, now that university was an option, many of them studied late into the night after work.
In short, the unmarried knowledge youth all had one goal—going back to the city!
Li Yi asked around and learned that today's work assignment was weeding, over by the small river bend.
The small river bend wasn't far from the village, maybe a kilometer away, so Li Yi just carried the items and headed over.
In the cornfield, Tang Xue was working alongside the rest of the production team, hoeing the ground.
The corn plants had already grown over ten centimeters tall, so this was the time for loosening the soil, weeding, and thinning the corn seedlings to make sure the remaining plants had enough nutrients.
As they worked, Zhang Xinyao, a fellow villager, asked, "Little Xue, are you really going to marry Li Yi?"
Tang Xue nodded and replied, "Things are already like this. Do I really have another choice?"
"Well… you're right, you don't have much choice now. But once you marry Li Yi, your household registration will be moved to Qingshan County, and going back to the city later won't be possible. Don't you think it's a pity?" Zhang Xinyao said.
Thinking about a future spent with her back to the earth, tied to these labor-intensive fields, Tang Xue's spirits began to sink.
"Maybe this is just fate," Tang Xue sighed.
"Li Yi might not be the best match. If you really don't want to marry him, you could just pretend nothing ever happened."
"How could I do that?"
"Why not? You've already received the notice to return to the city. As long as you get a letter from the team leader, you can leave."
Zhang Xinyao continued, "Once you leave, chances are you'll never see or hear about the people and things here again. You could treat everything that happened here as just a dream."
Tang Xue was left stunned by Zhang Xinyao's words.
It had all happened so suddenly, catching her completely off guard. She had been cornered on that kang bed, leaving her in such a daze that she'd been wandering around in a trance for days.
Whether it was marriage or anything else, she had been passively going along with the Li family's wishes, barely thinking for herself.
But now, after hearing Zhang Xinyao's words, Tang Xue suddenly felt she might have other choices.
Yet, thinking of her family's situation, Tang Xue hesitated.
Life in the countryside was hard, but it was only physically demanding.
If she returned to the city, facing her family members might not be any better—perhaps it could even be worse.
"Let's just drop it, Xinyao. Some things happen, and they're done. Maybe I can run away for a while, but can I really avoid it forever?"
"True, but if you marry Li Yi, what about your Brother Cheng? Can you truly let go of him?"
Zhang Xinyao knew Tang Xue well, as they had come from the same place and shared a close bond.
She knew that Tang Xue had someone special in her heart, named Tan Cheng, a childhood friend from the same courtyard.
If none of this had happened, Tang Xue would probably have returned to the city and married Tan Cheng.
Hearing Tan Cheng's name made Tang Xue's grip on her hoe tremble slightly.
But soon, her expression turned calm again. She knew she was no longer worthy of Brother Cheng.
He was so exceptional, like a prince from a fairy tale, someone out of reach.
And she? Her parents had sent her off to the countryside, where she had even lost her virtue. She didn't even qualify as a Cinderella; how could she dare to hope to stand by his side?
"Enough, Xinyao. There's no going back; it's all over now."
Seeing the tears Tang Xue struggled to hold back, Zhang Xinyao sighed deeply. "Little Xue, don't be too hard on yourself. You have to look forward, no matter what!"
"All these years here, we've faced every kind of hardship and endured all kinds of trials. I believe there's no obstacle we can't overcome, as long as we don't give up on ourselves!"
"Mm."
"As for now, Li Yi might not be the best choice, but the Li family has an impeccable reputation. If you really do decide to marry him, you'll have his parents' support, and you get along well with Li Na, too. Life won't be all that bad."
Zhang Xinyao continued, "And if Li Yi could settle down a bit after marriage, it might not be unbearable."
Tang Xue gave a bitter smile. "You know what kind of person Li Yi is—do you think he can settle down?"
"Well… maybe… possibly… he could…"
Everyone knew Li Yi's character—lazy, aimless, a complete loafer around town.
If he didn't get worse, that'd be a relief. Expecting him to settle down? Pure wishful thinking.
So even though Zhang Xinyao wanted to console Tang Xue, she couldn't bring herself to say anything too far from the truth.
As she pondered what to say, she saw a tall figure approaching them.
When she recognized who it was, Zhang Xinyao nervously said, "Little Xue, look, isn't that Li Yi?"
Tang Xue looked up, and sure enough, it was Li Yi. A wave of unease washed over her.
For some reason, she remembered the things he'd boldly declared in front of so many people yesterday, each word full of conviction.
"I… I'll go see…"
Zhang Xinyao grinned and said, "Go on. I'll take over your tasks!"
Tang Xue blushed, thanked her quickly, and hurried over to Li Yi.