Chapter 373: Chapter 369: Don’t Love Me Too Much

The punk, Hu Ziqiang, completely avoided meeting Li Hongmei’s eager eyes.

Bracing himself, he walked into the yard, silently picked up an axe, and started chopping firewood.

He used to be an educated man. It was only after coming to the Qingshan Team that he learned how to do farm work.

And he’d gotten quite good at it, too.

Plus, with Li Hongmei watching from the side, he was desperate not to be looked down on, so he put all his energy into chopping the wood.

The female educated youths peered through the window at the two people outside and started whispering.

"Before, Li Hongmei wouldn’t admit she was seeing Hu Ziqiang, but now she has to go outside just to watch him chop wood. And she still says she’s not into him."

"If that isn’t ’like,’ I’ll eat my hat."

The others strongly agreed.

’If they’re dating, they should just admit it. Everyone can already tell. Why are they sneaking around and hiding it from us? Is there any point to it?’

’Even if they wanted to hide it, they could at least not be so obvious when they meet. But they’re so blatant and still refuse to admit a thing.’

’The only thing tough about them is their mouths.’

The male educated youths were much the same.

They watched Li Hongmei stare adoringly at Hu Ziqiang, and one of them commented with a puzzled look, "I really never would have imagined those two getting together."

’One’s ugly, and the other’s even uglier. If their future kids inherit their looks... a boy might be fine, but a girl would be a disaster.’

’She’d probably never get married.’

It wasn’t that they were being mean-spirited.

But Li Hongmei and Hu Ziqiang were each shorter, darker-skinned, lazier, and uglier than the other. If they had possessed even one single redeeming quality, the others wouldn’t think this way.

But looking at it that way, they realized the two did seem to have a certain ’couple’s resemblance’.

It was just that Hu Ziqiang was so damn stubborn. He’d even pulled them aside before to insist he wasn’t seeing Li Hongmei. ’Did he really think they were all blind?!’

But since the man himself wouldn’t admit it, they just pretended not to notice. In reality, though, everyone knew the score.

Drowsy Yun Hao was completely oblivious to everyone’s thoughts.

「Meanwhile.」

Xu Wenwan was on her way back from shopping. It was freezing cold, and she happened to run into Li Dashan, the team leader of the neighboring Li Jiawan, who was also returning. Seeing a young woman by herself, he approached her. After a brief inquiry, he learned she was Village Chief Xu’s daughter and offered her a ride.

Xu Wenwan was tired from walking, so of course she wasn’t going to refuse a bicycle ride.

She had just gotten on when Li Dashan, the team leader of Li Jiawan, spoke.

"Do you know Gu Jiaojiao and Leng Yuan?"

Xu Wenwan: ...

’Heh heh heh.’

She glanced at the seemingly endless road ahead. If she weren’t so exhausted from walking, she really wouldn’t have accepted this ride.

The man asked with a wide grin, his tone full of admiration for Gu Jiaojiao and Leng Yuan.

Xu Wenwan couldn’t help but rub her throbbing temples.

’How can I hear those two names everywhere I go?’

"So, do you know them or not?"

Li Dashan was beginning to think Village Chief Xu’s daughter was a bit slow. She just stared blankly without a word. ’Could there be something wrong with her?’

Xu Wenwan replied resignedly, "I just got back to the village not long ago, so I don’t know them well."

Upon hearing this, Li Dashan’s face filled with envy. "Your village is so lucky! If only Gu Jiaojiao and Leng Yuan were in ours."

Xu Wenwan couldn’t hold back. "Lucky? How? Gu Jiaojiao is an educated youth who hasn’t set foot in the fields since she arrived. She’s so delicate, she’s not cut out for farm work at all."

She didn’t actually know Gu Jiaojiao, but she’d heard plenty of gossip about her.

Of course, she practiced selective hearing.

Any comments that disparaged Gu Jiaojiao, she took to heart.

As for any praise, it went in one ear and out the other.

Li Dashan didn’t think much about her comment, because he also agreed that Gu Jiaojiao wasn’t the type to work in the fields.

’Her skin is so delicate, a corn leaf could cut it. She’d only cause trouble in the fields.’

"You’re right about that."

’But the girl is smart. One clever idea from her is worth several years of someone else’s back-breaking labor.’

’If he had such promising talent, his team would definitely win the ’Advanced Village’ title this year.’

’Sigh.’

’What a shame.’