Soon, Wen Ruocheng restrained the look of amazement in his eyes.
So what if she was pretty? Wasn't she still just a country bumpkin?
He was an educated youth who had come to the countryside, a city person with a high school education.
Feeling superior, Wen Ruocheng gazed at her with arrogance and disdain.
Sun Linglong loathed this expression of his the most!
In her past life, no matter how she tried to please Wen Ruocheng, he always wore an expression of bestowing a favor, as if he were saying that it was her good fortune that he accepted her advances.
Later, after her family met with disaster, she knelt and begged Wen Ruocheng—who was already a college student—to investigate the truth, but the look he gave her then was like he was looking at a lowly servant.
Sun Linglong would never forget it.
Nor did she ever want to forget it.
She clenched her fists so tightly that her sharp nails pierced her palms, though she didn't even notice the blood flowing out.
"Auntie, you're bleeding."
It was Sun Wanwan who noticed, her heart immediately aching for her.
Sun Dawei also looked at Sun Linglong with concern. "My good daughter, are you alright?"
Sun Linglong quickly shook her head and covered her palm. "I'm fine. I must have scratched it by accident."
"Dad, hurry up and go pick up the educated youths."
Pushed along by Sun Linglong, Sun Dawei chuckled helplessly with doting affection.
"Brother Ruocheng, do we have to stay here? This place is filthy."
Ji Wenrou wiped the thick mud from her trouser legs, her face full of irritation.
She really didn't want to stay in the countryside. She was much better suited for the city—wouldn't it be better to work in a textile mill?
Wen Ruocheng's expression turned cold as he lowered his voice. "Don't forget why we came to the countryside. Keep yourself in check."
Ji Wenrou pouted, while Wen Yan obediently leaned against her, looking just like a family.
The other two educated youths were Li Hongmei and He Jiawang, both of whom were already unfazed by this scene.
Along the way, Wen Ruocheng had explained the relationship between the three of them to the other two.
Wen Yan was his younger brother; because their parents had passed away, he had no choice but to bring him along when coming down to the countryside.
Ji Wenrou was his cousin, and sharing the same ideal of building the country, the two of them had resolutely signed up to come to the countryside.
Seeing the pretty and cute Ji Wenrou, He Jiawang couldn't help blushing.
She was simply his ideal type.
Gentle, sensible, bright, and cheerful, she looked like someone who knew how to handle things well.
Noticing He Jiawang's gaze, Ji Wenrou flashed a gentle smile, which made He Jiawang blush and his heart race even faster.
Li Hongmei pouted, concealing the disdainful look in her eyes.
As the saying goes, a bystander sees things clearest, and Li Hongmei felt she was the one who saw things most clearly.
All that talk about building the country, all that talk about a cousin—Ji Wenrou clearly had feelings for Wen Ruocheng.
She couldn't say it aloud, though; doing so would ruin someone's reputation and get her arrested.
Li Hongmei silently observed the relationships among the educated youths.
"I am the Taohua Village brigade leader, and I welcome you all on behalf of the villagers. Our place is quite remote, so you must all be tired, right?"
One does not hit a person smiling, and Sun Dawei smiled with such rustic amiability that none of them could find it in themselves to be angry.
"Follow me."
Wen Ruocheng took the luggage down from the oxcart and piled it on the ground.
They had expected villagers to help, but seeing the brigade leader turn and walk away, Wen Ruocheng was dumbfounded.
The three of them—he, Ji Wenrou, and Wen Yan—had an extraordinary amount of luggage, a full four large bundles. Before getting on the cart, they had Ji Wenrou's simping follower to help, and after getting off, they had He Jiawang, so it hadn't been too tiring.
Yet now, no one was willing to help.
Frowning at the four large bundles, Wen Ruocheng finally couldn't help speaking up. "Brigade leader, our luggage is too much. Could you...?"
He deliberately drew out his words, wanting Sun Dawei to figure it out himself.
Amidst the crowd, Sun Linglong hooked the corner of her mouth in a sneer.
In her past life, she had encountered this exact scenario, too.
At the time, she had fallen in love with Wen Ruocheng at first sight and thus proactively stepped forward to help.
Her father, unable to bear seeing her work too hard, had also helped carry the luggage.
From then on, everyone in the village knew she had taken a fancy to the new educated youth.
And Wen Ruocheng only pushed his luck further, giving her a slap and then a sweet to reap numerous benefits from her.
In this lifetime, she wanted to see who would still be willing to volunteer their help.
Acting as if he didn't understand Wen Ruocheng's meaning, Sun Dawei said, "Oh, my! You have so much luggage. Did you move your entire household here?"
"Well, you'd better get moving then, or you won't even finish carrying it before dark."
Wen Ruocheng clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and said nothing more.
He forcefully hoisted a bag of luggage, nearly twisting his waist in the process, and his face grew even gloomier.
Damn country folk!
"Tsk tsk tsk, so these are educated youths. Look at them, unable to lift a heavy thing with their hands or carry a burden with their shoulders. They're probably worse than children."
"My goodness, just how heavy is that luggage? It's about to wrench the young man's back."
"Why, they can't even compare to my sixty-year-old mother-in-law."
Listening to the villagers chattering away, Wen Ruocheng wore a dark expression.
"Brother Ruocheng..."
With a look of deep distress, Ji Wenrou made a show of trying to lift the luggage, only to find herself too delicate to raise it.
Looking pitiful and helpless, she evoked even more sympathy than Wen Ruocheng beside her.
In the crowd, the brawny Sun Derwa couldn't stand by any longer. He rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward.
"Alright, missy, let me help you."
The crowd instantly looked at Sun Derwa and Ji Wenrou with teasing expressions.
Sun Linglong was more than happy to see this play out.
Sun Derwa was thirty years old this year. He looked tall and sturdy, with the build of a muscular hunk, and he had two children aged four or five at home.
His wife had died in childbirth a few years prior while giving birth to their younger son, and Sun Derwa had remained unmarried ever since.
Sun Derwa was hardly a man with a kind heart.
Everyone in the village knew he had ulterior motives.
In her past life, Sun Derwa had also taken a fancy to the young and beautiful Ji Wenrou, but Sun Linglong had found out, sought him out, and used both threats and lures to make him back down.
This time, Sun Linglong had no intention of reminding Ji Wenrou; she wanted to let her see how she would handle Sun Derwa's aggressive pursuit.
At that moment, Ji Wenrou—who was coming to the countryside for the first time—had no idea she was already entangled with Sun Derwa in a way that would be difficult to explain.
Seeing someone willing to help her, Ji Wenrou beamed instantly and thanked Sun Derwa softly, "Thank you, brother."
To Sun Derwa, Ji Wenrou's voice was as melodious as an oriole's, making his heart itch with delight.
"Don't mention it, missy. If you need anything in the future, just find me."
Sun Derwa easily hoisted two bags of luggage with one hand.
He walked over to Sun Dawei and said, "Uncle Dawei, let's go."
Sun Dawei sighed, and looking at the innocent and naive Ji Wenrou, he resolved to give her a private warning.
Although Sun Derwa had taken away two bags of Ji Wenrou's luggage, Ji Wenrou was holding Wen Yan, who had already fallen asleep from exhaustion, leaving the remaining two bags for Wen Ruocheng to deal with himself.
At that moment, Wen Ruocheng had already cursed everyone in his heart.
"Brother Ruocheng, don't worry, I'll have him come back to help you later."
Ji Wenrou whispered this right into Wen Ruocheng's ear.
Naturally, the "him" she referred to was Sun Derwa.
When the group finally arrived at the Educated Youth Point, Ji Wenrou looked at the dilapidated living quarters, and her irritation grew even more intense.
She was already starting to miss her spacious home.
Was this a place where people could possibly sleep?
Watching Sun Derwa put down the luggage, Ji Wenrou quickly reined in her expression. "Thank you, brother. I'm going to go help my cousin."
"Hey, wait, missy, what are you going for? Let me do it."
Watching Sun Derwa's retreating back as he trotted toward Wen Ruocheng, Ji Wenrou wore the smile of someone whose scheme had succeeded.