The permit to set up the factory had been approved, and news of the college entrance exam being reinstated had also spread. Many of the educated youths in the village had begun openly preparing for it.
Some of the married educated youths, supported by their wives’ families, had even stopped working altogether and were fully focused on reviewing.
Chen Ying, perhaps due to hardships at home recently, was often sneaking out to resell goods, seemingly saving up money. Of course, only Tang Guo knew this. Others were unaware.
Song Ye no longer worked in the fields either. Everyone in the village knew he wasn’t taking the college entrance exam. Instead, he was tinkering with the idea of a food factory.
Chen Ying sneered at this. While the idea of setting up a factory was visionary, trying to do so in a village would be full of obstacles. Just wait, Song Ye was bound to be blamed by the whole village in the end.
Unfortunately, with Xie Shijun returning soon, she wouldn’t be staying in the village to watch Song Ye fail.
During this time, Chen Ying had been desperately saving up, waiting for Xie Shijun to return so they could marry and she could follow him into the army. As for the Chen family, she had no desire to stay. Her relatives just simply annoyed her.
Especially Chen Fangfang, who nagged her every day, asking if she didn’t want Xie Shijun, could she marry him instead. If this went on, Chen Ying felt she’d be driven mad.
One day, Tang Guo and Song Ye went to town and had a meal at the state-run restaurant. There, they happened to run into Chen Ying and a young man in a military uniform.
The man looked about twenty-five. Though not handsome, he had a masculine face, a tall build, and gave off a dependable aura.
Chen Ying and Xie Shijun were sitting across from each other. Xie Shijun was a man of few words. Because of things from her past life, Chen Ying was especially eager to make a good impression, so she did most of the talking.
She had used some of her saved-up money to dress herself up and had been secretly eating well. Her complexion looked much rosier now.
Tang Guo and Song Ye sat at another table, slowly eating while secretly eavesdropping on their conversation.
Having lived in the future, Chen Ying wasn’t like the women of this era who would lower their gaze shyly when looking at men. Instead, she looked at him with direct, bold eyes.
Xie Shijun didn’t say much, but this was not the kind of fiancee he had imagined. He’d expected a pale, delicate girl, a little shy, someone who would peek at him but not too obviously.
Since reality didn’t match expectations, he wasn’t exactly disappointed, just slightly regretful. That said, Chen Ying was quite pretty and talkative, so his first impression of her was still decent.
All in all, Tang Guo understood that there would be no problems between them.
“Guo Guo, why are you staring at other people?” Song Ye took his little wife’s hand, gently turned her face, and brought her gaze back to him. “Look at me.”
“Okay, I’ll look at Ah Ye. Only at Ah Ye. Okay?”
Song Ye was satisfied. If they hadn’t been in public, he’d really have wanted to hug her tight and give her a proper kiss.
After they finished eating and went to settle the bill, Chen Ying and Xie Shijun also stood up at the same time and the two pairs just happened to meet.
When Chen Ying saw Tang Guo, she instinctively moved a little closer to Xie Shijun and straightened her posture. That possessive look in her eyes, only another woman could read it.
“Educated Youth Song, Village Flower Tang, you came to eat too?” Chen Ying gave a sweet smile, trying to make a good impression in front of Xie Shijun.
Xie Shijun was momentarily stunned when he saw Tang Guo. A fleeting thought crossed his mind, this was what he had imagined his wife would look like.
But then, glancing at Chen Ying beside him, he felt a little guilty and quickly pulled himself together. He didn’t look at Tang Guo again and simply nodded at Song Ye.
Song Ye, however, felt a discomfort just now. He held his little wife’s hand, gave a brief greeting to the other two, and then left.
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