Educated Youth 01

"Holy crap, that was close. We can't ever do that again," Little Hei said, looking as if he were still palpitating with fear.

Fang Zhiyi smiled. "Even you get scared?"

"How could I not be? I felt like someone was already about to catch us, though I don't know why they stopped," Little Hei grumbled. "You're crazy enough, actually gambling with your life?"

"I had no choice. After all, it called me Master..."

"Stop right there! What I mean is, it's fine if you gamble with your own life, but gambling with mine is crossing the line!"

"Oh, don't be so petty."

"The last time we stumbled was in this world, and now it's happening again. I'm not going back there, no matter what," Little Hei said.

Fang Zhiyi didn't argue; instead, he nodded in agreement.

That world was truly terrifying. It was hard to imagine that those immortals had already monopolized the Heavenly Dao.

Just a single so-called Holy Mother showing up was enough for him to know he couldn't beat them at all.

Looking down at his clothes, Fang Zhiyi paused for a moment. "Stop nagging and give me the plot."

Only then did Little Hei deliver the storyline of this world.

Zhang Qingqing was the youngest in her family and also the least favored. Therefore, the task of going down to the countryside naturally fell on her shoulders. Although Zhang Qingqing was unwilling, she didn't dare say anything.

On the day of departure, the other educated youths basically brought a lot of good things from their families. She was the only one who just brought a few changes of clothes and two hard flatbreads.

On the train, the boy next to her struck up a conversation and generously shared his milk candies with her. This moved Zhang Qingqing deeply. Before they even reached their destination, the two had already become familiar with each other. The boy's name was Wei Xiangyang. Wei Xiangyang said he volunteered to come because his parents always controlled him at home, and he wanted to see the outside world.

"The vast world has much to offer!"

But his rose-tinted glasses were soon shattered. A dusty country road, a dilapidated donkey cart, and a dark-skinned man enthusiastically beckoning them to follow.

The group stumbled along the uneven path until they reached Xiashan Village.

When they stepped into the so-called educated youth spot, Wei Xiangyang's face turned green. People could actually live in this dump?

Zhang Qingqing also frowned, but she didn't say anything, silently listening to the production brigade captain's arrangements. She knew that since she was here, she could only obediently accept her assignment.

There was almost no transition. After a hasty night's sleep, the captain assigned them work the next day. The male educated youths were responsible for plowing, carrying water, and hauling manure, earning ten work points a day. The female youths had it slightly easier—watering, cutting grass, and feeding livestock for eight work points a day.

The captain thought this was quite reasonable and assigned a villager to guide each educated youth in their work.

The person leading Wei Xiangyang was the captain's daughter, Fang Xiaoxia. Fang Xiaoxia had somewhat dark skin but loved to smile. Faced with Wei Xiangyang's clumsiness, she would always laugh first before teaching him what to do.

Wei Xiangyang was no fool. With just a few sweet words and a couple of candies, he coaxed Fang Xiaoxia into blooming with joy. By the end of the day, he did the least amount of work, leaving most of it to Fang Xiaoxia.

Wei Xiangyang was handsome and came from a good family, naturally attracting some of the female youths at the settlement. In this era, there was no entertainment; besides working, it was all about romance.

Zhou Qiaoyun was scheming on how to approach Wei Xiangyang. She couldn't let someone else snatch away such a high-quality man. But just as she was about to confess her feelings, she stumbled upon Wei Xiangyang and Zhang Qingqing having a secret rendezvous.

From that moment on, Zhou Qiaoyun held a grudge against Zhang Qingqing. Zhang Qingqing always looked frail and delicate while working, and Zhou Qiaoyun ruthlessly expressed her dissatisfaction directly. After Zhang Qingqing defended herself with a few words and a face full of grievance, Zhou Qiaoyun, who didn't understand these manipulative tactics, was immediately criticized by the other youths.

"Qingqing is in poor health, stop giving her a hard time."

"We all came here together, how can you act like this?"

Zhou Qiaoyun hated Zhang Qingqing to the core. She had a brash personality and would bluntly show it if she disliked someone. After publicly scolding Zhang Qingqing, she managed to vent her anger, but she also ruined her own reputation among the group.

This also planted the seeds for Zhou Qiaoyun's tragic fate.

As the brigade captain, Fang Zhiyi knew his daughter liked that Wei Xiangyang. Fang Zhiyi didn't have much of an opinion on it. Wasn't there a term now called "free love"? As long as his daughter didn't suffer any losses, it was fine. So, he turned a blind eye to his daughter doing Wei Xiangyang's work for him.

Wei Xiangyang was also quick-witted. Every time he went to town to pick up packages from his family, he would first share them with the other youths and specifically bring a portion to Fang Zhiyi. This gesture pleased Fang Zhiyi immensely. After all, in this day and age, villagers couldn't even bear to buy fruit drops that didn't require sugar ration coupons, let alone the milk candies Wei Xiangyang brought, which were a true rarity.

Meanwhile, Zhang Qingqing would intentionally or unintentionally drop by his house often, either helping with chores or showing concern for his daily life. Zhang Qingqing's methods were clever. Her words completely charmed the long-widowed Fang Zhiyi. However, Fang Zhiyi knew there was a significant age gap between them, so naturally, he made no demands. Still, this didn't stop him from listening to Zhang Qingqing on many matters, whether it was assigning her the easiest jobs or standing up for her. Even if some people were dissatisfied, they didn't dare speak out directly due to Fang Zhiyi's status.

Not long after, an incident occurred in the village. Zhou Qiaoyun was tricked into the home of an old village bachelor and raped. Captain Fang Zhiyi wanted to call the police but was stopped. The villagers believed that calling the police would ruin the village's reputation, and the educated youths thought Zhou Qiaoyun herself wasn't clean to begin with.

After much back and forth, a weeping Zhou Qiaoyun was married off to the old bachelor.

Fang Zhiyi could only sigh and held a meeting with the educated youths, emphasizing the issue of safety.

He had absolutely no idea that this whole ordeal had been orchestrated by Wei Xiangyang and Zhang Qingqing. Nor did he realize that Zhang Qingqing and Wei Xiangyang had long been secretly hooking up. One approached him, and the other approached his daughter, all for the sake of having an easier life.

Because Zhang Qingqing was always acting coquettishly toward Fang Zhiyi, Wei Xiangyang felt stifled and frustrated, even though he knew she was just doing it to avoid labor. He sought out Fang Zhiyi for a drink. Fang Zhiyi didn't overthink it and had a few drinks with him. Wei Xiangyang couldn't hold his liquor well, so Fang Zhiyi invited him to stay the night, as there was a spare room in the house anyway.

But this overnight stay led to disaster. Waking up in the middle of the night to relieve himself, Wei Xiangyang's blood boiled at the thought of his beloved girl acting coquettishly toward Fang Zhiyi. Turning around, he saw Fang Xiaoxia, who had also gotten up to use the bathroom. Evil thoughts surged into his mind, and he dragged Fang Xiaoxia into his room.

Fang Xiaoxia neither resisted nor made a sound; she simply endured it in silence.

Wei Xiangyang, on the other hand, was filled with the thrill of revenge.