Chapter 16: The Educated Youth at Red Star Farm

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Mu Wanwan hummed a tune as she bounced out of the post office, with Fang Yinnian following behind her, looking utterly helpless.
Fang Yinnian thought to himself that if someone had a tail, hers would definitely be sticking up.
He had never seen anyone so fond of tattling.
She would complain if she didn’t get chocolate, report him for not giving her money to buy comic books, and even tattle over little things like messing with her quirky hair strand.
No matter the size of the matter, during their two-day, two-night journey, she managed to come up with a dozen or so complaints.
Fang Yinnian was truly at his wits’ end with this little tattletale.
“Feeling happy?” Fang Yinnian raised an eyebrow, strolling over to the little tattler and pressing down on her proudly bouncing tuft of hair.
“Ah!” Mu Wanwan clutched her head and stepped back. “What are you doing?”
She watched him warily. “What’s wrong with you? Why do you always press down on my head?”
“If I’ve gotten dumber, it’s all your fault!”
“Hmph.” Fang Yinnian snorted coldly, wanting to say she had never been smart to begin with.
But fearing she’d get too riled up and call to tattle on him, he held back. Yet as he passed by her again, he gave a snort to show his disdain.
Mu Wanwan’s eyes widened in fury.
Was this still the cold, composed, aloof male lead from the original story?
The man in front of her, whining and grinning like a proud, tsundere youth, must be an impostor.
Or had he also traveled through time like her?
Mu Wanwan subtly followed behind him and whispered, hinting at a question: “Fang Yinnian, how’s your mental strength?”
“What mental strength? You mean my intelligence? Don’t worry, it’s definitely higher than yours.”
Mu Wanwan: “……”
She wanted to use her powers to tie him up and give him a beating lasting ten days and nights!
Unfortunately, her abilities weren’t activating.
However, ever since arriving in Nonglin County, perhaps due to the changing environment and the abundance of greenery, her powers in the sea of consciousness seemed much more active.
Going to the countryside was indeed the right choice.
Well then…
Mu Wanwan pointed at Fang Yinnian’s back and decided to forgive this troublesome man for now.
If he annoyed her again, she’d just report him!

*
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The big truck from Red Star Farm finished loading fertilizer at the Nonglin County fertilizer plant and set off back to the farm.
Red Star Farm was located at the southern foot of Xiaoanling Mountain, covering a vast area of approximately 589,000 mu (about 97,000 acres). Of this, 410,000 mu were arable land and 77,000 mu were grasslands. The farmland was mostly rolling hills and ridges with fertile soil, ideal for growing crops.
Besides that, nearby was a forest farm with an expansive forestry area that stretched out seemingly without end.
Even before arriving at the farm, Mu Wanwan could already feel the abundant vitality of life around her.
She lay on the tailgate of the truck, chin resting on the guardboard, smiling brightly as she watched the green plants whizzing by, a stark contrast to the other educated youths sharing the ride.
Wu Siqi, the youngest of the group, was full of resentment.
Covering her nose with one hand to avoid fainting from the pungent fertilizer smell, she nudged Liu Xiaoyan next to her with her elbow. “Is she an idiot? How can she still be smiling?”
Unlike what Mu Wanwan saw, the other educated youths had long lost the excitement they had upon arrival.
Seeing the truck heading toward the grasslands and remote forests, with no one else around and the roads in poor condition, they felt a chilling emptiness, like being soaked through on a bitter winter day.
Mu Wanwan and Fang Yinnian sat at the back of the truck. Mu Wanwan wasn’t sure if she heard Wu Siqi’s sarcastic remarks, but Fang Yinnian did.
He leaned back against the tailgate, sitting right behind Mu Wanwan, reading a red booklet of quotations.
Upon hearing Wu Siqi’s mockery, he looked up expressionlessly.
Just one glance was enough to scare Wu Siqi, who felt like a wild beast was staring her down. She quickly shrank behind Liu Xiaoyan.
Though both Wu Siqi and Liu Xiaoyan were educated youths from the capital, they weren’t close.
Wu Siqi hiding behind Liu Xiaoyan meant that Liu Xiaoyan had to face Fang Yinnian’s deadly gaze alone, something she was unwilling to do.
With a pale and indifferent face, Liu Xiaoyan trembled slightly, lifting her somewhat faded green long gown. Using the moment to wipe her sweat, she turned sideways, revealing Wu Siqi hiding behind her.
Wu Siqi: “……”
“Why are you hiding?” Wu Siqi slapped Liu Xiaoyan. “Don’t forget, when we came here, you ate two of my eggs and promised to look after me.”
“And this is how you take care of me now?”
Wu Siqi’s sharp voice shattered the pleasant scenery. Mu Wanwan frowned, turning around and leaning against the guardboard. “So noisy.”
“Why does a pig’s grunt sound so awful?”
Wu Siqi’s sudden tantrum and hitting had already shocked the other educated youths who came down with them. Mu Wanwan’s retort comparing her to a pig grunt shattered their worldviews even more.
There were eight educated youths in total at Red Star Farm this time.
Excluding Mu Wanwan and Fang Yinnian, there were three men and three women. The three men were Huang Jian and Deng Xiongwei from Harbin City, and Peng Zhaoliang from the capital.
The three women, all from the capital, were the youngest Wu Siqi, Liu Xiaoyan, and Zhou Linyao.
At first meeting, no one knew who was easy or hard to get along with, but now…
It was clear none of them were easy to deal with.

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The three men exchanged looks and quietly slipped away to a corner.
A smile flickered in Fang Yinnian’s eyes. He closed the quotation booklet and gently corrected her, “That’s not a pig’s grunt.”
“What is it then?” Mu Wanwan asked without shame. “Is it a crazy animal having a seizure?”
Fang Yinnian: “……”
“Cough.” He covered his mouth with a fist, suppressing a laugh. “Don’t talk nonsense.”
“You—you—” Wu Siqi’s round, chubby face twisted with anger as she pointed at the two of them. “How dare you talk about me, I…”
“Comrades, the farm is coming up. Get ready to pack up and get off.” A shout came suddenly from the front of the truck.
Unconsciously, over an hour had passed, and they finally arrived at the farm.
The big truck stopped briefly at the farm’s entrance. After the driver finished his registration, he got back in and continued driving.
About a minute or two later, the truck stopped at a plaza. “We’re here, get off.”
The driver, a soldier from the military corps about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old with a broad square face and a somewhat intimidating look, got off and opened the tailgate to let them out.
Wu Siqi, who had been ready to complain, immediately fell silent when she saw the driver, venting her frustration by throwing her luggage off the truck instead.
Mu Wanwan ignored her and jumped down, helping Fang Yinnian carry their luggage.
Seeing they had a lot of things, the driver lent a hand and sneaked a glance at the woman who was said to be “having seizures.”
Once the luggage was moved, the driver said, “Wait here. Someone from the farm’s youth office will come to pick you up shortly.”
With that, the driver got back in and drove off.
Only a few educated youths remained, looking at each other awkwardly.
Especially Wu Siqi, still angry and with no one around to comfort her, stamped her feet in frustration, lashing out indiscriminately. “All of you are despicable! Every single one of you!”
“You took my kindness, ate my food, and still sided with outsiders to bully me!”
“Despicable, scum, worthless men!”
By the time she finished cursing, the three men frowned deeply.
Only Zhou Linyao, who carried an air of scholarly grace, glanced at Wu Siqi coldly before turning away and standing quietly at the far edge with her luggage.