Ruling the Historical Romance Novel as the Female Supporting Character-Chapter 199: Doubts Among the Educated Youth

This was indeed a situation to report. Back when they arrived, the living conditions were abysmal: walls with cracks, and roofs made with thatched grass. If the rain was too heavy, it would pour outside, and drizzle inside. A couple of years ago during the winter, a heavy downpour caused the entire educated youth settlement to collapse. The villagers, quite reluctantly, built new houses for them. However, not only did the educated youth have to fund the construction, but they were also compelled to pay the villagers who helped in the construction. In the end, they were forced to sign documents stating that the houses of the educated youth settlement belonged to the village.

Why should this be the case? Why should they fund the materials and the labor and yet not own the houses? This was a typical scenario in impoverished and remote areas.

The individual contemplated reporting to Xia Weiguo. He hoped that by highlighting their unfair treatment, they might be transferred back to the city. However, he was hesitant. What if the inspection team didn’t intervene, or if they lacked the authority? If they stayed in the village, they were uncertain about how they would be treated by the villagers.

A dozen educated youth suppressed their anger and stealthily observed Su Yijia’s group. Among them were three young men in their twenties. Despite people at that time usually married at young age, the female educated youth secretly hoped these three young men were still unmarried. If they could form a good relationship with them, they could marry these three inspectors and leave this forsaken place.

However, their expressions soured a bit when their gazes landed on Su Yijia. Her tender and fair complexion, coupled with her round and shiny eyes, gave her an appearance of never having experienced hardship. Moreover, she was undeniably stunning, appearing utterly out of place. She seemed like a capitalist’s daughter. Would the three inspectors even pay attention to them with such a beautiful female comrade around?

This realization suddenly made the female educated youth feel disheartened, losing confidence. On the other hand, the male educated youth’s eyes brightened. However, since males and females should keep a polite distance from each other, after being momentarily dazzled, they quickly diverted their gaze to others to avoid unnecessary trouble.

"We specifically arranged the dorm according to the requests of the educated youth from the north. Each room can accommodate five people. There are only two vacant rooms right now. However, the female dormitory has three open spaces. If you don’t mind, both the older lady and the female comrade can share the female dormitory with the female educated youth. What do you think?" The village head asked, seeming somewhat apologetic.

"I don’t mind. Let’s arrange it this way," Su Yijia replied with a faint smile.

Actually, she was not comfortable squeezing in with strangers. However, after looking at the dormitory setup which it seemed a bit crowded for five people to sleep in. Four people would be just right. So she couldn’t ask to have a separate room for her grandmother and her each, leaving six men cramped together.

Gao Huabin seemed a bit concerned. After noticing Qin Kaize’s disapproving expression, he immediately discussed with the village head, "We male comrades can squeeze in with the male educated youth. Could you possibly let my sister-in-law and her grandmother sleep alone in one room?"

Having grown up in the village, Gao Huabin had seen some educated youth. During meal times he had heard his mother grumble about the incidents they stirred up. These educated youth might be amiable and also unruly. In summary, they were restless when put together.

For a few men like them, it wouldn’t be right to have Su Yijia and her grandmother mixed with those female educated youth. The village head seemed surprised by the mention of a sister-in-law and grandmother. But their status was not only confirmed by the county leadership but also by the city’s leadership. The village head didn’t think much about it; he just looked awkward and said, "There’s no way around it. The room for the male educated youth is already full, with six people inside."

She looked at Gao Huabin and shook her head, saying, "It’s fine, I’m not that delicate."

Gao Huabin chose not to say more, but Qin Kaize still looked at her with concern.

"Okay, let’s go take a shower and change into clean clothes," Su Yijia said to the others before crouching down next to Qin Kaize. "Don’t worry about me. I have a good temper. As long as they don’t go too far, I won’t get upset with them."

Su Yijia genuinely meant what she said. Even though the educated youth were not villagers, spending considerable time there meant acquaintances had been made.

If Uncle Xia brought her to this village, it meant he was sure that the village had previously raised venomous creatures and might still be doing it secretly. So, as long as it wasn’t a big problem, she sincerely hoped her temper could be kept under control. She didn’t want to be too fussy.

"I’m worried they might bully you," Qin Kaize said, looking at her disapprovingly. "If someone bullies you, I don’t want you to hold it in." 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"Who could bully me? You should know what your wife is like," Su Yijia teased with a smile. "And I’d rather hope I could endure, but my temper might not always cooperate when something happens."

She was the kind of person whom people often described as knowing the right thing to do but not always executing it well.

"Yijia, listen to Ze. Do whatever you want just like when you were home. Don’t let yourself suffer in silence if something’s wrong, okay?" Xia Weiguo also advised with a serious expression.

"Understood," Su Yijia obediently nodded, though feeling awkward within. She wondered what those around them, whether villagers or educated youth, would think upon hearing this conversation.

In truth, Xia Weiguo deliberately mentioned it for those present to hear. Having lived for so many years and held leadership positions, he had encountered numerous situations. Most people in the village and among the educated youth were undoubtedly good. However, if they encountered unreasonable individuals, it could be annoying and provoke someone to anger. Therefore, he needed to remind them not to take advantage of Yijia just because she seemed easy-going.

The smile on the village head’s face couldn’t be sustained, and he could only assure, "Director Xia, you can rest assured; we will definitely be united..."

"Of course, I believe the village head. It’s just that my daughter is delicate, and we’re always worried wherever we go," Xia Weiguo added, trying to seem casual. He then led the group into the room.

Su Yijia and Grandma Lin followed the two female educated youth to their room. These educated youth were quite skilled. The mud walls were pasted with newspapers, regularly replaced, still unyellowed. The table had a clean thermos and enamel cups. A shelf, about half a person’s height, was used to hold a basin. There was a long line of desks placed by the window, separating two positions with books. It looked very homely.

The two of them slept inside the room, one closest to the inner side of the bed and the other nearer to the outer side. They used a piece of fabric hung up by ropes to separate the space in the middle and at the head of the bed. The other end even hung an extra sheet, evidently added after their arrival. In this way, once the sheet was drawn, it became a more private independent space.