1970s: Hot wife accompanies the army, cold-faced rough man is not easy to tease

Chapter 266 The Gourd with a Sawed Mouth
The same restlessness also spread to the joint project team.

Several well-known universities have government-sponsored study abroad quotas for Xiaowen Yu, including the Agricultural University.

The group consists of elites from agricultural universities, so it's only natural that everyone is interested. Even people who are usually very composed have become a bit impulsive lately.

Lu Youyou was halfway up the stairs when she heard people whispering around the corner.

"It's a good thing Du Yuelan is no longer here, otherwise she would definitely have been one of the spots."

"Why should she? With her clueless attitude, I don't believe the school teachers are all blind."

"Even those who know nothing can get into the project team and benefit from it. What's the big deal about getting an overseas opportunity?"

"If you put it that way, I've lost all confidence in applying. Even if it's not Du Yuelan, it will be someone else. Who knows when someone else will come along through connections?"

"We should apply even more if she's not around. I heard the department has already chosen Lu Fang, and there's still one spot left. If we don't fight for it, we won't get anything!"

"Are you sure? It really is Lu Fang?"

"Who else could it be but him? No one in the classes since 77 has been more outstanding than Lu Fang."

……

Lu Youyou waited for a while, and only came out of the stairwell after the two people who were chatting had left.

As soon as she entered the lab, she saw Lu Fang hunched over his desk writing a report, just like before, showing no sign of the excitement of being pre-selected.

Lu Youyou couldn't help but laugh. This guy was quite composed. However, those two were right about one thing: Lu Fang's level was indeed far superior to the others.

Soon Zhang Qun arrived as well. Perhaps because of his age, he was not as impetuous as the others.

The group greeted each other and then went about their own business. Suddenly, someone knocked on the door and called for Zhang Qun, saying that someone was looking for him outside.

Lu Youyou hadn't paid any attention at first, but when she glanced at the building as she went downstairs, she saw that it was Shen Fang who had come.

Shen Fang rarely comes to the Agricultural University. She looked anxious, and it was unclear what urgent matter had happened.

Zhang Qun was pulled to the pavilion by his wife. Shen Fang carefully looked around to make sure no one was there before speaking.

"How did it go? What did your advisor say? Do you have any hope?"

Zhang Qun remained calm and reassured her, "The application has been submitted, and the advisor said there's hope, so don't worry."

Shen Fang wasn't usually an impatient person, but this opportunity was too rare.

The couple were ordinary people with no connections, and the government-sponsored study abroad program was like a carp leaping over the dragon gate—a life-changing event.

She herself majored in Chinese literature, so studying abroad was definitely not her concern; the whole family's hopes rested on her husband.

If Zhang Qun were of average talent, she certainly wouldn't have thought much of it, but who could resist his talent? Not only did his teachers value him, but he also joined the joint project team. No matter how you looked at it, his opportunities were greater than others, so she couldn't hold back.

The couple had a very good relationship, and Shen Fang was always thinking about Zhang Qun's future and whether she could do something for him.

"How about..." Shen Fang gritted her teeth and laid out her plan, "How about you go and ask Lu Youyou?"

Zhang Qun was taken aback and asked, puzzled, "Why do you need to find Comrade Lu? She doesn't handle this kind of thing."

Shen Fang looked at her honest husband with genuine anxiety: "Isn't she your team leader? If she could put in a good word for you, you could probably get some extra points!"

She couldn't help but tug at Zhang Qun's sleeve and whisper in his ear, "Don't underestimate her. Her background is no less impressive than that of Du Yuelan!"

Shen Fang and Lu Youyou were roommates for several years. Although Lu Youyou didn't live in the dorm often, she knew a little more than outsiders. The plagiarism incident caused such a big stir, but in the end, the lecturer named Jiang Yu simply disappeared, and Lu Youyou was completely unharmed.

She believed that Lu Youyou was wronged, but the matter was handled too cleanly and efficiently. Even a fool could tell that Lu Youyou couldn't possibly have no background at all.

Lu Youyou may not be able to get a spot at the Agricultural University, but she can at least offer some encouragement. After all, she has the relationship of being a roommate, so she can at least save face.

Zhang Qun is not incompetent. If the candidates are about the same, Lu Youyou's words might be the final straw.

Zhang Qun felt somewhat helpless. He and Lu Youyou were just ordinary "colleagues," or even "superiors and subordinates." Even though his wife and Lu Youyou were roommates, he couldn't very well ask her to speak up for him in this matter.

Moreover, he believed in himself; if ranked entirely by grades and abilities, he would be next after Lu Fang.

Shen Fang was so anxious that she stomped her feet. Regardless of whether Lu Youyou could help or was willing to help, it wouldn't hurt to shamelessly ask her for help.

"Don't be so rigid. Even if it doesn't work out, it's okay. We'll do our best. Man proposes, God disposes. What do you say?"

Zhang Qun remained silent for a while, but ultimately rejected Shen Fang's suggestion.

"I just need to do my job well, why should I cause trouble for others?"

Shen Fang was truly helpless now. She had always thought that being kind and honest was a virtue, but she never expected it to cause such a headache at such a crucial moment.

Besides sighing, she didn't know what else to say. Maybe she should talk to Lu Youyou herself?

Just as she was thinking this, a familiar figure appeared in her peripheral vision.

"Youyou!" Shen Fang immediately waved.

Lu Youyou originally wanted to take a detour, but unfortunately there was only one way downstairs.

She had exceptional hearing and heard Shen Fang's voice on the wind as soon as she came down. She immediately stopped, but before she could walk away, Shen Fang had already spotted her.

"Hello," Lu Youyou could only greet them with a smile.

Shen Fang quickly pulled her husband over; this was a rare opportunity, and if they didn't speak up now, when would they?

However, Zhang Qun was like a gourd with its mouth sawed off, refusing to speak no matter what, so Shen Fang had no choice but to take matters into her own hands.

"Youyou, I... cough cough cough..."

Before she could finish speaking, Zhang Qun grabbed her clothes from behind, and Shen Fang choked on her words.

Zhang Qun's face instantly turned red, and his ears and neck also turned bright red. He didn't do it on purpose; he just grabbed the object a little too hard in the heat of the moment.

He frantically patted his wife's back, and Shen Fang finally recovered, but the courage she had just had vanished with each cough.

Lu Youyou saw everything, but she didn't say anything. She just said she had something to do and left early.

She really can't help with this.

It's unclear how the couple communicated, but when Lu Youyou saw Zhang Qun again, he was still the same, even more distant from her.

For several days in a row, Zhang Qun did the same thing, completing his tasks meticulously, doing what he was supposed to do, without uttering a single unnecessary word.

This raised Lu Youyou's opinion of him even higher.

Doing research requires patience. It's not that you can't compete or fight for it, but study abroad spots are very valuable to all universities, and the internal balance is inevitably complicated. How can an outsider like her interfere?
Shen Fang was acting rashly in her desperation, but fortunately Zhang Qun remained calm.

However, we can add a note in the project report that Zhang Qun, as a team member, exceeded the task requirements and should be praised.