The younger generation, starting from where the wind blows...

Chapter 219 A Fool's Inspiration

“Jia Wangcai, I remember back in junior high, you had a crush on Du Dan, but Du Dan seemed to have a bit of a crush on Lai Yazhou.”

Yang Guanjun, sitting in the back row, made a loud joke.

"I suffered because of my words."

Jia Wangcai glanced at Yang Guanjun and the other two sitting in the back seat through the rearview mirror: "They say a man's mouth is a liar's mouth. Lai Yazhou was able to deceive Du Dan because he was good at talking and making women happy."

"However, this trick used to work on naive young girls, but it doesn't work anymore. Nowadays, girls' ideal type of guy is pretty much the same. Whether it's tall, handsome, and rich, or short, ugly, and rich, they all have to be rich!"

At this point, Jia Wangcai remembered that there were two girls sitting in the second row, and quickly corrected himself: "I was talking about the girls in our village, not the two of you."

Zhu Suosuo and Jiang Nansun exchanged a glance and said:

"It's okay. I think you're right. According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, bread should definitely come before love."

Jia Wangcai didn't know anything about Maslow, but he was overjoyed to hear that his words had been approved by the two beautiful women.

Xie Zhiyao, sitting in the back row, immediately joked:
"Jia Wangcai, you call this being unable to speak properly? I think you're quite good at making girls happy."

"We've all gained experience and skills from navigating the social world these past two years. You're in college, and so am I, but we're going to the college of life. We're all striving to improve ourselves."

At this point, Jia Wangcai swallowed to moisten his throat and continued, "That's why I especially despise people like Lai Yazhou who just loaf around and wait to die. What's the use of being good with words? All talk and no action is useless!"

These words carried a hint of personal grudge, and no one on the bus responded.

Yang Guanjun then changed the subject.

“Jia Wangcai, Ma Xiaoshang was in your class too, right? I remember she was the class monitor back then. Every time you and Lai Yazhou went to visit Du Dan, Ma Xiaoshang would give you a lecture and warn you not to disturb Du Dan’s studies.”

As Jia Wangcai drove, he replied, "Ma Xiaoshang is the kind of person who likes to meddle in other people's business, especially since Du Dan is her half-sister. Of course she'll protect Du Dan."

"What does 'half-sister' mean?" Zhu Suosuo asked curiously.

“Ma Xiaoshang is an orphan, adopted by Du Dan’s mother when she was young,” Yang Muye explained, turning around from the passenger seat.

"It's a pity that Ma Xiaoshang went to university in another province, otherwise I could have invited her to come today and we junior high school classmates could have a good reunion. Du Dan is also in the village, I'll go and call her later."

Everyone on the bus knew what Jia Wangcai was up to, but no one called it out on it.

Everyone chatted along the way, and the one-hour drive passed quickly.

As the car drove into Qiangou Village, it encountered two "acquaintances" at the village entrance, who were arguing and pulling at each other by the roadside.

"Du Dan, are you really planning to live in the city? Are you willing to leave your mother?"

"If I can find a boyfriend in the city and get married, I will definitely bring my mother to the city to enjoy a better life."

"That's hard to say. Most men in the city are only children and usually live with their parents. If you find a boyfriend from the city, you'll definitely have to live with your in-laws in the future. Even if you don't live together, they won't agree to you bringing your mother to live in the city."

"Then I'll find someone willing to take my mother to live in the city."

"But city boys are so cunning these days. When they're dating, they look for pretty girls, but when it comes to marriage, they look at education and family background. They all want to find someone who is their equal."

"You're not from the city, how would you know?"

"Even if you haven't eaten pork, haven't you seen a pig run? Let me give you an example. Do you remember Yang, the school heartthrob in our junior high class?"

"Yang Muye?"

"Yes, although he was from the countryside, his family was much better off than most city people. Did you see him even acknowledge any of the girls in his class back then?"

"He just has high standards, okay? Besides, there really wasn't a single girl in our junior high who was good enough for him."

Including myself!
Du Dan silently said to herself.

Lai Yazhou also felt that using Yang Muye as an example was a bit too condescending, so he had a sudden inspiration and thought of another person.

"What about the class heartthrob?"

"Xie Zhiyao?"

"Yes, you've heard what the villagers have said about Yunmiao Village, right? Just like Aunt Pang and the others said, in a couple of years, life in Yunmiao Village will definitely be more comfortable than in the city. But look at Xie Zhiyao, he didn't get close to any girls in junior high, did he? To put it bluntly, he's too proud and has high standards. He doesn't look up to these girls from the countryside in his class. Even if they were girls from Yunmiao Village itself, he probably wouldn't be interested in them."

"You're not Xie Zhiyao, how do you know what he's thinking?"

Sensing that Du Dan's tone was a bit off, Lai Yazhou was reflecting on what he had said that went wrong.

"Di!"

The sound of a car horn interrupted Lai Yazhou's thoughts.

Looking up, Lai Yazhou saw Jia Wangcai's Wuling Sunshine and was immediately furious.

What makes you so smug about driving a beat-up minivan?
"Du Dan, that idiot Jia Wangcai is back. Let's hurry up and leave."

After saying that, he tried to take Du Dan's hand, but Du Dan dodged him.

Du Dan dodged away like a snake, then glared angrily at Lai Yazhou.

"What are you doing?"

At the same time, Jia Wangcai also stopped the car and got out in a fit of rage.

"Lai Han, what are you doing!"

"You donated your eyes, didn't you see me on a date with Du Dan?" Lai Yazhou casually replied.

Jia Wangcai's eyes widened like copper bells.

"Are you two on a date?"

Du Dan said angrily:

"Lai Yazhou, don't talk nonsense. Who went on a date with you?"

Lai Yazhou was stunned on the spot.

Something is wrong!

In the past, Du Dan's favorite thing to do was to use herself as a shield to stop Jia Wangcai from harassing her.

Why the sudden shift in boundaries?

As she hesitated, Jia Wangcai stepped forward and shielded Du Dan behind him.

"Did you hear me? Go find somewhere cool and stay there."

Just as Lai Yazhou was about to retaliate, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a somewhat familiar handsome man sitting in the passenger seat of the Wuling Sunshine van behind Jia Wangcai.

At first, Lai Yazhou thought he was seeing things.

It wasn't until I blinked hard that I was sure I wasn't seeing things.

Isn't that Yang Muye?
My mouth must have been blessed today; whoever I said about, I ended up meeting.

Lai Yazhou now understands why Du Dan reacted that way.

Because he couldn't stand Jia Wangcai's smugness about buying a minivan, he didn't even glance at the vehicle at first.

Du Dan saw Yang Muye from the very beginning.

But what Lai Yazhou couldn't understand was why Yang Muyi was sitting in Jia Wangcai's car.
Jia Wangcai pointed at the van as if he wanted to take credit.

"Du Dan, look who I've invited today!"

Yang Muye rolled down the car window and waved to Du Dan.

This unexpected meeting made Du Dan very uneasy.

When she waved to Yang Muye in response, the smile on her face was stiff.

Lai Yazhou, on the other hand, after a brief moment of shock, immediately walked towards the van.

"Yang, the school heartthrob, it's been three years, and you're still as handsome as ever!"

"You're still the same as always, haven't changed much." "It's been three years, and Yang, the school heartthrob, still remembers what I looked like in junior high. It's a pity we've both graduated, otherwise I could brag about this for three years."

Yang Muye stared at Lai Yazhou's face, which looked exactly like the celestial dog from a TV series in his past life.

With such a unique appearance, it's not easy for me to forget her.

Jia Wangcai led Du Dan over, using his size advantage to push Lai Yazhou aside, and enthusiastically explained to Du Dan the purpose of his "invitation" of Yang Muyi to Qiangou Village.

Du Dan first saw Jiang Nansun and Zhu Suosuo sitting in the second row.

As a girl, and the prettiest girl in her junior high school class, she thought Jiang Nansun and Zhu Suosuo were both very beautiful.

Her clothes, her demeanor—you could tell at a glance she came from a big city.

She didn't feel inferior about her appearance, but the difference in their social status made Du Dan subconsciously clench her hands.

To make matters worse, Du Dan also spotted three familiar faces in the third row.

Especially when she saw Xie Zhiyao, whom she had once secretly admired, Du Dan was momentarily stunned.

Du Dan didn't hear a word of what Jia Wangcai said to Yang Muyi afterward.

Du Dan only came to her senses when Jia Wangcai opened the back door and invited her to get in.

Although she felt a little cramped and nervous being squeezed in the same row as Jiang Nansun and Zhu Suosuo, the thought of riding in the same car with Xie Zhiyao made Du Dan get on the bus without even realizing it.

Jia Wangcai closed the car door and gave Lai Yazhou a fake shrug: "Sorry, there's no room in my car anymore, bye-bye."

He then walked smugly toward the driver's seat.

In the car, Zhu Suosuo and Jiang Nansun took the initiative to shake hands with Du Dan and introduced themselves as Yang Muye's friends.

Du Dan's pressure decreased significantly.

As long as they're not Xie Zhiyao's friends, it's fine.

"Hey, class beauty, it's been over three years since I last saw you. Why have you become so shy? I remember you used to be quite outgoing."

Yang Guanjun joked on purpose.

Because he often hung out with Jia Wangcai, Du Dan didn't like Yang Guanjun much during junior high school.

Times have changed, and identities have shifted. Now, Du Dan has to be very careful when speaking to Yang Guanjun.

Why was Yang Guanjun sitting next to Xie Zhiyao?
"It's been more than three years since we last met. I was caught off guard by your sudden appearance."

Jia Wangcai turned his head from the driver's seat:
"I've made all the arrangements. First, I'll take Muye and the others to Uncle Kang's orchard to pick peaches, and then we'll go to Jia Dashou's restaurant for a meal."

Du Dan glanced at Lai Yazhou, who had been abandoned on the roadside, through the car window, but ultimately refrained from suggesting that Lai Yazhou be brought along.

Jia Wangcai and Lai Yazhou are sworn enemies, and this is the only reason Du Dan can use to convince herself now.

Just as the car was about to start, Xie Zhiyao, sitting in the back seat, suddenly suggested:
"Let's invite Lai Yazhou along when we eat, it's been a long time since we've all seen each other."

Yang Muye turned around from the passenger seat:
"Sure, it'll be more lively with lots of people."

Seeing that Yang Muye had also spoken, Jia Wangcai had no choice but to get out of the car and go back to Lai Yazhou to discuss the matter.

Lai Yazhou, seemingly unconcerned about the past, stepped forward and put his arm around Jia Wangcai's shoulder, indicating that he wanted to speak privately.

Jia Wangcai impatiently followed Lai Yazhou to the side, telling Lai Yazhou to spit it out.

"Jia Wangcai, don't bite the hand that feeds you! You don't appreciate a kind heart!"

Jia Wangcai suddenly became famous.

Who are you calling a dog?!

Because of his name, he is particularly sensitive to things like dogs.

Realizing he had misspoke, Lai Yazhou continued to put his arm around Jia Wangcai's shoulder, saying nonchalantly, "I really wasn't insulting you, but rather reminding you to be careful not to get yourself into trouble?"

Jia Wangcai stared at Lai Yazhou.

"What do you mean?"

"I know you're anxious because I'm about to win Du Dan's heart, but you can't use such a destructive tactic that hurts both sides, can you?"

What underhanded tricks did I use?

Jia Wangcai couldn't understand what Lai Yazhou was saying at all.

"If you want to curry favor with Yang Muye, you can invite him to our village, but why did you bring Xie Zhiyao along too? Didn't you know that Du Dan had a crush on Xie Zhiyao back in junior high school?"

"It's been so many years. Besides, Xie Zhiyao is now studying at a university in Beijing, a world apart from Du Dan!"

"But Yunmiao Village is not what it used to be. Can you guarantee that Xie Zhiyao will stay in Yanjing after graduation and not come back?"

"I--"

"Now you're scared, aren't you? You're creating an opportunity for Du Dan to pursue Xie Zhiyao, don't you understand?"

Hearing Lai Yazhou say that, Jia Wangcai really started to feel uneasy.

"What should I do?"

"What else can we do but sabotage it? But if we do that, Du Dan will definitely hold a grudge."

"You mean you want me to be the villain?"

"You're the one who brought this on, so of course you have to deal with it. Do you expect me to be the one to handle it?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Wangcai immediately became anxious.

Du Dan already ignored him, and if he ruined Du Dan and Xie Zhiyao's good time together, he would have even less of a chance in the future.

I must not be the villain who breaks up this loving couple.

Looking at Lai Yazhou, who seemed indifferent and unconcerned about the matter, Jia Wangcai suddenly had an idea.

He shoved the car keys into Lai Yazhou's hand.

"My stomach suddenly hurts a little. Could you drive them to the orchard for me? I'll walk up by myself in a bit."

"No, then who will stop Du Dan and Xie Zhiyao from rekindling their old flame?"

"You don't want Du Dan to be kidnapped by Xie Zhiyao, do you? You take over for me for a bit, I'll come find you right away after I'm done taking a dump."

As he spoke, he clutched his stomach and ran towards the woods by the roadside without looking back, giving Lai Yazhou no chance to refuse.

Jia Wangcai had already made up his mind to make Lai Yazhou play the villain in his place.

Once everyone has picked most of the peaches in the orchard, I'll go over and enjoy the fruits of their labor.

Lai Yazhou held the car keys, a smug smile creeping onto his lips.

With just a slight effort from himself, Jia Wangcai, that stupid pig, was already completely fooled.

After watching Jia Wangcai run into the woods, Lai Yazhou kindly called out, "Did you bring any paper?"

The leaves here can be a bit prickly on your bottom.

"I brought it, I brought it, you should go now."

Jia Wangcai's voice came from the woods.

Lai Yazhou then walked briskly toward the van parked by the roadside.

Only after hearing the car start and drive away did Jia Wangcai peek out from the woods to take a look.

Seeing that Lai Yazhou had indeed "fallen for the trap," he immediately put his hands behind his back, humming Jay Chou's "Nunchucks," and walked triumphantly toward the village.

(End of this chapter)