The poor girl from the 1970s was forced to kiss by the damp educated youth.

Chen Zhi left without eating breakfast; she couldn't stand it for even a second longer, afraid she would go crazy.

The sky was still dark, the sun hadn't risen yet, only the rosy dawn filled the air, a beauty so dreamlike and unreal. Just like Xi Lang, looking at Chen Zhi who had suddenly appeared, he also felt as if he were in a dream, as if it were unreal.

Xi Lang didn't ask her what had happened, but instead made her a cup of milk. "Take this and drink it first. I'll cook breakfast now. What would you like to eat?"

Holding the warm milk, Chen Zhi, who had initially only felt angry, suddenly felt inexplicably wronged and wanted to cry.

"I want to eat steamed buns, meat buns."

She had never eaten meat buns before, and suddenly she really wanted to try them.

"Okay, I'll start making the dough right away." Xi Lang went back into the house and brought out a bowl of flour, with even the starter prepared.

He kneaded the dough and let it rise, while Chen Zhi watched from the side.

"It takes half an hour for the dough to rise. In this time, let's prepare the filling for the buns." Xi Lang said as he went back into the house, this time bringing out a large piece of smoked meat.

"How come you even have this?" Chen Zhi was extremely surprised.

"You didn't finish the wild boar you hunted, so you made it into smoked meat."

Xi Lang smoked the meat over a fire, rinsed it several times with boiling water, and then boiled it again in water. He took the meat out of the water after it had been boiling for five minutes.

Besides meat, Xi Lang also soaked wood ear mushrooms.

"Let's have the wood ear mushroom and pork filling for today. We'll make you the green bean and pork filling when the green beans are ready."

Xi Lang's casual remark made Chen Zhi want to cry even more.

It turns out that someone did care about her.

As Chen Zhi watched Xi Lang chop and mix the filling, then knead the dough, roll it out, and wrap the buns, her mood gradually calmed down.

"Want to give it a try?" he asked her.

Chen Zhi nodded, "It looks quite interesting."

Few people here make noodles, partly due to their dietary habits and partly because they can't afford flour.

Now that she has the opportunity to learn, Chen Zhi is naturally happy to accept it.

Xi Lang first taught Chen Zhi how to roll out the dumpling wrappers, and then taught her how to wrap the dumplings. At first, Chen Zhi was clumsy, so Xi Lang told her to try a few more times, and it wouldn't matter if she messed them up.

"This is the first time someone has told me it's okay if I break something," Chen Zhi whispered. At home, breaking things would get you a beating.

Xi Lang paused, "With me, you can mess up anything."

Chen Zhi was stunned, staring blankly at Xi Lang, and saw herself reflected in Xi Lang's eyes. At this moment, Xi Lang only had eyes for her.

Chen Zhi's heart pounded erratically.

An hour and a half had passed from when Chen Zhi asked for steamed buns to when she finally ate them.

It was already broad daylight. Chen Zhi had just taken her first bite of a steamed bun when a painful groan came from next door, "Xi Lang, you cook such delicious food every day, I'll fight you to the death—"

Then came the sound of hurried footsteps. Zhao Jinbao ran out of the educated youth settlement carrying a basin, followed by Li Zhou'an and others.

Chen Zhi, holding a steamed bun in her hand, was stunned again.

"Chen Zhi, are the steamed buns delicious?" Zhao Jinbao asked, swallowing hard.

Chen Zhi nodded, "It's delicious."

The filling of the steamed buns was fragrant, and the skin was soft and fluffy. She decided that steamed buns would be one of her favorite foods.

Zhao Jinbao swallowed even faster, looking at Xi Lang with a pleading expression, "Xi Lang, can I trade you the steamed buns?"

"No trade." Xi Lang refused very decisively.

Zhao Jinbao's eyes reddened, and he looked like he was about to cry.

Li Zhou'an, Yang Wenyu, and the others rubbed their foreheads, looking on with expressions of unbearable dismay.

"Chen Zhi, let me have a bite, just one bite, okay?" Zhao Jinbao gestured with his finger to indicate a tiny bit.

Yang Wenyu couldn't take it anymore. "Zhao Jinbao, where's your backbone?"

"You can't buy steamed buns with backbone," Zhao Jinbao said righteously.

Chen Zhi froze, looking at Xi Lang in bewilderment.

Xi Lang's face darkened. "We don't have steamed buns, but we can trade you flour and smoked meat."

"yeah!"

Zhao Jinbao jumped for joy and handed the basin in his hand to Xi Lang.

Li Zhou'an and Yang Wenyu exchanged a glance and smiled.

Chen Zhi: "..."

The steamed buns were delicious. They were the size of a fist. Chen Zhi ate six, and Xi Lang ate ten.

There are twenty left in the pot.

"We had steamed buns for lunch," Chen Zhi said.

Xi Lang raised an eyebrow. Did this mean she wanted to stay with him until noon?

A slight smile played on his lips. "Okay."

After breakfast, Xi Lang went to fetch water to water the vegetables, while Chen Zhi tidied up the kitchen.

When the sun got warmer, the two of them would weave hats and bamboo baskets under the eaves.

Xi Lang edited the document, while Chen Zhi studied beside him. The two occasionally exchanged a few words, but most of the time they were busy with their own tasks. Although they didn't talk much, there was a strange warmth between them.

At noon, Xi Lang heated up some steamed buns, and the two ate them before continuing to weave.

Chen Zhi never mentioned going home, and Xi Lang didn't ask either.

In the evening, Xi Lang took out two salted pheasants from the house, chopped them into pieces, cleaned them thoroughly, and drained them. He then went to the vegetable garden and picked a piece of ginger, a few garlic sprouts, and a few chili peppers.

Xi Lang was stir-frying chicken when Chen Zhi smelled the aroma and looked up to realize it was already dark. She tidied up her things, got up, and walked towards Xi Lang. "Is there anything I can help with?"

"There aren't any green vegetables yet. If you want to eat something, go pick it from the garden yourself," Xi Lang said.

"How about sweet potato seedlings? Your sweet potato seedlings are growing very well." Chen Zhi had passed by several times and was a little tempted.

Xi Lang was surprised, not expecting her to choose this. "Then peel a few more cloves of garlic and pick a couple of chili peppers."

Chen Zhi hummed in agreement twice, "I understand."

Xi Lang was willing to use oil, and the stir-fried sweet potato sprouts tasted much better than those from the Chen family. Chen Zhi ate them to her heart's content.

The pheasant meat was both numbing and spicy, and very flavorful. They ate most of the two pheasants, leaving only a small bowl.

After finishing her meal, Chen Zhi slumped in her chair, not wanting to move.

I don't want to go back to that home either.

But she still wanted to go back.

The door to the house was not closed. When Chen Zhi returned, they had already eaten, and the aroma of meat still lingered in the air.

Chen Zhi went to get her clothes and take a shower without looking at her or asking any questions.

After taking a shower, I went back to bed.

There was no one in the room, only her.

Inside the main room, more than a dozen members of the Chen family sat with somber faces.

"Last year, building the house, making furniture, and the medical expenses for Chen Zhi's broken leg cost a total of 182 yuan. One hundred yuan of that was debt, borrowed from your uncles and grandfathers, which we agreed to pay back in the next two years. We still have 42 yuan left. The original plan was to give the bride's family 20 yuan as a dowry, plus a bag of rice. The remaining 20 yuan was for half a simple wedding banquet. Now the bride's family doesn't want the rice, but wants a dowry of 50 yuan. We have nowhere else to borrow money," Ding Fangfang said.

Chen Gui scratched his head, looking pained and conflicted. "If it doesn't work, we'll find another one."

"We can't change it." Auntie disagreed. "Cai Meiyun is capable, has a big bottom, and can give birth to sons. Fifty yuan is a lot, but last year in our village, some people asked for fifty yuan as a bride price. Now that the price has gone up, it won't go down again. Besides, fifty yuan doesn't include rice, so it's not actually that much more."

"But we don't have enough money at home. Besides, we need to treat several close relatives to a meal." The uncle looked worried.

"It's not like there's no way out," Auntie said, looking at Mother Chen.

Mrs. Chen was a little at a loss. "Sister-in-law, I only have two dollars and seventy-six cents on me. I'll go back to the house and get it for you."

Aunt shook her head, "I don't want you to take the money."

Chen's mother asked, puzzled, "Then what do you mean, sister-in-law?"

Aunt: "Xiaoli is gone. Jiaxiang is only thirty-one years old. He will definitely remarry in the future. I don't trust anyone else with Xiaoli's four children. If Jiaxiang marries a family member, Xiaoli can rest in peace in the afterlife. Sanhe Village has more land than our village, and the terrain is flatter. The Li family is well-off, and the elders in the Li family are quite open-minded. Jiaxiang is strong and can earn ten work points, so supporting the family won't be a problem. With his conditions, there are plenty of girls who want to marry him."

After Auntie said that, the whole family fell silent.

Chen Ye grabbed her mother's hand, her eyes red-rimmed, and shook her head at her.

Chen's mother patted her hand, signaling her not to be afraid.

The uncle thought for a moment and said, "Your idea is not bad, but if Chen Ye marries into that family, there will probably be some unpleasant rumors going around."

For example, they bullied orphans and widows.

"I'm not talking about Xiao Ye, I'm talking about Chen Zhi." The aunt looked at Chen's mother, "Zhizhi has a bad reputation, she won't be able to find someone with better conditions than the Li family in the future."

Ding Fangfang: "She not only has a bad reputation, but also a bad temper. The last time she got into a fight, people in the village are still talking about her hitting elders and children. Forget about finding a good family, she'll be lucky to even get married."

Mrs. Chen frowned and fell into deep thought.

When Chen Ye heard that she wasn't going to marry Li Jiaxiang, she breathed a sigh of relief, but couldn't help feeling smug. The Li family was well-off, but those four nephews were no pushovers. Becoming a stepmother at such a young age would ruin her life.

"What are you hesitating about?" Grandma Ding Fangfang said disapprovingly. "Someone like Chen Zhi, even if she wants to marry, Jiaxiang might not want to marry her. I think we should have Jiaxiang come over tomorrow to take a look. If Jiaxiang doesn't like her, then we can just forget about it."

The eldest aunt was unwilling to give up, "What about A-Gui's marriage?"

Ding Fangfang: "Isn't there Chen Ye? Since Chen Zhi can't get married, we'll find someone for Chen Ye first, and the dowry will be used to help A Gui get married."

Finally, Grandpa Chen Kai made the final decision, "It's settled then."

Listening to their schemes from the bed, Chen Zhi gave a mocking laugh. In their eyes, she was probably not even worth as much as an object.

Wanting her to marry Li Jiaxiang and go to the Li family to take care of Chen Li's four sons? Dream on!

When Chen's mother, Chen Ye, and Chen Mu returned to their room, Chen Zhi pretended to be asleep.

"Mom, will Grandma just marry me off to someone else because of my second cousin's marriage?" Chen Ye asked in a low voice.

After hesitating for a few seconds, Mrs. Chen said, "No, it won't happen. If you're worried, I'll find a matchmaker to arrange a blind date for you tomorrow."

"Mom, you should have the matchmaker find someone good-looking, like Li Zhou'an," Chen Ye said.

Chen Mu laughed, "Sister, your standards are too high. None of the villages around here have anyone as good-looking as Li Zhou'an."

Chen Ye choked, "Then she should be a little worse than Li Zhou'an, but not too much worse. Also, she can't choose those who are poor."

Mrs. Chen agreed, "I will mention it to the matchmaker."

Chen Mu: "Mom, you said you'd save my sister's dowry for my wedding."

Mrs. Chen sighed, "We owe your uncle's family too much. If your sister's dowry is really used this time, I will try my best to make it up to you. You are your father's only son, and your grandparents will not ignore you. They will definitely let you get married."

Upon hearing this, Chen Mu felt relieved. "I think my brother-in-law will definitely marry Chen Zhi."

Chen Ye asked, puzzled, "Why?"

Chen Mu: "Chen Zhi is beautiful. Many men in our village think Chen Zhi is pretty, even prettier than Chen Xiuzhen."

Men, after all, like beautiful women.