Traveling through the Great Northern Wilderness and marrying the most beautiful educated youth.

As soon as Su Qingyun finished speaking, the room fell silent.

Su Qingshui spat the straw onto the ground.

"If the third son doesn't want a house, neither do I."

Ma Jinfeng's lips, which had just curled into a smile, suddenly froze.

Su Qingshui held up two fingers.

"I'll take two hundred yuan too."

"The remaining room is for my parents to live out their retirement."

"From now on, if anyone dares to kick their parents out, I, Su Qingshui, will be the first to object."

That's a casual remark, but it's actually quite forceful.

Liu Guifen's eyes immediately reddened.

Su Guishan held his pipe, remaining silent for a long time.

He was most worried about his second son's unreliability.

Surprisingly, this kid didn't let me down at the crucial moment.

Ma Jinfeng's eyes darted around, and she was about to cry again.

But the thought that the bulk of the old house would still fall on her side forced her to swallow her sobs back down.

A smile spread across her face.

"Oh, we're all family, it's good to keep things separate."

"I cooked for my third brother on the day he built his house!"

"No one should be allowed to work on an empty stomach, right?"

Su Qingshui scoffed.

"Just don't add too much water to the pot."

Ma Jinfeng blushed and didn't dare to talk back.

Su Guishan slammed his pipe on the edge of the table.

"It's settled then."

"Tomorrow I will go and invite the clansmen to the reed marshes to lay the foundation for the third son."

"Building a house is a big deal; no one should hold it back."

Liu Guifen wiped away her tears and looked at Su Qingyun.

"San'er, the reed marshes are remote; there's no one to talk to at night."

Su Qingyun felt a warmth in her heart.

"Mom, it's better to be a little off-center."

"The land is spacious enough to grow vegetables and raise chickens."

"Once the house is built, I'll pick you up and take you there for a nice meal."

Liu Guifen stopped crying and smiled, then gently slapped him.

"You're just saying nice things."

The next morning, Su Guishan took his pipe and went out to invite people.

With the money in his pocket, Su Qingyun headed straight for the village office.

Inside the village office, Su Xiaowen was flipping through the scorebook.

Seeing him come in, she looked up and said, "You're here early."

Su Qingyun explained the matter.

Su Xiaowen did not agree immediately, but first shooed away several commune members who were watching the commotion at the door.

"Go to work when you're supposed to, don't stand here eavesdropping."

Only the two of them remained in the room.

Su Xiaowen then asked, "Have you really decided on that piece of land in the reed marshes?"

"I've made up my mind."

"That place is low-lying, damp in spring, and cold in autumn, so no one in the village wants to live there."

"I can only approve it if no one else is willing."

Su Xiaowen chuckled at his retort.

"You sure know how to pick a bargain."

He pulled out an old piece of paper, wrote a few lines, and stamped it.

"I'll approve the land use permit for your homestead first."

"I'll hold it down for you during the team meeting."

"But let me make this clear from the start: you have to build the house yourself; don't expect the team to provide you with materials."

Su Qingyun took the approval slip, folded it neatly, and put it in her pocket.

I'll figure it out myself.

Su Xiaowen glanced at him again.

"Go to town to get the marriage certificate?"

"Yes, I'd like to borrow that heavy-duty permanent truck from the village office."

Su Xiaowen frowned.

"A 28-inch steel rod is no toy."

"Last time Liu Dahu rode it out, the rim of his bike was all bent out of shape."

The accountant next to him chimed in.

"A wedding is a joyous occasion, but what if the car gets damaged? Who will pay for it?"

Without saying a word, Su Qingyun took out two cents from his pocket and put them on the table.

"deposit."

"The car is about to break down, I'll fix it."

If someone falls, I'll take responsibility.

The accountant's mouth moved, but he didn't say anything.

Su Xiaowen laughed and scolded, "Alright, take it."

"Ride carefully, don't throw Lin Zhiqing into the ditch."

Su Qingyun pushed the shiny black Forever bicycle out.

The frame is heavy, and the chain is tight.

In those days, this thing was even more eye-catching than a car in later generations.

He rode all the way to the educated youth settlement.

As soon as I entered the courtyard, I saw Song Jiahui carrying a basin out.

Her face turned pale the moment she saw Su Qingyun.

I instinctively squeezed my legs together, and the basin almost fell to the ground.

Several female educated youths burst out laughing.

Song Jiahui was both ashamed and angry. She gritted her teeth and turned to hide behind the house.

Su Qingyun didn't even lift her eyelids.

For this kind of person, losing face once is more effective than being beaten up.

In the courtyard of the educated youth settlement, several male educated youths were dividing up a gruel around a broken stove.

Each person gets a small half-bowl, so thin you can see your face reflected in it.

Their eyes held a complex expression when they saw Su Qingyun.

Before yesterday, they mostly viewed rural men with a bit of the arrogance of city dwellers.

They think it's unsophisticated, crude, and uncultured.

But yesterday, Su Qingyun confronted the militia captain head-on and even took out her marriage introduction letter in public.

That steady demeanor was evident to everyone.

A male educated youth wearing an old military cap stood up first.

"Comrade Su Qingyun."

His tone was much more polite than before.

"Looking for Lin Wanqiu?"

Su Qingyun nodded: "Take her to town to complete the formalities."

Someone nearby muttered something under their breath.

"Having a bicycle makes all the difference."

"The village was really willing to lend it to him."

The old military cap glared at the man.

"Say less."

His name is Li Qiang, and he is one of the more talkative male educated youths.

He rubbed his hands together and took two steps closer to Su Qingyun.

But as soon as I got close, I felt a little embarrassed.

Su Qingyun figured it out.

"What's up?"

Li Qiang blushed and lowered his voice.

"Brother Qingyun, I just have one question."

"Please don't think I'm being abrupt."

"You said yesterday you could get some fish or eggs or something..."

He swallowed hard.

"Could you get some for us too?"

Several male educated youths nearby immediately perked up their ears.

Someone, fearing trouble, quickly said, "Li Qiang, don't do anything rash."

"These days, it's hard to say."

Li Qiang became anxious.

"I'm not taking it for free!"

"I'll pay you back!"

He pulled out a few crumpled coupons from his pocket.

"We're so hungry."

"I eat nothing but wild vegetable porridge every day, and I don't have a single bit of oil in my stomach."

Su Qingyun did not agree immediately.

He looked around first.

"Who's going to tell everyone about this?"

The faces of the male educated youth tightened.

Li Qiang quickly replied, "No."

"Whoever shouts is not human."

Su Qingyun then asked, "What if someone asks where the things came from?"

Li Qiang was stunned for a moment, then immediately realized what was happening.

"It was a gift from a relative."

"Or we can save up our own money and exchange it at the market."

Anyway, I won't drag you into this.

Su Qingyun then nodded.

After the educated youth settlement was established, Lin Wanqiu couldn't possibly know in advance about every little thing that happened.

It's essential to have someone who can speak for you.

He reached into his clothes.

Using the jacket as a cover, a thought suddenly occurred to him.

Five white-shelled eggs fell into my palm.

The eggs were of uniform size, and the shells were still slightly warm.

He handed it over casually.

Li Qiang's eyes widened immediately.

The other male educated youths nearby also fell silent.

That expression was as if he had seen meat.

"Take it."

Su Qingyun's voice was not loud.

Five.

Li Qiang reached out with both hands to receive it, his fingers trembling.

The egg landed in his palm, and he quickly held it, afraid it would fall to the ground and break.

"This...this is too good."

"Even the supply and marketing cooperatives can't buy eggs this fresh."

A male educated youth licked his lips.

"Li Qiang, you can cook some soup for me later, even just a little bit."

Li Qiang immediately protected the eggs in his arms.

"Come on, Brother Qingyun replaced it for me!"

Su Qingyun said calmly, "Three cents each."

The courtyard suddenly became quiet.

Li Qiang suddenly looked up.

"What?"

"Three points?"

Another male educated youth blurted out, "They cost more than four cents on the black market, and you still can't buy them!"

Su Qingyun looked at Li Qiang.

"We'll stay at the educated youth settlement for a while longer in late autumn."

"If anything happens in the future, please keep an eye on things for me."

That wasn't a strong statement.

But Li Qiang understood.

This is not selling eggs cheaply.

This is giving him face, giving him a way out, and doing him a favor.

His throat moved, and his eyes were a little red.

"Brother Qingyun, thank you so much!"

"From now on, if you and Lin Wanqiu have anything to discuss, just let us know."

"I will definitely help if I can!" Li Qiang said sincerely.

He trembled as he pulled a stack of banknotes from his pocket.

"Qingyun, how much does one cost?"

Li Qiang licked his lips.