This lesbian is too good at talking! I can't afford to offend her!

Crickets chirped in her ears, and villagers shouted in the distance. Chen Xue hugged her knees and hid in a hole.

Looking up at the stars in the sky, the feeling of grievance once again surged into my heart.

She and Chen Shuning are both girls from Chenjia Village and are about the same age, but why are her lives so different from Chen Shuning's?

Chen Shuning can study and go to university in the near future. He will also have a decent job in the future.

I heard that Officer Guo from Beijing really liked Chen Shuning. He even came to see her during the college entrance exam. Even if Chen Shuning didn't study, she could still live a good life in Beijing.

What about her? She dropped out of elementary school and stayed home. While Chen Shuning was studying, she took care of her two younger brothers. By the time Chen Shuning went to school in town, she had already picked up a hoe and went to work in the fields.

The person she liked, Lin Juan, didn't take her seriously at all. He even avoided her for Lin Juan. But she never thought of destroying his relationship with Lin Juan.

"Susu..."

The footsteps woke Chen Xue up. She shrank into the pit again, holding her breath, afraid of being discovered.

The footsteps stopped, and a pair of feet appeared outside the pit. Chen Xue slowly raised her head and saw the face she didn't want to face.

Chen Shuning sighed and reminded him, "I heard from the elders in the village that Uncle Jianshe's eldest sister hid in this pit and was crushed to death by the sand."

A trace of fear flashed across Chen Xue's face. She ignored her sadness and climbed out of the pit in a hurry.

Not wanting Chen Shuning to see her embarrassment, Chen Xue turned her face away and faced away from Chen Shuning.

Chen Shuning asked softly, "Chen Xue, I'm not in a good mood today. Can you talk to me for a while?"

A hint of surprise flashed across Chen Xue's eyes, and she said sarcastically, "College students still have worries?"

"What's wrong with college students? Don't they need to eat, drink, defecate and urinate?" Chen Shuning took the initiative to pull Chen Xue's hand and led her to the stone next to the pit.

Chen Xue sat on the stone, sighed, and said: "Chen Shuning, you are so lucky."

Chen Shuning sat beside her and said calmly, "You have a good life, so there's no need to envy me."

"Me?" Chen Xue said in surprise, "I have a bad fate. I don't have good parents. I can only be trapped in the village for the rest of my life."

Chen Shuning looked at the stars in the sky and fell into memories: "Do you still remember Sha Er?"

Chen Xue nodded. There was a fool in Chenjia Village who was moody and liked to beat people. He died in the famine ten years ago.

"When we were in first grade, the idiot from the east of the village always chased us and beat us up. My parents were too busy to take care of me, and my brother couldn't beat the idiot either."

Chen Xue smiled bitterly: "We went to school together back then. When Sha Er beat people up, we ran hand in hand."

Wang Erxiu's voice called out from a distance, and Chen Shuning said in a deep voice, "Chen Xue, I will always remember that day when Sha Er snatched your new schoolbag and your mother beat him up.

Sha Er is so strong and your mother is so thin, I didn’t expect her to win. Sha Er cried for a long time that day and his voice became hoarse.

Chen Xue raised the corners of her mouth slightly and said with a smile: "My mother was injured too. Her calf was bleeding. It was Sha Er who bit her."

Chen Shuning changed the subject and said, "I don't like your mother. She has a long tongue and likes to gossip and laugh at others. But I know she is a good mother. My parents said that you dropped out of school because of that illness. Your family suffered a lot of hunger."

The smile on Chen Xue's face faded, and distress crept onto her brow.

"Studying requires a lot of money, but we can't even afford to eat. You only see me studying, but you don't see my mother tightening her belt or my father bending his back."

Chen Xue lowered her head, knowing she was being unreasonable today. Chen Aiguo had a stable job, yet it was still so hard for him to send his children to school. How could their family afford to send their children to school when they couldn't even afford to eat?

"Chen Xue, I admire you very much. I know you like Li Tieniu, but he doesn't like you. And you didn't target Lin Juan for this reason.

I often quarrel with your mother, and every time you advise her to say less. You don't unconditionally stand by her side just because she is your mother. You are sensible and kind!

Chen Xue felt mixed emotions. When she heard Chen Shuning's praise, her cheeks flushed slightly. "I didn't expect you to praise my mom as a good mother. I also didn't expect you to say this about me."

"Let's talk about the facts. I can't speak against my conscience just because I have a conflict with your mother." Chen Shuning breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "When Lin Juan got married, Li Tieniu sent her three-turn and one-ring gifts, but Sister Lanxiang withheld two of them. If she doesn't give them to her, she's going to divorce Brother Leizi."

Chen Xue looked at Chen Shuning in surprise and asked, "Why are you saying this out of the blue?"

It wasn't uncommon for Lin Juan's betrothal gift to be withheld by her brother and sister-in-law. It was common for farmers to extort money from their daughters to support their sons.

Although that was not the original intention of Lin Shitou and Jiang Lichun, it was because Niu Lanxiang made such a fuss that Lin Juan, not wanting to fall out with her brother over such things, gritted her teeth and agreed.

"Chen Xue, if it was your mother, she would definitely not withhold those things."

Chen Shuning's firm tone made Chen Xue's heart relax a little.

"Chen Xue, studying and getting married are not the paths we must take. Studying is hard, and getting married is also hard."

Chen Shuning pulled up Chen Xue's finger and said, "Touch my middle finger."

Chen Xue raised her eyebrows and said, "There's a bag here."

"That's a bump from writing," Chen Shuning said with a casual smile, "It's become a piece of dead flesh, without any feeling. The hand that works doesn't look good, but the hand that holds the pen is also ugly."

The night grew noisier, and the crickets began to sing again. Chen Xue had no time to pay attention to all this. She asked, "What do you want to say?"

"I want to tell you that complaining about unfair fate won't change anything. The people you envy aren't as glamorous as you think."

"But you're not me." Chen Xue became emotional. "I want to study, too. I want to go out. I don't want to stay in the village forever. When I'm old and look back on my life, I'll only have regrets."

"Then forge your own path! Reading can change your destiny, but it's not the only way to do that. If this path doesn't work, try another one."

Chen Shuning looked into Chen Xue's eyes. In the darkness, those eyes slowly became brighter.

"Marriage isn't the only option for me, is it?"

"Marrying is just one of your options, but I don't think that's the right path. Unless..."

Chen Xue pressed on: "Unless what..."

"Unless you have enough confidence, the ability to not be manipulated, and the ability to escape unscathed."

Chen Xue laughed out loud: "Xiao Xiao...how come you're even more pessimistic than me? Chen Shuning, can you stay single for the rest of your life?"

"I didn't say I wouldn't get married. I just want to get married when I'm ready. Chen Xue, do you want to go home now?"

Wang Erxiu's anxious cries echoed in her ears. Chen Xue put away her smile and said calmly, "Go home! I want to try the path you mentioned. Let's see if you, an educated person, have a better life, or I, an illiterate person, have a better life."

"As long as you're diligent and hardworking, you can live a good life regardless of your education. However, if you're uneducated, you'll have to take many detours and endure much hardship. Chen Xue, are you ready?"

"Um……"