Chapter 240: Chapter 240: Human Nature and Gift-Giving

“Huai’an’s family, Huaizhi’s family, if you two get selected, will you teach our kids to read?”

“You two sisters-in-law have really brought honor to our Xujia Village! I heard the neighboring village didn’t have a single person chosen.”

…

Everyone was saying something, and even Yang Fengmei, who used to dislike Gu Qinghuan, was now in the crowd offering insincere compliments.

No matter what their usual relationships were like, at times like this, everyone suddenly became flattering and eager to please. This is human nature—something Gu Qinghuan had long since seen through.

“We’ve only just passed the first round. Whether we’ll actually be chosen is still up in the air. There’s another exam tomorrow, so we need to go back and prepare.” With that, Gu Qinghuan hopped on her bike and left.

Lin Xiaomeng quickly followed, leaving the crowd far behind.

She caught up to Gu Qinghuan and said, “Qinghuan, do you believe it? If we don’t get selected tomorrow, those people will show a completely different face! They might even mock us, saying we’re toads trying to eat swan meat.”

Gu Qinghuan turned her head and gave a mocking smile. “Exactly! That’s why we have to work hard and not give them the chance to laugh at us.”

“When I lived in the city, I’d always heard that country folk were simple and honest. But after coming here, I realized that’s not really the case.

Wherever there are people, there’s drama. Truly kind and genuine people do exist, but they’re rare. Most people are the type to kick you when you’re down.

They envy those who have, and hope for others to have nothing. When you’re doing well, they greet you with smiles and try to get close. When you fall on hard times, they avoid you like the plague and even add insult to injury.”

For Lin Xiaomeng to say all this, it was clear she’d suffered quite a bit in Xujia Village over the years and had seen through many people and situations.

Hopefully, she’d wake up in time and stop doing things that hurt others without benefiting herself.

“You’re right. That’s why we can’t become people like that,” Gu Qinghuan said, looking her in the eye.

Lin Xiaomeng met Gu Qinghuan’s clear gaze and suddenly felt a bit ashamed. She remembered the things she’d done before and quickly turned her face away, not daring to meet her eyes again.

Gu Qinghuan’s eyes were like a mirror reflecting the darkness inside her, showing her a side of herself she didn’t want to see.

It was as if Gu Qinghuan knew everything, yet also nothing at all.

Seeing Lin Xiaomeng lost in thought, Gu Qinghuan reminded her, “We’re almost at your house. Let’s split up at the crossroads. Go home, get a good night’s sleep, and tomorrow will be a great day.”

Lin Xiaomeng snapped back to reality and steered her bike.

“You too.”

When Gu Qinghuan got home, she had the two children take their afternoon nap—an unbreakable habit, since good rest was important for growing up tall.

Then she gathered a pile of things, planning to pick out some gifts for Lin Shengnan to congratulate her on her upcoming baby.

After a long winter, there were quite a few pregnant women in the village—popping up like bamboo shoots after the rain.

Among those she knew were Xu Meiling, Yan Lijun, Qiu Shuxia, and Lin Shengnan, plus a few younger wives she wasn’t familiar with.

She didn’t want to get involved with Xu Meiling—she wasn’t close to her and didn’t like her anyway.

Yan Lijun had given her kids red envelopes last time, and she hadn’t returned the favor yet.

Today was Friday, so Yan Lijun would probably be home tonight. She’d bring her something then.

That girl was pitiful too—pregnant, yet still having to work in this freezing weather to support Xu Huaiyu, that good-for-nothing.

As for Qiu Shuxia, she’d skip her. They weren’t close, and she’d already given her a generous New Year’s gift, which was enough—too much would be overkill.

But Lin Shengnan, that tall girl, had, according to the original owner’s memories, helped her out intentionally or not several times. She was a kind-hearted person.

They were both educated youth, so it made sense to keep in touch. After all, Gu Qinghuan still had over a year to live in the village, and she couldn’t always be on her own. It was good to have a friend or two.

Lin Shengnan was pregnant now, with no elders around to help her in the village. Life must be tough for her.

Thinking of this, Gu Qinghuan grabbed a basket and started packing things.

Two jin of brown sugar, three meters of soft fabric, a bag of red dates, and a big chunk of pork liver weighing several jin.

She’d slaughtered several wild boars before and the offal was too smelly, so after Xu Huaian cleaned it, Gu Qinghuan kept it frozen outside to keep the smell down.

They didn’t eat pork liver often, so there was still a lot left. If she didn’t use it up soon, it would go bad once the snow melted in spring.

Now that Lin Shengnan was pregnant, and pregnant women are prone to anemia, eating more organ meat would be good for her—pork liver is rich in iron and perfect for her.

So Gu Qinghuan packed about three jin of pork liver for her—almost half a pig’s worth.

Gu Qinghuan had always been generous to those who’d shown her kindness, as long as they deserved it.

There was too much stuff for one basket, so she split it into two.

Luckily, she’d prepared plenty of baskets at home—Xu Huaian had woven them himself, and they were quite handy.

Carrying the baskets, Gu Qinghuan headed to the educated youth dorm where Lin Shengnan lived. At this hour, the other educated youth were either still at the commune or resting, so only Lin Shengnan and her husband were in the yard, working on weaving a cradle.

“What are you two up to?” Gu Qinghuan asked, puzzled by the pile of bamboo strips on the ground.

The couple seemed in good spirits, so the results from the morning clearly hadn’t affected their mood.

Seeing Gu Qinghuan arrive, Lin Shengnan was delighted. She quickly sent Zhu Chunlin to pour some water and invited Gu Qinghuan inside.

“It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other, and this is your first time visiting me, right? Sorry the place is so small.

My due date is late August or early September, when it’s still pretty hot. So we thought we’d weave a bamboo cradle for the baby ourselves—it’ll be nice and airy.

Back home, people like to put babies in bamboo baskets to play. But we’re a bit clumsy and haven’t figured it out yet,” Lin Shengnan explained, a little embarrassed.

She’d lost her former awkwardness and was now full of maternal warmth—gentle and serene in every gesture.

Gu Qinghuan couldn’t really understand how pregnancy changed a woman, but it was clear that Lin Shengnan was very happy and looking forward to her child, and that was enough.

This child would have two loving parents and would surely be happy after being born.

“It must be wonderful to be your child! You two are such responsible parents!

I was planning to come and comfort you, but it looks like there’s no need,” Gu Qinghuan teased.

“Oh, we’re just doing what we can. Our abilities are limited, so this is all we can manage.

Your future children will be the lucky ones! You and Comrade Xu both have good looks, so your kids will be even more beautiful! Haha.

Honestly, when we went to take the exam, we didn’t have high expectations. No expectations means no disappointment,” Lin Shengnan said, quite open-minded.

Her and Xu Huaian’s child?

Gu Qinghuan didn’t dare imagine it.

She didn’t know if she’d ever choose to have a child, but she knew that if she did, she’d be a responsible mother and make sure her child grew up happy.

“Oh, right—these are some things I brought for you.”"