Transmigration: On the Gossip Front
Chapter 333 Unlucky Female Educated Youth 33_1

Chapter 333: Chapter 333 Unlucky Female Educated Youth 33_1

People were feeding them, and Huang Lei would also catch some fish and shrimp during the weekends. Over the year, Huang Lei’s life was very good.

Despite a year of hard work, Huang Lei’s situation was still quite favorable. She hadn’t gained weight and still looked thin and frail.

But one look at her face would tell you the girl had great vitality; her skin was fair with a rosy glow.

Some of the female educated youths around her were also faring well. Ever since they learned about the need for sun protection, they endured the inconvenience and heat and persisted with it.

Those who persisted were happy. Although their skin couldn’t compare to Huang Lei’s, it was certainly better than their peers who neglected protection and didn’t tan.

Wang Nan kept saying it was troublesome, but seeing her rough skin, she followed suit. The result was pleasing—her skin didn’t darken.

But in order to save money—to the extent that she could send money and food home—Wang Nan was as frugal as possible in her daily life.

As a result, she looked terribly thin and seemed much older. Zhao Aoran had no idea how many times he had muttered to Huang Lei about why he chose her in the first place.

"Thank goodness Fan Xiaofei is already married to a beautiful wife and is about to be a father," Zhao Aoran said with a snort when he remembered the letter Fan Xiaofei had sent.

"I always said, as long as he’s doing well, he’s bound to show off. If he’s not, he definitely won’t boast."

"Really, his wife is the one pregnant, but the child won’t carry the Fan surname. What’s he so excited about?"

Zhao Aoran, the guy with a sharp tongue, wouldn’t let Fan Xiaofei annoy him without giving it back in kind.

"Did you write back?" Huang Lei figured Zhao Aoran wouldn’t let Fan Xiaofei off the hook.

True to form, Zhao Aoran replied with arrogance, "It’s just a letter, one stamp. Although I’m down on my luck now, I can still afford to send a letter."

"If I don’t write, who knows how many times she’ll gloat."

"It’s better to just nip it in the bud and frustrate them completely."

"Oh, right," Zhao Aoran’s eyes gleamed, "I completely forgot, why didn’t I ask him how his younger brother and sister are doing?"

"Too bad I’m not going back for New Year." Despite his words of regret, his expression showed no such feeling.

"If you go back this time, can you help to inquire a bit?" Although he asked as a favor, Zhao Aoran was sure Huang Lei would definitely inquire.

"It depends," Zhao Aoran had stated for the first time that he would not be going back for the New Year, and Huang Lei didn’t find it strange.

For Zhao Aoran, going back was exhausting. Not to mention facing disdain and all sorts of gossip, it was better to stay put.

"Oh, right, I’ll lend you my stove and stuff while I’m away." It was better to lend it to Zhao Aoran than to leave it unused.

Huang Lei knew that being so generous, Zhao Aoran would feel obliged to offer something in return.

And just as she expected, he said, "I’ll see if I can catch some fish in the next few days and cure them for you."

Salted fish could be taken back home. Zhao Aoran also hoped he might catch a rabbit if possible.

Rabbits bred rapidly, so eating them didn’t pose a burden. However, they were quick, and since setting traps was not allowed here, catching them was no easy task.

Huang Lei didn’t realize Zhao Aoran was hoping she would bring back a rabbit—she thought that bringing a few more salted fish would make for a bountiful Spring Festival.

When it was time to board the ship home, Zhao Aoran brought out not only several dried salted fish but also two cured rabbits.

"Did you go rabbit hunting?" With plenty of wild rabbits around, many educated youths would try to catch them to improve their meals when they had free time.

But catching rabbits was indeed rare, "Do you have more?"

"I have several, don’t worry. I’ll be active during the Spring Festival too."

"By the way, remember to ask about Fan Xiaofei’s situation."

"If he’s not doing well, I’ll be happy." He didn’t mind letting people know his mindset.

Huang Lei felt the same way. Now that Wang Nan wasn’t doing well, as for the person in front of her, she didn’t even know if he was okay; without the support of a family background, he probably wasn’t doing great.

She just wanted to know if Fan Xiaofei was living a miserable life. It wouldn’t be fair if all three of them were slaving away on the farm while he was having a good time elsewhere.

They were going to board the ship after dinner and spend the night on board, arriving at the destination the next morning.

The leaders thought this arrangement was good since it wouldn’t waste the educated youths’ time during the day for work. However, in the eyes of many zhiqing, this was truly excessive.

Even during the day last time when windows were open, it was quite cold. Now they were setting sail at night, how could it be comfortable?

At this time, everyone really was using whatever skills they could to cope, like the ’Eight Immortals crossing the sea.’ Huang Lei heated a bottle of water before boarding and filled a hot water bag with it.

"Whether I can spend the night safely depends on this," she said, even though she had a blanket. Still, the wind on the ship was very cold.

"Do you need my help?" Zhao Aoran, who had come to get a stove, saw Huang Lei actually planning to bring a hot water bottle aboard.

"Sure," she replied. She could have carried it onto the ship herself, but of course, it was best if someone could help.

Over the year, their relationship had also improved a lot. At least when they needed help from each other, they wouldn’t be hesitant.

In short, when it was time to speak up, they had to do so bluntly.

And so, led by Zhao Aoran, Huang Lei and her group managed to find a relatively good spot.

After boarding, Huang Lei quickly spread out a mat on the floor, then Zhang Xia and the others hastily covered it with blankets.

Rushing before the ship departed, Zhao Aoran hurriedly got off, barely crossing paths with Wang Nan, who boarded the ship panting with a heavy basket on his back.

When Wang Nan saw Zhao Aoran, her eyes lit up, thinking about whether he could help.

Seeing Wang Nan, Zhao Aoran walked past her and quickly got off the ship.

His actions infuriated Wang Nan, who began to grumble with dissatisfaction.

She knew that Zhao Aoran wasn’t going back for the New Year and, judging by his actions, he was probably there to see off Huang Lei.

Even though they were all supposed to be friends, why was it okay for him to help Huang Lei but not her? It was too much, just too much.

The crew member, seeing Wang Nan still dithering, said, "Hurry up, for heaven’s sake. If we said departure is at a certain time, you should be here on time."

She had never seen someone so unreasonable, the crew member thought irritably.

Wang Nan wanted to argue, but she was alone; if a quarrel started, it would surely be blamed on her.

Throughout the past six months, Wang Nan frequently argued with others. She had hoped that people would stop looking down on her, but instead, everyone thought she was in the wrong.

The crew member didn’t wait for Wang Nan to find a spot. He simply hauled in the anchor and informed the captain to start the ship.

Wang Nan hadn’t anticipated such actions and was furious. She cursed the crew member bitterly and, standing by the passageway, looked around.

Alright, the good spots were gone again. She couldn’t be bothered to look for one as the basket was just too heavy, and she could no longer bear the weight.

Setting down the basket, she simply sat on the empty space beside the passageway. Luckily, a crew member soon closed the doors at both ends.

Even though there was still some wind entering after the ship started, it was at least less intense. Wang Nan pulled out her blanket and wrapped it around herself.