The Tender Beauty is Sweetly Doted in the 20th Century Novel!-Chapter 178 - 177: Returning to the Village

She had already decided which school to attend, and now all she had to do was wait for the admission letter.

Ye Manman and He Chen had planned to move directly to Jing City in September; she would attend university, and he would continue to expand his business.

The two had long planned their future, and after sorting out some essentials to take to Jing City, they decided to return to the village once more.

Although they had moved to the town over half a year ago, there were still some belongings left at home, and occasionally He Chen would return to clean.

This time, they needed to bring some essentials with them and also cover up the things in the house to prevent dust and insects.

They chose a day that wasn’t too hot, and Ye Manman sat on the bicycle as He Chen rode back to the village.

Initially, they intended to be very low-key, but the fame of the Provincial Top Scholar was too widespread to go unnoticed.

Qingshui Village produced a Provincial Top Scholar, and everyone in the village felt proud, hoping daily for this Provincial Top Scholar to return for a visit.

As soon as Ye Manman and He Chen appeared on the road in front of the village entrance, someone with sharp eyes spotted them before they even entered the village. Those people quickly instructed children to spread the word throughout the village.

Before long, He Chen couldn’t ride the bicycle anymore.

Almost everyone in the village came out to see them, crowding the entire road.

"Aiyo, Manman! You’re really bringing honor to Qingshui Village, being the Provincial Top Scholar!"

"In my lifetime, I never thought I’d live in the same village with a Provincial Top Scholar, and for over ten years at that. It’s truly a blessing! Hahaha!"

"Manman, how many points did you score? I heard this exam was particularly tough, and many people didn’t even reach the cutoff line."

Someone squeezed in front of her, pulling out a crumpled notebook, "Can you sign it for me? I hear that Top Scholars are future scientists who will contribute to the country, with limitless potential. Maybe you’ll be on TV someday, and I’d have a great story to tell, having lived in the same village as the Provincial Top Scholar!"

With the crowd continuously pressing in on them, He Chen, worried she might get hurt, stopped the bike and positioned it horizontally, holding it to shield Ye Manman within the crook of his arm.

"Hey, hey, everyone, don’t crowd around here, you’re blocking their way home. Our village’s Provincial Top Scholar rarely comes back; in this hot weather, why not let them go home for a drink of water before continuing the chat?"

The village leader, seeing the difficulty they were having, yet unable to say anything harsh to the enthusiastic villagers, squeezed to the front to help them out.

Upon hearing the village leader’s words, the villagers found it quite reasonable too.

Even though they still wanted to chat with Ye Manman, the weather was indeed quite hot, and everyone crowded together made it uncomfortably sweaty for everyone.

Fearing they might upset the Provincial Top Scholar, they quickly dispersed.

Once everyone had cleared away, Ye Manman finally felt she could breathe again, "Thank you, village leader. We’re going to head home first; if anyone needs anything, you’re welcome to come by our house a bit later."

"But let’s skip the autograph, okay? We’re all fellow villagers, and I’m not some big shot; I’ll be coming back for visits anyway."

After briefly explaining, she and He Chen quickly left.

The others were still somewhat excited and couldn’t calm down.

After some discussion, someone suddenly remembered Ye Guoqiang was also there.

"Hey! Guoqiang, how did you raise such an outstanding daughter? Is there some secret?"

"Your little girl really made it big this time, becoming the Provincial Top Scholar who will serve the country, eating from the national plate. Your Ye Family is the only one in the whole village to produce such talent!"

The mention immediately shifted everyone’s attention to Ye Guoqiang and Yang Xiumei.

Back when it was first announced that Ye Manman had become the Provincial Top Scholar, numerous people had already visited the Ye Family with gifts and congratulations, hoping to build a connection for future favors.

Ye Guoqiang, who had lived half his life, had never been so flattered and doted upon before, and couldn’t help feeling a bit heady.

Earlier, he was preparing to exchange a few words with Ye Manman, but even though she saw him, she didn’t call him "Dad," leaving him feeling embarrassed.

Now, with everyone’s curious looks on them, Ye Guoqiang couldn’t hold it in any longer.

However, to save face, he cleared his throat and feigned composure, "Yes, Manman is quite busy now. The two of us old folks can lend a hand just as well."

Ye Guoqiang and Yang Xiumei exchanged a look, discreetly tidied their clothes, and proudly made their way to He Family’s place.

At the back of the crowd, a few people were left with grim expressions.

Li Hongmei, who was previously let off the hook by He Chen, had always been grateful.

He hadn’t gone to court to accuse her of unlawfully taking other people’s property. Li Hongmei thought He Chen had just gotten busy and forgotten about her. So now, even with the Provincial Top Scholar being her own nephew’s wife, she didn’t dare to take any advantage.

Not just that, but also for fear of running into He Chen and awakening his memory of the incident, lest he decide to accuse her or ask her to repay the money.

Now that Ye Manman had done so well, bringing glory to He Family, it had nothing to do with them. Li Hongmei and Liu Dongliang wore sour expressions, wishing they could slap themselves out of regret.

Why did they have to be so greedy for that little money back then? They’ve irreparably damaged their relationship, and now they’re left with no benefits at all.

A Provincial Top Scholar!

A national talent!

Gone, just like that, their connection with her.

Clearly, they once had the chance to live with a future national talent, with potential for TV appearances washed away.

The two stood on tiptoe, watching the distant group, pounding their chests in remorse as they headed back home.

Meanwhile, Gao Huifang, heavily pregnant, wore an incredibly dark expression.

She was the most disbelieving when she heard Ye Manman had become the Provincial Top Scholar.

Gao Huifang always considered herself the most educated in the village.

Though she didn’t make it to college, her score was higher than the other four educated youths, a point she always took pride in.

It’s the reason why she used to look down on Ye Manman.

Even after giving up on He Chen, she believed he was blind for choosing someone like Ye Manman, who she thought did nothing but act coquettishly.

She never wanted to believe that the Provincial Top Scholar was the same Ye Manman from their village, suspecting it might just be someone with the same name. So when she heard that Ye Manman had returned, she insisted on seeing it for herself.

But reality hit her hard.

It was indeed the truth.

"Seen it with your own eyes and still don’t want to believe it?"

Beside her, Song Kangcheng looked at the despondent Gao Huifang with a mocking expression, "Look at you, once so proud, looking down on others. Now they’ve become the Provincial Top Scholar, and what about you?"