The Tender Beauty is Sweetly Doted in the 20th Century Novel!-Chapter 180 - 179: Visitors from Qing University

"So this child had such a hard life when she was young, no wonder she always kept her head down and didn’t dare to look at people. She must’ve been bullied badly at home."

Someone couldn’t stand it anymore, "I always wondered why we never saw Manman return to her parents’ home even though she lives in the same village. Now we know why."

"Once a father marries a stepmother, he’s no longer a real dad; he raised his own daughter like she was picked off the street."

"I don’t understand what he’s thinking, having such a beautiful and smart daughter but not cherishing her, while raising someone else’s daughter so well. I remember Ye Xiaotong was plump and probably got all the good food when she was young."

"No wonder this child has been thin since childhood, even now, when life is better, she’s still so thin. Her health must’ve been neglected since she was young."

"But this kid managed to redeem herself by becoming the provincial top scorer. Isn’t she a hundred times better than Ye Xiaotong? I really don’t know what he’s aiming for, tsk tsk..."

"..."

All these neighbors and villagers, everything Ye Manman talked about were experiences of the original character’s past, with traces to follow.

Anyone who thinks back a little can recall some glimpses of Ye Manman’s childhood and youth in the village.

Originally, they thought Ye Guoqiang had some secret to cultivating a provincial top scorer, or that he had a close father-daughter relationship with Ye Manman. Many in the village even sent him gifts and praised him, flattering him for several days.

But now, everyone regretted it, not only gossiping but also some of the older ones whispering criticisms.

Ye Manman didn’t care about the villagers’ gossip; she stared at Ye Guoqiang and found nothing but shock, panic, and helplessness on his face—no hint of regret. She found it incredibly laughable.

"So, you’re asking me now not to forget where I came from, still expecting me to help you and Ye Xiaotong? Why should I?"

Ye Manman curled her lips into a sneer and sat back down on the stool.

"I bet if I hadn’t achieved top scorer, you all would have kept wishing I never returned to my parents’ home, right?"

Her tone was cold, but there was a faint sadness surrounding her, making all the parents who pity their own children feel a wrench in their hearts.

He Chen also stood behind her with a pained expression, speaking to the crowd.

"We’re just here to pick up some things today. Manman is pregnant now; her body is weak and can’t handle stress or fatigue."

"If there’s nothing important, we hope everyone can head back for now. We spent a lot of time coming from the town, and she’s really tired and needs rest."

Ye Manman did seem tired and weary, but it didn’t look like she was sleepy. Instead, it seemed like she was in pain because of a useless father who made things unpleasant for her.

Everyone understood and felt heartbroken.

Upon learning that she was pregnant, the villagers were indeed happy for her.

Before leaving, they offered congratulations and many suggested bringing gifts like local eggs to nourish her.

He Chen couldn’t effectively stop them.

The villagers had benefited from their family’s kindness before, with He Chen having once shared the meat of two wild boars among them—more than enough for them to reciprocate.

Moreover, now that Ye Manman was a provincial top scorer, dealing with such a vile and incompetent father while pregnant, yet still enduring mistreatment, stirred deep emotions in the villagers.

With most remaining in the village being quite old, their mixed feelings ran deep for such a slender and ambitious girl. They all rushed home to bring items over.

Soon, only Ye Guoqiang and Yang Xiumei were left in the yard.

Though Ye Manman’s earlier words mostly accused Ye Guoqiang, the actions behind those matters were orchestrated by Yang Xiumei, leaving her embarrassed.

Especially after being gossiped about by the villagers, she couldn’t bring herself to speak, only wanting to leave quickly.

Ye Guoqiang’s expression had long become extremely sour.

Before leaving, many villagers gave him glaring looks; today was supposed to be the pinnacle and most glorious moment of his life, yet within just half an hour, he fell from the heights to the depths.

Simply because of a few words from Ye Manman, Ye Guoqiang felt uncertain about how he could live in the village moving forward.

He knew he hadn’t cared for her, but he was busy working every day, where would he find the time? Why didn’t she come to him if she had issues, instead of humiliating him here?

Ye Guoqiang felt somewhat resentful towards Ye Manman for being immature.

But considering her achievements now and her potential future as a national talent recorded in history books, Ye Guoqiang couldn’t vent his anger.

He feared Ye Manman might refuse to acknowledge him.

Recalling He Chen’s earlier words, Ye Guoqiang wanted to redeem himself. Just as he was about to speak, He Chen issued a polite but firm request for them to leave.

"Father-in-law, mother-in-law, if there’s nothing else, please head home. Manman is very tired and needs to rest."

Ye Guoqiang initially thought of asking how far along her pregnancy was, if she needed anything like local eggs, intending to return home and converse more later.

However, He Chen’s words were undoubtedly directly urging them to leave.

No matter how thick-skinned he might try to be, he could not stay.

Moreover, Ye Guoqiang was never one to impose himself; he had always remained on the outskirts, speaking so much today only because of the flattery from the villagers recently.

Now without anyone praising him, Ye Guoqiang regressed back to his marginalized self.

Yang Xiumei had long wanted to leave; seeing Ye Guoqiang’s sour face, she hurriedly grabbed his arm and walked out.

As she walked, Yang Xiumei turned her head to say to He Chen and Ye Manman that they should visit sometime.

But no one responded.

He Chen gently massaged Ye Manman’s shoulder, "Are you very tired? Want to sleep? I just prepared the bed in the room, you can take a nap."

Ye Manman rubbed her temples, feeling physically lighter after venting the original character’s grievances.

"Then I’ll only go to sleep if I get a kiss of love~"

She pouted, head tilted up, both hands gripping his clothes.

He Chen was charmed by her cute expression, hurriedly bowing his head to cradle her face and kissed her deeply.

They were just thinking there was no one else and planned to indulge in affection when an awkward voice came from the doorway.

"Oh my, this..."

A group of people suddenly arrived at the entrance; the courtyard door was open, and just as they stepped in, they witnessed the scene of He Chen kissing Ye Manman, making several blush with embarrassment.

The one who spoke was the brigade leader, and the group was led by him; none expected such an encounter.

He Chen felt a bit awkward too, not expecting anyone would come.

Moreover, neither he nor Ye Manman recognized this group, judging by their attire and demeanor, they weren’t local, appearing to be from elsewhere.

One person even held several books of unknown origin.

He Chen puzzledly looked at the brigade leader, "Who are they?"

"Ah, they came from Jing City to recruit students, from Qing University I heard. I don’t quite understand these things; didn’t Manman achieve top provincial scorer? They said Qing University is the best university in Jing City, and they came especially for her."

The brigade leader’s face showed some redness, but now it flushed with excitement.

Earlier, he thought of collecting something to nourish Ye Manman, but halfway, he encountered these apparent city folks asking for directions to Ye Manman.

Initially very wary, fearing they were frauds, the brigade leader shifted his attitude quickly after hearing them reveal their intentions, immediately turning and leading them over.