At 24, Xu Zhiyao had no idea why she’d chosen to spend the final year of her graduate studies teaching in a remote part of the northwest. Maybe she’d developed a teacher complex.
She packed her bags and hurried onto a train bound for the northwest. When she arrived, she was stunned. How could the signal be this bad?
Xu Zhiyao grew increasingly anxious, jabbing at her phone, but she couldn’t get through to the person who was supposed to pick her up. Just then, an off-road vehicle trailed a cloud of yellow dust as it pulled up in front of her. A man got out: tall, with a healthy tan and... an incredibly pleasing face.
“Hey, could you give me a lift?” Xu Zhiyao called to him. “I’m going to a village called Xijin. I’ll pay for the ride!”
Chen Yu took off his sunglasses, looked at Xu Zhiyao, and pulled out his phone to make a call.
“Hey, handsome, don’t ignore me! You look like the kind of person who loves helping others. I’ll pay double!” Xu Zhiyao kept shouting, wondering why her own phone was ringing. She answered, “Hello?”
“Is this Xu Zhiyao?”
At the voice, Xu Zhiyao looked up at the man in front of her. How could she have run into something so awkward?
Chen Yu: “Still offering double?”
Xu Zhiyao: “...”
Reader’s guide:
A teacher volunteering in the Western Development Program × a local village schoolteacher
An idealistic heroine × a pragmatic hero
Lighthearted daily life, beautiful scenery, and delicious food
Theme: Never mind the yellow sands that blanket the sky. Even with one hand, you can still turn the tide
