Chapter 38

Life in the Countryside Starts with Lunch

The educated youth in Guihua Village ate from a communal pot.

Everyone worked together, dividing tasks.

The male educated youth were responsible for chopping wood and carrying water, while the female educated youth cooked and washed dishes, and after meals, they heated water to fill everyone’s thermoses.

Two males and two females were assigned to work each week, rotating so everyone could have a break.

Yu Qingqiu and the others had only been there for two days and hadn’t been assigned yet, and Tie Lanyan’s group hadn’t either.

During lunch, the person in charge, Hu Hao, brought up the matter.

“You can form your own teams, or I can assign you.”

As soon as he finished speaking, He Ailing immediately said:

“Sister Zhang just told me about this, I’ll team up with her!”

Sister Zhang was an older educated youth, who usually worked alone or with others.

Tie Lanyan raised an eyebrow, He Ailing was quite clever, she knew to latch onto someone powerful.

Hu Hao nodded, “Alright, what about the rest of you?”

Zhang San and Li Si looked at each other, “We’ll work together.”

Tie Lanyan thought: She finally understood why these two had such strange names.

Han Keer frowned, “I can’t cook.”

She was a time-traveling destined woman, she came to this era to make a difference, not to work and cook for others.

She hated washing dishes even more.

In her previous life, she didn’t get into college and went to work after high school.

She ended up washing dishes in a hotel, her hands were chapped and wrinkled, ugly.

Bai Yanyan patted her hand, gently saying, “It’s alright, I can cook, we can team up, I won’t let you get tired.”

Her family was average, they only gave her 10 yuan when she went to the countryside, nothing else.

Life in the countryside was so tough, she heard they wouldn’t even have enough to eat, she had to find a sucker.

Originally, she had her sights set on her good friend, Yu Qingqiu.

But for some reason, after coming to the countryside, Yu Qingqiu suddenly changed, she was cold and sarcastic towards her, and often looked at her with disgust.

Bai Yanyan couldn’t swallow this, so she turned to Han Keer to form an alliance.

Anyway, Han Keer’s family was well-off, although her personality was a bit arrogant, she was very generous.

In just two days, she had already eaten a lot of good things from her.

There were sweet Big White Rabbit candies and delicate pastries, all things she had been coveting for a long time.

This Han Keer was also very easy to coax, just praise her a bit and she would be flattered, she was so naive.

Such a sucker was hard to come by, she had to hold on tight.

A Deal Struck and a Simple Meal

Hearing Bai Yanyan’s offer, Han Keer immediately beamed:

“Oh, alright, I’ll trouble you then.”

Seeing this, Tie Lanyan twitched her lips.

They say those who time-travel defeat those who are reborn, and those who are reborn defeat the locals.

But it felt like it was all reversed.

With Han Keer’s intelligence, someone who would count the money even after being sold, she couldn’t even outsmart Yu Qingqiu, let alone the white lotus, Bai Yanyan?

It seemed in the novel’s plot, Han Keer was indeed tricked miserably by Bai Yanyan.

But it had been so long, she had almost forgotten the specific details.

The key was that the ending was a mess, and the fates of the protagonists were uncertain.

Whatever, she wouldn’t get involved.

As long as it didn’t involve her bottom line, she’d just be a transparent spectator.

On the male educated youth side.

Chen Huaijin and Wang Juanjuan teamed up, Wen Lang found another male educated youth who was alone.

Only Tie Lanyan and the reborn female lead, Yu Qingqiu, were left.

Yu Qingqiu glanced at Tie Lanyan.

She didn’t know where she came from.

But since she was reborn, maybe she would trigger other effects.

Whatever, she was just an insignificant person.

This person seemed honest, so she would keep her close and observe.

So she took the initiative to say, “Comrade Tie Lanyan, shall we team up?”

Tie Lanyan had no idea Yu Qingqiu had so many thoughts.

If she had a choice, she wouldn’t choose any of Yu Qingqiu, Bai Yanyan, or Han Keer.

But the current situation didn’t allow for it.

She could only nod and say, “Okay.”

…

After everyone formed teams, the lunch was served.

Tie Lanyan was stunned when she saw it.

There were only two dishes: napa cabbage and shredded potatoes.

No oil or grease, just like boiled water.

The dishes weren’t served on plates, but in large aluminum basins.

After all, there were 20 people, so there had to be enough food.

The rice wasn’t pure white rice, but mixed with some sweet potato chunks, with a lot of water, turning it into sweet potato porridge.

Everyone got a bowl, and it was almost empty.

It was clear how tough life in the countryside was.

Tie Lanyan was okay, having experienced the hardship of the apocalypse, this was considered good food.

But the other new educated youth couldn’t handle it.

He Ailing was a bit disdainful, “Is this all we have for lunch?”

She had been traveling for a whole morning,

They were all famished, their stomachs growling with hunger.

But seeing the meager soup and vegetables before them, their appetites vanished.

Zhang San and Li Si remained silent, likely sharing the same sentiment.

The six-member protagonist group, who had arrived earlier and experienced similar situations, also kept quiet.

Hu Hao, the head of the educated youth village, explained:

“This meal is actually pretty good today. Usually, we only have one dish. Make do with it!”

This was the common experience for newly arrived educated youth. They complained about everything, from the unfamiliar environment to the unpalatable food.

They would get used to it after a while.

He Ailing pursed her lips, but didn’t say anything more.

After all, Hu Hao was in charge, and offending him might make life difficult.

Tie Lanyan watched her with a look of grievance, a hint of amusement in her eyes.

She didn’t remember this He Ailing. She was probably a bit better than Zhang San and Li Si, but still just a minor character in the novel.

The protagonist group hadn’t complained, but she was the first to jump in.

Bai Yanran stood up, scooped a bowl of the sweet potato porridge cooked in a clay pot, and handed it to He Ailing:

“Comrade He Ailing, this porridge has some bacon in it, it tastes pretty good, you can try it.”

Bacon! This was a rare treat, something they barely got to eat throughout the year. To think they could have it today!

“Thank you, Comrade Bai Yanran, everyone is blessed today!”

He Ailing jumped at the chance, showering Bai Yanran with gratitude.

The other educated youth also expressed their thanks.

Bai Yanran, with a beaming smile, responded to everyone, never mentioning that the bacon was a contribution from Han Keer.

Han Keer, however, was completely preoccupied with something else.

She was determined to find a way to strike up a conversation with Wen Lang, the male educated youth.

Yes, after transmigrating, she had fallen head over heels for Wen Lang and decided to pursue him.

Well, this was another case of a love-struck character.

It was quite amusing, actually.

In her previous life, her original body had competed with the female lead for the (scumbag). In this life, the transmigrated female lead was competing with the female lead for the male lead.

It seemed like she was destined to clash with the female lead.

Tie Lanyan, savoring the sweet potato and bacon porridge, chatted with the older educated youth beside her, feeling truly content.

Whether in the modern world or the apocalypse, she was always alone, a solitary figure. It was lonely.

Now, this was so much better. It was lively.

Tie Lanyan’s life as an educated youth began with a delightful lunch…