Chapter 8

The annoying people were finally gone, and Lin Jiayi felt exhausted. Shopping really was a physical chore!

Lying on the bed, she began to sort out her thoughts.

From being inexplicably dragged into this book by that wretched Yao Qingqing, to now, she had already adapted and could handle life here with ease.

Now she had family, space, money, and in the future, the “protagonist” Yao Qingqing waiting for her to crush—this kind of life didn’t seem so bad after all.

This place no longer felt like just words on paper, but like real life. Every person had flesh and blood. Maybe she would never be able to leave for the rest of her life.

“Sigh! My fate is determined by me, not by heaven. So what if she’s the female lead? Just wait and see how I reshape your so-called world.”

Thinking like this, Lin Jiayi drifted off to sleep.

The blazing sun rose high in the sky. The familiar sounds of children playing once again pulled Lin Jiayi out of her dreams.

When she walked out of her room, Lin Dong had almost everything packed and ready to go.

“Jiayi, you’re awake. Come eat. Your Uncle Wu will be here soon to drive us. We’ll move today.”

Lin Dong was a man of action, while Lin Jiayi seemed a bit lazy in comparison.

Fortunately, Lin Dong never minded and always encouraged her with a smile to eat more.

Just as Lin Jiayi popped the last bite of her bun into her mouth, Uncle Wu’s car pulled up outside with a honk, drawing the neighbors’ attention.

“Xiao Lin, are you moving out?”

“Yes, Auntie Wang. I’ve been transferred for work, so I can’t keep living in the military compound.”

“Big Brother Lin, where will you be working? We’ll come visit you sometime!”

“I’ve been transferred to the Municipal Public Security Bureau.”

…

The back-and-forth chatter in the courtyard carried a kind of simplicity and warmth that modern people no longer had.

As she was about to walk out to greet Uncle Wu with her father, someone blocked her path.

“Jiayi, I’m sorry. Auntie really did want to help you that day, it’s just… it’s just…”

Lin Jiayi remembered—this was the same aunt who, on her very first day here, had shouted about helping her contact the Women’s Federation and the police.

“It’s fine. In the end, the results turned out well, didn’t they? We’re moving now anyway. I wish Auntie and your family happiness.”

She ran past and didn’t bother with the interruption, hurrying toward Lin Dong.

With Uncle Wu’s help, it didn’t take long before all the packages were loaded into the car. As for the items in her own room, Lin Jiayi secretly stored them into her space.

She and Lin Dong sat in the back seat, heading toward their new home with a car full of belongings.

On the other side, things weren’t so cheerful for Yang Xueqin.

After failing last night, she and her daughter Yao Qingqing had returned to their shabby little house in the suburbs.

Yao Qingqing continued to complain:

“Mom, if you had any ambition at all, we wouldn’t be stuck living in a dump like this. How can people live here? After all these years you still don’t even have a marriage certificate. How stupid can you be?

I don’t know how I ended up with such a foolish mother when I’m so smart. I don’t care—you better figure something out. Since Grandma’s side is hopeless now, if it doesn’t work with Lin Dong, then just find another man.

With your looks, it’s not impossible to snag an older man with money. You need to think about our future!”

And they said she wrote the novel—no wonder! With such a twisted worldview, the so-called heroine was just as rotten as her real self.

Meanwhile, moving into the new place went smoothly for Lin Dong’s family, and tidying up didn’t take long either. When only a little was left to do, Lin Dong left Lin Jiayi to finish while he went to the newspaper office—the statement of severed ties had to be published to be official.

Lin Jiayi wasn’t in a hurry. She slowly organized the items she wanted to send off tomorrow.

By the time Lin Dong returned with some helpers, she had just finished tidying up.

Looking at the sacks of seeds and cages of animals in the yard, Lin Jiayi’s eyes lit up.

This was her real capital—the foundation for her future wealth.

The helpers left after being paid, and Lin Dong locked the courtyard gate before discussing plans with her.

“Jiayi, this is rice—plant it first since it’s the most important. Here’s corn, this is wheat, and these are cotton seeds. Keep these safe. These are fruit trees, and here are vegetable seeds.

This basket has chicks, that one has ducklings, this cage has rabbits. I could only find one pair each of cattle and sheep, but there are six piglets…”

Each time Lin Dong handed her something, Lin Jiayi tossed it into her space and said, “Plant it,” before pulling back out.

Repeating this over and over, within half an hour everything was planted. The once-empty black soil inside the space was now full.

As for the animals, she threw them into the enclosed part of the land, where they were automatically separated by type.

The space was really considerate, though the only flaw was that the storage area near the well didn’t have any shelving, forcing her to toss the whole boxes onto the ground.

“Dad, everything’s ready now. You just need to prepare my rations, and it’ll be perfect.”

Since there was nothing more to pack, Lin Dong started steaming buns and dumplings. He wanted to make plenty for Jiayi to take with her.

Father and daughter busied themselves in the kitchen all afternoon. Though tiring, they were happy.

But where there was joy on one side, there was sorrow on the other.

Yao Qingqing was devastated. Moving into such a dump wasn’t even the worst of it.

The township staff responsible for sending people to the countryside were diligent. Learning that she had moved, they delivered her assignment notice directly to the house.

Yao Qingqing nearly fainted when she saw it.

The staff, having seen such scenes many times before, didn’t linger. They left quickly—better to avoid dealing with a tantrum.

Collapsing into Yang Xueqin’s arms, Yao Qingqing sobbed, “Mom, it must be that bitch Lin Jiayi. She dragged me down with her. I’ll make sure she dies miserably. Who’s so heartless to sign someone up to be sent away like this? Wuwuwu…”

Her curses were sincere, and her crying pitiful—but wasn’t it she and her mother who had secretly signed Lin Jiayi up in the first place?

Yang Xueqin knew there was no changing it now. The notice was final. She could only accept it.

“Qingqing, there’s nothing we can do. All I can do is prepare more supplies for you so you’ll live more comfortably there. Don’t worry, Mom will send you money every month. I won’t let you suffer.”

Yao Qingqing also realized she couldn’t change the situation, but that only deepened her hatred for Lin Jiayi.