“Song Ci?”

Yang Xiaoye, who was sitting at home eating an apple, didn’t expect the legendary Brother Song to visit her house so soon.

“Xiao Ye!”

Song Ci was a little stunned. He didn’t expect that when he opened the door, he wouldn’t see the crying Yang Xiaoye but rather a young and beautiful girl.

At this moment, Yang Xiaoye was wearing a simple nightgown with a coat over it, revealing two slender white legs and pink shell toes ^[1]decorative nails often painted in bright colors..

Song Ci didn’t dare to look further. Why hadn’t he noticed before that the neighbor’s little girl had grown up and become so beautiful?

“What’s up?”

Yang Xiaoye took a bite of her apple, showing no intention of letting Song Ci in. There was no one home now, and food was piled everywhere. She didn’t want any strangers to come in.

“I heard you were going to work in the countryside, so I came to see you,” Song Ci said, feeling a strange emotion in his heart. He added, “I also brought you your favorite fruit, malted milk.”

He just stood at the door without any intention of leaving, so Yang Xiaoye finally turned to the side and let him in. 

As Song Ci entered, he realized what that strange feeling in his heart was. In the past, whenever he delivered something for his parents, Yang Xiaoye would warmly welcome him in, calling him Brother Song and being very affectionate. This time, however, it felt different.

Song Ci looked at the pretty girl again. Could it be that she was angry?

“Xiao Ye, Brother Song has been busy with work some time ago and didn’t come to see you. Please don’t mind.”

Brother? The apple in Yang Xiaoye’s mouth almost got stuck in her throat. This guy was a bit too shameless. In her memory, it was always her past self who chased after Song Ci. This was the first time she had seen him take the initiative to talk to her.

She couldn’t help but despise how the original owner had looked at him. She didn’t like weak scholars who were aloof and arrogant. Instead, she preferred men who were taciturn and hardworking.

“Xiaoye?” 

Song Ci noticed that Yang Xiaoye didn’t say anything and thought she was still angry with him.

“Xiao Ye, did you really volunteer to go to the countryside this time?”

“Certainly!” Yang Xiaoye came to her senses, fearing that he might go out and say something wrong. “I will work hard to be on the front line.”

Song Ci felt a little emotional. He had never thought that the delicate young lady from the past would have such thoughts and awareness.

“Xiao Ye, I really admire you. I didn’t expect you to grow up so much without Brother Song even noticing. Don’t worry; you go first. When I finish my current work, I’ll join you and volunteer in rural areas. Wait for me.”

Yang Xiaoye: ??

Did I say I would wait for you?

After seeing the excited Song Ci off, Yang Xiaoye didn’t dwell on it. She thought, *I’m leaving anyway, and we’ll probably never see each other again because of the distance.*

The most important thing now was to prepare for her life in the countryside with the old Yang family.

Yang Xiaoye sighed, hoping everything would go smoothly.

—

Finally, the day to leave arrived.

Two days seemed to pass in the blink of an eye.

Chen Yu’s eyes were swollen from crying as she held Yang Xiaoye’s hand tightly, barely able to let go. She almost fainted in Yang Guoyao’s arms.

Since Chen Yu’s health was not great, Yang Xiaoye left some of her stored spring water ^[2]a spiritual spring believed to enhance physical fitness in the space for her parents, hoping it would improve their health, especially Chen Yu’s.

Because she had so many things to bring, Yang Guoyao even borrowed a car from the factory.

But Yang Xiaoye reminded them that, as someone recently featured in the newspaper, she shouldn’t attract too much attention, so she didn’t let them drive her to the train station. 

Instead, Yang Guoyao called a cargo truck, paying the driver to take Yang Xiaoye to the station.

After saying a final goodbye to her parents and convincing Chen Yu, Yang Xiaoye had the truck drop her at an out-of-the-way alley, where she unloaded her things and discreetly stored them away in her space.

With only a small bag of essentials, Yang Xiaoye finally set off for Qingshan Village.

The train ride would take about twenty hours, arriving in Qingshan County at around 3 a.m. the next morning.

Thankfully, Yang Guoyao had bought her a hard sleeper ticket^[3]a type of train ticket in China that includes a bunk to sleep on, generally cheaper than the soft sleeper, so Yang Xiaoye didn’t have to sit the whole journey.

The train wasn’t crowded after the autumn harvest season. She was in a lower bunk, so the trip was relatively comfortable.

—

But when they arrived in Qingshan County, problems started to appear. 

Yang Xiaoye got off the train at three o’clock. It was still dark. There were only a few street lights at the train station and a few people selling breakfast across the street.

She thought someone would come to pick her up, but after waiting for a long time in the cold, Yang Xiaoye still did not see anyone.

Suddenly, she realized that she had caused quite a stir in the provincial capital and had been reported in the newspaper. 

However, Qingshan Village did not know about it. The news had been blocked and could not be passed on in the past few days.

She left quickly, and the villagers did not know if she would come back or not.

Their family had been so busy packing that they forgot to send a telegram^[4]written message sent by telegraph to Qingshan Village.

So no one in Qingshan Village knew that Yang Xiaoye was arriving today. Even if she waited at the train station forever, no one would come.

Yang Xiaoye panicked when she realized this problem.

Now, Yang Xiaoye was here alone, unfamiliar with the way to Qingshan Village.

Wrapping her wool coat tightly around her, she felt both cold and hungry.

Deciding to eat first, she noticed a small wonton stall ^[5]a small food stall selling wontons, a type of dumpling soup popular as breakfast across from the station, likely set up for travelers.

“Comrade, I’d like a bowl of wontons,” Yang Xiaoye said, hoping the hot soup would warm her up.

Although it was only October, the early morning chill was sharp.

“Here you go, young lady! Are you here visiting family? You don’t look like a local,” the stall owner said warmly. Seeing this young girl dressed fashionably, he felt sympathetic.

“Yes, I’m here to visit my grandparents,” Yang Xiaoye replied. She added, “Do you know how to get to Qingshan Village?”

“Oh, Qingshan Village. My mother’s sister married there. It’s a bit far from the county, though. Normally, a tractor from the village comes to buy supplies. Not sure if one’s coming today,” the stall owner explained.

“A tractor…” Yang Xiaoye thought, biting into the wonton.

“If I were to walk, how long would it take?”

The stall owner hesitated. “Well, most villagers do walk, but…”

He paused. “Maybe you shouldn’t try it, young lady. You look delicate, not used to hardships. After five or six hours of walking, you’d be exhausted.”

Yang Xiaoye continued eating, thinking how grateful she was for the spiritual spring water she’d been drinking recently. Her skin had grown even fairer and smoother, like porcelain, and she looked healthier than ever.

Her original self was a bit arrogant and had poor taste, so even though she looked like a five out of ten, she dressed in a way that made her seem like a three. But now, things are different. Yang Xiaoye doesn’t need to dress up much and she naturally looks like a ten.

“Five or six hours?” 

Yang Xiaoye nearly choked. 

“That’s a long time!”

“That’s if you’re quick. With your petite figure, it might even take you ten hours,” the vendor joked, convinced Yang Xiaoye was a pretty young lady from the city.

“Then I’ll just wait for the bus…” Yang Xiaoye sighed, realizing she probably wouldn’t make it to Qingshan Village on her own.

The vendor then added, “Some families in the village still use mule carts ^[6]a traditional animal-drawn vehicle, so you could try waiting at the entrance to the county. You might find someone from the village shopping in town who could give you a lift.”

He paused, then cautioned, “But be sure to bundle up. The county entrance isn’t very safe at this hour.”

Although public security has improved, a well-dressed young woman out alone is likely to attract some troublemakers.

Besides, this girl is so pretty that even a regular guy might be tempted to act like a troublemaker when he sees her.

After finishing her wontons in a few bites, Yang Xiaoye thanked the vendor, picked up her bag, and walked toward the entrance of the county.

It was just past five o’clock. The sky was still dim, and the wind was cold. Yang Xiaoye remembered the vendor’s advice.

She pulled out a piece of rough, ordinary blue-black cloth from her storage space ^[7]an ability to store items away in a personal storage space and wrapped herself up in it, even covering her expensive coat, leaving only her eyes exposed. She had asked Chen Yu to buy the cloth specifically to help her blend in.

Her pants were just simple black ones, with no obvious sign of material or value.

Dressed this way, she really did look like a country girl.

Yang Xiaoye bundled herself up tightly and walked slowly toward the city gate.

She passed a few people, probably travelers who had come into the city overnight. Each carried a basket, looking dusty with gray, tired faces.

When she finally reached the city gate, Yang Xiaoye peeked through the gap in her scarf and spotted a mule cart heading out of town.

Freezing from the cold, Yang Xiaoye ran over to wave down the cart, not caring whether the driver was heading to Qingshan Village or not. She figured she could pay him if needed as she just wanted to get out of the cold.

Gu Huai, who was riding on the mule cart, was feeling relieved as he thought about the medicine he had just bought.

He had secretly earned some money recently, all to buy new medicine for his mother. Unfortunately, he had a poor reputation due to a past setup, and any rumors about his actions could be devastating for his family.

But his mother’s health had been worsening, so Gu Huai had taken the risk.

Now that he had the medicine, he felt much more at ease.

As he was leaving the city, he noticed a small figure bundled up like a bear, excitedly waving at him to stop.

Gu Huai frowned and didn’t stop the cart.

He’d never seen this person before, so she was likely not from the area. Given his own situation, he decided not to take any chances.

Yang Xiaoye jumped and waved even higher, but the mule cart rolled past her, leaving her in a trail of dust.

Yang Xiaoye: ???

—

[Author’s note: Brother Huai: “I don’t even know this person. Why would I give her a ride?”

In the next chapter, Brother Huai: “Well… it does smell good.”]