Chapter 2: Preparations Before Going to the Countryside

Tang’s mother rode her bicycle with Tang Xiaoxiao to the Educated Youth Office.

“Director Liu, bringing your daughter to fill out the form?” Tang’s mother was the director of the street office, so everyone at the Educated Youth Office knew her.

It was also because Tang’s mother was the director of the street office and Tang’s father was the director of the Beijing Steel Factory.

Originally, Tang Xiaoxiao could have stayed home for a while after the disaster, but fearing gossip, she stayed home for a week before coming to the Educated Youth Office.

“Yes, I was going to let her rest at home for a while longer, but she insisted on coming.” Tang’s mother said with a smile.

“Comrade Tang is such a proactive and good young woman!”

“If everyone was like Comrade Tang, our work at the Educated Youth Office would be much easier.”

“…”

The people at the Educated Youth Office were all smooth operators, naturally spewing out compliments like a bottomless well.

“Of the current placements, only Heilongjiang Province is better. Although it’s cold, there’s less time to work in a year.” Tang Xiaoxiao was eager to register, and the people at the Educated Youth Office were willing to do her a favor for the sake of her parents.

“Auntie, I don’t want to go to Heilongjiang. I want to go to Qingzhu Brigade, Yuhu Village, Xiang Province.” Tang Xiaoxiao clearly stated the address.

Tang’s mother looked at her strangely. How did she have a clear address?

Even the people at the Educated Youth Office looked at her curiously.

“I heard that it’s near Dongting Lake, with beautiful scenery, so I want to go see it.” Tang Xiaoxiao smiled sweetly.

Everyone heard that the young girl wanted to go see the beautiful scenery.

“They produce rice there, and the yield is pretty good. The girl won’t go hungry there.” The people at the Educated Youth Office looked through the files and whispered to Tang’s mother.

“Alright, that’s it then.” Tang’s mother nodded.

“It’s a bit rushed, only three days left.”

“This…” Tang’s mother was about to say that they didn’t have time to prepare.

“That’s it, that’s it.” Tang Xiaoxiao pulled on her mother’s arm, swaying and acting cute.

She wanted to see Song Jingzhi as soon as possible, gain his trust, and heal his leg.

Tang’s mother looked at her daughter helplessly and nodded to the staff at the Educated Youth Office. She couldn’t resist her daughter’s charm.

Finally, they received 300 yuan in subsidies at the Educated Youth Office, 200 yuan of which was Tang Xiaoxiao’s disaster relief payment from Xushan.

“Only three days, how can I prepare?” As soon as they left the Educated Youth Office, Tang’s mother started her endless muttering.

“Winter clothes can be sent later. Summer clothes, summer quilts, bed sheets, blankets… Does it rain a lot in Xiang Province? You need to prepare an umbrella. Should I get you a raincoat?”

“Mom, thank you.”

Tang’s mother looked at her daughter, who was so polite, and tapped her forehead. “With that thank you, I’m satisfied for two days.”

The mother and daughter went straight to the department store, browsing from the first floor to the fourth floor, returning home with bags full of purchases.

“Xiaoxiao, stay home for a while. I’ll go find someone to exchange some tickets.”

As soon as they got home, Tang’s mother went out again.

At that moment, Tang Xiaoxiao remembered to check the space the butterfly mentioned.

“Enter.”

The scene before her instantly shifted to the time after the reform and opening up, her first supermarket, which was the largest in Beijing at the time.

It was filled with all kinds of goods from that era, covering food, clothing, housing, and transportation.

“With these, it’ll be much easier.”

Tang Xiaoxiao discovered that she could freely take out or put in any item from the space with her mind.

She also discovered that the items in the supermarket not only stayed fresh but could also be regenerated. She took out one item, and another would automatically appear in the space.

“I’ll help Song Jingzhi heal his leg, and he’ll continue to be a firefighter. As for me, when I return to the city, I can use the things from this space to become rich.”

After coming out of the space, she leaned back on the bed and began to recall Song Jingzhi’s past life.

At first, Song Jingzhi didn’t know he wouldn’t recover. He actively cooperated with the treatment.

Until later, when he realized he couldn’t walk anymore, he chose to retire, even though the army wanted to transfer him to a civilian position.

But he wasn’t defeated by reality. As he said, there’s hope as long as you’re alive.

Even though he was once mocked by the village children for being in a wheelchair, even though he was once beaten up by thugs, even though he was once bullied for being disabled and not given money for shoe repairs, even though he had fallen due to his disability.

He never gave up, but lived actively.

In her previous life, her business wasn’t smooth sailing either. Every time she faced setbacks, she would remember his words.

“There’s hope as long as you’re alive!”

As she reminisced, Tang Xiaoxiao fell asleep. She had a dream, a dream of Song Jingzhi in his firefighter uniform, smiling at her.

When Tang Xiaoxiao woke up in the afternoon, her father and mother were talking in the living room.

“I also exchanged a lot of foreign exchange coupons and bought Xiaoxiao some beautiful clothes and food from the Overseas Chinese Store.” Tang’s mother showed Tang’s father the clothes she bought.

“Mom, I’m going to the countryside, why do I need beautiful clothes? Just something comfortable for working.” Tang Xiaoxiao opened the door and came out.

“Didn’t you say you were going to see Dongting Lake? You have to dress nicely.” Tang’s mother looked at her daughter.

“…” She was speechless.

“Are all the other things ready?” Tang’s father asked, seeing only the beautiful clothes.

“They’re ready. We have new bed sheets and blankets at home. The summer quilt she’s using now is brand new. I’ll send the autumn and winter ones when I’m done making them.”

“The 300 yuan from the Educated Youth Office is with her. How much more should we give her?” Tang’s mother asked.

“Let her keep the 300 yuan and send her another 50 yuan each month.” Tang’s father glanced at Tang Xiaoxiao.

50 yuan was already a month and a half’s salary for an ordinary worker. Tang’s father was the director and an eighth-level worker at the steel factory, earning over 100 yuan a month. Tang’s mother also earned over 60 yuan.

It was precisely because the Tang family was well-off that Tang Xiaoxiao had the confidence to start her own business at the beginning of the reform and opening up.

“Didn’t you say you would give her 30 yuan each month?” Tang Xiaoxiao asked curiously. In her previous life, she was given 30 yuan when she went to Heilongjiang. Why was it more this time?

“A girl should always have some extra money on her.” Isn’t she going to see the scenery? She’ll need money.

“Then you don’t need to give me tickets.” She had everything in her space. It wasn’t easy for her parents to exchange tickets, so she’d rather they keep them for themselves.

“No tickets? If you want to eat at a state-owned restaurant, you won’t even be able to get in without tickets. People will ask you to leave.” Tang’s father laughed at his daughter.

“Right, you still need tickets. I exchanged these for you. You’ll need to buy a lot of things when you get there.” Tang’s mother took out the exchanged tickets, a thick stack of various kinds.

“Dad, Mom, I’m going to the countryside to work, not to enjoy myself.”

“If it weren’t for the current policy change, that one child from a family with two children must go to the countryside, and your brother went to the army, we wouldn’t let you go.” Tang’s mother regretted letting her son join the army so early.

Tang Mu, who was far away in the Northeast Military Region, sneezed three times in a row. “Did my mom miss me?”