Chapter 5

After she was sent to the countryside, she spent money lavishly and never went to work. Either she paid others to do her work or used money daily to offset her work points.  

But that was nothing.  

After all, using money to offset work points only cost one yuan per day.  

However, she had been spoiled at home, accustomed to the best in food, clothing, shelter, and travel.  

So, she often went to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, buying whatever she saw without hesitation.  

It would have been fine if she had only spent her own money, but she also had a heartless, fake best friend—her so-called sister-in-arms from her past life, Ye Huan.  

This person freeloaded off her, eating and drinking at her expense, always having Shen Jiaojiao pay for everything she bought. She called it borrowing, yet not once did she ever repay.  

And over time, it became a habit, something she took for granted. From big items like clothes and quilts to small things like toothpaste and toothbrushes, she leached off Shen Jiaojiao completely.  

Thinking back now, Shen Jiaojiao felt that falling for a scumbag in her past life was well-deserved. She had been blind to people’s true nature. If she wasn’t meant to be cannon fodder, who else was?  

Feeling frustrated, Shen Jiaojiao put away her money clip.

After a simple wash, she lay down and went to sleep.  

Tonight had been exhausting.  

---

The next morning.  

The people in the Educated Youth compound gradually woke up.  

It was July of 1976, the peak of the farming season.  

Shen Jiaojiao hadn’t slept well. At the slightest noise outside, she got up.  

The first thing she did was check her ankle. The swelling and redness from the sprain had significantly subsided, and the pain had lessened a lot. At least, she could now walk normally.  

This spiritual spring water was truly miraculous.  With a thought, she once again entered her space.  

The space looked exactly the same as it had yesterday. She used the spiritual spring water to freshen up, ate a steamed bun, and then exited the space.  

Walking over to the wardrobe, she opened it. Inside was an array of Bragi dresses.  

The designs were exquisite, following the latest city trends, and they were not cheap.  

Some of them had even been brought back by her brother from abroad.

These Bragi dresses were beautiful, but they were completely impractical for farm work!  

Had anyone ever seen someone hauling manure while wearing a pure white, elegant Bragi dress?  

Shen Jiaojiao rummaged through her wardrobe for a long time before finally finding a white blouse and a pair of army-green trousers tucked away in the corner.  

After changing, she stood in front of the mirror and combed her hair.  

That was when she noticed faint bluish-purple marks on her snow-white swan-like neck.  

She froze for a moment.  

Then, as if recalling something, her face flushed, and her heart started pounding.  

Could these marks be from Xu Mo’s bites last night?  

There was no need to guess—they definitely were.  

Fortunately, thanks to the spiritual spring water, the marks had faded significantly.  

Shen Jiaojiao felt relieved that the dim torchlight last night had concealed them from sight.  

“Could Xu Mo be part dog?” she muttered.  

Just then, a voice rang out from outside the door.  

“Jiaojiao, are you up yet?”  

It was Ye Huan, her so-called best friend from her past life.  

Shen Jiaojiao was startled. She quickly grabbed a silk scarf and wrapped it around her neck to cover the marks.  

After making sure everything was in place, she opened the door with a blank expression and looked at Ye Huan.  

“You’re up early today.” Ye Huan said, clutching her stomach with a pained expression. “Hurry up and give me a sanitary pad, my period just started.”  

Shen Jiaojiao stared at her for a moment before replying: “Do you need brown sugar too? Drinking brown sugar water helps with cramps.”  

“Yes, yes, yes! I was just about to ask! I knew you were always so considerate.” Ye Huan nodded eagerly, her face full of smiles.  

However, the moment Shen Jiaojiao turned around to fetch the items, Ye Huan’s smile vanished.  

She scoffed inwardly. Shen Jiaojiao, you idiot. You’ll be wrapped around my finger for the rest of your life. So what if you were born rich? Too bad you didn’t grow a brain. What a waste of a good background.

“Jiaojiao, give me one yuan today too. My stomach hurts, and I don’t want to go to work. I’ll just use the money to offset my work points. Actually, just give me ten yuan at once—it’ll save me the trouble of asking again tomorrow.”

Shen Jiaojiao walked to the door, still expressionless, holding out the sanitary pad and a pack of brown sugar.  

“These cost ten yuan in total.” she said.  

Ye Huan, who had just been about to reach for the items, froze.  

“What did you just say?”

“I said these things cost ten yuan in total. If your ears aren’t working, I can say it louder!” Shen Jiaojiao raised her voice.  

The commotion immediately attracted the attention of others who were waking up and washing up.  

Shen Jiaojiao’s newly built house was right next to the Educated Youth Compound, which consisted of a row of simple mud-brick houses with thatched roofs—harsh living conditions.  

The other educated youths were surprised by Shen Jiaojiao’s behavior.  

Wasn’t she always inseparable from Ye Huan?

She had always been generous, never asking Ye Huan for money.  

What was going on today?  

Ye Huan, already pale, looked even more embarrassed.  

Has Shen Jiaojiao gone crazy today? 

She was actually asking her for money?  

“Jiaojiao, we’ve been best friends since childhood! We’ve always shared everything. How could you ask me to pay?”  

Shen Jiaojiao let out a cold laugh.  

She stepped out of the bedroom and into the courtyard, deliberately making her actions visible to everyone.  

“Best friends share both blessings and hardships, right? But what about you? You take advantage of me at every turn, clutching your own money tightly while taking everything from me.  When I bought a watch, you had to have a watch. When I bought a Bragi dress, you had to have one too. Even when my brother gave me a doll, you were jealous.  

From childhood till now, if you had ever once given me so much as a White Rabbit Creamy Candy, I wouldn’t say you were someone who only seeks benefits at the expense of others, a materialistic and opportunistic person. Anyone who befriends someone like you is downright unlucky.”  

Shen Jiaojiao hated how naive she had been in the past, letting Ye Huan manipulate her so easily.  

Even her decision to be sent to the countryside had been influenced by Ye Huan’s instigations.  

She had spoken so sweetly, saying that going to the countryside would lead to meeting the prince of her dreams and experiencing a beautiful love story.  

Back then, she had been nothing but a foolish, naive girl, longing for romance and eagerly signing up for the sent-down youth movement on her own accord.  

But after arriving in the countryside, she realized reality was completely different from what Ye Huan had painted.  

She regretted it, but there was nothing she could do.  

Even though her family had power and influence, they couldn’t just blatantly manipulate the system to bring her back to the city.  

Thinking about all this, Shen Jiaojiao felt nothing but deep regret.