Chapter 13: Song Tiezi’s Fiancée

“Comrade Song! Comrade Song! What are you doing?”

A comrade rushed over to stop Song Yue from lying down. “Don’t lie down! Don’t lie down!”

“We can talk this out properly!”

“Is this about the relocation?”

“It’s already changed! Changed!”

Song Yue: “?”

Changed?

Her rural assignment had been reassigned?

Seeing that Song Yue had stopped moving, the comrade from the subdistrict office quickly explained,

“Comrade Song, in light of your cooperation with the public security officers in eliminating scum from society and rescuing women and children, the higher-ups have decided to reward you! You have been specially granted permission to go to Hei Province to shine and contribute!”

Song Yue could hardly believe it. “Changed?”

The comrade nodded firmly. “Yes, changed.”

Song Yue eyed him suspiciously. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. If you don’t believe me, I can fetch the registry for you to see.”

Song Yue: “Alright, go get it.”

The comrade immediately ran off, soon returning with the registry. He flipped to Song Yue’s page and pointed at it.

“See? Right here.”

Song Yue examined it carefully and confirmed that her assignment had been changed from the northwest region to Hei Province.

She nodded and got up from the ground. “Thanks.”

“Comrade Song, no need to be so polite. This is our duty.”

The comrade handed her the rural assignment notice. “This is your assignment notice. You’ll be leaving in three days—be sure to prepare.”

Song Yue took it. “Thanks.”

“No need to thank me. The police may come by in the next couple of days to ask you some questions.”

“Comrade Song, try to stay home as much as possible and avoid going out.”

“Got it.”

—

When she returned home, the door was still locked, indicating that no one else had returned yet.

Song Yue entered, locked the door behind her, and put her household registration book back where it was. Then, she noticed a property deed.

Her brow twitched. She opened it and found not one but two property deeds!

One was for this place, and the other was for a different location.

And that second property was under her name.

Song Yue didn’t take it, shoving it back where it was.

Tomorrow, she’d try her luck—if someone was willing to buy, she’d sell it.

With everything settled, she left the room.

After locking the door, she lay down for a while. Then, hunger set in.

She didn’t feel like cooking.

She considered waiting for Li Huijuan to come back and cook, but who knew when that would be?

After thinking it over, she decided to eat at the state-run cafeteria.

—

Half an hour later, she arrived at the cafeteria.

She ordered rice, braised pork, and a serving of vegetables.

Just as she sat down with her food, she looked up—and instantly cursed her luck.

She had spotted Song Tiezi, and beside him was a woman in a dress, looking delicate and fragile.

Was she the same woman from this morning?

Judging by how put-together Song Tiezi looked, it was probably not the same woman.

So… was Song Tiezi two-timing?

In this era, two-timing was a pretty bold move.

Maybe her stare was too sharp because Song Tiezi turned and met her gaze.

Seeing her, his face immediately darkened, and the woman next to him also glanced over.

Song Yue withdrew her gaze and focused on eating.

She figured if she kept looking, she’d lose her appetite.

As she continued eating, a delicate voice rang out.

“Tie-gege, let’s sit over there.”

With those words, someone sat down across from her.

She looked up and—who else could it be but Song Tiezi and that woman?

“Hello, I’m Song Tiezi’s fiancée, He Jiao.”

Song Yue glanced at He Jiao’s outstretched hand, briefly touched it in greeting, then quickly withdrew her hand.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Song Tiezi’s face turn green.

Song Yue stood up, flashed He Jiao a smile, and said, “Little sister, don’t go looking for men in the garbage heap.”

With that, she turned and left.

Song Tiezi stood frozen, his face stormy as he glared at her retreating figure.

Meanwhile, He Jiao watched Song Yue leave, a flicker of something dark flashing through her eyes before she quickly replaced it with an obedient, confused expression.

She looked at Song Tiezi with a soft voice. “Tie-gege, does your sister not like me?”

Song Tiezi sat beside her and gently reassured her, “Ignore her. She’s leaving for the countryside in a couple of days.”

At the mention of her leaving, He Jiao’s eyes lit up. “If she leaves, does that mean her job will go to you?”

“Mm.” Song Tiezi nodded. “Once I get the job, I’ll have my mother find a matchmaker to arrange our engagement.”

He Jiao’s eyes curved into a sweet smile. “Then Tie-gege, you must hurry. You know my situation.”

“Mm, I’ll go tomorrow.”

He Jiao asked, “Can I go with you tomorrow?”

“…” Song Tiezi instinctively wanted to refuse, but when he saw He Jiao’s expectant gaze, he hesitated.

After a moment, he nodded. “Of course.”

He Jiao’s smile deepened. “Tie-gege, you’re so good to me.”

—

Back at home, Song Yue washed her feet and lay on the bed, starting to explore her space.

She figured out how it worked.

The space could only purchase items that belonged to this era. Anything that didn’t, like medicine or books, had to be earned.

The space could also be upgraded.

But the prerequisite was earning points.

The only way to earn points was by saving people.

The amount of points depended on the severity of the person’s condition—the more serious, the more points earned, and vice versa.

She opened the system panel.

It allowed her to exchange for ration tickets.

There were also various products—food, medicine, daily necessities, grain, oil, furniture, and even houses…

Of course, houses were expensive.

Looking at the point cost—tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands…

Forget it. She wouldn’t even think about it.

As she browsed, she gradually drifted off to sleep.

—

In her sleep, she vaguely heard Li Huijuan talking to Song Tiezi about getting his job at the textile factory.

She immediately woke up, eyes snapping open.

The sky was already bright.

Outside, voices were indeed coming from the other room—it was Li Huijuan and Song Tiezi.

She sat up, holding her breath to listen.

She heard Li Huijuan urging Song Tiezi, “Hurry up. I only took half a day off. I need to get your job settled at the textile factory and still go back to work this afternoon.”

“You keep rushing me!”

Song Tiezi snapped impatiently, “It’s early in the morning, stop nagging me to death!”

“Lower your voice, or you’ll wake people up.”

“…”

As Song Yue got up, dressed, and brushed her hair, she listened to their muffled argument outside.

A moment later.

The front door opened and then closed again.

Song Yue also left her room, grabbed her washbasin and toothbrush, and went to the kitchen to fetch water. She brushed her teeth and splashed her face with cold water.

After putting the basin back in her room, she glanced out the window.

She saw Li Huijuan and Song Tiezi leaving.

She put down the basin, locked her door, and went out.

She headed to the state-run restaurant for breakfast.

After eating, she stopped by the supply and marketing cooperative to browse for anything useful.

Just as she stepped inside, a familiar voice rang out—

“What, you put it out for display but don’t want people to look at it?”

“If you don’t want people to see it, then don’t put it out—just hide it away!”

That voice—

Song Yue’s brow twitched. It was the same woman she had heard yesterday when retrieving her household registration book.

She turned and saw a tall, slender young woman in a bright red dress berating the salesperson at the hair accessories counter.

If He Jiao was a delicate water lily, then this woman was a fiery chili pepper—hot and spicy in both looks and temper.

She was scolding the salesperson so harshly that they didn’t dare utter a word.

Also, this woman…

The original owner had seen her before—right before being knocked unconscious.

Song Yue withdrew her gaze and turned to wait by the door.

A moment later, the woman stormed out, cursing under her breath—

“Seriously, what the hell—”

Then, she saw Song Yue smiling at her.

Her cursing abruptly stopped.