Chapter 6: Departure, an Uncontainable Smile

“This young lady is quite pretty, and her ideological awareness is remarkably high. Look at her—she’s actually happy about going to the countryside! Her eyes are practically glowing!”

“She really is good-looking, and her enthusiasm is something else. Most young people come here unwillingly, but someone looking forward to it like this? That’s a rare sight!”

Even after Su Niannian left the office, the staff inside continued chatting and praising her with amused smiles.

After leaving the Educated Youth Office, Su Niannian took her introduction letter and headed to an inconspicuous guesthouse to check in.

Then, she went to the local supply and marketing cooperative to buy some necessities.

She purchased two catties of hard fruit candies, one catty of White Rabbit creamy candy, two catties of malt sugar, two catties of brown sugar, ten catties of flour, ten catties of rice, two bars of soap, two sets of plain clothing, four sanitary belts, an enamel basin, a water cup, a toothbrush and toothpaste, a comb, a mirror, and a few other daily essentials.

She kept her purchases modest, careful not to attract too much attention.

Even though she hadn’t bought much of each item, when put together, it still formed quite a large pile.

“Young lady, are you buying all this for a wedding?” The shop assistant had initially been indifferent, looking down on Su Niannian’s patched-up clothes, where large patches covered smaller ones.

But the moment Su Niannian took out her ration coupons and money, the assistant’s eyelids twitched slightly in surprise.

After all, aside from the ration coupons, these items cost eighteen yuan and fifty cents—almost an entire month’s wages.

“Mm, my older brother is getting married. My family sent me to buy these,” Su Niannian replied casually.

Hearing this, the people around her couldn’t help but feel envious. Despite her shabby clothing, her family could afford to buy so many things for her brother’s wedding—it was quite impressive.

Carrying her large and small bags, Su Niannian left the supply and marketing cooperative. She took several turns through the streets and eventually slipped into a secluded alley.

Once she confirmed no one was around, she swiftly stored all her purchases into her personal space.

She then exited the alley and made her way to the state-run restaurant.

Without hesitation, she ordered twenty fresh meat buns. Each bun cost eighteen cents, totaling three yuan and sixty cents, along with the necessary ration coupons. After paying, she carried the bag of buns out of the restaurant.

The moment she stepped outside, Su Niannian discreetly stored the buns into her personal space.

Inside, next to the neatly stacked buns, was half a large flatbread—leftover from her breakfast. Back then, it had been warm. Now… it was still warm.

This discovery confirmed to Su Niannian that anything placed inside her space would remain in the exact state it was in when stored.

The food preservation function was incredibly useful!

With this in mind, Su Niannian decided to visit a few more places and stock up on easily portable food to store in her space.

That way, no matter what unexpected situations arose—whether she had to hide inside her space or stay outside—she would never have to worry about going hungry.

As for water, there was no need to prepare any. The spiritual spring inside her space seemed endless, showing no signs of running dry anytime soon!

Su Niannian continued visiting various places, discreetly transferring a substantial amount of goods into her space.

She even made trips to two different black markets, where she managed to purchase pork, chicken, beef, and fish.

Seeing an auntie selling seeds, Su Niannian bought a little of each variety.

Although she hadn’t purchased large quantities of any single item, by the time she left the black market, the amount she was carrying was enough to draw attention.

She even stopped by a stall selling second-hand furniture, where she bought a table, chairs, stools, cabinets, and even a bed—an antique-style canopy bed with an elegant, traditional design.

Finding a secluded spot, Su Niannian swiftly stored everything into her space before stepping inside herself.

The once-empty space was now filled with supplies, with the canopy bed standing alone in one corner.

Su Niannian couldn’t help but recall a famous line from a certain TV drama: “What a big bed!”

After briefly organizing the tables, chairs, stools, and the various items she had purchased, she set about planting some of the seeds she had acquired. She carefully sowed a portion of each type and watered them with the mystical spring water from her space.

Only after completing these tasks did she exit the space.

Despite buying so many things today, she had only spent a little over eighty yuan, leaving her with more than two hundred seventy yuan remaining.

This realization made Su Niannian appreciate just how strong the purchasing power of money was in this era.

The next day, Su Niannian repeated a similar routine. In addition to food and daily necessities, she also bought bedding, blankets, pots, bowls, and other kitchenware, spending another sixty yuan. As before, she stored everything inside her space.

Now, she still had a little over two hundred ten yuan left.

Tomorrow was the day she would set off for the countryside, and Su Niannian was filled with anticipation.

That night… she couldn’t sleep.

She was currently in a small county town in Shen City. From here, she would take a train to Ha City, then transfer to a long-distance bus to Long County. Once they arrived, people from Kaoshan Village would come to pick them up and take them to their new home.

Just thinking about how she would soon see Gu Nan again made Su Niannian so excited that she couldn’t sleep.

For countless days and nights, he had only existed in her memories, in the depths of her mind. But now, she was finally going to meet him again in reality…

“Hmph, this time, I’ll make sure to win him over as soon as possible!”

“First like this… then like that… and finally, like this!”

Whatever Su Niannian was imagining, it made her cheeks flush a deep red.

In embarrassment, she quickly pulled the blanket over her face, hiding her expression. It was unclear how much time had passed before steady breathing finally emerged from beneath the blanket—Su Niannian had fallen asleep at last.

Even in her dreams, she continued to murmur, “Gu Nan… Gu Nan… hehe…”

Whatever she was dreaming about, it must have been delightful—her face was lit up with such a broad grin that her cheeks seemed on the verge of cramping.

The next morning, Su Niannian hurried through her morning routine, washing up and getting dressed before heading to the front desk of the guesthouse to check out.

The middle-aged woman at the counter noticed the bright smile on her face and casually remarked, “Young lady, you look so happy!”

“Mm! I’m going to the countryside today!”

With a wave of her hand, Su Niannian quickly strode out of the guesthouse.

The middle-aged woman at the counter found it rather odd. “I’ve never seen a young person so happy about being sent down to the countryside.”

Shaking her head with a smile, she couldn’t help but feel a little uplifted herself. Seeing such a bright and cheerful young girl first thing in the morning had unexpectedly put her in a good mood.

After leaving the guesthouse, Su Niannian passed through a deserted alleyway. There, she took out a large woven sack.

Inside, she had packed a few sets of clothes, some daily necessities, and a bit of dry rations.

She couldn’t keep everything in her space all the time—she had to take some things out, or else people might start getting suspicious.

Carrying the woven sack over her shoulder, Su Niannian walked with a light, lively bounce, like a little rabbit hopping along.

Even though she hadn’t seen Gu Nan yet, just the thought of boarding the train made her heart soar with excitement.

This was the happiest moment she had experienced since her rebirth.

At the train station, she went through ticket inspection and boarded the train. Watching the hurried travelers around her, Su Niannian forced herself to calm down.

After all, grinning foolishly to herself wouldn’t be appropriate.

Although in her past life she had mastered the ability to keep her emotions hidden, right now, she was truly overwhelmed with excitement.

Taking a deep breath, she suppressed the smile tugging at her lips. At this moment, Su Niannian was finally, in the truest sense, embarking on the journey to find her man.

Inside the train car, music played—a tune characteristic of this era.

“We walk on the great road, holding high the red flag like the sun…”

Su Niannian had a regular seat by the window.

In this era, sleeper tickets weren’t something an average person could afford.

Even though she had to endure more than a full day and night on the train, compared to the excitement of finally seeing Gu Nan, these minor inconveniences meant nothing to Su Niannian.

Watching the trees and scenery outside the window blur past, listening to the train’s whistle echo as it sped forward—every moment brought her closer to Gu Nan.

Unconsciously, a smile once again crept onto her lips.

Su Niannian had no idea how radiant and captivating she looked at this moment, her joy making her utterly mesmerizing.