Was Rong Xiaoxiao short on money?

Before leaving, her mother had given her ten “big unity” (ten-yuan bills), and her father and eldest brother and third brother had secretly slipped her some cash as well. In total, she had 267 yuan, 36 fen.

Of that, 83 yuan and 68 fen belonged to her second sister.

That meant she still had over 183 yuan to her name.

In the 1970s, that was undoubtedly a small fortune.

Take Hongshan Production Brigade, for example-there probably weren’t many households with savings exceeding a hundred yuan.

Farmers weren’t like city workers. After a year of backbreaking labor in the fields, aside from grain, a whole family might not earn much cash. Factoring in other expenses, saving even a few or a dozen yuan a year was considered pretty good.

And if the harvest was bad, they might end the year with nothing-or even in debt.

That was why rural folks envied city dwellers so much.

Even a temporary worker in the city could earn over ten yuan a month.

Plus, urban residents had grain rations-who wouldn’t want that?

Anyway, in private, Rong Xiaoxiao was practically a little rich girl.

Before she left, her mother had sewn hidden pockets into her underclothes, worried that pickpockets on the train might steal the money.

Rong Xiaoxiao was also nervous about it. Even stashing it in her underclothes didn’t feel safe enough, so she secretly transferred all of it into her space-no one but her could get their hands on it.

Not even the female protagonist.

She wasn’t willing to spend even a quarter of that money.

Bai Man hesitated for a moment. “Since it was my idea, I’ll cover the cost of renovating the house. We can move in together.”

Truthfully, she could live there alone.

But that house was a bit far from the educated youth dormitory, and living by herself wouldn’t be safe.

Even if she dared, the brigade leader wouldn’t allow it.

How did she know the brigade leader would refuse without even asking?

Because Bai Man had lived through this in her past life.

In another brigade, an educated youth had moved out of the educated youth dormitory to live elsewhere. No one expected that one night, something terrible would happen. The incident was reported all the way to the town, causing a huge uproar, and every brigade was ordered to properly accommodate their educated youth.

Even if the place was nearby, the brigade leader wouldn’t agree to let her move in alone.

Compared to the other female educated youth, Bai Man preferred Rong Xiaoxiao, who had kept a low profile in her past life. “The house looks pretty big-definitely less cramped than here.”

Who wouldn’t want to move into a larger place without spending a single cent?

Yet, Rong Xiaoxiao shook her head again. “No, no, I’ll follow the brigade’s arrangements.”

She was, after all, a well-behaved and unproblematic person who kept to herself.  

Even if that wasn’t entirely true in private, she at least had to maintain the appearance of it on the surface.  

The educated youth dormitory was indeed cramped, but she had no intention of staying there permanently.  

That said, even if she didn’t plan to live in the dormitory long-term, she still looked down on the small shack nearby.  

A quick glance at its location made it obvious why no one lived there—it would be the first to flood when the water rose.  

But that wasn’t the most important issue.  

As shabby as the shack was, it would still serve as a decent temporary shelter.  

However, her choice definitely didn’t involve the female lead, nor did she want to get too entangled with her.  

Watching the drama unfold was fine, but participating in it? No thanks.  

So she had to refuse—absolutely had to.  

Walking to one side of the kang (heated bed), she noticed there were no bedding or quilts laid out. Rong Xiaoxiao asked, “Is this spot taken? If not, I’ll claim it.”  

“…” Bai Man frowned, momentarily unsure whether Rong Xiaoxiao simply disliked her, was overly obedient to the brigade’s arrangements, or if she was just the type to endure hardship without complaint—which might explain why she had left so little impression on her in her past life.  

But that didn’t seem right.  

The way Rong Xiaoxiao had just confronted Yang Juan didn’t seem like someone who would let others walk all over her.  

Before Bai Man could figure it out, Yang Juan immediately sidled up to her. “Oh, if you want to move there, I’ll go with you! I’ve been with the brigade for a year—I can even help you get familiar with things.”  

Bai Man glanced at her, then ignored her and turned to another girl. “Would you like to come with me instead?”  

She had already done her research on the three veteran educated youths in Hongshan Brigade.  

None of them were people she particularly wanted to associate with, but Yang Juan was definitely one of the most detestable. She’d choose anyone over her.  

“Me? Sure, sure! I’ll pack right away!” Shi Yingrong nodded eagerly after her initial surprise. Who wouldn’t want to live in a more spacious place? It was far better than squeezing into a tiny spot with several others.  

Still, she double-checked, “I won’t have to pay, right?”  

Bai Man lifted her chin slightly and replied coolly, “I’ll cover it.”  

Shi Yingrong was delighted, while Yang Juan was fuming. But it was clear from Bai Man’s outfit that she had some influential background, so Yang Juan didn’t dare provoke her further.  

While the three of them were talking, Rong Xiaoxiao had already claimed the spot at the very edge of the *kang*—just wide enough for her shoulders. But since Bai Man was taking another educated youth elsewhere, the remaining space would be slightly more spacious.  

Rong Xiaoxiao opened one of her large bags, which was filled with daily necessities.  

Bedding, summer clothes, cloth shoes, rain boots, an aluminum lunchbox, a canteen, an enamel basin, and so on.**  

All were daily necessities.  

As she unpacked each item from the large bag, she couldn’t help but admire her mother’s foresight.  

Two large bags and one backpack.  

The backpack mostly held snacks for the journey, while one of the large bags contained essentials—she just had to take them out and arrange them properly.  

The other large bag held items she would need later.  

No need to unpack those now; she could just stash them somewhere.  

This worked out perfectly—no one would know what was inside, making it easier for her to act freely in the future.  

Shi Yingrong sat at the table. “Go ahead and eat. Knowing you were coming, Comrade He specially went to trade for some meat. Honestly, it’s been two or three months since we last had any meat.”  

“Consider this a welcome meal,” He Jiabao said with a smile. “The food and grain were all pooled together by us. Starting tomorrow, you’ll have to provide your own rations. You can either join our meal group or cook separately—it’s up to you.”  

“Bai Man, let’s team up,” Shi Yingrong immediately suggested. “Since we’re living together, it’ll be more convenient to share meals.”  

As she spoke, her eyes couldn’t help but flicker toward Bai Man.  

Though she hadn’t seen what Bai Man had brought in her luggage, her attire alone made it clear she wasn’t short on money—her meals were bound to be better.  

If she could share meals with her, Shi Yingrong might just get a little something extra out of it.  

Bai Man had no objections. “Since I’m new here, it might take me some time to get used to things. I’ll have to trouble you with the cooking for now.” 

“No problem at all! Cooking’s easy,” Shi Yingrong replied, the laugh lines at the corners of her eyes deepening.  

If it meant gaining a small advantage, she’d happily cook every meal.  

Bai Man gave a slight nod.  

In her memory, Shi Yingrong was a bit greedy, with plenty of minor flaws—but as long as she was given a little benefit, she’d be easy to manage.  

“Tch. How shameless,” Yang Juan muttered, rolling her eyes.  

Shi Yingrong ignored her. It was obvious she was just jealous.  

Perhaps feeling indebted to Bai Man’s generosity, Shi Yingrong became more talkative and started explaining life in Hongshan Brigade:  

“People here aren’t as unwelcoming as in other brigades, but the easier jobs still don’t go to us. Still, as long as you’re willing to work, you’ll earn your full work points. When grain gets distributed at the end of the year, not a single ounce will be shorted.”  

All in all, it could be worse.  

Shi Yingrong spread out her hands—cracked and rough, her fingernails caked with dirt.  

She sighed. “Before coming here, my hands weren’t like this. Just one year, and I already look like an old laborer. Who knows how much longer I’ll have to endure?”  

“It’s not so bad. You get used to it over time,” He Jiabao said with a simple smile. “The more you work, the more grain you get—enough to feed yourself and even send some back home. Honestly, I’ve come to prefer life here.”  

In the city, he had been nothing but an idle freeloader, barely scraping by on his parents’ income. But here in the brigade, things were different—there was work to do, and he could earn his own keep. The unease he’d once felt about being sent to the countryside had long since faded into contentment.  

“Who’s like you? You’ve got endless energy, like you’ll never tire out,” Shi Yingrong scoffed.  

Chen Shuming, curious, asked, “So, are there easier jobs in the brigade? What kind of work are we talking about?”  

He Jiabao counted them off. “If we’re talking about light work, there’s the work-point recorder, pig farming—those aren’t too demanding. But the best gig is teaching at the commune school. Teachers earn work points and get extra subsidies.”  

At that, the eyes of the newly arrived educated youths practically lit up.  

He Jiabao chuckled awkwardly. “Don’t get your hopes up. Those jobs won’t go to us.”  

Jiao Gang frowned. “Why not? I’m a high school graduate—am I really worse than them?”  

“You are,” He Jiabao nodded bluntly. “The teachers at the commune school are all high school graduates too. The brigade’s work-point recorder has lower qualifications, but he’s a local, and his family has seniority in the village. No one dares to make trouble for him. As for pig farming… well, if you could actually master the skill, then yeah, you’d be better than them.”  

“……” Jiao Gang’s proud expression wilted, and he silently turned away.  

Pig farming?

He’d rather die than raise pigs!  

“Family seniority? Is everyone in Hongshan Brigade related or something?” Rong Xiaoxiao seized the chance to voice her curiosity.  

Originally, her parents had wanted her to openly disclose her identity to the brigade. But the moment she realized she’d transmigrated into a novel—especially one where the male lead shared her surname—she immediately scrapped that plan.  

She couldn’t remember much of the original plot, but one thing stood out:  

The novel was packed with awful relatives.  

Especially the male lead’s family—they were a never-ending parade of troublemakers, lining up to get their faces slapped by the heroine.  

The female lead might have had the patience to deal with them, but Rong Xiaoxiao certainly didn’t. What if acknowledging her roots meant getting tangled up with a bunch of toxic relatives?  

So before even thinking about reconnecting with any family, she needed to gather intel on the Rong clan.  

Know thy enemy—and ensure a peaceful life.

He Jiabao shook his head. “Not exactly. Hongshan Brigade actually has a pretty mixed set of surnames…” He paused, then added, “But there is one family that’s especially large—nearly half the brigade shares the surname Luo.”  

“Luo?” Rong Xiaoxiao blinked.  

Shouldn’t it be Rong?