Chapter 7: The Meeting

Back in her little room, Anran felt tired. She might be strong, but walking for an hour still wore her out. Definitely not because she was delicate—absolutely not.

She decided she deserved a reward: a cup of milk tea. Compensation for the long walk and for the tragedy of not hearing the rest of that juicy gossip.

Sipping her milk tea happily, she replayed the looks the female lead had given her on the road—complicated, unreadable.

“Hmph. So what if I’m just a background character with a name that only appears once? Even side characters have tempers,” she muttered, playfully adding drama to her own internal script.

She tossed the empty cup into a trash bin she had set aside in her space and began unpacking and organizing her luggage.

Looking through her things, Anran realized she might have been a bit careless. The supplies she’d stocked up before crossing over were mostly leftover stock, but even then—still too new.

She’d have to make do with the original host’s clothes. Though… considering her own social status, she figured she deserved a few new outfits.

“Yes,” she told herself, “I deserve them.”

Ever since arriving in this era, Anran had been cautious. Too cautious, really. Afraid to stand out, to seem odd, to let her modern habits show too much. Afraid the people here wouldn’t accept her quirks.

Thankfully, the original host had brought her high school textbooks, saving Anran a lot of trouble.

The luggage also held a few sets of gently worn summer clothes, along with some autumn and winter outfits. In this time period, having this many clothes—none patched—was enough proof that the original Anran had been raised with care.

She had just finished tidying up when Huang Jianshe called out from the courtyard.

“Everyone, come out! We’re having a meeting.”

In the yard, stone tables and benches had been set up. Everyone found a spot to sit.

“Today’s meeting is about choosing the group leaders for the educated youth spot,” Huang Jianshe announced. “We’ll pick one boy and one girl.”

Anran internally froze.
…Why does this meeting suddenly feel so solemn?

She seriously considered going back inside. Surely she was not qualified to attend something this important.

After a few rounds of nominations and voting, the results were in: Huang Jianshe would represent the boys, and Xu Zhaodi the girls.

And then—no, they didn’t exchange rings.

The official meeting began.

Anran folded her hands neatly on her knees, politely pretending to be sad that she didn’t get elected. She listened attentively, every bit the picture of a well-behaved team player.

“I bought some seasoning at the market today,” Xu Zhaodi began. “We’ll split the cost—six mao each.”

Then she added,
“I propose we cook and eat together. That way, we’ll save firewood, and we’ll get to know each other better—it’ll bring us closer as a team.”

“I agree,” said Huang Jianshe. “The three of us guys don’t know how to cook anyway. So how about this: the girls handle cooking, and we’ll take care of the heavy lifting—like fetching water and chopping wood?”

“Agreed,” chimed in Wang Mingzhi and Zhang Jiahua.

At that moment, Wang Xixi spoke up in a soft, delicate voice.

“My cooking’s not that great… so don’t blame me if it doesn’t taste good. But I’ll do my best.”

Anran blinked slowly.
Old man on the subway looking at his phone.jpeg.

Zheng Xiuhong and Xu Zhaodi both nodded in support.

“We’ve all come from different places to be here,” Xu Zhaodi said. “We have to stick together and not be afraid of hardship.”

Right. Brave Anran. Not afraid of hardship.

“Beautifully said,” Huang Jianshe nodded. “We must prove the truth of our great leader’s words—‘The vast countryside is full of promise.’ We will realize our ideals and ambitions out here!”

Anran had the sudden feeling that she’d accidentally joined a pyramid scheme.

Still, she smiled sweetly and nodded along.

Her secret to staying happy? Never argue. Everyone is right. Always.

“Here’s the plan,” Xu Zhaodi continued. “We’ll pair up to cook. Tonight we’ll all pitch in for dinner, but starting tomorrow, we’ll take turns. I’ll be with Wang Xixi. Anran, you’ll team up with Zheng Xiuhong. Our group will cook first. Sound good?”

Everyone nodded.

Except Wang Xixi, who looked like she was forcing a smile through the pain.

After the meeting, Anran reflected—not taking notes? Terribly unprofessional. She returned to her little room feeling like she had failed the meeting somehow.

Dinner was a group effort. Everyone contributed a little something from their personal stash. Anran took out some pickled vegetables from her space—brand: Liu Bi Ju. Wang Xixi brought some fancy Shanghai pastries. The others added their own local specialties.

Dinner was, surprisingly, satisfying.

After cleaning up, everyone returned to their rooms.

Anran washed up and lay on the heated brick bed, feeling that, all in all, the group of educated youths weren’t too bad. The female lead might have her own little schemes, but they were harmless.

Tomorrow, I have to ask the village chief about connecting the beds.

With that final thought, she drifted off to sleep.