Chapter 2: First Meeting

After taking the medicine, Lin Yiran slept for a while. When she woke up, it was already past five o’clock. She figured her father should have returned with the educated youths by now.

Lin Yiran was quite curious about the male and female leads of the story. More importantly, she needed to figure out which book she had actually transmigrated into.

She tidied herself up, got out of bed, and opened the door. Her nephews were sitting quietly outside, playing in the dirt with the puppies—much calmer than usual.

“Why aren’t you running around today?” Lin Yiran asked in surprise. Normally, the children would be playing wildly in the village at this hour.

“Auntie, you weren’t feeling well, so we stayed here to keep you company.” The three little boys ran over, looking up at her with innocent faces, their hands covered in mud.

“And Auntie, that annoying Auntie Zeng was spreading nonsense again, saying you were sick,” one of them tattled.

“But Grandma was amazing—she told her off! That woman didn’t dare say another word.”

Lin Yiran’s heart warmed. Her mother was usually gentle and softhearted, but when it came to her children, she could be incredibly brave.

She thought of what Auntie Zeng’s delinquent son would do to her eldest brother later in the book. This time, she would protect him.

Lin Yiran patted her nephews’ heads. “Go wash your hands. Auntie will give you candy, and then I’ll take you out to play.”

“Yay!” The boys rushed off to wash their hands, then came back to show her they were clean.

She gave each of them two candies and then led them outside. “Come on, let’s go meet your grandpa at the village entrance.”

“Xiao Huang, Xiao Dian, come along!” She also called their two little dogs to follow.

At the square, many children were playing. When they saw Lin Yiran, they ran over excitedly. “Ranran Auntie! Zhiqiang! You guys are here!”

Lin Yiran let her nephews join the other kids while she went to sit under a big tree for some shade. Soon, the sound of a tractor came from the distance. She immediately stood up and ran forward.

“Dad! Second Brother! You’re back!”

Her second brother had started working at the town’s tractor factory a few years ago and had just become a full-time employee this year. He usually worked in the factory, only returning to help during the busy farming season.

Whenever the villages sent someone to pick up the educated youths, they shared a tractor—and it was always her second brother who drove it.

Hearing his sister’s voice, Lin Weimin parked the tractor, quickly climbed down, and looked closely at her face. Seeing that her complexion was rosy again, unlike the pale look she had at noon, he finally relaxed.

That day, Lin Jianguo had gone to pick up five educated youths in total: three boys and two girls. It was a decent group.

Among them, one stood out—Xiao Ziyi. He was exceptionally handsome and very polite. Throughout the trip, he had carried himself with steadiness and calm, unlike the other four, who had grumbled along the way. Lin Jianguo’s first impression of Xiao Ziyi was very favorable.

When they arrived at Lotus Village and he heard his daughter’s voice, Lin Jianguo immediately went toward her.

Xiao Ziyi also heard that clear, sweet voice. It was like a spring of cool water, refreshing in the sweltering summer heat.

He raised his head and saw Lin Yiran—her eyes curved like crescent moons, her smile radiant. A breeze lifted her hair, and she tucked a strand behind her ear with a sweet smile.

For a moment, their gazes met, and it felt as if someone had plucked the strings of Xiao Ziyi’s heart.

Lin Yiran called out to her father as she walked over, catching sight of Xiao Ziyi from the corner of her eye. Sure enough, he was the male lead—easy to spot in a crowd.

Xiao Ziyi was striking in appearance, still looking clean and composed even after a long ride.

The two girls standing nearby were likely the female leads, though Lin Yiran couldn’t tell which one was the childhood sweetheart and which one was the reborn heroine.

Zhuang Wenting had been glaring at Jiang Lanru the whole trip. They were both educated youths from the capital and had never met before.

But ever since they boarded the train, Jiang Lanru had been trying to chat with Brother Ziyi. Her intentions were obvious—but thankfully, Brother Ziyi ignored her.

Jiang Lanru, on the other hand, was staring at Zhuang Wenting. She hadn’t expected to be reborn. In her previous life, she had met Xiao Ziyi and Zhuang Wenting on that very train, both bound for Lotus Village.

From the first moment she saw Xiao Ziyi, she liked him. But Zhuang Wenting deceived her, saying she and Xiao Ziyi were engaged. Heartbroken, Jiang Lanru gave up.

Years later, after enduring hardship and finally returning to the city, she married an ordinary man and lived a bitter life. One day, she saw Xiao Ziyi on television and in the newspapers—renowned, successful, still as handsome as ever. And beside him was Zhuang Wenting, smiling sweetly, pretending to tell the story of how she had loyally followed him to the countryside.

Only then did Jiang Lanru realize there had been no engagement—it was all a lie.

In that lifetime, she had lived in poverty and regret. Now that the heavens had given her a second chance, she swore she would seize Xiao Ziyi for herself.

The five educated youths from Lotus Village disembarked from the tractor, while Lin Weimin prepared to take the vehicle back to town.

Watching the two girls who wouldn’t even look at each other, Lin Yiran immediately understood—she had transmigrated into a fanfiction novel where the reborn villainess became the heroine.

In this version, Jiang Lanru, reborn with knowledge of the future, stole the male lead away.

Looking at the group, Lin Yiran thought: Things are about to get lively in Lotus Village.

“Dad, I’ll head back first to make dinner,” she said, turning toward home.

“Alright, if you’re not feeling well, wait until your mother comes back before cooking.”

“It’s fine, I’m already better.”

The village children, curious about the strangers, all ran over.
“Village Chief Grandpa, are these the new educated youths?”

“Yes, I’ll take them to the youth quarters.” Lin Jianguo called for the educated youths to follow him. The children looked at them with curiosity—especially one handsome young man who drew their attention.

Xiao Ziyi noticed that the girl (Lin Yiran) had only glanced at him once before looking away, and he felt a sudden pang of disappointment. Glancing down at himself, he realized that after riding the train for a whole day and night, he did look rather disheveled. His eyes flicked over her retreating figure; her two dogs ran circles around her while she called them along. With a sigh, he followed the village chief toward the youth quarters.

Lin Yiran had barely walked a few steps when a commotion broke out behind her. A tall girl, who had been wearing a silk scarf on her head, had it blown away by the wind—the scarf floated right toward the male lead.

Before Xiao Ziyi could react, the shorter girl snatched at it, but her grip slipped, and the scarf fell to the ground, where she deliberately stepped on it.

“What are you doing? Do you know how expensive this scarf is?” Zhuang Wenting shoved Jiang Lanru aside angrily.

Jiang Lanru fell weakly to the ground, looking pitiful. “I didn’t mean to. I was only trying to help you catch your scarf.”

Lin Yiran, watching from a distance, couldn’t help but laugh.

Hearing her laugh, Jiang Lanru glared at Lin Yiran. She knew of her—just a pretty face who, in the end, would die miserably in a foreign place.

“What are you laughing at? It’s true that Wenting shouldn’t have pushed me, but what gives you the right to laugh at us?”

Everyone had already been surprised by the scene, but Lin Yiran’s laughter drew all their attention to her.

Although Lin Weimin didn’t know why his sister was laughing, his first instinct was to defend her. Just as he was about to speak, Lin Yiran beat him to it.

She admitted she probably shouldn’t have laughed, but Jiang Lanru’s performance was too fake—she hadn’t even been touched before she threw herself to the ground, and now she was spouting hypocritical words. That was what made it funny.

“Sorry, it’s just that I saw the young lady hadn’t even touched you, and yet you fell. So this is what it means to be blown over by the wind.”

“You—” Jiang Lanru hadn’t expected Lin Yiran to call her out in front of everyone.

Zhuang Wenting, who had been feeling wronged over her ruined scarf, immediately backed her up. “Exactly! I never even touched you—what were you pretending for?”

Lin Jianguo frowned. “Enough, let’s go. You still need to settle in tonight.”

Jiang Lanru stood up angrily, lowering her head so no one could see her twisted expression. Just wait—she would make sure Lin Yiran paid for this.

At the youth quarters, the village chief led them in. Some educated youths had already returned from work and were cooking. When they saw him, they immediately stood up.

“Village Chief, you’re here.”

“Yes, I’ve brought the new arrivals. Help them get settled in.”

“Alright.”

After handing them over, Lin Jianguo was about to leave.

Chen Tai looked at the five newcomers. “You can put away your things first. The three rooms on the left are the men’s dormitories, and the two on the right are for the women. Any free bed is yours—pick whichever you like.”

Xiao Ziyi nodded in thanks and went into the third men’s room. There were still three beds available, and the other two new male youths, Liu Qinggang and Wang Zhengming, followed him inside.

After two days of traveling together, Liu Qinggang and Wang Zhengming had already started treating Xiao Ziyi as their leader—he was reliable and capable.

That evening, when all the educated youths gathered, they introduced themselves.

“The harvest in Lotus Village is decent. As long as you work hard, you won’t go hungry. The villagers are generally friendly, but they’re protective of their own—if there are disputes among them, we shouldn’t get involved.”

“Tomorrow you’ll join the labor work. Since you’re new, you’ll get a food subsidy. After finishing work tomorrow, record your work points, then you can collect your ration.”

The newcomers were exhausted. After dinner and a quick wash, they all went back to rest.

At the Lin family courtyard, after dinner the family lay in the yard cooling off, listening to the nephews chatter excitedly about how handsome the new big brother was and how pretty the new sisters were.

Lin Yiran chuckled. Xiao Ziyi wasn’t just handsome—he was brilliant. In a few years, he would make a name for himself worldwide, leaving a remarkable legacy in the history of science.

Her sisters-in-law, worn out from a day’s work, listened to the exaggerated stories and grew curious.
“Really? Are those boys better looking than your father, and the girls prettier than your aunt?”

The three nephews shook their heads firmly.
“The brother is better-looking than Dad, but the sisters aren’t as pretty as Auntie.”

Lin Yiran’s eyes curved into a smile. “No wonder I dote on you so much.”

Her brothers overheard and looked disgruntled. Their own looks had always been praised since childhood, yet their kids dared say they were outshone!

Her sisters-in-law laughed endlessly, while Lin Weimin tried to keep face. “Well… I suppose he does look decent.”

Lin Jianguo and Wang Fang, watching their children and grandchildren laughing and joking together, finally relaxed with warm smiles.