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Lin Yuyao closed the windows and doors, then began tidying up the mess in her room. She gathered everything in order and took out the coal stove to prepare to boil some water.
It was then she discovered that her newly bought coal stove was already broken.
She felt a headache coming on and lay down on the bed, exhausted.
Her new enamel cup had shattered on the floor, the newly bought coal stove was broken, and her new bowls were in pieces as well. This only added to her already strained finances. But compared to the hardships she endured in her last life, these troubles were nothing.
Thinking of the suffering from her past, she suddenly felt a surge of strength.
Quickly, she got up, splashed her face with cold water, washed her feet, and gave herself a quick wipe down.
Then she lay back down to sleep.
She dreamt nothing and woke up early the next day.
The early risers were still fast asleep.
She thought about taking a walk nearby to see if there were any day jobs available.
She couldn’t just sit around doing nothing.
What would she do when the money ran out?
However, as soon as she opened the door, she saw Fu Huayi in plain clothes.
Lin Yuyao froze in place. “Fu… Comrade Fu, what are you doing here?”
In her last life, she had also gone to join the military, and she knew that even though Lu Jiangting and his comrades were special cases, they still had their daily training.
At this hour, they should all be training.
“I took the day off today.”
He stepped aside, and Lin Yuyao noticed a bruise on his cheek. It must have been from the fight with Lu Jiangting last night. His dark circles suggested he hadn’t slept well because of the pain.
This filled her with guilt.
Lin Yuyao quickly invited him in and offered him the only small stool in the room. “I’m so sorry about yesterday. It’s all my fault that you got hit by Lu Jiangting.”
“It’s fine; I didn’t come out on the losing end. How about you? Are you alright?”
Last night, as soon as he closed his eyes, he kept seeing her terrified expression and her tear-filled eyes.
He had worried about her all night, staying awake until dawn.
After daybreak, he took a sick leave.
He told them he had injured himself while showering and needed to check if there were any serious injuries.
He did have a few bruises, so his leadership granted him leave without hesitation.
Lin Yuyao shook her head. “I’m fine.”
Her beautiful face remained untouched by Lu Jiangting’s actions, and Fu Huayi thought that the fight had been worth it.
“I see you’re about to head out; where are you going?”
Lin Yuyao replied softly, “I want to find some work.”
“Looking for work?”
“Yes. It seems like getting a divorce won’t happen quickly. I have to do something; I can’t just sit here and wait.”
“I see.”
Lin Yuyao nodded.
Fu Huayi thought for a moment and said, “Actually, I have a friend who runs a library. Are you interested in working as a librarian?”
The idea of that job made Lin Yuyao quite intrigued.
However, given her current situation, having a stable job was impossible.
She might have to take leave at any moment.
Lin Yuyao shook her head. “No, I just want to find day labor; I probably can’t work full-time.”
“You don’t have to work full-time. When new books arrive, you just help organize them. The library job is quite relaxed, and you can take leave if you have something to do.” He suggested.
His suggestion was hard to decline.
Lin Yuyao nodded, “Then I’ll give it a try.”
“Great, let me take you for breakfast first, and then I’ll take you over.”
She felt he had already helped her a lot, and now he wanted to treat her to breakfast. Lin Yuyao turned her head and saw the mess from the previous fight. She couldn’t even cook. Forget it; they would just eat out, even if it cost a bit more.
She couldn’t starve.
…
The breakfast shop downstairs was already open, and at this hour, many people had already sat down to eat.
Breakfast was simple, consisting mainly of porridge, steamed buns, pickled vegetables, and pancakes.
The two of them each got a bowl of porridge. Fu Huayi ordered a basket of dumplings, while Lin Yuyao, trying to save money, only ordered a steamed bun.
Seeing her munching on the bun with her head down, Fu Huayi felt an inexplicable ache in his heart.
He ordered another basket of dumplings along with two meat buns.
After finishing a basket of dumplings and the two meat buns, he had one basket of dumplings left.
Fu Huayi said, “I can’t eat anymore; could you help me out, Lin?”
Lin Yuyao looked up at him, her cheeks stuffed with bun, struggling to swallow.
Fu Huayi’s heart raced as he watched her.
Her face was slightly longer than average, with skin as smooth and white as a peeled egg. The way she was chewing the bun reminded him of a cute little hamster.
He pushed the dumplings towards her. “Take your time; these are all for you.”
Finally swallowing, Lin Yuyao shook her head hurriedly. “No, I can’t eat anymore.”
“Then save them for later. You can eat them when you get hungry.”
“Huh?”
He stood up and left.
Lin Yuyao quickly finished eating, then grabbed a basket of dumplings and went to settle the bill.
The shopkeeper looked confused and glanced at Fu Huayi not far away. “Isn’t that young man already paid?”
Huh?
Did he pay again?
“When?”
“He came back a second time to get the dumplings.”
Lin Yuyao: “…”
She walked over to Fu Huayi. “You paid again?”
“Yep, hurry up and get on.”
The words she almost said got swallowed back down.
Sitting on the back of the motorcycle, she felt it was much steadier than the bicycle, probably due to the shock absorbers.
Fu Huayi took her to the town they had visited last night. The motorcycle was faster than the bicycle; they arrived in just over ten minutes. He explained that although this town was called Chenshan Town, it was the central city of the district.
It was just called a town out of habit.
The bookstore Lu Jiangting mentioned was on the pedestrian street. Upon entering, Fu Huayi said, “You wait here for a bit; I’ll be right back.”
“Okay, thank you.”
Lin Yuyao stood at the entrance, feeling a bit anxious. Passersby glanced her way from time to time. She knew she was pretty; she had known that since she was a child. But being watched like this made her feel somewhat shy.
She shifted to the side, then moved again, eventually hiding behind a bookshelf.
Fu Huayi came down from upstairs and noticed she was missing.
Looking around, he saw Lin Yuyao waving to him from behind the bookshelf.
He jogged over. “Why are you hiding back here?”
“It’s nothing; I didn’t want to block the entrance and disrupt business.”
Only then did Fu Huayi realize she seemed a bit shy. She looked even more beautiful when she was shy. Fu Huayi’s mind wandered, and he suddenly remembered he shouldn’t be thinking these thoughts.
She was Lu Jiangting’s wife, how could he forget that?
Wait, she wasn’t Lu Jiangting’s wife; that scoundrel had deceived her.
That bastard.
Just thinking about it made him angry.
He had gone easy on Lu Jiangting yesterday.