There was a loud “bang!”—as if something had been slammed onto the table—everyone turned to look. Tian Huini’s lunchbox lay on the table, her hands now empty, her face a mix of shock and confusion.  

“Y-you’re moving out?” she asked, disbelief thick in her voice, as though she’d just heard the most earth-shattering news.  

The others couldn’t help but find her reaction strange. The girl had just arrived—it wasn’t like they’d become instant best friends. Sure, moving out was a bit surprising, but was such an exaggerated response really necessary?  

Yet Tian Huini seemed completely unaware, her voice even rising to a shrill pitch: “How can you move out?!”  

After a full day of labor, her hands were trembling.  

The backbreaking farmwork had sobered her up a little from the dizzying high of her rebirth. She reflected—maybe she’d been too eager, too obvious in her intentions, which had put Ruan Ruan on guard. Even feeding pigs requires tossing them some scraps first. So she’d decided to switch to a gentler approach: first gain Song Ruan’s trust, then proceed with her plans.  

And now Song Ruan was moving out?! 

How could she move out?! Wasn’t she supposed to be so poor that she could only win people over with cheap manual labor? Where did she get the money to live off-site?  

Had this happened in her past life? Why were things changing so much?  

The completely different personality, the completely different events—it was like a hammer pounding against Tian Huini’s skull.  

Was this even the same world as before? Would Jun-ge still come to the countryside? Without the bond of being fellow educated youths, even if she got into university again, could she still marry him?  

Her head throbbed violently. For a moment, the world spun, and her emotions surged—she had to force the plot back on track!  

Of course, Song Ruan had no idea about the tangled mess of emotions raging inside Tian Huini. With relative patience, she replied, “Why can’t I move out? Won’t it give you all more space?”  

Han Zhenzhen, who had initially wanted to demand why Song Ruan was abandoning her, unconsciously nodded, the big bump on her head tracing a √ in the air.  

Tian Huini shrieked, “Do we look like we need your extra space?!”

Han Zhenzhen scowled. “Easy for you to say—you’re not the one crammed in like a sardine.”  

Tian Huini forced herself to refocus. “What I mean is, what will people think of us if you move out alone?” 

“I’m just moving out, not cutting ties or swearing eternal enmity,” Song Ruan set her lunchbox down on the table. “They can watch from home if they’re so curious.”  

Tian Huini was infuriated by her careless attitude. All the grievances from her past life of luxury to now—endless labor and eating slop—erupted at once. “Song Ruan, I’m not joking with you!” she roared.  

Song Ruan slowly arched an eyebrow. “Then by all means, begin your performance.”

Tian Huini choked on her breath, nearly passing out from rage. “SONG RUAN!”

Her eyes lit up as if she had caught onto something. “Where did you get the money? You barely brought anything with you—your family clearly isn’t that well-off!”

“Oh, did my dad whisper my financial status into your ear?” Song Ruan scoffed. “Most of my things were shipped separately and I haven’t picked them up yet. I only brought the bare minimum to avoid attracting thieves and drifters—and look, it worked perfectly.”  

The other educated youths were still processing the sudden escalation between the two when, in the tense silence, Lin Xinping’s fingers twitched on the table. 

Who would’ve thought? Song Ruan seemed unremarkable at first glance, but she was actually well-off—and pretty too, unlike that slogan-spouting Xiang Hongying.  

Still, even if she’s a bit smarter than most, how sharp can a woman really be? A little sweet-talking should do the trick.

Meanwhile, Tian Huini, lost in her own world, seized on the mention of thieves as inspiration. “Now I see why you’re in such a hurry to move out—did you steal from one of us—”

“I’ll steal your damn dad, how about that?!” Song Ruan snapped. Before anyone could react, she lunged forward and slapped Tian Huini across the face. “You’ve got a dog’s eyes that only see low, a thief’s eyes that see crooked! Keep running your mouth and I’ll smack you again! Spreading lies like it’s nothing—let’s take this to the police station and see who’s guilty!”  

The others could no longer stay seated. The educated youths were already looked down upon here—if this escalated to the police, they’d be treated like plague carriers!  

No one would bother distinguishing which educated youth caused trouble. They’d just say, “The Dongfeng Brigade’s educated youths? Oh, the ones who got hauled into the station!”

They hurried to intervene, pulling Song Ruan back. “Come on, let it go. We know you’re not like that. She’s probably just upset and not thinking straight—don’t take it to heart.” 

Others tugged at Tian Huini. “What nonsense are you spouting? You’re usually so sensible—why pick a fight today?”  

Song Ruan sat back down, her face icy. After a pause, she announced, “In a couple of days, I’ll host a housewarming dinner—with meat—as thanks for everyone’s kindness.”  

Then she glared at Tian Huini. “You? Not invited.”  

Call her petty if you want—she didn’t care. It was her dinner, and she wasn’t about to invite her own headache.  

Lin Xinping adjusted his glasses and interjected smoothly, “Comrade Xiao Ruan, I have to say, as fellow educated youths, shouldn’t we all compromise a little? Why let things get so unpleasant?”

Song Ruan turned to him. “You’re not invited either.”  

Lin Xinping: “…”  

She then scanned the rest of the group.  

The others averted their eyes guiltily.  

Hadn’t they just heard there’d be meat?! How long had it been since they’d tasted anything but rough greens? Sure, they’d known Tian Huini longer as fellow veteran educated youth, but… it was meat! 

Swallowing hard at the thought, they couldn’t help but look forward to the feast even more.

Liu Yongqiang managed to resist temptation just enough to stay coherent. “Where exactly are you moving to?” 

Living alone might be comfortable, but if the host family turned out to be trouble—especially for a young woman—it could mean real hardship.  

Recognizing his concern, Song Ruan answered properly: “The brigade leader partitioned his nephew’s house into two separate courtyards. I’m taking one of them.”

The brigade leader’s nephew? They only vaguely remembered him as someone who kept to himself, but there were no rumors of trouble. And with the place divided into separate units…  

Liu Yongqiang immediately grinned. “Then when are you moving tomorrow? A few of us male知青 can help!”

“Women hold up half the sky!” Xiang Hongying, exhausted from the day’s labor, forced herself to rally. “I can help too!”

Han Zhenzhen glanced around and reluctantly muttered, “W-well, I guess I can too.”  

Song Ruan laughed. “I barely unpacked—there’s hardly anything to move. It’s just a quick trip. Why bother everyone?”

If they helped her move, they’d get a rough idea of her belongings.

Besides, she was planning to use this as an excuse to take a day off. No way.  

“If I really need help, I’ll ask,” she added.  

“Alright, alright.” 

Then Liu Yongqiang remembered something. “You just got here—feeding all of us at once would wipe out your rations. How about this: we’ll bring our own grain. It’s about the celebration, anyway.”

No one objected. The mood in the room stayed light.  

Tian Huini, her face still swollen, trembled with rage as she watched the others laugh and chat.

These short-sighted fools! Flocking to Song Ruan like flies to meat—don’t expect her to ever lift a finger for them! Did they really think tagging along with Song Ruan would get them anywhere?  

When Song Ruan lifted a hand to tuck her hair back, Tian Huini instinctively flinched, then burned with humiliation. She stormed off to a corner, seething.

…

The next morning, Song Ruan couldn’t stomach another bite of the bland, throat-clogging gruel that raced through her intestines like a passing stranger. She grabbed a small bag and hurried to her new place.  

People in this era took favors seriously—if they owed you even a little, they’d repay it tenfold. Probably because of her dinner promise, the brigade leader and his son had worked overnight. The wall was nearly finished, frames for the woodshed and outhouse were up, and materials were neatly stacked nearby.  

She stepped into the kitchen. The stove and pot were already set, scrubbed spotless. The large water vat beside it was full, and behind the stove lay bundled firewood—likely meant to tide her over the first few days.  

Dried mugwort hung on the walls to keep pests away.  

“Not bad at all,”.Song Ruan murmured, thoroughly pleased.

She closed the door, scooped two ladles of water into the pot to boil, and waited for the steam to rise. Then she mixed in a portion of braised pork that the system had previously rewarded her with, bought a white steamed bun, and took a big bite with the meat tucked inside.  

The fluffy white bread paired with the rich, melt-in-your-mouth braised pork, the savory meat juices soaking into the bun—it was so delicious that Song Ruan nearly teared up.  

Wuwuwu, this is what you call living! 

Those endless meals of corn mush and wild vegetable pancakes had practically turned her into a wild vegetable spirit.  

After finishing her meal and hearing no movement from next door, she washed her lunchbox, lit some mugwort to fumigate the place, and made sure no lingering food smells clung to her or the house before heading out to ask the brigade leader for leave to go to the commune and stock up on supplies.  

Since he was the one who had arranged the house repairs, the brigade leader agreed without hesitation.  

As he wrote out the approval slip, he caught the scent of mugwort on her. “You fumigated the place first thing in the morning?” 

Song Ruan smiled. “Well, it’s my first little home—can’t help but be excited.”

The brigade leader nodded understandingly.  

She added, “And if I hadn’t gone over, I wouldn’t have known how efficient you are! The wall was practically up overnight—I couldn’t believe it when I walked in.”

The brigade leader grinned proudly. “That’s right. None of that half-hearted work here. I even thought we were a bit slow yesterday, but the rest of the job should be done by this afternoon!” 

Song Ruan beamed. “Then I’ll have to trouble you, Uncle. I’m heading to the commune to pick up a package—my family sent a few canned meats. I’ll invite you to the housewarming dinner—you absolutely must come!”

The brigade leader’s throat bobbed. “Such good food—are you sure it’s worth it?”  

This girl is too sincere! He decided then and there to send his three sons to secretly take turns reinforcing Song Ruan’s outhouse later. It’d be downright shameful if it wasn’t sturdy enough.  

Remembering she seemed well-off, he offered a tip: “If you’re going to the commune, wait at the village entrance. Old Wang happens to be heading there today—you can hitch a ride on his oxcart.”  

He discreetly held up two fingers.  

Song Ruan’s eyes lit up. “Thank you, Brigade Leader!”

At the village entrance, she spotted a stationary oxcart. Since it wasn’t a festival season, few were traveling to the commune—only an old man in a straw hat sat at the front. Seeing her approach, he leisurely tipped his hat.  

“Going to the commune?”

“Yes, Uncle Wang.” Song Ruan passed him two fen.