With Lin Tong around, Mu Jinyue’s life became much more colorful. Whenever she had free time, she would invite Lin Tong over to chat, making her days far less dull. Through their conversations, she also learned many new things.  

Today was no exception. After lunch, Lin Tong arrived at Mu Jinyue’s place with her textbooks in hand. During a previous chat, Lin Tong had learned that Mu Jinyue had only attended school for a few years, so she volunteered to continue teaching her, covering middle and high school-level knowledge. Since then, Lin Tong had been bringing her homemade textbooks every time she visited the Jiang household.  

Seeing her arrive, Mu Jinyue quickly set up the square table and pulled her onto the bed to sit.  

She had mentioned this arrangement to Jiang Yi beforehand—first, because she wasn’t sure if he had any cleanliness preferences, and second, because of their agreement: Mu Jinyue would wash Zhang Yulan’s clothes, while larger items like bedsheets and Jiang Yi’s own clothes were his responsibility. So, she felt it was only right to inform him first.  

But Jiang Yi didn’t mind at all, and Mu Jinyue naturally didn’t press the issue.  

As usual, they started today’s lesson by reading a few passages aloud, followed by solving math problems, and finally, memorization—specifically, the Quotations from Chairman Mao, which had to be mastered. Back in the countryside, where few people were literate, no one would quiz you on this. But in the city, it was different. You had to memorize it thoroughly because even when buying groceries, someone might quote a line, and if you couldn’t respond with the next one, it could raise suspicions.  

Mu Jinyue had always been someone who prepared for the worst, so she took the memorization seriously. Once she finished reciting and Lin Tong checked her work, today’s lesson was officially over.  

She quickly got up and fetched a mug of warm water from the next room for Lin Tong. “Have some water.”  

Lin Tong wasn’t the shy type, so she took it immediately and drank, soothing her parched throat.  

Setting the mug down, she said, “Sister Jinyue, you learn really fast. At this rate, you’ll probably be able to start high school-level material before the New Year. After studying a bit more post-holiday, you’ll finish everything. After that, I might not be able to keep teaching you—I’ll have to return to school.”  

Hearing this, the smile on Mu Jinyue’s face froze. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but no words came out. Should she tell her that schools might not reopen?  

She couldn’t bring herself to say it. In the end, she only managed a quiet “Mm” in response.  

Lin Tong didn’t notice her reaction, busy packing up her textbooks as she chattered on. “Sister Jinyue, studying more is a good thing. Even if I can’t teach you later, you should keep reading every day. Who knows? An opportunity might be waiting for you ahead.”  

“Do you really love studying that much?”  

“Of course!” Lin Tong answered without hesitation. “I love it. I’m determined to take the teacher’s college entrance exam and become a teacher someday—to teach lots of people how to read.”  

Mu Jinyue fell silent again, staring at Lin Tong’s confident, beaming face.  

Misinterpreting her silence, Lin Tong assumed Mu Jinyue didn’t know what university was like, so she enthusiastically described it. “I’ve heard universities are huge, with so many students from all over the country sitting together in one room, listening to the same teacher. We’ll learn so much useful knowledge there, and after graduation, we’ll use it to help build our country. Our nation will only get better and better.”  

“That sounds wonderful.”  

Lin Tong nodded. “Of course! Once school starts, I’ll ask my teachers if you can take the college entrance exam too. You’re really smart—you might even get into a great school.”  

Remembering Mu Jinyue’s situation, she added, “Don’t worry. Auntie Jiang and Brother Jiang are good people. If you get in, they’ll be happy for you!”  

“Mm, I’ll keep studying hard.”  

Lin Tong continued chattering about her future plans until her mother called her from across the way. Only then did she finally gather her books and leave.  

Mu Jinyue, however, remained seated on the bed, unmoving. Her gaze drifted out the window, where she could still see Lin Tong’s lively figure in the distance. A sour ache filled her heart, and for a long time, she couldn’t snap out of it.  

Meanwhile, the moment Lin Tong stepped into her own home, her mother began scolding her. “You silly girl, why do you keep running over to the Jiangs’ place? If I hadn’t called you, you wouldn’t have come back, would you?”  

“I’m back now, aren’t I? Alright, alright, stop nagging me.”  

“Oh, so now you’re tired of my nagging? Who do you think I’m doing this for? That Jiang family’s daughter-in-law is just some country bumpkin. Spend too much time with her, and you’ll start reeking of dirt too.”  

Lin Tong frowned. “Mom, what are you saying? That kind of talk doesn’t fly anymore. Besides, Sister Jinyue is different. I like spending time with her. Stop bothering me—why don’t you keep an eye on my brother instead? He’s always running around outside, who knows what kind of people he’s befriending.”  

“Ugh, you brat! Why drag your brother into this? He’d never associate with some country folk. You think I want to nag you? Fine, be stupid. When she cheats you, you’ll realize how wise your mother was.”  

……

Mu Jinyue didn’t dwell on her melancholy for long—she had a side hustle to focus on now.  

After these weeks of lessons, she had learned a lot from Lin Tong, read several books, and even familiarized herself with current policies. This sparked an idea in her: writing articles for submission. Though she had never written formal essays in her past life, she had penned plenty of work summaries during her office days. She figured she could handle this job.  

She asked Lin Tong about the submission process. Since the newspaper office was in the city, all Mu Jinyue needed to do was write her piece, include her details, and drop it into the mailbox at the office entrance. A week later, she’d get a response. If accepted, someone would deliver the payment; if not, well, that was that.  

Convenient as it was, the pay wasn’t much. Lin Tong had submitted before and reportedly earned three yuan.  

But three yuan was nothing to scoff at for Mu Jinyue, who was penniless. Three yuan could buy over thirty pounds of potatoes!  

With that tantalizing sum dangling before her, Mu Jinyue threw herself into the task enthusiastically. Every afternoon after lessons, she dedicated time to writing.  

The routine of starting work at the same time each day gave her a faint echo of her past office life. Occasionally, it felt tedious, but mostly, it was nostalgic.  

Especially when she thought of her old desk. She had loved decorating it—little trinkets everywhere, something to fiddle with or glance at when work got overwhelming. But none of that was possible now.  

Still, she had kept a potted plant on her desk in her past life. That, at least, was doable. She could grow something now, though she’d have to choose carefully. Flowers might raise eyebrows, but maybe a cabbage?  

With her weak but functional plant-related ability, keeping a plant alive was easy. Plus, she’d grown cabbages at home before, so she wasn’t worried about failure. The first step, though, was finding a pot.  

She kept this in mind while making dinner, rummaging through the kitchen for any unused containers. Unfortunately, she found none.  

Oh well. It wasn’t a big deal. She chuckled at herself and went back to cooking. Not exactly sad, just a little disappointed—nothing that would disrupt her life. She even ate a few extra bites at dinner.  

As the new week approached, Mu Jinyue returned to her room after the meal to plan the next week’s menu. Midway through, she suddenly felt an intense gaze boring into her. She looked up and, unsurprisingly, met Jiang Yi’s eyes.  

Mu Jinyue blinked. “Something wrong?”  

Jiang Yi didn’t have an answer. He didn’t have anything to say—if anything, she seemed like the one with something on her mind. Or maybe not. It was just a feeling.  

After a long pause, he finally asked, “Any news around the compound lately?”  

Mu Jinyue shook her head. “No.”  

“Hmph. Fine. Then sleep.”  

What’s up with him today? Did something happen at the factory? Mu Jinyue couldn’t figure it out. She studied him for a few more seconds, but when he actually started undressing for bed, she gave up, stashed her half-finished menu, and got ready to sleep too.  

…

Mu Jinyue thought the matter was over and life would go on as usual. But the next day, on her way to buy groceries with Lin Tong, she couldn’t resist asking, “Tongtong, do you know where I could find a flowerpot?”  

“Why do you want one? Planning to grow flowers?” Lin Tong asked.  

Mu Jinyue shook her head. “Not flowers. I want to grow a couple of cabbages—nice to look at, and edible too.”  

Lin Tong relaxed. If Mu Jinyue had wanted flowers, she would’ve had to talk her out of it. But cabbages? No problem.  

“That’s easy. Let’s check the recycling station. They’ve got all kinds of stuff, sometimes even interesting finds. I’ll take you there this afternoon.”  

“Great, thanks.”  

…

It was Saturday, but Jiang Yi had left early, saying he had business and wouldn’t be back until dinner. Mu Jinyue prepared a simple lunch for herself and Zhang Yulan, filled a thermos with hot water, then headed out with Lin Tong.  

Lin Tong led the way to the nearest recycling station with practiced ease. The gatekeeper was an elderly man. “Grandpa Yu, busy as always?” Lin Tong greeted cheerfully.  

Grandpa Yu was tidying up and glanced at her. “Mm, just puttering around. Here to scavenge again, Lin girl?”  

“Hehe, brought a friend to look around.”  

“Go on, then. Be careful—don’t break my treasures.”  

“Got it, don’t worry!”  

She tugged Mu Jinyue inside, explaining along the way, “Grandpa Yu looks after the station. No kids, just him and his wife living on our compound’s street. He seems gruff, but he’s actually really kind. I come here often to hunt for stuff, and he always gives me the lowest prices. Pick what you like—I’ll haggle for you.”  

Mu Jinyue, currently broke: “…”  

She was just here to browse—haggling wasn’t even on the table yet. Still, she smiled. “Okay, thanks, Tongtong.”