Mu Jinyue waited in the courtyard for a short while before the door of the main room opened again. Brigade leader Xu walked out and offered her an unnatural smile, then headed straight toward the backyard.

Wu Yan followed closely behind. “Don’t be afraid, Yue. Your uncle is hitching the cart in the backyard and will take you to the commune soon to settle the matter. Don’t worry—only a few of us know about this. Once you’re in the city, live your life well.” As she spoke, she patted Mu Jinyue’s shoulder reassuringly.

Her words were meant to be comforting, and Mu Jinyue felt her eyes grow warm. “Thank you, Aunt Yan. I…”

“It’s alright, no need to say more. Hurry along with your uncle to the commune. If you go too late, there won’t be any carts returning to the city.”

Mu Jinyue boarded Brigade Leader Xu’s horse-drawn cart and left the Xu family’s courtyard. She turned to look back and saw Aunt Yan standing in the yard, smiling warmly. When she noticed Mu Jinyue turning around, she waved at her.

Mu Jinyue’s eyes stung slightly. She turned back, hugged her knees, buried her face in her chest, and fell silent.

Brigade leader Xu was skilled at handling the cart. The ride was smooth, with almost no major bumps along the way. Neither of them spoke during the journey, and they soon arrived at the commune.

Brigade leader Xu often came to the commune on business and had acquaintances there. Having connections made things easier, and the procedures were completed quickly. The commune provided Mu Jinyue with some documentation, instructing her to take the materials to her local neighborhood office later.

When Mu Jinyue got off the cart at the commune entrance, she deliberately glanced around. Nearby was a supply and marketing cooperative. Although its scale couldn’t compare to those in the city, it was sufficient to serve the surrounding production brigades.

Mu Jinyue handed the materials to Brigade Leader Xu and said, “Uncle Xu, please wait for me. I’ll be right back.”

With that, she ran toward the supply and marketing cooperative. Although there had been some twists and turns, the outcome was favorable. She vaguely guessed that it was all thanks to Aunt Yan’s help in speaking up for her. She wanted to properly express her gratitude.

So, upon entering the cooperative, she went straight to the fabric counter. The most commonly sold fabrics at the time were white fine cloth, corduroy, and polyester-cotton blend. Among them, the polyester-cotton blend was the most expensive, costing nearly five yuan per meter and requiring three chi of cloth ration coupons. Despite the high price, Mu Jinyue bought it without hesitation—six yuan’s worth, using four chi of cloth ration coupons. The coupons had been given to her by Zhang Yulan, who noticed she only had a few pieces of clothing to wear and wanted her to make a new outfit.

She also bought two jin of fruit candies for one yuan and seventy fen. Thinking of Brigade Leader Xu, who had driven the cart, though she wasn’t particularly fond of him, she still bought two boxes of third-grade cigarettes at thirty fen each. The entire trip cost her over eight yuan.

She placed all the items on the cart. “Thank you for your hard work, Uncle Xu and Aunt Yan. I’ve troubled you both. These are a small token of my appreciation. Please don’t refuse them, Uncle.”

Seeing the gifts, Brigade Leader Xu looked somewhat pleased and didn’t decline. “Alright. You can rest assured too. As long as your grandmother doesn’t ask, I won’t say anything.”

They parted ways—one driving the cart back to the production brigade, the other waiting for a ride back to the city. And so, the matter was settled.

By the time Mu Jinyue returned to the city, it was already evening, and the sky was growing dark. Pedestrians on the street hurried along, likely rushing home for dinner. She too quickened her pace toward home.

The scene reminded her of her life before she time-traveled. Back then, she often finished work around this time and walked home under the streetlights. Her parents would have a meal ready, and she could eat a warm dinner as soon as she returned. Today, Jiang Yi should have returned home early to prepare dinner. She wondered what they would be eating. The thought made her walk even faster.

When she entered the courtyard, there were few people around, but lights were on in every household. In the Jiang family, Zhang Yulan’s room was illuminated.

Mu Jinyue pushed the door open and went straight to Zhang Yulan’s room. The mother and son were eating dinner inside.

Mu Jinyue greeted them first. “Mom, I’m back.”

“Good, you’re back. Wash your hands quickly and come eat.”

“Alright,” Mu Jinyue replied and returned to her room to change clothes. By the time she finished tidying up, she ran into Jiang Yi, who was going out to fetch utensils for her. Since she didn’t need to make another trip, she followed Jiang Yi into the room to eat.

Dinner consisted of the steamed buns she had made that morning, along with dishes prepared by Jiang Yi: stir-fried potatoes, green peppers, and eggplant; radish and egg soup; and radish stewed with fish. The three dishes looked quite appetizing and were generously portioned.

Having spent the day running around, Mu Jinyue was truly hungry. She sat down, took a bun, and bit off a large mouthful. Then she picked up a piece of fish with her chopsticks. Hmm… the taste was a little unusual, but still acceptable. She continued eating, one bite after another, only slowing down after finishing half a bun.

The way she devoured her food drew frequent glances from the mother and son beside her.

Mu Jinyue blushed slightly and slowed her pace.

Zhang Yulan laughed. “I didn’t expect Jiang Yi’s cooking to suit your taste so well. From now on, I’ll have him cook more often. That way, you can eat more. You’re too thin as you are now.”

Mu Jinyue quickly declined. “It’s fine. I walked a lot today, so I ate more.”

Jiang Yi looked at her. “Are you saying my cooking isn’t good?”

“No, I just think it’s too much trouble. You already work hard every day.”

Zhang Yulan simply smiled as she watched them talk, not adding much. Jiang Yi also smiled at her, though his smile carried a hint of ambiguity.

Mu Jinyue felt goosebumps rising under his gaze. After finishing her meal, she hurried back to her room. Once there, she kept herself busy. She had spent a considerable amount of money and ration coupons today and needed to account for all of it.

When Jiang Yi entered the room, Mu Jinyue spoke up. “I’ve settled the matter. It cost over eight yuan in total, plus some ration coupons. I’ve recorded all the expenses. Don’t worry, I’ll pay you back in the future.”

Jiang Yi responded indifferently, “Mm, got it. Your cousin came by today.”

Mu Jinyue perked up. “Yes, I heard about it when I got back today. He…” She wasn’t sure how to continue.

Jiang Yi went on without waiting for her response. “I found him a job unloading goods in the steel mill’s logistics department.”

Mu Jinyue listened without speaking, instead furrowing her brow. Jiang Yi also worked at the steel mill, and she was worried her cousin might show up at their home.

Noticing her expression, Jiang Yi asked, “You don’t think it’s a good idea?”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll leave it all to your discretion.”

After some thought, Mu Jinyue felt it would be better to address certain matters openly. “You can probably tell what my family situation is like,” she said. “I despise them and don’t want anything to do with them ever again. So if they ever approach you with any requests in the future, just refuse them outright.” Although she didn’t think she had that much influence, there was always a chance.

“Alright, sure,” Jiang Yi agreed readily.

Exhausted from the long day, Mu Jinyue finished speaking and prepared to get ready for bed. She and Jiang Yi had developed a tacit understanding: whenever Mu Jinyue showed signs of wanting to sleep, Jiang Yi would voluntarily leave the room and only return after she had changed and gotten into bed.

But today, Jiang Yi remained standing in place without moving. Mu Jinyue couldn’t proceed and finally had to speak up. “Um, could you please step out for a moment?”

“Was my cooking really that bad?”

The question came out of nowhere, and Mu Jinyue was momentarily stunned before hurriedly explaining, “No, it was quite good.” After all, he was her benefactor; she had to save face for him.

“Good. Then you’ll have to eat more in the future.” With that, he left.

Had he stood there all that time just to say that? And “in the future”—did he plan on coming home to cook every day from now on? Was he really that free? Mu Jinyue didn’t understand. She truly couldn’t figure this man out. Since she couldn’t make sense of it, she decided not to dwell on it. She resolutely changed clothes and went to sleep.

Early the next morning, after breakfast, Mu Jinyue took the documents and went to the neighborhood committee. She knew she couldn’t go empty-handed, so she grabbed an apple from home—probably bought by Jiang Yi yesterday. Since she had a share, she took one without hesitation.

Sister Zhang held considerable authority at the neighborhood committee. It was easy to find her, and she remembered Mu Jinyue. Impressed by her swift action, Sister Zhang didn’t waste any time and helped her get everything settled by mid-morning.

Mu Jinyue quickly handed her the apple. “Thank you for your hard work, Sister Zhang. I’ll let you get back to it. I’m heading home now.” With that, she hurried off.

After leaving the neighborhood committee, Mu Jinyue went straight to the newspaper office. She had brought the article she had written in her bag and was determined to submit it today. After working on it for several days, she needed to see a result.

She arrived at the newspaper office and finally stopped in front of the submission box at the entrance. Taking a deep breath, she held the manuscript to her chest and silently prayed: Please let this article be accepted. I really need the money!

After her prayer, she reverently dropped the manuscript into the submission box before turning to leave and heading directly to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy groceries.

The morning’s errands had taken some time, so she arrived later than usual. The vegetables she bought were somewhat wilted but would still taste fine.

Upon returning home, Mu Jinyue first delivered the vegetables to the kitchen, then went to help Zhang Yulan massage her legs. After that, she went to the Lin family across the street.

Mrs. Lin answered the door. Her eyes were still red and swollen—she must have been crying a lot over the past two days. When she saw Mu Jinyue, she instinctively frowned, her face full of impatience.

Mu Jinyue spoke gently. “Auntie, I’d like to see Tongtong.”

“See what? Hurry up and leave. Don’t come looking for our Tongtong anymore.”

As expected, Mu Jinyue was shut out directly. She wasn’t particularly surprised, since she already knew Mrs. Lin didn’t like her. Still, she grew even more worried about Tongtong.

…

At lunch, Zhang Yulan also asked about Lin Tong. “Did you go see Tongtong? How is she feeling?”

“I went, but Auntie wouldn’t let me in. I don’t know how Tongtong is doing now.”

Zhang Yulan sighed. “Ah, I heard the policy requires that every family with more than one children must have someone sent down to the countryside. The Lin family has two children, and the younger one is still small. Tongtong will definitely have to go. Sending such a good child to the countryside… this policy is really…”

“Mom,” Mu Jinyue quickly interrupted Zhang Yulan. This was a policy from above—whether it was good or bad wasn’t for them to casually discuss. She had heard there were many informants these days; it was important to be cautious with words and actions.

Zhang Yulan had, after all, worked at the factory for several years and had passed ideological and political tests. Prompted by the interruption, she realized her previous remarks were inappropriate. “Let’s not talk about it anymore. I’m tired. After you clean up, go rest for a while too.”

“Okay.”

Mu Jinyue cleared the table and washed the dishes in the kitchen. She then filled the hot water bottle with boiling water, tiptoed into Zhang Yulan’s room, and slipped it under her blankets before returning to her own room.

Her only hope—the submitted article—was still awaiting a result. With nothing else to do for now, she also planned to nap for a while. But she hadn’t expected Lin Tong to show up at that very moment.