As usual, Lin Tong walked into the room holding a book, a smile gracing her lips. “Sister Jinyue, I’m here for our lesson,” she said cheerfully.

She chatted on by herself before settling directly onto the edge of the bed, appearing no different from before on the surface.

But the calmer she seemed, the more worried Mu Jinyue grew.

Mu Jinyue would have preferred to see her express some emotion—crying or even throwing a tantrum would have been better. At least that would have been an emotional release. Keeping everything bottled up inside like this could easily become a psychological burden, and Mu Jinyue was afraid Lin Tong would end up harming herself.

Mu Jinyue poured her a cup of warm water and set it on the table, then sat down across from her. For a moment, she wasn’t sure where to begin.

Lin Tong picked up the cup and took a couple of sips. “I might be sent to the countryside before the New Year, so we need to speed up our lessons. Otherwise, I might not be able to cover everything with you.”

Mu Jinyue’s expression softened with concern, and she tried to reassure her, “Tongtong, the lessons don’t have to—”

But Lin Tong cut her off. “No, studying is important. We must finish the lessons. Don’t think that just because I’m being sent to the countryside, studying becomes useless. That’s not true. Learning is very meaningful!”

Her voice gradually grew quieter, fading into a murmur. It was as if she was saying these words both to Mu Jinyue and to herself.

Seeing this, Mu Jinyue immediately moved to sit beside her, holding her tightly. “I know, I understand,” she said gently. “Studying is very useful. I will study hard, I promise.”

Lin Tong lowered her head, burying her face in the crook of Mu Jinyue’s neck, her voice trembling slightly. “I want to go back to school. I want to take the college entrance exam. I want to become a teacher. I don’t want to…” She didn’t finish, but Mu Jinyue understood the unspoken words.

All she could do was comfort her again and again. “You will. You will become a teacher someday. I’m sure of it.”

The sound of the girl’s quiet sobs filled the air. Mu Jinyue repeated her assurances, telling her that everything would work out in the future. Yet, these words felt like empty promises—there was no guarantee they would ever come true.

But there was nothing else Mu Jinyue could do. She could only hold Lin Tong tightly, unaware that tears had quietly begun to fall from her own eyes as well…

A long time passed before the sobs gradually subsided. Lin Tong’s voice was still slightly muffled as she asked softly, “Sister Jinyue, what are people in the countryside really like?”

She had lived in the city her entire life. Although many people from rural areas worked in city factories, Lin Tong’s mother looked down on them and forbade her from interacting with them—until she met Mu Jinyue.

Lin Tong lifted her head, a faint smile on her face. “I’ve heard that people in the countryside are very kind-hearted. Maybe going to a rural area isn’t so scary after all.”

Mu Jinyue gently wiped away the remaining tear stains on Lin Tong’s face, her tone serious and earnest. “It’s not like that, or at least not entirely.”

“There are also very bad people in the countryside. In my production brigade, for example, some of the aunties might talk to you warmly and offer help, but they’ll also gossip about you behind your back.”

“The brigade also has good-for-nothings, like the hoodlums in the city. But since there’s no police supervision in the brigade, they act even more recklessly. They’ll not only harass you verbally but sometimes even physically. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.”

Hearing this, Lin Tong’s expression shifted from surprise to fear. “R-Really? Is it like that? I… I thought…”

Mu Jinyue shook her head slightly, her expression solemn. “It’s not what you thought.” Lin Tong was inherently kind and innocent, so she naturally imagined the better side of things.

“People in the brigade envy city folks, but at the same time, they hope you’ll never be able to return to the city.”

What she said was not meant to scare her unnecessarily—it was part of the reality in rural areas. There might be more kind people, but since she didn’t know where Lin Tong would be sent, Mu Jinyue preferred to emphasize the severity of the situation to remind her to stay vigilant.

Her words did frighten Lin Tong, but Lin Tong was clever and quickly understood Mu Jinyue’s intention.

She replied, “I understand what you mean, Sister Jinyue. Don’t worry, I’ll be very careful in the countryside and protect myself.”

Seeing that she had come to this realization, Mu Jinyue felt her words had not been in vain.

“Perhaps none of what we’ve imagined will happen, and you’ll be lucky enough to be assigned to a village with simple, honest customs. But no matter what, it’s never wrong to be prepared for the worst.”

Lin Tong nodded in agreement. “Yes, I understand.”

Mu Jinyue asked with concern, “Is there any specific news? When will you be leaving?”

“There is. Registration will start around the 16th of this month, and we’re expected to set off in early December.”

Having gotten everything off her chest, Lin Tong’s mood noticeably improved. After sitting for a while longer, she prepared to leave. But before going, she took hold of Mu Jinyue’s arm and said sincerely,

“What my mom did today was wrong. She’s been in a bad mood lately because of my going to the countryside. I apologize on her behalf.”

“It’s alright. I understand how Auntie feels. I won’t take it to heart.”

Only then did Lin Tong leave with peace of mind.

…

The matter of going to the countryside had been brewing for a couple of days, and the once-peaceful Du household began to show signs of unrest. While having dinner, Mu Jinyue heard the commotion outside and suddenly remembered that Du Jie, their next-door neighbor, was likely a classmate of Lin Tong’s. Given the circumstances, Du Jie would also soon be sent to the countryside.

At the same time, Zhang Yulan also had some questions about the rural assignment. “Is going to the countryside mandatory?”

This question was directed at Jiang Yi, who had access to more information outside.

Jiang Yi nodded in confirmation. “It’s mandatory.”

Hearing this, Mu Jinyue was reminded of her cousin Mu Jinnhua’s arranged marriage. If Mu Jinnhua hadn’t been part of that marriage exchange and had instead come to the Du family on her wedding day to demand an explanation, Du Yu’s registration would have remained unchanged—but what about Du Jie?

Du Jie had refused because he thought she was too dark and unattractive. But if it had been Mu Jinnhua instead, would Du Jie have agreed?

And what about Mu Jinnhua? Mu Jinyue felt her cousin would likely have agreed, since she always believed marrying into the city was something to be envied.

She felt she had probably pieced most of the story together, but none of it mattered now. The butterfly had already flapped its wings, and everything would be different. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder what kind of important figure Zhou Shi was, to make Mujin Hua so determined to choose him…

The Jiang family remained unaffected by the rural assignment issue and paid little attention to the outside commotion. Once they had eaten their fill, they prepared for bed.

In contrast, the Du household, though chaotic earlier, had now settled down.

Only the four members of the Du family remained in the room. The earlier uproar had been caused by Ma Huifen—as for her daughter-in-law, she had retreated to her room as soon as the commotion began.

Now calmer, Ma Huifen said firmly to Du Yu, “No matter what, your brother cannot go to the countryside. Talk to your father-in-law and see if he can pull some strings. We…”

“Mom,” Du Yu frowned. It wasn’t that simple.

His marriage to Yunyun had only been approved because it was a done deal—there was no other choice. He had just managed to smooth things over with his director father-in-law. How could he possibly trouble him with such a request now? Besides, favors like this were meant to be used on himself.