Chapter 18: Internet Users Discover the Truth, Moving and Repairing the House

After following the village leader back to the village office, Zeng Yanne had just finished tidying up her belongings when she heard someone calling her name from outside. It was the short-tempered old Granny Yu, holding a bowl of seafood noodles. The noodles were made of pure white flour, and the sauce was a delicious mix of clams and kidney beans.

“Take it and eat,” the old woman said, as direct as ever.

Zeng Yanne declined. “Granny Yu, I can manage with something else.” White flour was a precious commodity. The ten pounds of wheat she had been given were only secured because the great-grandfather had argued for them. She couldn’t possibly accept the white flour noodles.

The deep lines on the old woman’s face made her look intimidating when she wasn’t smiling. She put the large bowl on the windowsill and turned to leave. “Just eat it when I give it to you. Why are you being so difficult?”

She was so caring, yet she sounded like she was scolding someone. What a character.

Zeng Yanne graciously accepted the bowl and began to eat. The first mouthful of noodles was incredibly satisfying. They were chewy and firm, and the clams and kidney beans complemented each other perfectly, creating a wonderfully fresh and delicious flavor. After a long, tiring day, eating a bowl of tasty seafood noodles while listening to the sound of the ocean made her feel warm and comforted.

Her long day was not yet over. Lying on the makeshift bed that night, Zeng Yanne didn’t forget to edit her video. The footage was a bit long, so she decided to split it into two parts. The first part showed the scenery she saw on her way back from the gold mine hospital: a grand scenic video from her bicycle, and a peek into the authentic 1960s. #GoodThingsAreMeantToBeShared.

As soon as the video was released, people with and without a clue started a heated discussion in the comments.

“It even has an exterior shot! The blogger must have a huge budget. They’re really going all out to sell their products.”

“Important announcement! This is a historical drama, a historical drama, a historical drama! The blogger isn’t selling anything!”

“The production team is so dedicated! The set design is too real. This county town looks so authentic.”

“For those who still think this is a historical drama, are you new? I’m covered in goosebumps, and you’re still discussing the set design?!”

“Today’s video was a single shot. Did you spot any mistakes? No! Not a single one!”

“This is surreal; it’s terrifying when you think about it!”

“I’m a researcher specializing in unique residential architecture. Most of the traditional houses made of seaweed are in the Jiaodong area, and I’ve visited most of them. I swear I’ve never seen the seaweed houses in this video. So… where exactly are they from?”

“The blogger’s name is Gui Qu Lai Xi?! Could it be what I’m thinking…?”

“Am I dreaming? Someone pinch me.”

“This video must be a form of hypnosis. We’re all collectively going crazy and dreaming that someone has traveled through time and is sending us videos from the past!”

Fans were calling Zeng Yanne’s videos “the eighth wonder of the world,” and the comments section was in a frenzy, demanding that the mysterious blogger explain themselves.

Zeng Yanne didn’t respond. The wild theories of her followers would only increase the popularity of the topic. She wanted to test her earlier hypothesis that the time-traveling system could influence the modern internet.

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Her guess was right. With the speed of internet propagation, such explosive news should have topped the trending searches on every major platform. But… the searches were quiet, and nothing happened. The last video didn’t even get ten million views, there were no insane amounts of private messages, and the account’s followers went from 23,102 to just under 30,000. In short, the data was unremarkable. Zeng Yanne finally confirmed that the system had been working behind the scenes, blocking the video’s influence.

The high-and-mighty system refused to communicate, so she could only guess at its intentions, which were probably to give her a way to make a living and to improve the lives of a small number of people in both timelines. The system had no grand ambitions, which was perfect, as Zeng Yanne didn’t want to be the center of attention. Even though she had been transported to a different time and was now equipped with an incredible ability, her goal was still the same: to explore the memory of food and spread the culture of cuisine.

The next day, it was time to work. The village leader was true to his word and had three skilled workers go help Zeng Yanne fix up her house. They were all strong men who could earn ten work points a day. It had already been decided the day before that Zeng Yanne would pay for the work points herself. Thirty work points a day was something she could afford.

Since they were working on her home, Zeng Yanne had to be there. She followed the three uncles north along the main road in front of the village office. It took them about twenty minutes to get to the location, so it really was a bit far.

The lighthouse that had been built years ago was now leaning a bit. A new one had been built in a better location, and the old foundation had been torn down, leaving no trace of the old lighthouse. The small house built for the lighthouse keeper was still there, with a stone foundation and a roof made of seaweed. The ridge of the roof was high and prominent.

Since it had been empty for so long, the house was surrounded by weeds, the doors and windows were rotten, and the heated brick bed had partially collapsed. Even the tough seaweed roof needed maintenance. It had several leaks that needed to be patched up.

There was no shortage of seaweed or wood. The three uncles estimated that they could finish the repairs in two days. The house was four and a half meters long—the equivalent of one and a half normal rooms. There were no partitions, so Zeng Yanne suggested building a fire wall between the bedroom and the kitchen to provide heat in the winter.

The village could provide the wood, bolts, and glass for the doors and windows, but not for free. Fortunately, her small house didn’t require a lot of materials. The ten yuan she had was enough to pay for it, with a little left over. She couldn’t afford to build a large cabinet, so Zeng Yanne could only make smaller furniture. She asked Wang Youli, one of the three men who was skilled in carpentry, to build a wooden shelf for the outer room to serve as a storage and bowl rack, and a low table to put on the heated bed as a dining table. The rest of the items could be added later when she had more money.

While the uncles worked on the house, Zeng Yanne didn’t sit around. She had borrowed a sickle from the point keeper and planned to clear the weeds around the house first. Thanks to muscle memory, cutting the grass wasn’t too difficult for Zeng Yanne. She bundled all the cut grass and prepared to take it to the livestock shed. She had to earn five work points for the day.

In between cutting grass, Zeng Yanne looked up and took in her surroundings. The more she looked, the more satisfied she felt. The nearest house was at least a mile away from this little stone house. It was built on a high cliff overlooking the endless sea. Not only did it have an unbeatable ocean view, but it was also convenient for foraging.

It was time to check out the beach. To save time, Zeng Yanne didn’t take the long, gentle slope. She nimbly climbed down the rock face to the bottom of the cliff. The salty, moist sea breeze hit her face. Tall and short black reefs stood on the not-so-fine sand. The crushed seashells on the ground glistened with a rainbow of colors in the morning sun. Looking at the boundless sea, Zeng Yanne’s lips curled into a smile. She was in a beautiful mood. This beach, this sea, would be her home field in the future.