Chapter 9: Making Friends

After freshening up and returning to her room, Ye Xin entered the space, ready to get to work.

Despite the busy day—going to town, hiking up the mountain, and working the fields—she actually felt more relaxed than usual. The workload didn’t feel as exhausting as a typical day at the factory. Especially after enjoying a hearty meal, she was full of energy.

She couldn’t wait to start her journey toward prosperity!

She was determined to live a life where every meal had meat!

Taking the seeds she had soaked earlier that morning, Ye Xin was surprised to see that most of them had already sprouted tiny white buds. They were beginning to germinate.

But wasn’t that too fast?

It had only been about seven or eight hours.

Soaking seeds is generally done with special solutions to disinfect them, reducing the chance of viruses or bacteria, allowing them to grow strong after planting. Ye Xin wasn’t too familiar with this process, but she had soaked the seeds mainly to encourage them to sprout.

Seeing that they had already begun to sprout, she figured it was time to plant them.

In front of the house, there were three plots of land, and the same went for behind the house. To the left and right, there was a plot each. They were all the same size, originally part of a 3×3 grid, but the middle plot had been turned into the house.

For convenience, Ye Xin decided to start with the central plot in front of the house.

One plot was about one acre in size, approximately 666.666… square meters—roughly the size of half a running track. It was plenty of space for her to grow crops for a long time.

After selecting the plot, she headed to the small storage room to fetch a hoe, water bucket, and other farming tools. Rolling up her sleeves, she got to work.

The soil was loose and soft, easy to dig, and rich in color—clearly fertile.

She first planted some cabbage. Cabbage was a delicious, crisp, and refreshing vegetable—always a staple on the dinner table!

Next, she planted some chili peppers. A great seasoning for cooking—whether for stir-frying meat or vegetables, or making chili sauce. It was perfect for warming up the body in winter, and she imagined the spicy, red broth for a hotpot.

Then, she planted some eggplants. Eggplants were also tasty, especially when stir-fried with garlic and oil—so fragrant!

Lastly, she planted tomatoes. Tomatoes were both fruit and vegetable, delicious raw or cooked. They could be used for all kinds of dishes—tomato scrambled eggs, tomato beef noodles… But for these, she’d need to set up some trellises, so she planted them along the edges.

As she planted, Ye Xin couldn’t stop thinking about how delicious these dishes would be. Her mouth watered just imagining it.

While the shopkeeper had explained how to plant them when she bought the seeds, she couldn’t remember all the details, so she wasn’t sure if she was doing it right. But with the right temperature, sunlight, and soil here, maybe the season wouldn’t matter as much.

Having planted four crops, Ye Xin already felt tired.

That’s enough for today, she decided. No need to rush—it could wait.

She planted everything in long rows for easy watering. She dug small paths between each row, making it easier to water them. Then she grabbed the bucket to fetch some water. The bucket had a convenient wooden ladle attached, making it easy to use.

After watering the plants, Ye Xin passed by the rice seedlings she had planted by the stream a few days ago. They had grown lush and tall.

The soil here really was rich and fertile—no wonder the plants were growing so fast…

After admiring the rice plants, she drank some water from the spring nearby, feeling thirsty.

The water was clear and cool, refreshing her instantly. The fatigue that had been weighing on her disappeared, and she felt revitalized.

Returning her tools to the storage room, Ye Xin went upstairs to the study to read more of the book.

She had been reading a page or two each day, and it was becoming clearer that the book was about the space she now inhabited. The earlier pages had explained the origins of the space, and now it was getting into more detailed information about how it worked.

Ye Xin felt that once she finished reading, she would gain valuable insights.

She read one more page before feeling sleepy.

Yawning, she went downstairs to grab the cup she had bought earlier in the day. After washing it with spring water, she filled it with water before heading out again.

She had eaten a dry meal for dinner and was worried she’d get thirsty later.

The spring water tasted so much better here—she decided she’d be bringing water from here from now on.

…

The next morning, Ye Xin woke up early, feeling energetic and clear-headed.

The green vegetables had been finished off at dinner, but there was still a bit of meat left, as well as some leftover rice. Shen Zhuo had picked some more green vegetables in the afternoon, and they made fried rice for breakfast.

Ye Xin noticed that today, Shen Zhuo wasn’t wearing his usual black clothes, but instead a faded blue shirt—simple, but it suited his face well.

She glanced at him, then looked at the fragrant fried rice on the table. Her appetite was instantly stirred, but she was a little puzzled. “Why is there only one bowl?”

Shen Zhuo replied, “That’s all that was left from last night. Just eat it.”

Ye Xin asked, “What are you going to eat then?”

Shen Zhuo poked around in the stove with a pair of tongs, pulling out two gray, dusty sweet potatoes from the ashes. “I’ll eat these.”

“Roasted sweet potatoes!” Ye Xin’s eyes lit up, then she made a dissatisfied face. “What? You’re keeping all the good stuff for yourself and not sharing? No, you have to give me one!”

Shen Zhuo was stunned. “What’s so great about these? We eat them every day—it’s gotten boring.”

Ye Xin, quick and efficient, grabbed a plate from the table and scooped half the fried rice onto it. “I don’t care! You have to give me one! In exchange, I’ll give you half of my fried rice. You won’t go hungry!”

Shen Zhuo had no choice but to agree to the exchange, and they both ate the same breakfast.

Ye Xin, satisfied, began eating and asked, “What’s the plan for work today?”

Shen Zhuo said, “We’re planting crops.”

Ye Xin paused, “What are we planting?”

Shen Zhuo thought for a moment. “Corn, sweet potatoes, and rapeseed. Those are the ones we haven’t planted yet. We planted them last year.”

Ye Xin, “…Oh.”

So there were still crops to be planted, but she wouldn’t know the exact details until they were out in the fields.

After finishing the fried rice, Ye Xin peeled a sweet potato, only to find that it wasn’t the soft, honey-sweet variety she had imagined. Instead, it was the common sweet potato, the kind often used in porridge. It seemed to have been roasted the night before, and now it was just reheated in the morning, since the fire wasn’t on long enough to fully cook it again.

But still, it tasted better than boiled.

After breakfast, they headed out to work and were assigned the task of planting sweet potatoes.

Next door, the corn was being planted, and Ye Xin noticed a few of the young intellectuals there. They glanced in her direction, and she quickly lowered her head, focusing on her work.

Planting sweet potatoes or corn didn’t seem to make much difference to her—she hadn’t planted either before. But working on dry land was far better than in a paddy field. At least here, when she got tired, she could sit on the edge of the field to rest without worrying about getting mud all over her. When she was planting rice a few days ago, she had to wash clothes every night—it was a real headache.

But since the work wasn’t as physically demanding, there was more room for gossip and chatter among the production team.

During a break, an older woman suddenly turned to Ye Xin and said, “Ye intellectual, I heard you and Shen Zhuo went to town yesterday and bought a lot of stuff? Your basket was full!”

“Really?” Ye Xin thought, it was obvious who had seen them and was spreading the gossip. In their village, everything—from a purchase to a trip to town—became the subject of gossip.

Inwardly, Ye Xin sighed but smiled on the outside. “I bought two ceramic jars. Of course, the basket was full! They were really heavy—my shoulders are still sore from carrying them. But since they’ll be useful for pickling vegetables, it was worth the trouble.”

Shen Zhuo, sitting nearby, glanced at her but said nothing.

Ye Xin didn’t notice him and continued chatting with the woman. “By the way, Auntie, I don’t know how to pickle vegetables yet. You must teach me next time you’re pickling, okay?”

The woman wanted to ask what else she had bought, but was momentarily caught off guard by Ye Xin’s sudden change of topic.

Luckily, another woman chimed in with a laugh. “Ye intellectual, you asked the right person! Lin Meihua’s pickling skills are top-notch!”

“Really?” Ye Xin’s eyes lit up with surprise as she turned to the other woman, “Auntie Meihua, I’m asking you for advice, so you can’t keep any secrets from me! The Party and the government sent us young intellectuals here for re-education, and we should learn from clever people like you. When you’re pickling vegetables, you have to let me come and learn!”

Lin Meihua blushed at the unexpected praise, not knowing whether to be pleased or embarrassed. “Oh, Ye intellectual, don’t say it so seriously. If someone overheard, they’d think it was something important! It’s just pickling vegetables—nothing special. Everyone in the village can do it. No need to keep any secrets. I’ll teach you when the time comes!” she said proudly.

“Well, thank you in advance, Auntie!” Ye Xin said with a smile, making sure to please her.

Turning to the other woman, who had given her the information, Ye Xin asked, “What’s your name? I’ve been here for a while but still haven’t learned everyone’s names. I hope you won’t mind.”

The other woman, who seemed to be a straightforward person, laughed and said, “No worries! With so many people, it’s hard to remember everyone! I’ve been married here for over a year, and I still haven’t memorized all the names! I’m Wu Lili, so just call me Auntie Wu from now on.”

Ye Xin immediately greeted her politely, “Auntie Wu.”

Lin Meihua added, “It doesn’t matter if you don’t know others, but you need to remember Auntie Wu. Her husband is the team leader, Li Jianbang, and he oversees all of our production tasks!”

Hearing this, Ye Xin’s attitude became even more cheerful. She chatted away, eager to make connections.

Building good relationships—time to start now!

But getting too familiar had its downsides.

Because soon enough, the gossip returned. While talking, the women glanced at Shen Zhuo and asked, “Ye intellectual, don’t mind me asking, but are you and Shen Zhuo… close now?”

Shen Zhuo turned to gaze at the distant mountains, as if he hadn’t heard or wasn’t paying attention. It seemed like it was none of his business.

Ye Xin sighed inwardly. “Aunties, must you ask about this?”

If they had to ask, couldn’t it be done when Shen Zhuo wasn’t around?

But it wasn’t a big deal; she’d have to explain it eventually. After saying it once, the whole village would probably know soon enough.

So, lowering her head slightly, with a hint of embarrassment, she said, “Ah, that was all my foolishness before, I didn’t know any better. Sorry for causing you to laugh. Shen Zhuo is a patient person, very generous. He doesn’t hold grudges against me. Honestly, I think life with him wouldn’t be so bad.”

Hearing this, not only the two women, but the whole group of people nearby were listening closely, satisfied by the confirmation.

Lin Meihua even grabbed her hand warmly, “Oh, Ye intellectual, it seems you’ve really changed. How great! All those past things are behind us—now, just live well with Shen Zhuo!”

Wu Lili added, “Yeah, things are a little tough right now, but as long as you work together, life will get better!”

Ye Xin could only smile politely.

Oh, Aunties… please don’t talk as if we’re already married. We’re not even grown up yet…