Chapter 003

Guo Gai had run out in a hurry, and he still hadn’t caught his breath.

He slowed down after a few steps, walking the rest of the way back. Midway, raindrops suddenly started falling from above.

“Shit,” he blurted, and quickly picked up his pace toward the educated youth camp.

He ran up to the kitchen door and ducked under the curtain.

Once inside, he shook the rain from his head. “Looks like the rain’s really coming down.”

After Han Ting left, the others gradually dispersed from the kitchen.

Lin Xiaohan had taken his grain and left, so now only Chaozi and Chu Xia remained.

While Guo Gai had gone to find Han Ting, Chaozi had been trying to persuade Chu Xia not to go through with her plan. He warned her how tough it would be for a girl to live alone. But no matter how patiently he reasoned with her, it didn’t work.

Although they didn’t grow up as closely as Han Ting and Chu Xia—who’d lived in the same courtyard—they had still all grown up in the same alley, practically childhood friends.

Chaozi and Guo Gai considered themselves to know Chu Xia pretty well.

Since she was little, she’d always listened to Han Ting. She didn’t speak much and always nodded obediently when he told her to do something. She’d never made him angry. She was the kind of girl everyone called sweet, good, and obedient.

No one knew what had gotten into her today.

When Guo Gai returned, Chaozi didn’t bother trying to persuade her anymore. Instead, he looked at him and asked, “What did Brother Ting say?”

Guo Gai glanced at Chu Xia and replied, voice a little subdued, “Brother Ting said, if she won’t listen, just give it to her. A girl living on her own won’t last long—she’ll regret it soon enough.”

Chu Xia let out a quiet sigh of relief but said nothing.

As long as Han Ting didn’t try to withhold her share of grain and force her to stay in the group, she was fine.

Now that she had this god’s-eye view, she knew better than anyone whether she could survive alone.

Regret? That was never going to happen. She knew she could live even better on her own.

Chaozi stayed quiet for a moment, then turned to go weigh her share of the grain.

The commune had distributed grain by headcount, so naturally, it was split evenly. One full portion, just like what was given to Lin Xiaohan.

The remaining grain was to be shared among the ten of them.

In recent years, the country’s situation had slightly improved compared to the early days of internal unrest, but ordinary people were still living in poverty. Life couldn’t be described as good by any measure.

Even city dwellers were eating coarse grains, let alone those in the countryside.

The rations distributed by the production brigade to them were the same as what the villagers received.

Wheat and rice were extremely limited—barely enough for a meal or two during major holidays. Most of the grain consisted of coarse types like sorghum and corn, along with some dried sweet potatoes.

There were also a few oilseeds like rapeseed, peanuts, and soybeans, mainly used for extracting oil.

Chaozi measured out the proper amount and distributed the grain to Chu Xia.

After confirming the weight and amount were correct, Chu Xia carefully stored the rations, thanked Chaozi and Guogai, and returned to the dormitory.

As they watched Chu Xia leave the kitchen, Chaozi and Guogai wore helpless expressions.

They couldn’t understand what had gotten into her. Han Ting had always treated her like a real sister, yet now she was drawing a clear line between them in such a deliberate way. It was clearly a slap in the face for Han Ting.

Out of all ten of them—aside from Lin Xiaohan—Chu Xia was the last person they expected to behave like this.

But there was nothing they could do.

Chaozi and Guogai sighed in unison.

Just as their sigh ended, the curtain at the doorway was lifted, and Han Ting and Su Yun came running in.

They had returned through the rain.

As they entered, the two were covered by a thick coat—taken from Han Ting’s back.

Han Ting lowered the coat and asked Su Yun, “You didn’t get wet, did you?”

Su Yun brushed aside her bangs and smiled. “I’m fine. My hair’s still dry.”

Han Ting gave the coat a shake to dry it off, then turned to Chaozi and Guogai. “Did you give the grain to Chu Xia?”

Guogai sat down on a bench and replied, “Yeah, we did. She took it and went back to the dorm.”

It was still cold. Han Ting put the coat back on after shaking it out.

He spoke lightly, “Alright, just leave it at that for now.”

Since Han Ting had made the call, Chaozi and Guogai didn’t push further.

With the grain given out to both Lin Xiaohan and Chu Xia, there was nothing else to do, so the two of them headed back to the dormitory.

Han Ting didn’t return with them.

Earlier, when he stormed out, he had broken a bench leg in anger. The bench still needed to be used, so now he bent down, picked up the broken piece by the table, and began figuring out how to fix it.

Seeing he still had things to do, Su Yun stayed behind to help, keeping him company and chatting while lending a hand.

…

West Wing – Girls’ Dormitory

The room was lit by an oil lamp, its flame flickering with the breeze.

When Chu Xia entered the room, Li Qiao, Chen Sisi, and Gu Yuzhu all looked her way.

But none of them greeted her. They glanced once, then looked away.

At the educated youth settlement, Chu Xia had always been ignored—treated like air. She had long grown used to it. Now, when they deliberately pretended not to see her, it didn’t bother her.

Chu Xia didn’t greet them either. She closed the door behind her and went straight to wash up.

The girls were more particular about cleanliness and had hung up a makeshift curtain made of patched burlap in a corner of the dorm. It created a small private space just for washing up at night.

Chu Xia warmed some water and stepped behind the curtain to clean herself. Meanwhile, the three girls resumed chatting.

Naturally, the topic had nothing to do with Chu Xia. Their conversation was light and full of laughter.

Chu Xia wasn’t interested and didn’t pay close attention.

After washing up and shedding the day’s fatigue, she stretched her body and climbed into bed, ready to sleep.

There were twelve people living at the educated youth compound. The girls stayed in the west wing, the boys in the east.

Regardless of gender, everyone slept on shared wooden platforms, lined up side by side.

There were only five girls, so the sleeping area was divided into five spots.

Chu Xia’s bed, much like her presence, was in the farthest corner against the south wall.

To her right was the crumbling south wall; to her left was Gu Yuzhu’s bed.

Gu Yuzhu was currently sitting on her bed, holding a mirror. The mirror was round, framed in red plastic, and on the back was a photo of Tiananmen Gate.

She stared into it for a while, then sighed. “It’s only been half a month in the countryside, and my face is already this dark. If I stay for years, I’ll probably be unrecognizable.”

She wasn’t the prettiest among the five girls, but she definitely cared the most about her looks.

Chen Sisi chimed in, “Then stop looking. If you can’t see it, it won’t bother you.”

Gu Yuzhu sighed again. “Some people really make you jealous—Su Yun, for example, hasn’t changed at all.”

Li Qiao added, “That’s because she knows how to slack off. Every time there’s work, she suddenly has a headache or backache. And Han Ting always looks out for her, so she ends up doing way less than the rest of us.”

Just as Li Qiao finished speaking, the door creaked open from the outside.

Since Su Yun was the only one still out, it had to be her.

Li Qiao’s expression shifted effortlessly—as if she hadn’t said anything at all—and she greeted Su Yun with a friendly smile.

Su Yun returned the smile and replied warmly, then quickly went to mix some water and start washing up.

Chu Xia was still sitting on her bed, not yet lying down.

Seeing the other three girls had stopped talking, she took the chance to point at the mirror in Gu Yuzhu’s hand and said, “Can you return my mirror now?”

That’s right—the mirror Gu Yuzhu was using belonged to Chu Xia.

When Chu Xia insisted on coming to the countryside with Han Ting, her parents couldn’t stop her. Worried that life would be hard, they had packed a lot of supplies for her to bring along.

This mirror was among them.

Chu Xia had never been one to look in the mirror much, so she barely used it.

Gu Yuzhu, noticing how new and clear it was, had borrowed it and used it for half a month without giving it back.

Seeing her using it earlier had already made Chu Xia want it back.

Earlier that evening, she couldn’t see her own face clearly in the water—now she wanted to get a good look at herself.

When Gu Yuzhu heard her speak, she paused in surprise, as if she hadn’t realized Chu Xia was addressing her. Then she registered it, but instead of handing it over, she looked at Chu Xia and asked, “You want to look in the mirror?”

Chu Xia nodded to her. “Yeah.”

Gu Yuzhu chuckled. “But you don’t even like looking in the mirror. You haven’t changed at all—you don’t need to look.”

She wasn’t done using the mirror herself and had no intention of handing it over.

Chu Xia could see that much clearly.

After borrowing the mirror for half a month, Gu Yuzhu had come to think of it as hers.

Chu Xia didn’t bother arguing. She stayed silent, simply reaching out her hand and looking at Gu Yuzhu directly.

Meeting Chu Xia’s gaze, Gu Yuzhu felt a strange unfamiliarity. Her smile froze for a moment.

Then, trying to play it off, she placed the mirror in Chu Xia’s hand and said, “Just don’t leave it lying around after you’re done. Put it back on the table—I’ll need it tomorrow morning when I do my hair.”

“Use your own,” Chu Xia replied without looking at her.

That remark left Gu Yuzhu choked with frustration.

Chen Sisi and Li Qiao both looked over in surprise at the two of them.

Unhappy, Gu Yuzhu opened her mouth to say something but couldn’t get any words out.

It wasn’t her mirror after all—she didn’t really have the right to argue.

With a huff, she yanked the blanket over herself and lay down, muttering sarcastically, “What’s even the point of looking in the mirror? Nobody would spare a second glance in a crowd. It’s not like it’s going to make you pretty.”