Chapter 2 – Wanting to Return to the Northeast

Wang Yi rested at home for two days. Her bones felt lazy and stiff, so she was just about to head out for a walk when her phone rang. The caller ID showed it was her mother.

“Oh my, Madam Qu actually has time to check in on her little one?”

“You brat, if I don’t call you, you complain. If I do call you, you still complain. Why are you so mouthy?” Her mother’s booming voice could probably be heard downstairs.

“Dearest Mother, what instructions do you have for your humble daughter? Whatever you say, I shall obey.” She answered in a fawning tone, like a little bootlicker.

“I instruct you to find a boyfriend and bring him home. Can you complete that mission?”

“Mom, that task is a little difficult. I just hung my ex-boyfriend out to dry a few days ago.”

Her mom shrieked, “You killed someone?! Oh my god! Did you hide the body? Run, quickly!” (In Northeastern slang, “liao” means “run.”)

Pfft! Hahaha! Wang Yi laughed so hard she nearly choked. Her mom was just too cute.

“Tell me what happened. Judging from your laughter, you’re not too affected. That’s good—my daughter indeed! Did you beat him up?”

“Of course! Not only did I beat him, he even had to thank me for it.”

Her mom burst out laughing. “Alright, enough showing off. Your father and I don’t care when you find someone. One generation shouldn’t meddle in the next. You’ve got your own judgment. Just remember—don’t ever let yourself suffer. If you can’t handle being out there or if you’re too tired, just come home. We’re not expecting you to make it big.”

“Understood, Mother. Your daughter’s heart is strong. This little setback is nothing. But since you mentioned going home, I really do miss the Northeast. I’ve been away so many years… and nothing compares to home. Gold nests, silver nests—they’re nothing compared to my own doghouse.”

Her mom chuckled: “Our hometown’s great now! The road in front of our house is paved with cement, and there are streetlights—it’s bright at night. Rural life isn’t worse than the city anymore. Lots of retired city folks are even buying houses in the countryside. Without a rural household registration, they won’t even sell to you now!”

Hearing this, Wang Yi’s longing to return grew stronger. She chatted with her mom for almost an hour, and in her mind, scenes of her hometown began to appear. It had been three years since she last went back. Maybe it was time to plan seriously.

She checked her savings. After graduation, she had joined her current company. Starting as a sales rep, she had worked her way up to sales director. Her salary had steadily increased, and at 29, she now had seven figures in her savings account. Not bad at all. Still, returning home without a solid plan made her uneasy. She didn’t want to burden her parents. Sigh, better think it over some more.

While chopping vegetables, she got distracted. The knife slipped and—ouch!—she gave herself some “extra meat” for dinner. Blood gushed fast and hot. Seeing the blood made her vision go dark.

Panicking, she scrambled to find bandages on the coffee table. Blood dripped everywhere, staining it red. Suddenly, everything went black, and in the next moment, she found herself in an entirely different place.

Wang Yi was truly terrified. What? Just one little cut on my hand and I’m dead? No way am I that fragile!

“Hello? Anyone here? What is this—execution without burial? Where do I even report now? My poor parents—this’ll kill them!”

The more she thought about it, the more wronged she felt. The grievance bubbled up, and she started bawling. But her sobs got weaker and weaker. Something wasn’t right—there was no life here, no sound of wind, nothing. Mustering her courage, she walked forward and saw a stretch of pitch-black land. Oddly enough, she liked it. Not far ahead stood a well. Her mind clicked into overdrive.

Wait, is this… one of those legendary spaces? And that well—could it be a spiritual spring? Oh my god, such fortune landed on me? My ancestors’ graves must be erupting, not just smoking green fumes—this is like a full-on explosion!

“Hahaha! I knew it—I’m the fated heroine! Clearly, some grand mission has been entrusted to me. As the old saying goes: ‘When Heaven bestows a great task upon someone, it first tests their will…’”

Just as she was basking in her self-importance, her foot slipped—smack! She fell flat on her face, dog-eating-shit style. That snapped her back to reality.

Right, how do I even get out of here?

No sooner had the thought formed than—whoosh!—she was back in her rental apartment. She tried saying, “Enter”—whoosh!—back inside. “Exit”—whoosh!—back outside. She repeated this back and forth for half an hour until the novelty wore off.

Then her gaze fell on her injured hand. Her mind jumped straight to that well.

She took a sip of the water, just a cautious mouthful. At first, nothing happened. Five minutes later, her stomach roared like a stormy sea. She dropped everything and bolted for the bathroom. Minutes stretched into an eternity. She went in standing, but came out clinging to the wall for support. She’d been “marinated” in there so long the smell nearly knocked her out. She quickly took a shower.

Half an hour later, she was once again a radiant little fairy. Her stomach growled again—first things first, fill it.

Only after eating did she finally grasp the reality: she had her own space now, with a spiritual spring. She didn’t need to test whether it could store things or heal people. She’d read enough webnovels in the past ten-plus years to know exactly how it worked.

Her team had just wrapped up their project, but the company had been in decline for years. Layoffs had started two months ago. Though she hadn’t been cut, she could feel the axe hanging above. She’d worked herself to exhaustion to keep this job—not just for the salary but out of attachment. But now… it didn’t matter so much anymore.

After all, it was hard to let go after so many years. Still, if the company laid her off, she could return to the Northeast without guilt. Thinking of this, her mood instantly lifted.

“My home is in the Northeast, by the Songhua River, where soybeans and sorghum grow…” She hummed the song happily.

The next day at the office, a colleague told her the manager was looking for her. Judging from the colleague’s hesitant look, Wang Yi already knew what it was about. The axe had fallen—and oddly enough, she felt relieved. She patted her colleague’s shoulder, smiled, and walked into the manager’s office.

Knock knock.

“Come in,” the manager’s voice called. Seeing her, he smiled: “Xiao Wang, you’re here. Sit down.”

“Manager, you wanted to see me?”

“Wang, you’ve been with our company over five years now. You know business hasn’t been good. The younger generation has fresh ideas, and we need new blood. Your team’s project was great—you’ll get a hefty bonus. Plus, the company will give you N+1 compensation. I fought to secure the best benefits for you. I’m truly sorry…” He looked apologetic.

Wang Yi smiled: “Thank you, Manager. Working under you has been a pleasure. You’re a leader worthy of respect. Don’t worry—I accept the company’s decision. I’ll hand over my work properly. Thank you for your guidance all these years.” She bowed deeply.

Back at her desk, she began handing off tasks. Her teammates gathered around her. Wang Yi laughed, “What’s with the faces? I’m just resigning, not dying! We’ll see each other again—let’s plan a reunion sometime.”

Sister Ma slapped her on the back. “You silly child, don’t say such unlucky things! Ptui, ptui, ptui!” The others burst into laughter.

“I’ve always wanted to return to the Northeast,” Wang Yi said seriously. “I just couldn’t bring myself to leave. Now I finally can. When you have time off, come visit me. I’ll show you the beauty of my hometown.”

Everyone started asking about the Northeast—what it was like, what to eat, what to see. The farewell heaviness dissolved into chatter. When they got off work, they left together, parting cheerfully.

Wang Yi, meanwhile, had preparations to make. There was no time for sentimentality. As the saying goes: The city is full of schemes—I’m going back to the countryside.