Chapter 29: The Male and Female Leads Finally Appear in the Book

“Where did you get so much money?”

Su Jinyan scratched her head, smiling to hide her nervousness.

“Of course, I saved it up.”

“You all send me money every month, and during the holidays, you send even more. Over the years, Yuan Yi rarely spent the money you gave me. He also occasionally sends me money, and I just spend a little bit for myself. Besides, I exchanged some tickets with the villagers for cash and saved it up.”

“However, this time I ended up spending too much at once. Now I’ve only got a bit over two hundred yuan left.”

Saying this, she even made a pitiful expression.

Xin Huimin calculated in her mind, glancing at the pile of goods, but ultimately didn’t say anything.

“Sort these into categories and stack them up. Let’s send them along later; it’s just in time for the new year, so we won’t need to buy anything.”

Although her uncle and aunt were both workers with decent salaries, in this era, resources were scarce. Just having money or tickets didn’t guarantee they could buy things.

Xin Huimin made a phone call, and Su Jinyan took out the meat and seafood meant for dinner to thaw.
At noon, only Su Jinyan and Xin Huimin were having lunch. She chopped pork and large shrimp to make a meat filling for two bowls of wontons.

In the afternoon, after waking up from her nap, Su Jinyan heard that Grandma Su had come downstairs with Aunt Yang.

Xin Huimin was truly impressive; her eyes seemed to penetrate the surface, looking right into the soul. Every time Su Jinyan met her gaze, she felt a bit apprehensive, fearing a slip-up, so she quietly slipped into the space.

The rice in her space had long since ripened, but she hadn’t had the chance to harvest it. Now, she slowly used her mind to collect it, dehusk it, and package it into bags, storing it in her warehouse.

Once the rice was harvested, the stalks would automatically turn to ash and return to the soil—truly marvelously magical.

After harvesting the rice, she took out all the cabbage seeds and potato seeds from the warehouse and collected all the eggs from the chickens, ducks, and geese.

Upon seeing the large goose eggs, she swallowed hard—so tempting!

She counted out fifty large goose eggs and placed them in two baskets before exiting the space.

When she came downstairs, she saw her mother and grandmother sitting across from each other, one holding a newspaper and the other a thick book, creating an unexpectedly comfortable scene.

“Grandma, Mom.”

Xin Huimin didn’t even look up, casually saying, “You slept too much. Is it okay for you to sleep like this at this hour? Are you going to sleep tonight?”

“As you said, I sleep a lot, so of course, I can fall asleep again.”

Grandma Su said gently, “You’ve been studying for your exams day and night recently, and now that you have some leisure time, you should rest a little more before school starts, or else you won’t have sleep then.”

Su Jinyan grinned, “At least I get pampered by grandma!”

“Dear, do you or anyone here have a bicycle ticket? I want to buy a bicycle; it’s too inconvenient to go out without one.”

Xin Huimin nodded, “Just ask your dad to get one for you.”

Su Jinyan smiled broadly, “Great, Mom. I’m going out for a while. The spices at home are scarce, and I need to buy some, along with some small oil cans and eggs.”

“Bao’er, let your little aunt buy those when she comes over, so you don’t have to run around.”

“It’s fine; I want to go out for a stroll and exercise. If I just eat and sleep every day, my mom will get annoyed with me.”

“Ah, for the first three days after coming back, you are a beloved daughter. Everyone finds you pleasing. After three days, you’ll turn into someone else’s daughter, and nothing will be pleasant.”

“Haha—”

Grandma Su couldn’t help but laugh, “You child, how can you say such things about your mother?”

Su Jinyan raised her eyebrows at Xin Huimin, flashing a smug smile, put on her light pink long down jacket, changed her shoes, and slipped out.

Once she left, Grandma Su said, “It seems that life in the countryside has been good for her. Our Yan Yan has become lively and smart.”

Xin Huimin replied softly, “After suffering too much and enduring hardship, she naturally has to change. Out there, not everyone spoils her.”

From what she had gathered, her daughter had indeed gone through a lot in her first year in the countryside, which had taught her to be more reserved. After marrying Zhao Yuan, she was cherished by her husband, and her in-laws protected her, allowing her to enjoy a more comfortable life.

Despite being the center of countless rumors over the years, it was somewhat surprising that things hadn’t gotten worse for her.

“That may not be the case; her change for the better shows that our Yan Yan is inherently kind. Besides, she didn’t really have any major flaws before—what girl doesn’t have a touch of pride and a bit of a temper?”

Was it merely a ‘touch’ of pride and temper?

It felt like her eyes were about to shoot out of her head!

Xin Huimin smiled but said nothing, already accustomed to her family’s indulgence of Su Jinyan.

Walking towards the main gate, Su Jinyan once again marveled at how vast the courtyard was.

It took her a full seven minutes to reach the entrance.

“Eh? Su Jinyan? Look over there; isn’t that Su Jinyan?”

A surprised female voice caught Su Jinyan’s attention. Turning her head, she saw two girls and two boys walking towards her from the other side.

Upon seeing their faces, memories of those four flashed quickly in her mind.

The male and female leads had appeared.

Ah, she had wanted to quietly live her life, away from the male and female protagonists, but unexpectedly, she ran into them like this.

The female lead was a young girl named Xu Miaomiao from the courtyard, looking sweet with all the traits typical of a naïve girl, gentle and delicate, making the male counterparts instinctively want to protect her.

Her father and mother worked at the same research institute, but her father was just an ordinary technician.

However, why was the male lead here?

His father was the head of a criminal investigation team at a nearby police station, living in the police dormitory situated two streets away.

All four were from the same high school; the female lead and the other two side characters were in the same class as her, while the male lead was one year ahead.

Su Jinyan calmly nodded at the group, “Classmate Xu, Classmate Liu, Classmate Zhang, Senior Xie, I have to go buy something, so I’ll take my leave.”

After saying that, she turned and swiftly left.

“Wait, Su Jinyan, hold on a second!”

The female lead’s gentle voice rang out urgently.

Su Jinyan sighed slightly; running away wouldn’t solve anything.

“Classmate Xu, is there something you need?”

Xu Miaomiao quickly approached with a warm smile, “We haven’t seen each other in years; why are you so estranged? When did you come back?”

“I’ve been back for a while.”

Xu Miaomiao hesitated a moment before smiling again, “How did you get back? Have you found a job?”

With the college entrance examination just ending, most returning educated youths had entered university. Did she not want to admit she got into one?

Was she afraid that this outcome would scare Xu Miaomiao?

Oh, then she suddenly remembered!

The book mentioned that the female lead was attending the same university as her, but just one year ahead as a student of agrarian labor fellows!

“No, I got into university, so I came back.”

“You got into university? Is it one in the capital? Which one?”

Beside her, Liu Qian gasped in disbelief.

Su Jinyan glanced over, smiling lightly, “Was it unusual that I consistently ranked among the top three in school? Is it strange that I got into college?”

She silently lamented when she thought about the original character’s setup. She had never been a good student; she had always been just an average student in middle and high school, and that was achieved through hard work.

Those days of studying late into the night were supposed to be over once she entered university, but it seemed they were only just beginning again.

In truth, she didn’t care at all about the title of a Peking University alumna or a city champion; it was far too exhausting.

Wasn’t it much better to just relax and enjoy eating and drinking?

Liu Qian rolled her eyes, “It’s been several years since we graduated. You’ve been working in the countryside every day; surely, you’ve forgotten everything you learned? You didn’t just get a degree, did you? Though a diploma is better than still working in the fields!”

Su Jinyan smirked, “It seems I’ve disappointed Classmate Liu; the things the teachers taught me haven’t gone to waste. I managed to score the top spot in Yan’an City; the teachers at Peking University valued me enough to send me an admission letter.”

“Jinyan, Liu Qian didn’t mean it like that. You misunderstood her. We’re all happy you came back; we’ve worried about you these years working in the countryside feeding pigs and sheep.”

What a little witch!

This subtle jab made me feel extremely displeased!

“Well, it seems I’ve let Classmate Xu down too!”

While saying this, she touched her delicate little face, extending her fingers to shade her eyes from the sun, “Helping the villagers build the countryside doesn’t necessarily require physical labor, nor does it mean raising pigs and sheep!”
After saying that, she smiled at Xu Miaomiao, “One must use their brains!”

“Okay, several classmates, we’ll chat another day. My grandma and mom are still waiting for me to buy things.”

With that, she cheerfully walked toward the gate.

Xie Xinghua observed Su Jinyan as she walked away, his dark eyes deepening.

Everyone in high school knew how much this girl liked her; yet, after not seeing her for years, she had only nodded at him?

Also, after years apart, Su Jinyan had not become rough from her time in the countryside; instead, she had become even prettier, with a blend of girlish cuteness and feminine charm.

“Xiao Ge? Su Jinyan is in our school now too!”

Xu Miaomiao cheered up again, looking at Xie Xinghua and expressing her delight while observing his reaction.

Xie Xinghua maintained his usual elegant demeanor, smiling slightly, “I’m not familiar with her. Being in the same school doesn’t mean much.”

Xu Miaomiao couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief, lifting her chin with a smile, “Let’s go! We promised to go skating first and then have hot pot!”

Her cute little dimples were quite endearing—one would almost want to pinch them.

Xie Xinghua chuckled and nodded, “Let’s go, little glutton, you just love hot pot.”

Xu Miaomiao laughed with happiness.

Meanwhile, a boy and a girl standing nearby exchanged concerned glances but didn’t say anything, silently following behind.

If Su Jinyan had seen this, she would definitely have thrown up in disgust.

What a scumbag!

Xie Xinghua had a way of dealing with girls; he never accepted or rejected those who liked him, maintaining a distant yet close relationship until he determined who was useful. Only then would he establish a relationship.

In the book, after Su Jinyan entered university, she and the male lead were not in the same department, but this scumbag would often show up in their canteen to “accidentally” run into her, helping her queue for meals as an old classmate.

The original character had liked this wolf in sheep’s clothing from the very beginning and soon succumbed to his charms, solidifying their “revolutionary friendship.”

Su Jinyan walked briskly for over half an hour, finally reaching the nearest supply and marketing cooperative. She bought ten small plastic oil cans typical of this era, ten glass bottles for soy sauce and vinegar, two pounds of soy sauce, a pound of vinegar, and some other spices before exiting the cooperative.

There was plenty of soy sauce and vinegar in her space, but these items were authentic and had great flavor.

As she approached the courtyard, she found a secluded spot, looked around for a long time, and waited until no one was following her before taking out the two baskets of large goose eggs from her space.

Once they were out, she realized the weight was too much, along with a snake-skin bag of jars—she simply couldn’t lift it.

After much effort, she finally dragged it to the guard station at the courtyard entrance.

“Excuse me, could you help me out? I really can’t lift this.”
Panting, she sought assistance after placing the items on the ground.

The young guard, caught off guard by being called “young man,” couldn’t help but turn red, “Comrade Su, I’m younger than you.”

Su Jinyan pursed her lips and smiled, “Oh, fine, then young brother, could you help me carry this?”

Young—brother?

Li Xiaojun exhaled, his face stiffening, “Comrade Su, you can just call me Comrade Li. Li Xiaojun is fine too.”

Su Jinyan: !!!

Is that the point?

Why so stubborn?

“Oh, fine, Comrade Li—”

“Yan Yan?”

Suddenly, a military green jeep pulled up beside her, and a familiar voice rang out.
Su Jinyan turned with a puzzled look, and the familiar face came into view.

It was her cousin, Su Jinzhu.

With a sweet smile, she greeted, “Big Brother!” Then she looked at the woman in the back seat holding a child and smiled slightly, “Is this Sister-in-law?”

The woman smiled back at her, “You must be Yan Yan, hurry, get in the car.”

Su Jinyan nodded with a smile, “Great, I was worried I couldn’t carry all this.”

Su Jinzhu jumped down from the car without asking anything and directly placed the items in the trunk. Su Jinyan got in from the other side and sat beside her sister-in-law.

“This young man is so cute! How many months old?”

The woman chuckled, “He’s already sixteen months old.”

Su Jinyan nodded with a smile and playfully poked the child with her index finger.

After checking in, as soon as he got into the car, Su Jinzhu said, “You girl, you haven’t come back in years. When you do come back, you scare everyone. You got married without telling anyone.”

Su Jinyan chuckled, “I didn’t want to scare you all by suddenly mentioning it.”

“Haha! You think we’d be surprised?” Then he paused and added sternly, “Why did you get married in the countryside? If things aren’t good, just come back to the city.”

Indeed, this was the original character’s pride and foolishness at work.
With the Su family’s resources, there must have been many ways to return to the city. However, she didn’t even inform them of her situation.

Now that it had come to this, she didn’t want the Su family to have a negative impression of Zhao Yuan, so she smiled, “Maybe it was just my sister’s fate.”

“Big Brother don’t worry. My husband and his family treat me exceptionally well; I might not encounter another person who cherishes me as much as he does in my life.”

“My in-laws are honest people, and now that I’m in charge, life is quite comfortable.”

Su Jinzhu chuckled, “Just be cautious. You’ve been spoiled since you were little; you get to do whatever you want. Such a big matter as marriage, you should consult with your family.”

It’s fortunate she didn’t meet someone wrong; otherwise, her life might be ruined.

Just then, the car pulled up at the gate of the courtyard.