Chapter 3: The Matter is Settled, Transfer to City D

Aunt Li was on her way to the street office when Wang Shuning intercepted her, pulling her into a corner and trying to give her something.

Aunt Li was startled. She quickly blocked her pocket and refused. “What are you doing, child? The countryside assignment is already set; there’s nothing I can do to help you.”

A few days ago, Song Guiying had given her two catties of rock sugar, leading Aunt Li to believe Wang Shuning was willing to go. Now she was here again, perhaps changing her mind.

That wouldn’t do. There was a precedent with the Wang family’s eldest daughter.

Wang Shuning realized Aunt Li had misunderstood. She quickly said, “Aunt Li, it’s not that I don’t want to go to the countryside; I want you to help me change the location. As long as it’s not City B, I’m willing to go anywhere, no matter how poor or hard it is.”

Aunt Li’s brows furrowed. “Didn’t your mother say you wanted to go to City B?”

Wang Shuning blinked pitifully. “I asked my classmates, and it turns out City B isn’t good at all. Aunt Li, I had a nightmare last night. Please help me one more time and change the location for me.”

Aunt Li felt the growing bulge in her pocket—quite a few apples. But she had already helped once; would it be appropriate to do so again?

“Ning girl, it’s not that I’m unwilling to help you, but you leave in five or six days. Changing it now is too conspicuous.”

Wang Shuning knew she had a chance. She grabbed Aunt Li’s hand, her face full of trust. “Aunt Li, with your good reputation at the street office, this small favor is nothing. You watched me grow up; I could call you godmother without exaggeration. I’m not asking for a good place; there must be places worse than City B. If you get me there, no one will gossip.”

“Well… you’ve put it that way. Aunt will try. Go back and wait for my news. Whether it’s successful or not, I’ll go to your house tonight.” Aunt Li, clutching her almost overflowing pocket, agreed with a chuckle.

“Yes, I knew godmother was the best to me! I’ll wait for your good news at home.” Wang Shuning, carrying her empty basket, smiled brightly.

As soon as Wang Shuning turned the corner, Wang Shuyi suddenly jumped out, startling her. Wang Shuning clutched her chest and glared. “Big Sister, what are you doing hiding here? You scared me.”

“Heh, I was hiding here. You should see what you’ve done. What were you doing with Aunt Li? You gave her a dozen apples—that’s three or four yuan! Didn’t you steal them from home?”

From a distance, Wang Shuyi hadn’t heard their conversation, but she saw the apples—sixteen large ones.

Wang Shuning bypassed Wang Shuyi, not wanting to argue outside. What if someone heard and ruined her plan?

After letting Wang Shuyi inside and closing the door, Wang Shuning lifted her chin. “If you hadn’t done that, would I have been targeted by the street office right after graduation? Those apples were bought with my years of saved New Year’s money; I didn’t steal them!”

Wang Shuyi eyed the hen in the coop, wanting to grab it and eat it, but fearing Song Guiying would chase her to her in-laws’ house with a stick, she gave up the idea.

“Didn’t you spend all your New Year’s money? How could you have so many? Why did you give Aunt Li so many apples? Don’t you want to go to the countryside? I advise you to give up. After all, I’m a year older than you and got things done before you.”

Although Wang Shuyi’s husband wasn’t well-off, it was still far better than going to the countryside, so she was smug, thinking her decision was brilliant.

Wang Shuning returned to her room, closed the door, and lay on the bed, ignoring her.

Wang Shuyi went to the kitchen, found the cupboard locked, and barged into Wang Shuning’s room. “Little sister, let me use the kitchen key.”

Wang Shuning turned over, pulling the covers over her head. “No, Mom said the kitchen key is especially not for you.”

Wang Shuyi angrily tried to pull off the covers, tugging until they were almost deformed.

“If you ruin my quilt, I’ll tell Mom when she gets back,” Wang Shuning threatened fiercely, her muffled voice low.

Hearing the door open and close, she got up and closed her own door.

Now she just had to wait for Aunt Li’s news.

At noon, Wang Shuning took a dozen shrimp from the space, stir-fried them with chili peppers, and steamed a bowl of white rice, eating it all and destroying the evidence.

The Wang family ate white rice at night, but it was half brown rice and half white rice, not very palatable.

In Song Guiying’s words, eating pure white rice was wasteful; they weren’t that rich yet.

Wang Shuning’s small wooden house in the space had ready-made machines; she only needed to harvest the wheat from the fields and put it in, and pure white rice would come out.

That evening, when Song Guiying returned from the factory, she ran into Aunt Li, who was going to give Wang Shuning the news.

Aunt Li walked beside Song Guiying, lowering her voice. “Yingzi, I’ve taken care of your Xiaoning’s matter. Her assignment is changed to a rural area under City D—only slightly worse than City B.”

Song Guiying stopped. “Lanzi, what matter?”

Seeing Song Guiying’s bewildered expression, Aunt Li was stunned. “This morning, your Xiaoning came to me and asked me to change her countryside assignment location. She gave me a basket of apples. You didn’t arrange this?”

Song Guiying looked up, incredulous. “The child did say she wanted to change yesterday afternoon, but City B was her original choice. She changes her mind every day, so I didn’t agree. Did she go to you today herself?”

Aunt Li thought of Wang Shuning’s cheerful demeanor that morning—a dozen apples, several yuan’s worth! The child actually acted without telling her family.

“She blocked me on the road this morning, calling me godmother and begging me. I thought you knew. Look, I’ve taken care of it.” She showed Song Guiying the document.

It clearly stated that Wang Shuning’s countryside assignment had been changed from City B to City D. Her grandson had already eaten one of the apples; there was no turning back.

Song Guiying never imagined her youngest daughter would act first and report later, having already completed the matter.

She took the document. “This child is so stubborn. Oh well, it’s her own choice. If she suffers hardships, it’s not my fault. Lanzi, thank you for helping again. It must have been difficult, especially since it’s almost time for her to go to the countryside.”

Aunt Li smiled awkwardly. “It’s alright. City D is worse than City B. This morning, Xiaoning said she’d go anywhere as long as it wasn’t City B, no matter how hard it was. I told Xiaoning I’d give her the news tonight. Since you know, I won’t go.”

Song Guiying cursed her youngest daughter a thousand times in her heart but smiled and watched Aunt Li leave.

As soon as she turned around, her face darkened. She hurried home, pushing open the door forcefully. She could smell the aroma of food from the kitchen.