The roads at the county entrance were all dirt, and when the mule cart passed by, dust flew everywhere. Yang Xiaoye was wrapped in cloth, but it still made her choke.

She felt a little angry. If the driver wanted to keep going, he could have just waved her off.

What was the point of letting her eat dust?

Cursing the driver in her mind, she was surprised when the mule cart finally stopped.

“Do you want a ride?” Gu Huai called out to her, turning around.

He hadn’t wanted to stop, but seeing the little girl wrapped in simple cloth, shivering in the winter cold, reminded him of his own childhood when his family was poor.

Maybe she was also from a struggling family, or perhaps she had a bad reputation and avoided crowds by traveling late.

Thinking of all this, Gu Huai made up his mind and turned back.

“Yeah, yeah!” Yang Xiaoye didn’t care about pretense at that moment and ran up happily.

“Comrade, I need to go to Qingshan Village. Can you take me there?” 

When relying on someone, it’s better to be polite. She didn’t mind the dust for the sake of getting a ride.

However, she thought things might change once she got off the cart.

Qingshan Village…

Gu Huai hesitated, regretting that he had stopped.

He didn’t expect her to be going to his own village.

Looking at Yang Xiaoye again, he realized he had bought the mule cart with money he had saved for years, hoping to make it easier for his mother to get to the county for medical treatment.

There weren’t many mule carts in the village, and no one wanted to borrow his or ride in it due to his reputation.

Gu Huai was willing to help because they seemed to share the same struggles, but now this girl wanted to go to his village.

But…

He glanced at her and paused.

Yang Xiaoye had taken off the blue-black cloth, now wearing a knitted hat and a cashmere scarf.

It got colder once the cart started moving, and the cloth wasn’t blocking the wind at all.

Gu Huai felt his breath catch.

Though he couldn’t afford these items, he recognized their value.

Even the village party secretary couldn’t afford cashmere scarves and woolen coats.

This girl clearly wasn’t from a poor family. She is a city girl.

Gu Huai’s expression darkened, feeling deceived.

“Don’t worry, Comrade. I won’t ride for free. I’ll pay you one yuan!” Yang Xiaoye quickly added, sensing that Gu Huai was upset.

She figured he was a moody person since he didn’t stop the cart earlier, and she hoped he wouldn’t abandon her. If he did, she would have nowhere to turn.

Gu Huai took a sharp breath. One yuan was a lot. After all, a plate of twice-cooked pork at a state-owned restaurant cost only 32 cents. This girl, though, offered to pay a whole yuan just for a ride.

He glanced at Yang Xiaoye again. Without the cloth covering, her fair and delicate face with bright eyes was visible.

Gu Huai couldn’t look too closely, feeling his breath catch again. 

Just thinking that he had actually felt she was similar to him made Gu Huai’s expression even worse.

City girls really know how to deceive people.

Having made up his mind about Yang Xiaoye, Gu Huai stopped looking at her.

The mule cart had a cover, but the wind still blew in through the gaps, making it chilly.

Yang Xiaoye shivered as she sneezed.

“There’s a pot of water there. If you have a cup, pour yourself some,” Gu Huai said.

The weather was cold, and Gu Huai had gone out in the middle of the night. Gu Huai’s mother felt sorry for him and prepared a pot filled with hot water for him.

Gu Huai hadn’t intended to say anything. After all, this person had deceived his feelings.

But since the wealthy passenger had paid a yuan for the fare, he still felt a bit embarrassed.

“Thank you, comrade.”

Yang Xiaoye smiled sweetly, then picked up the kettle beside her and poured herself a cup of hot water.

For her yuan, she got warmth and a drink of hot water.

“You’re welcome,” 

Gu Huai replied, feeling a bit uneasy. Her voice is as alluring as her appearance.

Her voice was both charming and sweet, with a slight upward lift at the end, setting her apart from the other girls in the village.

Could she really be from the city?

Gu Huai’s thoughts shifted back to his own identity and he felt his heart sink.

“Comrade, where are you going?”

After drinking the hot water, Yang Xiaoye started chatting.

“Qingshan Village,” he replied, his voice colder than before.

“So you’re going to Qingshan Village too! That’s great! Could you drop me off directly at the village secretary’s house?”

Yang Xiaoye’s excitement grew at the convenience of it, sparing her from having to search herself.

Gu Huai’s heart sank further and he regretted bringing her along.

“No, I have other business to take care of.”

His blunt, icy response reminded Yang Xiaoye of the chilly way he’d first acted.

She huffed. She’d pay a whole yuan for this ride and he has such a bad attitude.

Yang Xiaoye pursed her lips, feeling annoyed and decided to stop talking.

Although the mule cart wasn’t as fast as a horse carriage, it still moved along and soon reached the entrance of Qingshan Village.

“Just go straight from here. You’ll see the secretary’s house. It’s the biggest and tallest one.”

Before the mule cart had fully stopped, Gu Huai made Yang Xiaoye get off. He muttered his directions and quickly rode away.

“Hey, you!”

Yang Xiaoye was stunned. Everything had happened so quickly that she hadn’t even paid him.

What’s with this guy?

Yang Xiaoye watched the mule cart speed off as though she were a plague. A question mark hung over her thoughts.

By then, the sun had risen and villagers were heading out to work.

As people passed, they couldn’t help but stare at her. However, Yang Xiaoye had bundled up so tightly that no one recognized her.

Following the directions, she walked toward the secretary’s house. Thankfully, the man hadn’t lied. She could see the most impressive house in the village from afar.

“Secretary, I’m back!”

Yang Xiaoye knocked on the door, calling inside.

“Yang…Yang Xiaoye?”

Aunt Liu, the village chief’s wife, looked at the girl who had taken off her scarf in disbelief.

She remembered this girl well. She came from the city. She was delicate as ever and had cut her hand within ten minutes of working. Crying and fussing until they sent her back. 

But now, she seems even prettier than before.

“Auntie, I’m back,” Yang Xiaoye said with a smile as she took off her scarf.

She planned to live here for a while, so she didn’t want to offend the village secretary.

“Yang Xiaoye, why are you back?”

Secretary Liu heard the noise and came out, shocked to see Yang Xiaoye.

“My mother was seriously ill, so I went back to see her. Now that she’s better, I naturally returned.”

Yang Xiaoye felt a little nervous.

“I participated in an official education youth. If I didn’t come back, where else would I go?”

Secretary Liu felt a bit dizzy hearing this. It wasn’t that he didn’t welcome Yang Xiaoye. In fact, he’d brought her over to register her as part of the village.

But she was so pampered. Wouldn’t she cause trouble if she stayed?

“Secretary Liu, my time here was even reported in the newspapers! The leaders in the provincial capital praised us.”

Yang Xiaoye took out the newspaper she’d prepared, aware that rumors would fly now that she was back.

So she had come prepared.

In this era, what was printed in the newspaper was considered truth, especially to villagers.

“It’s in the paper? Let me see.”

Secretary Liu’s face lit up as he took the newspaper, grinning. He couldn’t read much, but he recognized the words “Qingshan Village.”

Seeing his village’s name in the newspaper made him proud.

“Alright, alright. Xiaoye, you’re a good kid.  Don’t worry, just stay in the village and work hard.”

Secretary Liu was thrilled as he held the newspaper. He even asked if he could keep it posted in the village for everyone to see.

Yang Xiaoye hoped he would do this so she could silence the villagers’ gossip.

Having reached her goal, Yang Xiaoye was in a good mood. But she didn’t realize her arrival had already caused a buzz in the village, and everyone was talking about it.

“What? Someone from the city is in the village?”

When Yang Xiaoxiang heard this at home, she immediately lost her appetite.

She dropped her bowl and chopsticks, then ran outside.

It must be the Yang family sending someone to pick her up. It must be.

Yang Xiaoxiang didn’t even think about whether the timing made sense. As soon as she heard someone from the city had arrived, she assumed they were here to take her back to the city.

Her mind was already set on the city and she couldn’t wait. She dashed out without even putting on her shoes.

She is finally going to the city. She is finally going to live a good life.

[A/N: Gu Huai: “Girls from the city are the best at lying”]