Chapter 38: A Premonition and a Dinner Invitation

Zhao Chunmei frowned deeply as they were surrounded by the curious villagers. She didn’t like the attention, especially with some people watching with a sense of malicious joy. 

“Mom, this is how things are in the countryside. Don’t let it bother you too much,” Li Lin said quickly, noticing her mother’s discomfort.

Zhao Chunmei patted her daughter’s hand and forced a smile. “It’s alright, Mom is fine.” 

“We’ll pack up and get the certificate from the commune leader, then we can leave. You just need to bear with it for one more day,” Li Lin comforted her, knowing her mother wasn’t used to being in the spotlight, particularly when some people enjoyed gossiping or watching others’ misfortune.

“Mom really is fine. Don’t worry about me. Just take care of yourself,” Zhao Chunmei said, smiling at her daughter. Although she didn’t like the attention, seeing her daughter doing well made her happy.

Fang Mingyi, overhearing their conversation, stepped on the accelerator as the villagers made way for the car, heading straight toward the youth station.

“Slow down, slow down when getting out,” he said, concerned as he stopped the car and rushed to help Li Lin out. He noticed her moving a bit too quickly and urged her to be careful not to strain her wound.

Li Donghai and Zhao Chunmei exchanged a look, both feeling reassured by Fang Mingyi’s concern. They couldn’t help but feel a bit more favorable toward him. 

“Dad, Mom, this is my room. Mom will stay with me tonight, and Dad…” Li Lin started, but Fang Mingyi interrupted, “Uncle can stay in my room. If he’s not used to staying with others, I can take a few nights at Zhu Liyan’s place.”

“No need, I’ll stay with you. Don’t trouble others,” Li Donghai immediately agreed, not wanting to inconvenience anyone.

“It’s no trouble,” Fang Mingyi insisted. “Zhu Liyan and I are childhood friends. Our families are well acquainted.”

With that, he helped carry their luggage to Li Lin’s room.

“Linlin, your room is quite nice. It’s a pity to leave it like this once we leave,” Zhao Chunmei sighed as she looked around at the room’s furnishings.

“It’s not a pity. I’ll leave it for now, and when I really decide not to come back, I’ll have the commune leader cancel it,” Li Lin said, lying back on the kang with a smile.

“Right, right. What about the grain? It’s already noon, I need to start cooking.” Zhao Chunmei, after a quick assessment of the room, went out to fetch water, clean the pot, and start the fire.

Meanwhile, Fang Mingyi and Li Donghai went to find the commune leader to get the necessary documents for their return to the city. They also brought along the medical certificate for Li Lin’s serious injury.

When Commune Leader Zhang saw the certificate, he couldn’t help but sigh. Li Lin had only been in their commune for a little over half a month, and in that time, there had already been multiple incidents. Now that she was leaving, he felt relieved, as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

“Here’s your certificate,” Zhang said, handing it to Fang Mingyi. “But you still need to go to the commune office to get the stamp. After that, everything will be done.”

“Thank you, thank you, Leader Zhang.” Fang Mingyi and Li Donghai both thanked him, then handed over a bribe wrapped in a small bundle. Once they had the necessary paperwork, they breathed a sigh of relief.

Afterward, they drove to the commune office to have the certificate stamped.

The office workers were reluctant to issue the document, but with a little help from Fang Mingyi’s connections, the reluctant office director finally agreed. “I’ll give you six months. If you find a job in the city and get everything sorted, you won’t have to come back. But if you haven’t found work by the end of the six months, you must return here. Got it?”

“Thank you, thank you, Director,” Fang Mingyi said, bowing his head with gratitude. Afterward, he and Li Donghai left, still feeling the weight of the task lift off their shoulders.

Once in the car, Li Donghai turned to Fang Mingyi. “Mingyi, I want to thank you. If it weren’t for you, today’s paperwork would have been impossible to handle. You really helped us out.”

Upon hearing Li Donghai’s words, Fang Mingyi quickly downplayed his contribution. “Uncle, you’re being too polite. Your family’s matters are my matters. If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”

Li Donghai just shook his head and didn’t respond further. The two of them rode in silence on the way back to the commune.

By the time they returned, Zhao Chunmei had finished cooking. She insisted on keeping Fang Mingyi for dinner, a gesture that made him feel warmly welcomed. After the meal, Hu Yingying came over to chat with Li Lin, and they talked until it was time for her to leave for work.

After Hu Yingying departed, Zhao Chunmei began helping Li Lin pack her things.

“Mom, just take the things I used temporarily,” Li Lin quickly interjected. “I might come back at any time, so it wouldn’t be convenient to keep packing things back and forth.”

“What do you mean ‘come back’? This time, you’re going back to recuperate. If you can’t find a job, I’ll offer you mine. Either way, I’m not letting you return to this remote countryside,” Zhao Chunmei said, a firm resolution in her voice.

Seeing her delicate daughter, who had been so fragile just half a month ago—bedridden from a near-fatal injury—Zhao Chunmei had made up her mind. Once Li Lin returned to the city, she would do everything in her power to keep her from ever coming back here.

“Mom, trust me, just take what you need. If I don’t come back, I’ll have Mingyi and Yingying send my things back. It’ll be fine.” Li Lin felt an unsettling premonition that, sometime in the future, she would return to the commune, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it. Instead, she pleaded with her mother to listen to her.

Outside, Li Donghai overheard and quickly chimed in, “Let’s listen to our daughter. Don’t upset her.”

“Alright, alright. I’ll listen to you this time,” Zhao Chunmei said with a soft sigh. Looking at her daughter’s vulnerable expression, her heart melted, and she reluctantly agreed.

Li Lin smiled in relief. She closed her eyes and tried to push away the unsettling feeling that gnawed at her—a sense that, perhaps sooner than she expected, she might be returning to this place. She couldn’t quite make sense of it, but for now, she would take things one step at a time.

Zhao Chunmei finished packing up Li Lin’s things and then discussed with her husband about preparing a big meal for the evening. They planned to invite Hu Yingying, Fang Mingyi, and Zhu Liyan over to show their gratitude and give them a proper farewell.

“I’ll go to the commune to see if I can buy some meat and vegetables,” Li Donghai said, preparing to head out.

Just then, Fang Mingyi entered with a chicken and vegetables in hand. He smiled at Zhao Chunmei and Li Donghai, saying, “Uncle, Auntie, don’t worry about cooking. I swapped for some meat and vegetables in the village. I’ll cook tonight. You just need to come over and eat.”

The couple quickly refused, “No, no, Mingyi. Linlin has already troubled you enough. We can’t let you cook for us too.”

Fang Mingyi, with a slight pout, responded, “How about I leave the chicken and vegetables here and let Auntie do the cooking? I’m Linlin’s boyfriend; let this little gesture of mine be accepted by you both.”

His charming and somewhat pitiable expression worked like a charm. Not only did Zhao Chunmei, a woman, find it hard to refuse, but even Li Donghai, a man, felt his resistance crumbling.

Reluctantly, both of them agreed. Fang Mingyi smiled with satisfaction and carried the ingredients into the kitchen before giving a final glance at his sleeping girlfriend, leaving with a mixture of reluctance and affection.

That evening, Zhao Chunmei prepared a feast of delicious dishes, and she invited Hu Yingying and Zhu Liyan to join them for the meal. The two of them ate heartily, savoring every bite, before sitting back, rubbing their bellies, and chatting contentedly.