002

Lin You covered her scarf, her small face buried in the fluffy collar of her down jacket. Hearing someone’s voice, she turned her head with difficulty, her clumsy movement successfully making the other person laugh.

The young woman, with short hair and wearing an old-fashioned cotton jacket, had a slightly darker complexion and a spirited look in her eyes. Compared to Lin You, who was wrapped up in her down jacket, this girl obviously had a better build, and her black cotton jacket was left open at the chest.

She briskly got off the tricycle and hopped a few steps to Lin You, startling her in the process.

“Big star, don’t recognize me anymore?”

Lin You tried to figure out if the “big star” in her words was playful or sarcastic, and the other person had already pouted.

“What, you don’t even remember me?”

Lin You, confused, dug through her distant memories and managed to pull out a name, brushing off the dust before saying, “Yao… Yao Jiu?”

She was a former high school classmate of the original owner. Her father loved drinking, so he hastily named her “Jiu” (meaning “alcohol”). They used to go to school together in the town, always walking together on the way to and from school. But after graduation, the original owner went to a university in the provincial capital, while Yao Jiu stayed behind to attend a local college.

Yao Jiu chuckled a few times: “Let’s go, we’ll talk once we’re on the car.”

Yao Jiu easily placed Lin You’s luggage on the tricycle, then pulled out a small horse saddle from the empty basket on the vehicle. “Here, remember to hold on when you sit.”

Before coming back, Lin You had thought she might meet people the original owner knew, but she didn’t expect to run into an old classmate right after arriving in town. Still, she wasn’t too worried about the other person noticing any differences.

After all, it had been ten years since graduation, and the original owner had rarely returned home after starting university. It made sense that her personality would have changed.

“Xiao Jiu, why are you the one here?”

Yao Jiu, riding the electric tricycle, replied casually, “You called Aunt Wang, but she’s so old, there’s no way she could come.”

Lin You of course knew that, so when she made the call, she only asked if any of the younger people in the village could pick her up.

Yao Jiu: “What did you think? In our village now, there are only a few young people left. Some of them have to stay at home to take care of kids. So, I’m the one who had to come pick you up.”

As they chatted casually on the way, Lin You learned that Lianhua Town, like most small villages, faced the same problem. One by one, the young people had left, and those who got married tried to move to the county seat or at least to Fangping Town. Now, there were only a few dozen households left in the village, most of them people in their forties or fifties.

Yao Jiu: “I didn’t leave because my dad isn’t in great health. Moving to the foot of the mountain always makes him sick, so I stayed in the village to help with the farming and take on the accounting role to run errands for the village.”

“And you, are you planning to rest for a while after coming back?”

Lin You smiled, “Not really, this time, I’m not planning to leave.”

Yao Jiu was shocked: “Not leaving? No more acting?”

Lin You: “Not acting anymore.”

Perhaps because she had heard so many strange stories and gossip about the entertainment industry, Yao Jiu cautiously asked, “Did you run into some trouble?”

Lin You smiled brightly: “Trouble’s enough. I just want to come back and farm.”

That’s right, in her past life, Lin You had become accustomed to a lazy lifestyle. When she first crossed over, she still held the mindset of a social observer, thinking that slowly negotiating the original owner’s contract termination and experiencing the glamorous entertainment industry firsthand—feeling like a star with all the spotlight focused on her—would be nice.

But the first day, receiving a schedule packed with 20-hour work shifts, scared her off.

Even during meal breaks, she was tasked with handling a newly created fan group, supposedly to “solidify the fanbase.”

That was enough. Lin You immediately called the company to request the contract termination.

Those days, she couldn’t go on living even one more day.

“After all these years, I’ve come to feel that everything is fake, only three meals a day and eight hours of sleep every night are real,” Lin You said sincerely. “So, this time, I’ve decided to settle down here.”

Yao Jiu’s eyes lit up. “That’s a good line. I came back because I couldn’t stand city life.”

She had spent the first few years after graduation wandering around, but in the end, she chose to return to her hometown. Wasn’t it for that sense of stability?

The two of them chatted along the way, both tacitly avoiding talking about the entertainment industry and instead discussing their old classmates.

Lin You didn’t remember much, so she mostly listened, speaking little. The memories in her mind were like processed images, gradually becoming clearer.

“That chubby guy from our class has opened a decoration company in Jingshui County. Tsk tsk, he’s always carrying a black bag wherever he goes, looking quite impressive…”

“Then there’s that guy who used to sleep at the back of the classroom, he married Miaomiao from our class, and their kid is already in kindergarten…”

—

The electric tricycle wound its way up the mountain path, stopping only when it reached the end of the mountains.

“We’re here!”

Yao Jiu enthusiastically dropped Lin You off at the entrance of the old family home. “I’ll go deliver the things everyone needs from the tricycle, then I’ll come back to help you tidy up.”

Every morning, Yao Jiu would take the vegetables from her home to Fangping Town to sell, and when returning, she would help carry small items for people in the village.

Lin You thanked Yao Jiu, then turned to carefully examine the old house in front of her, which hadn’t been lived in for a long time.

The original owner’s family situation was simple. Her parents had died in a car accident when she was young, leaving only the original owner and her grandmother. When her grandmother was still alive, she used the compensation money from the driver to renovate the house, building a two-story small building.

At that time, not many families in the village had the means to build a small building, so the two-story house stood out in the area.

However, after the original owner went to university, her grandmother passed away, and the house was left empty, gradually becoming dilapidated.

Lin You found the key to the house and struggled a bit before unlocking the door. The large iron gate was rusted thickly, and even the hinges were rusted, making it difficult to open.

The yard was unrecognizable from her memories, overrun with weeds half as tall as a person. Since it was early spring, the grass was dry and yellow. Lin You breathed a sigh of relief—otherwise, with such lush weeds, there would definitely be some “little surprises” hidden inside. On the other side of the yard was a single-room kitchen, and in the center stood the two-story house. The yard was quite large, so the two-story building didn’t feel cramped.

Lin You carefully navigated around the weeds, walking across the yard to open the door to the main house.

As soon as she opened the door, a puff of dust made her cough. The furnishings inside hadn’t changed much, though the furniture had inevitably developed some mildew from the humidity.

Lin You carefully made her way upstairs. When her grandmother passed away, the original owner hadn’t entered the entertainment industry yet, and their conditions weren’t very good. The first floor had two rooms filled with various furniture and farming tools. The second floor was dryer, and the bedding and some household items were stored there.

Lin You placed her suitcase in the room, found an old bed sheet from upstairs to tear up for rags, and then grabbed a sickle and a broom. She changed into lighter clothes and started cleaning.

Halfway through cutting the weeds in the yard, she heard Yao Jiu’s voice.

Not only did Yao Jiu come alone, but she also brought several others with her.

Aunt Wang had been a longtime neighbor of Lin You’s family and had the best relationship with Lin You’s grandmother. After building a house, she moved to the other side of the village, but she was now busy coming over to help.

She grabbed Lin You and looked at her, tears welling up in her eyes. “If your grandmother could see you like this now, she’d be so happy. You’ve grown into such a fine young woman.”

For some reason, a wave of warmth suddenly surged in Lin You’s heart, making her feel like tears were about to fall.

She subconsciously became much closer to Aunt Wang, feeling like her throat was choked with something when she greeted her.

“Once everything’s cleaned up, I’ll go visit Grandma’s grave.”

Aunt Wang tightly held her hand, nodding vigorously.

Most of the people Yao Jiu called over had watched Lin You grow up. Lin You greeted each of them, and they all responded enthusiastically.

“Ah, Youyou has really grown up.”

“It’s good to have you back. You’ve lost weight, make sure to eat well.”

“Stop talking, let’s tidy up the girl first. Youyou, if you need anything, just go to my place and take it. Take what you need for now.”

—

A group of people is always faster than just one person. Before long, Lin You’s yard had been cleaned up. The weeds were pulled out by the roots, the windows and doors were wiped down, and the dust in the house had been cleared.

Yao Jiu even brought some insect repellent powder from her home and sprinkled it around the yard’s walls.

“Tomorrow, I’ll go buy some rat poison. I noticed there’s a rat hole in the corner of your house.”

Lin You thought for a moment: “Maybe I should just get a cat.”

She had a negative association with rat poison. In her previous life, a child in her hometown accidentally came into contact with rat poison and ate something, which ultimately led to a tragedy.

“That works too. Uncle Yang’s cat is pregnant this year, and in a while, you’ll be able to adopt one.”

Uncle Yang scratched his head and chuckled, “My big cat is great at catching mice.”

Yao Jiu whispered to Lin You, “That big cat has almost wiped out the mice in our village. Soon, I think it’ll have to start catching fish by the river.”

Lin You laughed, “That’s fine, I like fishing. I’ll make sure to give it a nice meal.”

By the time they finished cleaning up, it was already noon. Lin You’s stove still needed to be aired out before it could be used. So, Yao Jiu casually invited everyone to her house for a meal.

“I’m killing a chicken for lunch, come join me.”

Life was better now, and the village’s sense of community was still strong. Whenever there was food, it was shared with others, so Yao Jiu’s invitation was readily accepted by everyone.

The free-range chicken, from plucking the feathers to cooking it, was done in under an hour. The tender meat didn’t need blanching. The large pot on the stove was heated with oil, and once it was hot, the chicken pieces were added, instantly turning golden. After stirring, various seasonings were added.

Yao Jiu, quick on her feet, grabbed a small bottle of liquor and headed to the kitchen, while behind her, her father’s angry voice could be heard.

But Yao Jiu ignored it, pouring liquor into the pot with a “dunk dunk dunk.” “A little bit of liquor makes it taste even better.”

She covered the pot and simmered it on medium heat for about ten minutes, then added a large bowl of potatoes, onions, and green peppers. The smell of the chicken’s sauce filled the air. After a brief simmer, the potatoes, onions, and green peppers absorbed the color of the chicken’s sauce. When the potatoes became soft, the sauce thickened, leaving a rich gravy at the bottom of the pot, with a sprinkle of chopped green onions and cilantro on top.

The brightly colored chicken, with its rich and enticing sauce, made Lin You feel hungrier than she had ever been.

The freshly made hand-pulled noodles swirled around in the pot for a few moments. Using chopsticks, they were placed in a large bowl and topped with a spoonful of the stir-fried chicken and its sauce. The edges of the potatoes had become powdery, and the thick sauce clung to the noodles. The moment the noodles touched her lips, the taste and satisfaction hit her taste buds all at once. Even the vegetables used for coloring the noodles exuded an irresistible fragrance.

Lin You’s eyes sparkled as she finished a large bowl of noodles. Her stomach was already full, but she still eagerly handed her bowl back, saying, “One more bowl!”

After lunch, everyone went back to their homes to rest.

Lin You was feeling very full, and Yao Jiu stayed with her to continue tidying up.

“Youyou, now that you’re back, what are your plans?”

Lin You, having eaten her fill, responded slowly, “Well, I plan to plant some crops, and then… maybe do some live streaming.”

She’d need to hire a lawyer, and lawyer fees weren’t cheap.

Yao Jiu nodded, “Live streaming sounds good. Otherwise, your old fans will probably be sad if they can’t see you.”

Sad?

Lin You paused, hand resting on her stomach.

The truth was, she didn’t have many fans left now.

She had been a fourth- or fifth-tier celebrity in the entertainment industry. Her career’s peak had been when she played the second female lead in a popular idol drama, and things had been going well. Unfortunately, just when she started gaining popularity, her unscrupulous agent made a scandalous move.

Her fans hadn’t even really fallen for her yet before they were scared off by all the bad press.

On the other hand, the female lead had become more and more popular after starting on variety shows.

Lin You sighed, “I’ll try it. If it doesn’t work, then I’ll figure something else out.”

Yao Jiu kept talking, but suddenly, she leaned in, looking mysterious.

“By the way, Youyou, do you know who lives next door?”