Chapter 17

While Song Chunzhi was tidying up the herbs drying on the ground in her room, she overheard Chen Xiuying in the courtyard egging on Song Xingguo. Her brows furrowed slightly as she quietly scoffed, “As expected, old women are the hardest to fool…”

“Chunzhi, come out here.”

Just as she finished hiding the still-damp herbs, she heard Song Xingguo calling her. She quickly covered the herb bag with a cloth and went out to meet him, putting on a blank expression. “Dad, what is it? I was just applying medicine to my arm.”

Song Xingguo glanced at her. He didn’t quite believe what Chen Xiuying had said, but still asked, prompted by her persistent eye signals, “Chunzhi, the garrison only gave you a certificate? They didn’t give you anything else?”

“What else would they give? Just the certificate.”

Chunzhi reached up with her right hand and scratched her head, pretending to be puzzled as she looked back and forth between Song Xingguo and Chen Xiuying.

Qian Yufen rolled her eyes at Chen Xiuying and said bluntly, “Chunzhi, your grandma thinks you’re hiding the prize money and wants you to hand it over.”

“Grandma, how could you falsely accuse me?” Chunzhi immediately sniffled, her round face filled with grievance. She turned to Song Xingguo and explained, “Dad, if you don’t believe me, you can ask the village chief or Uncle Xinhua. The company commander gave me the certificate in the office. There really wasn’t any prize money.”

Song Xingguo immediately fell silent. He had just been scolded by Song Qingde the other day and didn’t dare ask again. Since there were witnesses, he figured there was no way Chunzhi could have hidden anything.

“There really wasn’t any money? How stingy. Even the commune gives out cash rewards when they praise someone.”

Chen Xiuying’s expression turned sour when she heard there was no prize money. She muttered complaints, calling it a wasted trip. “They’re too stingy. She helped them and all they give is a piece of paper? Cash is more practical.”

“Mom, how can you say that? Even just getting a certificate is a big honor for our family. Who else within a ten-mile radius has ever received one from the garrison? Chunzhi’s the only one.”

Qian Yufen pursed her lips and shot a secret glare at Chen Xiuying. She had once been smitten by Song Guoming’s face and ignored the fact that his mother had a reputation as a loud-mouthed shrew. Now she often felt embarrassed to have such a mother-in-law.

“Chunzhi, go fetch me some fruit. You didn’t even bring anything back for your grandma after going up the mountain. What good is a certificate if you’re not even filial? No one decent would want you.”

Chen Xiuying rolled her eyes and snorted. Honor meant nothing to her if she didn’t get a piece of the reward. She turned toward Song Xingguo, clearly expecting him to give her something to take home.

“Grandma, I didn’t climb trees. I just went up to dig wild vegetables for the chickens.”

Chunzhi sighed inwardly. No one wanting me would actually be great. Otherwise, I’d have already been sold for money. She spoke calmly, not caring at all for the accusation of being unfilial.

“Useless thing!”

Chen Xiuying glared at her and cursed angrily. No reward and no gifts? Absolutely unacceptable. She turned toward Song Xingguo again with a scowl.

But Chunzhi wasn’t having it. “Grandma, I went to the fields to work every day. How is that useless? Some people work all day and only manage three work points. That’s what you call useless.”

Qian Yufen couldn’t help but laugh quietly when she heard that. The “three work points a day” was clearly aimed at Chen Xiuying. She was always trying to slack off during work, and even three points was being generous. Chunzhi, who usually stayed quiet, actually talked back this time. Good. She shouldn’t always stand there silently getting scolded.

“Well, you little brat, you dare talk back to your grandmother? Just wait and see how I’ll…” Chen Xiuying exploded in anger upon hearing Chunzhi mock her and immediately raised her hand to hit her.

But Qian Yufen stepped in and blocked her. “Mom, Chunzhi is the pride of our family right now. You can’t just hit her. And anyway, weren’t you the one who started it?”

“Mom, here, take these eggs home to eat.” Seeing Chen Xiuying eyeing him, Song Xingguo hurried into the kitchen and came back with six eggs, handing them over.

Chen Xiuying’s eyes lit up at the sight of the eggs. She quickly snatched them. She could use them to nourish her son or trade for cash.

“Mom, they need those eggs. Chunzhi’s arm is still injured. She needs the nutrition. Big brother, put them back,” Qian Yufen urged, frustrated by Chen Xiuying’s shameless greed.

“The eggs aren’t for you. Don’t stick your nose in. At least my son knows how to show some respect.” Chen Xiuying glared at Qian Yufen, praised Song Xingguo, then left with the eggs.

After closing the door, Song Xingguo told Chunzhi not to talk back to her grandma again. If it hadn’t been for the honor she brought to the family today, she’d have been punished.

Chunzhi simply nodded and returned to her room.

In the kitchen, Song Chunhua sulked. Why didn’t Grandma hit Chunzhi? She talked back and everything!

She also felt that her father was acting strange; he was being far too lenient with Chunzhi today.

The next morning, Chunzhi slept in and got up naturally. When she checked the kitchen, she saw that Chunhua hadn’t left her any breakfast. She figured Chunhua was just begging for another beating. Pouring herself a cup of hot water, she returned to her room and ate a piece of bread that Commander Gu had given her. The sweet taste made her eyes narrow with contentment, and her face lit up with satisfaction.

After placing the medicinal herbs indoors to dry in the shade, Song Chunzhi took the purple lingzhi mushroom and left the house. Under the scorching sun, she walked slowly to the town center and finally boarded the bus heading to the county.

Their area was so remote that there was only one bus route each day, and the ticket price was expensive. Most people simply walked to the county.

But Song Chunzhi had no intention of walking under the blazing sun. That was far too exhausting. She had a lingzhi mushroom in hand, and the base had also awarded her ten yuan just yesterday. She paid twenty cents for the bus fare and found an empty seat.

In her previous life, Song Chunzhi had never taken the bus. On the rare occasions she went to the county, she always walked. Watching the scenery pass slowly through the window felt wonderfully novel.

“Song Chunzhi.”

Just as she was leaning on the window, enjoying the view, someone suddenly called her name. Her body stiffened instinctively. She pressed her lips together and cautiously turned to look, only to see that it was Shen Shujian. She quietly let out a sigh of relief. As long as it wasn’t someone from the village, it was fine.

“Are you going to the county too?”

Shen Shujian sat down beside her, his gentle face showing a soft smile as he asked. He could tell Song Chunzhi was nervous, but he found it particularly endearing.

“Mm.” Song Chunzhi replied blandly, avoiding too much conversation. Perhaps Shen Shujian wasn’t a nosy person, but she still didn’t want anyone knowing she was going to the county. That would cause unnecessary trouble.

“I’m going to the supply and marketing cooperative and the post office. Where are you headed?” Shen Shujian adjusted his posture and turned to look at the girl beside him with a smile. “My family sent me something. Since I didn’t have to work today, I figured I’d come pick it up.”

“I haven’t decided yet.”

A faint smile appeared on Song Chunzhi’s lovely face, though inwardly she was puzzled. Were all the educated youths from the city this friendly? This wasn’t what she had seen back when she was a ghost. It had always been the village girls chasing after the educated youths, not the other way around.

“We could go together. It’s nice to have company,” Shen Shujian said, his smile deepening in his warm eyes. This girl really was adorable, so he suggested they stick together.

Song Chunzhi frowned slightly and glanced around the bus. No one seemed to be paying them any attention. She leaned in a little closer to Shen Shujian and said playfully, “Comrade Shen, did you just arrive at our brigade?”

“Yes, I’ve only been here a few days,” Shen Shujian replied, his gentle eyes widening slightly when she leaned in. He nodded a little nervously.

“Then you probably don’t know that the girls in our brigade love the city boys. They all hope to marry someone educated. Especially someone like you, Comrade Shen, so handsome and all. That makes you even more popular.”

Song Chunzhi’s round almond-shaped eyes scanned Shen Shujian. She had to admit, he really was good-looking. Slender, tall, with a gentle demeanor. If the brigade hadn’t been so busy lately, the girls would’ve already swarmed around him.

“Ah…”

Shen Shujian froze at her words. He looked at Song Chunzhi in shock as she turned back around to look out the window again. His heart was deeply moved. This Miss Song was truly kind, even going out of her way to warn him. He made a firm mental note of her words.

The silence that followed made Song Chunzhi quite satisfied. Which city youth wouldn’t be wary of being entangled by village girls? After all, they came from the city. Who would want to settle down in the countryside? In the end, it was all about personal gain. True love was rare.

When they got off the bus, Song Chunzhi stood there trying to remember which way to go. The last time she’d been to the county was years ago. After hesitating a moment and thinking she could ask someone if she got lost, she heard Shen Shujian’s voice behind her.

“Miss Song, let’s go together.”

Shen Shujian stood by the roadside, watching Song Chunzhi in thought. His lips curved into a warm smile as he spoke to her.

Song Chunzhi turned and looked at Shen Shujian’s eager expression. Her pretty face showed a moment of confusion. Clearly, Comrade Shen hadn’t taken her earlier advice to heart. She tested the waters and said, “Comrade Shen, aren’t you afraid I’ll cling to you? Yet you still want to walk with me?”

“Miss Song, you really do like to joke.” Shen Shujian paused, then smiled at her again. His tone was gentle. “If you were that kind of girl, you wouldn’t have reminded me earlier. And besides, if you were…”

“Comrade Shen, you don’t understand the customs in our countryside. If a girl walks too closely with a man, people will gossip. We should keep our distance.”

Song Chunzhi looked at Shen Shujian’s kind and gentle face and gave another reminder. If they wandered around the county together and returned to the village that way, rumors would start flying before nightfall. She had just been publicly praised and didn’t want to be the center of gossip. Besides, she had things to do that weren’t suitable for company.

“Miss Song is truly too kind.”

Shen Shujian watched her leave, moved once again. Before he arrived, his family had warned him to be cautious and adapt to local customs. He hadn’t realized that simply walking together in the countryside could spark rumors. Yesterday, Miss Song had even guided him. She really was kindhearted.

Relying on her memories, Song Chunzhi made her way to the traditional medicine purchasing station. She glanced at the red-painted sign hanging nearby and stepped inside. The room was quiet, and a man was sitting behind the counter.

“Comrade, I’ve got some herbs. Could you take a look?” she asked.

The man glanced sideways at her cloth bag and replied with a proud tone, “What kind of herbs? Just take them out and let me see. If there’s too little, it can’t be weighed. Also, we don’t accept anything with dirt on it, so don’t waste my time.”