Chapter 3

Lin Qingping’s nickname was Pingzi. Gu Juncheng ate quickly, shoveling food into his mouth, and responded with a muffled “Mm.”

Mother Gu and Father Gu immediately took the hint and left, hurrying off to prepare the gifts for their return visit.  

By the time Lin Qingping finished eating slowly, everything was already packed and ready. When she took a look, she saw four large slabs of pork, a basket of eggs, a chicken, a duck, a fish, two bags of milk powder, and two pieces of new fabric. In the countryside of the 1970s, this was already considered a very generous gift set.

Liu Fen said to Gu Juncheng: “You go ahead and wrap up the red envelope too.” As she spoke, she kept sneaking glances at Lin Qingping’s expression, trying to gauge if she was satisfied.

Truthfully, she knew Lin Qingping was the type to stash things away for her Maternal Family.

Gu Juncheng responded with an “Alright.” but Lin Qingping suddenly stepped forward and said: “Wait.”

Liu Fen assumed she thought it wasn’t enough and her expression changed.

However, Lin Qingping first took out the two bags of milk powder and set them aside. “These are for Zhiyuan. He’s still growing, drinking milk powder will be good for him.” In this era, milk powder was a rare item in the countryside.

Then, from the remaining pile, Lin Qingping picked out one piece of meat and a fish, handed them to Gu Juncheng to carry, and wiped her hands. “Just these. That’s enough.”

Liu Fen thought she had seen wrong and widened her eyes in disbelief. Gu Juncheng also showed a look of surprise.

“Let’s go.” said Lin Qingping, without explaining anything further. She took Gu Juncheng’s arm and pulled him along as they left.

Lin Qingping’s home was in a Neighboring village, and they had to go there on foot.

Gu Juncheng walked fast, and there was no way Lin Qingping could keep up.

As soon as Gu Juncheng walked too fast, Lin Qingping would stop in her tracks and glare at him.

He often walked quite a distance before realizing she hadn’t kept up, then had to stop and wait for her. Only after she caught up would they continue walking together.

This stop-and-go pace lasted for nearly two hours before they finally arrived at the Lin Family home.

At that time, her grandmother was still alive, her younger brother was still a child, and there was also a Second Sister, two years younger than her.

As soon as she entered the house, her family greeted her with great delight, especially her grandmother, who welcomed her most enthusiastically. However, her eyes soon drifted past Lin Qingping to the man behind her—Gu Juncheng.  

When she saw that Gu Juncheng was only carrying a single piece of meat and a fish, her expression clearly dimmed.

Gu Juncheng, always keenly perceptive, naturally sensed the shift in atmosphere and began to feel awkward standing there.

Lin Qingping gave him a hard tug and pulled him down to sit beside her.

Her grandmother took the meat and fish into the kitchen to clean and prepare them. Her mother stayed to chat with her and Gu Juncheng.

After some small talk, she mentioned that her father, Second Sister, and younger brother were still working in the fields and hadn’t yet returned.

Then the conversation turned toward gossip about the neighbors in the village, eventually circling around to the main topic.

“Do you still remember that Lin family’s Maternal Family at the east end of the village? Their daughter married a son-in-law from the town, and they even bought a bicycle. It looked so grand.” her mother said with her eyes sparkling.

“Oh.” Lin Qingping replied indifferently.

This had happened in her previous life as well. After her mother said that, she had pressured Gu Juncheng to get her a bicycle voucher. She had used the money he gave her to immediately buy a bicycle for her Maternal Family. Her younger brother rode it every day, idling about everywhere.

Not getting the response she wanted, her mother gave a forced smile, then quickly added with another smile: “Zhaodi’s match is almost settled too. Now that our family conditions are better, we can find a good one for her…”

Yes, her younger sister was named Zhaodi. Why she was given that name—well, it went without saying.

In her previous life, her younger sister had gotten married before the age of 20, even earlier than she did—and supposedly to a “better” match.

The bride price had been 500 yuan.

However, the man had a lame leg and was prone to violence. Her sister had suffered two miscarriages from beatings, and when she could no longer conceive, the beatings became an everyday occurrence. In the end, she fell ill and passed away at a young age…

“Change Second Sister’s name. Zhaodi, Zhaodi—it sounds awful.” said the Lin Qingping from her past life, generously offering money without hesitation.

Her mother was caught off guard for a moment before she smiled and said: “That’s a small matter. Since we already have your younger brother, we can change it, sure. But about that bicycle…” As she spoke, her gaze shifted toward Gu Juncheng.

“I’ll think of a way…” Gu Juncheng started to respond smoothly, only to suddenly feel a small hand pinching his thigh—hard.  

Before he could finish his sentence, Lin Qingping cut in, taking over the conversation. “That’s really difficult. There are no tickets. We don’t even have a bicycle ourselves!”

The scene from her past life rose vividly in her mind—her mother coaxing her into buying a bicycle for her younger brother.

Everything had started from moments just like this.

A bicycle now, a wristwatch next. Later, it would be a car, a house, and eventually, all their property…

Her mother’s smile had already become strained. “Then how did that Lin family’s Maternal Family manage to get a voucher? Their son-in-law is from the town…”

“Then why didn’t you sell me to someone from the town back then?” Lin Qingping shot back bluntly. “Why did you sell me to a soldier? Soldiers are poor. Useless. Can’t even get tickets.”

Her words were sharp, and the word “sell” stung deeply—it was a word that sounded truly awful.

Her mother’s expression changed instantly, and even Gu Juncheng’s face didn’t look good.

Lin Qingping, however, remained unmoved. She knew full well that Gu Juncheng was capable, but what use was all this vain prestige?

It was exactly her obsession with appearances in the previous life that had led her to grant every demand—and that was what brought her to ruin.

Gu Juncheng didn’t think the same way. He opened his mouth again. “It’s a bit difficult, but…”

The word “but” hadn’t even fully left his mouth when Lin Qingping pinched him again—this time so hard she looked as if she might tear a chunk of flesh from him.

Gu Juncheng: ...Fine.

He closed his mouth again.

Lin Qingping, however, stood up. “I’ll go to the fields and check on Father and Second Sister, then we’ll head back. There’s a lot to do at home.”

Gu Juncheng began to reach into his pocket for the red envelope, but his thigh suffered its third pinch. As a result, the red envelope remained where it was.

Her mother stood up and tried to persuade her to stay. “At least stay for dinner before you go. Your father and Zhaodi will be back soon to eat.”

But Lin Qingping did not stay. She truly went to the fields. After greeting her father, she pulled Second Sister aside for a private conversation—this had been the real reason for her visit today.

Second Sister was dripping with sweat, her skin darkened by the sun, a clear sign of hard labor. Yet even in this busy farming season, their younger brother was nowhere to be seen.

Even though this was her second time living this life, Lin Qingping still felt a tightness in her chest. Looking at the thin and small Second Sister, she asked: “Is Mother arranging a marriage for you?”

Second Sister was startled, then gave a small nod. Her eyes lowered, hiding the sorrow within them.

“Don’t agree!” Lin Qingping took her hand and pressed some money into her palm. “Keep this money for yourself, in secret. Use it to buy notebooks and pens. And if you can find books, buy them too. If not, I’ll think of a way. Study hard. You have to get into university!”

Her Second Sister could hardly believe her ears. She stared wide-eyed at her Big sister.

College entrance exams had become a hot topic among the city students who came to the village this year, but for a rural girl like her, it was harder to imagine than plucking the moon from the sky.

“Listen to me! If Mother tries to settle your marriage, you must refuse. If she won’t listen, come to Gu Family village and find me. I’ll stand up for you!”

Lin Qingping left those words with firm resolve.

When she looked back once more at her frail sister toiling in the field, her eyes welled with tears.  

This time, she swore, she would change her Second Sister’s fate.