Chapter 4: Ruthless

“Huh, this tastes a lot like a tomato,” Sun Zhigao raised one eyebrow, carefully savoring the flavor before giving his verdict. “Very similar to a tomato, but at least ten times more delicious.”

“And it’s juicier than any regular tomato,” Ming Kangjian said, slurping the rich tomato juice, his face showing pure bliss. “It tastes even better than the apple I had during the New Year.”

The two of them went on praising how delicious it was but didn’t continue questioning Lin Qi about what kind of fruit it was — likely because they figured they wouldn’t get a real answer anyway.

After all, she was an fool.

Lin Qi didn’t bother explaining either. After eating one tomato and a steamed bun, she felt full. She put the pancake and the remaining tomatoes back into her backpack. Then she leaned against the back of her seat, closed her eyes, and quickly drifted off to sleep.

Once she had fallen asleep, the woman sitting next to her spoke up.

“My name is Ma Guizhi. I’m headed to Jiahe Commune in Yao County. What about you two?”

Ming Kangjian replied, “What a coincidence, I’m also going to Jiahe Commune. I’m Ming Kangjian.”

“I’m Sun Zhigao. Also going to Yao County, but I’m headed to Shunhe Commune,” said the other.

Ma Guizhi looked thoughtful. “Could it be that everyone in this carriage is going to Yao County?”

Ming Kangjian and Sun Zhigao exchanged a glance, uncertain. “Is that possible?”

Something seemed to occur to Ma Guizhi, and she abruptly stood up. “I’ll go ask around.”

Ten minutes later, Ma Guizhi returned, her face visibly darkened.

“Most of the people in this carriage are going to Yao County. Only a few are going to Ningtuan County next to Yao County,” she reported.

Ming Kangjian and Sun Zhigao simply responded with an “oh,” still not understanding why Ma Guizhi looked so upset.

But they soon got their answer.

“Do you think that fool might be assigned to our commune, maybe even our brigade?” Ma Guizhi continued.

Now even Ming Kangjian looked uneasy. “No way… such a coincidence?”

Sun Zhigao was indifferent. “Even if we’re in the same place, how would that affect us?”

Ma Guizhi’s eyes darkened. “We’re all educated youths. There’s a high chance we’ll live in the same house — possibly even the same room. If that happens, we can’t just ignore her and let her fend for herself, can we? The major disasters are over now. We can’t just let her starve to death, right?”

Letting an educated youth die of starvation — that wouldn’t be a small matter.

Ming Kangjian and Sun Zhigao fell silent.

—

That day, the Lin household was eerily quiet. From the courtyard came the scent of cooking from other homes, but the Lin family’s front door remained tightly shut.

“Where’s the Qiqi? Haven’t seen her come out to cook today.”

“She’s probably still home. Over the past six months, I’ve barely seen her leave the yard. Maybe she’s feeling unwell today and just slacking off?”

“She’s always been frail since childhood, so it wouldn’t be surprising if she’s feeling unwell. Should we knock and check in on her? Just in case something’s wrong?”

They said she wasn’t an fool anymore, but based on her behavior, she didn’t seem especially clever either. If something really happened… well, never mind how devastated Lin Gaofeng and his wife would be — a death in the house next door would be unsettling for everyone.

When Father Lin, Mother Lin, and Lin Mo returned, they saw several neighbors gathered in front of their house, pounding heavily on the door. The old, worn door was shaking on its hinges from the force.

“What are you doing?” Mother Lin asked.

“Oh good, you’re finally back,” a neighbor said. “What’s going on with your third daughter today? She didn’t come out to make dinner, and now she’s not even answering the door.”

Startled, Mother Lin didn’t bother saying anything more. She pushed through the crowd and began banging on the door herself while calling out, “Qiqi? Qiqi?”

“Mom, step aside a bit — I’ll break the door down,” Lin Mo said, rolling up his sleeves. His handsome face was filled with panic.

Father Lin hesitated but didn’t speak. In the end, he silently approved of his son’s decision.

Mother Lin froze for a moment, then took a step back to give him room.

Just as Lin Mo was about to ram the door, there was a sound from behind it. A second later, the door opened, and Lin Miaomiao appeared behind it.

Relieved to see her eldest daughter, Mother Lin let out a breath. If the eldest was home, the youngest probably hadn’t gotten into trouble.

“Miaomiao, where’s your sister?”

Lin Miaomiao glanced at her parents and older brother, then at the crowd of neighbors outside the door. In a lowered voice, she said, “Mom, let’s talk inside.”

“You sent Qiqi to the countryside?!” Mother Lin shot to her feet in shock, staring at her eldest daughter in disbelief.

Lin Mo’s reaction was even more intense — his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and his eyes were full of rage.

Father Lin’s face was serious and unreadable.

Their reactions were all within Lin Miaomiao’s expectations. She remained calm and said, “I signed her up to go to the countryside. Responding to the call of the nation. She left today, with many others, on the educated youth train—”

Smack!

A loud slap rang out from inside the Lin household, startling those eavesdropping outside. Their curiosity only deepened.

What just happened in there?

That night, none of the four members of the Lin family got any sleep.

Only Lin Qi, still on the train, was unaffected. She slept sprawled out, her soft white cheeks marked with a few red lines from the seat.

As the first rays of sunlight streamed through the train window, Lin Qi opened her eyes.

As awareness returned, she immediately felt soreness and numbness in all her muscles — the aftereffects of sitting upright through the night.

She slowly sat up, stiffly stretched her limbs and rubbed her waist. After her blood circulation improved, she picked up her cup, slung her bag over her shoulder, and carefully stepped over Ma Guizhi and Ming Kangjian’s outstretched legs, heading to the restroom.

Most people in the carriage were still asleep, only a few were awake. Fortunately, the restroom was unoccupied when Lin Qi arrived. She locked the door behind her and, after washing up, pulled a small tomato seedling from her sleeve — one she had taken from a flowerpot before leaving home.

Even after a day and night without soil, the little tomato plant was still a vibrant green and full of life.

Lin Qi held the seedling under the tap. A faint stream of wood-type power flowed from her slender fingers into the tomato plant. The seedling, originally just the length of a finger, began growing rapidly before her eyes. Once it reached about a meter tall, it began to flower… and bear fruit—

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A man outside knocked impatiently.

“Hey, what’s taking so long in there? Did you fall in or something?”

Lin Qi, who was picking tomatoes, froze for a moment. “Hurry, it’s done!”

This time, she harvested a total of six large tomatoes. Lin Qi put them all into her backpack, then crushed the withered tomato plant into a ball. After making sure it was unrecognizable, she finally opened the door.

“It’s you!” The man glared at her. A surge of anger was stuck in his chest—he wanted to let it out, but it felt like bullying someone weak, so he could only hold it in.

Lin Qi grinned at him and lowered her head as she walked away.

The man was momentarily dazed by her smile. Only after Lin Qi walked far away did he curse, “Damn it,” and stride into the restroom, slamming the door shut with a bang.

“Huh? What’s that smell?” The man sniffed. “Why does it smell so good? Is it from that little fool?”

As Jian Tong recalled the pure and innocent smile on the young girl’s face just now, his heart felt as if it had been brushed by a tiny brush—itchy and restless.

When Lin Qi returned to her seat, her previously slightly deflated backpack looked plump again. But since she had been holding it in her arms the whole time, no one noticed the change.

The steamed buns and coarse grain biscuits had already been eaten yesterday. She had eaten two tomatoes yesterday, leaving three. With the six she had just grown this morning, she now had a total of nine.

The train would arrive at Yao County at eleven o’clock in the morning. She only needed to get through one more meal on the train.

“Want to trade again?” Sun Zhigao handed over a steamed bun.

Trade again?

Lin Qi was a little surprised. Steamed buns were filling and could stave off hunger—tomatoes couldn’t do that.

Lin Qi didn’t immediately agree, but Sun Zhigao assumed she was unwilling. One steamed bun for a delicious fruit—Sun Zhigao felt he was the one getting the better end of the deal. So he pulled out another steamed bun. “Two steamed buns for one fruit?”

“One is enough.” Lin Qi only took one steamed bun and then placed a tomato into Sun Zhigao’s hand.

“I want to trade too.” Ming Kangjian, somehow already awake, was rummaging through his coarse grain biscuits.

“You two better think carefully,” Ma Guizhi advised. “Fruit isn’t filling. After getting off the train, we still have to travel from the county to the commune, then from the commune to the brigade—it’s a long journey. If you’re hungry, you won’t have the strength to walk.”

“Then it’s even more reason to trade,” Ming Kangjian said seriously, pointing at Lin Qi. “If she doesn’t eat enough and can’t walk, are we supposed to carry her?”

Ma Guizhi was momentarily speechless, then said angrily, “I really don’t know what her family was thinking—sending her out with nothing but a few pretty but useless fruits. Truly heartless!”