Now that Deng Minghao had graduated from high school, a job assignment was nowhere in sight. At home, he had endured quite a few cold looks from his parents as well as from his elder brother and sister-in-law.
He had come here originally just to clear his head, but unexpectedly ran into Li Ruolan when she was trying to take her own life. In the end, he even lost his own life trying to save her.
“In the novel, the first time the names Li Ruolan and Deng Minghao appear is on the train going to the countryside, when they introduce themselves to the Male Lead and Female Lead.
So Li Ruolan and Deng Minghao should have wanted to escape their families, which is why they signed up to go to the countryside. If that’s the case, then let’s go register as educated youths going to the countryside right now.”
Actually, as long as Li Ruolan and Deng Minghao obtained their marriage certificate, the two of them would not have needed to go to the countryside. Li Ruolan could avoid the fate of being sold off, and Deng Minghao could also move out of his elder brother and sister-in-law’s home.
But with families like theirs, if they did not put a great distance between themselves and home, there would definitely be endless trouble in the future. Wanting to live their own peaceful life would be almost impossible. Going to the countryside and escaping far away would be much easier.
Li Ruolan and Deng Minghao did not delay. They went into the space to dry their clothes, then headed to the subdistrict office to register for going to the countryside.
After discussing it, they decided to go to the Northeast. Although it was cold there, they only needed to work for six months a year, while the remaining six months were spent staying at home and enduring the winter.
It was perfect for people like the two of them, who did not really want to do farm work.
Deng Minghao gave a few cigarettes to the older brother at the educated youth office. These were cigarettes originally on the body of the original Deng Minghao. From a young age, the original Deng Minghao had earned money on his own just to go to school, so he had long since figured out how to deal with people like this.
Thanks to those few cigarettes, the two of them were successfully assigned to the same brigade, with departure scheduled ten days later.
Li Ruolan glanced at the assignment. Sure enough, it was Qianjin Village, Shengli Brigade, the same place where the Male Lead and Female Lead were going to the countryside.
After receiving 135 yuan in educated youth settlement funds and a purchase voucher for train tickets, Li Ruolan and Deng Minghao separated and each returned to their own homes.
Following her memories back to the Li family home, Li Ruolan lived in the family compound behind the garment factory. The allocated apartment was a two-bedroom, one-living-room unit.
It was a narrow and cramped corridor-style building, with a lot of people living there. As soon as Li Ruolan walked in, she smelled all kinds of strange odors that nearly made her vomit.
Her family lived on the third floor at the far right. When Li Ruolan returned home, she found no one inside. Li Baozong should have been at school, while Li Hongjun and Li Mother had both gone to work and had not yet returned.
After getting home, Li Ruolan gathered all the money and ration tickets she had saved over the years. In total, there were only eight yuan and fifty cents. The tickets were pitifully few as well, just one soap ticket and one toilet paper ticket.
No matter how small a mosquito was, it was still meat. She organized everything and put it all into the space.
By then, it was already past five in the afternoon. Normally, all the meals for the family of four were cooked by Li Ruolan. She did not want to stir up trouble at this time.
There were only ten days left before going to the countryside. Once she got through these ten days, she would no longer need to be afraid.
After cooking, Li Ruolan first put two steamed buns into the space. Li Mother never allowed the original Li Ruolan to eat her fill. Usually, she was only given half a steamed bun and half a bowl of thin porridge per meal.
Li Ruolan was not about to starve herself. No one was allowed to make her go hungry.
Although the home was a two-bedroom, one-living-room unit, since the daughter had grown up, Li Hongjun had divided one of the larger rooms in half, letting Li Ruolan and Li Baozong live there.
Li Ruolan lay down on her bed, then entered the space. Using the original owner’s chipped white porcelain mug, she scooped up a cup of spiritual spring water and drank it.
The spiritual spring water did not have the legendary effect of cleansing the meridians and marrow. It only slowly improved one’s physique over time and made a person’s strength grow greater and greater.
Although Li Ruolan’s current body was young, because she had gone without enough food for a long time, it was so thin it was pitiful, and her strength was also very small.
Taking advantage of these ten or so days, she needed to drink more spiritual spring water to improve her physique. Otherwise, once she went to the countryside, she would definitely suffer greatly.
Just after finishing a cup of spiritual spring water, Deng Mingxuan entered the space, his expression extremely unpleasant.
“What’s wrong?” Li Ruolan asked curiously.
Deng Minghao irritably scratched his head. “I got scolded the moment I got home. My sister-in-law is pregnant, and the family is about to have one more mouth to feed. Seeing me made her really unhappy.
She pointed at me and cursed me for freeloading. Even Deng Minghao’s own parents helped my sister-in-law scold me. I got angry and just left home.”
As Deng Minghao spoke angrily, he went to take some fresh corn cobs and sweet potatoes. After washing them clean, he put them into the pot to boil.
Who knew how long Deng Minghao had gone without eating. He felt so hungry that his chest was practically sticking to his back, hungry enough to eat a whole cow.
Then he took a few eggs, added some chili peppers, and stir-fried a plate of chili scrambled eggs. Li Ruolan took out the two steamed buns she had hidden, and the two of them made do with a simple meal.
“Tomorrow, I’m planning to take some flour and eggs out to sell. Right now, we’re not short on money. Added together, our settlement funds are over two hundred yuan. But we’re short on ration tickets.
At this time, without tickets, it’s very hard to buy things. So I’m planning to exchange flour and eggs for some tickets,” Deng Minghao said to Li Ruolan.
Li Ruolan nodded. “That works, but I think it’s best not to go to the black market. During this period, speculation and profiteering are strictly prohibited.
For safety’s sake, you can go to the steel factory family compound or around the hospital and sell door to door. It’s better not to go to the black market.
When reading novels, it always feels like everything is written so simply. As long as you have goods, you can make money at the black market.
But now that we’ve transmigrated into the novel, we have to treat this as the real world. If we want to live longer, it’s better to follow the rules.”
A novel was still just a novel. Reality was always far more cruel than fiction.
Selling door to door could still earn money, just a bit more slowly. They did not care about that small amount of time anyway.
Deng Minghao nodded. “Don’t worry, I have my ways. I won’t go to the black market.” After saying that, Deng Minghao left the space.
Li Ruolan also did not dare stay in space too long. Thinking that Li Hongjun and the others would be back soon, she hurried out of the space. Just as she stepped out, she heard the sound of the door opening.
Li Hongjun, Li Mother, and Li Baozong returned together. Seeing the prepared dishes on the table, the three of them went to wash their hands and eat.
In order not to give anything away, Li Ruolan also sat down, lowered her head, and quietly ate without saying a word.
Suddenly, Li Baozong sniffed the air, then leaned toward Li Ruolan. “Did you secretly eat eggs? Why do I smell chili scrambled eggs on you?”
As soon as Li Baozong said this, Li Mother jumped up and rushed into the kitchen in a few quick steps to check the number of eggs.
“I didn’t. I just smelled someone else frying eggs on the way home. Maybe the smell rubbed off on me,” Li Ruolan said in her usual timid manner, not even daring to raise her head, her voice very soft.
Li Mother came back and sat down. “You probably smelled it wrong. Our eggs aren’t missing any.”
Li Baozong slammed his chopsticks down and shouted, “Mom, other families all eat eggs. I want to eat eggs too. Go fry me some eggs!”
Faced with her son’s unreasonable behavior, Li Mother was not angry at all. Instead, she smiled and nodded. “Alright, mom will go fry eggs for you right now.”