The basket they had brought wasn’t very large, and with three people gathering, it didn’t take long to fill it up. It was still early, so Yu Nian’an found a spacious spot and rested there.
Lin Zhi and Ye Xiao sat beside her.
Now that they were alone, Yu Nian’an asked about the person from the youth station earlier.
Lin Zhi sighed. She wasn’t naïve based on the past few days, she knew that Zhang Yulan was deliberately targeting her, but she couldn’t figure out why and had been tolerating it.
What she hadn’t expected was that Zhang Yulan’s hostility would extend to the people around her.
“That youth is called Zhang Yulan,” Lin Zhi said. “She came with our group. I don’t know why, but from the very first day she arrived, she’s had this inexplicable hostility toward me.”
Hearing the name, Yu Nian’an immediately recognized her she was the Zhang Yulan from her dream.
But this person now seemed unremarkable. When had she gotten involved with Yu Dingguo?
While the two of them were pondering this, Ye Xiao, who had hardly spoken until now, suddenly spoke up.
“I think I know why she’s targeting Lin Zhi.”
Yu Nian’an and Lin Zhi both turned to him. “Why?”
“She kept complaining on the way here, saying she was tired and her luggage was heavy. I told her not to bring so much if it was too heavy. Later, when she saw that I had already moved Lin Zhi’s things inside, she immediately collapsed in the courtyard.”
Ye Xiao described what had happened the day Lin Zhi fainted. In retrospect, Zhang Yulan had clearly been pretending.
Yu Nian’an’s eyes darted around as she realized, “So she was unhappy in her heart, and she wanted to take it out on Lin Zhi.”
Ye Xiao didn’t contradict her, essentially confirming it.
Lin Zhi felt utterly helpless. The new and old youth cadres hardly interacted to begin with, and Zhang Yulan’s hostility meant that another female cadre from the same group also avoided them. Thankfully, her family had used their connections to have Ye Xiao and Gu Shen assigned to the Yu family team, otherwise she couldn’t imagine how unbearable those days of unexplained isolation would have been.
Upon hearing about the two of them’s dispute, Yu Nian’an was reminded of another matter.
“So, about what you mentioned yesterday regarding adding a toilet would Zhang Yulan agree to that?”
Lin Zhi shook her head with a wry smile. “I brought it up with the others. No one objected, and they even said we could share the labor cost. But that Zhang Yulan insisted we were being fussy.”
The youth station’s toilet was made of clay bricks, with many gaps above, and the door was just a cloth curtain. Over time, hygiene aside, it wasn’t safe if no one was guarding it while someone used it.
Previously, no one had mentioned this issue. Now that Lin Zhi had brought it up, they realized that several other female youths shared the same concern.
Yu Nian’an clicked her tongue. In this day and age, reputation is everything. If such a private matter were witnessed, even by other youths under the same roof, it would likely cause trouble.
She couldn’t tell whether Zhang Yulan’s stubbornness was out of pride or if she was genuinely bold.
The three of them were still talking about Zhang Yulan when a figure appeared on the mountain path—the same Gu Shen who had been catching up on sleep the day before.
Seeing him, Ye Xiao raised his arm and waved. “Gu Shen, over here!”
Yu Nian’an was puzzled. Why had he come?
The mountain path was rugged, but Gu Shen strode along with long legs, reaching the spot where the three were resting in no time. His chest rose and fell with exertion. Leaning against a nearby tree trunk to catch his breath, his gaze met Yu Nian’an’s. He quickly looked away, while she, curious, took him in from head to toe.
Since transmigrating into the book, Yu Nian’an had rewritten the tragedy of “herself” and saved Gu Shen’s life. The feeling was indescribably strange like fate itself was entwined.
At this moment, she was intensely curious about him, eager to see how her intervention might shape his future life.
And, of course, she wanted to know where he had gone last night.
Noticing her eyes fixed on Gu Shen, Ye Xiao coughed lightly and stepped in to block her view.
“Aren’t you supposed to be enjoying a rare day off and sleeping in?”
As he spoke, he winked and gestured subtly. Gu Shen caught the hint immediately and responded, “It’s too noisy to sleep. I heard you and Comrade Yu went to the back of the mountain, so I came to take a look.”
Yu Nian’an didn’t notice their playful exchange of expressions, but the dark circles under his eyes were far too obvious. It was clear he hadn’t slept much, so she directly suggested they head back.
Gu Shen glanced at her basket, his expression complex.
It seemed Comrade Yu’s family wasn’t very well off.
This was July the peak season for interplanting vegetables and she still had to come out to gather wild greens. No wonder she didn’t even have a ticket yesterday.
Yu Nian’an had no idea what he was thinking. She walked ahead of the group, leading everyone down the mountain.
As they neared her courtyard, remembering that Lin Zhi didn’t like staying at the youth station, she politely offered, “It’s still early. Why don’t we stop by my place for a while?”
Ye Xiao was about to decline when Lin Zhi laughed and agreed, “I also have a few things I want to ask Uncle Jianping, so we won’t be a bother.”
The three of them returned to the courtyard. By now, the toilet and bathroom roofs had been completed, and the work was essentially finished. Uncle Jianping was instructing his two nephews on drilling a well.
Lin Zhi and Ye Xiao had never seen this before. Fascinated, they immediately crowded around. Yu Nian’an, seeing this, went inside to fetch a wooden stool, sat under the eaves, and began sorting the wild vegetables while keeping an eye on their antics.
Lost in thought, she suddenly noticed a shadow fall across her.
It was Gu Shen.
Curious, she glanced at him and pointed toward the commotion, asking why he wasn’t going over to join them.
Gu Shen sat cross-legged beside her, his hands naturally reaching toward the basket. Imitating Yu Nian’an’s earlier movements, he began tidying the remaining wild vegetables.
“I’ve seen well-digging before.”
Her response surprised Yu Nian’an a little. She had read the background information about Lin Zhi and Ye Xiao in the book they came from Beijing, from wealthy families. If it weren’t for strict supervision from above, they wouldn’t have been sent to the countryside. Since Gu Shen was on such good terms with them, his family couldn’t be all that poor either.
Could he be living in a siheyuan?
Yu Nian’an muttered to herself. Once she had money, she would definitely get herself a proper one coming here wouldn’t have been in vain.
Gu Shen’s movements grew increasingly skilled, and he worked quickly. The basket of wild vegetables was nearly empty. Yu Nian’an teased, “Here you are, and I’m still making you work. Looks like I’ll have to treat you to a meal.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she suddenly realized he had come to the back of the mountain right after waking up. She didn’t even know if he had eaten breakfast.
When leaving the youth station, she didn’t hear Lin Zhi or the others mention saving food. Could he be going hungry?
Thinking this, her gaze toward Gu Shen softened with a touch of sympathy.
He really was pitiful going out late at night, not knowing when he got back to sleep at the youth station, and then being woken up in the morning without even having a meal.
With that in mind, her hand unconsciously went into her pocket. The biscuits Yu Weimin had given her yesterday were still there.
“Here.”
Gu Shen looked up to see the little girl smiling at him, holding out a small package wrapped in wax paper. “Try it.”
The pre-noon sun wasn’t strong, but it still made Gu Shen blink.