By some quirk of fate, Gu Shen took the package from her hand. Opening it, he found several small round biscuits inside.
The edges were slightly crumbly, and a faint milky fragrance lingered.
He hadn’t seen anything like this in a long time. Back in the day, his grandparents often treated him like a child, giving him biscuits whether he was happy or upset to cheer him up.
But these weren’t ordinary biscuits they were expensive, and not even every supply store in the county sold them. How had Yu Nian’an gotten them?
Judging by the crumbs scattered inside, they had probably been carried for quite a while. He must have been reluctant to eat them.
Looking into her eyes, Gu Shen’s expression unconsciously softened. He handed the biscuits back. “You keep them for yourself.”
Yu Nian’an didn’t take them. She had noticed the brief flash of delight in his eyes when he first saw the biscuits it was clear he liked them. So, holding the basin in one hand and the basket in the other, she stood and walked toward the kitchen, leaving him with just one sentence.
“Go ahead and eat. It’s still early before lunch. Consider this one of the thank-you gifts for lending me your ticket yesterday.”
Gu Shen sat on the ground, feeling a bit awkward, but in the end he accepted them. Leaning against a rafter post, he looked toward the kitchen and popped a biscuit into his mouth.
Back in the kitchen, Yu Nian’an rested her hands on the edge of the basin, feeling a bit guilty as she recalled what she had just said.
The things that Brother Yu had given her she had passed them to Gu Shen and even called them a “thank-you gift.” Fortunately, she had added the word “one of”, which made it slightly less awkward.
She placed the ferns into the pot and turned on the fire to blanch them. Taking advantage of the moment, she stepped outside to check on the progress of the well.
By this time, Gu Shen had finished the biscuits. As for the wax paper, she didn’t see where he had tossed it.
The two of them walked to the well together. Uncle Jianping had chosen a good spot digging down, they hadn’t hit any large rocks. The two brothers worked efficiently, and the pit was already half a man’s depth.
The dirt dug from the ground was carried up in baskets, which Uncle Jianping dumped into the corner and then spread out with a shovel.
“Uncle, what are you doing?” Yu Nian’an asked curiously.
“Your aunt said you wanted to open a patch of land in the courtyard,” Uncle Jianping replied. “Well, here’s some fresh soil just the right amount to level it out as a base.” He used the shovel to mark drainage lines around the edges.
Now all that was needed was a layer of fertile soil and some base fertilizer on top, and vegetables could be planted.
Just as Aunt Chunxing had said it was a simple, convenient task.
Lin Zhi had overheard their conversation and walked over, a bit envious. “It must be nice to have your own courtyard.”
If she hadn’t mentioned it, Yu Nian’an would have been fine but now her heart twinged. She couldn’t shake the feeling that her little courtyard might be in jeopardy.
She forced a laugh and decided it was better to stay quiet.
Ye Xiao, standing nearby, teased, “You’re not thinking of wanting a courtyard to plant vegetables too, are you? After a full day’s work, you’d just be complaining about a sore back all the way home. Better to rest instead.”
Lin Zhi blushed at his words and scolded, “You’re no different!”
She then glanced at Yu Nian’an, noticing her calm expression, before turning back to Ye Xiao.
“I told you not to undermine me! Not to expose my flaws!”
Ye Xiao had already nimbly dodged by the time she swung her hand. The two of them ran around the courtyard, with Yu Nian’an watching, a hint of envy in her eyes.
Before transmigrating, she had, like the original girl, had almost no friends not because of her personality, but because work had kept her constantly busy. She was either on a business trip or catching up on sleep, with no time to maintain friendships.
Gu Shen stood beside her but didn’t pay attention to their playful chase.
At noon, Uncle Jianping, as usual, took his two nephews home. Lin Zhi and the others played in the courtyard for a while before returning to the youth station.
Once everyone had left, the surroundings suddenly seemed quiet.
Yu Nian’an stood in the courtyard for a moment, lost in thought, before heading to the kitchen to scoop out the soaked ferns, preparing to make lunch.
Since it was broad daylight and Uncle Jianping and the others would be back soon, she didn’t bother closing the courtyard gate.
The smoke from the kitchen fire drifted outward, catching the attention of passersby in the distance.
During this time, Yu Dingguo had been pondering where exactly he had gone wrong to make Yu Nian’an, that little girl, suddenly change her attitude.
The debt note had cornered him he had scraped together the money by borrowing from various people, and it was due soon.
Today was a day off, and it was noon. There were hardly any people near the village, so he figured he still had a few days before needing to repay the money. Yet unease began to stir in him. He looked around and then started walking in that direction.
After a few steps, he saw the tall yellow clay courtyard walls. The previously dilapidated little courtyard was now unrecognizable. Yu Dingguo thought he might have taken the wrong path.
When he reached the gate and looked inside, he saw the pile of tools and realized Yu Nian’an had brought people in to repair it.
“Ugh, wasting money on this might as well have given it to me,” Yu Dingguo thought, seeing the gate was open. He walked in without hesitation.
In the kitchen, the water in the pot was already boiling. Yu Nian’an suddenly remembered she hadn’t rinsed the rice yet, so she carried the basin outside to wash it by the water jar. Uncle Jianping had said the newly prepared vegetable patch needed extra watering to moisten the soil.
The rice-washing water could naturally be used for that, easy enough.
As soon as she stepped outside, she spotted that irritating figure in the courtyard.
Thinking of what he had done to the original girl in her dream, she snapped, “What are you doing here?”
Yu Dingguo lifted his eyes to look at Yu Nian’an.
Before, this girl had always slouched, her face pale and malnourished. But after just a short time apart, her temperament had changed her small face now had a delicate, almost refined look.
At first glance, she even had a bit of a city-born young lady air, matching the new batch of educated youths.
Yu Dingguo stepped forward, a sly look on his face. “Anmei, I’m your cousin, after all. Aren’t you going to invite me in for a seat?”
The tone, paired with his current expression, immediately set off alarm bells in Yu Nian’an’s mind. Her eyes hardened, and she clutched the basin as she returned to the kitchen. She grabbed a burning stick from the stove and marched back out, pointing it at him. Her voice was sharp and fierce: “Get out! You’re not welcome in my house!”
Yu Dingguo hadn’t expected her to be so aggressive. He stepped back, shocked and angry. “Sister, what are you doing? We’re family don’t speak to me like that!”
Yu Nian’an sneered. “Family? I think you’re family with money, not with me!”
Seeing he was still lingering in the courtyard, she boldly swung the burning stick toward him. Yu Dingguo didn’t dodge in time, and the flame singed his arm.
“Ah!” he yelped, his face twisting in pain.
The two of them had now completely torn off the mask of civility.
Yu Dingguo’s eyes darkened; his little schemes exposed, he dropped the pretense. “You little brat! You dare disrespect me!”
Still, he feared the flaming stick in her hands one careless burn could be serious.
“I’ll let you off for today, but you’ve taken the money, don’t think you’ll ever have a peaceful life!” Yu Dingguo spat out this threat and hurriedly left the courtyard.
Once he was gone, Yu Nian’an quickly stepped forward to latch the door. The stick fell to the ground, sparks flying. Her tightly clenched hand now trembled uncontrollably.
She had nearly… lost control.