Next to the guard post at the entrance, in a not-so-obvious spot, stood a wooden board with large characters written on red paper: "Educated Youth Sent to the Countryside Subsidy Collection Point for Soldiers' Children."
What?
"Yan Yan, does our Military Region have subsidies for educated youth sent to the countryside?"
"Huh? Xixi, you didn't know? Yes, we do. I don't know about other Military Regions, but ours has had it since last year. However, you can't collect it now; you have to get it at the guard post when you leave."
She thought Xixi knew about this.
Speaking of the reason for this, everyone felt a sense of regret. "Last year, an educated youth in a Military Region in Guang Province froze to death in the countryside. The incident caused quite a stir and even reached us. Later, it was discovered that the youth's stepmother had embezzled all her educated youth subsidies, and the family hadn't prepared anything for her."
After this incident, their Military Region established the educated youth subsidy. Each person received fifty yuan, ten catties of grain ration tickets, and one industrial coupon. Family members could not collect it on their behalf; only the educated youth themselves could collect it at the guard post when they departed.
About a five-minute walk from the compound was a Supply and Marketing Cooperative, one of the larger ones among all the Supply and Marketing Cooperatives in Beijing City. Besides the department store, this place had the most complete selection of goods.
Of course, it also had the most people.
Lin Yuexi knew the destructive power of her face and had used her Spiritual Power to 'disguise' herself before going out.
It wasn't about hiding her beauty. In her past life, she was just a modest young lady. In this life, it was rare to become a peerless beauty, so who would be willing to hide it?
She merely lowered her presence, making people around her not focus too much attention on her.
Having 'lost' the Eating Melon System, Ren Yan appeared by her side. Like a badger leaping around in a melon field, this girl couldn't stay quiet for long.
"Xixi, did you know that the two brothers from the Ye family in our compound are going to the countryside?"
The Ye family had a simple population. Among the grandchildren, there were only three. The eldest daughter was already married, yet they were sending both remaining children to the countryside?!
It seemed the Ye family had also had an accident.
Ren Yan lowered her voice and said, "The Ye family was reported. Aunt Juan said it would be safer for Hai Zi Ge and the others to stay in Beijing, so they reported both of them to go to the countryside, also to Northeast China."
Lin Yuexi sighed softly. Nowhere was safe these days.
Everyone was taboo about such matters. Ren Yan trusted Lin Yuexi's character, which was why she dared to tell her. Not wanting to discuss it further, she immediately changed the subject.
About twenty minutes later, the two arrived at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative.
A novel wheelchair and a girl who looked like a celestial being but had a sickly expression immediately attracted everyone's attention.
However, because Lin Yuexi had made some adjustments, while people did notice, they only glanced a few extra times out of curiosity before continuing with their own business.
People naturally liked to look at those who were good-looking and had good temperament, but it was limited to that.
Lin Yuexi had many items in her space, so many that she couldn't use them all in several lifetimes. The problem was that most of them were technological products from fifty to sixty years in the future and couldn't be used now.
She wasn't without staples like rice, flour, and oil, but they were also of too high quality. She could eat them secretly occasionally, but if she took them out, she'd be discovered in minutes.
Fortunately, when she passed by a retro street, she had collected everything from it. Many items were imitations of things from the 1960s and 1970s.
At the time, she hadn't thought much of it, just feeling that since her space was large enough, she could just discard those items if she found better ones later.
Fortunately, she didn't discard the items from that street later.
Whether it was good luck or some other reason, they didn't encounter any oddballs. On the contrary, because Lin Yuexi was in a wheelchair, many people actively and kindly made way for them, even letting them go first at the counter.
Not lacking anything at home, they ended up just joining the fun of shopping at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative and bought some candy and pastries.
After leaving the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, Ren Yan pushed the wheelchair back.
The current atmosphere outside was much more severe than Leng Zhi and Zhang Hongying had told the original host.
On the street, full of the feel of the era, slogans were plastered everywhere on the walls on both sides. Pedestrians walked with their heads slightly bowed, their footsteps hurried. Many people came and went, but there was no sense of liveliness at all; it was as if a heavy sense of oppression weighed down on everyone.
Lin Yuexi's beauty was astonishing, and their journey was also very unusual, but most people just took a few more glances, marveling at her beauty, and then continued to lower their heads and hurry away.
Oppressive, dull, and utterly lacking vitality.
Suddenly, a growing clamor could be heard from a distance, accompanied by faint screams and cries.
Lin Yuexi, who had never personally experienced such a thing, didn't react immediately. Ren Yan's expression changed, and after glancing around, she very quickly and steadily pushed the wheelchair into a nearby alley.
The noisy sounds grew closer. A few minutes later, as the crowd approached the alley where they were, Lin Yuexi finally understood the situation.
Fearing Lin Yuexi might get bumped or jostled, Ren Yan pushed her to the middle of the alley, out of the way.
She also feared scaring or disturbing Lin Yuexi, so she used herself to block Lin Yuexi's view and covered her ears simultaneously. It wasn't that she was being overly cautious, but the original host had once fainted due to the surrounding noise.
After a while, Ren Yan, looking solemn and prepared, pushed Lin Yuexi out.
They dared not linger any longer and hurried home.
The two didn't notice that a deep gaze had been following them all along.
In a small courtyard, Fan Lisheng walked over and curiously followed Huo Han's gaze, peering outside. "What are you looking at? I thought I heard some noise outside just now."
Huo Han glanced at him expressionlessly and walked inside.
Fan Lisheng quickly followed, feigning dissatisfaction as he grumbled, "Hey, you still have that bad temper even when you're grown up. Be careful you don't get a wife in this life. Oh right, did you know the great beauty from our compound is going to the countryside? I heard my mom say that the Leng family, like yours, is sending her to Heilongjiang Province because Uncle Leng and the others are worried about Xixi being alone in Beijing City."
"With Xixi's looks, if I were Uncle Leng, I wouldn't be at ease either. Even Grandfather Leng is still in Beijing City. Just as rumors started, that scoundrel surnamed Qian actually dared to have designs on Xixi. We ambushed him and beat him up the night before yesterday."
The tall, straight figure ahead suddenly stopped. Fan Lisheng, following closely behind, didn't react and bumped right into him.
"Oh my goodness, is your back made of stone?"
His nose felt so sore. Was he going to get a nosebleed?
Huo Han turned his head and looked directly at him, asking in a clear, cold voice, "Surnamed Qian, which one?"
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