Although she had already looked in the mirror and confirmed that this face was identical to her own in her previous life—only younger and more delicate—there was still an old saying: clothes make the man just as a saddle makes the horse. First people look at your appearance, then at how you dress. Since she was going to look for a marriage partner, Wen Ranran naturally intended to put effort into her appearance.
The educated youth station was very quiet. After lunch, all the other educated youths had hurried back to their rooms for a nap, conserving their energy for the afternoon’s busy harvesting work.
Holding a wooden comb, Wen Ranran carefully styled her hair into two beautiful braids while facing the mirror. Her hair was smooth and thick, gleaming like fine silk. Even the simplest braided hairstyle somehow looked far prettier on her than on anyone else.
Actually, Wen Ranran had originally wanted to tie her hair into a lively bun, but after considering the era she was in, she switched to the most common hairstyle worn by young women at the time.
Though her braids looked simple, they secretly contained a little cleverness.
She gently tugged the braids outward with her fingers to make them fluffier. Not only did it add texture, but it also emphasized the natural advantage of her small face. Against her beautiful, tender features, she looked just like a dew-covered rose!
Conditions in the 1970s were limited, and there were almost no cosmetics available. Fortunately, Wen Ranran was at the age where natural beauty alone was enough. Even without a trace of makeup, she was stunningly pretty.
The more she looked at herself, the more satisfied she became. Narcissistically admiring herself in the mirror for quite a while, she finally changed into a simple white shirt and black trousers, gently closed the door behind her, and set off.
Qingshui Brigade was more than ten kilometers from the county town, and walking there would take one to two hours. Wen Ranran had been born into wealth and had always traveled with drivers in her previous life. How could she endure such hardship? After walking barely ten minutes, she was already exhausted and wilted.
Fortunately, luck was on her side. A villager’s ox cart happened to pass by. After saying a few flattering words, Wen Ranran successfully hitched a ride and arrived at the county town to the rhythmic clatter of the cart wheels.
The county town at this time was nowhere near as prosperous as cities in later generations. The tallest buildings were only three stories high. After the bumpy ox cart ride, Wen Ranran’s waist and legs ached terribly, leaving her with no mood at all to wander around sightseeing. Secretly drinking two mouthfuls of spirit spring water to replenish her energy, she quickly found a tea stall to rest at.
Wen Ranran hadn’t come to the tea stall merely to rest.
After checking the prices, she ordered the cheapest large bowl of tea and casually chatted with the owner’s wife, successfully gathering quite a bit of gossip about the upcoming social mixer.
The pharmaceutical factory’s mixer had originally been an internal event. But once news spread, it immediately sparked great interest from workers at other factories, eventually turning into a large-scale social gathering. Workers from the textile factory, smelting plant, and mold factory would all attend. Even unmarried cadres from various work units were expected to come.
Among all the factories in the county, the smelting plant had the hardest work but also the highest wages. Besides that, the pharmaceutical factory was famous for its excellent benefits. During holidays, workers not only received festival bonuses, but also rice, flour, cooking oil, and even Guoguang apples. Workers from other factories could only envy them…
Wen Ranran listened carefully, silently memorizing everything the tea stall owner’s wife told her.
Cadres were certainly impressive, but they also faced many temptations. Wen Ranran wasn’t overly ambitious. She would already be satisfied with finding a man who looked decent, earned a reasonable income, and came from a family with a tolerable atmosphere.
After gathering the information she wanted and resting enough, Wen Ranran prepared to leave for the pharmaceutical factory.
But before she could stand up, a sudden commotion erupted from the table ahead of her.
A fat, burly man was startled by something and violently kicked out with his foot. Wen Ranran only saw a yellow blur sent flying through the air.
“Damn it, what the hell was that? Scared the crap out of me.”
The man stood up and walked over to check what had brushed against his leg.
“Meow…”
A weak cry came from beneath a suspended cabinet. The man frowned.
“A cat? Where’d this thing come from?”
Seeing the situation, the tea stall owner’s wife hurried over to smooth things over.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Probably just a stray cat. I’ll chase it away. Everyone continue drinking your tea.”
Wen Ranran unconsciously frowned.
Back in modern times, she had owned a tabby cat herself. Although the cat loved freedom and often “abandoned” her to roam around, Wen Ranran still had a soft spot for cats.
At that moment, a skinny man with a monkey-like face who looked clearly up to no good licked his lips and grinned.
“No need for all that trouble. Since it’s a stray cat, just give it to me. Throw in some spices and it’ll taste delicious!”
By then, the owner’s wife had already moved the cabinet aside, revealing the cat completely.
It was a small orange tabby, probably still young. Thin and scrawny, with dull, tangled fur, it was obviously severely underfed.
Wen Ranran knew that in this era, when material conditions were poor, eating cats and dogs wasn’t unusual. If the cat really fell into that skinny man’s hands, it would almost certainly die.
After thinking for a moment, she decided to step forward.
“Boss Lady, why don’t you give the cat to me? My house has been having trouble with mice lately, so I could use a cat.”
The skinny man stared at the cat as saliva almost formed in his mouth.
Cat meat was tender—much tastier than pork or beef. Even though this cat was skinny, it would still make a decent snack. He had already imagined skinning it later, stir-frying it with spicy seasoning, and drinking with his buddies while eating it. Just thinking about it made him excited!
He had already planned how to cook the cat when he suddenly heard someone trying to ruin his plans. Instantly showing a vicious expression, he turned toward Wen Ranran. But after seeing she was just a pretty young girl, his attitude immediately became frivolous.
“I spoke up for the cat first, little comrade. Don’t you understand first come, first served?”
The men at his table also started speaking up in support, confident that a delicate young girl like Wen Ranran wouldn’t dare argue with a group of big grown men. One of them had already picked up the weak cat upside down by its legs. The skinny man even rolled up his sleeves, openly threatening her.
But Wen Ranran wasn’t afraid at all. Especially after seeing the poor little cat weakly struggling in the man’s hand, anger surged inside her.
She strode forward at once, but the tea stall owner’s wife feared she would suffer, so she hurriedly blocked Wen Ranran and separated the two opposing sides.
Just as the standoff grew tense, no one noticed that a young man with a buzz cut sitting in the corner had been watching the scene sharply for quite some time.
The moment the skinny man rolled up his sleeve threateningly, the buzz-cut man happened to spot a long scratch mark on his arm. He immediately pulled out handcuffs and arrested him on the spot.
The sudden turn of events shocked not only Wen Ranran but everyone else in the tea stall as well.
The buzz-cut man took out his identification. It turned out he was a newly transferred police officer.
A few days earlier, someone had reported a home robbery. Even the family dog had been drugged and stolen away. Although the victim hadn’t seen the robber’s face clearly, during the struggle in the dark they had managed to scratch the criminal’s arm, leaving behind a crucial clue.
The skinny man and several of his companions were quickly taken away by other police officers.
Wen Ranran blinked several times, still unable to process it all.
They were arrested just like that? It felt almost like watching a play.
Seeing the confusion written all over Wen Ranran’s bright, beautiful face, Gong Guodong’s heart pounded violently. Somewhat flustered, he apologized.
“Sorry, I was too focused on arresting the suspect just now and acted a little roughly. Did I scare you?”
The moment he finished speaking, Gong Guodong immediately felt his words sounded somewhat frivolous, so he hurriedly added, “I didn’t mean anything else by it. I just wanted to apologize—and also thank you for helping us catch the criminal.”
He had never interacted much with young women before. No matter how he phrased things, it felt wrong, and anxious sweat even began forming on the back of his neck!
But Wen Ranran barely noticed any of that. Her attention was entirely on the cat.
“It’s nothing. Helping catch criminals is what people should do. Since the matter’s settled now, I’ll be going first.”
Gong Guodong could only watch helplessly as Wen Ranran walked away holding the cat. Regretfully, he smacked his own mouth.
Why had he hesitated just now? At the very least, he should have asked for the young lady’s name.
The county town was so large—who knew when they might ever meet again…