After returning to the primary school, she washed all the things and set them aside for later use.
With the remaining gourds, she went to neighboring houses and traded them for some vegetable seeds.
“Auntie, your little rabbits are so cute. Can I pull some rabbit fur?” The moment Lin Qiuman saw the rabbits, she noticed the loose fur scattered nearby.
Her eyes lit up—an honest opportunity to make money had appeared right in front of her.
“Go ahead. It’s the molting season anyway. Rabbit fur is floating all over the yard—it’s driving me crazy.”
Lin Qiuman pursed her lips in a smile. She gently stroked the little rabbit, and her hands quickly gathered a handful of soft fur.
Before long, she had rolled the loose fur into a big fluffy ball. Satisfied, she stood up and said goodbye to the neighbor.
“Teacher Lin, we came early to save seats for the kids. We heard there aren’t many seats in the classroom, so can we put their stools in first?”
As soon as Lin Qiuman returned to the school, she saw several women gathered at the entrance, each holding a small stool, pushing eagerly into the study room.
“The old village chief plans to build more classrooms for the school, so all the students will be able to attend.” Lin Qiuman smiled at the women.
Actually, the wheat harvest season was approaching soon. The semester was already more than halfway through, almost coming to an end.
It might actually be better for the students to come back after the new classrooms were built.
For dinner, she cooked white flour dumplings in her space, simply stir-fried a handful of spinach, and then went to wash up.
They say women dress up for those who please them. In her previous life, after Lin Qiuman was released from prison, she had rushed from one factory to another just to make a living. How could she have time for skincare?
But now she paid great attention to her skin. In just two days, she had already used two facial masks. She even had a gentle body wash and shampoo—everything from head to toe was carefully cared for.
She had just finished washing and was sitting with damp hair, ready to watch a lesson from a “gold medal teacher,” when a force suddenly pulled her back into the mud house.
“Kangkang, why are you here? Have you eaten?” Only then did Lin Qiuman realize that whenever someone approached her, the space would automatically send her back.
“Firewood.” Shen Lingkang’s face was covered in sweat as he pointed to the pile of wood beside him. Without giving Lin Qiuman time to react, he turned and ran off into the darkness.
Lin Qiuman smiled warmly, her heart both touched and aching. She stood there foolishly smiling to herself for quite a while.
…
“Did I come too early?”
From afar, Shen Linghua saw the classroom light still on. When he stepped inside, he happened to see Lin Qiuman’s palm-sized face under the dim kerosene lamp—her sharp chin and prominent cheekbones made her look extremely thin.
This poor girl… she was so skinny she hardly looked healthy.
If she didn’t eat some meat to nourish herself, what if she fell sick? Then how would Kang Kang go to school?
Thinking of this, he considered going into the mountains to catch a couple of wild rabbits or a pheasant.
“I’m helping Sister Yujuan copy the textbook. Do you want me to copy yours too?” Lin Qiuman quickly withdrew her gaze, afraid she might scare Shen Linghua.
“Didn’t you say I look like your brother? Then you can copy mine for me.”
Shen Linghua tossed his notebook to Lin Qiuman. Before leaving, he added a warning:
“If the old village chief comes to check later, say you offered to copy it for me.”
“Alright, I understand.” Lin Qiuman nodded. When she opened his notebook, she saw his bold and free-flowing handwriting—just like his personality, flamboyant yet impossible to dislike.
That night, the old village chief never came to check.
Other students came to study, but Shen Linghua was the only one missing.
“Su Zhen, tomorrow I want to go to the provincial capital to look for a relative. Could I borrow some money from you?”
After the other students left, Lin Qiuman finally spoke to Su Zhen with a troubled expression.
In truth, she wasn’t going to visit relatives. She simply planned to go to the county town to exchange some goods. She needed a reasonable excuse for bringing those things back.
“How much do you need? I’ll go ask my mother for it.”
“It’s not much. I just need money for the train ticket to the provincial capital. My relatives will cover the return fare.” Lin Qiuman smiled awkwardly and took out a fountain pen filled with ink. “Take this pen as a gift.”
“Manman, you’re too polite. This pen must be worth a lot.” Su Zhen waved her hands nervously. “I can’t accept it—you should keep it.”
“It’s okay. I’ve already thought of a way to make money.” Lin Qiuman pressed the pen into her hand and explained, “I like writing. I’ve written many essays and poems before. If one of them gets selected for publication, I’ll earn some money.”
After leaving prison in her previous life, Lin Qiuman could only drift between factories for work. In those dark days, writing was her only joy.
Unfortunately, she had fallen out of touch with the times. Her writing no longer matched the era’s progress. Moreover, once publishers heard she had been in prison, they lost all interest in even reading her work.
Fortunately, she had returned to this time period. Those same articles would now suit the current era perfectly. She planned to try submitting them to publishing houses.
“Teacher Lin, you’re really amazing,” Su Zhen said with admiration.
“I’m only planning to submit them. There’s no guarantee they’ll accept them.” Though in truth, Lin Qiuman believed they probably would.
Not long after Su Zhen returned home, she came back with money from her mother. She also brought several flatbreads for Lin Qiuman to use as travel rations.
Looking at the mother and daughter who had only just met her yet were already so considerate, Lin Qiuman felt a sudden surge of emotion.
“Teacher Lin, from now on our Su Zhen is in your care. I don’t ask for much—just teach her some of your cleverness,” Su Zhen’s mother said, patting Lin Qiuman’s arm reassuringly. “Girl, I can tell you’re destined for great things. Your blessings are still ahead.”
“Auntie, Su Zhen—from now on, you’re my family.” Thinking of the parents she had deeply hurt, Lin Qiuman’s eyes reddened.
She had broken ties with her parents and siblings just to be with Wu Jianxun. Before she went to prison for him in her previous life, her parents had tried once more to persuade her, urging her to think about her future.
But she stubbornly believed Wu Jianxun was her entire life. Ignoring her family’s objections and advice, she insisted on taking the blame for him…
Su Zhen and her mother comforted Lin Qiuman for quite some time. The three of them shared heartfelt words until it grew late.
“Are you done copying yet?”
After the two women left, Shen Linghua suddenly emerged from the darkness.
Lin Qiuman jumped in fright, clutching her chest. “Not yet.”
“Two wild rabbits and one pheasant. Copy all the key points for me and you won’t be losing out.”
Shen Linghua tossed the two small rabbits into Lin Qiuman’s dormitory.
The pheasant had a willow twig tied around its neck, and he hung it on a nearby stone.
“Third Brother…” Lin Qiuman frowned.
“What? If you don’t want them, I’ll take them back.” Shen Linghua curled his lips. “The two tigresses at my house would be overjoyed if they saw this pheasant.”
“I just… don’t know how to kill a chicken,” Lin Qiuman said softly, glancing up at Shen Linghua. His wild, unruly long hair really needed trimming.