It wasn’t until everything was unloaded that the old cart driver realized all four massive parcels belonged entirely to Wen Ya.
He couldn’t help thinking to himself: This girl’s family must be loaded. They sure dote on their daughter, sending her off with this much stuff.
As the driver prepared to head back, Ling Hao offered him two cigarettes. The old man tried to politely decline, but Ling Hao pressed them into his hand. Smiling broadly, the driver accepted them and went on his way.
Wen Ya carried her things inside, locked her door, and headed right back out. Ling Hao, hearing movement next door, immediately stepped out into the yard.
“Where are you headed?” he asked.
“I’m going to the youth point to fetch the rest of my belongings,” Wen Ya replied. “Now that the house is set up, I won’t be staying over there anymore.”
“I’ll go with you.”
The two walked back to the youth point together. Once there, Wen Ya set about packing up her remaining things.
She couldn’t help but notice the strange atmosphere hanging over the place—it felt like some drama had flared up between the female lead and the villainess. Still, none of it was any of her business.
As she packed her bags, Wang Meiyu walked over.
“Educated Youth Wen, are you moving out already?”
“Mhm, I’m heading over today.”
“Do you need any help?”
“No need, Educated Youth Wang. Everyone’s just getting settled in and has plenty on their plate; I wouldn’t want to take up your time. I’ll take my leave now—goodbye.”
With that, she hoisted her heavy load—some slung over her shoulders, some carried by hand—and made a quick exit. She had zero interest in entangling herself with the female lead, who was nothing short of a magnet for trouble.
The female lead’s life was a series of calamities, but thanks to her plot armor, she always emerged completely unscathed—leaving the surrounding side characters to take the hit instead. Wen Ya had no desire to play the sacrificial side character; watching the drama unfold from a safe distance was plenty for her.
In truth, Wang Meiyu had approached her out of suspicion. In her past life, neither Wen Ya nor Ling Hao had ever appeared. Sensing they were variables beyond her control, she had tried to strike up a conversation to test the waters. She certainly hadn’t expected Wen Ya to be so cold and guarded, giving her no opening at all.
Watching the exchange from across the room, Xie Ling let out a cold sneer. She and Wang Meiyu had already completely fallen out.
The trouble had started because Wang Meiyu, noticing that Ling Hao hadn’t existed in her past life, had kept a close eye on him. Xie Ling had caught her staring, assumed Wang Meiyu had feelings for Ling Hao, and began picking fights with her. But as a reborn soul, Wang Meiyu was no push-over, and the two had swiftly torn into each other, shattering any pretense of harmony.
Hearing the sneer, Wang Meiyu glanced back and glared at Xie Ling, ignoring her entirely.
Over on the other side of the room, Wen Ya said a quick word to He Zhiwei before heading out the door with her bags. Ling Hao spoke to He Zhiwei as well, then followed right behind her.
Once they were clear of the youth point, Ling Hao casually relieved her of two of her heaviest bags.
Wen Ya watched him carry the heavy load so effortlessly, her eyes landing on his arm muscles, which strained taut against his shirt sleeves with every movement.
She couldn’t help feeling envious. If only I had that kind of physical strength! Though… I’ll pass on the bulky muscles.
Noticing Wen Ya staring at him, Ling Hao immediately threw his shoulders back and straightened his spine, desperate to leave a heroic impression on her.
He was already standing as rigid as a soldier on parade. His family had subjected him to strict physical training from a young age; even without his supernatural abilities, his raw conditioning would have easily made him a top-tier elite in the military.
His mother and grandmother had forbidden him from enlisting, though, and he himself hated being tied down by rigid rules, so he had refused to join. But when the call came for each household to send a youth to the countryside, he had volunteered himself.
Luckily he had come—otherwise, where would he have ever met Wen Ya?
Little did he know, while he had run off to the countryside on a whim, his loyal follower back home had already volunteered for the countryside too, determined to track him down.
Upon reaching their site, Ling Hao set Wen Ya’s bags down by the front gate before turning back to his own side.
Wen Ya unlocked her door and hauled her belongings inside room by room. Out in broad daylight, she didn’t dare risk using her spatial storage. Relying on it under the cover of night was one thing, but during the day, it was best to play it completely safe.
Sitting down inside to catch her breath, she suddenly remembered she had completely forgotten to buy basic furniture—tables, chairs, stools, or cabinets.
Resigned, she decided to eat something first before heading out to shop for furniture. Earlier that morning, she had installed her own cooking pot, carefully sealing the gaps around the stove hearth with wet yellow mud.
By the time she finished, her stomach was rumbling with hunger. She washed her hands, pulled a packed lunch box out of her spatial storage, and dug in.
Once she finished eating, she stepped out to find Ling Hao.
“Educated Youth Ling, are you there?”
“Need something?”
“I’m heading out to buy some furniture. I was wondering if you wanted to come along?”
“I’ll come.”
“Let me swing by the old party secretary’s house first to ask his wife where we can get some.”
Carrying a small woven basket, she walked over to the secretary’s house. Arriving at the courtyard, she found the old woman sitting outside.
“Auntie, I’m back again!”
“Educated Youth Wen, come on in!”
“Auntie, you can just call me Xiao Ya.”
“Alright, come sit down.”
“Auntie, I actually came to ask a favor.”
“You silly girl, if you need something, just say the word!”
“I was hoping to trade for some fresh vegetables from your garden.”
“Trade? Nonsense! We have plenty in the plot. Whatever you want to eat, just go out back and pick it yourself.”
“That won’t do at all, Auntie. I can’t just take advantage of your generosity, or I’d be too embarrassed to ever come back.”
“Alright, fine, a trade it is! You educated folks sure know how to spin a sentence—I can never win an argument with you.”
“Hehe, here Auntie, take this—I’m trading it for the veggies.”
“Child, take this back! This is far too much!”
“Auntie, please just take it. I still need your help with something else in a moment!”
“You silly girl… if you need help, just ask! What are you doing giving me gifts?”
“No, Auntie, really, please hold onto it. I’ll need you to guide me in a bit!”
After much gentle coaxing, the secretary’s wife finally relented and accepted the gift, secretly resolving to pack her an extra big bundle of vegetables and keep a close eye out to help the girl whenever she could in the future.
“So, what else did you need help with?”
“Auntie, Ling Hao and I are looking to get some furniture. You know how empty my place is—I just wanted to ask where we might go to buy or trade for some.”
“Come on then! I happen to be free right now—I’ll lead the way.”
“Ah, wonderful! Thank you so much, Auntie!”
Stepping outside, they found Ling Hao waiting by the gate. Seeing the secretary’s wife, he offered a polite greeting:
“Hello, Auntie.”
“Ah, good, good! You two follow me.”
The secretary’s wife led them through the village lanes until they arrived at a courtyard strewn with raw timber logs.
“Liu Wu, you home?” she called out.
“Over here!” a voice called back.
“Do you have any finished furniture left?”
“Sure do!”
“Perfect. Xiao Ya and Educated Youth Ling here are looking to get some pieces.”
“Come on over and take a look then,” Liu Wu said, leading them toward a side shed.
Stepping inside, the two found the shed filled with sturdy, handmade wooden furniture, and they began browsing through the selection.
In truth, Wen Ya did the browsing while Ling Hao simply mirrored her orders. Wen Ya picked out a dining table, two wooden stools, a kitchen cupboard, a raised trunk for the sleeping platform, and a low storage cabinet.
She also gestured and described what she wanted to place a custom order for a large wooden bath barrel. Ling Hao skipped the barrel; he found soaking in baths far too troublesome. Though, he thought to himself, once Wen Ya and I get married, we can always swap it out for a bigger one.
When Liu Wu tallied up the total, Wen Ya spent twenty yuan, while Ling Hao spent sixteen.
Liu Wu promised to haul everything over to their cottages on a cart later that afternoon. With their purchases settled, the two walked back home alongside the secretary’s wife.