Around 7:20, they arrived at school. As they stepped onto campus, the air was filled with the vibrancy of youth.
It was peak arrival time, with a steady stream of students—teen boys and girls—walking through the gates.
Lin Yuxi still had some memory of her class and headed toward Class 5 of the second year.
When she reached the doorway and looked inside, more than half the class had already arrived. The ones still missing were those who lived farther away.
She glanced over the rows of seats, her brows knitting unconsciously—where was her seat?
Just then, a sweet-looking girl in the third row by the window waved at her.
“Lin Yuxi, come in! What are you standing there for?”
It clicked—this was her middle school deskmate, Jiang Xiuli.
She quickly walked over and sat beside her.
“Yuxi, quick—where’s your math homework? There are a few problems I don’t understand. Let me take a look!”
Jiang Xiuli tugged anxiously at her schoolbag.
Homework? What was that again?
Lin Yuxi froze.
“You didn’t do it, did you?”
Scratching her head awkwardly, she braced herself and said, “I… something happened yesterday. I didn’t get the chance to do it.”
Jiang Xiuli’s eyes widened. “What? Then you’re in trouble! The math teacher hates students who don’t do their homework—you’re definitely getting scolded today!”
Luckily, there was still time. Lin Yuxi hurriedly started rushing through her assignments.
Thanks to her past life—where her scumbag husband was rarely home and she had no children—she had spent her days running a business and attended night classes in the evenings.
Middle school problems were still within her grasp. Before the 8:10 class began, she managed to finish all her assignments.
Jiang Xiuli gave her a thumbs-up. “You’re amazing!”
After more than twenty years away from student life, Lin Yuxi gradually shifted from unfamiliarity to adaptation.
When school ended, she didn’t rush home like before. Instead, she wandered around the town.
At this time, there were no private shops—only a supply and marketing cooperative and a state-run restaurant.
As the aroma of meat drifted out from the restaurant, her stomach growled uncontrollably.
It had been a long time since she’d tasted meat. Even though she’d lived well in her later years in her previous life, those delicacies couldn’t compare to the simple, tempting smell right now.
She touched her pocket, thinking of the 2.20 yuan in her space.
Gritting her teeth, she decided that since the money wasn’t enough for anything significant anyway, she might as well satisfy her craving.
There were quite a few people inside the restaurant. Looking at the menu, she saw that a meat bun cost 0.15 yuan. She couldn’t afford anything else, so she settled for that.
She bought two meat buns but didn’t eat them inside—she was afraid of running into someone she knew.
Finding a secluded spot, she slipped into her space and eagerly took a bite. The familiar yet long-forgotten flavor spread through her mouth, and she nearly teared up from happiness.
After coming out of her space, she headed home. There was no point in looking around more—she had no money.
When she arrived, Old Madam Lin was already scolding someone, and seeing Lin Yuxi only fueled her anger.
“Hurry up and cook! You don’t come straight home after school—where the hell did you go?”
Those working in the production team hadn’t returned yet, but Lin Yuwei and Lin Yuzhu were already back.
It wasn’t that Old Madam Lin favored them—rather, their mothers protected them fiercely.
Only Lin Yuxi had no one to back her up, so she was constantly ordered around. Moreover, she believed her grandparents knew about her background, which was why her grandmother disliked her even more.
Pretending not to hear, Lin Yuxi walked straight into the house.
Since she couldn’t get Lin Yuxi to move, Old Madam Lin ordered the other two granddaughters to cook while she prepared the dishes.
Once the food was ready, those working in the fields returned.
“Eat quickly, then go plant the private plot,” Old Master Lin instructed.
Everyone responded and began eating. Lin Yuxi quickly finished her meal and slipped back to her room.
Something big was about to blow up—she needed to stay far away.
After finishing his meal, the eldest uncle asked Old Madam Lin for the storeroom key to get the corn seeds.
A moment later, he shouted, “Mom, where are the seeds?”
“They’re in the storeroom,” she replied while eating.
“I just checked—they’re not there.”
“How could they not be? They’ve been in the storeroom since we bought them. I’ll go take a look.”
Old Madam Lin put down her bowl and went to check. After searching the entire storeroom, there was no sign of the seeds. Everything else—grain and supplies—was untouched. Only the seeds were missing.
The first thought that came to her mind: which daughter-in-law had taken them back to her natal family?
She returned to the house and looked at the three daughters-in-law. “Which one of you took the seeds?”
All three shook their heads, denying it.
Furious, Old Madam Lin stomped her feet. “None of you admit it! If you didn’t take them, did the seeds grow wings and fly away?”
The third daughter-in-law said aggrievedly, “Mom, my parents’ home is far away, and I’ve been working every day. I haven’t gone back at all.”
The eldest daughter-in-law chimed in, “Exactly. Our fields were planted days ago—who would need seeds now? You can’t falsely accuse us.”
Old Madam Lin then turned to the second son and his wife. They immediately denied it, and Jiang Taohua added, “Mom, hasn’t the storeroom key always been with you?”
Her natal family was in the neighboring village—could it be that she had taken the seeds back herself?
Seeing everyone looking at her suspiciously, Old Madam Lin exploded.
“Oh, so now you’re all turning this on me? You stole the seeds and now you’re blaming me? You heartless ingrates!”
She plopped onto the ground, slapping her thighs and wailing, feeling utterly wronged.
“That’s enough! Stop howling. Do you want everyone to hear? Aren’t you ashamed?” Old Master Lin snapped.
He had already checked the storeroom—nothing else was missing. The windows had iron bars, and the lock was intact. It was clearly an inside job.
He didn’t want outsiders finding out—it would be too humiliating.
No one suspected Lin Yuxi. Who would ever think of her?
The fields couldn’t be planted that day—they would have to buy new seeds tomorrow.
Over the next few days, the planting was completed, but the family members continued to suspect one another, each believing someone had taken the seeds to support their natal family.
Since tools were often stored in the storeroom and the key was sometimes left on the table, everyone had motive.
Meanwhile, the real “thief” quietly hid her merits, watching them fight openly and secretly.
After two more days of school, the school announced a ten-day farming break. The production team was about to begin large-scale planting.
Lin Yuxi kept thinking about how she would spend those ten days. Her grandmother would definitely make her work in the fields—but she had no intention of doing that.
Farm work during peak season was exhausting—long days from dawn till dusk. In her previous life, she had seen urban educated youths working while crying more than once.
Every year at this time, what did Lin Yuwei and Lin Yuzhu do?
It seemed they went to cut grass for the production team’s cattle and horses, earning three or four work points a day.
She made up her mind. This year, she would do the same—and while she was at it, she’d see if she could find anything valuable in the mountains.
Right now, she just wanted to make money.