Shen Zhiyao had only been asleep for a short while when she was woken by a knock on the door. Groggy and annoyed, she sat up, spending nearly a minute gathering herself before getting up to open it. When she opened the door, Lu Sicheng was standing outside.
Seeing her half-asleep face, a faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips. He said, “Uncle Li has notified you new sent-down youths to attend a meeting.”
“Oh, got it.” She didn’t even close the door. Turning back into the room, she took out half a catty of beef jerky from the space, wrapped it in greaseproof paper, and handed it to Lu Sicheng. “Thanks for helping me carry my stuff today. This is for you.”
Before he could say anything, she added, “I don’t like owing anyone. Take it!”
Hearing her mention someone else, Lu Sicheng felt a sudden tightness in his chest, but he said nothing and quietly turned to leave.
Shen Zhiyao returned to her room, put on a mask, and went outside to stand in the open space. The new sent-down youths were scattered in small groups, talking among themselves. Shen Zhiyao felt too lazy to interact, so she stood apart. Niu Xiaohua wanted to approach and assert herself, but Lin Yesheng held her back.
Shen Zhiyao had never really paid attention to him before. Lin Yesheng wasn’t tall—about 1.75 meters—but his fair skin gave him an elegant air. Yet his eyes gave off a strange feeling, as if there was always scheming lurking in the shadows.
Seeing Shen Zhiyao observing him, Lin Yesheng smiled, and she glared at him sharply.
Soon, Li Zhongjiang arrived. “Ahem, everyone, listen up! How’s everyone feeling after today’s rest? Starting tomorrow morning, when the work bell rings, everyone goes to work together. You may not have any rations right now, but the village will lend some to you. After the harvest, you can choose to exchange with public points or buy them with money. You’ll collect your rations shortly. Any difficulties, go to the senior youth team leaders—Yang Xueyi for the boys, Su Ping for the girls. You should meet them this afternoon. If they can’t solve your problems, come to me!”
After that, everyone dispersed. Shen Zhiyao didn’t go to collect rations like the others. Instead, she returned to her house to prepare some gifts. Having grown up with her parents, served by nannies and drivers, she wasn’t used to fieldwork. She intended to negotiate with the village head for an easier task. Call it being a “capitalist miss” or seeking special treatment—it didn’t matter. As a soul from a modern era, she wouldn’t suffer needlessly.
On the way back, she saw Lu Sicheng standing at the doorway and looked at him.
He quickly looked away, a faint blush coloring his ears. “Aren’t you going to collect rations? Need help?”
“I do, but I’ll go in a bit. There are too many people right now, wait for me.”
She returned inside, took two boxes of Da Qianmen cigarettes, two pounds of brown sugar, and a box of malted milk from the space, wrapped them in a cloth, and stepped out.
Lu Sicheng waited outside and guided her toward the brigade office, keeping a distance of three steps. He deliberately walked slowly, muttering as if to himself, “I’m Lu Sicheng—‘Si’ for ‘thought’, ‘Cheng’ for presenting.”
Shen Zhiyao replied in kind, “Shen Zhiyao—‘Zhi’ for knowledgeable and courteous, ‘Yao’ for precious, ‘Qiong’ for jade, ‘Si’ for thought.”
Both paused for a moment. Shen Zhiyao quickly clarified, “I didn’t mean anything else. I just wanted to explain the meaning of my name. My ‘Si’ is for ‘thought’, not your ‘Si’.”
Lu Sicheng turned and smiled, his ears tinged with red. “It’s okay. My mom is Cheng Yuli, so I’m called Sicheng. I have a younger brother and sister—my brother is Lu Siyu (‘Yu’ as in territory), my sister is Lu Sili (‘Li’ as in dawn). All are homophones.”
Shen Zhiyao nodded and kept walking, thinking, No wonder in my dream, in the previous life, his father was framed. His mother could have divorced to avoid that disaster, but she didn’t. She followed him to the northwest. Their relationship must be really strong.
Lost in thought, she accidentally bumped into Lu Sicheng’s back. Rubbing her forehead, tears sprang to her eyes from the sting.
Lu Sicheng froze. He had intended to move her hand to check for injuries but realized it was inappropriate. His raised arm stiffened mid-air.
The concern in his mind came out instead as words: “Is there money on the ground? Or has the window to your soul gathered dust?”
Shen Zhiyao, already in pain, was infuriated. “Hmph! Like an old lady climbing stairs—you don’t fight back, you just reverse the blame. You walk, you suddenly stop—what’s that about?”
Lu Sicheng said nothing, just pointed ahead.
Looking forward, Shen Zhiyao realized they had arrived. Embarrassed, she looked at him. “Sorry about that.”
“Why apologize? You bumped into yourself; it didn’t hurt me.”
Infuriating, infuriating!
“Are you trying to kill me with anger to inherit my fortune?”
Lu Sicheng “…?” Not quite—who’s making whom angry?
They didn’t say another word and walked to the registration desk. Shen Zhiyao handed the money to the village head: “Uncle Li, I’ll pay for it.”
He looked at her, weighed the grain, collected the money, and said, “You’re the last one. Come with me to see my house. I can tell you don’t like interacting with others, so if you need anything in the future, just come to me.”
Shen Zhiyao happily nodded. She planned to discuss her work assignment with him. Lu Sicheng carried the grain behind her while she walked with Li Zhongjiang.
“Uncle Li, actually, my health isn’t great. I sweat a lot, and if I catch a cold while working, I’ll slow everyone down. Could you assign me a lighter task, fewer work points, or even no points at all? I’ll buy my grain with money.”
“Then why did you come to the countryside? If you’re not short on money, why not just get a job in the city?”
“I have a job—I inherited my mother’s. But Niu Xiaohua’s mom, the woman my uncle married afterward, wanted to take my position and secretly signed me up to go down here!”
Li Zhongjiang’s expression softened with sympathy.
Shen Zhiyao thought: Uncle, what’s with that look?
“Okay, as long as you don’t take public grain, that’s fine. But others might object, and it’s hard for me to explain!”
Shen Zhiyao seized the chance. “Don’t worry, Uncle Li. If anyone asks, just say I’m sick. I wear a mask every day. If they’re unhappy, I’ll handle it myself!” She clenched her fist as she said it.
At the doorway, she shoved the cloth bundle into Li Zhongjiang’s hand. “Uncle Li, this is a little gift, not a bribe. Just a token of respect from a junior to an elder—sorry for the trouble!”
Without waiting for him to respond, she ran off. A few steps later, she saw Lu Sicheng carrying grain.
“Why didn’t you go back?” she asked.
He couldn’t help but smile at her anger. “You didn’t let me! Besides, it’s almost dark—aren’t you scared?”
“I’m not scared! Who’s afraid when facing bad guys?”
They walked back together. Shen Zhiyao hesitated, then said, “You’ve heard everything, right? Do you think I’m special?”
Lu Sicheng shook his head. “You have the ability to make your life better—why choose to suffer?”
Shen Zhiyao chuckled. “Your worldview is solid, but your looks… not so much. You’re stern, not cute at all!”
“I’m a grown man. Who cares about cute? But your mouth… wow, you’re really something.”
Walking back to the sent-down youth quarters, they joked along the way. At the entrance, Shen Zhiyao tried to give him some snacks, but Lu Sicheng refused. “I know you have enough money. Buy yourself something good instead!” With that, he went back inside.
Shen Zhiyao smiled to herself outside. Actually, he’s kind of cute!