After taking out her phone and setting an alarm, Shen Zhiyao planned to return the weapon to Lu Sicheng before dawn. She didn’t want it at all—what could possibly be missing from her own weapons depot?
Alright… to be honest, she was just worried he wouldn’t be able to report properly if the gun went missing.
She flashed back into the space. It was already after midnight outside, and there was no point sleeping for long. Heaven and earth could wait—sleep came first!
She slept for two full days inside the space, resting until she was completely refreshed. After eating, she went to the small-goods warehouse and spent a long time picking something out. In the end, she chose a plain, unadorned wooden box. She put the pistol and bullets inside, wrapped it tightly with a piece of cloth, and left the space.
The sun outside hadn’t fully risen yet. Shen Zhiyao sneaked over to Lu Sicheng’s door, placed the wooden box at the entrance, then crept back and hid by her own door to listen.
Inside, Lu Sicheng heard footsteps. He opened the door, saw no one outside, then glanced at Shen Zhiyao’s door. Just as he was about to go back in, he looked down and noticed a black cloth bundle lying on the ground, bulging with something inside.
He picked it up. The moment he felt the weight, he knew exactly what it was. A tender, indulgent smile appeared on his face as he closed the door.
When the work bell rang, everyone headed toward the fields. Wearing a gauze mask, Shen Zhiyao strolled out at an unhurried pace.
Lu Sicheng stood there stiffly, like a mannequin, clearly waiting for her. When he saw her, his gaze swept from the top of her head to her feet. Only after confirming she wasn’t injured anywhere did he quietly breathe a sigh of relief.
Shen Zhiyao looked at him. “Why are you standing here? Trying to scare someone to death this early in the morning?”
Lu Sicheng looked at her with amusement. “This is my doorway. Do you live by the sea? Why are you meddling so much?”
Shen Zhiyao shot him a glare. “Only parrots mimic what others say.”
“How did you sleep last night?” he asked.
She eyed him warily. “Pretty well. Went to bed early.” The answer practically screamed guilty conscience.
They chatted idly as they walked forward, stopping at the very back of the crowd.
“Look! Educated Youth Lu is here!” someone shouted from the crowd. All eyes turned toward them, and Lu Sicheng frowned in irritation.
Shen Zhiyao immediately quickened her pace to put some distance between them. The last thing she wanted was attention—otherwise, she wouldn’t be wearing a mask every single day.
Several female educated youths glanced shyly at Lu Sicheng.
At that moment, Li Zhongjiang, shouting in his booming voice from the front, announced, “Today the newly arrived educated youths will work together with everyone. Let’s promote the spirit of mutual help! The new youths won’t know how to work yet, so everyone should take care of them. Each team will take one person—male or female—and no one is allowed to complain!”
“Village Head, there are eight new educated youths but only seven teams. There’s one extra person!” someone called out.
“Educated Youth Shen is assigned to cut pig grass on the mountain due to health reasons. That leaves exactly seven people.”
Niu Xiaohua and another female educated youth immediately protested, “Why doesn’t Shen Zhiyao have to work in the fields? What health reason? No matter what illness, she shouldn’t be exempt from work!”
Li Zhongjiang shouted back, “She doesn’t want work points. Do you want to give yours up too?”
The female educated youth fell silent.
Niu Xiaohua craned her neck stubbornly. “I lived with her for three years. Why don’t I know she has any illness?”
Shen Zhiyao walked closer, her gaze icy. Then she laughed lightly and said, “Niu Xiaohua, you only have one face—could you maybe waste it a little less? In my house, even your mother had to live by watching my expression. Who do you think you are? Do I need to report my illnesses to you?”
Then she raised her voice to the crowd. “Going up the mountain to cut pig grass is also contributing to village construction. If no one cuts pig grass, what will the pigs eat? If the pigs don’t grow, what will you eat during the New Year? One or two work points a day is enough for me to feed myself. For the sake of my health, choosing what kind of work I do is my right. Spend your energy working, not staring at what other people are doing!”
She shot Niu Xiaohua another glare. “Honestly—like a turtle falling into a salt jar. You’ve got nothing better to do!”
With that, she returned to the back of the crowd.
Lu Sicheng leaned over with a mischievous grin. “That tongue of yours is pretty sharp.”
“With no parents, no family, no relatives, if I weren’t tough, wouldn’t I be bullied to death?” Shen Zhiyao said, letting out a self-mocking smile. She thought of her real life—she had been an orphan there too.
Lu Sicheng was completely stunned. His eyes filled with pain and tenderness.
Seeing his expression, Shen Zhiyao said, “Don’t look at me like that. I don’t care. I’ve long been used to it. My father was a soldier—he died in the line of duty. I’m proud of him.”
“Yes,” Lu Sicheng said softly. “Your father was amazing.”
After the assignments were made, Shen Zhiyao shouldered her large basket and headed toward the mountains. Everyone else went to the fields, so she removed her mask. Even gauze masks were hot in the summer.
She took out a straw hat from her space and put it on. At the foot of the mountain, she saw a group of children heading up as well. The child at the back turned around, spotted her, and ran over, lifting his little face.
“Sister, you’re so pretty!”
Shen Zhiyao patted his head. “You’re cute too. What’s your name?”
“Li Dabao.”
She pulled a few pieces of candy from her pocket and handed them to him. “What’s your relationship with Uncle Li?”
“He’s my grandpa. Sister, you gave me candy—can I help you work?”
“No need. This candy is just for you. Sister can do the work herself.”
She sighed inwardly. Kids from this era were really adorable—not like some of the little brats in later years who could drive people crazy.
Li Dabao ran back to the group of kids and said something to them. Soon, the whole group ran ahead. Shen Zhiyao followed slowly behind and squatted down to start cutting pig grass. As she worked, she discussed with Baibai whether she could plant some in the space—so she wouldn’t have to climb the mountain every day. It was just too hot.
After more than ten minutes, the children came back carrying two baskets of pig grass and set them in front of her.
Shen Zhiyao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She took out a bag of fruit candies from her pack and told them to divide it among themselves.
The children refused and tried to run away. Shen Zhiyao raised her voice. “If you don’t take them, I won’t take the pig grass either!”
Only then did the kids accept the candy. They even told her that she didn’t need to give them candy for the next few days—this was enough to cover several days’ worth of pig grass.
Smiling, Shen Zhiyao said, “I didn’t give you candy in exchange for pig grass. Sister has hands and feet—I can cut it myself. I gave you candy because I like you and wanted to treat you.”
Meanwhile, in the fields, the new educated youths were exhausted on their first day of work, drenched in sweat. Niu Xiaohua suffered the most. Looking at the blisters and broken skin on her hands from the sickle, she cursed Shen Zhiyao countless times in her heart.
If it weren’t for Shen Zhiyao getting back at her mother by secretly signing her up to go to the countryside, she could have stayed in the city. At the very least, she would’ve had a temporary job—she wouldn’t have to suffer under the sun and wind every day.
The more she thought about it, the more she hated Shen Zhiyao.
All morning, Lu Sicheng was distracted. Shen Zhiyao’s words—“no parents, no family, no relatives”—kept echoing in his mind, stabbing at his heart like needles.
The contact had been caught, and he would soon have to leave. Would he ever see her again? Could he really bear to leave her alone in this village?
The more he thought about it, the less eager he was to catch the remaining collaborator. The higher-ups had given him ten days—taking it slow wouldn’t hurt, right?
After five years in the army, this was the first time Lu Sicheng didn’t want to complete a mission as quickly as possible.
After playing with the children for a while, Shen Zhiyao prepared to turn in the pig grass. Just then, she noticed a man with a strange expression, looking around nervously as he hurried in her direction.