The young man driving the tractor had long left, leaving the village quiet in the evening.
Yun Ting and the others returned to the sent-down youth dorm to put away their grain and start cleaning up.
As they finished sweeping the courtyard, Lu Jiayan and the others arrived.
“I heard from the team leader that you rented this house. We rented here too,” Lu Jiayan said.
“That’s perfect! You can help with the cleaning,” Yun Ting replied.
Yin Jiao immediately started complaining again. “This house is too dilapidated! Can people even live here?”
“If you don’t like it, don’t stay. The team leader said those with money can build their own,” Yun Ting snapped back, clearly losing patience with the spoiled young lady.
The old landlord’s house was spacious, with many rooms—similar to a western-style courtyard, though not quite the same. After clearing out the clutter, it looked much better. The broken doors, windows, and roof still needed repair, and the kang beds might require money to fix.
Everyone picked their rooms. Yun Ting deliberately chose a room a bit farther from the male and female leads but on the same side as Yang Qingqing, with Li Zhaodi in between. Across from her was Zhou Yang, while Lu Jiayan chose the room opposite Yang Qingqing. Yin Jiao ended up next to Wang Xue, right by Lu Jiayan’s side. Yun Ting watched the room selection unfold with a quiet amusement—life here promised plenty of entertainment.
“Why don’t we sweep the kangs clean and stay here tonight? We can make do,” Yun Ting suggested. She had no intention of being crammed into the dorm again; tomorrow was workday.
“I was thinking the same,” Yang Qingqing agreed.
“Let’s move our things, but we should inform the senior youths when they return,” Yun Ting added.
“Yes, a quick heads-up is needed,” Yang Qingqing nodded.
At noon, the team leader arrived with help to repair the roofs and windows. Villagers and senior youths noticed the new sent-down youths moving into the old landlord’s house. Rumors flew—some said they were naive and rich, others claimed the house must be haunted, and some grumbled that the house was better than the village homes.
“Look at these newbies, separating themselves from the rest of us!” Wang Lijuan snarked.
“It’s cramped to sleep ten on one kang. If they can afford to move out, that’s a good thing. Why be sour?” Li Hongxia retorted. Wang Lijuan pouted but stayed quiet; she knew the dorm leader wasn’t someone to argue with.
Everyone else focused on their own tasks. By midday, the villagers had nearly finished the repairs. The roofs weren’t fully done yet, but as long as it didn’t rain, it wasn’t urgent.
Yun Ting carefully cleaned her room again. The old kang was dusty no matter how she swept. Luckily, she had spare newspapers stored in her space. She laid them down, added the deep blue cloth, and finally made the room passable.
Her luggage wasn’t heavy. While the others weren’t watching, she brought out a few things from her space—nothing too large, so no one suspected her secret stash.
After tidying up, she locked the door with a padlock her mother had thoughtfully prepared and sent with her elder sister.
“Yun, you’re foresighted, even bringing a lock,” Zhou Yang joked.
“My mom prepared it. If you don’t have one, it’s best to carry valuables when going out,” Yun Ting replied.
Yang Qingqing also had a lock—likely more than one, probably stored in her own space.
“Do you want to head into town to get anything?” Lu Jiayan asked.
“But it’s so far, and there’s no car,” Wang Xue hesitated. “How long would we have to walk?”
“And what about meals? We don’t even have a pot,” another girl added.
“Even if we go now, we might not find a pot,” Yun Ting reminded them.
“Why don’t we eat with the senior youths first? We can bring our own rations and take turns cooking,” Zhou Yang suggested.
“I can cook…” Yun Ting said.
“I’ll cook…” Yang Qingqing echoed at the same time, exchanging a glance and smiling.
“Did you two agree beforehand?” Zhou Yang asked, curious.
“Yang Qingqing, can I pair up with you? I don’t cook well; I’ll wash dishes,” Lu Jiayan asked urgently.
“Count me in,” Zhou Yang immediately followed.
Wang Xue was about to speak when Yang Qingqing quickly interrupted. “Sorry, I don’t want to cook for a huge group every day.”
At this point, Yang Qingqing didn’t feel anything for Lu Jiayan, so naturally she refused.
Lu Jiayan felt a little disappointed but quickly recovered.
Yun Ting watched their subtle interactions with interest. The performance was entertaining.
Yin Jiao did nothing; everything was handled by Li Zhaodi. Li Zhaodi was only staying there because Yin Jiao paid the rent for her—classic rich girl entitlement. If someone with ulterior motives were around, one complaint could bring her down; this young lady had zero awareness.
“I’ll head into the village to see if there’s a carpenter to buy a kang cabinet and table. Anyone want to come?” Yun Ting asked.
“I’m not going, I’ll rest,” Wang Xue waved her off—she couldn’t afford to spend recklessly, and her family wouldn’t send more money.
“I’ll come with you!” Yang Qingqing joined Yun Ting immediately, not giving Lu Jiayan a chance to argue.