In the blink of an eye, it was morning. The sun was already high in the sky.
Hu Jiaojiao lay on the bed, staring blankly. Gradually, her eyes focused, and she suddenly sat up. Thinking about what she was about to do, she felt a surge of excitement.
After a quick wash, she skipped breakfast and rushed straight into the kitchen, looking around and considering what would be appropriate to take with her.
The fire in the stove hadn’t completely gone out yet. She took out the basket of eggs from the cupboard—there were about twenty left. She left ten outside to boil in a pot, and stored the rest along with the basket. She took four coarse porcelain bowls, packed up the jars of oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar. At the bottom of the cupboard, she found a dusty little iron pot—perfect to go with the clay stove—so she took that too.
She took the kitchen knife, leaving behind a chipped one for the Hu family. At the bottom of the cabinet, she even found an axe—into her stash it went.
She packed up the pickled vegetables Mother Hu had made, took a jin of white flour, five jin of cornmeal, and a handful of dried noodles. With nothing else worth taking from the kitchen, she moved to the main room. She grabbed a thermos and two enamel mugs.
Next, she went into her parents’ room. Opening the cabinet, she saw several pairs of slightly defective thread gloves and took them all—gloves were essential for countryside work. She also took the imperfect fabric Mother Hu had been saving, even grabbing two pairs of flawed socks.
Then she went into the bedroom she shared with Third Sister. Opening her sister’s wardrobe, she picked through and took most of the clothes Third Sister had made over the past two years.
She packed all her own clothes as well.
She changed into a worn, faded outfit with no patches and slung Third Sister’s favorite crossbody bag—printed with a five-pointed star—over her shoulder.
She rolled up all her bedding and set it aside, then packed away all her high school textbooks from the desk.
Stepping out into the courtyard, she spotted a half-used bar of soap by the sink and a chipped basin—both went into her stash.
Back in the kitchen, she left four boiled eggs in the pot and packed the rest into her bag. She also stuffed in a few coarse-grain buns. Then she noticed an aluminum lunchbox tucked in the corner of the cupboard and took it as well.
Carrying her bedding roll and a nylon bag stuffed with old clothes, she headed for the train station. It was quite a distance from her home, so she took Bus No. 5, paying one fen. After a bumpy half-hour ride, she arrived.
As soon as she got off, she saw a crowd gathered around the educated youth office. She went over, registered her destination, and received a train ticket to the eastern province.
She then made her way toward the train. As it slowly pulled into the station, she squeezed toward Car No. 9, carried along by the crowd. Following the flow of people, she found her seat—No. 21. She had just stuffed her luggage onto the rack and sat down when a long-faced girl with a slightly freckled nose sat beside her. Soon, across from them, two young men and a girl took their seats.
Judging by their clothes, their families were probably fairly well-off. One of the boys looked bright and cheerful, the other gentle and refined. The girl had fair skin and big eyes, though her nose bridge wasn’t very high.
Hu Jiaojiao only glanced at them briefly and said nothing.
By now, the carriage was about half full, and the train started moving. After three hours, it reached Haishi and stopped for half an hour.
Hu Jiaojiao didn’t move, leaning back and pretending to nap.
Soon, the carriage became even livelier—almost every seat was filled. It was already 2 p.m.
Feeling a bit hungry, she took out an egg from her bag, peeled it, and ate it bite by bite. She washed it down with water from a military canteen—something she had “borrowed” from Fourth Brother’s room before leaving.
He had begged Mother Hu for a long time before she traded two jin of white flour with a neighbor for it. It had been sent back by the neighbor’s son during his first year in the army.
Imagining Fourth Brother’s reaction when he realized it was gone made her feel oddly satisfied.
The long-faced girl beside her was chewing on a coarse pancake. Around them, people began taking out their own food.
Across from them, the three youths were eating white-flour dumplings from a lunchbox.
Wow, they’re well-off.
The fair-skinned girl said, “Brother, Cheng Chen, eat.” The three of them started eating together.
The long-faced girl swallowed quietly, then spoke up to ease the awkwardness. “Hello, my name is Zhang Yan. I’m an educated youth going to Dasheng Commune in Qiu City, Eastern Province.”
The fair-skinned girl was about to roll her eyes but was stopped by her brother. He introduced them, “I’m Lin Yang. This is my sister Lin Xue, and this is our childhood friend Cheng Chen.”
“Hu Jiaojiao,” she replied softly, then continued peeling her second egg.
Soon, other newly boarded youths began introducing themselves: “I’m Li Dazhi,” “Zhang Dashan,” “Li Huahua…”
Then a deep male voice sounded, “Gu Chenye, from Haishi. Also going to Dasheng Commune.”
Another bright, confident voice followed, “I’m Su Yi, also from Haishi, heading to Dasheng Commune.”
Those two names felt strangely familiar.
Hu Jiaojiao looked up—and saw a handsome man and a beautiful woman.
Compared to the dull blue, gray, and black clothing typical of the era, the two of them stood out sharply.
Gu Chenye wore a white shirt and green trousers—exactly like a male lead from a period novel. Su Yi wore an off-white blouse with a beige dress, black leather shoes, and a lively ponytail—like the perfect female lead.
As Hu Jiaojiao lowered her gaze, she noticed Zhang Yan blushing. Even Lin Xue across from her had slightly reddened cheeks.
She lowered her head again and pretended to nap—but inside, she was screaming.
Gu Chenye. Su Yi.
Isn’t this the novel I binge-read before I came here—“The Delicate Wife of the 1970s”?*
In the story, the heroine Su Yi dies from overwork in the modern world and transmigrates into this era after the original body dies of a fever caused by family exploitation. She decisively cuts ties with her family, uses her farmland space ability to take everything useful from home, sells the old items on the black market—calling it “starting fresh,” though really she just didn’t care for such things.
Then she heads to the countryside and meets Gu Chenye on the train—a man who signed up out of spite toward his family. Over two days and nights together, they develop feelings for each other.
After that comes the usual plot: dealing with troublesome relatives, preparing for the college entrance exams, rising through hard work, gaining recognition from Gu Chenye’s family, and ultimately reaching the peak of life.
As for Hu Jiaojiao—she had only noticed the name while skimming the novel.
That character was just a background figure. She obediently followed her mother’s arrangements, went to the countryside with little money, stayed quiet and withdrawn, caught a fever during a rainy harvest, and died shortly after.
Zhang Yan, Lin Xue, and the others were also part of the same group of educated youths—mere supporting characters meant to highlight the protagonists’ relationship.
Hu Jiaojiao made a firm decision.
She would keep a low profile—at least until she could return to the city.
And most importantly, she would stay far away from the male and female leads.
Her life mattered more.