That evening, when He Lingyun brought dinner to Luo Zhiyáo, he asked about renting and building a house.
“Zhizhi, you want to build your own house?”
“Yes. I was actually going to ask you this afternoon—can you get red bricks? I want to build a brick house.”
“Zhizhi, given the current situation, I don’t recommend building a house. Things are tightly controlled outside, and I’m afraid you’ll be targeted. My grandparents’ place has plenty of space. If you want to eat separately or anything, I can arrange it for you.”
Luo Zhiyaothought about it and felt He Lingyun had a point. This was the most tense period—many Red Guards were patrolling and making arrests everywhere, and people were on edge.
“Mainly, I don’t want to live with others. The educated youth compound is so crowded, and living together leads to too many conflicts.”
“No problem. My grandparents’ place has enough space, and you’ll have plenty of freedom. No one else will move in either. You can go take a look tomorrow, and if anything isn’t suitable, we can make adjustments.”
“Alright, I’ll go take a look tomorrow. If it doesn’t work, we can modify it. Won’t your grandparents be upset?”
“Don’t overthink it. My grandfather is an educated man, and my grandmother was a well-known talented woman in her time. They’re not traditional-minded people. Otherwise, at my age, I would’ve already been forced to marry.”
That made sense. At twenty-five in this era, if one wasn’t married, it usually meant either a hidden issue or some undisclosed secret.
“Mm, then it’s settled. Tomorrow I—”
“I’ll bring you breakfast tomorrow and take you there.”
“Alright, thank you, Ah Ling.”
“Don’t thank me. This is what I should do as someone pursuing you.”
The way he spoke so naturally didn’t seem like someone pursuing a girl for the first time. Luo Zhiyaocouldn’t help but ask suspiciously:
“Are you really pursuing a girl for the first time? Why does it all seem so familiar?”
He Lingyun choked slightly. “Don’t talk nonsense. I’ve never pursued any other female comrade. You’re the first—and the last.”
Meeting her skeptical gaze, he added firmly, “Zhizhi, I really haven’t. Absolutely not.”
“Alright, alright—I believe you.”
After chatting for a while, it got late. It wasn’t appropriate for He Lingyun to stay any longer, so Luo Zhiyaourged him to head back.
She also asked He Lingyun to speak to Captain Wang about her decision not to build a house anymore and to simply rent a room instead. After all, given her family situation, she needed to stay low-key.
After He Lingyun reluctantly left, Luo Zhiyaotook out the anti-swelling pain-relief ointment provided by the system.
She applied the ointment to the swollen area. It felt cool and soothing, and the burning pain subsided significantly.
“Jiujiu, does this ointment have a formula? It’s really a great product—essential for every household!”
Ding. Host, the formula can be purchased for 1,000 points. Would you like to buy it?
“Tch, that’s expensive. I’ll pass for now—maybe later.”
Understood. The host may purchase it anytime.
Luo Zhiyaodrank a couple of sips of spiritual spring water in her space. With the combined effects, her ankle should recover even faster.
Although having work injury compensation was nice, she wasn’t the type to stay idle.
Moreover, the female lead would soon arrive. With rebirth plus the female protagonist’s halo stacked together, who knew what kind of storyline would unfold.
She slept soundly through the night and woke up early the next morning. Looking at her already reduced swelling, she realized the ointment was truly effective. She stored it back into her space so no one would see it.
This ointment… she should eventually promote it nationwide. But that would have to wait until after 1976, when things returned to normal and her grandfather and others could come back.
At that time, she would submit the formula to the country.
For now, self-preservation came first—staying alive was the priority.
Early the next morning, He Lingyun brought breakfast: a bowl of coarse grain porridge and a boiled egg. Simple but nutritious. Luo Zhiyaohad no idea how he convinced Wu Guìhuā to prepare it for her, but not having to cook made her life much easier.
He Lingyun checked her ankle and was surprised to find that the swelling had gone down significantly overnight. Aside from some bruising, the redness and swelling were already gone.
“Zhizhi, your ankle has already reduced swelling? Does it still hurt here?”
“Huh? I didn’t really notice. I slept well last night and didn’t feel any pain.”
Luo Zhiyaodidn’t dare mention that the premium ointment from her space had already reduced the swelling and pain within two hours.
“Good recovery. It shouldn’t be long before you can walk again.”
To prevent others from gossiping, He Lingyun specially arranged for a pair of crutches to be made for her.
Luo Zhiyaotried using them to support herself.
“If you were less shy, I could just carry you over directly.”
Hearing that, Luo Zhiyaoblushed and spat lightly, “Tch, you’re shameless. I still need my reputation!”
He Lingyun stopped teasing her—if she got truly embarrassed, he’d be the one suffering.
He then led her step by step toward Old Master He’s residence.
Earlier that morning, He Lingyun had already informed his grandparents and cleaned the place. The house was now spotless.
Old Master He glared at his grandson’s back. “This brat—never seen him so proactive before!”
Grandmother He chuckled. “It’s rare for him to have someone he likes. Of course he wants to perform well.”
The elderly couple had always lived there and did not live with their children. They had three children in total, including He Lingyun’s father, his uncle He Minsheng, and a daughter who was already married.
The walk from the educated youth compound to the He residence normally took about ten minutes. But due to Luo Zhiyáo’s injury, it took over twenty minutes.
“Zhizhi, if you’re tired, take a rest. If no one’s around, I can carry you.”
“No need. I’m fine. I’ll have to get used to this anyway—I’ll be using crutches for a while.”
“They all say you’re delicate, but I don’t see that at all.”
“In the past, I had my parents to rely on, so I could afford to be a bit delicate. Now they’re in Xinjiang and I don’t even know how they’re doing. I can only rely on myself.”
“You can rely on me! I’ll be your strongest support!”
Luo Zhiyaodidn’t respond. In her past life, she had long understood one thing: mountains can fall, people can leave, but the most reliable person is oneself.
Seeing her silence, He Lingyun didn’t say more. He would prove to her that he was a dependable support.
After some effort, they finally reached Old Master He’s residence. Luo Zhiyaonoticed it was very close to the cattle shed, where so-called “stinky intellectuals” were housed.
And those intellectuals would later become the female lead’s backing. Her plan was to turn those people into her own backing instead.
It seemed even fate was on her side.
“Grandpa, Grandma, I’ve brought Zhizhi to take a look at the house!”
“Hello Grandpa He, hello Grandma He. Sorry to disturb you.”
Grandmother He looked at Luo Zhiyaoand nodded with satisfaction. Well-mannered and proper.
“Good child, no need to be so formal. You’re our grandson’s partner—we should be taking care of you. Go take a look around, and if anything isn’t suitable, just tell Lingyun to handle it.”
Luo Zhiyaopaused at the word “partner” and glanced at He Lingyun with confusion. Did this guy not tell the truth?
Without correcting the elders, she smiled and said, “Alright, Grandma. I’ll go take a look.”
“I’ll accompany her,” He Lingyun added.
He led her to the backyard.
It was a small courtyard house. The east side was occupied by the grandparents, while the west side was empty and now allocated to Luo Zhiyáo.
Looking at the place, Luo Zhiyaofelt like she had stepped into the wrong location.
Was this a courtyard house from Beijing transplanted here?
Although small, the layout and style were quite similar.
“Zhizhi, are you satisfied? If you need anything, tell me and I’ll take care of it.”
“For now, everything seems fine. But tell me—why did Grandpa and Grandma both say I’m your partner? Didn’t we agree to just try getting to know each other?”
He Lingyun stiffened for a moment, then said confidently, “Getting to know each other means being in a relationship. Zhizhi, I have feelings for you. In this lifetime, I’ve already decided it’s you.”
Luo Zhiyaocalmly shook her head. “It’s only been one day—how can you be so sure? What if you meet someone better later?”
“Zhizhi, I know no matter what I say now, you won’t believe me. Time will prove everything. In the coming month, I’ll show you that I’m a loyal man.”
Luo Zhiyaodidn’t want to argue further. In this era, once a relationship was confirmed, it was for life—divorce was almost impossible, especially in military marriages.