“Hua’er, you’re combing your hair? Good, good. Hurry and finish combing it. Go wash up, then come eat. After breakfast, check again and see if there’s anything we forgot to pack. Wuwuwu… My Hua’er, you’ll be taking the train to the countryside after lunch. How are you going to survive in such a hard place, my poor girl…”
The beautiful woman launched into another round of crying.
Yun Hua could tell just how much love and concern the woman had for her.
The middle-aged man beside her didn’t say much, but the sadness and reluctance on his face were obvious as well.
Unfortunately, their daughter was already gone.
Yun Hua had no idea where the original owner had gone.
She didn’t know how she had ended up in this body either.
Well, since she was already here, she could only take things one step at a time.
The only problem was being sent to the countryside.
Life in the modern era hadn’t exactly been luxurious for her, but thanks to her excellent academic performance, she had always relied on her brains to make money.
If she had to switch to physical labor, she genuinely couldn’t do it.
Yun Hua looked at the body’s delicate, snow-white palms.
These hands didn’t look like they could do farm work at all.
They looked more like they were meant to be admired.
If she really had to earn work points with these hands, wouldn’t they be ruined?
“Mom, can I not go to the countryside?”
Yun Hua decided she should ask clearly. If there was another option, that would obviously be best.
Seeing that his wife was still sobbing, Yun Jianguo spoke up.
“Daughter, your father had already made arrangements before. Since you have a job in the city, you shouldn’t have had to go to the countryside. But somehow, the neighborhood office suddenly said that because you’re unmarried, you have to go to the countryside. Your mother and I were completely against it, but there’s nothing we can do against government policy. Don’t worry, daughter. Your mother and I will find a way to get you transferred back as soon as possible.
“The neighborhood office is pressing us hard. You have to go to the train station after lunch. Your mother and I are frantic because we’re afraid we’ve forgotten something important. After you eat, check everything yourself and see if there’s anything else you need.”
“All right, Mom and Dad. I’ll take a look later.”
There was nothing Yun Hua could do.
If she had to go to the countryside, then so be it.
It was 1975, which meant there was still more than a year before the National College Entrance Examination. Even if her parents couldn’t find a way to bring her back, she could take the exam and return to the capital herself.
Besides, her original owner’s parents were here.
From now on, they would be her parents too.
She had never experienced the affection of blood relatives in her previous life. Yet in just these few hours, she had already felt so much love from this couple.
It was warm.
She liked it very much.
From now on, they were her parents, and she would treat them well.
At worst, she would spend a little over a year away from them. She would take the college entrance exam, return to the capital, and come back to stay with her parents.
“Mom, Dad, don’t worry. I’ll take good care of myself. You two have to take good care of yourselves too. Wait for me to come back. I’ll check on you when I return. If you’re not doing well, I’ll never come back again.”
Yun Hua could only use this kind of threat to make the two of them take care of themselves while waiting for her.
“You silly child, we’ll be fine. When you come back, the three of us will never be separated again. Oh, right, Hua’er, make sure you keep your letter of introduction safe.”
“Mm. I know, Mom.”
Before she knew it, Yun Hua began crying too.
She didn’t know whether the emotions belonged to the original owner or to herself. Either way, she felt miserable and unhappy.
She had thought that after transmigrating, she had landed in a good family with parents who loved her.
And yet, less than half a day later, she was being sent to the countryside.
She didn’t even know what conditions were like there.
Would there be endless farm work waiting for her?
She didn’t dare open her eyes.
She hoped this was all just a hallucination.
…
By the time Yun Hua boarded the train, she already felt utterly hopeless.
The stuffy, crowded environment made her feel like she was about to throw up.
The train was packed so tightly that hardly any air could circulate.
There was the smell of sweat, instant noodles, and cigarette smoke. There was even the smell of smelly feet.
Yun Hua’s parents had only managed to buy her a hard-seat ticket, and the train was packed with people squeezed shoulder to shoulder.
Yun Hua felt like she was about to go crazy.
Especially because the middle-aged woman sitting beside her kept trying to squeeze her butt into Yun Hua’s space.
“Auntie, you’re about to crush my leg.”
Yun Hua felt she really couldn’t take it anymore. The woman had been leaning against her nonstop.
“Oh, come on, young lady. I’ve been standing for so long that my legs are tired. I saw that you’re so thin and there’s still some room on your seat, so I thought I’d squeeze in a little.”
The woman immediately adopted a sarcastic tone.
Yun Hua wasn’t about to put up with her.
“If you can’t stand, you can buy a seat ticket. If you squeeze me, I’ll have to squeeze the person next to me. If I end up squeezing someone else, are you going to take responsibility?”
Seeing how sharp-tongued Yun Hua was, the woman became angry too.
“When did I squeeze you? You haven’t even squeezed the person beside you. I’m only sitting on half the seat. How am I bothering anyone?”
“You’re pressing against my thigh.”
Yun Hua refused to back down.
“You’re so precious and delicate!”
The woman continued complaining.
Yun Hua delivered the final blow.
“If you keep running your mouth, I’ll call a staff member over and let them decide who’s in the right.”
The woman became a little timid when she heard that, though she was clearly unwilling to concede.
In the end, she simply muttered, “I can’t be bothered arguing with you,” before turning around and leaving.
Yun Hua didn’t feel satisfied at all.
She was already annoyed to death.
The air was barely circulating, the carriage was filled with all kinds of strange smells, and now someone had even come looking for trouble.
After what seemed like forever, they finally arrived at a train station and transferred to another train heading toward their destination.
It was ridiculous.
There was no direct train from the capital to the place where she was being sent. She actually had to transfer.
After lunch, her parents accompanied her to the train station.
Another tearful farewell followed.
The beautiful woman began crying again, and this time even the middle-aged man couldn’t hold himself together. His eyes reddened as he secretly turned to the side and wiped away his tears with his sleeve.
Yun Hua couldn’t help crying too.
Sigh.
She could have lived peacefully under these two people’s protection.
What terrible luck.
When she boarded the train, her father had carried her luggage up for her.
Now, when it was time to transfer trains, she nearly cried.
She couldn’t lift it.
She really couldn’t lift it.
Her parents had prepared two large bundles for her, and they were incredibly heavy.
Had her parents been afraid she would starve to death?
Had they never considered that she might not even be able to carry all this stuff?
In the end, even a staff member couldn’t bear to watch anymore. Afraid that Yun Hua would miss her train, the staff member came over and helped her.
Yun Hua thanked him repeatedly.
People in this era really were simple and kind.
Their goodwill was so genuine.
When Yun Hua finally reached her seat, she discovered that almost everyone around her was about the same age as she was.
They had the same clear-eyed innocence—and foolishness—as modern college students.
Their gazes kept drifting toward Yun Hua, seemingly without meaning to.
Before long, the train slowly began moving.
After a while, a young man spoke.
“Hello, everyone. I’m an educated youth being sent to the countryside. Are you all educated youths too?”
The young men and women around him all nodded.
Yun Hua unconsciously nodded as well.
The young man continued, “Since that’s the case, let’s introduce ourselves. If we’re sent to the same place, we can look out for one another in the future.”
“I’ll go first. My name is Li Mingliang. I’m twenty years old and from Shanghai. I’m being sent to Luzhou in the southwest.”
“My name is Li Jing. I’m nineteen years old and from Beijing. I’m being sent to Chengdu in the southwest.”
“My name is Yu Hongwei. I’m twenty years old and from Beijing. I’m also being sent to Chengdu in the southwest.”
“My name is Liu Xuejiao. I’m eighteen years old and from Beijing. I’m also going to Chengdu in the southwest.”
…
Soon, everyone had introduced themselves.
Everyone except Yun Hua, who was sitting there stiffly.
Li Jing gently tapped Yun Hua on the arm.
“Hello. You’re the only one who hasn’t introduced yourself yet.”
Yun Hua finally came back to her senses.
“Hello, everyone. My name is Yun Hua. I’m from Beijing, I’m seventeen years old, and I’m also being sent to Chengdu in the southwest.”