The man was around 1.9 meters tall. Seeing her stunned expression, his face remained completely impassive. As he brushed past her, a deep, magnetic voice drifted into her ears.
“You should leave this place quickly. Don’t stay alone in secluded corners if you have nothing to do.”
The sexy yet resolute voice instantly snapped her out of her daze.
Her face filled with confusion, as though asking, Was he talking to me?
His voice and appearance happened to strike directly at her heart, leaving her entire body tingling.
“Leave quickly,” the man repeated in that captivating voice.
Only then was she completely certain that he was speaking to her.
Turning toward his broad back, she stammered, “O… okay.”
Then she hurried away.
Just before disappearing around the corner of the alley, the man turned back and watched her retreating figure with clear eyes until she vanished from sight.
Naturally, Li Lezhi knew nothing of this.
At that moment, she merely thought that there must be some danger nearby, otherwise he would not have warned her to leave. The man was obviously a soldier and was perhaps carrying out some sort of mission.
By now, she had already arrived at the supply and marketing cooperative to purchase the necessities she needed.
When her turn finally came, she said, “Comrade, I’d like eight feet of fabric, five jin of brown sugar, two tins of malted milk, two jin of fruit candy, and some cooking oil, salt, matches, and seasonings. Here’s thirteen yuan and the ration coupons.”
In truth, she lacked nothing herself, but considering that her parents would soon be sent down to this area, she wanted to prepare supplies in advance.
Seeing that it was still early and she had not yet eaten lunch, while carrying so many items would be inconvenient, she put all the newly purchased goods into her spiritual spring space. Then she took out two parcels from the space and headed toward where the ox cart was parked.
Before long, she spotted the elderly cart driver leisurely sitting there with one leg crossed over the other.
“Hello, Uncle. I’d like to leave these two parcels on the cart for now. Could you please help me keep an eye on them?”
As she spoke, she handed him five candies.
The old man hesitated. Candy was a rare treat for farmers.
Li Lezhi simply stuffed the candies into his hand. Seeing this, he stopped refusing.
“Go ahead then. Just be back by two-thirty. I’ll watch them for you.”
Looking at the two large parcels, he secretly sighed.
Looks like this one comes from a well-off family too.
After placing the parcels on the cart, Li Lezhi followed the muddy road toward the state-owned restaurant.
The restaurant was not particularly crowded when she arrived. Finding an empty seat, she ordered a bowl of noodles and a meat dish.
While eating, she overheard two men at a nearby table speaking quietly.
Apparently, a group of enemy agents had infiltrated the area, and the military was conducting a search.
Her heart skipped a beat.
No wonder the injured man had warned her to leave.
After wandering around town until two-thirty, everyone gradually returned to the ox cart.
Each person carried their own purchases, while the village women returned with baskets strapped to their backs.
Li Lezhi thought that if she had time later, she would buy a basket in the village. It would make shopping easier and would also be useful when gathering wild vegetables in the mountains.
As soon as she climbed onto the cart, the village women resumed their endless gossip.
They discussed lazy sons from various families and dissected every bit of village drama.
Even Li Lezhi couldn’t help marveling inwardly.
One moment they can praise you to the heavens, and the next they can ruin your reputation completely. If they lived in the future, they’d definitely excel as paparazzi.
After exhausting the village gossip, the women shifted their attention to the Sent-down Youth on the cart.
One woman looked at the pile of goods and remarked, “You city kids really don’t know how to live frugally. In our village, this much stuff could last several years.”
No one dared respond.
At four o’clock, they finally returned to the village.
Li Lezhi quickly grabbed her belongings and hurried off the cart.
Behind her, she could clearly hear the women whispering among themselves. She didn’t even need to turn around to know they were talking about her.
The moment she returned to the Sent-down Youth point and set her things on her bed, she heard Shen Yueyue’s gentle yet obviously provocative voice behind her.
“Comrade Li, your parents really dote on you. They sent so many things. I wonder what occupations your family members have?”
The others immediately looked over with curiosity.
Turning around, Li Lezhi faced Shen Yueyue directly.
“What my family does has nothing to do with you. If you’re jealous, you can ask your own family to send you a pile of supplies as well. There’s no need to beat around the bush. Besides, you’re the one who had a job. I wouldn’t dare compare myself to you.”
Seizing the opportunity, Shen Ruoruo chimed in from the side.
“A person really should know their place.”
Shen Yueyue’s face turned green with anger.
“I… I was only curious. After all, ordinary families can’t easily afford so many things. Aren’t you all curious too?”
As she spoke, she looked toward Lin Chaomei.
Li Lezhi remained completely unyielding.
“Just because your family can’t do it doesn’t mean others can’t.”
She paused before continuing.
“Let me make one thing clear. My family is completely aboveboard. My elder brother serves the country, and I’m contributing my own strength here to help build the nation. Your attitude just now was clearly questioning the state. And stop putting on that act in front of me.”
With that, she ignored everyone and turned back to organizing her belongings.
Once again, Shen Yueyue found herself speechless.
Her fingers gripped the hem of her clothing tightly. Anyone unaware of the situation would have thought Li Lezhi was bullying her.
Lowering her head, Shen Yueyue’s face darkened.
Then she looked up and stared at Li Lezhi’s back.
What are you so proud of? Once your parents are gone and your family falls apart, let’s see if you can still be this arrogant.
She had never expected Li Lezhi to be so sharp-tongued.
In her previous life, she had only seen Li Lezhi from afar. Back then, Li Lezhi had seemed timid and weak.
Could my rebirth really have changed someone else’s personality?
Then again, perhaps Li Lezhi had always been this way.
Naturally, Li Lezhi had no idea about the whirlwind of thoughts in Shen Yueyue’s mind.
She was busy considering her own plans.
If Shen Yueyue still had not moved out within three days, she intended to speak with Captain Xu herself.
Living crammed together with so many people was simply too inconvenient.
The thought of working together, eating together, and sleeping together every day was enough to make her collapse.
After finishing her organizing, Li Lezhi went to collect her grain ration.
When she arrived at the village committee office, Captain Xu happened to be inside.
“You’ve come to collect this month’s grain, right? Remember, this grain is being advanced to you by the village. Once you start working, it will be deducted from your work points.”
Captain Xu spoke earnestly.
“The older comrades already explained everything to us when we first arrived. Thank you to the production team for taking care of us Sent-down Youth.”
“Then sign here.”
As he spoke, he pulled out a registration ledger.
Thirty jin of coarse grain was not particularly heavy for Li Lezhi, and she carried it without difficulty.
“Captain Xu, is there anyone in the Qingshan Team who has a basket they could trade? I’d like to exchange for one to make carrying things easier.”
In this era, buying and selling privately was illegal, but bartering was an unspoken rule.
Besides, unless there was a deep grudge, villagers generally would not report one another. It was also considered a hidden source of income within the village.
“Go to the household at the far western end of the village. Their craftsmanship is quite good.”
Carrying her grain, Li Lezhi followed Captain Xu’s directions and soon found the house.
A woman was standing in the courtyard. Seeing that Li Lezhi was unfamiliar, she asked,
“Comrade, you’re one of the newly arrived Sent-down Youth here to support the countryside, aren’t you?”
“Yes, Auntie. Captain Xu told me that your baskets are very well made. Would it be possible to trade for one?”
Li Lezhi replied politely with a smile.
The woman immediately brightened.
“Then you’ve come to the right place. I’m not bragging, but when it comes to craftsmanship, my family is among the best in the village. Come in.”
She then continued promoting her family’s products.
“Do you need wooden boxes too? My old man’s woodworking skills are excellent.”
In the end, Li Lezhi chose one basket and two wooden boxes.
The woman even helped deliver them to the Sent-down Youth point.
After buying everything she needed, Li Lezhi returned.
By then, everyone had finished work and was preparing dinner.
As usual, the meal consisted of vegetables, steamed buns made from coarse grain, and sweet potatoes.
Dinner that evening was relatively peaceful, aside from the usual frantic scramble for food.
As a result, after finishing her meal, Li Lezhi still had to secretly find a secluded spot to fill her stomach.
That night, she entered her spiritual spring space using her consciousness and organized everything before finally going to sleep.
The amount of coarse grain in her space had already reached several hundred jin.
She even had more than thirty eggs stored away.
She still needed to find a way to move out and live separately. Otherwise, managing the space would remain extremely inconvenient.
Amid her wandering thoughts, the night passed quickly.
Starting today, she would officially begin working in the fields to earn work points.