This small town was called Wuban Town. Su Mi found the post office and sent a telegram to her family, then mailed a letter she had written in advance on the train.
As for making a phone call, to be honest, out of caution, Su Mi had no intention of contacting them directly by phone.
Having the original host’s memories was one thing, but actually calling out intimate and special terms like “Mom” and “Dad” was something Su Mi found difficult to accept.
After all, her own biological parents, who had loved and raised her, had long since passed away, and it had been a very, very long time since she had uttered those words.
Whether out of personal reluctance or caution, Su Mi had no desire to communicate with them over the phone anytime soon.
After all, they were two different people—whether in terms of lifestyle habits, speech patterns, personal preferences, or even small mannerisms, nothing was the same.
Su Mi could also use these few years in the countryside to let the original host’s parents gradually adapt, so they wouldn’t notice any differences.
In the time that followed, Su Mi used the money and ration coupons the original host had brought with her to buy everything she could from the state-run stores and markets in the town.
As for the state-run restaurant, it wasn’t mealtime, so they weren’t selling food.
Su Mi settled for second best—she had originally wanted to buy some steamed buns or mantou, but those were sold out too.
“Aunt Jian, my mom asked me to bring this over. It seems like Sister Su Mi sent you a telegram.”
The youngest son from the Wang family next door suddenly pushed the door open and rushed in, startling Jian Yuejian, who had been anxiously waiting at home.
After hearing him clearly, a faint smile appeared on her worried and anxious face.
“Thank you, Shaojun! Let me see what your Sister Su Mi wrote first.”
Jian Yuejian eagerly grabbed the telegram and opened it.
“That silly girl, she’s really got some nerve.”
Looking at the message, which simply read: “Arrived safely. Letter to follow.”
There wasn’t even a punctuation mark—just these few words. How could she not worry?
At home, with the family doting on her, their youngest daughter had never even struck a match, let alone chopped vegetables or cooked on a stove. As for clothes and such, there was no need to mention it—at home, she had everything handed to her on a silver platter.
Now she had gone off to the countryside alone, without any transition period. From now on, she would have to rely on herself for everything.
The key issue was that the girl hadn’t even sent a detailed address first, nor had she mentioned calling.
Just thinking about this made Jian Yuejian’s suppressed anger flare up again. However, seeing Shaojun still standing there eagerly watching her, she couldn’t say anything else. After all, children at this age loved to repeat things, and if word got out—especially if it was twisted—it could ruin her daughter’s reputation.
“Thank you, Shaojun! Here, have some candy. Where’s your mom?”
Jian Yuejian pulled open the nearby drawer, took out two pieces of White Rabbit milk candy, and placed them in the little boy’s hand.
“Thank you, Auntie! My mom is still behind! She always goes to the market to buy groceries after noon, saying it’s cheaper at that time. Just now, she happened to see the mailman uncle, and my mom knows him. They chatted for a bit, then the uncle gave this to my mom. She handed it to me and told me to bring it to you first.”
Shao Jun, already six years old, spoke very clearly and was able to explain the situation well.
Jian Yuejian exchanged a few more polite words and sent him on his way. Looking at the telegram in her hand, she began to ponder what she should send to her daughter, so she wouldn’t be left with nothing over there. She wondered when that letter would arrive.
Su Mi had no idea about the inner thoughts of the original host’s mother. In any case, she had sent a telegram to reassure her family and asked them to wait for her letter. Once the letter arrived, they surely wouldn’t rush to board the train like in the original plot, only to meet a fatal disaster.
As long as this calamity was avoided, the subsequent events would never happen.
The original host had encountered danger in the countryside because she carried a large sum of money and unknowingly flaunted her wealth. Unable to cook or do laundry, she paid other educated youths sharing the same residence to help her.
Moreover, with her fair, sweet appearance, she saw everyone as good people and always wore a smile, leaving herself completely defenseless.
This only fueled the vile intentions of some.
Shortly after arriving in the countryside, the original host found everything novel. Although farm work was tough, she believed that once she adapted, she would be like the aunties and elder women, earning enough work points to support herself and ease her parents’ burden. She planned to work diligently, gathering mushrooms and pine nuts in the mountains to send back home.
Thinking this way, life didn’t seem so bitter. Little did she know that her naive nature would lead to a fatal blow.
In the same village lived Er Laizi, whose parents had died early, leaving him with a widowed grandmother. The two relied on each other for survival—one an old shrew and the other a grandson who stole chickens and dogs. Their reputations were not just notorious in the village but spread far and wide, reeking of infamy.
Because the original host worked slowly, she finished later than others. By the time she neared the educated youth residence, dusk had already fallen.
The first two days passed without incident, but on the third day, Er Laizi blocked her path. To avoid being violated, the original host frantically grabbed a nearby stone and struck Er Laizi’s head.
Exhausted from a day’s work, her strength was insufficient. She failed to kill him but instead provoked his violent nature.
In her panic to escape, she stumbled and rolled into a nearby pond, where she drowned.
Seeing the accident, Er Laizi fled without a second thought, leaving everything behind.
The perpetrator remained alive and well, while the victim drowned to death.
Truly, even in death, there was nowhere to seek justice.
Now that Su Mi was here, she wouldn’t let that scoundrel roam free.
After buying everything she needed and could find, Su Mi returned to the gathering point, her back laden with a full basket and both hands carrying large bamboo baskets.
“Oh my, you bought quite a lot! Come, let me help you carry one.”
Wang Yajuan had returned earlier. Seeing Su Mi laden with goods, she eagerly reached out to help.
With the original host’s memories, Su Mi was no stranger to this person and didn’t hesitate to accept the offer.
“Thank you. I left in such a hurry that I didn’t bring many things. I thought I’d buy what I needed here, and now I’m stuck like this.”
Su Mi handed over the items, and others quickly helped place the baskets and bamboo containers onto the ox cart.
A young man who had come with Village Chief Niu even took the trouble to secure all their luggage with ropes.
Not long after Su Mi returned, the others arrived one after another.
Some had packages that had arrived earlier from the post office, while others returned from the state-run store and supply and marketing cooperative, similarly laden with bags and bundles.
Village Chief Niu was long accustomed to such scenes.
Once everyone had gathered, without even checking the time, he patted the ox’s rump, and the group of twelve set off together toward Niu Family Village.
As they left, several village cadets remained behind, waiting for the educated youths to return with their purchases.
“Village Chief, I heard that we use heated brick beds here in winter. Are those beds made of earth? Won’t we get roasted dry sleeping on them?”
“I heard there are wolves, tigers, and bears around here. Our Niujia Village is so remote! What if a tiger sneaks into our house while we’re sleeping at night?”