Besides, once she got off the train, no one would be there to help. She would have to carry everything out of the station by herself.
The place she had chosen to be sent down to the countryside was a military reclamation farm under the Guangzhou Military Region, more than ten kilometers away from the train station.
If no one came to pick her up, she would have to haul her luggage all the way there on her own.
Transportation in this era was nowhere near developed. Forget taxis—there might not even be a bus going that way.
Traveling light was best.
Money and ration coupons were light and convenient. She could just exchange everything into those.
Besides, she had already bought all the basic supplies and stored them in her space.
Wen Qiao only planned to put a few lightweight changes of clothes in her suitcase.
She would carry a shoulder bag with some food in it.
Mainly as a cover.
It wouldn’t look right if she showed up empty-handed and then started pulling things out of thin air.
She needed something to disguise it.
As long as she had money and ration coupons in her pocket, she could buy whatever she needed anywhere.
And Guangzhou was so close to Hong Kong—there were even more good things over there.
Only then did Wen Qiao announce to everyone:
“Oh, right. I’ve already received the approval letter for going to the countryside. I’m heading to Guangzhou. I’ve bought the train ticket too. I’m leaving early tomorrow morning, so you can all rest assured.”
She had previously worried that the educated youth office would drag its feet and affect her plans.
But she had been overthinking.
Perhaps afraid she might change her mind, the office approved her application very quickly.
With the approval letter, Wen Qiao went to the police station to transfer her household registration and grain and oil supply relationship.
She had originally been registered under a rural household system, based on work points and grain rations, so the procedures weren’t difficult.
Everything went exceptionally smoothly.
After speaking, Wen Qiao held the box of money and ration coupons in her left hand and lifted her suitcase with her right, then slowly went upstairs—
Not caring at all about the varied expressions of the people downstairs.
Let them think whatever they wanted.
She had the money and coupons in hand, and the place she was going to was already decided.
She had even specifically asked Shen’s father to help her buy the earliest train the next morning—and a soft sleeper berth at that.
All to avoid any further complications.
Who knew whether Shen Yueru would try to stir up trouble again?
What a nuisance.
Better to leave as soon as possible.
There was nothing here worth staying for anyway.
The original owner had valued her feelings for the Shen family.
She didn’t.
If the Shen family truly cared about her, they wouldn’t have forced her to go to the countryside the moment their biological daughter returned home.
It was already 1975. The “sent-down youth” movement was nearing its end.
Even if she didn’t go, what could anyone really do to the Shen family?
Wasn’t it just Shen’s father being timid and afraid of political enemies sabotaging his promotion?
So he forced his newly found biological daughter to go to the countryside.
Before the identities were corrected, Shen Yueru had been pretending to be ill to avoid going—dragging it out for two years.
But the moment the original owner arrived, the Shen family made their decision immediately.
The difference in treatment couldn’t have been more obvious.
The original owner had still foolishly hoped for family affection from the Shen family, bottling up her grievances until it killed her.
Why bother?
Affection or not—it was all fleeting. Nothing mattered more than money and ration coupons.
Back in her bedroom, Wen Qiao locked the door.
Calling it a bedroom was generous—it was really just a storage room.
The Shen family claimed there were no spare rooms, so the maid had simply tidied up the storage space for her to stay in temporarily.
Look at that. They kept saying they felt sorry for her.
Yet they had her living in this dark, cramped pigeonhole.
There wasn’t even a desk or wardrobe.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Wen Qiao took out a mirror from her space.
There was nothing in the room. Since transmigrating, she hadn’t properly looked at herself in the mirror.
One glance—and she almost gagged.
The person in the mirror had a sallow complexion. Her hair was the same yellowish shade as her face—dry and brittle. Her skin was dull and lifeless, except for a pair of brilliant eyes that sparkled brightly.
The features were the same—but like a downgraded version.
Still in rough, unfinished condition.
Fortunately, aside from being flat as a board elsewhere, one particular important area was impressively developed.
After years of eating coarse grains and wild vegetables, it was remarkable the original owner had still developed so well.
Back in modern times, besides her face, her most enviable asset had been her figure.
Especially the full, ample curves on her chest.
Thankfully, her space had come with her.
As long as she had the spiritual spring water, these problems weren’t problems.
However, all of that would have to wait until tomorrow, after boarding the train.
A sudden drastic change in appearance would be hard to explain.
She wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.
Wen Qiao had already asked Shen’s father for a letter of introduction and managed to buy a soft sleeper ticket. When the time came, she could draw the curtains, and once everyone was asleep in the middle of the night, she could quietly enter her space.
Lying on the small bed inside her space, Wen Qiao gradually drifted off to sleep.
The bedroom outside was cramped and dark. It was midsummer, the heat oppressive. There wasn’t even a fan, let alone a cooling mat.
The hard wooden bed had only a thin layer of bedding. She had tried lying on it—it was backbreaking.
She was used to soft, luxurious beds. She couldn’t endure that kind of suffering.
The space, though small, had a comfortable temperature.
And the double bed inside was a custom-made, light-luxury princess bed. If nothing else, its comfort level was absolutely perfect.
If she had to stay a few more days, she would have had a serious talk with Shen’s mother and demanded that Shen Yueru give up the master bedroom.
But she was leaving tomorrow. No need to go through the trouble.
Even if she came back in the future, she would at most stay one night.
And with a bit of coquettish pleading, Shen Yueru would surely move back in again.
Better to conserve her energy and rest well.
Catching a train was physically exhausting too.
After a beautiful night’s sleep, Wen Qiao stretched lazily, regaining some vitality.
She opened her canvas suitcase and casually pulled out a beige bulaji dress to change into.
She had bought these clothes at the supply and marketing cooperative yesterday. The fabric quality was passable, but the style was… hard to describe.
Wen Qiao liked wearing dresses all year round.
In her eyes, those bulaji dresses were painfully outdated.
But Shen’s mother only had cloth coupons at the moment—no foreign exchange certificates—so Wen Qiao couldn’t shop at the Overseas Chinese Store.
Old-fashioned was old-fashioned. Given the circumstances, she couldn’t be picky.
Once she left Beijing, she could take out the beautiful dresses stored in her space.
After getting dressed, Wen Qiao found a ribbon in the same color scheme and braided her hair into a loose five-strand braid that fell over her chest.
Downstairs in the living room, Shen’s mother had already prepared breakfast, and Shen Yueru was helping set the bowls and chopsticks.
When they saw Wen Qiao’s youthful and fashionable appearance, both of them froze for a moment.
A clear flash of jealousy passed through Shen Yueru’s eyes.
The Shen family members were all fairly good-looking. Only she was ordinary at best—just somewhat delicate.
Many people had once commented that she didn’t resemble the Shen family.
Little had they known it would come true.
This woman had been stranded in the countryside for so many years, eating coarse food and suffering hardship every day—yet her face was still so stunningly beautiful.
Wen Qiao rolled her eyes.
Seriously, what’s your problem, miss?
If your eyes aren’t working, go get them checked. Bulging them like a frog—who are you trying to disgust?