Volume One, Chapter 10: As it happens, we were just about to look for you

“Don’t you realize? The kind of person your matchmaker sets you up with reflects how she sees you.”

That was an insult to Shen Liyun, implying she was a defective fruit.

Yang Huihui burst out laughing.

Shen Liyun, however, left in a huff.

Shen Zhiyi didn’t dwell on the incident. After washing up and having some porridge, she went to class.

Her classes were concentrated on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and today happened to be Monday, so she had to go out.

After some thought, Shen Zhiyi decided not to humiliate herself and took a bullock cart from the village entrance.

Taking the bullock cart meant unavoidable encounters with the village women.

Sure enough, when Shen Zhiyi arrived, several women were already waiting by the cart.

As soon as they saw her, they eagerly inquired about her broken engagement.

Before they could approach, Shen Zhiyi clutched her chest, pretending to be about to faint:

“Aunties, I… I’m not feeling well… I can’t answer those questions… but if I do faint later, could you… maybe give me some nutritional support? I don’t need much… just two chickens and a few dozen eggs would do…”

With that one sentence, the crowd around her dispersed instantly.

Even on the crowded cart, a small bubble of empty space formed around her.

It seemed the women were genuinely afraid of being extorted by her.

The journey was peaceful and quiet.

Only after Shen Zhiyi got off the cart did the usual chatter resume.

“Honestly, with Zhen Guojia’s daughter’s health, it’s no surprise she was rejected. People in the city aren’t fools—why would anyone want to marry a sickly woman?”

“There was a chance before, but now? Looks like the family’s daughter is truly a lost cause. Who would want a woman who can’t bear children?”

Among the remarks were those who gossiped maliciously, those who sneered, and, of course, some who defended Shen Zhiyi.

“You all should hold your tongues. Whether Miss Yi marries or not, she doesn’t eat your rice. She has brothers and is a teacher at the commune. Why worry about her?”

“Exactly. You’d be better off thinking about yourselves—have you fed your chickens? Swept the fields? Do you have enough grain? Have you saved enough for your son’s bride price?”

These questions cast a shadow over several faces in the cart.

After a moment, a sharp-eyed woman spoke sourly:

“Zhen Guojia really has luck. That sickly daughter is a commune teacher, and without a word, she even found jobs for her two brothers…”

One was a temporary worker at the machinery factory, the other a bona fide employee of the transport team, plus a daughter teaching at the commune middle school.

Whenever the villagers mentioned the Zhen family, envy and jealousy surfaced.

“Do you think Uncle Da Fu regrets it? Back then, they saw that granddaughter as a burden and split up the Zhen family…”

In the end, the granddaughter once deemed useless became the most successful, and the son least favored quietly prospered. Their future only promised to improve.

Unaware of the gossip behind her, Shen Zhiyi was solely focused on how to obtain a bicycle ticket.

Though her home wasn’t far from the commune, the journey was still considerable.

In another world, this distance would be just a short pedal away.

But on foot, it would take her at least half an hour.

Although she could ride the commune’s bullock cart, cycling was far more convenient.

She had saved enough money but lacked a ticket.

Lost in thought, she buried herself in her studies.

In the blink of an eye, two days passed.

After class on Wednesday, with time to spare, Shen Zhiyi visited the supply and marketing cooperative and bought two pounds of meat to take home.

At this hour, there was no bullock cart, so she had to walk back.

The road was mostly empty of pedestrians, and she mulled over how to spend her remaining points and how to approach Song Huaichuan to earn more.

Unexpectedly, just as she was thinking of her crush, he appeared.

The tall figure emerged from a fork in the road—it was none other than Song Huaichuan.

He clearly saw her and stopped in his tracks.

A thrill surged within Shen Zhiyi—just like that, her wish was granted.

Her points were nearly used up, and here came Song Huaichuan himself.

She hurried forward and, without a word, grasped his hand.

Wang Tieniu: !!!

Shen’s little sister was as bold as ever!

Meanwhile, Shen Zhiyi began her performance.

“Comrade Song! What a coincidence, I never expected to meet you here…”

As she scrambled for a topic, Song Huaichuan said, “Not a coincidence—we were just about to look for you.”

“What?” Shen Zhiyi was stunned.

Before she could react, Song Huaichuan withdrew his hand.

Wang Tieniu, carrying a pile of items, stepped forward with a grin: “Miss Shen, we were just bringing you some things.”

Shen Zhiyi eyed the items in his arms and then looked back at Song Huaichuan, puzzled: “Why are you giving me these?”

Song Huaichuan replied succinctly, “A token of thanks.”

Ever eager, Wang Tieniu explained, “This is a gift from our unit. The translation you did for us helped a lot.”

Shen Zhiyi recalled that before leaving, Song Huaichuan had mentioned he would send her a thank-you gift.

She smiled sheepishly.

Though she said she was embarrassed, she gladly accepted the items.

Curious, she examined the package: a steel-sealed enamel mug, a military water bottle, a towel, two bars of soap, a small stack of tickets, a can of malted milk, and two apples.

Among the tickets were also several large-denomination bonds.

The more she looked, the brighter her eyes shone: “So translating for you guys pays off well. Next time there’s something like this, remember to come to me.”

Wang Tieniu chuckled and began to explain, “Miss Shen, those apples and the malted milk are actually…”

But before he could finish, Song Huaichuan discreetly nudged his arm.

“Since the gifts have been delivered, we should head back.”

Before Shen Zhiyi could respond, he strode off quickly along the path they came.

Song Huaichuan’s pace was swift; Wang Tieniu jogged a few steps to catch up.

Shen Zhiyi didn’t even have time to find an excuse to make them stay before they disappeared around the corner.

Shen Zhiyi: “…”

They left so fast—was she some kind of monster?

Once out of sight, Wang Tieniu couldn’t help but ask, “Boss, why didn’t you let me say anything? If you didn’t tell her, how would Miss Shen know those apples and malted milk were from you?”

Song Huaichuan: “No need.”

Wang Tieniu: “What? Come on! My mother says good deeds should be known, bad deeds don’t count. You clearly…”

Boom—

A loud noise stopped them both in their tracks.

Song Huaichuan looked toward the sound: “That noise came from…”

“The road Miss Shen takes home! Oh no, it can’t be her… huh? Boss?”

Wang Tieniu looked back and saw that Song Huaichuan’s figure had vanished.