Chapter Three: Becoming an Educated Youth Sent to the Countryside

Yun Shu paid little mind to Yang Yue, who had fled in a panic. She returned to her seat with a leisurely air, pulled two White Rabbit cream candies from her bag, tore off the wrappers, and—without a hint of hesitation—dropped them into the water canteen belonging to herself and Lin Jingshu, the heroine who had just stood up for her. A quick shake of the bottle, and she was happily sipping on her sweetened water.

As she drank, Yun Shu gestured for Lin Jingshu not to stand on ceremony. Lin Jingshu, the original female protagonist who had remained silent ever since Yun Shu began her performance, could no longer hold it in and burst into a fit of giggles.

Without any pretense or reserve, she took two pieces of chocolate from her own bag, held them out to Yun Shu, and offered a look of sparkling-eyed friendship.

"Hello, comrade. I was in such a rush to head down to the countryside that I didn't manage to buy any White Rabbit candies. Would you be willing to trade these two chocolates for some?"

The chocolates were wrapped in exquisitely colored paper. Yun Shu, never one to reject the friendly overtures of normal people—especially when they came from the heroine who had just defended her—nodded cheerfully. She took a few more candies from her bag and handed them over along with the White Rabbit sweets.

"Of course! I actually quite like chocolate, but I didn't manage to buy any this time. I also have some shrimp crisps and other snacks here; would you like to trade for those, too?"

"I would love to!"

And just like that, after exchanging names, Yun Shu and Lin Jingshu began happily trading various snacks.

...

The farce came to an end. Whether Yang Yue’s apology was sincere or not, Yun Shu didn't care; after all, it was impossible to expect a sincere apology from someone like Yang Yue, who was born with a temperament that couldn't stand to see others doing well.

Yet, aside from malicious souls like Yang Yue, this era was filled with nothing if not simple, honest people.

Several people who had been misled by Yang Yue earlier came over to apologize to Yun Shu. Even though they hadn't said a word at the time—merely harboring private misunderstandings—they now approached her with a generous and candid attitude. This left Yun Shu, who had grown accustomed to the stubborn, unreasonable keyboard warriors of the future, feeling quite astonished.

After trading some snacks and candies, Yun Shu exchanged names with several other educated youths.

By the time the commotion finally died down and Yang Yue returned, having composed herself, Yun Shu was already deep in conversation with Lin Jingshu and Jiang Xiucheng.

...

Yes, Jiang Xiucheng. He was the male youth who had been sitting next to Yang Yue and across from Yun Shu. He was the one who had tried to intervene when Yang Yue made her move, only to be beaten to it by the swift actions of Lin Jingshu and Yun Shu, and who had later shattered Yang Yue’s composure with nothing more than a single glance.

...

The situation was easy to piece together: Yang Yue had fallen for Jiang Xiucheng at first sight and was merely trying to show off in front of her crush.

However, women of this era were inherently subtle and reserved; that was a characteristic of the times, not just a personality trait.

As an educated youth heading to the countryside, Yang Yue—having finished junior high and one year of senior high—knew exactly what kind of demeanor to adopt in front of different people.

She felt awkward speaking directly to Jiang Xiucheng, and she harbored an instinctive, "villainess-versus-heroine" resentment toward Lin Jingshu. Thus, Yun Shu, who appeared wealthy, well-off, and seemingly soft-natured, became her target.

At first, Yang Yue’s words were probing, testing to see if Yun Shu was a "soft persimmon" she could crush. When Yun Shu ignored her, Yang Yue didn't want to lose face in front of Jiang Xiucheng, so she singled her out—never imagining that she would end up breaking her own teeth in the process.

Honestly, if she weren't the one being compared, Yun Shu might have even admired Yang Yue’s ability to talk to herself. But alas, Yun Shu had tasted everything life had to offer since she was a child, and the one thing she refused to do was suffer a loss.

The moment she realized this stranger was trying to walk all over her, Yun Shu was so annoyed she laughed. She immediately activated her full defenses and unleashed her ultimate move.

...

Yun Shu chatted with Lin Jingshu with growing warmth. Lin Jingshu felt that their personalities were a perfect match; she loved that Yun Shu didn't let herself be stifled and believed in repaying grievances on the spot.

Yun Shu, in turn, liked Lin Jingshu’s courage to stand up against injustice. With their names sounding somewhat similar, they grew close all the faster.

Thus, when Yang Yue finally emerged from the restroom, wriggling back to her seat and hoping to redeem herself in front of her crush, she found that Jiang Xiucheng had switched seats with Chen Ming by the window, and that Yun Shu and Lin Jingshu were already calling each other "Yun-Yun" and "Jing-Jing."

The scene had turned into exactly what she dreaded most.

—

This group of people was all heading to the same area; those in this six-person bay were all assigned to the same production brigade: the Fengsheng Brigade in Qi City, Heilongjiang Province.

But now, the two most generous female youths had joined forces, the two obviously prominent male youths had a poor impression of her, and only one silent, mysterious male youth remained in the opposite seat.

Yang Yue felt a surge of anxious lament. For the ten-thousandth time, she cursed herself for being so impatient and driven by jealousy. If she had only gauged their personalities properly, the situation wouldn't be so unfavorable.

...

Forget about building a good relationship with her crush; she wouldn't even have the chance to manipulate these two female youths into being her "cash cows," using moral blackmail to get them to provide for her.

Yang Yue instinctively looked at the bespectacled male youth opposite, who hadn't said a word, hoping to find an ally. But before she could even speak, the young man rolled his eyes at her, turned away, and pulled an apple from his pocket to eat...

Yang Yue: "..."

Yang Yue, jealous but possessing at least a shred of common sense, stopped stirring up trouble. She lowered her head in silence, pondering ways to turn the tide.

Before getting off the train, she took every opportunity to curry favor with Yun Shu, putting on a show of apology that managed to change the opinions of many on the train, who now believed she had simply been blunt and prone to misunderstanding.

Yun Shu, of course, would never give anyone ammunition or leave behind any handles to be used against her. She handled everything herself, never giving Yang Yue a chance.

Even when going to the restroom, she went with Lin Jingshu, ensuring that Yang Yue, who wanted to drive a wedge between them, could find no opportunity to catch them alone.

After a day and a night on the train, they finally arrived at the Qi City station in the morning light.

...

Bustling about, they hauled their luggage off the train. Yun Shu and Lin Jingshu helped each other check their belongings. The three male youths in their bay ignored Yang Yue’s glances and tried to offer help to the "two Shus," only to find the two young women perfectly capable of handling their own gear without needing any performative chivalry.

In reality, however, with Yun Shu having just awakened her "golden finger" and not yet had time to examine it, the two were simply trying to prevent others from discovering the true weight of their luggage, so as to make it easier to smuggle items from the system in the future.

After all, both of them had their own secrets.

Stepping off the train, they inhaled the slightly sweet, chilly air of early autumn in the North. The two Shus exchanged a smile and set off with long strides toward the assembly point for the educated youths.