Chapter 10

Second Day.

It was a rest day, so no one needed to go to work. Whenever this day came, the tractor would make a trip to the town, and anyone from the village who wanted to go could ride it.

Jiang Manzhu was woken up early, rubbing her eyes and yawning. It was all because of Li Linxi being so noisy last night, keeping her awake.

"Why do I have to get up so early? Isn't it a day off?" She thought that since it was a holiday, she could sleep in. That's what the original owner used to do when staying at the educated youth station.

Not just the original owner; even in her own past, if she didn't sleep in on a weekend, it didn't feel like a proper break.

"We're going to the town supply and marketing cooperative later to buy things. We need to go early. If the tractor leaves, you'll have to walk there yourself." Li Linxi, who was passing by, looked at her disdainfully, thinking no one else could be as lazy as her.

Xiaobei was already up early, filled with excitement before the trip had even begun.

"Where's Mom?" After Jiang Manzhu brushed her teeth and washed her face, she noticed that the three of them were ready to eat without waiting for their mom. It didn't feel right.

"Mom's doing laundry. Look, she's back." Xiaobei pointed to their mother hanging clothes at the door and called out for her to come and eat.

Jiang Manzhu glanced at Li Linxi for two seconds, her expression complex.

Li Linxi pretended not to notice, his eyes vaguely glancing outside. "I'm going to get the bowls and chopsticks!" he said, standing up and walking away.

Jiang Manzhu laughed so hard her face lit up. Xiaobei, seeing his sister-in-law smiling so brightly, asked in confusion, "Sister-in-law, why are you laughing?"

"I'm laughing because some people's preferences are really hard to figure out." Jiang Manzhu shook her head, unafraid that her words might upset Li Linxi.

Or rather, she said it intentionally so Li Linxi could hear.

As expected, Jiang Manzhu saw Li Linxi walking away faster and faster. Hahaha…

Would this offend the main male lead? Jiang Manzhu thought to herself that it's important to find joy in hardship. Otherwise, it would only lead to her feeling trapped and miserable.

She didn't want to die in this place before the main male lead even had his chance to succeed.

Xiaobei blinked in confusion. "Who, who?"

"Xiaobei, come wash your hands and eat." Li Linxi, who was about to enter the kitchen, called out to Xiaobei, telling him not to chatter and to come eat, as they were about to leave.

"Oh." Xiaobei didn't think much of it. After washing his hands and coming back, he had already forgotten about the conversation.

After eating, the three of them set off. Liu Jumei wasn't going; there was too much work to do at home. She had already left, thinking someone had to stay and take care of things.

Most of the people in the village spent their day off cleaning up inside and outside their homes. Who had time to run to the town? Especially when trips to town happened only once every half month.

Most of the educated youth were idle, either sending letters or parcels to their families in the city or gathering goods.

Some educated youths had five or six siblings at home, and their parents' earnings weren't enough to feed everyone. Sometimes, they'd pick wild goods from the mountains, dry them, and send them to the city.

So, the tractor wasn't too crowded. You might not get a seat, but there was always room to stand.

Seeing the comrades from her former educated youth station, Jiang Manzhu greeted them politely. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Jiang Zhiqing." The other educated youths, not wanting to offend a smiling face, returned the greeting with politeness but remained distant.

It couldn't be helped. When Jiang Zhiqing had lived at the educated youth station, she had been delicate, pretentious, and caused plenty of disputes between the male and female youths by relying on her pretty face…

Cough, cough. Jiang Manzhu didn't blame the original owner, but she also had no intention of building relationships with these people. After all…she was a rather pragmatic person.

Proudly holding her head high, she reminded herself, I am the sister-in-law of the male lead! Does anyone know what that means?

Most importantly, with how things had turned sour before, even if she tried to mend relations, it wasn't guaranteed that they'd let go of their resentment.

The male lead could be ignored for now. She had to stay in the Li family and rely on them for food and shelter.

As for the educated youths? After the college entrance exam or after returning to the city, she might never see them again. For now, she'd focus on her own life.

Jiang Manzhu didn't initiate conversation, and the other educated youths only gave her occasional glances.

Everyone knew about Jiang Zhiqing's "lucky marriage" with the Li family, but no one dared to spread that kind of talk too far. Otherwise, they'd be labeled superstitious.

After both Li family brothers died, the youngest Li brother returned to the village. Everyone expected that Jiang Zhiqing would return to the educated youth station.

But to everyone's surprise, she stayed with the Li family. Rumor had it she didn't even have to work in the fields anymore—just went out to gather pigweed with the foolish little brother.

Looking at her fair skin and the joy on her face, it was clear she hadn't suffered at all in the Li family.

Tsk, how lucky.

Some even secretly gloated over her being a widow.

Among them, Yuan Fengxin, who stood at the back, kept his eyes locked on Jiang Manzhu, frustrated. For the past half-month, he hadn't had the chance to meet Jiang Manzhu alone.

Yuan Fengxin couldn't understand why they used to see each other every day, but now he couldn't even catch a glimpse of her.

He didn't realize that before, it was Jiang Zhiqing who had actively sought him out, which was why things had been different.

But what annoyed Yuan Fengxin the most was that no matter how long he stared at her, Jiang Manzhu didn't even glance his way. His eyes were getting sore from staring!

Jiang Manzhu didn't notice, but Li Linxi certainly did.

He glanced at Yuan Fengxin, then at Jiang Manzhu. Hah, here I am, and they're already flirting?

The whole way, Li Linxi kept three parts of his attention on Jiang Manzhu, thinking that if he caught them at it again, he'd definitely find a way to get her kicked out.

However, he noticed that Yuan Fengxin kept looking over, while Jiang Manzhu had no interest in anyone. The road was so bumpy it made her backside hurt, and she had to stand up.

So annoying!

Jiang Manzhu pretended to be interested in the scenery outside. Honestly, in such a remote area, if she were sold into one of those villages where they buy brides, there would be no escape. The villagers all watch each other, and running away would be impossible.

It was better to endure the hardship. At least there was some hope of a future.

Her thoughts showed on her face—shock, worry, and shaking her head in dismay. Then, she looked toward Li Linxi with eyes full of… admiration and excitement, like a dog seeing… no, like someone seeing their favorite dish!

What kind of look is that? What does she want? Could she have lost interest in Yuan Fengxin and set her sights on him instead?

Li Linxi instinctively stepped to the side, but a nearby uncle grumbled, "Linxi, don't squeeze me, or I'll fall off."

"Hahaha, the tractor's always this shaky. They say they're going to fix the roads, but they say that every year, and nothing ever happens." An aunt next to them laughed, bringing up the topic.

These kinds of conversations were usually short-lived, and they quickly moved on.

When they arrived in town, the tractor stopped under a tree by the roadside. It still had to go to the fertilizer plant to pick up fertilizer.

Xiaobei jumped off the tractor, excitedly looking around. "Third Brother, are we in town? Is this the town? When are we getting meat?"

Xiaobei tugged on Li Linxi's sleeve. Before they left, his sister-in-law had warned him to hold onto his brother's sleeve and never let go, no matter what.

After all, Xiaobei was so adorable that many people would want to kidnap him, and then he'd never see his mom or third brother again.

Though Jiang Manzhu's story was meant to scare him a little, neither Liu Jumei nor Li Linxi had tried to stop her. After all, human traffickers were still a real threat in those days.

It was better to be cautious. No matter how foolish he might seem, Xiaobei was still their son (and brother).

"First, we go to the supply and marketing cooperative, then the butcher shop." Li Linxi decided they needed to get their shopping done first before buying meat, or it would be a hassle carrying it around.

"Let's go to the butcher shop first," Li Linxi interjected. Seeing their confused expressions, especially Jiang Manzhu's slight irritation, he explained.

"If we go early, we'll get better meat. Otherwise, all that'll be left is lean meat and bones." Li Linxi knew they didn't understand these practical matters, so he patiently explained to prevent any fuss later on.

To avoid them making a fuss later, no sooner had the words fallen from his lips than the two immediately looked at him with wide, adoring eyes. "Linxi (Third Brother) is right."

Li Linxi: …

Next, the two of them followed Li Linxi to buy pork, standing in front of the butcher's stall, listening as Li Linxi was 'haggling' with the butcher to throw in some extra bones.

Jiang Manzhu's bright eyes, sparkling like stars, blinked at the male lead. No wonder he later became so successful in business—just look at his eloquence!

She, on the other hand, was terrible at bargaining, especially when buying clothes and pants. Once, she even saw a woman haggle the price down from eighty yuan to twenty-five. Of course, that was in her previous life.

In the future, she should bring Li Linxi with her when she buys clothes!

Haha, maybe even when she buys groceries too!

She was too shy to even ask the vegetable lady to throw in a scallion when she went shopping!

Just as she was about to ask Jiang Manzhu to open the sack, she turned around to see her bright, expectant eyes full of admiration, with a hint of pleading…

Li Linxi remained silent, a trace of resistance and coldness in his eyes. "What are you doing?"

Jiang Manzhu glanced at the butcher—he couldn't hear this—so she quickly grabbed Li Linxi and tried to pull him aside.

But… she couldn't move him.

Looking at his physique, Jiang Manzhu gave him a thumbs up. "Come on, let's go to the supply and marketing cooperative."

Li Linxi glanced at the sack, signaling her to open it. Only then did Jiang Manzhu remember and quickly opened the sack, putting the fatty pork and pork bones inside.

Then… she handed it over for Li Linxi to carry. This strong man should be the one to handle these heavy things.

Once they were a little further from the butcher's stall, Jiang Manzhu spoke up, "Linxi, you're amazing! You even managed to haggle with him. I didn't know you could bargain for this! I thought we just used meat coupons and paid the set price."

It wasn't exactly haggling, just starting with a nice conversation… Ahem. She had thought Li Linxi only knew how to say things like "Hmm," "No need," and other short replies.

Sigh, clearly, I'm unworthy!

"Xiaobei, isn't Linxi incredible? Look, we got extra pork bones. The soup is going to be so flavorful, and when we pour it over rice, it'll taste amazing!"

Jiang Manzhu pulled Xiaobei into her little "Praise Linxi Club," and they both became founding members of the "Li Linxi Praise Squad."

Xiaobei looked adoringly at him too. "Yeah, Third Brother is awesome, way better than Xiaobei."

"Hahaha, exactly! He's even better than our Xiaobei… Hahaha…" Jiang Manzhu couldn't help but laugh. Now he could only compare himself to her silly little brother? Hahaha!

"Yes." Xiaobei didn't catch the subtle teasing in Jiang Manzhu's tone and nodded seriously. Of course, Third Brother was better than him!

Li Linxi ignored their chatter, letting them say whatever they wanted.

Soon, they arrived at the supply and marketing cooperative, and this time it wasn't very crowded.

Before they left the house, Jiang Manzhu had already confirmed with them what they needed to buy, so she went straight to the counter. She didn't forget to buy Xiaobei some candy, either. "Xiaobei, come over and pick. Which candy do you want? Big Sister will buy it for you!"

The bold and generous Jiang Manzhu instantly won Xiaobei's heart. His eyes sparkled as he stared at the brightly colored candies behind the counter.

I love them all!!!

Faced with so many choices, Xiaobei was a little torn. He wanted this one… and that one too…

He looked up at his sister. "I… I don't know which one tastes the best…"

"Comrade, are these candies all the same price? Can I mix them together when weighing?" Jiang Manzhu asked the shop clerk behind the counter.

"Yes, how much do you want?" The shop clerk nodded, not particularly friendly, and pulled out a bag, ready to scoop the candy.

"This one, this one, this one, and this one—just a little of each. I'll take two catties." Besides the candy, Jiang Manzhu planned to buy some biscuits and cakes as well. Buy, buy, buy!

Xiaobei watched happily from the side, especially when the bags of candies, biscuits, and cakes were all packed up. His smile stayed on his face the whole time.

Li Linxi looked at this scene but didn't say anything. After finishing their shopping, he also bought some snacks, just like Jiang Manzhu.

His brother couldn't be allowed to be completely won over by that woman.

"Linxi, everyone else is going to the state-run restaurant for dinner. Should we go too?" Jiang Manzhu overheard a few of the educated youth talking about having a nice meal.

"No, we'll cook the pork at home. The state-run restaurant just makes things more expensive after processing." Li Linxi refused. Besides, if their mother wasn't around, they couldn't go have a good meal without her.

"Ah?" Jiang Manzhu was disappointed, but then she suddenly thought of something. "Then let's buy some big meat buns to take back for Mom, and we'll all eat together!"

She needed to save her money, couldn't spend too much. Convincing Linxi to treat the family to a feast was the key!

"Xiaobei, do you want to eat meat buns? Come on, let's get your Third Brother to buy some. Two each!"

"Yes!" Meat buns? Yes, yes, yes! Xiaobei immediately unleashed his "charm beams" toward Li Linxi, looking at him like a puppy, melting Li Linxi's heart.

Li Linxi: Buy!