Chapter 24: The Little Troublemaker of the Seventies

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Since there was no ox cart, they had no choice but to walk.

Fortunately, a bus passed along the nearest stretch of highway, so they only had to walk for half an hour.

Liu Suisui knew that country roads were difficult to navigate, so instead of wearing her little leather shoes, she had put on cloth-soled shoes. The soles were neither too soft nor too hard—just right.

Still, her body had not had much exercise for a long time. After walking for only five minutes, she already began to feel a little tired.

She turned her head and glanced at the taciturn Li Xiangyang. Tilting her head, she teased him, “Why aren’t you saying anything? Is being with me making you feel stifled?”

“No.” He shook his head.

He was simply feeling a small surge of happiness because, when she had to travel far from home, he had been the first person she thought of.

But he could not help feeling somewhat worried. If other people saw them walking together, would they misunderstand?

“Educated Youth Liu, aren’t you afraid…” He hesitated, unsure whether he should ask the question.

To be honest, he was somewhat inferior at heart.

He felt that his status made him unworthy of her, an educated youth from the city. Besides, she carried herself with refinement, and her family conditions were probably quite good.

If her family found out that he harbored feelings for her, the two of them would probably never be able to be together in the end.

Love could overcome hardship, but there were some difficulties that love alone could not conquer.

“Stop right there. I don’t want to hear that sort of thing.” Liu Suisui naturally knew what he was about to say.

“Have you done anything wicked enough to incur Heaven’s wrath?”

“No.”

“Then live a little more freely. This is simply the way the world is. None of it is your fault.”

All of this was merely the result of resentment toward the wealthy.

Once people had what they considered a legitimate reason for revenge, all their ugliness would be laid bare.

Did they not know that he was innocent?

But what could they do? That was simply the way the world was. Who could blame them for saying that he should have divided his money among everyone in the first place?

Li Xiangyang lowered his eyes, pondering the meaning behind her words.

It was true. He had done nothing wicked. All the suffering he had endured had been brought upon him by others.

Why should he have to bear all of this and live at the bottom of society?

And yet… he still could not help taking certain things into consideration.

Half an hour was not actually a long journey. The problem was that the road was terribly uneven, and by the time they reached the end, Liu Suisui could not help pounding her legs.

“I’m so tired. I haven’t walked this far in ages.”

Her legs already felt as though they no longer belonged to her.

Seeing that her face had gone slightly pale, Li Xiangyang felt a pang of sympathy. Unfortunately, he did not know how to ease her discomfort.

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Just then, the bus arrived. Without wasting any more words, they boarded it.

There were still plenty of empty seats at that hour.

Liu Suisui sat by the window, while Li Xiangyang took the seat behind her.

He gazed at her back, lost in thought.

“There’s nothing to be unwilling about. No matter how fiery-tempered she is, once she gets into bed, won’t she become docile enough?”

“Your son is really lucky, managing to get his hands on an educated youth. Your grandson’s education will be taken care of from now on. Who knows? Maybe she’ll even give birth to a golden phoenix.”

“Oh, I think that educated youth is too thin and small. She won’t be good at bearing children. She’d better give my son a big, chubby boy. Otherwise, I’ll make my son divorce her!”

The loud voices reaching her ears made Liu Suisui glance at the women curiously.

The several older women spoke without the slightest restraint, completely unafraid that others might hear them.

Although their conversation was disjointed, it was not difficult to guess what they were talking about.

Liu Suisui could not help feeling disgusted. Sometimes, it was members of the same kind who knew best how to destroy one another.

From the back seat, Li Xiangyang inevitably thought of those men from before. Because they had found Liu Suisui attractive, they had wanted to take advantage of her.

Fortunately, she had a fierce temper and had managed to drive them off. But what if she had been weaker?

Or what if he had not been there watching over her?

What if one day someone schemed against her?

The mere thought of such a possibility tormented him.

Part of him wanted to draw closer and make her his, while another part feared that his identity would ruin her reputation. What if she came to hate him afterward?

While he battled with himself, the bus slowly made its way into the city.

“Phew!”

After getting off the bus, Liu Suisui first took a deep breath of fresh air. The bus had smelled awful, filled with the odors of various poultry, mingled with sweat and… the stench of feet.

Li Xiangyang got off after her and asked, “Where are we going?”

“The library. Help me find out where it is. I want to buy some books.”

“All right.”

Anyone local could tell them where the library was.

They followed the streets, crossing several blocks before finally reaching their destination.

Liu Suisui wasted no time and immediately began looking for high school textbooks.

If they bought books from a scrap dealer, they could get several for just a few coins. The drawback was that they would never be able to find a complete set.

The library had a full selection of textbooks, but they were somewhat more expensive.

Not knowing what else to do, Li Xiangyang found several technical books and planned to take them home to read. Perhaps they might prove useful someday.

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After choosing their books and paying, they stepped outside. It was already lunchtime.

“I’ll take you to the state-run restaurant for a meal. The food here is quite good.”

“All right, all right!”

When they arrived at the state-run restaurant, only one empty table remained.

Restaurants in the city saw a great deal of traffic, and the entire dining hall was filled with the sounds of conversation and clattering dishes.

People said that anyone who became the head chef at a restaurant either had an imperial chef somewhere in his ancestry—or had inherited the building itself from his ancestors.

The day’s menu was written on a blackboard. All they had to do was place their order at the counter. Payment came first, followed by the meal.

And once the dishes were ready, customers had to carry them to their own tables. The waiters would not bring them over.

Liu Suisui sat at the table, watching Li Xiangyang bustle back and forth with their food, and quietly giggled.

“What are you laughing at?”

He had just carried over another dish and immediately noticed that she seemed to be in an especially good mood.

“Nothing. I just think you’re rather cute.”

Li Xiangyang froze for a moment. Then he cleared his throat and said, “Eat your food.”

They had ordered two dishes and a soup, along with a bowl of white rice for each of them.

The restaurant used generous amounts of oil and seasoning, so the food was richer and more flavorful than anything cooked at home. It was delicious.

Only after coming to this world had Liu Suisui truly understood what it meant to live without any grease in one’s stomach.

She had a small appetite, so before eating, she transferred more than half her rice into Li Xiangyang’s bowl and finished the little that remained.

Li Xiangyang had a large appetite and cleaned up the rest without hesitation.

“I’m stuffed.”

“Would you like to take a look around the department store?” he suggested.

“Sure. We were planning to spend the night here anyway.”

The department store was essentially the shopping mall of a later age.

It carried everything imaginable, provided one had the money.

Li Xiangyang intended to buy a bicycle, preferably a ladies’ bicycle.

That way, the journey home would not be so exhausting.

He glanced at the woman beside him, who had no idea what he was thinking, and a trace of amusement flickered through his eyes.