Chapter 7: The Little Troublemaker of the Seventies (7)

"What is going on? Did I come to the wrong place?"

Liu Suisui didn't think her memory had deteriorated to such an extent. The scene around her and the progress of the other members were exactly the same as they had been in the morning. How could her own plot of land have changed so drastically?

Just then, the middle-aged women from her group approached. Upon seeing the transformed land, they were all astonished.

"Educated Youth Liu, you finished so quickly? You’re truly amazing. I knew someone as diligent as you wouldn't do a poor job."

They unanimously assumed she had come during the lunch break to finish cleaning up her assigned plot. Liu Suisui was utterly baffled. What was going on? Which "Cinderella" had done the work for her? However, she couldn't show her confusion in front of everyone, so she just offered a simple, honest smile without saying anything.

The scorekeeper arrived, looked at the clean field with its flourishing seedlings, and nodded with satisfaction. "I never would have guessed it. You may be young, Educated Youth Liu, but you’re quite efficient. I’ll give you six points; you can head back early to rest today."

They operated on a division-of-labor system where everyone was responsible for their own plot, and each plot had corresponding work points. Whoever finished first could leave first. Of course, one could choose to stay and keep working, but it was unclear who those extra points would end up with.

Liu Suisui rubbed her neck and walked away with a strange look on her face. After being exposed to the sun all morning, she had expected to endure more in the afternoon. Instead, she had earned six points without doing a thing. Forget it, no point in overthinking it.

"007, where is Li Xiangyang? Can you provide a location?"

"Navigating for you now..."

Since she had no work to do, she might as well focus on her mission. Although the system couldn't perform tasks itself, it was quite useful as an auxiliary tool. Following the navigation, she passed countless people along the way until she finally stopped in front of a mountain.

The mountain wasn't high, but looking ahead, it was a range of rolling peaks. It was said that Siberian tigers lived in the northern mountains. In this era, animal protection laws weren't very comprehensive, but no one was bored enough to go hunting for tigers.

Not to mention tigers, even wild boars coming down from the mountain would be trouble enough. Liu Suisui found a clean, large rock and, after a moment of hesitation, sat down. She was so tired. In the past, whenever she traveled, everything was arranged for her. She never had to walk much, usually sitting in a car and just taking an elevator once she reached her destination. These rural paths were unpaved, and after just a few steps, she felt pebbles slipping into her shoes.

She pounded her legs. "This is such a hassle. 007, can't you pull off a magic trick? Like, one where I wake up from a nap and nothing ever happened? My uncle didn't die, I didn't bind with you, and life is just as it always was."

007 replied regretfully, "Currently, the system's energy is insufficient to achieve that. Please focus on completing your tasks, accumulate energy, and you can exchange it for a wish later."

"Fine."

Liu Suisui rested for a while. Feeling hot, she pulled off her face mask. She wore her hair in a high ponytail, with two unruly wisps of hair framing her forehead, which made her look even more petite. A cool breeze brushed against her face, and she couldn't help but sigh in comfort. The air was so fresh.

Li Xiangyang’s location was in the mountains. The path up was rugged, and she knew her shoes would be covered in mud if she went up. She didn't have many pairs of shoes; if she had to wash them, she would really have to be careful with them. Why hadn't the system given her a more high-end identity? 007’s excuse was that this body was the most compatible with her; if she were in someone else's, there might be rejection symptoms.

Liu Suisui sighed, suddenly not knowing what to do. If she had her phone, she could watch videos, but now, she really didn't feel like doing anything. Turning her head, she saw a small stream nearby. The water likely flowed down from the mountain, and long-term erosion had formed the creek. After a moment of hesitation, she walked over. Crouching down, she could clearly see a few small fish swimming underneath.

She had heard that if you flipped over stones, you’d find small crabs. She wondered if it was true. Liu Suisui bit her finger, wondering if she looked a bit silly. But she had never been to a place like this before and had never experienced rural life. Since she was already here, why not give it a try?

She reached her hand into the water. It was icy cold, as if she had stuck her hand into a refrigerator. The current was gentle, like a cool breeze, not stinging at all. The fish beneath the surface seemed to sense something and scattered in fear. But the area was small, and with nowhere to hide, they retreated into the gaps between the rocks.

Liu Suisui lifted a rock she could move. She didn't see any crabs, but there were a few small fish that had hidden there, along with a shrimp with large pincers. She didn't know the scientific name, so she decided to just call them "crayfish."

When Li Xiangyang came down from the mountain, he saw a small, huddled figure squatting by the stream, doing something. He observed for a long time but couldn't tell what she was doing—was she playing? He used to think that most people in the world were the same, devoid of any real color. But from the moment he saw her, that idea changed. It seemed that in this world, she was the only splash of color. He leaned against a tree trunk, not even realizing that his gaze, directed at her, held a faint tenderness. There was a hint of a smile in his eyes—a smile that hadn't appeared on his face in a long time.

"Ah!"

A sharp cry startled him, and he rushed over, his usually calm face showing a hint of panic for the first time. Liu Suisui had been looking for crabs but found a bunch of crayfish instead. She had assumed catching them required no skill, but the next second, she was pinched. It hurt so much that tears welled up, and she didn't dare to shake her hand hard for fear of making it worse. The shrimp kept its grip, and the pain only intensified.

"Don't move."

A cold, clear voice sounded from behind her. He reached out and snapped the shrimp's body off. Without the body to control it, the pincer slowly let go. Looking down, he saw the young girl with her big, round eyes, which looked even more pitiable after being moistened by tears.

"Are you all right?" He couldn't help but soften his tone, afraid of scaring her.

Liu Suisui pouted, feeling aggrieved, and instinctively acted spoiled: "It hurts so much."