Chapter 9: Jiang Xun

But she kept her composure.

Uncle Shuisheng’s household, more than a dozen people in all, were momentarily stunned when they saw Lin Jingyue. Goodness, this new educated youth was just too beautiful.

"Brother Shuisheng, this is the new Comrade Lin. She wants you to build a heated kang bed, a chest of drawers, and a wardrobe—for the small room at the youth courtyard," Aunt Chun said with her usual straightforwardness, getting right to the point.

Lin Jingyue smiled as well. "Hello, Uncle Shuisheng. I’m in a bit of a hurry to move in, so I might need your handiwork as soon as this afternoon."

On the way over, Aunt Chun had already informed her that the cabinet was a large item and that she didn’t have any wood of her own.

So the price would be a bit higher, and with the kang bed, ten yuan or so would be fair.

Lin Jingyue decided on eight yuan. The wardrobe she wanted wasn’t large—the wardrobe for five yuan, the chest of drawers for three, and two more for the labor of building the kang bed. That seemed about right.

She wasn’t short of money, but she wasn’t extravagant either.

In this era, generosity wasn't encouraged.

The kang bed, with Uncle Shuisheng and his two sons working together, could be finished in half a day.

Uncle Shuisheng wiped his mouth and grinned, "Alright, the kang bed will be ready by this afternoon. The wardrobe will take two days, but we have a chest of drawers ready at home. Once the kang bed is done, you can move it in and use it first."

Lin Jingyue nodded. "That sounds good. Thank you, Uncle Shuisheng."

She thought for a moment. "By the way, I still need a stool, a wooden basin, and a small table for the kang bed..."

She tried to list out everything she could think of, to get it all sorted in one go—after all, she’d be living here for years.

"We’ve got all that. Wooden basins are easy to make, and we have some ready at home. You can come pick one out, and Aoki will deliver them to you later."

Aoki was Uncle Shuisheng’s younger son, about eighteen or nineteen, tall and sturdy.

When his father mentioned him, he scratched his head and grinned bashfully.

"Alright, thank you, Comrade Aoki. Uncle Shuisheng, how much would all these things cost?" Trading was officially forbidden now, but private bartering was still allowed.

Especially in the countryside, bartering was most convenient. But Lin Jingyue had only brought a suitcase with her; everything else was in her space. If she produced a sack of grain, wouldn’t that be ridiculous?

Uncle Shuisheng glanced at Aunt Chun, who was smiling broadly. He understood that this educated youth had already won the favor of the brigade leader’s wife, so after a moment’s thought, he said, "Eight yuan will do."

"That won’t do," Lin Jingyue refused to take advantage. She wouldn’t shortchange others, nor let them shortchange her.

"Ten yuan," she insisted.

With that, she reached into her satchel and pulled out two handfuls of fruit candies, handing them to the children in the yard.

"Here, these are for you. Share them among yourselves." There were more than twenty pieces in those two handfuls—a generous amount.

Aunt Shuisheng’s eyes widened in astonishment; her heart ached a little at the sight of so much candy!

The children’s eyes lit up, but they still looked to their grandfather for approval. Uncle Shuisheng, calculating in his mind to make Lin Jingyue a larger wooden basin, finally said to his grandsons, "Go ahead and take them."

The children clutched the candies, careful and timid—it was a sight that tugged at the heart.

With everything settled, Lin Jingyue and Aunt Chun parted ways after leaving the Shuisheng household, and she returned to the educated youth quarters.

On the road, she came across a group of mischievous children in a scuffle. She watched with amusement for a while, and once a winner emerged, she clapped her hands and went on her way.

Back at the youth quarters, everyone was lounging in the courtyard after lunch.

The moment Lin Jingyue returned, all eyes settled on her, making Lin Xinyou—who had been performing earlier—look a little sour.

"Comrade Lin, where did you go just now?" Chen Chunlan asked, her eyes darting shrewdly.

They’d already introduced themselves earlier. Lin Jingyue had a good memory and naturally remembered her name.

Of the seven old educated youths, she had met five; the other two were absent.

"Just went for a stroll," Lin Jingyue replied with a subtle smile.

Not getting the answer she wanted, Chen Chunlan pursed her lips, about to say more when the main gate was pushed open again.

Lin Jingyue turned at the sound.

And unexpectedly found herself gazing into a pair of deep, starry eyes. A man in a blue shirt and black trousers, his hair just the right length to reveal his finely shaped brows—clean, sharp, strikingly handsome.

To think such an extraordinary man existed here!

Lin Jingyue raised an eyebrow inwardly, but kept her expression unchanged.

She calmly withdrew her gaze, only to notice that Chen Chunlan’s eyes had changed, a faint blush creeping up her cheeks.

"Comrade Jiang, you’re back," she said in a deliberately delicate voice, making Lin Jingyue’s lips twitch.

Jiang Xun nodded perfunctorily, never once glancing at Chen Chunlan.

Behind him, Zhou Yan rolled his eyes. "Comrade Chen, are you blind? I’m right here and you don’t see me?"

Chen Chunlan flushed crimson, seething with resentment toward Zhou Yan.

"Pfft..." Xia Nan, unable to hold it in, burst out laughing, and Lin Xinjian and a few others, whose faces had been sour, relaxed considerably.

Indeed, happiness often comes at the expense of others.

"What are you laughing at?" Chen Chunlan, unable to save face, glared fiercely at Xia Nan before storming off to her room.

Zhou Yan rolled his eyes dramatically, then turned to Lin Jingyue with a different expression. "You must be the new educated youth? I’m Zhou Yan. Comrade, how should I address you?"

He tilted his head, beaming with a bright, friendly smile, a far cry from the mischief he’d shown earlier.

Lin Jingyue chuckled. "Lin Jingyue."

"Jiang Xun."

"Huh?" Zhou Yan looked at Jiang Xun in surprise, but Jiang Xun ignored him, only nodding to Lin Jingyue before squatting by the well to wash his hands.

The old educated youths exchanged subtle glances between Lin Jingyue and Jiang Xun.

"Comrade Lin, we’re here to build your kang bed." A voice broke the slightly awkward atmosphere in the courtyard.

It was Uncle Shuisheng and his two sons, carrying a pile of items—everything Lin Jingyue had purchased.

Everyone was surprised to see Lin Jingyue working so energetically. The old educated youths hadn’t expected her to adapt so quickly, and the new ones didn’t expect to have to buy so many things.

"Hey, brother..." Zhou Yan squatted beside Jiang Xun, nudging him with his elbow. "Just now you..."

"Are you that idle?" Jiang Xun shot him a cool glance.

"..."

Lin Jingyue brought out her suitcase. The work had already begun inside—once the kang bed was built, she still couldn’t sleep on it tonight, and her quilt was not in plain sight.

But she’d already decided—not to stay at the youth quarters tonight.

In just about two hours, the kang bed was finished. A single bed didn’t take long.

It was still daylight. After seeing the men off, Lin Jingyue moved everything inside, locked the door, and left the educated youth quarters.

At the brigade leader’s house, Lin Jingyue collected her letter of introduction and headed into town.

She would stay at the guesthouse in town tonight. New educated youths were given a day of rest; tomorrow was set aside for buying daily necessities.

The brigade leader gave her a few instructions but didn’t interfere further.

He was used to these independent-minded educated youths by now. In fact, he’d feel uneasy if one of them wasn’t a maverick.

PS: After writing for so long, this is the first time the male lead has appeared within the first ten chapters—usually it takes at least fifty!