Chapter 9: Settling In

Zhao Changlin heard his sister’s words and said, "Chunli, stop coming up with such rotten ideas. It’s getting late, you two should head back early; you still have to work tomorrow."

Zhao Chunli replied, "I’m doing this for Luo Qiao’s own good. How can a young girl support herself alone? If this actually works out, Second Brother and the others will have an extra source of income."

Zhao Changlin said, "Heaven watches what people do. You’d best stop doing things that harm others. Since it was already declared in front of the whole village today that you have nothing to do with each other anymore, stop thinking about such nonsense."

After saying this, Zhao Changlin called his wife and left. He had no patience for his sister-in-law’s personality. They had gone to the commune on business today and only found out upon returning just how heartlessly his second younger brother’s family had acted.

Since the matter was settled, it wasn't their place to interfere anymore; after all, the family had already split.

At nightfall, Luo Qiao waited until Lu Yichen returned to his room and closed the door before she entered the space.

Once inside, she walked toward the valley and saw various fruit trees planted on both sides. The quantity and variety weren't huge, but this still filled Luo Qiao with joy; in this day and age, getting fruit to eat wasn't easy.

Not far from the waterfall, there was a pond fed by the natural terrain, with a small patch of lotus flowers growing inside.

Luo Qiao looked up at the mountain, which was covered in tall trees, though she didn't recognize many of them.

After looking around, she realized there were no living creatures in this space besides herself. It seemed she would have to go up the mountain to conduct an experiment once her body felt a bit better.

The next day, Luo Qiao woke up early. Feeling much better than the day before, she prepared to go to the educated youth dormitory to choose a room so she could move out sooner; it wasn't good to keep imposing on Lu Yichen.

Although this body was still as thin as a bean sprout, it didn't sound good for a man and a woman to be living together. Besides, the brigade leader had mentioned yesterday that the dormitory wasn't far from Lu Yichen’s house.

Perhaps because she had drunk the well water from the space, her body felt significantly better than yesterday. The early spring morning was still cold. Luo Qiao went into the courtyard to find a washbasin and drew water from the vat by the kitchen door.

Just as she was about to wash her face, Lu Yichen came out of the kitchen carrying a ladle of hot water and said, "It’s cold out, add some hot water before you wash."

By the time Luo Qiao looked up, Lu Yichen had already turned and walked away. He really was a man with a tough exterior but a soft heart.

She had already told Auntie Gao last night that she didn't need to come over anymore; she could take care of herself and shouldn't keep causing trouble for others.

After Luo Qiao finished tidying up, Lu Yichen had breakfast ready. When the two of them arrived at the educated youth dormitory after eating, the brigade leader had just arrived with a few strong laborers from the village.

The brigade leader said to Luo Qiao, "No one lives in this dormitory anymore. See which room you like, and I’ll have them help you clean it up."

Luo Qiao ultimately chose the room at the very end; it was right next to the kitchen, which would be convenient.

The room had only been vacant since before the New Year, so there wasn't much that needed repairing. By the end of the morning, it was all tidied up. However, while the room was clean, there was nothing in it but a *kang* bed.

The original owner had nothing but a small bundle containing a few changes of clothes.

The brigade leader went home and had his wife bring over a set of old bedding, two sets of bowls and chopsticks, about twenty catties of cornmeal, and some seasonings. Fortunately, there was a pot and a water vat in the dormitory kitchen.

There was also some firewood piled up in the backyard, otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to cook at all.

Luo Qiao said gratefully, "Thank you, Auntie. Consider these things a loan; once I’m better off and can afford to buy my own, I will definitely return them to you."

The brigade leader’s wife replied, "As long as you don't mind them, that's fine. Life will get better slowly."

Update finished for today! Thank you all for your support!

(End of chapter)