Chapter 3: Let's All Go to the Countryside Together

Next week, the graduation certificates would be distributed. The three Lin children were all about the same age. One of them had to go to the countryside.

Lin Xinjian had a close friend who found him a temporary job at a state-run restaurant. Lin Xinrou had no other option but to plot against Lin Jingyue. Moreover, Lin Xinrou was truly ruthless; to secure the job for herself, she cut off any alternatives and directly went to register Lin Jingyue for the countryside assignment.

Lin Jingyue paused in her steps, clicked her tongue, and changed course toward the subdistrict office. Since they had registered her to go to the countryside, she could do the same for them. It would be best if they were all assigned to the same place—she’d make sure they suffered together.

She rushed into the subdistrict office, excitement in her voice. “Comrade, did my sister register me for the countryside assignment?”

The comrade behind the desk gave her a wary look. “Comrade, once you’re signed up, it can’t be changed. You should…”

“You’re mistaken,” she interrupted cheerfully. “I asked my sister to sign me up. We educated youths should go to the countryside and be re-educated by the poor and lower-middle peasants, shouldn’t we? I’m very happy about it.”

“Such high awareness!” The comrade in charge of registration immediately gave her a thumbs-up. As long as people weren’t here to change names and make trouble, everything was fine.

Seeing that everyone’s attention was now on her, Lin Jingyue put on a passionate and heroic air, quoting the words of great leaders fluently. Now, everyone truly looked at her with newfound respect.

Once she judged the atmosphere just right, Lin Jingyue’s eyes sparkled. “Comrade, my brother and sister have also turned eighteen and are about to graduate from high school. They too believe they should go to the countryside to support rural construction, so they asked me to register them.”

“All three of your family are going to the countryside?” The comrade in charge looked at her oddly. “Think carefully, once you’re registered, there’s no going back.”

It was 1974—everyone knew that life in the countryside was far from easy. Many who returned home on visits looked emaciated and as dark as charcoal; everyone knew the hardships. There were plenty trying to avoid going, but a whole family sending all their children was unheard of.

Lin Jingyue, righteous and resolute, patted her chest. “Of course it’s true. My siblings take after me, their elder sister—we all have high awareness. Don’t worry, Comrade, sign them up. If we could all be assigned to the same place, that would be perfect—we could look after each other.”

Wouldn’t spending a lifetime in rural hardship repay Lin Xinrou for the life she’d taken from the original owner?

Leaving the subdistrict office, Lin Jingyue smiled with satisfaction. Since they were all headed to the countryside, let’s go together and see who fares better.

She wandered around the city, not in a hurry to visit the black market, and took stock of the original owner’s assets.

Truly, a little rich girl.

Despite her extravagant spending, she’d managed to save over four hundred yuan—more than enough to buy all the things needed for the countryside, with plenty left over.

First, Lin Jingyue went to the department store and bought some essentials for girls—those couldn’t be skimped on. She also bought some soft fabrics and a bolt of homespun cloth; she’d definitely need work clothes and rubber shoes for field labor. She’d just received her assignment slip—she was to be sent to Long City in the Black Province, Northeast China. There were only ten days left before departure. The winters there were long and bitterly cold, so she needed to prepare a thick quilt and a heavy cotton coat.

For that, she needed cotton.

She bought what she could, but only had two jin of cotton ration tickets, far from enough. It looked like she’d have to visit the black market after all.

As she left the department store, she ran straight into several familiar faces.

“Lin Jingyue?” The speaker was a girl about her age, dressed in a white and blue floral dress, with a delicate, obedient appearance but an air of arrogance in her eyes that marred her looks.

“Mm.” Lin Jingyue replied with a nasal hum, ready to pass by, but was blocked.

These were relatives from her mother’s side—cousins from her uncles and aunts, who’d always been at odds with the original owner and hadn’t cared about her for years.

The original owner had seen through them, and so had Lin Jingyue.

“What do you want?” she asked coolly.

“What did you buy? So much stuff? Let us see.” One of them reached out to grab her things.

Lin Jingyue caught the hand at once. “Is this a robbery?”

“Ow! Let go of me, Lin Jingyue!” Wu Shanshan yelped in pain from her grip.

The other three hurried over. “Let go, Lin Jingyue. What are you doing? Shanshan is your cousin!”

“Cousin?” Lin Jingyue sneered. “I didn’t know what a cousin was before, and I don’t intend to learn now. Be smart, and stay out of my sight.”

With a forceful swing, she sent Wu Shanshan sprawling to the ground.

The original owner hadn’t been cold toward her mother’s family at first. She’d lost her mother at age seven, and, bullied at home, had timidly gone to her mother’s family for help. But she’d been left standing outside their door all night, listening to the laughter and warmth within, as if that weren’t enough, Wu Aunt had come out with a bowl of sour, spoiled rice and thrown it at her feet, looking at her as one would a stray dog. “Eat it. When you’re done, get lost. We don’t have extra food for another mouth. You’re a Lin, not a Wu.”

The original owner, incredulous and fearful, had looked to her grandmother for help, only to be met with a cold, unfeeling gaze.

She’d already gone three days without food, had been beaten by her step-siblings, and had no strength left. In utter desperation, the little girl had eaten the spoiled rice bite by bite, cherishing it and hating them with all her heart.

After that, even though she often starved and was beaten black and blue, she never set foot in the Wu family’s home again.

The Wu family pretended she didn’t exist.

Nearly ten years had passed. The Wu family ignored her when they saw her in public, but in the past six months, the younger generation had started to approach her.

If Lin Jingyue guessed correctly, it was probably for the job at the food factory.

There were many children in the Wu family, but only so many jobs to go around.

Fortunately, the original owner had never cared for them, and neither did Lin Jingyue.

Looking down at Wu Shanshan, she spoke coldly, “I have little patience and less restraint. If I’m in a bad mood and cripple someone, don’t come crying about it.”

Wu Shanshan and the others eyed her warily, uncertain. They’d heard she was strong and domineering at school—they hadn’t expected it to be true.

Lin Jingyue shot them a glance and turned to leave, her mind busy with thoughts about that job. So many people were eyeing it—it had to be valuable.

Her gaze sharpened. She found a quiet corner, stowed her purchases away in her space, clapped the dust from her hands, and headed for the mechanical factory’s family compound.

One of her classmates’ fathers was the deputy director there, likely interested in that job.

“Auntie, hello. Could you tell me how to get to Director Yu’s home?” Lin Jingyue stopped a woman by the road and asked politely, slipping her a few fruit candies she’d just bought.

[Author: Come on, let’s make each other suffer—off to the countryside together!]