Time Travel: My Comfortable Life After Going to the Countryside

Before dawn, Gu Xiaoyu shouldered her hoe and went out.

The plot of land she was assigned was always the furthest, with the hardest soil and the most weeds. When assigning work, Li Jianjun, with his gloomy face, wouldn't even look at her, and would just casually say, "That bean patch on the west slope, the weeds are almost covering the seedlings. Gu Xiaoyu, you go there."

The women nearby exchanged glances but remained silent. The western slope was full of stones, and under the sun, it was like a furnace.

Gu Xiaoyu nodded, picked up the hoe, and left.

The bean sprouts were just emerging, but the weeds were growing wildly. She bent down, swung the hoe, again and again. Sweat dripped from her chin into the soil, quickly disappearing. The blisters on her palms from yesterday had burst again, burning with pain. She rubbed her hands on her coarse cloth trousers and continued working.

Liu Xiangyang rode his bicycle along the main road and saw that thin figure from afar, bobbing up and down on the slope. The sun was scorching, and she didn't even have a decent straw hat.

He pushed off with his foot, and the car didn't stop, continuing straight past.

At lunchtime, the scorekeeper, Luo Lan, came over with her notebook. Gu Xiaoyu had done her work quickly and neatly today, so she should have received eight points.

Li Jianjun strolled over and glanced at the edge of the field: "Didn't you hoe deep enough? The weed roots might not have been completely removed. I'll make a 70% note for now and check again tomorrow."

Roland paused for a moment, did not refute, and made the correction in his notebook.

Gu Xiaoyu paused wiping her sweat, said nothing, picked up the hoe, and walked back.

Back in the little house, she scooped up a ladle of cold water and gulped it down, which made her parched throat feel a little better. The stove was cold, with only two leftover cornbread buns mixed with wild vegetables from the night before.

She sat on the doorstep, slowly munching on a cornbread, her eyes fixed on the distant, lush green fields, a vast emptiness in her gaze.

When she finished work in the evening, she dragged her aching body back home, only to find an old cloth bag hanging on the doorknob.

Looking around to make sure no one was watching, she quickly took it off and brought it inside.

Upon opening it, I found four warm white steamed buns, a small packet of brown sugar, a box of clam oil, and at the very bottom, a pair of nearly new, thick work gloves.

Gu Xiaoyu held the gloves, looked at them for a long time, and then clenched them tightly in her hand until her knuckles turned white.

The next day, she put on those gloves and rubbed the hoe handle against her palms; sure enough, it didn't hurt as much.

That evening, she carefully washed herself with the saved hot water and changed into a clean old jacket. Sitting under the dim oil lamp, she took out her hidden sewing basket and pulled out a small piece of dark blue, sturdy work cloth from her bosom—a little leftover material from when Liu Xiangyang made her clothes last time.

She gestured and began to sew. She knew that Liu Xiangyang was well-off and lacked nothing, but she just wanted to make something for him, regardless of whether he needed it or not.

A few days later, Li Jianjun came up with a new idea: he sent Gu Xiaoyu to carry manure to fertilize the vegetable garden furthest south of the village. Each load of manure weighed about 100 jin (50 catties), and the round trip was three or four li (1.5-2 km), all uphill.

Gu Xiaoyu gritted her teeth and went back and forth, one trip after another... Her shoulders were rubbed raw and swollen, and the carrying pole felt like it was digging into her flesh.

In the afternoon, as she returned carrying empty buckets, her vision blurred, and she nearly fell into the roadside ditch. Suddenly, an arm reached out and steadied her.

It was Liu Xiangyang. He was standing under the shade of a tree by the roadside at some point.

"Heatstroke?" He asked softly, pressing his hand against her forehead; it was burning hot.

Gu Xiaoyu wanted to shake her head, but she didn't have the strength.

Without saying a word, Liu Xiangyang helped her to sit on the back of the bicycle. "Hold on tight." He pushed the bike, without riding it, and headed towards the clinic.

When they encountered people finishing their work on the road, Liu Xiangyang said calmly, "Comrade Gu Xiaoyu has suffered heatstroke from labor. Take her to the clinic for a checkup."

When they arrived at the clinic, Dr. Han was grinding herbs. He glanced at them and said, "Put them on that bed over there."

After a careful examination, he frowned: "Overwork, coupled with the scorching sun, has caused internal heat to build up. Bloodletting is necessary to release the heat."

Gu Xiaoyu tensed up when she heard "bloodletting".

"Don't be afraid," Liu Xiangyang said, pressing down on her shoulder. "Master Han's cooking is excellent."

Dr. Han took a three-edged needle and quickly pricked several spots on Gu Xiaoyu's neck and elbows, squeezing out a few drops of dark blood. He then scraped a frightening purplish-red mark on her back.

Throughout the entire process, Gu Xiaoyu bit her lip and didn't utter a sound, but cold sweat poured down her forehead.

"Alright," Dr. Han wiped his hands, "the heat toxins have been released, that's good. Avoid wind and overexertion for the next few days, and take your medicine on time." He prescribed a packet of brown powder, then picked up a pen, "You need to write a sick leave certificate, at least three days."

Liu Xiangyang took the medicine and the note: "Thank you, Master."

It was already dark when they came out of the clinic. Liu Xiangyang didn't let her sit in the back seat anymore, but instead helped her walk slowly back.

Gu Xiaoyu's legs felt weak, and she almost leaned on Liu Xiangyang. The clean scent of soap mixed with a faint masculine aroma wafted into her nose, making her face flush. She didn't know if it was from an illness or something else.

"Can you still walk?" Liu Xiangyang asked.

"Yes..." she whispered, her voice barely audible.

"Don't push yourself." Liu Xiangyang used a little force in his arms to support her.

There were hardly any people on the road, only cicadas chirping in the trees. The setting sun cast long shadows of the two people, almost overlapping each other.

Back in the cabin, Liu Xiangyang helped her sit down by the bed, poured her a bowl of water and told her to swallow the powder. The medicine was very bitter, but Gu Xiaoyu didn't even flinch.

"I'll give the leave slip to Captain Wang tomorrow." Liu Xiangyang placed the slip of paper stamped with Dr. Han's personal seal on the table. "Just stay in bed these next few days, don't worry about the work points."

Gu Xiaoyu looked down at her torn trouser legs and swollen, red shoulders, and suddenly asked, "Why...why are you so nice to me?"

Liu Xiangyang paused as he lit the oil lamp, and the flame leaped up, illuminating half of his face.

"What do you think?" he asked rhetorically, his voice devoid of emotion.

Gu Xiaoyu twisted the hem of her clothes with her fingers, her voice even lower: "I...I don't know, I'm just a nuisance, and..."

"You're quite self-aware," Liu Xiangyang interrupted her, his tone ambiguous, neither joking nor serious.

Gu Xiaoyu's face turned pale instantly.

Liu Xiangyang walked up to her, lifted her chin, and in the lamplight, the sickly flush on her face had not yet faded, her eyes were wet, filled with fear and confusion.

"Remember," Liu Xiangyang stared into her eyes, "my things, good or bad, are mine. If Li Jianjun wants to mess with you, he'll have to ask me first."

These words were domineering, even a bit harsh, but when Gu Xiaoyu heard them, the weight that had been hanging over her heart suddenly lifted.

She understood; she wasn't a burden, but "his thing"—it didn't sound nice, but it was true.

"Yes." She nodded vigorously, tears inexplicably falling. "I remember, I'm yours."

Liu Xiangyang released his grip, pulled a paper packet from his pocket, and tossed it onto the bed: "This is brown sugar. Mix it with hot water and drink it. Don't eat anything cold these days. I'll bring you some more food tomorrow."

After speaking, he turned to leave.

"Wait..." Gu Xiaoyu called out to him, struggled to get out of bed, took something out from under the pillow, and stuffed it into his hand.

It was a pair of well-made, dark blue insoles with tight stitches and carefully rolled edges.

"This is for you..." Her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible, "You walk a lot every day, so this will make you more comfortable."

Liu Xiangyang squeezed the thick, soft insole in his hand and glanced at her.

"Not bad." He stepped forward and kissed her red lips.

"Hmm~"