Time Travel: My Comfortable Life After Going to the Countryside

"I won't eat. You've only just arrived and don't have much food. Let's talk about it after you're settled. I'll head back now. Lock the door. I'll bring you some old newspapers tomorrow." Liu Xiangyang turned around and saw her big, watery eyes. He paused for a moment, then turned and walked out.

Bai Jie saw him off at the gate of the courtyard, watching his tall figure disappear into the dim village road. She closed the door, bolted it, and felt a burning pain in the blisters on the soles of her feet, as if all the bones in her body were falling apart.

Bai Jie threw herself onto the kang (a heated brick bed), sometimes frowning because of the sore blisters on her feet, sometimes squinting and smiling, as if she was thinking of something good.

By the time we left Grandma Gu's house, it was completely dark. Dim yellow light shone from the windows of the houses in the village, and occasionally a dog barked or an adult called for their child to come home for dinner. The air was filled with the aroma of firewood and cooked food.

Liu Xiangyang didn't go home immediately. Instead, he went to the brigade headquarters first. The lights were on inside, and Zhang Tiejun was still talking to Wang Lixin. When he saw Liu Xiangyang come in, he nodded.

"Have all the educated youth been settled?" Zhang Tiejun asked.

"Yes, I took Bai Jie to Grandma Gu's." Liu Xiangyang sat down on the bench. "She looked exhausted from the journey; she must have a lot of blisters on her feet."

"That's normal. City kids have never traveled this far before. The male educated youth are in a similar situation." Wang Lixin took a puff of his cigarette. "Let them rest for half a day tomorrow, and do some light work in the afternoon to get used to it."

"That's the way to do it." Liu Xiangyang nodded in agreement. "By the way, Grandma Gu's window is broken. I'll bring her some old newspapers tomorrow to fix it."

"Okay, then you take good care of things. Go back and eat; you've had a long day."

Liu Xiangyang stood up and walked out of the brigade headquarters.

A cool night breeze blew by, and he walked straight towards his own yard.

Pushing open the courtyard gate, the lights were on in the main room. Xue Bingbing was sitting at the table, a notebook and some tickets spread out in front of her, a pen in her hand, her brows slightly furrowed, as if she were doing accounts. Hearing the door open, she looked up, her eyes lighting up and then curving into crescents: "You're back!"

"Okay." Liu Xiangyang closed the door. "Where are they?"

"Now that new educated youth have arrived, we shouldn't get together every day except for meals. We don't know what kind of people they are, so I thought we should keep a low profile."

Liu Xiangyang nodded after listening, "That's how it should be."

"It'll just be tough on you walking alone at night every night," Xue Bingbing said with a laugh, covering her mouth.

Liu Xiangyang pulled her close and kissed her red lips. After a long pause, he said, "At least I won't have to walk alone at night tonight."

"Ouch, you've got oil all over me!" Xue Bingbing wiped her mouth, glanced at her clothes with a coquettish look, then glared at Liu Xiangyang, but her eyes weren't angry at all; instead, they were sparkling.

Liu Xiangyang chuckled softly, released his hand, walked to the washbasin stand to scoop water to wash his hands, and Xue Bingbing turned and went into the kitchen, quickly bringing out the food and placing it on the square table in the main room.

A pot of stewed cabbage with glass noodles, piled high with marbled pork belly, glistening with oil. A dish of pickled vegetable shreds, and a small bowl of golden sorghum rice porridge.

"Brother Xiangyang, have all the new educated youth been brought back?" she asked, placing a bowl of vermicelli on his plate.

"Yes, seven men are staying at the educated youth settlement, and one woman has been assigned to Granny Gu's house in the west of the village." Liu Xiangyang picked up a piece of meat.

"Grandma Gu?" Xue Bingbing blinked. "That deaf-mute grandma?"

"Yes, the team gives an extra ten work points each month as a subsidy for taking care of the elderly."

"Oh." Xue Bingbing nodded.

The dining table fell silent, with only the occasional soft clinking of bowls and chopsticks. The lamplight cast the shadows of the two people onto the wall.

After watching him finish his meal and clear away the dishes, Xue Bingbing said, "Let's go over and wipe your body down."

"it is good."

Liu Xiangyang responded and followed Xue Bingbing into her room. The yellow light inside made the room feel even more intimate. A clean quilt was laid on the kang (a heated brick bed). When Luo Lan saw them come in, she stood up, a gentle smile on her face, and brought over a basin of hot water with a wrung-out hot towel in her hand.

"Xiangyang, your face and body are oily, wipe your face first." Roland used a hot towel to wipe his face, while Xue Bingbing took off his coat and shirt, revealing his muscular upper body.

Roland took a hot towel and carefully wiped him, starting from his neck. The towel was scalding hot, and the pressure was just right. It wiped his strong chest, shoulders, and back, taking away the sweat and fatigue. Xue Bingbing helped by handing him hot water and wringing out the towel. Their movements were perfectly coordinated.

"Was the journey smooth?" Roland asked as he wiped the floor, his voice sounding particularly soft in the quiet room.

"It's alright, just walking slowly." Liu Xiangyang closed his eyes, enjoying the comfort of the towel.

"Have all those educated youth been settled?" Roland asked softly, taking another wrung-out hot towel from Xue Bingbing.

"Yes, everything is settled. The male educated youth have been settled at the educated youth settlement, and the female educated youth has been settled at Grandma Gu's house," Liu Xiangyang said.

Roland didn't ask any more questions. He changed the towel and gestured for Liu Xiangyang to continue. Liu Xiangyang obediently pulled down his trousers. The warm, damp towel wiped his waist, abdomen, and thighs, the gentle wiping bringing a sense of relaxation.

After wiping, Roland handed the towel to Xue Bingbing, then leaned back on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), her hand naturally sliding down...

She looked up at him, her eyes filled with a knowing smile and a hint of teasing: "You've been walking all day, and you're not tired at all?"

Liu Xiangyang opened his eyes and looked at her: "Seeing you all makes me feel less tired."

Roland knelt down beside him on the kang, looked up at him, her eyes gentle and direct: "Brother Xiangyang, let me help you relax."

As she spoke, she lowered her head. Liu Xiangyang took a breath, stroked Roland's hair, and Xue Bingbing also leaned down, kissed his lips, and gently stroked his chest.

Only muffled, suppressed breathing and rustling sounds remained in the room. The yellow light from the incandescent bulb flickered on the walls, elongating and swaying the shadows.

Liu Xiangyang's breathing gradually became heavy.

After a long while, he groaned, his body tensing up. A moment later, he opened his eyes and released his grip on her.

She looked up after cleaning, her cheeks flushed, her eyes glistening with tears.

Xue Bingbing released his lips, wiped the sweat from his forehead with her fingers, and chuckled, "Looks like you're really not tired."

Liu Xiangyang calmed his breathing and pulled both of them into his arms, one on each side.

(...)

After an unknown amount of time, the passion finally subsided.

The three lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), covered with a thin quilt. Roland nestled beside him, already sleepy, and fell asleep in his arms. Xue Bingbing lay on his chest, unconsciously drawing circles with one hand. "Did Sister Chen say anything to Xiangyang?"

"I almost forgot. She brought you some things. I'll give them to you tomorrow so you can share them with everyone. She said she'll come to visit you in a while."

"When?" Xue Bingbing looked up at him.

"You want to see her that much?"

"I'd also like to see what kind of person makes you keep going to Harbin."

"That's because she's what I do," he whispered in her ear.

"what!"

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