Time Travel: My Comfortable Life After Going to the Countryside

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Liu Xiangyang was awakened by noises coming from the kitchen.

He rolled over and reached to the side; it was empty. The blankets on Chen Jie's side were already cold.

Liu Xiangyang sat up, put on his clothes, and shuffled towards the kitchen in his slippers.

In the kitchen, Chen Jie was standing in front of the stove with her back to him. The pot was bubbling and steaming, and there were shredded pickled vegetables on the cutting board. Next to them were several cracked eggs, with the shells still in her hand.

Liu Xiangyang walked over and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.

Chen Jie was startled, almost dropping the eggshell in her hand into the pot. She turned around and glared at him, "Awake? Go back to sleep, it's still early."

Liu Xiangyang rested his chin on her shoulder, his nose brushing against her neck, his voice still hoarse from just waking up: "I woke up because of the fragrance."

Chen Jie felt itchy from his rubbing and tried to dodge, but couldn't. So she had no choice but to let him cling to her while she continued stirring the porridge in the pot.

"How old are you? You're still acting like a child." She said this, but the corners of her mouth curved up.

Liu Xiangyang didn't answer, but kissed her on the neck.

Chen Jie's hand trembled, and the spoon hit the edge of the pot with a clang.

"Stop fooling around," she said softly, "I'm going to make you some noodles."

Liu Xiangyang chuckled, loosened his grip slightly, but didn't let go completely, leaving it half-hanging. "What are you doing? I want to make you some noodles too."

Chen Jie was stunned for a moment, a blush spreading across her face. She pushed him away, saying, "I'm not eating anymore. If I eat any more of your noodles, I won't be able to attend the meeting today."

Chen Jie placed the bowl on the table, then came back to get chopsticks and pickled vegetables.

Liu Xiangyang followed behind her, took the cracked egg from her hand, tapped it against the rim of the bowl, and the egg white and yolk slid into the bowl.

"Do you know how to do it?" Chen Jie peeked out.

Liu Xiangyang stirred it with his chopsticks: "What's so difficult about this?"

Chen Jie watched from the side, unable to suppress the smile on her face.

The two sat down to eat.

Chen Jie ate very slowly, her chopsticks poking around in the bowl, taking only a few bites over a long period.

Liu Xiangyang ate quickly, finishing more than half of a bowl of noodles, chewing the pickled vegetable shreds with a crunchy texture.

"Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you." Chen Jie put some pickled vegetables in his bowl.

Liu Xiangyang swallowed and looked up at her.

"By the way, regarding the training, am I staying in the dormitory or...?"

Chen Jie rolled her eyes at him: "Just stay at home, it's not like there's nowhere else to go."

Liu Xiangyang looked at her and said, "Well, I'll go ask later if it's okay. If it is, I'll make noodles for you every day from now on."

Chen Jie ignored him and continued to pick at her bowl, but her ears turned slightly red.

"There are so many people in the dorm, it's crowded and you can't get a good rest." She paused, "You study all day, and when you come back in the evening you can have a hot meal and sleep in peace."

Liu Xiangyang didn't say anything, but reached out and tucked her stray hairs behind her ear.

Chen Jie looked up at him, her eyes bright and soft.

"Okay," Liu Xiangyang said, "I'll stay at your place."

Chen Jie smiled and lowered her head to drink her porridge, not letting him see how much she was laughing.

After finishing her meal, Chen Jie put the lunchbox she had prepared the night before into Liu Xiangyang's bag and straightened his collar.

"Do your best on your first day."

Liu Xiangyang lowered his head and kissed her on the cheek.

"Wait for me to come back tonight."

Chen Jie gave a soft "Mmm".

The Municipal People's Hospital is located at the east end, about a 20-minute bike ride away.

As Liu Xiangyang approached the door, he saw someone walking in ahead of him. The person was wearing a white coat, had his hair neatly combed, and walked with a brisk pace.

The nurses at the door saw the man and their eyes lit up immediately.

Good morning, Dr. Zhou!

"Dr. Zhou looks so energetic today!"

Zhou Zhiming slowed down, nodded to them, and wore a reserved smile.

The nurses chattered amongst themselves, their eyes following him as he moved inside.

Then they saw Liu Xiangyang behind Zhou Zhiming.

The chattering paused for a moment.

Liu Xiangyang locked his bicycle, picked up his bag, and walked inside. He was wearing the clothes Xue Bingbing had made for him, along with his face.

A nurse nearly dropped the patient's medical record book.

Another nurse had her mouth open and forgot to close it.

"Hey, who's that?"

"I don't know..."

"Even better than Dr. Zhou..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was nudged by the person next to him.

Liu Xiangyang walked past them, nodded to them as a greeting.

The nurses nodded blankly in response, and only realized what had happened after the others had walked away.

He nodded at me!

"Give me what I ordered!"

"It's clearly aimed at me..."

Zhou Zhiming hadn't gone far.

He paused for a moment, the smile on his face faded, and continued walking inside.

The training registration area was located in a bungalow behind the outpatient building. There was a table set up at the entrance, with about twenty people lined up.

Liu Xiangyang walked over and joined the end of the line.

The people in front of him were chatting in twos and threes; some were carrying bedding rolls, and some were carrying yellow satchels; they were all about the same age as him.

Which commune are you from?

Liu Xiangyang turned around and saw a tall man standing behind him, grinning at him.

"Kaoshantun Commune, Dongsheng Brigade"

"Kaoshantun?" The tall man thought for a moment. "Never heard of it. I'm from Shuangcheng Commune, my name is Wang Dazhu."

Liu Xiangyang nodded: "Liu Xiangyang."

Wang Dazhu, ever the friendly type, sidled up to him: "You came alone? Me too. I heard this training course is divided into three classes, each with more than twenty people. Maybe we can be assigned to the same class."

Liu Xiangyang smiled but didn't reply.

The line moved forward slowly.

When it was Liu Xiangyang's turn, he handed in his letter of introduction and materials.

A girl sitting inside took it, looked down at it, then looked up at him again, and paused for a moment.

"Liu Xiangyang?" Her tone was a little softer than before.

Liu Xiangyang smiled at her and nodded: "It's me."

The girl blushed and scribbled a few lines on the registration form, then handed him a piece of paper: "Comrade Liu Xiangyang, you've been assigned to Class 3. Your classroom is on the second floor at the east end. Here are your training materials. Take them and don't forget them."

Liu Xiangyang took the materials and thanked him.

The girl blushed and smiled at him, "You're welcome. My name is Jiang Juan, and I work in the personnel department. Feel free to ask me anything you don't understand."

"Okay, thank you." Liu Xiangyang took the documents and left.

Jiang Juan blushed as she watched his retreating figure, muttering something under her breath.

Seeing that Jiang Juan was ignoring him, Wang Dazhu quickly stepped forward and said, "Hello, Comrade Jiang Juan, I'm Wang Dazhu, I'm also here for training."

Jiang Juan glanced at him: "You talk too much. Everyone here is here for training. Do you need to tell me your name?"

Wang Dazhu was speechless after being confronted by Jiang Juan, and he stammered as he handed over his information to her.

"Go wait over there for your class assignments, next one."

"Comrade Jiang Juan, isn't this too much of a discrimination? Have you taken a fancy to that handsome young man surnamed Liu?"

"Who? Step forward! I was just showing concern for my revolutionary comrades. Who's slandering me?"

……

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