Chapter 19: I knew going to the countryside would be hard, but I never expected it to be this difficult.

"Comrades, I'm sorry. Our village doesn't have tractors, nor do we have passenger seats—only ox carts. Do you want to ride or not?" the young man beside the village chief asked coldly.

He was tall and sturdy, his skin tanned deep bronze by the sun. His hands, though rough, were full of strength—the very image of the rugged man most sought after in later generations. However, in this era, such a look was not in vogue; young women nowadays preferred pale, refined men.

Xia Tiantian, looking down on the rugged man, pointed at Jian Yueshi and asked sharply, "An ox cart? You’re actually using an ox cart to pick us up? Do you know who she is?"

"I know. You are the educated youth here to support our rural development," the rugged man replied honestly.

"Pfft—" A male educated youth standing beside Ye Siran couldn't help but laugh aloud. He was about seventeen or eighteen, with a refined appearance, red lips, white teeth, and bright, clear eyes. He looked quite handsome when he smiled.

Both Jian Yueshi and her little follower, Xia Tiantian, were stunned by his looks. But since he was laughing at them, Jian Yueshi pointed angrily at Ye Siran and asked, "There’s no passenger seat here, so what are you laughing at?"

"I wasn't laughing. That sound didn't come from me," Ye Siran explained calmly. Although it was rude of the girl to point her finger at her, Ye Siran, a woman nearing fifty in spirit, had no intention of bickering with a young girl.

"You're still denying it? Everyone heard you laughing!" Jian Yueshi refused to let it go and took a step forward, her finger nearly touching Ye Siran's forehead.

"Ouch—that hurts..." A shrill cry pierced the air as Ye Siran grabbed Jian Yueshi’s finger and gave it a sharp squeeze.

"If you don't know how to act with a shred of decency, don't expect me to be polite. Do you really think I’m afraid of you? Who gave you the nerve to point your finger at my forehead? If you do it again, I’ll snap your finger off."

"Waaaah... Mommy... Shishi wants to go home." Jian Yueshi collapsed to the ground, wailing. Throughout the journey, she had either been squatting on a train or standing on the back of a truck; she was exhausted, sleepy, and hungry. Seeing the ox cart—nothing more than a row of wooden planks on two wooden wheels—she couldn't hold back her tears any longer.

"Comrade, if you are unwilling to come to our village, go find Minister Chen. He hasn't left yet," Village Chief Qu said, displeased.

"Waaaah... I didn't say I didn't want to go, I’m just not used to riding in an ox cart," Jian Yueshi sobbed. She knew there was no going back now.

As she cried even harder, Village Chief Qu had no choice but to instruct the young man from before: "Gangzi, take her on your bicycle."

Qu Chenggang was the village chief's nephew and a serving soldier who had come with his uncle to pick up the educated youth. Seeing Jian Yueshi crying like a willow in the rain, his heart softened. "Fine."

Chen Wei and Chen Zihao watched as Ye Siran tossed her surprisingly heavy snakeskin bag onto the ox cart with one hand. The father and son exchanged a look, said nothing, and turned to get into the truck and leave.

There were five educated youth heading to Gaotang Village: two men and three women. Four of them rode the ox cart with the village chief, while Jian Yueshi sat on the back of Qu Chenggang's bicycle.

Although Ye Siran had heard about the hardships of the countryside, she was still shocked by the scene before her when she actually set foot on this barren land. Dilapidated houses, infertile soil, and farmers who looked exhausted from their labor. Their eyes revealed the helplessness and struggle of their existence. An old man was struggling to push a wooden cart piled high with hay. His withered, wrinkled hands gripped the handles tightly, every step taken with caution for fear the hay would fall. Anyone who saw this could imagine how harsh life was here.

Ever since she was old enough to understand, Ye Siran had lived under someone else's roof. But she had only ever had to do housework; she never had to worry about food or clothing, and she had never suffered when it came to meals.

As she was lost in thought, she heard the boy beside her sighing to himself in despair. "I keep thinking that from now on, I’ll have to work from dawn till dusk with them, eat coarse grains and simple meals, and live in drafty mud-brick houses. I’m already starting to miss my life at home. I wonder if my parents are missing me?"

"Little brother, what is your name? How old are you?" Xia Tiantian asked softly, afraid that speaking too loudly would disturb the handsome boy.

"Big sister, my name is Xiao Zhiyu, and I'm seventeen. I came to the countryside in my sister's place. If I had known it would be this bleak, I wouldn't have come," Xiao Zhiyu said, his voice thick with tears.

Although Ye Siran didn't chime in, she agreed in her heart—it was indeed very bitter here. However, she would not shrink back. She had an endless supply of food in her space, and even if she didn't, she was determined to find her grandparents. She knew deeply that this rebirth was not just an escape, but the beginning of a transformation.

She looked up at the other educated youth on the ox cart, then at the endless yellow earth, wondering how her mother was doing.

At the Ye household, from the afternoon Ye Siran left, the sound of Song Chunhua's desolate wailing echoed through the house: "Oh, heavens! Why don't you strike down that wicked..."

"Song Chunhua, what are you blathering about? Why aren't you cooking?" Ye Jianping demanded angrily.

"Cooking? With what? That god-forsaken brat, that lightning-struck hussy stole all our family's belongings!"

"Slap! You dare to curse me?" Ye Jianping, furious, slapped his wife across the face and glared at her.

"...Daddy of the children, did you take that money and the grain coupons?" Song Chunhua asked, unable to believe it. Seeing her husband look away without answering, she plopped onto the floor and cursed, "You heartless thing, do you have someone else outside?"

"Why is your mind so dirty? Who would I have?" Ye Jianping's eyes flickered. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell his wife the truth, but he couldn't bring himself to say it. He hadn't expected to be outsmarted by his stepdaughter! She had clearly promised to sell her university quota to Yueyue for eight hundred yuan, but after she took the money, there was no sign of the admission letter. There was only a note saying she had already registered her marriage and would focus on being a good wife and mother, and that she wouldn't leave Brother Hongwen to go to university.

The Ye household was in complete chaos.

At the He household, He Hongwen suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart, as if something important was slipping away from him. No, this feeling was too strange. He hurried out, only to bump into his father. "Hongwen, where are you running to in such a rush?"

"Dad, I'm going to find Ranran."

"Don't bother looking for Ranran; she’s already gone to the countryside! When Ranran gave you all her love, you always acted as if you didn't want it."

He Hongwen looked at his father in disbelief, but his father had already walked into the house, leaving him standing alone in the wind. His father had always told him that Ye Siran was a perfect partner—gentle, kind, and understanding, never fickle. But whenever he did something wrong, she didn't explode, didn't mock him, and didn't argue. Her only response was a calm departure. He Hongwen forcibly suppressed the dull ache in his chest. Was he too excessive? So, had Ye Siran really flown away from his side?