Gu Chong first took her around the three fishponds in the village to familiarize her with the terrain.

There is a row of willow trees along the edge of the fishpond. The willow branches are very long, and some of the branches even droop into the fishpond.

Xue Fu, with her sharp eyes, spotted several fish circling around the willow branch.

These fish are clearly well-raised; they're plump and meaty, and look very fresh.

There is a small wooden house next to the willow tree, which was specially built.

If Xue Fu has nothing to do at work, she can go to the cabin to rest.

Gu Chong went into the wooden house and brought out a basin of fish food, then put some green grass on top of the basin.

He demonstrated to her how to feed the fish and how much to feed them.

Xue Fu studied diligently.

When they reached the last fishpond, Gu Chong handed her the feed bowl and asked her to try feeding it herself.

Xue Fu is not strong, so at first she threw the fish food very close to the shore.

Gu Chong sighed and guided her on the points of force application for the movement, then had her throw it again.

Xue Fu adjusted her movements and threw herself forcefully, finally getting closer to the center of the pond this time.

Watching the fish emerge from beneath the surface and nibble at the food, creating ripples on the water, Xue Fu smiled broadly, feeling a sense of accomplishment.

She thought, "There's hope for my time in the countryside!"

Xue Fu inevitably developed a dependence on Gu Chong.

Because Gu Chong always helps her, always appears when she needs help.

The baby bird plot that appears after she travels to this era.

Gu Chong also vaguely sensed this.

After giving one last instruction on the daily feeding amount, Gu Chong said nothing more.

Xue Fu pursed her lips and nodded.

But she still had other questions she didn't understand.

For example, how long does it take to get to the county town by oxcart? Are there oxcarts every day?

If we don't go to the county seat, are there any small towns around here? Are there any state-run stores in those towns?

Gu Chong: "You want to buy something?"

Xue Fu hummed in agreement.

He said, "The oxcart goes to the county town every Monday and Friday, which used to take an hour."

Xue Fu nodded: "What about the town?"

Gu Chong walked to the shade of a tree by the fishpond, where it was much cooler.

He continued, “On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, you can take an oxcart to town, which takes only half an hour. There are state-run stores in town.”

Gu Chong looked at her and reminded her, "The oxcart is at seven in the morning; you can sit at the village entrance."

Xue Fu smiled and said, "Okay!"

Gu Chong: "Hmm."

He looked up at the sun; it was almost noon.

He said, "I'm leaving."

Xue Fu: "Mmm!"

Xue Fu also had to go back to the educated youth settlement, and she was also responsible for lunch.

When Gu Chong arrived home, his younger brother Gu Fei was drawing water from the well.

There was a wooden basin on the ground next to Gu Fei, and he was about to wash clothes.

Gu Chong had good eyesight and spotted his own underwear in the basin at a glance. He immediately walked over, his voice becoming uncontrollably loud.

"Xiao Fei! Let me wash it."

Gu Fei froze, staring blankly at her brother, surprised: "Huh?"

He rarely saw his brother so excited.

Gu Fei thought he had done something wrong and stood there blankly. The bucket hanging from the well fell down again, splashing water.

Gu Fei was somewhat bewildered.

Doesn't he usually wash these clothes?

What's wrong with my brother today?

Gu Chong realized he had lost his composure, so he pretended to cough and calmed down.

He repeated, "Xiao Fei, I'll wash it today. You go and help your brother start the fire."

Gu Chong tried to look away from the pants and sent Gu Fei away elsewhere.

Gu Fei obediently followed orders and ran to the kitchen.

Gu Chong was left alone, looking at the clothes in the basin, feeling depressed and worried.

Xue Fu had already thought about what lunch to prepare later.

She still plans to have kimchi with porridge and rice.

However, you can add some sweet potato to the porridge to help it keep you full.

She pushed open the door to the educated youth settlement, but no one had returned yet.

She went to the kitchen alone.

Xue Fu once again began her struggle with starting a fire.

When the other educated youth returned, they saw black smoke billowing from the kitchen chimney. In addition to coming out of the chimney, the black smoke also gurgled out of the kitchen doorway.

The courtyard of this educated youth settlement was shrouded in black mist.

The person who returned was startled, as it looked like it was about to catch fire, and quickly carried a bucket of water into the house.

Then I saw Xue Fu in the kitchen, coughing and trying to start a fire, her little face covered in soot.

Upon inspection, the fire still hadn't been lit, but a whole bunch of tricks had been done.

But it was really terrifying.

It's terrifying; I can't relax at all.

So Xue Fu was kicked out of the kitchen.

Xue Fu felt very guilty and stood at the kitchen door watching the people inside clean up the mess.

She thought to herself, "I guess I'm really useless. I can't even light a fire."

She felt uneasy; she had caused trouble for someone again today.

When Li Jing returned, she saw Xue Fu with a dark face and red eyes.

Then Li Jing looked into the kitchen and knew what the reason was.

She sighed and told Xue Fu to go wash her face first.

Xue Fu went to the courtyard to wash her face. More people were returning at this time and knew what Xue Fu had just done.

Although they didn't say anything harsh, they all had serious faces.

Sun Yu then approached Xue Fu to strike up a conversation, but he didn't ask about cooking; instead, he smiled and inquired about other things.

"Xue Fu, why weren't you in the fields this morning? I didn't see you."

He advised her not to be lazy, and said righteously, "It wouldn't be good if the team found out about this."

"Here, you need to earn work points to eat, unlike in the city."

He was pointing at her, and Xue Fu found him to be sarcastic and unsettling.

Xue Fu didn't hide it from him, nor from the other educated youth at the settlement.

Sooner or later, people will find out that she changed jobs; there's no need to hide it.

Xue Fu said, "Don't start by slandering me. I have work to do."

"The team leader assigned me to feed the fish in the fishpond."

The others then realized that when the captain assigned them tasks that morning, he hadn't mentioned Xue Fu's name.

Someone nearby exclaimed in surprise, "Feeding fish?"

It's obvious that this is a good job.

The reason why this good job ended up in Xue Fu's hands is self-evident.

These past few days, everyone has been eating and living together, and Xue Fu's clothes, accessories, and other items are visibly different from what they have brought out.

Although no one has directly asked Xue Fu about her family background, Sun Yu, who was Xue Fu's high school classmate, has told her a lot about Xue Fu.

Sun Yu even made this a topic of conversation, mentioning Xue Fu's behavior from time to time.

The subtext also hints at other people, suggesting that Xue Fu has different feelings for him.

Everyone knew perfectly well that Xue Fu was no ordinary person.

According to Sun Yu's version, Xue Fu went to the countryside because of him.

Some people have questioned this.

Because it was obvious to the naked eye these past few days that Xue Fu had absolutely no intention of paying any attention to Sun Yu.

However, no one knows why Xue Fu, with her circumstances, chose to go to the countryside.

After Xue Fu mentioned changing jobs, she felt like she had thorns in her back.

This gaze was different from the previous two days; it clearly contained more jealousy and negative emotions.

Xue Fu knew that what she had done was dishonorable, but she had not harmed their interests.

If they are not satisfied with their current situation, they can also talk to the team leader.

Xue Fu took a breath to calm herself down. She didn't want to cause any more trouble or create more conflict.

However, as soon as she saw the kitchen, she immediately realized she was in the wrong.

Xue Fu apologized to everyone and then went to clean up the place she had made.

She thought she needed to find a place to eat together as soon as possible.

She could easily burn the house down while cooking.