I've been so caught up in all the gossip lately that Zhan Chunlan almost forgot about her "real job."

The space they painstakingly acquired was still bare, especially the small patch of land in front of the wooden house, which was still empty. This was simply unforgivable for the people of China!

But what should I plant? Corn? Ugh, I don't want to move this fertile soil. Potatoes? I'm tired of them! Sweet potatoes? I'm sick of them! Rice? This isn't a paddy field!

Fruit? That's fine, but the seeds are a bit tricky. There are almost no channels for buying or selling them. Oh well, I'll leave it blank for now.

I had 500 yuan in my hand, and I originally planned to buy a big bed to put in my room, but after thinking about it, I gave up.

Living at home, there's simply no chance to sleep in a big bed at night.

Even if she had the chance, she would rather save the money. If she were lucky enough to find a job, this amount of money wouldn't be enough.

Therefore, this space is currently 10% developed!

"Chunlan! Zhan Chunlan!"

Suddenly, a few shouts rang in her ears. Zhan Chunlan looked up sharply and exclaimed, "Wow! I'm still in the classroom. What period is this?"

"Chunlan!" Li Xiuxiu waved her hand in front of Zhan Chunlan. "School's over, aren't you going to leave?"

"Let's go! Let's go right now!" Zhan Chunlan immediately threw the books on the table into her schoolbag, slung her schoolbag over her shoulder, and took Li Xiuxiu's arm as they walked out.

As she reached the door, she suddenly felt an urgent need to urinate. She quickly tossed her schoolbag into Xiuxiu's arms and rushed towards the toilet, saying, "Xiuxiu, wait for me, I need to use the restroom first!"

“Hey~ you…” Li Xiuxiu looked at the departing figure, then at the schoolbag in her arms. The words “lazy ox, lazy horse, lots of poop and pee” were on the tip of her tongue, but she didn’t say them.

"Xiao Cheng, I heard you're taking leave from school tomorrow?" Zhan Chunlan turned around and saw that it seemed to be a male classmate, but she couldn't see his face. However, she didn't mistake Xiao Cheng next to him.

Fortunately, she has good hearing. Just as she was running past, Zhan Chunlan heard the news she had been wanting to hear for a long time.

"Yes, I have something to do tomorrow." Xiao Cheng appeared calm, but Zhan Chunlan felt that he seemed a little nervous. However, she wasn't very familiar with the male classmates in the class, so she might have misjudged him.

"Then tomorrow..." The tone of his voice was somewhat ambiguous, perhaps it was an unspoken understanding between them? Never mind, as long as I know he's taking the day off tomorrow, I can deal with this important matter first.

When Zhan Chunlan came out of the toilet, Li Xiuxiu and Fan Hongying were waiting for her by the playground.

"Xiuxiu, Hongying, I need to take the day off tomorrow, so you don't need to wait for me to go to school in the morning." Zhan Chunlan tidied up her schoolbag, then slung it over her shoulder.

"What's wrong? Is something wrong at home? Or are you feeling unwell?" Li Xiuxiu was a little worried. After all, it was only through her and Fan Hongying's combined efforts to feed her that she had gained so much weight. What if she got sick?

"It's okay, I just don't want to go to class tomorrow, hehe~" It's not that Zhan Chunlan didn't want to say it, but that the two of them didn't need to plan it themselves, their families would prepare everything for them, please allow her to be a little selfish.

The next day, Zhan Chunlan got up earlier than usual. She didn't even eat breakfast before she went to wait outside Xiao Cheng's house.

This wait lasted a lifetime... I mean, three hours!!! In the dead of winter, in Jiangcheng, outdoors, Zhan Chunlan felt like she was an ice sculpture.

At nine o'clock, Xiao Cheng went out. If he hadn't gone out soon, she would have gone straight to his house and dragged him away!

Dragging her frozen, numb "corpse," Zhan Chunlan followed closely behind him. This direction... it felt somewhat familiar...

We ended up in People's Park? Is People's Park hiring?

"Xiao Cheng! Over here!" A tall and straight girl stood not far away and waved.

She possessed a striking, spirited air, with a slightly square face and perfectly proportioned features that seemed meticulously arranged. Her high, straight nose, in particular, was practically a standard feature of beauty in Jiangcheng. Her long, slender limbs, while perhaps not stunning by today's standards, exuded a timeless sophistication—like a supermodel from the future, cool and captivating.

"Luo Shan! Why are you here so early?" Xiao Cheng quickly ran over, his tone apologetic. He felt really bad for making a girl wait in the cold wind for so long.

Zhan Chunlan: Yes, you should have left at six o'clock, okay?!

"Xiao Cheng, this is the last time I'll see you." Before Luo Shan could speak, tears streamed down her face. Zhan Chunlan watched helplessly as her smile vanished one second, replaced by a torrent of tears. What kind of talent is this? Why don't I have it?!

"What's wrong? Are your parents pressuring you again?" Xiao Cheng felt a pang of heartache when he saw her crying, wishing he could take all her grievances upon himself.

“No,” Rosanne shook her head gently, her voice choked with emotion, “it’s me who’s going to the countryside!”

Xiao Cheng was stunned: "Go to the countryside? Aren't you still in school? Even if you were to go to the countryside, it should be next year!"

Luo Shan lowered her head, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible: "It's my brother... The educated youth office has been urging us several times recently, requiring someone from the family to go to the countryside. My parents couldn't bear to let him go, so... so they sent me to the countryside."

Xiao Cheng immediately became agitated: "Why? Your brother is older than you, stronger than you, and he doesn't do any work at home! Why isn't he the one to go?"

Rosanne forced a bitter smile, tears welling up in her eyes again: "Because... he's a boy."

Xiao Cheng's voice was a little tense: "But didn't you say before that you were the one who did all the housework? If you leave, who will do it? And your mother agrees?"

Rosanne gave a bitter smile, her eyes filled with resigned helplessness: "There's nothing I can do, what can I do when my brother... is a boy."

She took a deep breath and tried to lighten her tone: "I came here today because I wanted to see you one more time. I don't know when we'll meet again. But don't worry about me. I'm used to doing housework at home. Going to the countryside is just another job for me to earn work points in the fields."

She even forced a smile, trying to reassure him: "You know I learn things quickly, I'll be able to adapt in just a few days."

As she spoke, her voice gradually lowered, revealing a hint of barely perceptible worry: "It's just... I've heard from the neighbors that girls who go to the countryside are easily taken advantage of, and several girls in the area have had no choice but to stay and start families there... But I believe I won't go that far."

She looked up, tears welling up in her eyes again, and whispered, "The one I miss the most... is actually you."

Zhan Chunlan: Why does this tactic look so familiar?

Looking at the girl in front of him who was pretending to be strong, Xiao Cheng felt a strong urge to protect her—he absolutely could not let her face all of this alone!

“Luo Shan, don’t be afraid,” he said firmly, “I’ll go to the countryside with you!”

"Oh, I remember now!" Zhan Chunlan nodded vigorously from the side, clenching her right fist and punching her left palm—that's right, it's the same routine as her second sister. Although the process is different, the result is the same: she wants to bring her partner to the countryside!

Rosanne quickly shook her head: "No! You're an only child, you don't need to go to the countryside at all..."

Xiao Cheng interrupted hastily, "I didn't go to the countryside for—"

"Please don't be impulsive!" Rosanne grabbed his arm, tears welling up in her eyes again. "Going to the countryside isn't a good way out. I don't want you to give up your bright future for me. You deserve a better future."

Xiao Cheng grasped her hand in return, his gaze intense: "With you here, the future is the best!"

Zhan Chunlan (covering her eyes): Ugh~~~ She's hopelessly in love!