Not what I expected

Aunt Qian came out dissatisfied and cursed, "That lazybones, I made her do the laundry, and she ran off in no time."

Qian Mancang's expression changed drastically, and he said, "Why did you make Guorong do housework?"

Aunt Qian shouted, "Why is she a princess? She can't be one. What's the use of a woman studying every day? She can't mop the floor properly, she can't wash the clothes properly, and she can't cook good food. What's wrong with me, her future mother-in-law, teaching her manners?"

Qian Mancang sat down, opened the book, and saw that there were only a few words on it. He really didn't know why Li Guorong insisted on studying. She could earn a lot of money a day by digging for bamboo rats or medicinal herbs with him. "Mom, there's no chance for us to get together."

Aunt Chen said with delight, "Son, you don't like that girl Li Guorong anymore? Let me tell you, that girl is too fierce and not obedient at all. You'll suffer if you marry her."

"No, it's that Li Guorong didn't agree."

Aunt Qian's eyebrows shot up. "A little girl like her is putting on airs. She came to my house today, taking care of the kids and doing housework. Her face changed as soon as she heard someone was introducing you to a potential partner. I think if you ignore her for a few days, she'll behave herself."

Qian Mancang's face lit up with joy. He wondered if Li Guorong had only been shy that day and had already fallen for him. He said, "I understand, Mom. Then you should teach her how to do housework to lighten your burden. I really like her."

The cicadas chirped and spun in the air, and the days seemed to repeat themselves, passing by one by one.

The skin on my hands was wrinkled from being soaked in cold water, and my cheeks were sunken. Knowledge flowed away like the stream behind the house, leaving no trace.

Qian Duoduo called out again, "Sister Guorong, come to my house to play!"

Li Guorong hid behind the window, not wanting to show herself. For the past two weeks, she had been doing all the housework for Qian Mancang's family. She was doing housework for two families and also had to cultivate the vegetable garden for Qian Mancang's family. She had no energy to read.

Qian Duoduo kept calling out, and Li Guorong was so annoyed that she had no choice but to go down. Qian Duoduo was wearing a floral dress and had a new hair clip in her hair. She called her affectionately and chatted with her about everyday things, mostly about how amazing her brother was. For the first time, Li Guorong felt that quiet was quite nice. For a moment, she even missed the life she had with Ye Fan, which was boring, leisurely and quiet.

Qian Mancang was at home. He pulled Li Guorong to sit down, a confident smile on his face. He was wearing a polyester shirt and holding a ticket in his hand. He said, "Guorong, these are movie tickets. Let's go see a movie together."

Li Guorong frowned. He looked at the two people's bright and shiny clothes, which seemed a bit old-fashioned by today's standards, but were very fashionable now. She tugged at her clothes and replied, "Okay."

On the way, Qian Mancang kept talking, talking about catching and selling bamboo rats, buying clothes, and how he finally managed to get movie tickets.

Li Guorong felt completely overwhelmed. She used to think that the house was too quiet and Ye Fan was too boring, but the sun was making her dizzy and the voices around her were adding fuel to the fire.

Qian Mancang changed the subject, saying, "That poacher killed someone before and got shot."

Li Guorong then came to his senses and replied, "That's good."

Qian Mancang added, "The wolves and other wild animals on the mountain have all been secretly hunted by hunters. Now, as long as you don't get lost, it's very safe in the deep mountains. I heard that Wang Ermazi has collected a lot of Solomon's Seal and sold it for a lot of money."

The cool breeze seemed to have stopped, and the water was no longer flowing smoothly. Li Guorong turned her head and carefully observed Qian Mancang's expression. It was still sunny and cheerful, just like in her memories from her past life. She said, "That's good."

Qian Mancang laughed and continued, "Bamboo rats in the mountains are getting harder and harder to catch. We can't even catch two a day. It seems like it will be difficult to eat meat in the future. We still need a few skilled hunters."

Li Guorong lowered his head and pondered, then said, "I feel that having a degree would be good for finding a job."

Qian Mancang's expression went blank for a moment. "Not everyone has that kind of intelligence. Making money is more important. Men should be in charge of external affairs and women should be in charge of internal affairs. What do you think?"

Li Guorong turned her head and rolled her eyes at Qian Mancang. These past few days, she had been working for Qian Mancang's family every day and hadn't even had time to read. All she had to do was invite her to see a movie, nothing else. Even Christians need money.

Qian Mancang continued, "I saw that the wives of my brothers who went to join the army kept their homes in perfect order and also earned money by picking mountain products. They were living very well."

Li Guorong quickened her pace; she had no time to listen to Qian Mancang's ramblings.

Finally, they reached the town. It was a movie theater in a workers' compound. It was getting dark, and there was a soft drink stall nearby. After walking for so long, Li Guorong was really thirsty. She watched the movie without blinking and licked her lips.

Qian Mancang eagerly took out the water bottle and whispered, "The water here is 2 cents more expensive. We'll go out and buy some later."

Looking at the water bottle made from an IV drip bottle, Li Guorong instantly lost interest in watching the movie. However, thinking of the hard work he had put in for half a month at Qian Mancang's house, he forced himself to sit down and watch.

The gunshots were from the Railway Guerrilla. She had seen the show more than 20 times on TV, and she knew exactly what the actors' next move and their next line were.

A hand reached out, wanting to hold hers, but Li Guorong instinctively dodged it. Li Guorong asked softly, "If we're together in the future, will I be in charge of the family's money?"

Hearing this, Qian Mancang was overjoyed and grabbed Li Guorong's hand, saying, "Of course you'll take care of it."

With a smile on her face, Li Guorong said that she would not make the wrong choice, and then asked, "What if your mother wants to take charge?"

Qian Mancang replied matter-of-factly, "Mom can manage it first. If she can't manage it, then you can take over, right?"

Li Guorong abruptly withdrew her hand, feeling as if her heart was blocked by a stone. In that instant, she felt utterly meaningless. She stood up, not wanting to look at Qian Mancang's face, the one she had been longing for.

Qian Mancang stood up and turned to watch Li Guorong's departing figure. The person behind him called out impatiently, telling him to sit down or leave and watch the exciting scenes on the screen. However, he still did not chase after him.

Flowers were blooming all around, birds were chirping, workers were moving about in twos and threes in the alley, and cats were stretching lazily on the courtyard walls.

Li Guorong wandered aimlessly through the alley. She didn't want to go back to watch the movie she had seen so many times, nor did she want to go back to her aunt's house and carry those books that she wasn't interested in. She had never imagined that she could go back to the past. Her father was still gone, and her first love, Mancang, was not as sunny and handsome as she had imagined for more than 30 years. Their relationship was not as pure and beautiful as she remembered. Everything seemed different.

"Little sister, is that you?"

Li Guorong looked up and realized that she had walked to the vicinity of this courtyard again. It was Lin Shaocheng. Today he was wearing a sailor collar shirt and dark blue pants, and frameless glasses. He had the air of a handsome young man.

Lin Shaocheng frowned. "Little sister, why have you lost so much weight? Are you studying too hard?"

Li Guorong said, "Brother Cheng, what a coincidence! By the way, my name is Li Guorong. You can just call me Guorong."

Lin Shaocheng's eyes flickered slightly as he noticed the girl's lips were slightly chapped. He said, "I'm a little thirsty. Can you come with me to buy a glass of water?"

Li Guorong followed behind Lin Shaocheng, looking dejected. Something cool was pressed against her forehead, which cleared her dazed mind. The person in front of her frowned and looked fierce, but spoke with concern: "Little Rong, what's wrong? Are you suffering from heatstroke? Here, have a drink."

Li Guorong took the drink, took a big gulp—it was Arctic Ocean soda, chilling him to the bone. "Brother Cheng, what should I do if I can't concentrate on my studies?"

Lin Shaocheng took a sip of his drink. "Why do you study?"

Li Guorong certainly wanted to work in the office and become General Manager Li, "because I felt that studying was easy and that I could find a good job in the future."

Lin Shaocheng chuckled. He didn't have anyone around him who would immediately act on their thoughts. It was like a rabbit that crashed into a tree and asked the tree why it crashed into it. "If you think studying is easy, but then you can't concentrate on your studies, then it just means studying is not easy."

Li Guorong had never thought this way before. It turned out that studying was too difficult. She couldn't understand English, physics, and chemistry, and she couldn't do the problems correctly. "But I want to be like my relatives, finish my studies, become a bank manager, and then become a high-level Mr. Li."

“You must read books. They make you wise, but reading books doesn’t necessarily lead to results. There were so many scholars in ancient times, but not everyone could become an official.” Lin Shaocheng paused for a moment. “Not everyone has the talent to follow in other people’s footsteps.”

Li Guorong looked up, and Lin Shaocheng's eyes were dark and unreadable, as if he had thought of something.

Li Guorong asked, "Brother Cheng, what's wrong?"

Lin Shaocheng said, "Wait for me a moment." He turned and went into the supply and marketing cooperative. A moment later, he came out and put a bottle of Pechoin in Li Guorong's hand.

Li Guorong's heart skipped a beat. This was the first time a man had bought her skincare products. "I can't accept this."

Lin Shaocheng blushed slightly and opened his mouth: "Little Sister Rong, it's me."

"Guorong." Qian Mancang ran over from afar, his shirt soaked. Seeing the expressions on their faces, he quickly pulled Li Guorong behind him and said, "I'm Li Guorong's fiancé. You're a herb collector, right? We haven't been digging lately. You can ask me if you need anything."

Lin Shaocheng's blush faded, and he stared intently at Li Guorong, reverting to the indifferent demeanor of a big boss.

Li Guorong was still holding the bottle of skincare oil in his hand. He shook off Qian Mancang's hand and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? I haven't agreed yet."

Qian Mancang asked with dissatisfaction, "You don't want to be friends with me, but you always agree to go fishing or to the movies with me. When we were kids, I always shared candy with you."

Li Guorong's face flushed red. Before her rebirth, she did have feelings for Qian Mancang, but Qian Mancang's mother was too difficult to deal with, and she couldn't be a dutiful daughter-in-law.

“I’ve had enough. Aunt Qian keeps bothering me while I’m studying, making me do chores for her house for free, and I haven’t even asked for payment yet.”

Upon hearing this, Qian Mancang straightened his back even more, "If you're not interested in me, why do you come to my house to do things every day?"

Qian Mancang turned and glared at Lin Shaocheng. "You've got your eye on this pretty boy, haven't you?" Qian Mancang had recently earned some money and eaten some meat, so he had grown a bit taller, but he was still no match for Lin Shaocheng's 185cm height.

Hearing this, Li Guorong got anxious and shouted angrily, "You son of a bitch! With your mother being so stingy and poor, anyone who marries into your family is doomed!"

"Well said," a male voice came from the alley entrance.