Chapter 2: Transmigrating into a Historical Novel 02 If we all have to leave in the end, then...
Although the original owner of this body had a spoiled, pampered personality, she was very generous. Her family had plenty of money to spare, and she had also received a considerable amount of money and ration coupons as a reward for voluntarily going to the countryside. She wouldn't skimp on food, much less let the male lead suffer. To ensure Xu Xingyi's comfortable life in the countryside, she brought plenty of food and drink to the male educated youth as soon as she arrived in Donghe Village, hoping they would take care of Xu Xingyi while they worked.
On weekdays, the original owner would issue tickets and everyone would pool their money to buy meat, fine rice, and wheat flour. Compared to most families in Donghe Village, the food at the educated youth settlement was excellent.
These days, people aren't well-off, and everyone wants to be frugal. If Lin Tingyue doesn't organize the purchase of these things anymore, they'll have to eat cornbread and dried vegetables like the other villagers.
Xu Xingyi was probably used to such preferential treatment and never considered that his quality of life would deteriorate if he left Lin Tingyue, but he didn't mind if he was willing to spend the money.
"Are you really going to marry that person? Didn't you say nothing happened? Are you feeling guilty?" Xu Xingyi stood in front of Lin Tingyue and even gently kicked the wicker box in front of her.
"What, now that I'm going to marry someone else, you're having second thoughts?"
He chuckled, trying to mask his exposed ulterior motives with a mocking laugh. "Regret? Lin Tingyue, don't overestimate yourself. How many men do you think would dare to marry you now? Ask these male educated youths here, who would dare?"
Whispers rippled through the crowd, especially among the male educated youth present. They were suddenly thrust from bystanders into the center of attention. Some remained expressionless, while others grinned, but no one answered.
“First of all, I don’t need to prove my worth by finding out who dares to marry me. Secondly, you overestimate yourself. And finally…” Lin Tingyue also showed the same sneer, then swiftly knocked the person down and neatly took off the watch from the other’s wrist.
Luckily, the watch wasn't damaged; it was an imported item that the original owner had bought for two or three hundred yuan.
"Lin Tingyue, are you crazy? You're trying to steal my watch!"
"What do you mean 'yours' and 'mine'? I have the receipt for this watch. What proof do you have that it's yours?" Lin Tingyue looked at Xu Xingyi, who was lying on the ground wincing in pain, and wondered how he had become the male lead. "Since I met you in junior high school, the money I've spent on you and the gifts I've given you must amount to at least two or three watches like this. Although I did it all willingly, back then, because of your ambiguous attitude, I thought we were headed for marriage. Now that you've clearly stated that you won't marry me, it's not unreasonable for me to take it back, is it?"
Some people panic when the other party gets serious, and they can't even say a word.
It was only then that he realized Lin Tingyue wasn't just teasing him, but had truly given up on him.
The educated youth were equally shocked. The two had known each other for so long, and their conversation implied that they were going to get married. The woman had even given so much money. Anyone would think that Xu Xingyi had gone too far.
During the six months they were here, everyone witnessed how good Lin Tingyue was to Xu Xingyi, and no one would question the truthfulness of what Lin Tingyue said.
For example, Feng Xinli, whose bed was next to Xu Xingyi's, was extremely envious. If it were him, he would have loved to marry into the family.
“That’s true. Putting aside the fact that it cost so much money, our Lin Zhiqing voluntarily resigned from her job in the city to follow her sweetheart to the countryside. How many people can do that? Getting some money back is really nothing.” As soon as Feng Xinli said this, everyone nodded in agreement.
Selling a job these days can make a lot of money, not to mention that some people can't even buy one even if they have the money, otherwise why would they come here?
At this moment, an older educated youth came over to offer a way out, helping Xu Xingyi up from the ground, and said to Lin Tingyue, "It's good that things have been discussed. Doesn't Xiao Lin still need to get a certificate from the brigade leader? Don't delay it."
Lin Tingyue didn't want to waste any more time there, so she picked up her luggage and left without looking back.
On the way to Yu Xingzhou's house, Luo Mingxia, the female educated youth who had spoken up for her that morning, asked her with some concern, "Are you really sure? Yu Xingzhou has a bad class background and isn't good at work. If you marry him, you'll have nothing... Well, not entirely nothing. He is quite handsome, and you can tell he's not from the countryside. But good looks can't put food on the table!"
The original owner of this body only had a decent relationship with Luo Mingxia at the educated youth settlement. This was mainly because Luo Mingxia didn't mind her spoiled princess temperament, didn't try to get close to Xu Xingyi, and didn't even like Xu Xingyi, a rich kid who was arrogant, pampered, didn't do his work well, and liked to nitpick.
"Although it can't be eaten as food, it helps calm down quickly when you're arguing."
“…You…I…sigh…” Luo Mingxia frowned and sighed repeatedly, feeling that Lin Tingyue had jumped from one fire pit into another.
"Alright, Mingxia, it's not worth sighing like this over such a small matter."
"Alright, just don't make yourself suffer. If he bullies you, just go back to the educated youth settlement, and I'll come and help you move your luggage."
Lin Tingyue simply smiled and nodded, offering no further explanation.
The two quickly arrived at Yu Xingzhou's door. The door was open, and the sounds of tables and chairs being moved could be heard from time to time.
Luo Mingxia, visiting this place for the first time, couldn't help but exclaim, "This house is so much better than the one in the educated youth settlement!"
Not to mention the educated youth settlement, even compared to other families in the village, the Yu family's brick and tile house was the largest, resembling a simplified version of a courtyard house, with a spacious and very clean courtyard.
Before going back to the educated youth settlement to get her luggage, she came in with Yu Xingzhou to take a look. She was quite satisfied with the house she was about to move into. In this era, especially in the countryside, there was really not much to choose from. Originally, Yu Xingzhou wanted to live in a separate room from her, just like in the story, and wanted to give her the east wing room.
But after thinking it over, Lin Tingyue still wanted to try being a real couple with Yu Xingzhou, so they continued to sleep in the same room.
The reasons for making this decision, besides learning from the book that he was the future richest man, were that he was a cultured person who graduated from a proper high school, had a gentle personality, and no bad habits. Moreover, the two were not far apart in age; Yu Xingzhou was twenty-four this year, and Da Yuanshen was three years older. If it weren't for the sudden change in his family, given his family background, he should have been betrothed as a child and wouldn't be single now.
If they get along, then I've made a profit; if they don't, then we can just live together temporarily. When he makes a lot of money in the future, we can split the profits and each go our own way.
Hearing the two of them talking outside, Yu Xingzhou hurriedly came out of the house and took the basin, thermos, and food from Luo Mingxia's hands. "Let's go in and sit for a while."
"No need, no need, you guys go ahead with your work. If you stay any longer, you'll miss dinner." Luo Mingxia waved her hand and left, leaving the two of them staring at each other.
"Shall we eat first?"
Yu Xingzhou nodded, "I'll go do it. You go put your luggage away first."
Lin Tingyue didn't stand on ceremony with the other party. When the original owner went to the countryside, she brought two large suitcases of clothes, from winter to summer. However, she didn't consider that she would be working and farming in the countryside. She wouldn't have many opportunities to wear her coats and dresses. She couldn't bear to throw them away, so they just piled up in the suitcases.
Upon entering the inner room, she first opened the wardrobe. Yu Xingzhou had already prepared an empty one for her to use, and even the few personal belongings that were already on the table were piled up in the corner.
Lin Tingyue neatly hung up the clothes, then placed the original owner's bottles, jars, and mirrors on the table before going to the kitchen to see if there was anything she could help with.
Upon entering, she found only a thin, watery corn porridge with a few vegetable leaves floating on top, plus two steamed buns—that was all. Although she had mentally prepared herself before coming, she still couldn't resist eating "low-fat meals" every day. She understood that the reason the food at the educated youth settlement was good was because the original owner of this body was willing to pay extra for ration coupons and would occasionally even pay out of her own pocket to buy food at the county's black market. Without the original owner's money, the educated youth settlement wouldn't be much better.
However, Yu Xingzhou still noticed her fleeting look of surprise. An awkward feeling welled up in his heart, but he could only force himself to maintain his composure, lower his head and hand her a bowl, then take his own bowl and go to the main room first.
The meal was eaten in silence and was rather bland. Moreover, due to her work habits from her previous life, Lin Tingyue ate much faster than the average person. If it weren't for the fact that the cornbread was so hard to swallow, she would have finished it in just a few bites.
"You should reconsider getting the marriage certificate. As you can see, I have nothing but this house."
Lin Tingyue did not answer immediately, but instead began to think about her plans for the future.
As things stand, she can only live in this world created by the novel. And after compensating her with a lucky charm attribute, the Time and Space Administration has stopped making any moves. So the Time and Space Administration is completely unreliable, and she can only rely on herself to survive from now on.
Fortunately, she was certain that whether she changed the plot or humiliated the protagonist, she did not face any obstacles or punishment. This meant that the original plot was not fixed, and she only needed to avoid what she didn't want to happen and strive towards the result she wanted.
Lin Tingyue's brows twitched at the thought, and she suddenly stood up and said, "We must get the marriage certificate!"
Although Yu Xingzhou felt something was amiss, it was the first time he had been so firmly chosen by someone. He was both delighted and afraid of such heightened emotions.
Because he feared that the person who brought him joy would one day leave, just like his past loved ones who had abandoned him.
If we're all going to leave eventually, it's better not to stay in the first place...
"Let's finish these last two sips quickly, and go as soon as possible. We need to ask for leave tomorrow."
Lin Tingyue's urging interrupted Yu Xingzhou's chaotic thoughts. She looked at that beautiful face and first showed some confusion, then embarrassment. She blushed and drank the last bit of soup. Then she watched as the person stacked the empty bowls and put them into the large pot in the kitchen that hadn't been washed yet.
The two headed straight for the brigade leader's house. Lin Tingyue walked briskly, and Yu Xingzhou could hardly keep up with her.
At this moment, the brigade leader Lu Zhenhai and his family had just finished eating. He was leaning back in a deck chair in the yard picking his teeth with a toothpick when he heard someone knocking on the door. He was a little impatient, but he still got up to open it.
"It's you, Lin Zhiqing. Why is Xiaozhou here too? What's going on here..." Lu Zhenhai suddenly felt something was wrong and took the toothpick out of his mouth.
Lin Tingyue smiled and said, "I'm sorry to bother you so late, Captain. We need to get a certificate from you. We're in a bit of a hurry and need it tomorrow."
The captain was taken aback and asked her in return, "What kind of certificate do you need?"
"I need a certificate of being unmarried. Yu Xingzhou and I are going to register our marriage."
A note from the author:
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Yu Xingzhou: What exactly did she see in me...?
Lin Tingyue: Actually, I really think being good-looking can put food on the table.
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