Volume One, Chapter 2: The Return Journey

Having sorted out what she needed to do next, Dong Qianqian found herself with no time to linger on the damp, stubborn firewood that refused to ignite. Her original plan to set fire to the empty kitchen had fallen through.

“If you want me to cook, then forget about this kitchen!” With that thought, Dong Qianqian splashed another basin of water onto the firewood.

Now the wood was even wetter—if she couldn’t light it, neither could anyone else.

She had observed that of the three households, only the large kitchen stored firewood, clearly a woodshed. How had the original owner failed to see this in her past life?

Cooking could have been done in the other kitchens just as well, but the original owner had been ignorant and naive. She had been outplayed by these old-fashioned cooks and willingly shackled herself with foolish filial piety.

Having spent a lifetime navigating palace intrigues, Dong Qianqian had no intention of getting tangled in this family’s schemes. Though she lacked great martial prowess, all that was owed to the original owner must be repaid in this life.

But first, she needed to resolve the precarious issue of the down-to-the-countryside quota. Thinking of this, Dong Qianqian could no longer stay put; she had to return to the city immediately. The script, from the perspective of the female lead Dong Shuanghuan, was clear.

On the second day after the female lead visited her hometown, her mother, under the pretext of not being able to stay, rushed back to the city overnight. The very next day, she took the household registration booklet and signed the original owner up for the rural assignment, sending her to the harsh northwest. Ostensibly, it was an unquestionable duty for the child of a cadre to contribute to the country, but in truth, it was a ploy to grab the young intellectual’s grain and oil subsidy coupons.

By the time the original owner found out, it was already the night before her departure.

The stepmother hadn’t prepared a thing. At just sixteen, the original owner was sent off alone and never returned.

While the original owner endured the harsh northwest winds, the family relied on the subsidies intended for educated youths to survive the famine, occasionally managing to afford some meat or vegetables.

Fueled by the original owner’s dying anger at never having tasted anything good, Dong Qianqian waited in the bitter cold winter, facing the howling north wind at the village entrance until a donkey cart carrying eggs arrived.

Old Ma, the driver, recognized the young lady from the Dong family whom he had picked up at the station just the day before. Squatting at the village entrance, he was surprised and, unsure if he’d seen right, weakly asked, “Are you the Dong family’s girl?”

“Yes, I am! I’m the eldest daughter of Dong Ercheng, who came yesterday.” Dong Qianqian, wrapped in a military-style cap that covered her entire face except for her distinctive large eyes, replied crisply.

“Are you going back to the city?” Old Ma asked uncertainly; no relatives had ever stayed overnight in their village before leaving so soon.

“Yes, back to the city. Uncle, could you give me a ride? I’ll pay you two cents—how about it?”

As she spoke, Dong Qianqian inadvertently adjusted her hat, revealing the swollen handprint on her face.

Old Ma immediately understood—this had to be the work of the Dong family’s eldest daughter-in-law.

In the surrounding ten-mile radius, she was known as the fiercest and most unreasonable. Clearly, she’d been bullied and was now returning to the city for support.

The Dong family had a good granddaughter, yet they failed to care for her and even beat her—what a shame to the whole cartload of grain.

If he accepted payment, he’d probably be cooking up a storm for them every day, terrified of driving away the god of wealth.

Yet Dong Ercheng, the second son of the Dong family, was truly the only university graduate in the village. Just a few years ago, he had stopped farming and started living off commercial grain, becoming a city dweller.

With this in mind, Old Ma shifted the egg basket and gestured for Dong Qianqian to hop on.

“What money? We’re neighbors. Taking you along is nothing—your weight won’t tire the donkey. You can ask around; your uncle is known for his kindness.”

“Thank you, uncle! Can we go quickly? I want to get back as soon as possible.”

“No problem, rest assured, we’ll get you on the earliest bus back. But why didn’t you bring your younger siblings with you?”

Old Ma was genuinely puzzled. If the eldest was beaten, the younger ones surely wouldn’t be spared, especially since one wasn’t even the biological child of the Dong family. If the biological ones were treated like this, what about the others?

“That’s why, uncle, you have to be fast! If we’re late, maybe my brothers and sisters will…”

Dong Qianqian had mastered the art of hinting at gossip in her past life, leaving just enough unsaid to provoke wild speculation.

Hearing this, Old Ma imagined a family feud over grain rations, with the elderly unfairly dividing the supplies. Perhaps they were pressuring Dong Ercheng to give more while controlling the younger ones, forcing the eldest daughter to negotiate for more grain.

It wasn’t impossible; after all, their village’s primary school teacher Lin Xi had been coerced into coming just like that.

Such dirty, repugnant acts were typical of the despised Old Dong family.

This realization stirred a sense of mission within Old Ma. He had to get her back quickly; losing her now would be terrible.

The Old Dong family had done this before—hadn’t the eldest Dong daughter just disappeared like that?

“Don’t worry, we’re off right now! I guarantee you’ll be in the city before dawn!”

Old Ma urged the donkey forward with all his might, no longer caring about the animal’s fatigue.

They arrived at the station in record time.

Dong Qianqian got a firsthand experience of what it meant to travel at donkey cart speed.

She vowed never to ride such a cart again and guarded the eggs carefully all along, not wanting them to break on her.

But in the end, she couldn’t save them all; a few cracked. Since it was not market day, she could only barter a pound of oil coupons for a pound of eggs, unsure who had gained or lost in the exchange.

Yet seeing Old Ma’s beaming smile, so different from his earlier anxious gossiping expression, she guessed he had profited and decided to consider it as her fare.

Dong Qianqian carefully wrapped the cracked eggs in greaseproof paper, her heart pounding as she eyed the massive iron box before her.

How exactly was this thing started? She rummaged through the original owner’s memories but found no clear answer—only the words “gasoline” or “petroleum.”

Dong Qianqian guessed it had nothing to do with lard; otherwise, lard would have become a precious commodity by now.

Recalling the original owner’s memories and how she had done things before, Dong Qianqian found the bus for her return trip and saw others boarding. Half her anxiety eased, she bought a three-cent ticket and got on.

She touched the soft, thin paper unlike the palace’s more delicate kind that tore at a touch. The ticket’s texture was noticeably sturdier, and the characters were distinct, with fewer brush strokes and tails, completely unlike those from the Great Chu Dynasty.

According to the original owner’s remaining memories, this bus was Route 208, running from Shuifu County to the bus terminal.

She was supposed to get off at the Fuxi Road stop.

Still lost in thought about the Fuxi Road stop, the ticket seller gently pulled the bear-like bundled-up Dong Qianqian to a seat, smiling warmly and telling her to sit properly.

Dong Qianqian noticed the woman had neat short hair and wore a red armband.

She was deeply astonished that the woman could wear short hair. Yet the others around her seemed unbothered by this unusual style, as if it were normal.

Dong Qianqian quickly withdrew her surprised gaze.

She looked at the ticket seller clad in a deep blue uniform, carrying an army green satchel, radiant and proud.

Once again, Dong Qianqian felt she had truly arrived in a world utterly different from her past life.

A world where women could walk out the door openly and proudly.

Where no one pointed fingers or cast scornful glances to belittle you.

As she settled into her seat, watching mostly people dressed in green shouting slogans she couldn’t understand, the roar of the bus engine startled her.

The eggs rolled out of the greaseproof paper and scattered across the floor.

Dong Qianqian barely had time to react before the passengers pounced like hungry wolves, swiftly grabbing the fallen eggs and quietly slipping them into their pockets.

She took in the whole scene.

It turned out that no matter the world, there were always thieves and petty criminals. She couldn’t expect things to be too perfect.

This world wasn’t the flawless utopia she had imagined—human nature remained the same everywhere.

Lowering her eyes to the many hands furtively stashing eggs, she suddenly thought: if she were a burly man standing six feet tall, would anyone dare to rob her so brazenly?