Chapter 113

The small car that had just been driven back suddenly became the hottest topic in Gumu Village.

Early the next morning, when Xiaoqi took the village car into town, the people in the car were all talking about it eagerly.

Xiaoqi felt quite good; otherwise the topic would still be on her and she was not used to such attention in the village.

She had to get up very early every time she went into town.

Sitting in the corner, Xiaoqi closed her eyes to rest, but did not actually fall asleep, as everyone was chatting too excitedly.

"Juanzi spent 180,000 on that car. Da Yong, I remember when you first bought your car new it was only over 40,000. Juanzi's little car could buy four of yours!"

"Old Zhang's daughter really struck it rich."

"I heard the company she works for opened some kind of platform and makes money from money."

"It's not a platform, it's a website."

"Is it legal?"

"Juanzi is my niece whom I've watched grow up. She definitely wouldn't do anything illegal. How could she afford a car if it wasn't legal? Don't talk nonsense if you don't understand. Am I right, college student?"

Xiaoqi was already nodding off, but was forcibly jolted awake.

Xiaoqi: ...

Zhang Juan came to her house to see her yesterday afternoon, and was very polite and enthusiastic, making Xiaoqi feel very awkward.

There were people like that out in society too, but the person before her eyes was her former classmate who grew up with her. Suddenly acting so polite, a bit fawning, and showing off a bit, it did feel very strange.

They only chatted for a short while before Zhang Juan went back when it was time for dinner.

"I fell asleep, I didn't hear what you said," said Xiaoqi groggily, opening her eyes. This auntie, according to seniority Xiaoqi should call her auntie, was the village gossip who usually talked too much.

Normally, she would definitely repeat herself to make Xiaoqi say something, then relay it to others later: The college student said this, this is what the college student says...

But looking at the girl beside her now, she didn't know why, but seeing her knitted eyebrows and cold demeanor, she inexplicably felt it was better not to provoke her. She spoke awkwardly, "It's nothing, go back to sleep."

Xiaoqi was also not polite and closed her eyes to continue resting.

The car seemed to quiet down for a moment before slowly getting noisy again as the topic changed awkwardly.

Driver Da Yong was able to see Xiaoqi resting with her eyes closed through the rearview mirror. He grinned.

He used to enjoy quite a reputation in the village as the driver, but today he was specifically used as a stepping stone whenever someone brought up Juanzi's car, inevitably mentioning his car by contrast.

Xiaoqi really did doze off.

Even receiving adoration at home could make one a bit conceited, even giving rise to the illusion of being a successful person.

The praises from the elders of the village seemed especially sincere and moving.

But she had also witnessed the scene yesterday afternoon where everyone was astonished when Zhang Juan drove back in her small car. Xiaoqi's heart finally settled down a bit, and by bedtime she was able calm down and review her Japanese textbook.

However, it was exceptionally quiet at home that night. She felt sleepy at first but ended up wide awake once it got late, unable to fall asleep.

She lifted up a corner of the plastic tarp on the window, wanting to feel a bit of the night breeze, but didn't sense any wind. Instead, she heard some unknown sound, possibly some insect nearby.

Listening more carefully, she could hear the sound of water from the river in front of her house downstairs.

She finally fell into disturbed sleep, only to be woken up by her mother and told to get up and get ready to go out: she felt exceptionally sleepy.

At times like these, one would think life would be better with a car.

When would she be able to have a car? She didn't even feel at ease taking a taxi home.

In the end, she still had to rely on herself to have the financial capability to hold her head high.

With all kinds of thoughts swirling around, she was groggy as if she really fell asleep. They should be almost at Huanghe Town now where there was signal. Xiaoqi felt her phone in her pocket vibrate incessantly for a good while but she ignored it and continued sleeping.

In fact, Qi Wei had just returned from his trip to Japan. He and a few other guys didn't manage to fulfill their desire to travel long in Japan and returned dissatisfied.

Unexpectedly when he came back and tried to contact Xiaoqi several times but got no response at all, Qi Wei went crazy in the end and even called but the call didn't go through. He thought he'd been blocked.

In reality it was because Xiaoqi had just gone back home to Gumu Village where the mobile signals were bad. China Unicom didn't work at her grandma's house up the mountain whereas China Mobile had somewhat better signals. Coincidentally Xiaoqi used China Unicom so her mobile phone was useless like a brick when brought back. Finally they arrived in Lüshan City.

As the car door opened, she was hit with the familiar smell of gasoline, which felt strangely intimate for some reason.

She actually felt more used to Lüshan City now, while Gumu Village seemed to have become a harbor for her: her ship only felt steady when docked at the harbor, yet she desired more to set sail on the open seas, braving winds and waves.

After Xiaoqi paid the driver, she left.

Carrying another bag full of vegetables and rice from home, she didn't plan on taking any transport but would walk back instead as there was still ample time.

Driver Da Yong happened to have business in town today. He assumed Xiaoqi would take a bus so was surprised when he saw her walking alone on the bridge after driving off. One couldn't park on the bridge. Da Yong took a glance at her elongated shadow in the morning sun before continuing to drive forward.

When Xiaoqi returned to her auntie's dormitory, she felt a sense of intimacy. After being away for just a few days, she actually felt unaccustomed.

Her books and notes were still on the desk where she had left them, the table wiped clean.

After Xiaoqi finished putting away the rice and vegetables she brought, she saw Lin Min from next door.

She was surprised to see neighbor Lin Min had not gone out and even greeted her.

Xiaoqi's family had brought back a lot of sweet potatoes that her dad dug up yesterday: the nicely shaped ones without broken skin were kept for people to eat while the rest were feed to the pigs.

The newly unearthed sweet potatoes could be directly rinsed and peeled to eat raw like apples, but not as sweet with the taste of starch instead. They were also delicious when steamed. Her auntie loved eating sweet potato rice as it was very filling and considered whole grains, healthy by modern standards.

Xiaoqi gave Lin Min a bag of sweet potatoes. "Dug up a lot from our field yesterday." She was sincerely grateful to him after all, feeling she inexplicably gained a lot of benefits every time they met.

On the contrary, Lin Min felt a little embarrassed, not even when receiving expensive gifts from An An.

Moreover, Xiaoqi so frankly said they were dug from her family's field. Lin Min felt strangely ashamed for some reason. He always avoided mentioning his mom selling pancakes and his dad working as a hospital custodian when meeting others, acting aloof and cold to cover up his inferiority complex.

He took the sweet potatoes and asked, "Had breakfast yet?"

"Yeah." She had to catch the 6 AM ride so her parents got up at least before 4 AM to make breakfast and make sure she was full before leaving.

However, eating at 5-plus felt too early. Just as Xiaoqi replied she had eaten, her stomach cooperated by growling in hunger again. She smiled awkwardly. Her appetite had increased noticeably recently.

She went back to her room to pack her bag, still deciding to go to the library since it had the best studying vibe.

She had just finished packing when Lin Min knocked on her door, handing her two pancakes that should have been freshly bought. They were still piping hot from his mom's latest batch.

Xiaoqi really enjoyed eating the pancakes made by Lin Min's mom: she would call this pancake-making skill peerless, having never eaten better ones despite her current picky sense of taste and smell.

"You're going out right, eat this along the way." Along with Lin Min's voice, the mechanical sound in Xiaoqi's mind that had been absent for a long time rang out again: "The host gifted homemade produce obtained from her own labor to the blackening youth, bringing him a ray of positivity and slowing down his pace of blackening, rewarded with enhanced bounce buff. Although the buffed host cannot match a monkey's agility, she can rival a panda's."

Su Xiaoqi: ...