Chapter Thirteen: Procuring Supplies in the County Town, Part One

As for whether there would be any mistakes, one could only say that it was a blessing for a time traveler who had read the book and possessed a special advantage. From the divine perspective, Grandpa Zhang already held a friendly regard for Yun Shu—enough to greet her when they met and even invite her home for meals.

Moreover, the original text described Grandpa Zhang as an upright and caring elder who was fond of the younger generation. He had also been quite helpful to the original female lead, Lin Jingshu.

Therefore, it wasn’t just Yun Shu; even Lin Jingshu and a few others readily agreed to ask Grandpa Zhang to help carry some things back. Grandpa Zhang cheerfully agreed.

Nearby, Zhang Cuihua and Li Xiaohua, who had held back all along and finally got off the vehicle, curled their lips in disdain. Anyone with a discerning eye would know exactly who they were grumbling about. Grandpa Zhang caught their sideways glances and immediately raised his whip.

“Try smirking at me again, the both of you!”

Zhang Cuihua and Li Xiaohua promptly scattered in panic.

…

Yun Shu first went to the post office, and sure enough, the parcels had arrived. There were three large packages, each quite heavy. Yun Shu could only carry one on her back, then she and Lin Jingshu together lifted another, while their close friend volunteered to share the burden of the third.

Yun Shu was so moved she wanted to hug her dear friend, her golden support in life. Lin Jingshu smiled warmly and opened her arms, ready to embrace her beloved friend. But this harmonious moment was once again interrupted by the tactless Chen Ming.

He appeared behind them, carrying his own parcel, hands empty, and without a word, went straight to take the large package that Yun Shu and Lin Jingshu were jointly lifting.

“Let me help! You two young ladies don’t have much strength, and I have fewer things. I’ll carry this parcel from the grateful cadre!”

His words were kind and well-intentioned, but… a bit naive.

Jiang Xiucheng and Pei Wenyuan exchanged a glance behind Chen Ming and sighed in silent agreement.

Chen Ming cheerfully took Yun Shu’s parcel with a smile as if he were holding gold.

Lin Jingshu’s sharp eyes caught the bright red flush on Chen Ming’s ears, and recalling how he had been closely watching Yun Shu’s behavior along the way—especially how he nearly jumped up when Zhang Cuihua tried to bully Yun Shu on the ox cart—she suddenly realized something.

She looked at her gentle, obedient friend and resolved firmly in her heart: she absolutely would not let this big bad wolf snatch her little friend away.

…

Yun Shu called after Chen Ming, who had dashed off like a playful husky, feeling a bit embarrassed for troubling a friend she had just met.

She turned to Lin Jingshu and whispered to her best friend, “I’ll go to the supply and marketing cooperative later and buy Chen Ming something. After all, that parcel was the heaviest. If he hadn’t helped, we would’ve been exhausted.”

Lin Jingshu nodded in agreement. Indeed, it was always wise to be polite at such moments, and it was a good chance to observe Chen Ming’s reaction.

“Alright, I’ll go with you.”

Behind them, Jiang Xiucheng, watching the two young ladies carrying parcels like two mushrooms from behind, sighed again for his friend who couldn’t keep secrets.

Then, thinking about his own inexplicable concern for Lin Zhizhiqing, he found it somewhat amusing.

Jiang Xiucheng adjusted his glasses, patted his own shoulder silently, and followed the two girls out of the post office.

But unexpectedly, just as they were walking away slowly, a post office worker suddenly called out after them, chasing to the door and shouting.

“Comrade Lin Jingshu, is that you? There’s a letter for you here!”

Lin Jingshu stopped in her tracks and turned, hardly believing it. “A letter for me?!”

“Yes, it’s yours, Comrade Lin. It arrived this morning and was just sorted.”

“I had planned to send it with the other items to your brigade, but I overheard some comrades mention your name just now, so I came out to hand it to you directly to save you another trip.”

The post office worker handed over a thick letter to Lin Jingshu, who hesitated, unsure whether to take it.

She didn’t know who had sent it.

Besides, Lin Jingshu had primarily come to help Yun Shu carry things. She was convinced that no one from that troublesome family would send anything to her.

But Yun Shu, seeing the thick letter, suddenly recalled the depiction of this part in the book.

…

In the original story, Lin Jingshu’s counterattack before going to the countryside had indeed succeeded. Her two cousins and cousin sister from her second uncle’s family were forcibly sent to the countryside, and not to good locations.

Her grandparents, upset with Lin Jingshu for daring to scheme behind their backs instead of obediently following their arrangements and being a drain on the family, had deliberately written her a scolding letter.

The letter even contained words meant to provoke Lin Jingshu by testing her with her parents’ death, trying to find out if she had taken any of the family’s illicit money—since her second uncle’s wife denied it. If she had, the second uncle threatened to come all the way from the capital to reclaim the assets in the far northeast.

In the original text, the heroine was so angered by the abusive letter that her liver hurt, but she didn’t reveal any weaknesses. Instead, she wrote back, infuriating her grandparents who had no choice but to send two grandsons and a granddaughter to the countryside.

However, at that time, Lin Jingshu had not befriended anyone, so her frequent trips to the county town to send and receive letters were noticed by many. She took the opportunity to collect supplies and food beyond the letters, which amounted to a significant sum. This aroused the envy of Zhang Cuihua, leading to the later troubles where ruffians harassed Lin Jingshu and tried to ruin her reputation.

Though it was unclear how disrupting this plotline might affect future events, Yun Shu thought she could not just watch her good friend suffer unnecessary hardship out of fear of losing her foresight.

So before Lin Jingshu could hesitate, Yun Shu reached out and took the letter from her hand, then softly read aloud the family address and the name of Lin’s second uncle on it.

Hearing the address, Lin Jingshu immediately realized who had sent the letter and roughly what it contained. The joy of shopping with her best friend was abruptly dampened by the sudden appearance of this troublesome matter.

Forcing a smile, she took the letter back from Yun Shu’s hand, determined not to give in. She planned to come up with a scathing reply that would hopefully infuriate them to no end.

But Yun Shu stopped her with a hand gesture.

“Jingjing, you look unwell. Where is this letter from? If you don’t want to receive it, why not just return it directly?”

“We’re right at the entrance of the post office, so it’s convenient.”

“Or if you want to say something, you can write a reply now. I’ll wait for you to finish, then we can go to the supply and marketing cooperative together.”

Yes… reply now!

Don’t let this frustration fester—make them feel the sting immediately!