Lin Yan and Xu Huasheng’s words drew many eyes, the most concerned among them being Zhou Qi.
He was somewhat bewildered. In his previous life, this hadn’t happened. Hadn’t Lin Yan lived at the educated youth point all along in his past life, only moving out to attend school after the college entrance examination concluded?
“Lin Yan, are you unhappy with living here? Or has something happened?” Zhou Qi’s words were pointed. In his previous life, Huang Shanshan had always been at odds with Lin Yan. Had they already started clashing?
“Lin Yan, are you moving to your relative’s place?” Yuan Kangmei reacted.
“Yes, my relatives want me to move in with them.”
“But Lin Yan, you need to think carefully. Everyone is not well-off right now, and if you keep living with relatives, it won’t be very comfortable.” After all, living under someone else’s roof was not easy. Zhou Qi did not want Lin Yan to leave. If she left, it would be difficult for him to get close to her again!
His mind drifted to the beautiful and elegant Teacher Lin he had seen before his rebirth. She was a type of person he had never encountered. Unlike his wife, who was ignorant and vulgar, or the materialistic and shallow university students she later found.
To him at that time, Teacher Lin was like the moon in the sky. He had attended a few of her lectures, watching the graceful Teacher Lin speak eloquently on the podium. He felt she was the one he had always dreamed of.
Zhou Qi had initially thought he had no chance, but he hadn’t expected to be reborn. He had been reborn shortly after arriving in the countryside, right when Teacher Lin had first arrived. This time, he could strike first and obtain what he had yearned for in his past life but never attained.
He believed that with his rebirth, his achievements would surpass those of his previous life, and he would obtain everything he desired!
But this incident hadn’t happened in his previous life. Lin Yan didn’t have many relatives around here. Why was it different now? If things were different, what was the point of his rebirth?
No, this must be a minor issue. Other things would surely happen as they did in his past life. He would definitely be more successful than in his past life! He would make everyone look up to him and become someone superior!
A flicker of panic appeared in Zhou Qi’s eyes, and although he tried his best to suppress it, Lin Yan noticed.
“But my maternal grandfather also wants me to live with relatives, so they can feel more at ease,” Lin Yan said with a troubled expression.
“You all stop trying to persuade her. Lin Yan living with relatives will surely be more comfortable than living here,” Huang Shanshan said impatiently.
“It’s alright. If you’re not comfortable living with your relatives, you can always come back. The educated youth point is home to all educated youths. You can come back anytime,” Xu Huasheng said considerately.
“Thank you, Brother Xu!” Lin Yan smiled. Although she had no intention of returning to live there, his words warmed her heart.
“But…” Zhou Qi didn’t finish his sentence. He truly had no reason to stop Lin Yan from moving. It seemed he would have to find other ways to approach Lin Yan.
In the morning, everyone still went to work together, but as soon as Lin Yan arrived, Wu Xiu ran over and linked her arm.
Under everyone’s curious gaze, she introduced generously, “This is my Aunt Jinglin’s daughter, my cousin!”
Some of the older people understood, while the younger ones learned from the explanations that Lin Yan was the relative from out of town who had been sending things back to the Wu family.
The educated youths nearby also knew Lin Yan had relatives here. Seeing her cousin so close to her now, they were all reassured.
Lin Yan’s assigned task for the day was weeding. Wu Xiu specifically found the team leader in charge of assigning tasks and switched to be in the same group as Lin Yan.
All the way, she chattered enthusiastically, introducing Lin Yan to the situation of the village and her own family’s circumstances. It was much more detailed than what Lin Yan had inquired about yesterday.
Throughout the morning, Lin Yan’s understanding of her maternal uncles’ families deepened, and she also learned about the personalities of some of her male cousins. The original owner had not interacted much with these male cousins. Whenever they came to help her with work, she would hide. Moreover, they were all grown up, so it was difficult to be too close. Later, she actually had a better relationship with some of the sisters-in-law and daughters-in-law.
As soon as the morning’s work was finished, her third maternal grandfather brought his family to pick up Lin Yan. The villagers already knew their connection, so there were no idle gossips. They merely brought up again the items Lin Yan’s maternal grandfather had sent back.
Xu Huasheng divided Lin Yan’s food rations from the kitchen and handed them to her. “Lin Yan, this is your food ration. After deducting the meals you’ve eaten these past few days, this is the remainder. Take it!”
“Thank you, Brother Xu!” Lin Yan had thanked Xu Huasheng so many times in these past few days. This leader of the educated youth point was truly thoughtful.
“You’re welcome. You can also come back often in the future. If you need any help, just ask.”
“Okay!” It was precisely because of this group leader’s fairness and thoughtfulness, coupled with the care from her cousins, that the original owner had been able to focus on her college entrance examination back then.
Only later was it all ruined by the reborn male protagonist. His deliberate approach and subsequent possessiveness had caused the original owner’s relationships with everyone to become very distant.
Zhou Qi also saw the group of people who had arrived. They were a famously united family in this village, and not to be trifled with. He hadn’t expected Lin Yan to have a connection with them, and their relationship seemed to be quite close.
Wu Xiu and some of her aunts went inside to help Lin Yan pack her belongings, while Lin Yan brought in the clothes drying outside.
There wasn't much luggage, and Lin Yan could have carried it all by herself. But she understood that the entire family had come to show their importance to her and to support her!
“Yanyan, you can sleep on this bed,” Wu Xiu said, placing Lin Yan’s things on the bed.
“Originally, I wanted to sleep in the same bed as you, but Mother said you must be used to sleeping alone, so she added another bed in the room. This bed was newly made for my second brother to get married, and no one has slept on it yet!”
“We’re in the same room anyway, so we can talk. It’s too hot to sleep together now that it’s warm. When it gets cold, we’ll sleep together, and it will be warm too!”
“You’re right. When it gets cold, we’ll sleep together!” Wu Xiu made the bed for Lin Yan, then placed her clothes in a cleared-out chest. “We’ll share this chest half and half.”
“Okay!” Lin Yan had always been an only child and had never experienced having siblings. Now, being with Wu Xiu felt pretty good.
Of course, this was largely due to Wu Xiu’s personality. She was cheerful and lively. Although she was the only girl in the family, she wasn’t spoiled and was a very thoughtful sister.
“Oh, Yanyan. My fourth aunt asked me to help you set up this mosquito net. There are many mosquitoes at night, and you can only sleep well with a mosquito net! My third brother went to cut bamboo this morning, and he’ll tie the bamboo poles to hang the mosquito net later!”
Lin Yan looked at the brand new mosquito net in Wu Xiu’s hand and then at the somewhat faded one on Wu Xiu’s bed. She felt that this family truly regarded her as their top priority.
No wonder the original owner had helped her maternal uncles’ families so much back then. She thought if she were the original owner, she would also do her utmost to help them live better lives. Now that she had received this kindness, she would work hard to improve their lives!