Afternoon.
Wang Jianguo gathered a few strong villagers to help Shen Nanchu clean up the house.
Wang Xiumei and Yu Lanhua also came to lend a hand.
The main structure of the house was still intact, and the men cleared away the collapsed roof tiles and rotten wood.
Meanwhile, Wang Xiumei, Yu Lanhua, and Shen Nanchu used sickles to cut down the overgrown weeds in the yard.
Many hands make light work.
Soon, the house began to take shape again.
Luckily, the room on the right was still sturdy—reinforcing the doors and windows made it barely habitable. The kitchen roof leaked a little, but it didn’t prevent cooking.
The previously installed light bulb had burned out, but the wiring was fine; replacing it would do the trick.
The only real trouble was the lack of a bed and bedding.
Wang Jianguo waved his hand decisively, instructing the villagers to bring two long benches from their homes and fetch some wooden planks from the school.
Laying the planks evenly across the benches, they fashioned a makeshift bed.
Shen Nanchu wasn’t picky.
[Disgust Points +1]
[Disgust Points +1]
Why were these disgust points increasing out of nowhere?
The answer came when Shen Nanchu saw Yu Lanhua approaching with a bundle of bedding.
So it was those two daughters-in-law of the village chief’s family.
"Comrade Shen, this is a new set of bedding—washed clean. The cotton inside is fresh too, just harvested and fluffed last year."
Originally, this had been prepared for Yu Lanhua’s eldest son, Wang Weimin, when he returned home for the New Year. But since Wang Changying hadn’t come back, it went unused.
Nights in the village were still chilly, and without a thin quilt, survival would be tough.
"Use this for now."
Yu Lanhua shoved the bedding into Shen Nanchu’s hands, though her heart bled at the loss. Still, no pain, no gain.
Shen Nanchu’s small suitcase could fit clothes but not a quilt.
After a brief hesitation, she accepted.
"Aunt Lanhua, I left in a hurry and didn’t bring everything I needed."
"Let me pay you for it."
Shen Nanchu’s words delighted Yu Lanhua—she’d known this educated youth wasn’t the stingy, freeloading type.
"Oh, that’s too much!"
"Auntie, if you won’t take the money, I can’t accept this quilt."
Shen Nanchu pretended to push the bedding back, but Yu Lanhua stopped her.
"Fine, then just give me five yuan for the fabric. The cotton was homegrown, so it’s practically free."
"I couldn’t possibly."
Shen Nanchu slipped a ten-yuan bill into Yu Lanhua’s pocket.
Yu Lanhua’s heart soared, though her face feigned reluctance.
"Comrade Shen, this is too much!"
"It’s fine."
Shen Nanchu pressed down on Yu Lanhua’s hand, preventing her from returning the money, and blinked playfully.
"Auntie, if you don’t take it, I won’t dare ask for your help in the future."
"Alright, then I’ll accept it."
Yu Lanhua pocketed the ten yuan cheerfully.
"From now on, if you need anything, just come to me. I’ve got your back."
The quilt would’ve cost Shen Nanchu six or seven yuan at most. The extra three? That was just social lubrication.
Hadn’t she heard how powerful pillow talk could be?
Since Shen Nanchu planned to turn Wang Family Village into the most comfortable place to live in the coming years, she had to grease the wheels early.
Connections made things easier.
Especially since the Pei Family had been sent down.
Shen Nanchu had her schemes, and Yu Lanhua had her own calculations.
Yu Lanhua didn’t want to take advantage of Shen Nanchu, but poverty left no choice.
Her husband, the village chief, skimmed no profits—in fact, he often dipped into their own pockets.
Outsiders saw their family as privileged, yet they couldn’t even afford brick houses.
Still, Yu Lanhua wouldn’t take Shen Nanchu’s kindness for nothing. If ever needed, she’d help without hesitation.
By dusk, the abandoned old house had taken on a livable shape.
Crude, but functional.
The remaining damaged rooms would need more time for repairs.
Dinner was naturally at the village chief’s house.
A rare plate of stir-fried cured meat with bamboo shoots graced the table—mostly bamboo shoots, with just a few slivers of meat.
Under the envious gazes of the others, Yu Lanhua piled several slices of cured meat onto Shen Nanchu’s plate.
Shen Nanchu declared it delicious.
Night fell.
Shen Nanchu declined Wang Xiumei’s offer to stay with her and moved into her sparse new home alone.
After a Herculean effort, she finally got the stove fire going and boiled a pot of water.
Before she could relax in a hot bath, the dim overhead bulb flickered and died with a pop!
Shit!
She’d forgotten about rural power rationing—electricity only ran from 7 to 9 PM.
System: "Host, the system offers solar-powered lamps for 30 Disgust Points. Would you like to exchange?"
Shen Nanchu: "A lamp for 30 points? Why not just rob me?"
System: "You’ll earn them back with a few words."
Shen Nanchu: "Then say something worth my while."
System: "..."
Shen Nanchu was shrewd.
Unless absolutely necessary—or impossible to obtain otherwise—she wouldn’t waste Disgust Points.
Hadn’t she noticed how the exchange list demanded higher points for better items?
Frugality and long-term planning never failed.
By the faint glow of the stove’s embers, Shen Nanchu located the kerosene lamp Yu Lanhua had left her.
As its light filled the room, visibility returned.
Wasn’t the kerosene lamp perfectly fine?
And it wouldn’t raise suspicions.
Exhausted, Shen Nanchu washed up, then collapsed onto the hard plank bed and fell asleep instantly.
Midnight.
Shen Nanchu’s eyes snapped open, and she sat upright.
A faint noise came from outside the door.
Creak. Scritch.
That sound—she knew it all too well.
Someone was picking the lock.
On her very first night here, some fool dared to target her?
Did they think a pretty, lone girl would be an easy mark?
Shen Nanchu arched a brow, her lips curling into a wicked smile.
Time to establish dominance.
Moving silently, she slipped out of bed. Without lighting the lamp, she crept toward the door, guided by moonlight through the window.
Minutes passed, yet the intruder still struggled with the lock. Shen Nanchu, now at the door, nearly facepalmed.
This idiot can’t even pick a lock?
Might as well start life over.
Fed up, Shen Nanchu unlocked the door from inside.
On the other side, Wang Ergou felt the door give way and grinned lecherously.
He’d skipped work that day, but the gossip about the beautiful new educated youth had reached him. Instantly smitten, he’d lurked near Wang Laowu’s Abandoned House and spotted her.
Damn!
Her face put even Cuihua from town to shame.
And that figure? Put Widow Wang from the next village to utter disgrace.
