A Visit of Thanks

The moment the door opened, Mother Lu's eyes lit up at the sight of the person inside.

She had always known her daughter was pretty. But Lu Tinglan used to be so reserved, always keeping her head down, that hardly anyone got to see her lovely little face.

Ever since she had fallen into the water, Lu Tinglan had become cheerful and open. Today she wore a blue floral padded jacket and wide-legged black cloth trousers. Plenty of village girls dressed that way, but the familiar outfit looked far better on her slender figure.

And then there was her face. After several days of rest and good food, her fair cheeks had a rosy glow rarely seen on country folk. She had drawn in a pair of fine, arched brows and curled the ends of her hair inward in the latest fashion.

Lu Tinglan set down the fire tongs she had used to style her hair and spun around in front of Mother Lu. "Ma, what do you think of my outfit?"

What did she think?

She was her daughter. Of course a mother would think she looked wonderful no matter what.

But—Mother Lu sensed something was off. Her eyes narrowed, and her voice took on a dangerous edge. "We're delivering a thank-you gift, not going to a matchmaking meeting. What are you all dressed up for?"

Lu Tinglan had known her mother would say that. Why had she gone to the trouble of getting ready? Because meeting Educated Youth Jiang today was no ordinary matter.

After comparing several familiar names with her memories, Lu Tinglan had realized she had entered a series of stories by the same author. Educated Youth Jiang was that author's all-purpose cheat code. Whenever the male and female leads ran into trouble later on, clinging to his thigh was sure to turn danger into safety!

Lu Tinglan certainly couldn't tell Mother Lu the truth. That would only make her mother suspect she had something going on with Educated Youth Jiang. She could only mutter to herself.

Educated Youth Jiang is going to be a big deal someday. If we make a good impression on this big shot now, we can cling to his thigh later and save the whole family from their cannon-fodder fate!

I'm working this hard for the family! Another day spent worrying myself sick over everyone, young and old! When we get back, I absolutely have to reward myself with hand-rolled noodles—plenty of white flour mixed in, enough for the whole family!

How had her daughter's thoughts ended up on food again? Mother Lu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Still, could the dirt-poor Educated Youth Jiang really have a great future ahead of him?

Mother Lu found it hard to believe. But if even the Gaokao could be reinstated, Educated Youth Jiang changing his fate was much easier to accept.

Mother Lu gave it some thought, went back inside, and added a few more things to the basket. Lu Tinglan picked it up casually and nearly failed to lift it.

She managed on her second try, but her thin arm visibly sagged. The basket was clearly too heavy!

"Ma, did you put rocks in here? Why is it so heavy?"

"What nonsense. Everything in there is good stuff. Be careful on the way." Mother Lu weighed the baskets in her hands, gave her daughter the lighter one, and the two of them shut the door and headed out.

"Where are you off to at this hour, Baoquan's mother?"

As soon as the Lu mother and daughter stepped outside, the village women greeted them with great enthusiasm. Eight out of every ten pairs of eyes were fixed on Lu Tinglan.

Mother Lu instinctively moved to shield her youngest daughter, but Lu Tinglan seemed not to notice. Basket on her arm, she held her head high and strode ahead.

Let them look. I dressed up to be seen. If they weren't looking, I'd go right over and make them! All eyes on me—that's my fuel. Looking better than everyone else today was easy. The whole morning's effort was worth it!

This daughter of hers... Mother Lu's mouth twitched. How had she become so full of herself?

But her daughter's thick skin was contagious. Mother Lu swung her arms and marched forward too. She had such a beautiful daughter—she ought to be proud!

She answered as she walked. "Tinglan accidentally fell into the water a couple of days ago. Luckily, Educated Youth Jiang pulled her out in time. She's looking better these past two days, so I thought we'd go thank him."

"Let me see what you've got in that basket." Some women had no sense of propriety. Third Lu Daughter-in-Law's hand shot out, and with a swish, she flipped back the floral cloth covering it.

Mother Lu wasn't annoyed. In fact, this was exactly what she wanted. A gesture had to be seen to count. If no one saw the generous gift she was bringing, wouldn't it go to waste?

"Oh my, Xiuhong, you've really spared no expense!"

Third Lu Daughter-in-Law's eyes went red with envy. She hadn't expected the Lu Family to value this daughter so highly. If she had known, she wouldn't have stopped her son from jumping into the river to save her.

All of this should have been hers!

There were plenty of people on the road, and the mother and daughter were soon surrounded by women. The basket was too heavy to keep carrying, so Mother Lu set it on the ground and let them look to their hearts' content.

Atop the wicker basket sat two packs of cigarettes and a slab of meat. Beneath them was a basketful of eggs, easily twenty or thirty. In Lu Tinglan's basket was a bottle of liquor, with a brand-new army-green shirt laid underneath.

A sour voice rose from the crowd. "Looks to me like you're not thanking a savior. You're paying a visit to your future son-in-law."

Mother Lu's lips curved. She picked out the troublemaker at once.

"Lu Lin's Wife, is your mouth itching for another slap? Your daughter had no shame and ran off with a man. Mine is precious."

A few of the surrounding women chimed in to calm her down, and Mother Lu finally got her anger under control.

"I don't care what anyone else gives as a thank-you gift. In our Lu Family, my daughter is precious. Anyone who helps her and treats her well will be rewarded. And anyone who treats her badly..." Mother Lu shot a fierce glare at Lu Lin's Wife, who had been silenced and dared not answer back.

"Watch me skin her alive!"

Before Mother Lu had even finished speaking, delight was bubbling up inside Lu Tinglan.

Ma, you're my goddess!

Hearing her daughter's thoughts tumble over one another—invincible, so cool, goddess, love you—Mother Lu nearly lost control of her expression. She hurriedly dragged her daughter away.

What was all that about? Why was her daughter copying foreigners with their sickeningly sweet talk? Mother Lu grumbled inwardly, but the smile never left her face the whole way there.

The Educated Youth Compound stood at the edge of the village. Lu Tinglan hadn't gone out for days since her memories had awakened. Now, with scenes from two different eras overlapping before her eyes, she felt dazed.

Snow had just fallen. A thin white blanket covered the boundless fields, a few birds crossed the sky, and the air held the biting scent of winter.

Before they reached the Educated Youth Compound, the mother and daughter spotted someone.

"Educated Youth Jiang!" Mother Lu called from a distance and quickened her pace.

"Auntie Xiuhong," Jiang Xingnian replied politely.

Only when they drew closer did Lu Tinglan get a clear look at him.

To say he made her eyes light up would be no exaggeration. Jiang Xingnian was so tall that Lu Tinglan had to tilt her head back to look at him. The mild winter sunlight fell across his face, gilding him with a faint golden edge. It even softened his sharp, deep-set features, making him seem more approachable.

Lu Tinglan had always been a sucker for a handsome face. Seeing one now, she couldn't help swooning inwardly.

He's so good-looking. Hehe...

Mother Lu hurriedly tugged her dazed daughter forward. "Come on, let's talk inside. It's freezing out here."

Jiang Xingnian's step faltered. He glanced back. He knew he was good-looking and had sometimes received special treatment because of it, but he had never met anyone who said so that openly the first time they saw him...

The friend beside him leaned close and teased him in a low voice. "Well, look at you, lucky in love again. This time the girl's brought her mother over to demand you make it official. Let's see you dodge this one."

"Huo Qi." Setting aside the strange thing he had just heard, Jiang Xingnian's face turned serious. "Don't say things people might misunderstand. She's Village Chief Lu's daughter. I pulled her out of the river a couple of days ago. They're probably here to thank me."

The smile froze on Huo Qi's face. There had always been a divide between the educated youths and the villagers, and Jiang Xingnian hadn't brought it up himself. Only now had Huo Qi learned that his good friend had done yet another good deed!

Who would have thought the fellow would stumble into such luck? Huo Qi struggled to keep the envy off his face, then waggled his brows and went on. "Then you're even luckier. Hurry up and win her over. You'll have a wife and a place at university. I'll be waiting to drink at your wedding."

Jiang Xingnian felt even more helpless and instinctively moved farther away from his friend. Left behind, Huo Qi watched Lu Tinglan's slender figure and thought of that university place. A look of determination flashed in his eyes.

The Educated Youth Compound had been made from several abandoned village houses. The educated youths had high ambitions but little practical skill, so they had barely repaired the place and simply kept living in it. Some of the snow had melted over the past two days, and water dripped into the rooms as though it were raining indoors.

Jiang Xingnian led the group to his room. That alone was unusual: the other educated youths were crammed several to a room, while he had one all to himself.

Stranger still, he had kept it in decent shape. At least the roof was sound. Mother Lu studied him again and now believed ninety percent of what she had heard in her daughter's thoughts about him.

Once they were inside, Huo Qi was almost excessively warm toward the Lu mother and daughter. Jiang Xingnian found two large tea bowls and poured them hot water. Huo Qi came over holding an oiled-paper packet.

"What, they brought you all these heavy gifts, and you're fobbing them off with two bowls of plain water?" he said breezily. "Here, try the tea my family sent me. It's good stuff—hard to come by."

"Auntie—can I call you that?" Huo Qi scratched his head and struck what he thought was his most flattering pose. His little bean-like eyes gazed ardently at Lu Tinglan. "...Tinglan, you have some too~"