Chapter 46: I Will Not Let You Go

Because the two members of the Wang family had such a good reputation, the transaction went very smoothly. Xu Lin accepted all the mountain goods they brought. For the money they still owed, Xu Lin didn’t ask for cash; instead, she hoped they could pay in mountain goods.

Xu Lin remembered how much Aunt Osmanthus had helped her in the past. Now that she was able, she wanted to send some mountain goods back home. Moreover, if she wanted news about the Xu family, she’d have to rely on Aunt Osmanthus to write to her.

Seeing that Xu Lin wanted to exchange mountain goods to send back to the city, the Wang family was delighted. While they didn’t have a lot of other things, they had no shortage of mountain goods. All of it was gathered by the family in their spare time—Wang’s wife, her daughter-in-law, and a few grandchildren.

Other families worried about not having sons, but in their family, after three generations, only the youngest daughter-in-law gave birth to a girl, and she was premature. The whole family worried themselves sick over the child. In another family, she might not have survived.

Once they’d agreed on what mountain goods were needed, Wang’s wife carefully packed a jar of malted milk powder into her basket, thanked Xu Lin repeatedly, and finally took her leave.

Not long after they left, the young people returned from work. Seeing the pile of firewood in Xu Lin’s woodshed, they were all quite surprised. They also thought Xu Lin must be rich—imagine spending money to buy firewood! They themselves would never do such a thing; with that money, they’d rather buy food.

Before they finished sighing over it, Dog Egg and a few other children came running in, each dragging a bundle of firewood. Sweat poured down their faces, their eyes shining as they looked toward Xu Lin, making her laugh softly.

Xu Lin put the firewood away in the shed. When the children saw how much firewood had accumulated, they looked a little disappointed—it seemed their good fortune in trading firewood for candy was coming to an end.

“Sister, will you still need firewood in the future?” Dog Egg asked, reluctant to let go.

“Of course. When I run out, you can bring more, all right?” Xu Lin replied with a smile.

Dog Egg nodded vigorously; as long as she still needed it, he’d keep bringing it. The candy was too delicious—he wanted to make it last as long as possible.

The children ran out again, clutching their candy, and soon laughter rang out joyfully outside the compound. Their carefree happiness made Xu Lin a little envious—she had never laughed so freely as a child. Later, after traversing thousands of worlds guided by the system, she was always busy fulfilling tasks, never able to enjoy such carefree days.

When Hu Changming saw Xu Lin had finished her work, he was about to approach and ask where Qin Fang and the others had gone when he saw Wang Tiezhu pulling in a cart full of furniture. Qin Fang and her three companions were following beside, carrying or holding various items.

Hu Changming quickly called the other boys over to help, and together they soon finished moving the furniture.

While everyone was busy, Qian Li walked up to Xu Lin with a smile. “Hello, comrade. I’m Qian Li, I live in the third room. What should I call you?”

“Hello, I’m Xu Lin, from the capital,” Xu Lin replied, her gaze sweeping over Qian Li’s face. Qian Li had pleasant features and a certain dignity; if her cheeks were a bit fuller, she’d truly have the look of prosperity and peace.

“Is that so! The capital must be amazing. I’ve always dreamed of visiting, but, alas…” Qian Li shrugged, looking a little lost. “I wonder if I’ll ever have the chance to go there, even once, in this life.”

“I’m sure you will,” Xu Lin replied with a smile. “Where are you from?”

“Me? I’m from Heishi City. My family’s not far from here—just a few hours by bus. It’s just...” Qian Li sighed. She wanted to return to the city, but it was too hard. Jobs were strictly one-for-one, and you couldn’t buy a position even if you wanted. If a factory offered a slot, it was like wolves fighting for meat. Her family had tried many times but never succeeded.

This left Qian Li feeling hopeless, and more than a little resentful, about returning to the city.

“You’re lucky to be close by. Unlike me—I took the train for two days and a night just to get here.” Xu Lin leaned against the doorframe, chatting idly with Qian Li. This scene, however, caught the eye of Qin Fang, who found it annoying.

During the move, Qin Fang shot Xu Lin and Qian Li several sharp looks. Qian Li, with her back turned, didn’t notice, but Xu Lin saw every glance and thought Qin Fang was just asking for trouble.

Daring to roll her eyes at her, Xu Lin, who never let a grudge go, decided to retaliate immediately. A black hole suddenly appeared at Qin Fang’s feet. As she was carrying a small stool, her foot caught, sending her tumbling forward with a shriek as the stool flew from her hands toward Xu Lin.

Xu Lin raised an eyebrow—how amusing, trying to harm someone even while falling. Since that was the case, Xu Lin saw no reason to be polite. With a casual wave of her delicate hand, she seemed to brush the stool aside, but the stool, as if guided by an invisible force, spun in midair and turned, flying straight back at Qin Fang and crashing heavily against her outstretched arms, sending her painfully back to the ground.

There was no need to look; just the sound of the impact told everyone how much it must have hurt.

Su Liang, who had been helping move the furniture, rushed to Qin Fang’s side, but the shocking scene left him pale. He had no time to check on Qin Fang and instead pointed at Xu Lin, shouting angrily, “Xu Lin, you’re vicious! Qin Fang is already in such a bad state, and you hit her again. Are you even human?”

“I’m certainly human. As for you, I’m not so sure,” Xu Lin replied, hands in her pockets, striding over with an air of unbending arrogance. She looked down at Su Liang and launched her counterattack. “Su Liang, right? Your name may have ‘bright’ in it, but you’re blind as a bat. Those eyes of yours are the most wasted pair in history. Where did you find the gall to bark at me?”

She raised her leg and kicked Su Liang in the chest, knocking him to the ground, then planted her foot on his face, her voice cold: “Did I give you permission to keep jumping around in front of me? However you and that phony over there want to act in private is your business, but don’t you dare parade your shamelessness in front of me. Just looking at you two makes me want to vomit yesterday’s dinner. And don’t even think of using the Su family’s connections to pressure me. I’m not afraid!”

Xu Lin slapped Su Liang’s face with the sole of her shoe, her red lips spitting out a single word: “Understand?”

The commotion left all the young people stunned. Was the first day at the Youth Compound always this lively? Did anyone know the details of this drama? Could someone fill them in? They were eager for gossip.

Qian Li, clutching her chest in admiration, was practically in awe—she absolutely adored strong, assertive women.

“Xu Lin, that’s enough!” Su Liang braced himself on the ground, trying to break free from Xu Lin’s hold. But while his body moved, his head did not, and he plopped back onto the ground.

Qin Fang, lying there sobbing, was so furious she could hardly breathe. She thought Su Liang was absolutely useless—not even able to win against a woman.

“Xu Lin, let me go! I’m warning you, I won’t let you get away with this!”

“Oh, really?” Xu Lin responded lazily, not even pretending to care. “Oh, I’m so scared.”