Time Travel: My Comfortable Life After Going to the Countryside

When Liu Xiangyang was almost in Harbin, he found a quiet place to put his motorcycle away, switched to a bicycle, and slowly rode towards the hospital.

When he arrived at the hospital, the sun was already high in the sky. He turned into the bike shed, and as soon as he parked his bike, he saw someone standing next to him.

Zhao Xiaoman leaned against a pillar in the carport, holding an oil paper package in one hand and a fried dough stick in the other. When she saw him, her eyes lit up.

"Why are you so late?"

Liu Xiangyang walked over and looked at her.

The sun was blazing, and fine beads of sweat glistened on her forehead. Her cheeks were flushed, and a few strands of her hair clung to her face.

"How long have you been waiting?"

Zhao Xiaoman blinked and handed him the oil paper package: "I just arrived, I haven't been here long."

Liu Xiangyang glanced down at the oil paper package, which contained warm steamed buns and a fried dough stick. He then looked up at her, reached out and wiped her forehead; his fingertips were covered in sweat.

"You didn't wait long? Where did all that sweat come from?"

Zhao Xiaoman paused for a moment, her face turning even redder, and whispered, "It was only... about half an hour."

Liu Xiangyang looked at her.

Zhao Xiaoman felt a little guilty under his gaze, so she lowered her head, then raised it again, a smile playing on her lips: "I just wanted to wait for you to go in together. Besides, I'm willing to wait."

Liu Xiangyang's heart softened, and he reached out to wipe the sweat from her face: "Silly girl, you don't have to wait for me in the sun."

Zhao Xiaoman laughed and pulled his sleeve, leading him towards the teaching building: "Isn't this spot perfect for spotting you? Hurry up, class is about to start!"

The two jogged towards the classroom, and as soon as they reached the bottom of the building, they saw Lin Xue walking towards them from around the corner.

Today she wore a light pink polyester shirt, the material thin and slightly see-through, with one button undone at the collar, revealing a small patch of white skin below her collarbone. The shirt was fitted at the waist, making her breasts appear fuller, while her waist was so slender it could be encircled with one hand. Below, she wore dark blue trousers, slightly tight, which accentuated her rounded hips, causing them to sway as she walked.

Her hair was down, not in her usual ponytail, with a few stray strands in front of her forehead, which were a little messy from the wind.

She saw Liu Xiangyang and Zhao Xiaoman running over, paused, her gaze lingered on Liu Xiangyang's face for a moment, then swept over Zhao Xiaoman, and the corners of her mouth slowly curled up.

"Liu Xiangyang, why didn't you come to class on Saturday?" Her voice was neither loud nor soft, carrying a hint of concern, but her eyes were clearly focused on Liu Xiangyang alone. "Did something happen?"

Liu Xiangyang stopped and took a breath: "It's nothing. I went back to the village to take care of some things and took a day off."

Lin Xue nodded, took a step forward, and moved closer to him. "That's good. I was worried about you." She paused, her tone soft. "If you need any help in the future, you can come to me. We can figure things out together. It's better than you having to carry it all alone."

Zhao Xiaoman listened from the side, her smile fading slightly, and she gripped the oil paper package in her hand tightly.

Liu Xiangyang smiled and said, "Okay, thank you, Lin Xue."

Lin Xue suddenly raised her hand and glanced at the watch on her wrist—a women's Shanghai watch with a silver-white strap that shimmered in the sunlight. She exclaimed exaggeratedly, "Oh dear!" and lowered her hand, looking at Liu Xiangyang: "Class is about to start! Teacher Sun doesn't like anyone being late, let's hurry up."

After saying that, she turned and walked towards the stairwell.

After taking a couple of steps, she started wiggling her hips.

The dark blue pants hugged her round, plump buttocks, swaying rhythmically from side to side. Her waist twisted, and her hair swayed over her shoulders, making her look like she was walking a runway.

Liu Xiangyang stood behind, his gaze following the twisting curve, stopping at the two petals, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

Lin Xue walked to the corner of the stairs, suddenly turned around, and glanced at Liu Xiangyang.

That glance was quick, but it was clearly directed at him. Then she turned back and continued walking uphill, swaying her hips even more enthusiastically.

Liu Xiangyang was engrossed in watching when he suddenly felt a pain in his lower back.

He looked down and saw Zhao Xiaoman's hand gripping his waist with considerable force.

Liu Xiangyang turned to look at her.

Zhao Xiaoman didn't say anything, she just stared at him with wide eyes and her lips turned down.

Liu Xiangyang smiled and reached out to pinch her cheek.

Zhao Xiaoman slapped his hand away and pulled him upstairs.

"Hurry up!"

The two ran up the stairs and followed Lin Xue's retreating figure into the classroom.

The classroom was already mostly full. Wang Dazhu waved to them from his seat. Liu Xiangyang and Zhao Xiaoman returned to their usual seats. Lin Xue was already seated in the front row, flipping through her lecture notes, her face expressionless.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, falling on her and making her pale pink polyester shirt even more transparent.

Sun Famiao entered on time, carrying a teacup. He stood on the podium, glanced around, paused when his gaze landed on Liu Xiangyang, and then began his lecture.

During the lesson, Sun Famiao lectured on the Foot Jueyin Liver Meridian, drawing acupoint diagrams on the blackboard as he spoke. Liu Xiangyang listened attentively, occasionally jotting down notes.

When the bell rang, Sun Famiao put down his teacup and looked at Liu Xiangyang.

"Liu Xiangyang, come with me for a moment."

Liu Xiangyang stood up and followed him outside. Zhao Xiaoman glanced at him from behind, and Liu Xiangyang nodded to her.

In the corridor, Sun Famiao walked ahead, stopped at the top of the stairs, and turned to look at him.

"Have you taken care of things at home?"

Liu Xiangyang nodded: "It's all taken care of, thank you, Teacher Sun."

Sun Famiao nodded, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and smacked his lips.

"Okay, that's good. Director Qin will need another acupuncture session next week, just keep that in mind."

Liu Xiangyang responded.

Sun Famiao waved his hand and left.

-

At lunchtime in the cafeteria, Liu Xiangyang had just sat down with his lunchbox when Wang Dazhu came over with a mysterious expression.

"Xiangyang, did you know? There's been a change in Zhou Zhiming's situation."

Liu Xiangyang paused with his chopsticks and looked up at him.

"What changes?"

Wang Dazhu lowered his voice and leaned closer: "I heard from the security department that Zhou Zhiming's sentence has been changed. He won't be executed; he'll be sentenced to five years of labor reform and will be leaving for the farm the day after tomorrow."

Liu Xiangyang narrowed his eyes.

"Reversal of the verdict? Who protected him?"

Wang Dazhu looked around and lowered his voice even further: "I heard that his family spent a lot of money. The captain of the security department took a full two thousand yuan and bribed everyone in the department to save his life."

Liu Xiangyang didn't say anything, and lowered his head to eat a mouthful of rice.

Wang Dazhu was still rambling on, "Two thousand yuan! I've never seen so much money in my life. Zhou Zhiming's family is quite well-off; you really couldn't tell from their appearance..."

Liu Xiangyang chewed his food, his face expressionless, but his eyes turned cold.

Zhao Xiaoman glanced at him and gently touched his hand under the table.

Liu Xiangyang did not respond.

After finishing their meal, the three of them headed outside. Zhao Xiaoman deliberately lagged behind, tugging at Liu Xiangyang's sleeve.

"Xiangyang, are you alright?"

Liu Xiangyang looked at her and suddenly smiled.

"fine."

Zhao Xiaoman stared at him for two seconds, then didn't ask any more questions, but simply squeezed his hand.

Liu Xiangyang let go of her and walked towards the dormitory.

After walking a few steps, he turned back and glanced at her.

"Wait for me tonight."

Zhao Xiaoman paused for a moment, then nodded.

-

In the afternoon class, Liu Xiangyang sat in his seat, looking no different from usual.

But the tension in my heart was already high.

Forced labor reform? Sending them to a farm?

He narrowed his eyes.

Zhou Zhiming's continued existence is a threat. He can buy his life today, and he can pay someone to take revenge tomorrow. He himself is not afraid, but what about Zhao Xiaoman?

This person cannot be allowed to live. I thought his execution was a foregone conclusion, but now things have gone wrong.

His face remained expressionless as he tapped his fingers lightly on the table: "Looks like I'll have to take matters into my own hands."