Time Travel: My Comfortable Life After Going to the Countryside

Before dawn the next day, Liu Xiangyang took the staggering Zuo Qingqing back home.

Back on the kang (heated brick bed), he hugged Xue Bingbing and went back to sleep.

Around noon, Zhang Tiejun's voice came over the village loudspeaker: "Hey everyone, listen up! The task pig was submitted a few days ago and passed inspection yesterday. The Little New Year has passed, and New Year's Eve is just around the corner. After discussion, the village has decided to slaughter the New Year pig tomorrow and distribute the meat. Each household will contribute one person."

Zhang Tiejun's broadcast broke the village's tranquility. While everyone was handing over their assigned pigs, they were all looking forward to the day when the village would slaughter the pigs and distribute the meat.

Although there are village committees like Liu Xiangyang's that go into the mountains to get meat, the meat from the mountains doesn't have much fat.

The pigs slaughtered in the village for the New Year are different. They are fed well and are fat, and the meat is distributed according to the number of people in the household. This means that the more people in a family there are, the more meat they get.

Although everyone was poor and life was hard at that time, no one would skimp on food during the New Year. Even if they were struggling financially, they would try to eat well so that they would have something to look forward to next year.

In short, "task pigs" refers to pigs handed over to the state for urban workers and cadres to eat. This is why Chinese farmers are considered the greatest group of people.

The new educated youth at the settlement were also having a heated discussion about the distribution of pork.

Roland couldn't sleep after returning home last night, pondering what Liu Xiangyang had told her.

She always felt that she had given Liu Xiangyang everything, especially all the embarrassing tricks he came up with, and she had fully cooperated with them. She thought he should like her, but she never expected that he still couldn't compare to Xue Bingbing.

After thinking about it all night, she kept asking herself one question: Could she still live without Liu Xiangyang?

Touching the silk bodice and the food and candy locked in the cabinet, it was clear that he still cared about her. It was just that their relationship was a transaction from the beginning, which was why he acted so coldly towards her.

After figuring it out, Roland couldn't wait a moment longer and kept waiting for dawn. She wanted to talk to Liu Xiangyang and made sure she gave him her heart completely.

Hearing the new educated youth discussing the distribution of the New Year's pig, he sneered inwardly and said, "Don't get your hopes up, everyone. The New Year's pig is given to the villagers first. We educated youth will be lucky to get a little bit of scraps and offal. You're still thinking about getting a big piece of meat."

"Team Leader Luo, this isn't fair! We educated youth do just as much work in the village as the villagers, so why aren't we getting any meat?" a new educated youth asked angrily.

"Xiao Zhang, it's no use questioning me. It's not that we're not getting any, it's just that what we get is decided by the village. Before, we each only got a strip of meat about the width of a finger and a few bowls of offal. This is also meat for you." Luo Lan explained to them, then packed her clothes, put on her shoes, and left the educated youth settlement, heading towards Liu Xiangyang's house.

I saw Xue Bingbing busy preparing breakfast in the kitchen, but I didn't see Liu Xiangyang.

"Bingbing, making breakfast." The word "sister" stuck in Roland's throat; she didn't know why it had just come out yesterday.

"Roland, why are you here so early? Have you eaten? If not, we can eat together later," Xue Bingbing greeted warmly.

"I'm here to see Xiangyang... Comrade, I have something to discuss." Roland was a little nervous, and his words even stuttered a bit.

"Hey, we're all family here. Xiangyang's house outside his yard, go find him." Xue Bingbing glanced at Luo Lan and scooped another ladle of water into the pot.

"Okay, then I'll go find him outside." After saying that, Roland turned around and walked out of the courtyard. He didn't know why he suddenly felt so much pressure when facing Xue Bingbing.

Arriving at Liu Xiangyang's office, I pushed open the door and saw that desk. It reminded me of how Liu Xiangyang had manipulated me at that desk back then.

She secretly pinched herself, went into the inner room, closed the door, and walked up to him.

Liu Xiangyang watched as Luo Lan walked in and locked the door. When she got closer, he asked, "Why are you here so early in the morning?"

Roland stared into his eyes: "Last night you asked me if I didn't want to leave here anymore, and I didn't answer. Now I've made up my mind, and I've come to tell you the answer."

"Really? Then what's your answer?" Liu Xiangyang sat down in the chair and turned to look at her.

"I don't want any more job openings, and I won't leave here. I'll stay with you, wherever you go, I'll follow. I'll only ever be your woman, even without any official title or status," Roland said, looking at Liu Xiangyang with unwavering determination.

"Then you'll suffer a huge loss. Haven't you done the math? If you really hire someone and they leave, you'll lose at least three or four hundred yuan a year."

"If you stay and work with me, you're only 21 years old this year. Even if you retire at 55, you still have 34 or 35 years left. You'll lose at least 15,000 yuan. If you do a good job, you might lose even more."

"And then there's the status of workers, that's a secure job, are you willing to give up all of that? Besides, you know I'm not a good person," Liu Xiangyang said calmly.

"I know all of that, and I know you're not a good person, but you're so good to your woman that I'm jealous."

"We old educated youth ate cornbread with pickled vegetables every day, but Bingbing and the others had meat at every meal and plenty of white flour. Even if I went to work as a factory worker, I could not live such a life."

"My mother always says, 'Marry a man for food and clothing.' Since you can make your woman eat fine grains and have meat at every meal in a place like Dongsheng Village, why should I go to such lengths?" Roland took a step closer to him, their breaths mingling.

"But I can't give you a formal status."

"I belong to you completely now. Even if I marry someone better than you, I won't want me, and I'll despise anyone worse than you. This is my fate, and I accept it." As Roland spoke, tears streamed down her face.

Liu Xiangyang raised his hand and gently wiped away the tear stains on her cheek with his fingertips.

He didn't speak immediately, but looked at her quietly for a moment, then gently pulled her forward with his arm.

Roland obediently fell into his arms and sat sideways on his firm lap.

Liu Xiangyang had one arm tightly around her waist, while his other hand remained by her face, his thumb stroking her cheek.

"Roland".

"You chose this path yourself."

"Once you enter my door, you must abide by my rules and receive what I give you."

"Whether it's bitter or sweet from now on, you have to accept it. You have no chance to go back on your word."

Liu Xiangyang spoke with a somewhat cold tone, each word striking Roland's heart.

Roland's tears welled up again. She nodded vigorously and replied, choking back sobs, "I accept it. As long as I'm with you, I'll accept anything."

"Alright, then I'll leave a mark on you so you'll remember that from this day forward, you, and even your soul, belong to me."