Turns Out I’m the Villain They’re Supposed to Redeem? [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 36

After resting at home for a while, Huo Yuwan carried the clothes she had changed out of to the riverbank to wash.

Most villagers did their laundry in the morning, so the riverbank was empty at this hour. Huo Yuwan casually squatted on a rock, scrubbing the clothes half-heartedly while occasionally glancing toward the nearby mountains.

She had just inspected her kitchen, there was plenty of rice and flour, the oil pot on the stove was still full, a few cured meats from the New Year hung from the beams, and an enamel basin held over twenty eggs laid by the old hens at home. With three or four eggs produced daily, Huo Yuwan couldn’t eat them all, so they had gradually accumulated.

Although the food reserves were ample, Huo Yuwan still felt it wasn’t enough.

She had checked the family savings earlier, her parents had left nearly three thousand yuan when they passed away, a considerable sum for a rural household in this era. However, over the years, Huo Yuwan had only spent without earning, maintaining her quality of life by buying whatever she fancied. As a result, the three thousand yuan had dwindled to less than a thousand.

If this continued, wouldn’t she end up penniless sooner or later?

After careful consideration, Huo Yuwan decided that her most urgent task was to make money.

With her mind made up, she ventured into the mountains again that very night under the cover of darkness.

The little white dog, Hu Ling, trailed behind her. The pair wandered through the hills for most of the night. Though they didn’t come across any premium lingzhi mushrooms, they managed to gather some common varieties. On the way down, Huo Yuwan also retrieved a roe deer that had fallen into a trap she had dug earlier, stuffing it into her bamboo basket. She then filled the remaining space with dry firewood before leisurely descending the mountain.

By then, dawn was approaching. With no time for a meal, Huo Yuwan picked some fresh vegetables from her garden, placed the roe deer and lingzhi in a medium-sized bamboo crate, and layered the top and bottom with vegetables to conceal the contents. Satisfied that nothing looked amiss, she locked the door and set off for the city.

After walking for two hours straight, Huo Yuwan was exhausted and hungry. Fortunately, the guards at the city entrance didn’t inspect her thoroughly. Seeing her on the verge of collapse, they let her pass.

The morning market was bustling with activity. Huo Yuwan strolled around without rushing to sell her goods, first stopping at a breakfast stall to enjoy two steamed buns and a bowl of congee.

Her fair complexion, flushed with a healthy pink, and her glossy black braid stood out. Though her clothes were slightly dusty, they were free of patches and featured fashionable patterns, hardly the appearance of someone coming to the market to sell vegetables.

In this day and age, few rural folks bought breakfast at the market; most made do with steamed sweet potatoes or potatoes from home.

Soon, Huo Yuwan caught the attention of an observant passerby.

A young woman in leather shoes sat down opposite her. “Little sister, are you only selling greens?”

Huo Yuwan looked up at her and shook her head.

After a moment’s thought, she poured a cup of tea from the table, dipped her index finger in it, and wrote a few characters on the wooden surface.

Since the woman was seated across from her, Huo Yuwan wrote the characters upside down for the woman to read easily.

The young woman, who had been about to shift her seat, paused and looked at Huo Yuwan with surprise.

“How about we discuss the price somewhere else? My home is just in the nearby alley.”

The woman kept eyeing her, seemingly surprised that a country girl had such skills.

Huo Yuwan, who had already eaten and drunk her fill, nodded in agreement. After settling the meal bill, she followed the woman.

When Huo Yuwan emerged again, the bamboo basket on her back was empty. The woman and her husband had not only bought the lingzhi mushrooms and roe deer but also taken all the vegetables Huo Yuwan had brought along.

As she left, the woman saw her off with a smile, urging her to come directly to their home if she had any more good items in the future, they would buy everything.

Huo Yuwan agreed. Such one-off transactions were indeed convenient and quick. With the 500 yuan she earned from this trip, she hurried straight to the local department store.

Remembering Wu Xiao’s mention that the educated youths would be arriving in a few days, Huo Yuwan bought several boxes of snow cream, along with snacks like melon seeds, canned hawthorn, and various flavored milk candies. After purchasing quite a few items, she hummed a cheerful tune and retraced her steps with the bamboo basket on her back.

By noon, she had returned to the village and happened to run into Wu Xiao, who had just come back from the fields for lunch. Spotting Huo Yuwan, Wu Xiao jogged over. “Your injury isn’t fully healed yet, why are you out and about again?”

Shaking her head with a smile, Huo Yuwan replied, “It’s nothing serious. I was bored at home, so I went to the city to sell some vegetables to help with expenses.”

Wu Xiao felt a bit relieved. “Even though Uncle Huo left you some money, it’s not sustainable to only spend without earning. It’s good that you’ve come around.”

In the past, Huo Yuwan would never have gone to the city to sell a few vegetables, she’d generously give away any extras to the neighbors, sometimes even eggs. It took Wu Xiao several attempts to curb her lavish habits.

But before Wu Xiao could feel too pleased, Huo Yuwan shifted the bamboo basket to the front and pulled out a box of snow cream, placing it in her hands.

“Working in the fields all day under the sun has darkened your face. Take this and remember to apply it every day.”

Huo Yuwan instructed.

Comparing their complexions, Wu Xiao fell silent for a moment before tucking the snow cream away. “I’ll bring you the money later. You haven’t eaten lunch, right? Why not come to my place for a meal?”

Yawning, Huo Yuwan shook her head. “I already ate in the city, and you don’t need to pay me, it’s a gift. Oh, and here’s something else.”

With that, she grabbed a handful of milk candies and stuffed them into Wu Xiao’s pocket.

“Take them back for your daughter.”

Before Wu Xiao could recover from the surprise of receiving the snow cream, she noticed the large bag of snacks in the bamboo basket.

Her vision nearly darkened. “Why did you buy so much?”

She had thought Huo Yuwan went to make money, but instead, she ended up spending even more. The earnings from selling vegetables weren’t even enough to cover that bag of milk candies.

Huo Yuwan couldn’t outright mention the substantial profit from the lingzhi mushrooms, so she made up an excuse.

“You said the educated youths are coming to the countryside in a few days, right? I thought…”

She deliberately put on a shy, embarrassed expression, even twisting her hands together awkwardly.

Hearing this, Wu Xiao felt both exasperated and amused. “But you still shouldn’t have bought so much…”

But since things had come to this, she could only secretly make up her mind, when the time came, she would definitely have her husband help assign the most handsome and talented educated youth to her best friend’s household.

This money couldn’t be spent in vain.

At that moment, many villagers who had finished work and were heading home for lunch were on the roadside. More or less, they all caught sight of the large bag of snacks Huo Yuwan had bought. They couldn’t help but exchange glances, sighing inwardly.

That girl is quite pretty, but she spends money far too recklessly. If someone were to marry her and bring her home, wouldn’t she squander the family’s entire savings?

Too expensive to keep, truly too expensive.

However, there were also those with more cunning minds who had a different idea upon seeing this.

Since Huo Yuwan dared to spend money so lavishly, it meant her family’s savings were substantial, if not abundant. If they could marry Huo Yuwan, wouldn’t all that money fall into their hands?

…

Not two days later, the villagers of Shihe Village were gathered together by the village chief.

The educated youths sent to the countryside had arrived, and it was time to address their placement and allocation.

Huo Yuwan was boiling water to wash her hair when the loudspeaker called for the assembly. She didn’t have time to dry her hair properly, so she grabbed a dry towel, wrapped it around her head, and hurried to the village entrance to join the crowd.

The villagers assembled quickly. Huo Yuwan had initially stood on the outermost edge of the crowd, but her best friend was the village party secretary’s wife. As soon as she spotted Huo Yuwan, she pulled her to her side.

Just like that, thanks to this connection, Huo Yuwan secured the most advantageous vantage point in the crowd.

“Why are you dressed like that?” Wu Xiao looked disdainfully at the towel wrapped around Huo Yuwan’s head and even reached out as if to pull it off.

Although villagers often dressed like this during busy farming seasons, that didn’t mean it looked good.

Huo Yuwan, who was scanning the crowd, replied casually, “What’s wrong with me?”

There were about twenty educated youths in the group, each laden with bags and bundles. The sun overhead was glaring, making it hard for Huo Yuwan to clearly see their faces.

Wu Xiao also felt Huo Yuwan’s damp hair and, after a moment’s thought, withdrew her hand from the towel.

Still, she couldn’t help voicing her honest opinion, “It’s too rustic. It’s your first time meeting them, couldn’t you make a better impression?”

Huo Yuwan turned to look at her. “Do I not look good like this?”

With her bright eyes, gleaming teeth, fair complexion, and delicate skin, Huo Yuwan still shone brilliantly even with a towel wrapped around her head, standing out among the villagers.

Wu Xiao had to admit the truth and fell silent for a moment. “You look good.”

She had worried for nothing.

The village party secretary was reading aloud the documents related to the re-education of educated youths in the countryside. Although the villagers had already heard the news, they still murmured and discussed among themselves.

Most were unwilling. The educated youths were city-bred young men and women who had never known hardship. Not only were they unable to handle heavy labor, but they would also require a share of the village’s food rations. In the eyes of most villagers, they were nothing but trouble.

Huo Yuwan overheard many villagers discussing how they must try to secure a male educated youth, at the very least, they’d be better than the delicate female ones.

The first to be assigned was a male educated youth. When his name was called by the village party secretary, he stepped forward.

Wu Xiao didn’t react. This one wasn’t as good-looking as her own Yu Shu.

It wasn’t until the fifth assignment that Wu Xiao finally tugged at Huo Yuwan’s sleeve to get her attention.

A fair-skinned, clean-cut male educated youth with a bright, cheerful smile. Wu Xiao even noticed several other unmarried young women in the village stealing shy glances at him.

But to her surprise, Huo Yuwan remained unmoved, simply crouching on the ground and wiping her hair.

Alright, judging by her reaction, it seemed she wasn’t interested. Wu Xiao had no choice but to discreetly wave her hand to signal her husband.

This scenario repeated itself five or six times, yet Huo Yuwan didn’t even bother to stand up, not even one had caught her eye.

Wu Xiao grew anxious. She crouched beside Huo Yuwan and whispered, “Hey, the male educated youths are almost all picked!”

“If they’re all picked, then so be it.” Huo Yuwan finally spotted the person she had been waiting for at the very back of the crowd.

“What on earth are you thinking?” Wu Xiao was even more anxious than she was. “Even if you’re not interested, at least pick someone to help share the workload in the fields.”

Huo Yuwan stood up, removed the towel from her hair, and her half-dry strands drifted lightly in the sweltering midday breeze.

“No need. I can manage the work on my own.”

By then, the village party secretary had called out the last name, “Comrade Li Xuzhi.”

He pressed his lips together, his expression slightly unnatural.

“Comrade Li’s situation is somewhat special. Her father is a rightist… well… she is a comrade who can be re-educated. Which household is willing to take Comrade Li in?”

As soon as the first words left his mouth, the villagers, who had been chattering and discussing moments before, fell into a collective silence.

Widow Sun, who had been jostling in the crowd hoping to secure a future daughter-in-law for her son, quickly lowered her head. She never expected that the promising young woman she had scouted earlier would turn out to have problematic political background.

Huo Yuwan gazed at Li Xuzhi, who stood gripping her luggage tightly, her eyes cool and silent. Raising her hand, Huo Yuwan responded with a smile.

“Me! Comrade Li, come home with me.”