Volume One, Chapter 16: Is It the Blinding Sun, or the Radiance of a Smile?

The basket they brought wasn’t very large, and the three of them gathered enough in no time. Since it was still early, Yu Nian’an found a spacious spot and decided to rest there.

Lin Zhi and Ye Xiao sat beside her.

Now that they were alone, Yu Nian’an asked about the person at the youth work team’s station.

Lin Zhi sighed. She wasn’t foolish; from their days together, she knew Zhang Yulan was deliberately targeting her, but she couldn’t figure out why and had been tolerating it repeatedly.

She hadn’t expected that hostility to extend to people around her.

“That youth worker is Zhang Yulan. She came with our group, but for some reason, from the very first day here, she’s had an inexplicable hostility toward me.”

Hearing the name, Yu Nian’an immediately realized she was the Zhang youth from her dream.

But the woman didn’t seem remarkable now, so when had she become entangled with Yu Dingguo?

While both were puzzled, Ye Xiao, who had barely spoken, suddenly broke the silence.

“I think I know why she’s hostile toward Lin Zhi.”

Yu Nian’an and Lin Zhi looked at him simultaneously. “Why?”

“On the way here, she kept complaining about being tired and the heavy luggage. I thought, if it’s heavy, why bring so much? Later, when I helped Lin Zhi move her things inside, Zhang Yulan immediately collapsed in the yard.”

Ye Xiao described Lin Zhi fainting that day. Looking back, Zhang Yulan was definitely pretending.

Yu Nian’an’s eyes flickered, then she caught on. “So she’s just jealous and wants to take it out on Lin Zhi.”

Ye Xiao said nothing, tacitly agreeing.

Lin Zhi felt helpless. The old and new youth workers rarely mingled, and because of Zhang Yulan’s antagonism, another female youth worker from the same group also avoided them. Fortunately, through connections, Ye Xiao and Gu Shen were assigned to the Yu family’s brigade. Otherwise, she couldn’t imagine how lonely and difficult those days of inexplicable isolation would have been.

Learning about their quarrel, Yu Nian’an thought of something else.

“You mentioned yesterday about building a toilet. Would Zhang Yulan agree to that?”

Lin Zhi shook her head, smiling wryly. “I brought it up with everyone. No one objected; some even said we should share the labor costs. But Zhang Yulan said we were being pretentious.”

The toilet at the youth work station was made of mud bricks with many holes above, and the door was just a cloth curtain. Over time, hygiene aside, without someone guarding outside, it was unsafe to use.

No one had mentioned this before, but with Lin Zhi taking the lead, other female youth workers revealed they had the same concern.

Yu Nian’an was taken aback. Reputation mattered most these days. If such private matters were accidentally witnessed, even under the same roof, it could cause trouble.

She didn’t know if Zhang Yulan was just stubborn or genuinely difficult.

As the three discussed Zhang Yulan, a figure appeared on the forest trail—it was Gu Shen, who had been catching up on sleep earlier.

Seeing him, Ye Xiao raised his arm and waved. “Gu Shen, over here!”

Yu Nian’an was curious—why was he here?

The mountain path was rugged. Gu Shen strode up with long legs and soon reached where the three were resting. His chest heaved from exertion. Leaning against a tree, he caught Yu Nian’an’s gaze and quickly looked away, while she curiously scanned him.

Yu Nian’an had rewritten the tragic fate of “herself” in the book and saved Gu Shen’s life, which felt strangely fateful—as if destined to be intertwined.

She was very curious about how her intervention would alter his future.

Also, where had he gone last night?

Noticing her gaze fixed on Gu Shen, Ye Xiao coughed lightly and stepped in to block her view.

“Didn’t you say it was a rare day off and you wanted to sleep in?”

He winked. Gu Shen caught the hint immediately and explained, “It was too noisy; I couldn’t sleep. I heard you and Comrade Yu went to the back mountain, so I came to check.”

Yu Nian’an didn’t notice their silent exchange but saw the obvious bruising under Gu Shen’s eyes and guessed he hadn’t slept much. She suggested heading back.

Glancing at her basket, Gu Shen’s expression grew complicated.

It seemed Comrade Yu’s family conditions were not good.

July was the vegetable gap season, yet they still had to gather wild vegetables. No wonder they didn’t even have tickets yesterday.

Unaware of his thoughts, Yu Nian’an led the group down the mountain.

Near her small courtyard, recalling Lin Zhi’s reluctance to stay at the youth station, she politely offered, “It’s still early. Why not come to my place for a while?”

Ye Xiao was about to decline when Lin Zhi smiled and agreed, “I actually have some questions for Uncle Jianping, so I’ll trouble you.”

Back at the courtyard, the toilet and bathroom roofs were completed. Uncle Jianping was directing his two nephews to start drilling a well.

Lin Zhi and Ye Xiao, unfamiliar with the work, were fascinated and gathered around as soon as they entered. Seeing this, Yu Nian’an had no choice but to go inside, grab a wooden stool, and sit under the eaves to shell the wild vegetables, watching them excitedly crowd around.

Suddenly, a shadow fell over her.

It was Gu Shen.

Curious, Yu Nian’an glanced at him and pointed to the group, silently asking why he wasn’t joining.

Gu Shen sat cross-legged beside her, naturally reaching for the basket and imitating her in trimming the remaining vegetables.

“I’ve seen well digging before.”

His answer surprised Yu Nian’an. She had read about Lin Zhi and Ye Xiao’s background: from Beijing, well-off families who wouldn’t have been sent down if not closely monitored. Since Gu Shen was so close to them, his family likely wasn’t poor either.

Could he be living in a traditional courtyard house?

She mused silently that once she had money, she would definitely buy one—making the whole journey worthwhile.

Gu Shen became more skillful, working faster. The basket of wild vegetables was almost empty. Yu Nian’an teased, “You came here and still have to work? Looks like I owe you a meal.”

Just as she spoke, she suddenly remembered—he had come to the back mountain right after waking up. She wondered if he’d had breakfast.

She hadn’t heard Lin Zhi’s group mention saving food for him when leaving the youth station. Could he have been hungry?

Thinking this, her gaze softened with sympathy.

Poor guy—out late at night, returning to the youth station at some unknown hour, woken up early, and without food.

Her hand instinctively reached into her pocket. The biscuits Yu Weimin gave her yesterday were still there.

“Here,” she said.

Gu Shen looked up to see the young girl smiling warmly at him, holding out a wax paper package. “Try it.”

The morning sun wasn’t harsh, but it still made Gu Shen’s eyes squint slightly.