“Sis, you’re living the dream! Your man is tall, handsome, and an amazing cook—you two are literally a match made in heaven!”
Just as Gao Le was laying on the flattery, Lin Zhen happened to hear the noise and stepped out.
“I made braised pork today,” he said, then asked Gao Le and the others, “Want some?”
Everyone nodded so hard it looked like their heads might fall off.
“Yes, yes, yes!”
“Then come on in and eat together.”
He always cooked in large batches, so there was plenty to go around.
These guests never came empty-handed either.
Gao Le and Zhao Su, both from wealthy families, directly offered meat coupons, while others brought gifts like eggs or flour.
Lin Zhen simply set up the table in the yard and made a huge pot of hearty stew.
Even though it was a mixed stew, it was packed with flavor.
Everyone ate to their heart’s content.
“Speaking of which, why does that new educated youth, Rong, always come back so late?”
“Who knows? Honestly, I find him kind of weird. He’s so low-key, it’s like he’s barely there. I wouldn’t even remember him if you didn’t bring him up.”
“Why bother talking about him? Listen to this—I heard some gossip from the aunties. There’s this couple in the next brigade who are something else. The husband’s been fooling around with a widow, and when his wife found out, she got so mad she went and slept with another man. Now the husband knows, and they’ve been fighting nonstop.”
So scandalous!
Song Wei felt like she’d missed out on a billion-dollar story!
Her eyes sparkled as she propped her chin up and listened intently.
Lin Zhen appeared to be listening too, but his thoughts had already drifted to the earlier mention of the educated youth named Rong.
He already knew that Rong was a spy.
After the meal, everyone was considerate—before Song Wei and Lin Zhen could even lift a finger, the group had already started clearing the table and washing the dishes.
They sat chatting under the moonlight, full and satisfied, and when it was time, everyone returned to their rooms.
Song Wei found a moment to slip into Lin Zhen’s room and told him about running into Zhao Yuyin on the mountain.
“She knows about the royal tomb too?” Lin Zhen was shocked.
Based on his observations, although Zhao Yuyin’s behavior was a bit unusual, she hadn’t had any contact with the spies.
Song Wei nodded and repeated Zhao Yuyin’s mutterings, along with her own speculations, to him.
She held nothing back.
As he listened, Lin Zhen’s eyes gradually widened in shock.
Novel? Transmigrating into a book? What in the world was all this?
Lin Zhen’s mind went blank—or more accurately, his entire worldview was being reshaped.
“So… our world is a novel world?” This was beyond his comprehension.
Lin Zhen frowned deeply. “Give me a moment to process this.”
Song Wei propped her chin in her hands and stared at him. “She said you were originally destined to be the world’s richest man—the big villain. But now that might not happen anymore. Don’t you have any thoughts about that?”
As she spoke, she poked his cheek with her finger.
Lin Zhen grabbed her hand, looking somewhat helpless.
“What world’s richest man? If it comes at the cost of Hei Dan’s life, I’d rather not have it.”
And then there was Old Lady Lin’s family. It seemed he had been too soft-hearted until now.
He couldn’t bear to imagine what Hei Dan’s fate might have been without Song Wei…
At this moment, Lin Zhen fell into deep self-reproach.
He had been too arrogant. Even if he couldn’t return himself while in the military, he could have asked his comrades to check on things. Maybe then such an outcome could have been avoided.
Thank goodness, thank goodness…
Now, Lin Zhen felt as if he had narrowly escaped disaster, and he was even more grateful to Song Wei.
“Thank you,” he said earnestly. “I was too foolish before, and I underestimated human nature.”
Song Wei nodded. “I also think you were pretty foolish before. But ultimately, it wasn’t your fault. The ones you should blame aren’t yourself, but the ones truly responsible.”
It’s better to hold others accountable than to torment yourself.
What happened had already happened. Since Hei Dan was still alive, rather than wallowing in self-blame, it was better to seek retribution against the enemies.
Lin Zhen nodded solemnly. “I understand.”
“Then, you…” Lin Zhen’s expression turned somewhat complicated. “Are you also… like Zhao Yuyin?”
Connecting the dots, now that he knew about that woman Zhao Yuyin’s origins, all the unusual things about Song Wei suddenly made sense.
Song Wei: “You could say that. When I arrived, the ‘Song Wei’ of this world was already dead. But I didn’t know this was the world of a book. I always thought it was just a reversal of time.”
Lin Zhen instinctively tightened his grip on her hand. “Will you go back?”
Song Wei asked him, “What if I could go back?”
Lin Zhen’s throat felt dry. “The future world must be much better, right? You can tell just from Zhao Yuyin. This world is lacking in everything—it definitely can’t compare to there. If you can go back, you’ll surely live an even better life than now.”
“I can’t bear to let you go.”
“But if you want to return, I also can’t bear to trap you here.”
A better world versus one still mired in poverty.
Lin Zhen’s thoughts were in turmoil, and he held Song Wei’s hand even tighter.
Song Wei snapped her fingers in front of his face.
“Don’t overthink it. I can’t go back, and besides, my world wasn’t a good one.”
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