Chapter 38: To Save Him the Trouble

Su Wanwan had never intended to hide anything from her brother and family; if she could earn money, they could use it for their studies in the future. Although she had her father’s money in her interspatial storage, she couldn't just live off of savings—besides, that money wasn't officially accounted for, and using it might invite trouble.

She recounted the encounter with Lin Yu reading a novel when she had gone to collect her basket from Xie Beishen. "I want to try submitting a manuscript. If it gets accepted and published by an editor, I can earn money. What do you think?"

Su Heng read through the pages again and again. "It’s good. The content you’ve written is truly gripping; I just want to see how it ends. Hurry up and finish it, then let your second brother have a look."

Su Wanwan was eager to write more and get the manuscript sent off as soon as possible. She returned to her room and began working on the next part, so focused that she completely forgot she had told Xie Beishen the previous night that she would visit him today to explain the situation regarding Ma Zhiming.

Just as night fell, Su Jianjun took a flashlight and rode his bicycle to the county town to report to the police. Su Heng, knowing his father had gone to the police station, wanted to wait for his return to ask about the situation. He went to his sister's room and, seeing her writing, asked, "Sister, how did you practice your handwriting? Teach me, too."

Su Wanwan looked at her second brother and said, "Pick whatever font you want to write, copy it, and over time, your writing will naturally become beautiful."

Su Heng pointed at her manuscript. "I think what you’ve written is already excellent."

Su Wanwan smiled. "That's simple enough. I'll teach you another day. Don't disturb me while I'm writing; if you’re bored, go review your middle school textbooks."

Su Heng, also eager to see the ending of his sister's story and inspired by her hard work, returned to his room to study.

Su Wanwan realized it was already late; going to find Xie Beishen now would be impossible, especially with her brother right next door—he would surely notice. She quickly wrote a note and had Xiao Hei deliver it.

Meanwhile, after dinner, Xie Beishen looked out into the dark. The woman hadn't shown up. Was this her "explanation"? He let out a cold "Hmph." He felt his mood was quite strange; why did he care so much about a woman he had only met a few times? He felt inexplicably irritated.

At that moment, he saw Xiao Hei trotting toward him with something in its mouth. It stopped before him and nudged the object toward his hand. The corner of his mouth twitched, almost imperceptibly. He picked up the note and unfolded it:

"Xie Beishen, you don't keep your word. What happened to promising to reply to my messages? So, I'm not coming to explain anything to you today either."

Hmph... She was actually turning the tables on him? Was she threatening him? It was better that she didn't come; he didn't care for her explanations anyway. It would be best if she didn't show up for the next half a year; it would save him the headache.

Su Wanwan had written it that way only to provoke a response, but seeing Xiao Hei return empty-mouthed confirmed her suspicions. She decided to keep teasing him tomorrow; she didn't believe he could ignore her messages forever.

Su Jianjun didn't return home until one in the morning. The family was still awake, and he briefly described his visit to the police: "I took a few officers up to the mountain to the place where the grain is hidden. They plan to catch them red-handed, and now they have their own men keeping guard on the mountain."

"Also, a female officer will be coming to stay with us for a few days starting tomorrow. We’ll tell everyone she’s a friend of Wanwan’s visiting from out of town. When she arrives tomorrow, Wanwan, make sure you coordinate with her so we don't slip up."

"Understood." Su Wanwan yawned. "Everyone, get some sleep."

The next day, just as the Su family finished breakfast, there was a knock at the door. Su Wanwan hurried to open it and found a young woman standing there, wearing the latest trendy floral dress and translucent sandals. She had a round face with a natural blush, and her ear-length hair was pinned back with black clips, revealing a full forehead.

Li Yuanyuan had researched the Su family before coming and immediately guessed that this was Su Wanwan. She smiled and said, "Su Wanwan, long time no see. Let's go inside and chat."

Su Wanwan knew a female officer was coming, but she hadn't expected someone so young and adorable. Especially when she smiled, her dimples were charming; she looked no older than Su Wanwan herself. Su Wanwan opened the door with a smile. "Come in, I've been waiting for you."

Li Yuanyuan wheeled her bicycle into the courtyard, followed Su Wanwan inside, took the meat hanging from her handlebars, and then pulled out some grain to hand to Mother Su. "This is my ration for the next few days."

Zhao Hefen took the grain and said with a smile, "It's enough that you were able to send someone to help; there was no need to bring your own rations."

Li Yuanyuan introduced herself to the family: "My name is Li Yuanyuan, I'm eighteen, and I'm a rookie who just joined the force. They chose me for this assignment partly because of this—I don't look like a police officer at all."

What she didn't mention was that she had begged her father to let her take on this assignment.

Su Wanwan smiled. "You really don't look like an officer. Are you in a clerical position?"

Li Yuanyuan looked at her, astonished. "How did you know? You guessed it right away!"

Su Heng looked at the cute young officer. It was true; her appearance didn't suggest she worked in law enforcement at all. She looked even younger than his sister.

Zhao Hefen greeted Li Yuanyuan warmly and, after briefly explaining the household routine, headed out to work with Su Jianjun.

Su Wanwan and Li Yuanyuan chatted at home. After a while, Su Wanwan discovered that Li Yuanyuan came from a prominent background: her father was the Police Chief, her mother was a high school teacher, and she had an older brother.

Su Wanwan had to go gather pigweed, and she wasn't about to change her routine just because Li Yuanyuan was there. Concerned that Li Yuanyuan was a city girl who wouldn't be used to rural work, she said, "Why don't you wait for me at home? I'll be back soon."

Although she had been a pampered girl in her modern life, she had long since learned that she had to adapt to her current circumstances.

Li Yuanyuan had come to the countryside specifically to experience rural life, so she flatly refused. "I want to go with you. I can learn to gather pigweed; it shouldn't be that hard."

Seeing that she was insistent, Su Wanwan handed her one of the gloves she had made, passed her her small basket, and looked at her outfit. "I see you brought a bag; why don't you change into more suitable clothes and shoes?"

Li Yuanyuan nodded. "Good idea. My dad actually reminded me this morning to bring trousers and cloth shoes, or I would have forgotten. My dad is from the countryside himself; now when I go back, I can brag that I've worked in the fields too!"

Su Wanwan: "!!!"

*Heh.* So, this is a young lady from the city here for a "rural experience."