Chapter 35

"You're quite impressive."

Lin Yilan felt a tap on her arm from Xiong Zhaodi, and as she looked up, she heard Ji Xuecheng say those words.

Following that, the entire classroom seemed to fall silent. She could clearly sense the surrounding students sizing her up, as well as the male student standing in front of her.

"..."

"Thank you?" Lin Yilan thought for a moment before managing to squeeze out that response. This sudden praise felt somewhat awkward.

Ji Xuecheng was completely oblivious to her reaction. He continued, "But I don't think I'm any worse. The gap between you and me is something I will catch up to very soon."

Lin Yilan looked at his earnest expression and had no choice but to nod along. Given what he had said, what else could she do?

"In my opinion, you are merely more mature in your drafting than I am. When it comes to design logic and creative vision, I don't believe you are superior to me."

Ji Xuecheng seemed satisfied with her reaction and continued to hold forth, "For the sake of your hard work, I'd like to offer you a word of advice: don't just take on any project for the sake of money. As architects, we should strive more for the pursuit of architectural art."

"I truly believe that designing houses for rural folks is a waste of time. What is there to design in mud huts? We should focus our efforts on the pursuit of art."

At first glance, Ji Xuecheng’s words sounded somewhat reasonable, and he certainly seemed to be considering Lin Yilan’s interests. Yet, the way he subtly disparaged her to elevate himself was truly something else. Moreover, if Lin Yilan had one defining trait, it was her rebellious streak—especially when dealing with people she didn't know well.

Because of her harmonious family life in this lifetime, it had been a long time since her old "rebellious" spirit had been stirred. She had initially thought that changing bodies had also changed her personality and outlook, but it seemed that wasn't the case after all. The soul remained the same, and that stubborn temper had simply tagged along.

Clearly, Ji Xuecheng had managed to ignite the rebellion buried deep within her.

"Classmate Ji, thank you for your advice."

Seeing Ji Xuecheng’s satisfied smile, Lin Yilan threw a bucket of cold water directly over him.

"It’s just that I’ve lived for many years with a flaw I’ve never been able to correct: I refuse to turn back until I hit a brick wall, and I don't listen to advice. However, I believe I have my path and you have your pursuits, so let’s just walk our own ways."

*Stay out of my business.* Her meaning was crystal clear.

Lin Yilan said this with an earnest expression. If not for the fact that Ji Xuecheng didn't seem to be speaking with malice and was, after all, her classmate, she would have been even more blunt.

Ji Xuecheng’s face darkened instantly, then flushed a deep red.

"Fine. Since you are unwilling to listen to me, I have nothing more to say."

Lin Yilan couldn't stand the "I'm doing this for your own good" look on his face, but not wanting to continue the conversation, she simply gave a grunt of acknowledgement and lowered her head to continue studying her textbook.

Watching Ji Xuecheng walk away, Xiong Zhaodi grumbled, "Why don't rural houses need design? Is he implying that we rural folks aren't worthy of a good life?"

"And here I thought Ji Xuecheng was just a bit arrogant because of his talent. Now I see he’s no different from those city people who look down on rural folks!"

"I really misjudged him."

Lin Yilan hadn't expected to be so unbothered, while Xiong Zhaodi was fuming.

She patted Xiong Zhaodi’s shoulder. "Alright, just like we said, everyone has their own thoughts. Isn't it better for everyone to walk their own path?"

"Professor Shen is here. Stop thinking about him."

What was there to discuss with someone of a different mindset?

When Professor Shen returned to the classroom, he felt the atmosphere was somewhat strange. He scanned the room and quickly spotted Lin Yilan sitting in the middle of the third row. When a teacher looks down from the podium, they can see everything if they choose to. Thus, Professor Shen had clearly seen the hidden glances the other students thought they were sneakily casting at Lin Yilan.

He didn't overthink it, assuming the class had simply realized the gap between themselves and Lin Yilan. With class about to begin, he quickly pushed the matter to the back of his mind.

A few days later, the discussions about Lin Yilan within the department grew louder. Beyond her classmates, seniors from the year above also joined the conversation. Their focus, however, wasn't on the rural residential design—something no one else had attempted—but on the fact that Lin Yilan had submitted her assignment based on revisions of blueprints from a project she had actually undertaken.

This point stunned the students of the '78 cohort, and even the "worker-peasant-soldier" students who had been admitted via recommendations grew curious about her. They had been in school for years and had never seen someone so bold in both thought and action. Lin Yilan’s behavior even triggered a trend among some students who, instead of studying or playing in their spare time, tried to find projects to take on just like she did.

However, none of them succeeded like Lin Yilan.

Among the onlookers and copycats, a minority began to feel a sense of crisis, viewing Lin Yilan as a future threat.

As the person closest to Lin Yilan at school, Xiong Zhaodi experienced the feeling of being sought after during this time. It was the most exciting period since she had moved to the city. Whether she was eating, studying in the library, resting in the dorm, or even taking a shower, she would run into people trying to fish for information about Lin Yilan.

Her feelings shifted from excitement to annoyance, and she went from not understanding why Lin Yilan treated these people like tigers to avoiding them, to finally understanding and becoming like Lin Yilan herself.

As for the center of the topic, Lin Yilan, she had no interest in the matter beyond occasionally learning the latest updates from Xiong Zhaodi. She had a new project.

That day, wearing the military coat her grandfather had given her, a scarf wrapped around her neck, and a Lei Feng hat on her head, Lin Yilan rode her new 26-inch women’s bicycle straight to the compound where her grandfather lived.

Her bundled-up appearance was so thorough that she was stopped by the guard on duty while still twenty meters from the gate. After a painstaking registration process, another guard went into the compound to find Grandfather Lin.

She hadn't been back in so long that she needed her grandfather to come out and fetch her. While she waited, she and the guard stared at each other. This moment made her deeply realize that the same clothes could look drastically different on different people. She looked like she was drowning in the oversized military coat, shivering slightly from the cold, while the guard stood tall and straight, clutching his rifle in the freezing wind, completely unfazed.

Feeling the contrast, she felt quite awkward.

Lin Yilan coughed a few times, kicked at the snow on the side of the road, and pretended not to care while secretly trying to straighten her back.

Soon, Grandfather Lin hurried over, with the guard who had gone to fetch him struggling to keep up. Seeing this, Lin Yilan called out, "Grandpa, don't rush, slow down, don't slip!"

"Alright, no rush, no rush."

With that, Grandfather Lin cheerfully greeted the two guards. After signing the visitor’s log, he led Lin Yilan into the compound.

Once inside, Lin Yilan couldn't help but look around. Although she had only been gone for four months, it felt like the compound had changed quite a bit. Everything felt both familiar and strange.

Her heart felt a pang of melancholy when she saw the cypresses stripped of their leaves. Even though she had only lived there for two months, she felt a close connection to the place because of her grandparents and neighbors like Auntie Zhang.

Recalling the past, Lin Yilan asked about the residents, "Grandpa, how are Auntie Zhang and Fangfang doing lately?"

Grandfather Lin thought for a moment. "Auntie Zhang’s son was transferred to a local position, so they moved away a while ago. Oh, right, she left something for you. When we get back, I’ll ask your grandmother where she put it."

Lin Yilan was stunned for a moment. She hadn't expected Auntie Zhang to have moved out in just four months. The news left her feeling even more dejected.

Grandfather Lin was surprised; he hadn't expected his granddaughter to have grown so close to a woman older than her own parents. Seeing her upset, he tried to comfort her.

"Don't be sad. If you want to know where Auntie Zhang’s son was transferred, I can ask for you later, and you can give her a call."

Lin Yilan was tempted for a second but refused. "Never mind, Grandpa. Making a phone call is such a hassle now, and I don't want to trouble her. Besides, if it ends up bothering Big Brother Zhang, I’d feel even worse."

She took a deep breath, composed herself, and asked, "And Fangfang? How is she doing?"

Grandfather Lin thought for a bit. "You mean that girl from the Ran family? She’s still in school. I heard her mother say her grades are good, even better than before. She even told your grandmother and me that once Fangfang finishes her exams, she wants to invite us to dinner. But your grandmother and I both declined."

Lin Yilan exhaled. One piece of good news and one piece of bittersweet news—all in all, it wasn't too bad.

A gust of cold wind blew by, and Lin Yilan instinctively shrank into her collar.

"Grandpa, you mentioned on the phone that Uncle Shengli was looking for me about building a house. What exactly is it about?"

Grandfather Lin exhaled a puff of hot air and suddenly patted Lin Yilan on the shoulder.

"Uncle Shengli’s second son has returned."

Lin Yilan’s nerves jumped. She had only lived in the compound for two months, but she was sensitive enough to pick up on the tone. She remembered that most of Uncle Shengli’s children had joined the military. At that thought, her heart skipped a beat.

"Grandpa—"

"Cough, cough, cough." Lin Yilan couldn't care about her voice cracking from the cold air. "Grandpa, what happened to Uncle Shengli’s second son?"