The man who had been following closely behind Xu Cuihua quickened his pace and caught up to her.
"Alright, say no more and get to work quickly."
The man's tone wasn't exactly kind, yet it gave Xu Cuihua an opportunity to back down.
Xu Cuihua snorted coldly and shot a glare at Jiang Ran before storming off with a huff.
Jiang Ran didn't take Xu Cuihua's petty actions to heart at all.
What Jiang Ran was thinking about was hoping she could endure the walk to the town.
This was when the importance of a vehicle was truly apparent.
Even a bicycle would make things much easier.
But bicycles were expensive at this time, not something you could buy just like that.
As these random thoughts occupied her mind, Jiang Ran's focus shifted slightly, and the following stretch of the walk felt relatively easier.
Pei Shanshan continued holding Pei Jing's hand, walking slowly.
Initially, Pei Shanshan planned to carry Pei Jing, but since Jiang Ran was walking so slowly, Pei Jing could easily keep up, so she didn't carry him.
The entire way, Pei Shanshan couldn't help but glance at Jiang Ran from time to time.
She couldn't tell if it was her imagination, but she felt Jiang Ran seemed different today.
However, she couldn't quite put her finger on what exactly was different.
Despite Jiang Ran gritting her teeth to hold on, she still stopped halfway.
She couldn't help it; she was just too tired.
Seeing a stone post by the roadside, Jiang Ran plopped down on it and took big gulps of air.
Even though Jiang Ran couldn't see her own face at that moment, she could imagine how she looked.
Her face must be red and sweaty.
Combined with her pimpled chubby face, it must be quite an eyesore.
Jiang Ran wasn't wrong; Pei Shanshan found it quite an eyesore, frowning as a result.
But Jiang Ran hated it when people called her fat or ugly.
No matter what Pei Shanshan thought, she dared not say anything aloud.
Jiang Ran rested for about ten minutes, and once her breathing steadied and wasn't as labored, she slowly stood up.
The town wasn't actually far, and a round trip in an afternoon wasn't a problem.
But if she delayed any longer, she might return late.
Seeing Jiang Ran start walking again, Pei Shanshan silently followed with Pei Jing.
This time, no matter how tired Jiang Ran got, she gritted her teeth and persevered, never stopping.
Finally reaching the town, Jiang Ran let out a deep sigh of relief.
Finally made it!
Before Jiang Ran ended up in this story, she had watched period dramas and thought she had some understanding of small towns in the 1980s.
But now, seeing the town with her own eyes, she realized the dramas had glamorized 1980s towns somewhat.
Pei Shanshan found it odd as Jiang Ran stood there motionless, "What are you looking at?"
As soon as she asked, Pei Shanshan regretted it.
Why did she ask!
Jiang Ran would surely reply, "What do you care what I'm looking at?"
As this thought crossed her mind, Jiang Ran spoke, "Not looking at anything much."
Hearing this, Pei Shanshan's eyes widened in surprise.
Though the meaning was similar, the tone was much better than she expected.
Her previous suspicion was right; today's Jiang Ran was indeed a bit different!