Chapter 3

After Summer entered the kitchen, she put the dishes and utensils into the cabinet.

Because she heard Henry mention that there would be a meeting, she stayed in the kitchen and didn't leave.

Logan came in, dropped off a burlap sack, and stayed put, sitting at the table, lost in thought while waiting for the others.

Summer had no acquaintance with Logan and didn't join him at the table, instead, she walked behind the stove and sat down.

Barely two seconds after sitting down, Henry pushed aside the curtain and entered, carrying another burlap sack.

His gaze swept over to the stove and lingered on Summer for a moment.

Summer, though not looking directly at Henry, could feel his eyes on her.

She tensed slightly, focusing her gaze on the ash in the stove, pretending to be invisible.

Henry put the sack down by the wall.

Straightening up, he was about to walk towards Summer when Charlie and Gabe came in, each carrying another sack.

Their entrance immediately enlivened the previously dull atmosphere of the room.

Charlie set his sack down and said, "The weather's changed suddenly. It looks like it's going to rain."

Gabe placed his sack next to Charlie's, "Didn't the locals say today is the day of awakening insects? There will be more rain and thunder from now on."

As Charlie and Gabe chatted, Henry didn't head over to Summer. Instead, he joined them at the nearby table, engaging in idle talk while waiting for the others.

Charlie and Gabe had followed Henry since they were kids and continued to do so even after graduating and being sent to the countryside. The three of them were always rowdy and slick, making noise wherever they went.

While the trio joked around, the others gradually arrived.

As each person entered, they added to the lively atmosphere of the room.

The kitchen, besides having a stove, cabinets, and small jars, also had three old, square wooden tables.

Summer sat behind the stove while the remaining four girls shared one table. The boys all crowded around Henry's table. Those who couldn't fit didn't join Logan but squatted wherever they found space.

Once everyone was seated, Henry began, "You've all seen it, the food the team allocated to us has been distributed. Starting tomorrow, we need to cook for ourselves."

Everyone was already aware of this and was quite happy about it.

Lily, the most active among the girls, responded, "It's better to cook for ourselves. We've never had a full meal while staying with the locals."

Others chimed in, "Me too."

However, cooking for themselves required some planning since there were twelve of them.

After everyone finished talking, Henry continued, "My suggestion is not to overthink it and just follow the setup of the Sandy Town team. What do you think?"

They were a later batch of young people sent to the countryside.

Shortly after arriving at Tansley team, the team leader took them to visit the excellent youth team at the nearby Sandy Town to learn from them.

The youths at Sandy Town had been in the countryside for several years.

They lived collectively, pooling everything together, earning work points together, eating together, raising chickens, ducks, and pigs, growing vegetables, and doing side jobs together. They lived a thriving life, no worse than the locals.

Following the Sandy Town model meant the twelve of them would live collectively.

Since they were already living together, it seemed logical to live collectively, and everyone agreed, "Sure."

Seeing everyone's willingness to live collectively, Henry was about to continue.

But before he could speak, Logan suddenly said, "I won't participate. I'll live separately."

The positive atmosphere in the kitchen cooled instantly at Logan's words.

No one was surprised, though. Logan was always like that. It would have been strange if he had agreed to join.

In fact, no one really wanted him in the group. They didn't want to share the good life with him or see his arrogant face. His volunteering to separate was welcome.

Henry didn't find it strange either and was glad to have Logan out, so he looked at him and said, "Alright, you can live separately. Charlie will divide the food for you later."

After Logan's words cooled the atmosphere, Summer had been watching him.

Among the twelve, she was the most inconspicuous, always following Henry's arrangements without having her own opinions, and no one cared about her thoughts.

But at this moment, she had her own thoughts.

According to the novel she knew, excluding Logan, the remaining eleven people living collectively would leave her the most disadvantaged.

Because she was diligent, capable of doing chores and cooking, and followed Henry's orders without question, most of the work would gradually fall on her shoulders.

At first, others might praise her for being capable, but as time passed, they would take it for granted and even criticize her for not doing well enough, or urge her to do more if she couldn't keep up.

In the novel, like the others, she thought Logan was pitiful living alone, eating meat and sugar without the joy and camaraderie of their group.

But now, she realized he actually lived more comfortably and leisurely than any of them.

Their bustling happiness came at the cost of her, a mindless tool.

Summer thought she couldn't live like the novel's version of herself.

She'd rather live like Logan than be the obedient, overworked fool in the story.

Expressing a disagreeable and dampening opinion for the first time made Summer nervous.

She clenched her fingers, took deep breaths, and then, as if throwing caution to the wind, said, "I won't participate either. I want to live separately too."

Everyone was stunned, turning to look at her.

Logan wanting to live separately was no surprise, even welcome, but Summer wanting to separate was unexpected and highly unwelcome.

Lily was the first to laugh, looking at Summer, "Summer, you must be joking."

Summer slowly opened her eyes but still looked down, "I'm not joking. I'm serious."

Henry, seeing Summer like this, felt even more puzzled.

That evening, when Summer took back the spaghetti from him and ran off, he found it odd. He wanted to follow her, but the team leader called him to the granary.

After returning from the granary, Summer had clearly seen him but pretended not to. Now she was following Logan's lead to live separately, making him more perplexed.

He looked at Summer for a moment and said, "Don't be silly. How can I let you live alone?"

Having broken the ice with her earlier words, it seemed easier for Summer to continue.

She pressed her lips together, raised her head to firmly express her stance, but meeting Henry's eyes, she found herself unable to speak.

Summer grew anxious.

The more anxious she became, the more she felt like she was under a spell, unable to voice her thoughts.

Henry, seeing her silent, continued, "It's not easy to live alone, especially for a girl. How can you manage without someone looking after you? Trust me, don't follow every whim."

Logan, sitting at the table, snorted coldly.

His snort froze the atmosphere further.

At Logan's snort, Summer shifted her gaze back to him.

Logan, with his characteristic arrogant and disdainful expression, spoke harshly, "Just make sure your people don't follow the wrong example. I don't want to be shadowed by a fool. It's bad luck."

Henry's face darkened, and he slammed the table, standing up.

Charlie and Gabe, always in sync with Henry, immediately stood up as well, backing Henry and staring down Logan.

Logan remained indifferent, even crossing his arms, staring back at Henry.

Charlie spat angrily, "You just can't go a day without asking for a beating, can you?"

Logan glanced at him and then refocused on Henry.

In this tense atmosphere, no one else dared to speak until Lily stood up, forcing a smile as she pulled Henry, Charlie, and Gabe to sit down, "Don't be rash, don't be rash."

Lily wasn't naturally peace-loving.

She knew Logan was devious, and if they fought, Henry, Charlie, and Gabe would ultimately suffer. They had been in trouble with the community security because of similar incidents before.

Logan might not be liked at their youth camp, but he was the most approved and praised by the community leaders.

In the past half month, he had been frequently commended by the community.

In contrast, Henry, though enthusiastic, righteous, humorous, and charismatic among the youth camp, was a headache for the community leaders.

Over the past half month, he had been repeatedly criticized and educated by the community.

So if a fight broke out, the leaders would side with Logan.

In the end, only Henry's group would suffer, seen as troublemakers by the leaders, while Logan was the exemplary young man.

The community leaders liked Logan because he was cunning and double-faced.

In front of them, Logan was courteous and meticulous, while he was arrogant and petty with his peers.

They were all fresh high school graduates, still full of youthful spirit and often acted on impulse, frequently making mistakes.

But Logan had always been different.