“This is also impossible, Third Uncle!” Xu Ying’s eyes narrowed, a fierce glint was shining within them. “We cannot just stand by and let those women be publicly shamed because of us . We have to handle this discreetly.”
Third Uncle Xu with his face etched with worry, asked , “What do we do than ?”
Many of the educated young women were just came from the city, and they are still unaccustomed to the harsh realities of the rural life. Their struggles to adapt were understandable, yet to be exploited and disgraced by the village party secretary in hope to return their home again was an unforgivable sin. The thought of his own daughter might suffer such a fate made Third Uncle Xu’s blood run cold in his veins ;If he can . he’d kill that beast of a man with his own hands.
“We’ll write a letter to every female educated youth,” Xu Ying explained, her voice firm with unvawering strenght. “We’ll expose the village party secretary’s coercion to them —how he’s been exploiting their desire to return to the city. We’ll also frame it as a warning to those who are still uneffected , urging them to be careful of him . And if any of them been threatened, they can secretly write a report, and we’ll ensure the public security bureau apprehends him without mentioning their names .”
Hearing her plan a flicker of hope also ignited in third Uncle Xu’s eyes. He nodded vigourusly as , a silent agreement passed between niece and uncle.
Back at Third Uncle Xu’s home, with Third Aunt Xu and their daughters out, the two of them worked swiftly on their plan , their pens scratching across paper. A dozen letters, filled with hidden truths, were soon ready to be delivered . Under the cloak of secrecy, they slipped each letter beneath the quilts of the female educated youths.
That evening, as darkness fell, the letters were discovered by their recipients. And when they opened the letters, their expressions shifted from curiosity to shock, and then to horror—all within a span of minutes.
“Are all these letters the same?” Zhang Qiuling whispered, her voice trembling with horror .
Niu Yuqin snatched her letter, her face became as white as a sheet of paper on which the letter is written as she read it . Tears also started to welled in her eyes, blurring the words . The other young women present , were though silent, but there inner turmoil was visible due to there trembling hands and averted gazes , this humiliation was too great to hide . That night, the dormitory was a cauldron of silent despair and simmering resentment within the women’s quarters.
The next morning, a stack of over a dozen or so letters landed on a county leader’s desk.
“Dad, why are you going to Xujiacun?” Gu Fuzhu’s eyes gleamed with anticipation when she saw her father leaving in hurry . “Can I come with ?”I also want to meet XuYing there.
Gu Yanan’s face whch seemed grim with anger said sternly . “I have a mission there . You stay home obediently.” Gu Fuzhu’s youthful eagerness wilted under her father’s stern gaze. She could only relent to stay back.
As soon as he got into the car, the driver sped off toward Xujia Village. Upon arrival they parked there car in a secluded spot near the entrance of the village and, start moving with stealth, and entered the Educated Youth Center. Soon, the village party secretary was apprehended.
This news hit Dong Wenzhong and Xu Qingqing like a thunderclap. Dong Wenzhong, who had just received his much-coveted quota to return to the city, felt his breath hitched. The village party secretary, his key to escaping this rural life, was arrested. How could he possibly return now?
Xu Qingqing, her face also pale with shock, raced to the party secretary’s house, only to find police officers leading him away. “Comrade Public Security, what did he do?” she stammered, her voice barely a whisper. The officers, bound by orders, ignored her pleas, their faces unyielding as they escorted the man away.
Back in the Female Educated Youth Center, Niu Yuqin sat in a daze, her eyes were vacant. She had sacrificed her innocence, believing it would grant her freedom, only to discover that the man was a monster. It was all Xu Qingqing’s fault, she thought, Xu Qingqing had led her to this ruin.If she did’t mention party secretary’s influence over return to the city qouta to Dong Wenzhong than she would never be manupilated by that beast.
At home, Xu Ying waited for the result of there former plan while thinking how in this era these women has the courage to stand up against there perpertrator as it was very rare for a rape victim in this time to report the assaulter as they are all afraid of ruining there reputations further more . Than a dawning realization washed over her now she understood why those women harbored such hatred. They had bartered their purity for the dream of returning to the city, a dream shattered when the quotas were given to Dong Wenzhong and Chen Yanran inn her previous life . This injustice had driven them to despair. Yet, her own father was innocent at that time , but in this time the party secretary’s depravity meant those women were doomed regardless of the quotas. A flicker of hesitation crossed Xu Ying’s mind: should she truly seek revenge?
Meanwhile, the food workshop buzzed with activity. Third Uncle Xu had secured orders worth hundreds of thousands for them resulting in more hiring . Father Xu also rallied the village’s strong men to expand the site to accaomodarte more staff . Thirty new workers just joined the workshop, with more people aslo recruited from neighboring villages. Mother Xu oversaw all the production and order distribution for the workshop, while Sister-in-law Xu managed the finances of it . Braised duck, meticulously prepared in ingredient packages, arrived from the food factory, ready for assembly-line cooking.
The recipe for fried food was straightforward, easily replicated after a few tries. But Xu Ying held a crucial advantage: while others struggled to perfect their recipes, her food factory had already secured long-term contracts with major buyers. To compete now meant risking hefty breach-of-contract fees. Braised duck products, far more complex to prepare, remained exclusively under Director Sun’s control, shipped as ingredient packets. Meat, vegetables, cutting, chopping, marinating, and breading—every step was streamlined into an efficient assembly line.
As they preaprad to fullfill the orders aquired by third Uncle Xu many days passed in a rush and soon the day of Chen Yanran and Xu Xiangdong’s wedding arrived. Without Zhang Dacao’s financial support, the ceremony was simple, almost meager. No grand banquet, just a few elders overseeing the hasty union. It was a wedding that felt more like an obligation than a celebration.
Suddenly, a man burst in to this so called celebration and with his voice ringing with accusation said . “This marriage cannot be happen! The child in Chen Yanran’s belly is mine!”
Chen Yanran’s face went ashen hearing this , her hands starts trembling when she saw the furious glint in Dong Wenjie’s eyes.
Xu Xiangdong’s face turned livid by the commotion . “Who are you?” he roared, glaring at Dong Wenjie. “How dare you claim Chen Yanran’s child is yours? This child is mine! Don’t try to sow discord between us!”
“Really?” Dong Wenjie sneered. “Chen Yanran has been pregnant with my child for at least four months. How long have you two been together? Even if you miraculously conceived, it would only be a month. How can a one-month-old child have such a big belly? Unless, of course, you’re willing to raise my child for me.”
The elders presiding over the ceremony exchanged mortified glances. A child usually only showed after three months of pregnancy. Chen Yanran’s prominent belly suddenly made sense. They had assumed twins before , but now the horrifying suddenly truth dawned upon them : the child was not of their Xu family’s at all.
Xu Xiangdong stared at Chen Yanran, his lips now trembling. “Is what he said true?”
Chen Yanran shook her head frantically, her face pale. “Xiangdong, listen to me, it’s not like that!”
“It’s not like that? It is exactly like that!” Liu Haiyun’s voice cut through the air as she emerged from the crowd, pointing an accusing finger at Chen Yanran. “I saw you sleeping with both Dong brothers at the same time!” A flicker of guilt also crossed Liu Haiyun’s face when she said that . She had no choice; the Dong brothers had forced her to speak. The true blame, she thought, lay with Chen Yanran for trying to pass off another man’s child as Xu Xiangdong’s. If only she had aborted the child sooner, none of this would have happened!
Chen Yanran bit her lip, tears streaming down her face, as her eyes blazing with hatred when she glared at Liu Haiyun. “I was raped by them! Why are you giving false testimony?”
Her words, intended as a denial, served only to confirm the child’s true paternity.
Liu Haiyun’s gaze darted away. “Chen Yanran, stop pretending! Don’t you know how despicable you are? How many men in this village have you slept with?”
Stunned by the malicious accusation, Chen Yanran lunged at Liu Haiyun, screaming, “Liu Haiyun, I’ll kill you!” But Liu Haiyun, accustomed to physical labour, was far more agile than her. She deftly dodged, and Chen Yanran stumbled, falling to the ground with a sickening thud. As a result, blood began to stain the earthen floor of the simple house.
From a distance, Xu Ying cried out in panic , “Hurry! Call a doctor! Chen Yanran is having a miscarriage!” She then walked towards Chen Yanran, squatting down. As her face neared Chen Yanran’s, she whispered, “Chen Yanran, do you like the gift I gave you just now ?”
Xu Ying had orchestrated Dong Wenzhong’s deceit, ensuring his humiliation and eventual arrest. Her revenge, long-simmering, had finally come to fruition.
Chen Yanran clenched her fists, her head snapping up. Her eyes, filled with disbelief and venom, fixed on Xu Ying. “It’s you, you bitch! Why don’t you just die!”Why do you want to harm me ?