Sun Yujuan shivered, a chill of fear creeping up her spine. She wanted to struggle, to pull away, but her ankle screamed in protest, a fiery agony that made her regret ever feigning such weakness. If only she hadn’t put so much force into her act!
Xu Ying, meanwhile, was giving Sun Yujuan a genuine massage, her touch precise and firm. But when it came to applying force, she did so with a brutal honesty. Sun Yujuan shrieked, a raw sound of pure pain.
Xu Ying’s face was a picture of distress, but inside, a dark joy bubbled. In her previous life, she might never have deciphered Sun Yujuan’s little game. But now, after enduring countless conspiracies and deceptions, Sun Yujuan’s paltry trick was laid bare before her. It was so obvious! Sun Yujuan had seen her second brother, now a respectable teacher with a stable job, and decided she wanted to be his wife. While this woman hadn’t directly harmed her in her previous life, she had eagerly joined Chen Yanran in verbally abusing Xu Ying. The thought of such an ungrateful woman wanting to marry her second brother ignited a furious spark within Xu Ying, and the strength in her hands increased, a little bit more .
Sun Yujuan bared her teeth, her mouth contorting in a silent scream of agony.
Xu Ying, ever so soothingly, comforted her. “Sun Zhiqing, if you bear it a little longer, the pain will stop soon. You must be walking too carelessly. You’re just like Chen Yanran.” A dramatic sigh escaped Xu Ying’s lips. “Tell me, how can you sprain your feet on such a flat road? Fortunately, my second brother was riding a bicycle. If a large car had come along, you’d be crushed beneath it without even noticing. Then your whole body would be flattened, your intestines spilling out, your entire self covered in blood, and your brains splattered everywhere. Oops, it’s scary just to imagine that scene.”
Sun Yujuan found it terrifying indeed. How could this woman utter such horrific words? Her face blanched, and her body began to tremble uncontrollably. The gruesome image of herself being crushed by a car flashed vividly in her mind.
“Ah!” Sun Yujuan shrieked fiercely. She couldn’t take it anymore. With a desperate surge of adrenaline, she struggled to her feet, dragging one foot, and limped frantically back to the educated youth center. It’s so scary! Xu Ying is a devil! Why are her words so terrifying? That night, Sun Yujuan was plagued by nightmares and woke up with a high fever.
Xu Ying knew nothing of Sun Yujuan’s fever. After Sun Yujuan had fled, Xu’s mother cursed from behind. “Couldn’t she just leave? She still had to have my son help her! How shameless, she must be trying to seduce my son!” She then turned to her daughter, a distressed look on her face. “Look what you did, giving her a massage. She didn’t remember a word you said and ran away without even saying thank you. So rude!”
Xu Ying smiled, attempting to calm her mother’s ruffled feathers. She then turned to her second brother, her voice stern. “Second brother, didn’t I tell you before that men and women are not allowed to be intimate? If my mother and I weren’t here, would you have helped Sun Zhiqing up? Then, if she couldn’t stand, would she have fallen into your arms? If you hug another girl, will you be responsible? What will happen if she asks you to marry her? What about Sister Qiuye?”
Xu Ying’s barrage of questions left Xu Shengcai utterly bewildered. “she shouldn’t be that daring !” he mumbled.
“What do you mean, ‘she shouldn’t be that daring ‘? Can’t you call others to help her?” Xu Ying was furious. With her second brother’s naive mind, he’d probably be tricked and still end up helping his deceivers count their ill-gotten gains.
Xu Shengcai, thoroughly chastised by his younger sister, nodded repeatedly. “Yeah, I know I was wrong.”
Xu’s mother, seeing her son’s contrite expression, added her own lecture. “None of these educated youths are good. Didn’t you see that many educated youths have suffered so much recently that they couldn’t bear it and married people in the village? If you don’t have a partner, forget it. You have a partner now. Qiuye is so good. If you dare to find trouble, I will never forgive you.” When Xu Shengcai was reminded by his mother, a sudden realization dawned on him. He had almost been manipulated by a female educated youth from the village, Xu Shengcai couldn’t help but shudder at the thought of how close he had come to a potentially disastrous situation.
Xu Ying led her mother back home. By chance, they encountered Chen Yanran on the way. Normally, if someone was bundled up in winter, Xu Ying wouldn’t have been curious. But to see Chen Yanran wrapped so tightly was truly astonishing. Chen Yanran, known for her flamboyant style, never wore a bulky cotton-padded jacket, even in the coldest winter. She always favored a coat, jeans, and leather shoes, her pale neck perpetually exposed, as if daring others to notice. Today, however, she was strangely dressed. Apart from her face, a scarf was wrapped around her neck, and gloves covered her hands. The moment she saw Xu Ying, she immediately lowered her head and hurried away.
Xu Ying turned to her mother, a curious expression on her face. “Mom, why did Chen Yanran become like this?”
Xu’s mother also glanced at Chen Yanran, curling her lips. “You don’t know yet, but Chen Yanran and Dong Wenzhong have already broken up. A few days before your business trip, these two people got into a fight at the educated youth center.” Tsk, tsk, tsk, she thought, Dong Wenzhong is truly not a man; he even beats women. “One more thing, Chen Yanran is going to marry Xu Xiangdong.” When Xu’s mother mentioned this, a triumphant glee lit up her face. People always said to marry a virtuous wife. If someone like Chen Yanran married, she would likely bring nothing but trouble to the family. Sun Dacao had been showing off that her son was going to marry a city woman. Even if he did, she wondered if he would be able to afford her.
Xu Ying was utterly shocked by the news. She truly hadn’t expected Chen Yanran to marry Xu Xiangdong. This kind of thing hadn’t happened in her previous life. Xu Xiangdong had been infatuated with Chen Yanran back then, often helping her with work and buying her things. But after Chen Yanran and Dong Wenzhong returned to the city, all contact with Xu Xiangdong ceased. This wasn’t like Chen Yanran’s usual temperament; she would rather die than marry a countryman. Now, if she married Xu Xiangdong, she wouldn’t be able to return to the city.
Seeing that her daughter remained silent for a long time, Xu’s mother tilted her chin. “What’s wrong? Were you so scared? But Chen Yanran could marry Xu Xiangdong. If she didn’t quickly find a man to marry, she probably wouldn’t be able to survive this winter at all.”
Xu Ying nodded. Next year, there would be quotas for educated youths to return to the city. She wondered if Chen Yanran would regret her decision.
When the three of them finally got home, Xu’s father was in the house, holding a meeting with several influential village elders and the captains of other teams. As soon as Xu’s mother entered, She yelled in a loud voice boomed from within. “Where has everyone gone? One by one, they don’t even know that this old lady is back!”
Xu’s father’s face in the room darkened. Sister-in-law Xu quickly whispered, “Mom, my dad is having a meeting in the house.”
At this, Xu’s mother quickly clamped her mouth shut.
Father Xu was still expounding on his opinions, but the people below him were struggling to suppress their laughter. The village party secretary, unable to bear it any longer, cleared his throat dryly. “Why are you laughing? Just listen carefully. This time, when the leaders went to the countryside to inspect, Xu Jiangmin actually used his power for personal gain and did not work seriously. This matter must not be tolerated. The deputy director of the commune has spoken, and Xu Jiangmin will be fired from his position as deputy captain, and will be imprisoned in the police station. Now, they need to run for the deputy captain of the first team in the village again. The captains of your other teams should also be more careful and aware of yourselves. If you are found guilty of corruption and abusing power for personal gain, you should wait to be caught.”
As soon as the village party secretary uttered those words, the other people immediately stopped smiling. They glanced at each other, their faces now grim and serious.