Just as he hesitated, a teammate walking beside him suddenly stepped into the grass on the right.
“Danger!”
In the split second it took to react, Huo Qichuan grabbed the teammate and threw himself to the left with him.
Boom!
An explosion erupted, flames scorching a large patch of grass.
…
After finishing the phone call, Miao Miaomiao had to go back to earning work points.
Her task today was weeding two mu of land. Distracted, she absentmindedly scraped at the weeds with her hoe.
“Miaomiao?”
Someone called out to her.
She turned around and saw a tall, thin man standing there. He wore black-framed glasses and looked every bit the educated intellectual.
Li Sanchuan pushed up his glasses, studied her again, and broke into a smile.
“It really is you? Um… didn’t you marry into Qingshan Village? Why are you back?”
“Heh.”
Miao Miaomiao gave him an unfriendly laugh and kept hoeing.
“The whole village knows I’m a widow now. Don’t tell me you don’t know?”
She remembered him—Li Sanchuan, an educated youth sent down from the city, now working as a scorekeeper at the commune.
She’d met him a few times before, though she couldn’t recall why. In any case, he’d left no impression on her—clearly an unimportant character.
“Ah? Oh… sorry for bringing up something painful.”
Li Sanchuan apologized awkwardly, speaking in a refined, bookish manner.
Miao Miaomiao found him a little strange—hesitant and stammering. Don’t tell her… was he trying to flirt with her?
Sorry, she had absolutely no interest in that right now.
Career first—she had long-term plans ahead.
“If there’s nothing else, I’m leaving.”
She couldn’t be bothered to deal with him and shouldered her hoe, about to go.
“Hey—Miaomiao, wait—”
To her surprise, Li Sanchuan actually grabbed her.
That single touch startled Miao Miaomiao so badly that she jumped several steps back, staring at him in shock.
“Comrade, mind yourself!”
“Uh… sorry.”
He lowered his head and apologized again.
Seeing how polite he was, Miao Miaomiao finally reined in some of her hostility.
“Miaomiao, it seems you really don’t remember me.”
Li Sanchuan looked up again, rubbing his nose helplessly.
“I once went to your house before, to get engaged to you. That time I went with a matchmaker, but you happened to be out.”
“Huh?”
Miao Miaomiao froze for a moment and searched her memory. There did seem to be such a thing.
But hadn’t her mother later told her that the man hadn’t liked her, and that Shen Jianhui had been the one who took a fancy to her?
Her anger flared instantly, and she spoke sternly.
“Comrade Li, please watch your words. Don’t slander me. I was never engaged to you. Besides, didn’t you not like me back then either?”
Li Sanchuan’s eyes widened, panic flashing across his face.
“I didn’t like you? How could that be…?”
He was about to say more, when Miao Qingqing’s sharp voice suddenly cut in from behind.
“Miao Daniu, you shameless widow! Not even keeping your widowhood properly, and now you’re trying to seduce my fiancé?!”
Fiancé?
Miao Miaomiao froze for a second, then quickly pieced everything together.
So Li Sanchuan was actually her fiancé.
No wonder Miao Qingqing hated her so much—did she think Miao Miaomiao was trying to steal her man?
Miao Miaomiao curled her lip in disdain.
She was a strong female lead in a period novel, thank you very much. Did she really need to scheme to seduce a man?
“Miao Qingqing, watch your mouth.”
She shot her a cold glance and said sharply,
“What eye of yours saw me seducing a man? Li the scorekeeper was clearly the one asking me something.”
“Oh? Really?”
Miao Qingqing deliberately raised her voice and shouted,
“Then how did I see you grabbing my Brother Sanchuan and refusing to let him leave?”
With that shout, villagers resting by the fields all turned to look.
Nearby, several gossiping women immediately started talking loudly.
“Oh my, look at that—Miao family’s widow is finally out seducing men.”
“Pah! What man would dare touch her? Sixth Aunt, don’t forget—she’s the one who killed her husband the moment she married him.”
“Oh ho ho, Third Aunt, you’re right. But you know, widows always bring trouble. Men may not want to marry her… but that doesn’t mean they don’t want to play with her, heh heh…”
“Heh heh heh…”
“That’s right. You’re all right. That shameless woman doesn’t deserve any sympathy. I even heard that before her husband’s seventh-day memorial was over, she was already hugging another man at night—and her mother-in-law caught them red-handed!”
Miao Miaomiao listened to the chatter, her fists clenched tighter and tighter.
Hearing all those rumors insulting Miao Miaomiao, Miao Qingqing’s expression practically danced with delight.
Hmph. That wretched woman dared to trick her last time and cost her so much money.
If she didn’t take revenge, she might as well stop calling herself Miao Qingqing.
And now—wasn’t this perfect? She’d caught her again, and this time so many villagers were backing her up.
Miao Qingqing was brimming with confidence.
Miao Miaomiao—even if you don’t die this time, you’ll still be drowned by the villagers’ spit!
She blinked, forced out a few tears, and began crying pitifully.
“Second Sister, I know you long for a man. You’re so young yet already widowed, unable to remarry—I truly feel sorry for you. But… Brother Sanchuan and I are in love, and we’re already engaged. You really shouldn’t steal him, wuu wuu wuu… Second Sister, whatever you want, I can give it to you. Don’t you want my floral dress? Don’t you want my Snowflake cream? Wuu wuu wuu… I can give you everything. Just please don’t take my Brother Sanchuan away, wuu wuu wuu…”
Miao Qingqing’s act was flawless, her crying as delicate as pear blossoms in the rain.
Li Sanchuan was thrown into a panic, hurriedly wiping her tears and repeatedly comforting her.
“Qingqing, don’t cry. There’s really nothing between me and her… truly. I’ll only ever love you.”
Meanwhile, the onlooking women didn’t need any prompting. Almost all of them turned against Miao Miaomiao again, hurling insults.
“Pah! What kind of person steals her own sister’s man?”
“Heh heh. A widow like her—if she doesn’t steal her sister’s man, she’ll probably steal yours next.”
“Pah pah pah! Let her try. I’ll drag her out and strip her naked, throw her into the pig cage!”
The woman speaking—Third Aunt—was especially worked up, sunflower seed shells littering the ground around her.
Watching all this, Miao Miaomiao was so furious that veins bulged on the backs of her clenched hands.
These gossiping hags were utterly disgusting!
She slowly turned her gaze toward the instigator of it all.
“Li Sanchuan, aren’t you going to explain yourself?”
If he would just say one word to clear things up, it would be worth more than a hundred words from her.
But at this moment, Li Sanchuan’s throat failed him completely.