She figured it out and tried to sleep, but the crying next door was like someone had died—she couldn’t rest, so she picked up a book.
Huo Nanting finished his cigarette and got into bed, a smile curling his lips—irresistibly charming. There was a strange fullness in his chest, a sweet sensation he didn’t understand.
Hearing the rustle of pages, he glanced sideways. The young master was engrossed in reading, right?
His eyes darkened. He withdrew his gaze and rubbed his chest. This wasn’t right.
Jiang Wanwan cried for a long time before finally quieting down.
Tang Zhirou had given Zhao Jiani a set of sheets and a quilt cover as payment for the prank. Zhao Jiani even smiled in bed that night.
The next morning, Jiang Wanwan went to Village Chief Liu’s house to report the water-splashing incident. Village Chief Liu came over immediately, skipping breakfast.
Everyone had an opinion, so Village Chief Liu moved Jiang Wanwan to another room. Tang Zhirou’s room was now occupied by Shen Mingyue, a low-profile person.
Jiang Wanwan went to her new room, planning to bribe two people to help her. She had over 300 yuan—her mother’s private savings.
In the room, there were two girls: the delicate young miss Wang Na, unsuitable for bribing, and the capitalist’s daughter Su Mengyao, who could be bought. Jiang Wanwan calculated as she made her bed.
Lan Xingyu got up to wash up, still icy in demeanor. Several male educated youths greeted her, but she spoke sparingly. People found her haughty and kept their distance.
This was just her nature as Miss Lan. Plus, she wanted to maintain space; if someone got too close, she could be exposed. The colder she seemed, the less likely others would approach.
Huo Nanting had gotten up early to catch rabbits, planning to cook them immediately—summer heat would spoil them if left too long.
Lan Xingyu had barely finished washing up when Huo Nanting entered with a huge basin of rabbit meat, full of green peppers. It looked colorful and fragrant.
“I’ll fetch the sweet potato soup,” Zhang Weiping said, diligent as always.
Huo Nanting went to get bowls and chopsticks.
Soon, the three of them sat down to eat.
Lan Xingyu took a bite of rabbit meat. Her eyes lit up—it was delicious. She hadn’t expected the male lead to be such a skilled cook.
Huo Nanting watched her from the corner of his eye, gauging her reaction. Seeing her enjoy the food pleased him, and he then returned his attention to eating.
“Wow, Educated Youth Huo, your rabbit meat is amazing!” Zhang Weiping said, savoring several big pieces. Truly fragrant.
Huo Nanting smiled faintly. “Eat more.”
“All right, all right!” Zhang Weiping nodded eagerly. He had to earn more money, buy more rabbit meat, and maybe help the young master earn extra.
The three of them ate until the big basin of rabbit meat was gone.
After tidying up, they went out to await work assignments. Today, both male and female educated youths went to weed the rice paddies—except for Lan Xingyu, who went back to the sweet potato field to continue flipping the vines.
Huo Nanting was putting all his effort into catching ricefish, planning to pan-fry some for the young master at lunch.
Zhang Weiping, seeing fish, also started catching some for Zhao Jiani.
The rice paddies were lively, everyone weeding and catching fish at the same time.
Nearby, Zhao Jiani grinned wickedly, and at the right moment, threw a handful of muddy weeds at Jiang Wanwan’s face. Jiang Wanwan got a mouthful of dirt, her eyes filled with mud, and her little face was covered.
Zhao Jiani bent down to pull more weeds, holding a handful and pretending innocence.
Tang Zhirou had declared: each prank on Jiang Wanwan earned two yuan, unlimited times. Any extra damage would be compensated, like the sheets from last night.
Her two yuan were already in hand—soon she’d be a wealthy lady. She couldn’t help but grin.
Jiang Wanwan cleaned the mud off her face and grabbed weeds she’d thrown aside, hurling them at Zhao Jiani, hitting her on the back.
Zhao Jiani turned and shouted, “Educated Youth Jiang, why are you hitting me? My clothes are dirty! You have to compensate me!”
Everyone nearby paused their work, watching the scene unfold.
Jiang Wanwan yelled angrily, “You threw it at me first!”
Zhao Jiani whined, “I didn’t! You’re accusing me! Compensate me, or we’re not done today!”
Then she lunged at Jiang Wanwan. Scared, Jiang Wanwan stepped back, but Zhao Jiani tackled her to the ground in the paddy, pounding her chest. The two fought fiercely.
Why did Zhao Jiani attack? She wanted new clothes—Tang Zhirou would compensate her.
Seeing Village Chief Liu approaching, she rolled in the mud, crying “Ow ow!” and cried foul: “Village Chief Liu, Jiang Wanwan hit me!”
Village Chief Liu snorted. Amateur tricks—did she think he couldn’t handle them?
Both girls were deducted two work points, sent back to clean up, and later assigned to separate locations. From now on, they would always be separated.
Zhao Jiani got her wish, while Jiang Wanwan took leave to go to the hospital—her chest was bruised and sore.
She had thought of reporting it to the authorities, but such a private area was hard to talk about. She had to swallow the bitterness, but she was determined to retaliate.
Lan Xingyu was still relaxed in the sweet potato field. No one interfered with her. Wu Li came by once, recording one work point as usual.
Lan Xingyu felt impressive—earning two work points in one day was no small feat.
Of course, some people still held grudges against her, but Village Chief Liu had already shut them down. She didn’t need to work? Fine—less work points meant less grain—but that was her own choice.
Fine. Village Chief Liu, you’re right!
Yesterday, a malicious girl took advantage of her bathroom break to approach Lan Xingyu.
Her name was Zhou Daju—a schemer. She’d heard the young master was rich and wanted to extort money.
Lan Xingyu didn’t dodge. She knew more malicious female supporting characters would come for her; this must be one of them.
This girl had been an accomplice in the original master’s demise—accusing her of being improper and making her expose herself to everyone.
Lan Xingyu’s cold eyes glared at her, but Zhou Daju was unfazed. Smiling, she suddenly hugged Lan Xingyu and cooed, “Young master, I like you.”
Lan Xingyu was terrified, frozen in place, quickly clamping her legs and crossing her arms over her chest—not letting her see anything.
“Get off me!”
“Nooo, I like you.”
Luckily, Zhou Daju only hugged her arms, not noticing anything unusual. She thought the young master smelled so good and even leaned closer to sniff.
“Get your damn self away!”
Lan Xingyu never swore, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t curse. Anger made her snap.
“Fine, I’ll let you go—but give me 50 yuan. Then I’ll never bother you again. Otherwise, I’ll scream harassment—what do you think will happen?”
“Shameless!”
Rage bubbled in her heart. Truly, bad waters breed malicious people!
She remembered the original master had given money, but Zhou Daju had repeatedly extorted her. Eventually, she refused to pay. Zhou Daju hated her for it and joined Tang Zhirou to target her.
For such a troublemaker, Lan Xingyu wouldn’t show mercy—she had to deal with her once and for all.
With a thought, Zhou Daju vanished, locked in the villa’s basement restroom.
In her space, she could control things with her mind—Zhou Daju couldn’t open the door.
Lan Xingyu recalled the story: Zhou Daju had been married once, which made her bold enough to commit these outrageous acts and speak shamelessly.
Hmph!
Lan Xingyu would make Zhou Daju realize just how serious it was to provoke Miss Lan.
Hmm… even a delicate young lady can have a vicious, scheming side. Everyone carries a little demon in their heart.
Thinking this, Lan Xingyu didn’t feel so afraid of Tang Zhirou anymore—one move could easily take her out! But since Tang Zhirou was the female lead, she had to be careful with that.