Xia Laoda sighed and said sternly, "That Lin Xiangdong is just tricking you. He'll go to the city to study and then abandon you without a second thought."
In her previous life, her eldest brother had also advised her like this.
But she was so infatuated with Lin Xiangdong's sweet talk that she couldn't listen to anyone.
Xia Xi looked at her eldest brother's face, then at her second and third brothers. She choked back a sob and replied, "Okay, I'll listen to Eldest Brother."
Xia Laoda's eyes widened. "Little Sister, you... what did you just say? You'll really listen to Eldest Brother and stop pestering Father to give the university spot to Lin Xiangdong?"
Xia Xi nodded. "Mm, Eldest Brother, you're right. He's a liar, he's tricking me. Anyone who believes him is a fool!"
Since she was reborn!
She absolutely would not let her family suffer the humiliation of her previous life again.
Lin Xiangdong!
In this life, I won't be your stepping stone anymore!
I won't fulfill your dreams with Xu Shanshan!
Want to be a university student? Not a chance!
Xia Xi and her three older brothers descended the mountain.
Halfway down, they also found a cluster of termite mushrooms. Summer was the season when these mushrooms were plentiful.
Xia Xi picked a large bunch, her face beaming with joy.
She shared some of the wild sweet potatoes her third brother had picked for her with her eldest and second brothers.
Eldest Brother Xia refused, but Xia Xi insisted on stuffing them into his mouth.
Xia Xi also saved a few for her eldest nephew.
Thinking of how wronged her twin nephews looked when she snatched their candy, she couldn't help but feel pity.
Back home.
Her eldest, second, and third brothers had already gone to work.
Eldest Sister-in-law and Second Sister-in-law heard the movement. Eldest Sister-in-law brought out water, and Second Sister-in-law went to busy herself in the kitchen.
Xia Xi stood in the courtyard, looking at Eldest Sister-in-law fetching water and Second Sister-in-law busy in the kitchen, and then at her familiar home. Tears began to flow uncontrollably again.
Her father was the pig butcher of Tianxing Brigade and also the team leader of the production brigade.
There were many strong laborers in the family.
Coupled with the profession of pig butchering and her three capable brothers, the family never lacked food.
Her father was a rough man, and her three brothers were uneducated, coarse men with nothing but brute strength.
From childhood, Xia Xi was different from her three brothers.
She had a sweet tongue, was observant, and excelled in her studies.
Her father always said that someone in the family would become an intellectual, so he doted on her, and her three brothers doted on her too.
And her? She was an ungrateful wretch who caused her family so much suffering, only to walk away without a care.
Reborn in this life, she would protect her family well and repay them!
It was now 1975. In a few more years, the college entrance examination would be reinstated, and with the Reform and Opening Up, life would get better and better!
Stay far away from that bastard.
Don't let down her family, and the man who died for her.
Thinking of Lu Jing.
Xia Xi's gaze drifted towards the tile-roofed house on her right.
That was the Lu family's home.
As she thought of this, Eldest Sister-in-law, who had just fetched water, called out to her, "Little Sister, come quickly and wash your face. Your Second Sister-in-law is boiling brown sugar eggs for you.
Eat something, take a bath, and then get some sleep."
Xia Xi turned around. "Thank you, Eldest Sister-in-law."
Eldest Sister-in-law Yu Qiu looked at her strangely and said in a low voice, "Little Sister, was there no one else on the mountain?"
Xia Xi instantly understood what Yu Qiu meant. She was worried that Xia Xi had done something with Lin Xiangdong on the mountain, and even more worried that she had been deceived by him.
Thinking about it, Xia Xi realized she had been incredibly foolish.
For Lin Xiangdong, she had even disregarded her reputation.
Seeing Xia Xi standing there blankly again, Yu Qiu became a little anxious.
When her mother-in-law left, she had entrusted this task to her, asking her to pry for information.
Yu Qiu was the one she had the best relationship with in the family.
Yu Qiu was five years older than Xia Xi. She had followed Yu Qiu around since she was little, and Yu Qiu had doted on her like a younger sister.
Xia Xi regarded Yu Qiu as both an older sister and a best friend.
Xia Xi lowered her eyelids. "Eldest Sister-in-law, I'm not stupid."
Yu Qiu breathed a sigh of relief and tidied her hair. "Xi Xi, only family truly wants what's best for you. Don't think we're all going against you; it's because you're too close to the situation to see clearly. We outsiders can see it much better.
Think about it, Lin Xiangdong is from Beijing City. He came to the countryside as an educated youth, unwillingly. How could he possibly choose to marry a village girl like you?
He just wants to use you as a stepping stone. I guarantee that once he gets the Worker-Peasant-Soldier University spot, he'll never come back."
These words.
Yu Qiu had said them countless times.
But she still said them tirelessly.
She was just afraid that Xia Xi would truly ruin herself.
Xia Xi looked up at Yu Qiu. "Eldest Sister-in-law, I know. I was foolish before and didn't realize it, but now... I won't be. That bastard took grain, meat, and candy from me, and I'll get it all back."
And the jade pendant!
Right.
She had to get the jade pendant back.
In her previous life, Xia Xi only learned how valuable the jade pendant her grandmother gave her was after the Reform and Opening Up.
It was top-quality jadeite.
Most importantly, the jade pendant seemed to have some special properties.
Xu Shanshan had smooth sailing later on, and she even told Xia Xi that it was all thanks to the jade pendant, thanking her for being so foolish as to give it to her.
In her previous life.
After marrying Lu Jing, she went to Beijing City to accompany the troops.
Coincidentally, Lin Xiangdong and Xu Shanshan were also in Beijing City.
After Lu Jing was gone, she stayed in Beijing City to live. Without Lu Jing, her later years were miserable, filled with guilt and pain.
Meanwhile, Lin Xiangdong became a chief editor at People's Daily after graduating from university, and Xu Shanshan started her own business, which grew larger and larger. The couple walked hand-in-hand to the peak of their lives.
And everything they had was built on her suffering!
Yu Qiu was so surprised she couldn't utter a word.
Xia Xi took a towel and washed her face, washing away the sweat, the dirt on her body, and all the foolishness of her previous life.
Second Sister-in-law Yao Zhi came out with the brown sugar eggs. "Little Sister, quick, eat something. You haven't eaten all day, you must be starving."
Xia Xi took the bowl, said thank you, and went back to her room.
Yao Zhi looked at Yu Qiu with a gossipy expression. "What were you talking to Little Sister about just now? Was there no one else on the mountain?"
Yu Qiu shook her head. "No."
Yao Zhi sighed. "That's good. Little Sister is smart and good at studying; she wouldn't be that foolish."
Yao Zhi was a typical sweet and naive person, always believing her sister-in-law was the most capable.
Yu Qiu also liked having a sister-in-law like Yao Zhi; it was easy to get along with her.
However, Yu Qiu also knew that while simple people were easy to get along with, they were also easily manipulated. She worried that if someone instigated her, she might spill everything.
So Yu Qiu gave her a few instructions. "Not many people know about this. Don't mention a single word."
"Don't worry, Eldest Sister-in-law, I won't mention it."
Only then did Yu Qiu go back to her tasks.
Yao Zhi didn't stand idle either. She was busy picking vegetables, fetching water, shoveling chicken manure, sweeping the courtyard, and washing clothes. There was a lot to do.
After eating the brown sugar eggs, Xia Xi went to sleep.
As soon as Xia Xi fell asleep, she started having nightmares.
Her dreams were filled with the scene of Lu Jing being swept away by a mudslide while saving her.
That scene had haunted her for half her life.
She woke up with a start, her face once again covered in tears.
Brother Jing, Brother Jing, I truly regret it, I truly regret it. Why were you so foolish, so foolish?
Xia Xi didn't know when she had fallen in love with Lu Jing, starting from a place of disdain.
As a result, after five years of marriage, and after he was gone, she spent half her life reminiscing, ruining her health.
Even when her brothers and sisters-in-law introduced other potential partners later on, she refused them all, cherishing, thinking of, and regretting her lost lover for her entire life.
After waking up.
Xia Xi sat in front of the mirror, quietly looking at her reflection, adjusting her emotions.
Everything was starting anew.
She and Lu Jing could have a second chance.
She needed to say goodbye to the past.
✦✦✦