“Everyone, eat slowly. We still have fruit after this,” Lin Ranran said as she took out several bunches of wampee fruit from the basket.
Ji Junyao’s eyes lit up immediately. “Sister-in-law, you even bought fruit?”
Lin Ranran smiled and explained, “I picked some wild wampee fruit by the roadside. They looked fresh, so I gathered a few.”
Ji Junyao’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Where did you pick them? Take me with you! I want to pick some too.”
“I’d love to, but everyone already picked them clean. These few bunches were all I managed to find. Honestly, I don’t really like the taste. You all can have them.”
Ji Junyao looked disappointed. “What a pity.”
Ji Junxiao looked at his wife, his voice gentle.
“Picking fruit is too dangerous. Don’t do that again. You’re pregnant now. What if you fall?”
Mother Ji also said, “That’s right, Ranran. You have to be careful. This child is precious. Nothing can happen to you.”
Lin Ranran smiled.
“I’m not made of glass. I’m not that fragile. Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”
Just then, Xia Zhiyuan arrived at the fields carrying the meal she had prepared.
She had planned to find a chance to give the cured pork she made to Ji Junxiao, but when she saw the Ji family happily gathered together eating the braised pork prepared by Lin Ranran while enjoying the wampee fruit, her face instantly turned pale with anger.
Braised pork!
She had never even eaten it once in her life!
And they even had fruit!
How extravagant!
The more Xia Zhiyuan thought about it, the angrier she became. In her eyes, Lin Ranran had no idea how to manage a household. Cooking pork into braised pork was such a waste.
If they had simply boiled it, they could have eaten it for several meals.
Seeing Xia Zhiyuan’s dark expression, Lin Ranran secretly felt delighted.
While the Ji family wasn’t paying attention, she deliberately raised her middle finger at Xia Zhiyuan with a provocative smile.
Xia Zhiyuan didn’t understand what the gesture meant, but judging from Lin Ranran’s expression, she knew it wasn’t anything good.
Sure enough, Lin Ranran immediately followed it by pointing her thumb downward, making the mockery even more obvious.
Xia Zhiyuan trembled with rage, shot Lin Ranran a fierce glare, then turned and walked away.
What’s so great about it?
It’s just braised pork and some fruit.
Once Lin Ranran spends everything the family has, let’s see how smug she can still be.
More than a dozen educated youths gathered around, and Xia Zhiyuan handed out the lunch boxes.
“Today’s lunch is actually white rice. Xiao Xia, according to our schedule, weren’t we supposed to have corn porridge today?” Zhao Yi asked in confusion.
Xia Zhiyuan looked uncomfortable.
“Really? Maybe I remembered it wrong today.”
“You… never mind. It’s been a long time since we’ve had white rice. It smells great.”
“By the way, the Ji family’s daughter-in-law is really beautiful. I’ve never seen such a beautiful woman before. No wonder the Ji family won’t let her work in the fields.”
“She knows how to dress, and when she speaks, her voice sounds like a singer’s. All the young men sneak glances at her while working.”
“So what if she’s pretty and dresses well? She doesn’t even work.”
“But she cooks. I heard she made braised pork. It smelled so good that people several miles away could smell the meat.”
“Earlier, those people were saying her cooking wasn’t good. Even though I didn’t see it up close, just smelling it made me crave it.”
“Exactly. They’re just jealous of her.”
“When we get back to the educated youth compound tonight, we have to get a closer look. We missed seeing her last night.”
“That’s right. Girls from the capital are both beautiful and elegant. The Ji family’s daughter-in-law ranks first, Ji’s younger sister ranks second…”
…
Listening to the men talk nonstop about Lin Ranran made Xia Zhiyuan furious.
Lin Ranran was lazy and pregnant.
How was she prettier than her?
And Ji’s younger sister was even ranked above her!
What kind of taste did these men have?
Chen Jing noticed something was wrong and quietly asked, “Xiao Xia, are you alright?”
Xia Zhiyuan answered gloomily, “I’m fine.”
She carried her lunch box to one side to eat.
“Why do I smell meat?”
“Xiao Xia, don’t tell me you cooked meat?”
“How could I? It’s from the Ji family’s daughter-in-law. She didn’t even wash the pot after using it.”
Xia Zhiyuan didn’t even dare open her lunch box.
“So that’s it. No wonder I smelled meat. Not just braised pork, but cured pork too.”
“I haven’t had meat in so long. Just smelling it is nice.”
Xia Zhiyuan rolled her eyes.
“How about I draw you a piece of cured pork and braised pork instead?”
With that, she walked farther away.
She had planned to eat the cured pork herself, but Lin Ranran had angered her so much that she had completely lost her appetite.
She put the cured pork away, intending to give it to Ji Junxiao that evening. Surely he would be touched by her thoughtfulness.
After the Ji family finished eating, Ji Junxiao and Ji Junyong volunteered to wash the lunch boxes by the river.
When Lin Ranran wanted to take them home herself, Ji Junxiao firmly refused.
“Ranran, I’ll bring them back after work tonight. Be careful on your way home. The sun is too strong. Hurry back and get some rest.”
As he spoke, he gently wiped the sweat from her forehead.
Lin Ranran smiled sweetly.
“Husband, don’t forget what you promised me last night. Stay far away from those shameless women with improper behavior. Don’t pay any attention to them.”
Ji Junxiao felt warmth fill his heart.
“I know. Don’t worry.”
Lin Ranran raised a finger and lightly tapped her soft cheek, smiling as she acted spoiled.
“Then, husband… give me a kiss.”
Bathed in the sunlight, she looked even more charming.
Ji Junxiao instinctively looked around.
Villagers surrounded them on all sides, and many unmarried young men were secretly staring at his wife.
He suddenly felt jealous.
Seeing that he wasn’t moving, Lin Ranran pretended to be angry and pouted.
“Forget it if you don’t want to. I’m leaving.”
She turned as if to go.
Afraid she would really leave, Ji Junxiao hurried after her without caring who was watching. He stepped forward and quickly planted a kiss on her cheek.
The surrounding villagers all widened their eyes.
How shameless!
The Ji family’s eldest son was even a soldier!
He had no regard for his public image at all!
Lin Ranran had only meant to tease him. She hadn’t expected him to actually kiss her. Her fair cheeks instantly flushed bright red.
Ji Junxiao said gently,
“Ranran, the sun is too strong. Hurry home so you don’t get sunburned.”
Lin Ranran asked him to squat down.
Though puzzled, he did as she said.
She leaned over and kissed his cheek in return.
“Husband, I’m going home now. Remember to miss me.”
Her kiss left Ji Junxiao’s heart in complete turmoil. He almost wanted to follow her home and spend the afternoon alone with her.
He felt that the passionate and flirtatious Lin Ranran had returned.
No…
The current Lin Ranran was considerate, affectionate, and mature at the same time, making his heart race even more.
“Tsk, that Ji family’s daughter-in-law is really outrageous.”
“Exactly. Acting all lovey-dovey in public. There’s something wrong with her thinking.”
“We should tell the team leader. Don’t let her corrupt the village’s morals.”
“That’s right. My husband wants to kiss me too, but I never let him. It’s disgusting.”
…
The afternoon sun became even hotter as it shone over the people working in the fields.
Xia Zhiyuan managed to get assigned to fertilizing the crops.
She secretly thought this was the perfect chance to get close to Ji Junxiao.
Before long, the two inevitably crossed paths while working.
She greeted him enthusiastically.
“Brother Ji, it’s your first day working here. Are you getting used to it?”
Ji Junxiao didn’t even spare her a glance and continued focusing on his work.
To him, his wife’s words were law.
Besides, his heart was completely occupied by Lin Ranran. No other woman could catch his eye.
“Brother Ji—”
Seeing that he ignored her, Xia Zhiyuan called out again and stepped even closer.
Just then, Ji Junyao suddenly appeared from nowhere, glaring sharply at Xia Zhiyuan.
She had clearly seen Xia Zhiyuan deliberately approaching her eldest brother.
This shameless woman really wanted to seduce him!
Without hesitation, Ji Junyao accurately stepped on Xia Zhiyuan’s foot.
Xia Zhiyuan nearly jumped in pain.
Ji Junyao put on an innocent face.
“Oh my, isn’t this Educated Youth Xia? Sorry about that. I was busy working and chatting distracted me. I didn’t even see you.”
Xia Zhiyuan knew she had done it on purpose, but she could only force a smile.
“It’s alright.”
Ji Junyao had no intention of letting her off so easily.
With her hands on her hips, she sneered,
“Educated Youth Xia, I’ve heard that shameless people are invincible. Is that true?”
Everyone nearby stopped working and looked over curiously.
Xia Zhiyuan’s face turned alternately pale and red with embarrassment.
“Ji… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Ji Junyao snorted coldly and stepped closer.
“Stop pretending. If you ever dare seduce my eldest brother again or try to ruin my brother and sister-in-law’s marriage, don’t blame me for being rude!”
Then she stomped on Xia Zhiyuan’s foot once more.
This time, Xia Zhiyuan couldn’t hold back a cry of pain.
The people nearby all looked over.
Someone asked with concern,
“Educated Youth Xia, are you alright?”
She quickly explained,
“I’m fine. I just saw a bug.”
Ji Junyao stared at her coldly and warned in a low voice,
“Educated Youth Xia, next time it won’t be just two stomps.”
Xia Zhiyuan looked at her pitifully, trying to explain.
“Ji…”
“Who gave you permission to call me that? Don’t pretend we’re relatives!”
With that, Ji Junyao angrily turned around and continued working, leaving Xia Zhiyuan standing there, furious and humiliated.
Of course, Xia Zhiyuan refused to give up.
She immediately looked for chances to approach the other Ji brothers.
“Second Brother Ji, is your first day going alright?”
“Third Brother Ji, are you tired from working?”
“Fourth Brother Ji, would you like some water? I can bring you some.”
She tried every trick she could think of, plastering a flattering smile on her face as she forced conversations with them.
But no matter how shamelessly she tried, the Ji brothers all acted as though they had agreed beforehand to ignore her completely.
Some merely gave her a cold glance before looking away.
Some turned their backs on her entirely.
Others openly showed their dislike in their eyes.
After all, their younger sister had solemnly warned them the previous night to never have anything to do with Xia Zhiyuan again.
They all knew she had bad intentions and was trying to destroy their eldest brother’s marriage.
The only reason they hadn’t beaten her was because she was still a woman, and as men they couldn’t bring themselves to hit her.
After exhausting herself trying to get their attention, Xia Zhiyuan didn’t receive even the slightest response.
It was like punching cotton.
Watching the Ji brothers’ cold backs, she felt a blazing fire of frustration burning inside her.
Were all the men in the Ji family really this cold?
Nothing seemed to work on them!
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.
In her previous life, they hadn’t been this difficult to approach.
Back then, with just a few tricks, she could make every one of them obey her.
But now…
Everything had changed.
A vicious look flashed across her eyes.
This was all because of Lin Ranran!
If only there were no Lin Ranran—
The thought suddenly made Xia Zhiyuan shiver violently.
Her eyes widened in horror.
Heavens…
What was she thinking?
Murder was a crime.
If she really did something like that, her whole life would be ruined.
The thought struck her like lightning, instantly pulling her back from the edge of madness.
Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to calm down.
There had to be another way.
While Xia Zhiyuan racked her brains trying to figure out how to seduce Ji Junxiao, Lin Ranran was already busy with something far more important—her planting project.
According to the novel, the white corn planted by the production team this year had a very low yield and poor resistance to strong winds.
Once a heavy storm arrived, there would be almost no harvest at all.
Everyone would go hungry.
Lin Ranran discovered a large patch of wasteland behind the educated youth compound.
The soil there was so barren that not even weeds could grow.
She drew a stream of clear water from her space and carefully watered the land.
A miraculous change immediately occurred.
The dry, lifeless soil quickly became fertile under the nourishing water.
Its color gradually turned dark and rich, and it even gave off the fresh fragrance of healthy earth.
Her hands trembled with excitement as she hurriedly took out some Pearl Yellow Corn seeds from her space and planted them.
This traditional local variety grew shorter stalks and smaller ears.
It was usually grown naturally with very little fertilizer or pesticide, so its yield had always been low.
But Lin Ranran was confident.
After being nurtured inside her space, these seeds would be completely different.
She could already picture the barren land covered with heavy ears of corn in the near future.
When that day came, she would persuade the team leader to have the entire village plant this variety of Pearl Yellow Corn.
She wanted to lead everyone toward a better life.