Although Mother Ji felt that Xia Zhiyuan deserved what had happened to her, she couldn’t help feeling guilty. The girl was injured after all—how could she think such things? Yet whenever she remembered everything Xia Zhiyuan had done, she simply couldn’t bring herself to sympathize with her.
After examining her carefully, Doctor Zhu said,
“It’s a fracture. Even after I set the bone, she’ll probably need at least a month to recover.”
As soon as Xia Zhiyuan heard that, tears streamed down her face again.
“If I have to rest for a whole month, I won’t earn any work points. What am I supposed to do?”
Doctor Zhu sighed helplessly.
“Xiao Xia, your health comes first. You can worry about work points later.”
Xia Zhiyuan cried bitterly, filled with grievance and resentment.
According to her original plan, the one who should have broken his leg tonight was Ji Junyong.
How had everything gone so completely off track?
Standing nearby, Ji Junyong secretly gloated.
“Oh wow, that wicked woman really broke her leg? Serves her right. If it weren’t for Sister-in-law, I’d be the one dead today! The trap she prepared for me was so deep that even the wild boar died instantly after falling in. What chance would a person have?”
Ji Junxiao gently wrapped an arm around Lin Ranran.
“Wife, let’s go back and get some sleep. There’s nothing we can do here.”
Lin Ranran nodded.
“Okay. I’ll listen to my husband.”
Ji Junyao also helped their mother back to rest.
After working all day, they were already exhausted.
If she’d known it was Xia Zhiyuan who got hurt, she wouldn’t have bothered getting out of bed and wasting her precious sleep.
Early the next morning, Xia Zhiyuan cried and insisted on seeing Team Leader Yang.
Unable to refuse, he came to the educated youth compound.
“Team Leader Yang, I helped everyone catch those wild boars by offering suggestions. I accidentally broke my leg on the way down the mountain. I’ll need at least a month before I can work again. Could you at least record the minimum daily work points for me?”
Team Leader Yang looked troubled.
“Comrade Xia, that isn’t allowed under the rules. If you don’t participate in collective labor, you can’t earn work points. If I make an exception for you, what happens when everyone claims they got hurt after contributing to the collective and stops working?”
“But I wasn’t pretending,” Xia Zhiyuan argued pitifully.
“I know. But tell me, why did a young woman like you go up the mountain in the first place? There were plenty of men there to catch a wild boar. Just look at the two Ji brothers—they caught one all by themselves. Honestly, weren’t you just making trouble for yourself?”
He sighed.
“But I was helping everyone.”
Still unconvinced, Xia Zhiyuan continued arguing.
Team Leader Yang shook his head.
“I’m afraid I can’t help you with this. When it’s time to distribute grain, I’ll speak to everyone and see if we can set aside some for you while you’re recovering.”
Xia Zhiyuan wanted to argue further, but Team Leader Yang had already turned to leave.
“I have to get to work. Rest well and recover as soon as possible.”
Watching him walk away, Xia Zhiyuan’s anger burned even hotter.
This was all Lin Ranran’s fault.
If not for her, none of this would have happened.
She swore she’d find a chance to make Lin Ranran pay.
Lin Ranran continued raising her animals with great care.
She now had ten hens, two ducks, and two little rabbits.
Each household was only allowed to keep seven adult poultry. Chicks and ducklings didn’t count.
Otherwise, they would be labeled as having a “capitalist tail,” something the authorities sought to eliminate.
Since the Ji family had told the village they were living as two separate households, they were permitted to raise more.
As for the two wild pheasants, she had no choice but to slaughter them.
After all, meat was meant to be eaten.
That morning, Mother Ji happily collected eleven eggs.
She smiled from ear to ear.
She firmly believed the hens Lin Ranran had bought could each lay two eggs a day.
Of course, aside from family members, she would never dare tell anyone else.
“Lin Ranran, let’s talk.”
Leaning on a crutch, Xia Zhiyuan stood behind her.
Lin Ranran turned around and smiled calmly.
“Oh? Isn’t this Comrade Xia, the famous one from last night? How’s that leg? Can you really stand?”
Xia Zhiyuan glared at her.
“Lin Ranran, I know you don’t truly love Brother Ji. The one you really love is your cousin.”
Lin Ranran’s expression instantly turned cold.
“Comrade Xia, you can eat whatever you want, but you can’t just say whatever you like. First you spread rumors that I practice witchcraft, now you’re saying I’m in love with my cousin. You’ve been trying to ruin my reputation over and over again. What exactly are you trying to accomplish?”
Xia Zhiyuan stepped closer.
“You’ve already emptied the Ji family’s savings. Why are you still here? Your cousin is a regiment commander. Aren’t you afraid he’ll fall in love with someone else while you’re stuck in the countryside? By then you’ll have plenty to cry about.”
A cold glint flashed through Lin Ranran’s eyes.
“So that’s why you’ve been targeting me all this time. You really are trying to destroy my marriage.”
“Brother Ji is such a wonderful man. If you don’t cherish him, someone else certainly will.”
Xia Zhiyuan no longer bothered hiding her intentions.
“So you’re admitting you’re interested in my husband?”
She avoided answering directly.
“I’m only looking out for you. Instead of wasting your time here, you should hurry back and marry your cousin. If he marries someone else, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”
Lin Ranran sneered.
“If you had the courage to admit it openly, I’d at least respect you. Instead, you hide behind underhanded tricks. Frankly, I look down on you.”
“If I admit it, will you leave him?”
“Depends on my mood.”
Grinding her teeth, Xia Zhiyuan finally blurted out,
“Fine! I like Brother Ji! In this lifetime, I won’t marry anyone but him!”
Lin Ranran narrowed her eyes.
“So to force us to divorce, you spread rumors that I practice witchcraft so the Ji family would hate me?”
“Yes, I said those things. So what? Everyone thinks Dogdan’s mother was the one who spread the rumors anyway. What does it have to do with me?”
“What a perfect white lotus.”
Lin Ranran’s smile turned icy.
“And last night, you moved the trap marker on the mountain to set up my second brother for an accident, then pretended to be the hero. How can someone be so vicious?”
Xia Zhiyuan’s face turned deathly pale.
She staggered backward, nearly collapsing.
“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I was standing right behind you last night, watching every little trick you pulled.”
The words hit Xia Zhiyuan like a thunderbolt.
She collapsed onto the ground in terror.
“No… that’s impossible! How could you have been there?”
Every man in the Ji family was clever.
If Lin Ranran whispered this into their ears, her reputation would be completely ruined.
No… I need to think of something.
Lin Ranran looked down at her sternly.
“If you don’t want people to know what you’ve done, then don’t do it in the first place. You tried to hurt someone but ended up hurting yourself instead. If you don’t learn your lesson now, next time you might end up in prison.”
“So… you’re the one who set me up?” Xia Zhiyuan glared at her murderously.
Lin Ranran laughed.
“You walk the night roads too often, trip over your own feet, and somehow it’s my fault? Xia Zhiyuan, is something wrong with your brain? You’re smart enough that you could’ve built yourself a good future if you focused on something worthwhile. Instead, you spend all day obsessing over someone else’s husband. Don’t you have any self-respect?”
A malicious idea suddenly formed in Xia Zhiyuan’s mind.
“If you don’t divorce Brother Ji, I’ll report your family for being a capitalist tail!”
She believed she’d finally found Lin Ranran’s weakness.
A smug smile appeared on her face.
Lin Ranran remained completely calm.
“Oh? Then go ahead. Bring your evidence.”
Her composure caught Xia Zhiyuan off guard.
Wasn’t she afraid of being publicly denounced and ruining her chances of marrying her cousin?
“Your family hasn’t officially split into separate households. You’re raising livestock for two families under one household. You’re harming collective property!”
Xia Zhiyuan continued threatening her.
Lin Ranran laughed.
“What? Do we need to issue you an official certificate proving whether we’ve divided the household?”
“You know perfectly well whether you have or not.”
Lin Ranran snorted.
“You really have too much free time.”
“Yesterday you exchanged grain coupons and meat coupons for goods, then took those goods into the city to sell. That’s illegal speculation and profiteering! You know exactly what the consequences are.”
Lin Ranran raised an eyebrow.
“Oh? So now you’re threatening me?”
Smirking, Xia Zhiyuan replied,
“As long as you divorce Brother Ji, I won’t report your family.”
Lin Ranran laughed.
“You really know how to dream. The college entrance examination has already been restored, and farmers are now allowed to sell small amounts of goods in the city. As for your claim that I sold grain and meat coupons—that’s pure slander. I gave them to the villagers voluntarily. What’s wrong with giving someone grain or meat coupons? Or are you just upset because I didn’t give any to you?”
“Hmph! You can talk all you want. Breaking the law is still breaking the law!”
“So go report me if you’re so confident.”
With that, Lin Ranran turned and walked away, leaving Xia Zhiyuan furiously pounding her crutch against the ground.
In reality, Xia Zhiyuan had no intention of reporting the Ji family.
There was nothing for her to gain.
Lin Ranran really is my nemesis.
Lin Ranran walked toward the hillside behind the village.
As she watered the cornfield, she quietly thought about the village’s future.
The college entrance examination had only recently been restored.
Farmers were now permitted to sell some agricultural products in the city.
However, if business wasn’t conducted carefully, people could still be accused of carrying a “capitalist tail.”
Fortunately, in just a few months, Reform and Opening Up would begin.
The household responsibility system would soon be implemented, allowing individuals to freely develop side businesses.
Once that happened, there would be far fewer restrictions.
As night fell, kerosene lamps gradually lit up throughout the village.
Team Leader Yang came to the educated youth compound looking for Lin Ranran.
“Ji family’s daughter-in-law, I heard you know how to make dried bamboo shoots. Could you teach everyone?”
Lin Ranran warmly invited him to sit down and carefully explained every step of the process.
From selecting the bamboo shoots…
…to removing the shells…
…to controlling the cooking time…
She held nothing back.
Team Leader Yang nodded repeatedly.
“Your family is truly the village’s lucky star. You’ve been here less than half a month, yet not only has the college entrance examination been restored, farmers can now sell goods in the city as well. Yesterday our team sold three hundred catties of spring bamboo shoots for forty-five yuan. That’s all thanks to you.”
Lin Ranran smiled.
“I’m just glad I could help the village.”
Then Team Leader Yang continued,
“Your father told me your family plans to buy ten fragrant pigs for the collective. Everyone’s very happy about it, but most people think buying ordinary pigs would be better. At least when they grow up everyone can share the meat. Fragrant pigs are too small, people say the meat isn’t very good, and they’re difficult to raise.”
Lin Ranran explained patiently.
“Team Leader Yang, now that the market allows trading—even if only on a small scale—we have to think long-term instead of focusing only on immediate benefits. Which would you choose: eating meat once, or eating meat regularly? Besides, if fragrant pigs are raised well, they’ll sell for a good price. Once we have money, we can develop other industries. Who knows? Maybe before long large-scale trading will be allowed. If we don’t prepare now, our production team will fall behind.”
Team Leader Yang was deeply impressed.
“All right. I’ll try to convince everyone.”
Lin Ranran then asked,
“From what I’ve learned, our team’s corn harvest last year was poor. After handing over the state grain quota, very little remained. Because the procurement target wasn’t met, supplies like seeds and pesticides were restricted. Is that right?”
Team Leader Yang sighed.
“Exactly. If this year’s harvest is poor again, we’ll have to make a public self-criticism at the meeting. Our production team will become a negative example for everyone else.”
“I bought some Pearl Yellow corn seeds earlier. If the team’s seed supply isn’t enough, you can use mine. If villagers have extra land and want to plant it, I’ll provide seeds as well. As for fertilizer, don’t worry. Once we raise fragrant pigs, properly processed pig manure will make excellent fertilizer—even better than chemical fertilizer.”
Team Leader Yang’s eyes widened.
“You even know how to process manure?”
“Of course.”
“Wonderful! I’ll gather everyone right away. We can make dried bamboo shoots while discussing these plans.”
Before long, every household had sent one representative to the educated youth compound.
Lin Ranran calmly assigned everyone their tasks.
From selecting bamboo shoots…
…to peeling them…
…to slicing…
…boiling…
…cooling…
…draining…
…drying…
…and finally softening them again…
Every step had someone responsible.
The entire operation was orderly and efficient.
“The Ji family’s daughter-in-law is so smart.”
“Who would’ve thought of making dried bamboo shoots? Now that farmers can sell produce in the city, the collective will earn even more money.”
“I heard yesterday’s bamboo shoots brought in forty-five yuan.”
“Following her advice is always the right choice.”
“She genuinely wants everyone to live better.”
“Our family has started making embroidered shoes and embroidery every evening after work.”
“My men are busy weaving bamboo products. Thanks to the Ji family, we’re finally eating rice instead of watery porridge every day. My children used to be so skinny their ribs showed.”
The villagers praised Lin Ranran nonstop as they worked.
Taking advantage of the atmosphere, Team Leader Yang introduced the plans for raising fragrant pigs and planting Pearl Yellow corn.
“How does the Ji family’s daughter-in-law know everything?”
“I heard she grew up in the countryside. Her village must’ve been well-off, otherwise how could she have gone to school?”
“If she says it’ll work, then it’ll work.”
“I can already feel our lives improving with her here.”
“My family still has some spare land. I’ll plant some Pearl Yellow corn too.”
“So will mine. The seeds and fertilizer are free, so why not?”
“Exactly. Even if we only harvest a few catties, it’ll still help.”
…
After discussing and voting, everyone finally agreed to raise fragrant pigs collectively.
After all, the Ji family was paying for them.
The villagers had nothing to lose.
Standing nearby with her crutch, Xia Zhiyuan watched the lively scene.
Her eyes burned with jealousy and unwillingness.
How did Lin Ranran think of raising fragrant pigs?
Wasn’t that my idea from six months later?
And somehow… her plan is even better than the one I came up with in my previous life.
Something is seriously wrong.
Why is Lin Ranran always one step ahead of me?