The field was in complete chaos. In the end, the brigade leader and his wife came over and lifted Wang Qisong’s trouser leg to take a look.
On his leg, there were only two small rows of tooth marks. What had bitten Wang Qisong was not a venomous snake at all.
Tian Yougen rubbed his temples and shouted, “Enough! Stop howling. That snake wasn’t poisonous! It’s just a small matter, and you’ve made such a big fuss. Everyone, get back to work!”
Everyone around was speechless.
Wang Dafen and Wang Qisong had cried and screamed, only to find out he hadn’t been bitten by a venomous snake at all. They had completely wasted everyone’s working time!
The crowd was about to leave, but Wang Qisong, who had been crying halfway, suddenly heard that he didn’t need to die after all. He felt a burst of secret relief, but also fear.
He opened his mouth, looking like a fool, and nervously asked, “But brigade leader, after I was bitten I felt numb all over. Am I really okay?”
Next to him, Wang Dafen quickly added, “Yes, yes! His face and leg are swollen. That snake must not have been non-venomous—it was just mildly venomous!”
The educated youths couldn’t help rolling their eyes.
He got bitten by a non-venomous snake and still wasn’t satisfied—he insisted it must be a mildly venomous one. Wasn’t that basically hoping something bad would happen to his own son?
Wen Ranran gave a faint, mocking smile and looked at the mother and son.
“Wang Qisong feels numb because he’s timid and scared himself.
As for the swelling on his face and leg, it wasn’t from a snake—it was from him leaving the field to harass me, and I kicked him.”
As soon as she said this, everyone who was about to leave stopped again, and several educated youths quickly gathered around Wen Ranran to ask if she was okay.
Wang Dafen immediately retorted, “My son harassed you? Impossible! Wen Ranran, you’re a bit pretty, but you can’t be that self-absorbed.”
Wen Ranran said coldly, “Whether it’s possible or not isn’t for you to decide. Isn’t your son right here? Ask him, and you’ll know everything.”
Wang Qisong, just beaten by Wen Ranran, didn’t dare deny it, but with the brigade leader present, he also didn’t dare admit it.
Panicking, he tried to get up and run, but was immediately surrounded by the educated youths.
The educated youths did not go easy on him—fists rained down on Wang Qisong.
At the critical moment, the educated youths stood together as one.
If they didn’t teach him a lesson, anyone would think they could bully the educated youths anytime they wanted!
Wang Qisong was beaten black and blue. Wang Dafen gritted her teeth in anxiety and was about to rush over when she saw Wen Ranran already squeezing out two tears and reporting to the brigade leader.
“Brigade leader, I was working properly in the field when Wang Qisong came over and sexually harassed me verbally. Although I already kicked him to vent my anger, this matter cannot just be let go. If the brigade doesn’t give me justice, I will report this to the educated youth office. There will always be someone who can deal with this kind of hooligan!”
The educated youths were furious as well and said, “If the brigade doesn’t give Wen justice, we’ll all report it to the educated youth office together!”
Tian Yougen hadn’t expected there to be such a situation involved, but seeing Wang Qisong’s reaction, he knew it was likely true.
An incident like this in the brigade was shameful for him as well. His face darkened as he looked at Wang Qisong and knew he couldn’t tolerate it.
He waved his hand and said directly, “Wang Qisong, tonight go pack your things. From now on, you’ll be sent to dig the reservoir. You don’t come back until it’s finished!”
When they heard about going to dig the reservoir, Wang Qisong’s legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground.
Wang Dafen also felt like the sky had collapsed.
The reservoir was more than thirty li away from Qingshui brigade. Although the work points were higher, the labor was extremely hard, and people could easily fall into the water and drown. Her son simply couldn’t handle it.
She tried to plead, but no matter how much she talked, she couldn’t change the decision.
Mother and son left in despair, limping back home to pack for the reservoir. The others, having finished watching the drama, returned to work.
Wen Ranran was quite satisfied with the result.
Digging the reservoir would take several months. By the time that disgusting troublemaker came back, she would already have gone to live with her military husband.
She picked up her small sickle used for cutting weeds and was about to head back to work when the brigade leader stopped her.
Tian Yougen stopped her because he wanted to ask whether she had seen Jiang Yue in the county that afternoon. Jiang Yue had gone to the county without taking leave, and someone had seen her heading there.
At first, he didn’t take it seriously, but now it was already eight or nine at night and she still hadn’t returned, so he was getting worried.
A young woman alone at night—if something happened, it would ruin her life.
Wen Ranran shook her head. “Jiang Yue? I don’t think I saw her.”
“But don’t worry, brigade leader. I heard she has relatives here. Maybe she went to stay with them.”
It was a small lie, but she knew Jiang Yue would be fine tonight anyway.
After all, what place could be safer than a police station cell?
At that moment, Jiang Yue was indeed safe—but also suffering.
At the fertilizer plant, she had refused to speak because she didn’t want Zhou Musheng to see her humiliation. Now at the police station, she just wanted to quickly explain everything and return to the brigade.
But the police were extremely busy that day due to a major case. They only took a brief statement and then locked her in a cell, and Jiang Yue nearly went insane.
She screamed and shouted constantly, but it was useless except for getting a few reprimands from the already impatient officers.
She began to feel afraid.
What if, because they were so busy, they simply labeled her as a pig thief without properly investigating? What if they decided her guilt or innocence however they pleased?
The more she thought, the more terrified she became, trembling uncontrollably. At this point, she no longer cared about Zhou Musheng or any romantic reunion—if she had known this would happen, she would never have gone into that damn pig pen!
But what she hated most was Wen Ranran.
If Wen Ranran hadn’t deviated from the original story in her past life, how could she have ended up so miserable?
Finally, the cell door opened and someone came in. Jiang Yue immediately grabbed the chance like a lifeline and shouted, “Officer! My name is Jiang Yue, I’m from Qingshui brigade, I’m not a pig thief—”
But the person said nothing and instead led her to another place: a pitch-black room.
“Still insisting you stole from the fertilizer plant and even threatening people? Someone’s already spoken for you. You’ll stay here tonight. Your case will be investigated later.”
Jiang Yue felt completely broken.
The room was pitch black, making her imagine ghosts in every corner.
She curled up tightly in the corner, trying to comfort herself that ghosts didn’t exist and she just needed to sleep.
But she couldn’t even sleep—every time she was about to drift off, she heard terrifying grinding teeth sounds, driving her nearly insane.
Jiang Yue stayed awake almost the entire night.
Back in Qingshui brigade, Wen Ranran slept very well.
After a chaotic night, the end-of-work bell finally rang.
Exhausted, Wen Ranran returned to the dorm with the other educated youths, took a shower, and collapsed into bed.
Even though her assigned task was already the easiest, a few hours of work still left her sore in the arms and waist. Only after drinking a large cup of her spiritual spring water did she feel better.
Work was bitter, work was tiring—another day like this and she’d fall apart.
She hoped Lu Shian would act faster so she could go live with him soon. At least then she wouldn’t be so exhausted at night.
Her roommate Zhu Pingjuan teased her with a smile, “Ranran, your boyfriend is a soldier. With that kind of physique, do you really think life after marriage will be easy at night?”
At first Wen Ranran didn’t react. When she finally understood, it felt like a wheel had just rolled across her face.
She glared at Zhu Pingjuan in mock anger, but her ears turned slightly red.
In the afternoon, when Lu Shian rode her back on his bicycle, there were many stones and potholes on the road. To avoid falling, he had told her to hold his waist.
Wen Ranran, being from the modern world and less conservative than local girls, had even casually touched him a couple of times while holding on.
She still remembered the feeling.
A narrow, powerful waist, with clearly defined abs—clearly someone very physically capable.
She wondered what it would feel like once they were actually married…
Lost in such inappropriate thoughts, Wen Ranran slowly drifted to sleep. On the other side, Lu Shian was also lying in bed thinking about her.