The night was deep and heavy when Ruan Liuzheng suddenly felt a chill spread across her body.
Instinctively, she reached for the blanket, wanting to wrap herself tighter.
But before she could, she was forcefully pulled into a firm, muscular chest.
By the pale moonlight, she saw the man’s jade-like face. His eyes were cold and fierce, and the reddened corners of his eyes carried an unmistakable sense of danger.
The next moment, his scorching lips descended upon hers, biting her lips as though he had gone mad.
“Zhengzheng, who gave you permission to break up with me?”
His voice was filled with angry accusation.
Ruan Liuzheng’s eyes reddened in fear as she stammered, “Shen Que… calm down.”
A faint smile curled across the man’s thin lips as his long fingers slowly caressed her waist.
His deep voice was laced with overwhelming menace.
“Zhengzheng, if you won’t behave, then don’t blame your brother.”
His hand slowly reached toward a place no one else could touch.
His lips moved inch by inch along her neck, nibbling at her skin.
“No…”
“Educated Youth Ruan? Educated Youth Ruan?”
A burst of voices rang beside her ears, causing Ruan Liuzheng to slowly open her eyes.
Only after she clearly saw everything before her did her thoughts gradually return to normal.
Another dream.
Yet it had felt so real.
It truly was something Shen Que was capable of doing, and an inexplicable sense of worry slowly spread through her heart.
“Educated Youth Ruan, are you alright?” Zhai Xueying asked with concern. “Were you frightened by what happened last night?”
Ruan Liuzheng answered hoarsely, “Yes… I was.”
Zhao Xueying smiled reassuringly.
“It’s alright, Educated Youth Ruan. There wasn’t actually a snake yesterday, so don’t be afraid. Hurry and get up—we’ll be heading to work soon.”
Ruan Liuzheng returned her smile before slowly climbing out of bed.
Outside, Chen Wenjuan happened to overhear the conversation. The suspicion in her heart eased considerably. Someone so timid probably wouldn’t have dared to handle a snake.
Ruan Liuzheng splashed her face twice with cold water, instantly becoming much more alert.
She had to make good use of her time.
Today’s task was the same as yesterday—going up the mountain to gather firewood. The entire morning passed without incident, and by noon, Ruan Liuzheng headed to Xie Jinghuai’s house to cook.
Compared to sharing meals with others, she preferred cooking for herself.
When she arrived at Xie Jinghuai’s house, she cautiously looked around before taking out the key.
After unlocking the door, she found no one inside.
Immediately, she relaxed and slowly let down the mask she had been wearing.
Seeing the water jar in the kitchen filled to the brim and the neatly stacked firewood, a smile appeared on her lips.
Humming softly, she skillfully measured out some coarse rice. At the same time, she used the rice cooker inside her space to steam a pot of white rice, adding several Chinese sausages to cook along with it.
She intended to eat meat every single meal.
With practiced movements, Ruan Liuzheng prepared the potatoes and napa cabbage, planning to make stir-fried shredded potatoes and spicy stir-fried cabbage.
Before long, the entire kitchen was filled with the rich aroma of spicy food.
Eating the fragrant white rice from her space, she took a bite of the Chinese sausage, feeling thoroughly satisfied.
As soon as Xie Jinghuai stepped through the door, the spicy aroma greeted him, making him swallow involuntarily.
He liked that kind of spicy smell.
Ruan Liuzheng, who was halfway through her meal, immediately heard the door open. She quickly put the half-eaten bowl of white rice back into her space.
Looking at Xie Jinghuai as he entered the kitchen, she nervously tugged at the seam of her pants.
“You’re back?”
Seeing her polite yet restrained smile, Xie Jinghuai simply nodded.
When Ruan Liuzheng saw that he was about to leave, she quickly called out,
“Have you eaten yet? Why don’t we eat together?”
Xie Jinghuai was about to decline when she hurriedly added,
“Just consider it repayment for the firewood and the water.”
He glanced at the table before sitting down.
“Alright.”
Ruan Liuzheng immediately brightened like a happy little rabbit. She turned around and enthusiastically brought over the untouched pot of coarse rice, placing it in front of him.
“I’ve only eaten a little of the dishes. You can have the rest.”
Xie Jinghuai glanced at her rice bowl and couldn’t help frowning.
Ruan Liuzheng held her bowl and spoke softly, “I can’t eat that much.”
She took tiny bites of rice, looking as though every mouthful was difficult to swallow. He couldn’t help but knit his brows.
“Not used to it?”
Like a startled rabbit, Ruan Liuzheng hurriedly hugged her bowl and shook her head. “I am. I can endure hardship.”
As she spoke, she shoveled the coarse rice into her mouth. In her haste, she choked. Lowering her head, she struggled to breathe, tears streaming from her eyes.
Xie Jinghuai noticed something was wrong immediately. He strode over, pulled her up, and wrapped his arms around her from behind.
He repeatedly pressed the area two finger-widths above her navel.
Ruan Liuzheng suddenly coughed up the mouthful of rice.
“Drink some water.”
Xie Jinghuai handed her a bowl.
Her eyes were still red as she accepted it. “Thank you.”
He glanced at her. “If you’re not used to it, eat refined grains from now on.”
Ruan Liuzheng lowered her head and quietly shook it. “I can’t. Revolution means learning to endure hardship.”
Without another word, Xie Jinghuai used a clean pair of chopsticks to transfer more than half of the shredded potatoes and cabbage into her bowl. He then scooped all the remaining coarse rice from the pot into his own bowl and quickly finished it with the soup.
After the meal, Xie Jinghuai washed the dishes himself.
Ruan Liuzheng was extremely pleased with that.
She hated having to wash dishes after cooking!
“Comrade Xie, I’ll be going now.”
Xie Jinghuai simply responded with an “Mm,” then stuffed a small bag into her hands.
Ruan Liuzheng hurried away in small, quick steps as though she were escaping.
She secretly found a secluded spot and finished the remaining half bowl of rice along with the Chinese sausage.
Patting her full stomach, she looked as content as a kitten being gently stroked.
That act worked pretty well. Looks like I’ll be eating refined grains every meal from now on.
She wasn’t an idiot. Why would she deliberately make herself suffer?
Life was meant to be enjoyed while you could. As for all that talk about suffering first and enjoying later—who knew if the sweetness would ever come? The sweetness you could enjoy now was the only sweetness that mattered.
That afternoon, while everyone was working, she heard Chen Wenjuan angrily chopping firewood.
“This tastes awful.”
“It’s worse than pig feed.”
The other newly arrived educated youths didn’t say anything, but their expressions were equally miserable.
Chen Wenjuan couldn’t resist dragging Ruan Liuzheng into the conversation.
“Comrade Ruan, what did you have for lunch?”
Ruan Liuzheng rolled her eyes.
What’s it to you?
Seeing that she was ignored, Chen Wenjuan sneered.
“Don’t tell me no one cooked for you?”
Ruan Liuzheng pointed at her small pile of firewood.
“Comrade Chen, you’ve only chopped this much. If you don’t finish before dark, there are lots of snakes on the mountain at night.”
The moment Chen Wenjuan heard the word “snakes,” her face turned deathly pale.
“Y-You…”
After that, she stopped looking for trouble.
When work ended, Ruan Liuzheng quietly tugged on Zhang Xiaoquan’s sleeve.
“Xiaoquan, I’d like to borrow some needles and thread. Who should I ask?”
Zhang Xiaoquan replied, “Old Man Niu is the village’s supply keeper. Whenever the educated youths need to borrow something, they go to him or Auntie Niu.”
Ruan Liuzheng committed that to memory and smiled.
“Thank you.”
Zhang Xiaoquan thought to himself:
Another day of being dazzled by her beauty.
After work, Ruan Liuzheng returned first to prepare dinner.
Xie Jinghuai still wasn’t home.
She opened the rice sack and discovered that all the coarse rice was gone, replaced entirely with refined rice.
Beside the sack lay a slab of cured pork.
The smile at the corner of Ruan Liuzheng’s lips grew even more meaningful.
Well then… if that’s the case, I’d better put on a good performance.