Lin Ran recognized the man at a glance as the third son of the Qin family, Qin Jianyi. After all, she still had her eyes on his position as the brigade’s scorekeeper.
As for the female comrade in red, she seemed to be a sent-down youth who had arrived not long ago. If Lin Ran remembered correctly, her name was Zhou Manman. She wore her hair in a high ponytail every day and was quite a nonconformist.
Since where they stood was the only path Lin Ran and Sanya could take to get home, and because the two girls had already emerged from the brush, it was hard to say if the pair had seen them yet. To avoid them now would be like “plugging one’s ears while stealing a bell”—a blatant act of self-deception. Thus, Lin Ran didn’t try to stay out of sight and walked directly toward them.
The two seemed not to notice Lin Ran and Sanya’s approach and continued their conversation. As Lin Ran drew closer, their voices reached her ears.
“Comrade Zhou, I’ll be entering the textile factory soon and becoming a city dweller.”
“If you agree to be in a relationship with me, you can openly take over my job as scorekeeper. You won’t have to do backbreaking farm work anymore, and in the future, you can come to the city with me whenever you like.”
“I know you’re from the city and can’t handle field work at all. As long as you’re with me, I promise I’ll never let you suffer again, and I can even help you return to the city.”
Qin Jianyi spoke with visible excitement. He had taken a liking to Zhou Manman from the moment she arrived in the countryside. Although he frequently hovered around her to curry favor, Zhou Manman had always treated him with disdain.
His mother had told him that Zhou Manman was a city girl and would never look down upon a country bumpkin like him, telling him to give up on the idea. But he was unwilling. He wasn’t just any ordinary villager; he was the scorekeeper. Who in the production brigade didn’t treat him with respect?
Because of this, he looked down on the local village girls, thinking they were all uncouth and unworthy of him. Only a city girl like Zhou Manman—beautiful, with a fine figure and a walk that made his heart melt—was a proper match for him. Furthermore, seeing how generously she spent money, her family was likely very wealthy. That was his ideal wife!
Fortunately, the opportunity had finally arrived. Now that he was about to move to the city, could Zhou Manman possibly find a better match than him?
Just as Qin Jianyi was brimming with confidence, certain that Zhou Manman would definitely agree this time, he heard her response.
“First of all, is this scorekeeper job your family’s property? You think you can just give it to whoever you want? Do you think the rest of the brigade would agree to that?”
“Also, as far as I know, you only have a primary school education. With that level of schooling, the best you can get at a textile factory is a position as a temporary worker.”
“Let me educate you a bit: temporary workers aren’t eligible for urban household registration.”
“So, even if you go to the city as a temporary worker, you’ll still have a rural hukou. You’ll still be a villager. Do you understand?”
“Finally, I do not agree to be in a relationship with you. Even if you really move to the city, I still won’t agree. Please stop seeking me out privately in the future!”
After speaking with a look of utter contempt, Zhou Manman turned and walked away with her head held high. She left a red-faced Qin Jianyi standing there with his head bowed, his fists clenched so tightly they could be heard creaking.
Having overheard the entire exchange, Lin Ran didn’t particularly care about the drama between them. What she was worried about now was that since Qin Jianyi had leaked the news, even the people at the youth reception center knew about it. This would make it much more difficult for her to use her prior knowledge to secure the scorekeeper job.
Lin Ran’s brow furrowed slightly. She thought about telling Lin Weiguo once she got back so he would be prepared. In her momentary distraction, she happened to cross paths with Zhou Manman.
Walking back with long strides and her head held high, Zhou Manman only noticed Lin Ran beside her then. Her heart, already irritated by Qin Jianyi’s harassment, became even more explosive.
As expected of people from this brigade—they’re all obnoxious. She actually eavesdropped on my conversation? Didn’t she know to avoid us? How shameless!
It was truly infuriating. As the daughter of the richest man in her world, she felt unlucky enough just for having transmigrated to this backward era. To make matters worse, she had been forced to go to the countryside and meet so many annoying people. It was a tragedy on top of a tragedy!
Because she was in a foul mood, Zhou Manman didn’t want to hold back. She quickened her pace and deliberately slammed into Lin Ran, knocking her to the side with an air of righteous indignation.
“Serves you right! Who told you to block the road!”
Having vented her frustration, Zhou Manman felt a bit better.
Lin Ran stumbled from the impact. If Zheng Sanya hadn’t been quick enough to catch her, she might have fallen. She was a bit stunned—who had she provoked now?
Seeing Zhou Manman turn to leave as if nothing had happened, Lin Ran grew angry. She had never suffered such an indignity in her entire life. Her voice immediately turned cold.
“Comrade Zhou, please apologize!”
Zhou Manman hadn’t expected Lin Ran to be so bold. It was just a little bump; what was the big deal? She hadn’t even blamed Lin Ran for eavesdropping yet. She felt a surge of annoyance.
“Didn’t I say it? You were blocking my way!”
Lin Ran let out a light sneer.
“Is this road owned by your family? Are you the only one allowed to walk on it? Does our presence mean we deserve to be hit by you? Do you want to shout those words out so others can judge who is right?”
Zhou Manman was at a loss for words. She knew she was in the wrong logically, so she stopped pretending and said directly:
“You have the nerve to talk to me about logic? Then is it okay for you to eavesdrop on our conversation? Don’t you know what it means to stay clear of others’ private business?”
At this point, Lin Ran realized that she had offended the woman by not avoiding the scene earlier. However, she felt she was being wrongly accused. How was she supposed to know these two would discuss such private matters on a road where people were constantly passing by? She didn’t want to hear it either!
Although it was working hours and fewer people went up the mountain, that didn’t mean there was no one. There were many elderly people and children in the village who didn’t work the fields and would come here to cut pig grass or dig for wild vegetables.
Therefore, Lin Ran didn’t think she had done anything wrong and naturally wasn’t going to humor her. She retorted immediately:
“We were coming down the mountain openly. How was I to know you would be discussing secrets on a public road where people come and go?”
“We had already seen you when we came down. If we had avoided you then and someone had seen us, that would truly have branded us as eavesdroppers!”
“So, please remember to find a more hidden place next time before you say your private words, so you don’t have to go around biting people afterward!”
“What nonsense are you talking about? What ‘private words’? Don’t go splashing dirty water on people!”
Zhou Manman jumped in anger. If others heard this, they might think there was something going on between her and Qin Jianyi.
Lin Ran maintained her calm and composed posture, her tone faint:
“If you weren’t saying private words, then why are you so nervous? Are you afraid of others hearing?”
Zhou Manman couldn’t win the argument against Lin Ran and could only grit her teeth and hurl a threat.
“You! Fine! You’re very good! Lin Ran, I’ve remembered you. You just wait and see!”
After saying that, she stomped her foot in hatred and left without looking back.
Over there, Qin Jianyi had also seen Lin Ran and Zheng Sanya. Realizing that his earlier embarrassment had been witnessed by others—especially in front of the “flower of the village,” Lin Ran—his face flushed bright red. He glared at them with a forced, fierce expression and threatened:
“Don’t you go out and talk nonsense, you hear? If I find out you’re making up stories about me in the brigade, I’ll show you what’s what!”
With that, he walked away dejectedly.
Lin Ran was somewhat speechless. Forget it; since she was also partly at fault this time, she wouldn’t bother with those two.
However, Zheng Sanya was still fuming.
“That sent-down youth is so annoying. She almost knocked you down, Sister Ranran. She’s so mean!”
Seeing her little face puffed out with anger, looking even more upset than the person involved, Lin Ran couldn’t help but feel caught between laughter and tears.
“Alright, don’t be angry. Let’s hurry back.”
Once the two of them had walked far away, Lin Meng stood up from the bushes.