Liu Hongxia’s expression was also unpleasant. She had finally figured out this Jiang Muxue—she just kept targeting Sister Shen alone, refusing to let go.
Not to mention, it wasn’t just Sister Shen resting here now; she and Educated Youth Mu were also present. The insinuations in Jiang’s words weren’t just aimed at Sister Shen—they also targeted her and Educated Youth Mu.
On the train, she had thought this female educated youth was a kind-hearted person, but after a day of interaction, no matter what Sister Shen said or did, Jiang always had something sarcastic to say.
“Educated Youth Jiang, Educated Youth Mu and I just came back from gathering firewood. Sister Shen has been tidying up all along—can’t you see that? The moment Sister Shen sat down, you came sniffing around. Aren’t you meddling a bit too much?”
Jiang Muxue’s tears came on cue. “Educated Youth Liu, I didn’t mean it that way. I just wanted to show concern for Educated Youth Shen. How could you say that about me…”
Shen Qingyu interrupted her, her calm, unruffled eyes fixed on Jiang. “What are you crying for?”
Jiang Muxue was taken aback, looking at her with teary eyes, momentarily confused.
“What?”
She asked instinctively.
Shen Qingyu repeated calmly, “I said, what are you crying for!”
Jiang Muxue bit her lip, looking every bit the picture of someone who had been bullied.
“I… I’m just a bit sad. Educated Youth Liu misunderstood me…”
Shen Qingyu noticed people outside hearing the commotion and walking over. Her tone was cold. “Isn’t what she said the truth? The moment you arrived, you started making sarcastic remarks without even understanding the situation. Have I been idle and not doing any work, or what?”
Seeing others approaching, Jiang Muxue cried even more pitifully. “I didn’t. I was just concerned about you, Educated Youth Shen. How could you slander me like this?”
Shen Qingyu continued, “Are we that close?”
Liu Caifeng walked over, glancing at Shen Qingyu and the other two, then at Jiang Muxue standing at the doorway as if being bullied by the three of them.
“What’s going on here?”
Liu Hongxia rolled her eyes and said irritably, “Educated Youth Shen was here tending the fire so everyone could wash up. Educated Youth Jiang came over and accused Educated Youth Shen of slacking off without even understanding the situation.”
“Comrade Jiang, how could you do that? Comrade Shen has been busy all along—everyone has seen it. How could you slander her like this?”
“Exactly, Comrade Jiang, you’re in the wrong here.”
“Comrade Jiang, you should apologize to Comrade Shen.”
Several male and female educated youths chattered at Jiang Muxue.
This time, Jiang Muxue was truly angered to tears, feeling both furious and resentful inside.
But she couldn’t afford to openly break ties so soon.
In the end, reluctantly, with a grievance-filled expression and through sobs, she apologized to Shen Qingyu.
Shen Qingyu merely said indifferently, “I hope Educated Youth Jiang will focus on herself in the future and not use the pretense of caring for others to imply false things everywhere?”
Then she fell silent. The fiery glow from the stove illuminated her cold, distant face.
Jiang Muxue, pale-faced, ran back to the female educated youth dormitory.
The others exchanged glances and dispersed.
Mu Yue gently tugged at the corner of Shen Qingyu’s clothes and whispered, “Sister Shen, this Jiang Muxue seems particularly fixated on you.”
Shen Qingyu tilted her head slightly to look at her, her gaze calm with a hint of surprise. “You think so too?”
Mu Yue nodded. “Yes, I sensed it on the train.”
Although she hadn’t paid much attention to her surroundings, she could hear and feel it.
“Her gaze when she looks at you is strange, though I can’t quite pinpoint what’s strange about it. Sister Shen, you should be careful of her.”
Shen Qingyu felt a warmth in her heart, a rare smile appearing on her face. “Yes, I will. Thank you.”
The large iron pot was big enough, and a few pots of hot water were basically sufficient for the entire group to take a bath.
Shen Qingyu was the last to bathe. By the time she finished and returned to the girls’ dormitory, everyone was already lying down.
Some had even fallen asleep.
Seeing Shen Qingyu return, Mu Yue whispered, “Sister Shen, you’re back.”
Shen Qingyu replied softly, “Yes, go to sleep now. We have work tomorrow.”
As she spoke, she took off her shoes and coat and slipped into her bed.
Closing her eyes, she pondered how to speak to the team leader tomorrow and the plans for the house.
She had to hurry and move out to live on her own.
On the other side of the room, Jiang Muxue lay awake, staring at the dark rafters overhead.
Her mind was filled with thoughts about how much Shen Qingyu had changed compared to her previous life.
This made her uneasy. In her past life, Shen Qingyu had been a foolish, brainless idiot, easily led astray with just a few words. But now, Shen Qingyu was not only clever but also sharp-tongued.
It made her suspect once again whether Shen Qingyu was like her—someone who had been reborn.
But then again, it didn’t seem so. Otherwise, why would Shen Qingyu be so cold and distant toward Ji Yiqing, her partner in the previous life?
In her past life, she had married Zhao Tiezhu, thinking that as the son of the village party secretary, he would help her return to the city and live a good life.
What she hadn’t expected was that Zhao Tiezhu was nothing but a useless, hopeless failure.
And his family members were no better.
At first, Zhao Tiezhu had treated her well, not letting her work in the fields or cook at home. All she had to do was lie around, and she would have food and drink.
But everything changed after she became pregnant and gave birth to a daughter.
The Zhao family was disappointed that the first child wasn’t a son, and before the child was even a year old, they began pressuring her to have another.
Before her body had fully recovered, she became pregnant again, and this time, it was another daughter. Their attitude changed completely, convinced she couldn’t bear a son.
On top of that, childbirth had changed her figure and appearance, and Zhao Tiezhu no longer felt the same affection for her.
During an argument, Zhao Tiezhu pushed her, and her head hit the corner of a table. When she woke up again, she found herself back on the train heading to the countryside.
In her past life, Zhao Xiaoling had taken a liking to Ji Yiqing, constantly trying to win his favor. In the end, she was forced to drug him, but by a twist of fate, Shen Qingyu and Ji Yiqing ended up together and got married. After the college entrance exams were reinstated, Ji Yiqing even took Shen Qingyu back to the city with him.
After graduating from university, Ji Yiqing started a business, which grew bigger and bigger. The next time she heard about them was on television—Shen Qingyu had become a wealthy lady, while she…
Why should Shen Qingyu, an orphan, have such good fortune, while she ended up with such a miserable fate?
She refused to accept it. Since fate had given her a second chance, she would climb up by stepping on Shen Qingyu.
In this life, she would be the wealthy lady, the one who returned to the city. Shen Qingyu deserved the same fate she had suffered in her past life.
Jiang Muxue’s mind raced with these thoughts.
At the same time, she was scheming about how to deal with Shen Qingyu again.
Shen Qingyu had no idea that Jiang Muxue was planning to target her once more.
By now, she had already fallen into a deep sleep.
After all, she hadn’t slept well for several days.
As dawn broke, the piercing sound of the production team’s iron whistle shattered the tranquility of the early morning.
The warehouse instantly descended into chaos. The educated youths still in their sleep were jolted awake, scrambling to put on clothes, fold blankets, and search for their toiletries.
Gasps, complaints, and the dull thuds of hurriedly rising bodies bumping into wooden boards all mingled together, filling the air with a sense of panic and the irritable grogginess of interrupted sleep.