Song Xingui tugged at the corner of her mouth, as if she knew exactly what kind of person Liu Suya was. That woman was just plain hypocritical.
She smiled and looked at everyone in the educated youth compound. “Why don’t we ask the brigade leader? What if we actually get the assignment?”
“I heard that guarding the water at night just means sitting beside the irrigation ditch. You can even lie down and sleep. You don’t have to do anything. It’s super easy.”
Quite a few of the educated youths were stirred up by her words and began itching to give it a try.
Shi Yanlan couldn’t take it anymore. “If you want to go, go yourselves. Don’t count me in.”
She looked around at everyone. “Do you really think guarding the water at night is that easy? Forget about how many mosquitoes there are at night—there are snakes too, and there could even be wild wolves around.”
“And that’s not all. Do you know how many people Maotou Village sends out to guard the water every night? Twelve people, every single night. We only have six. If a fight really breaks out, do you think you can take a beating?”
Wushan Village was much smaller than Maotou Village, so they couldn’t spare a large number of people. Besides, after witnessing Chu Yan’s fighting ability, the brigade had only arranged for six people to guard the water.
Everyone hesitated again.
Working in the fields was tiring, but they were even more afraid of fighting. They simply couldn’t win.
Li Anan’s eyes widened. “There are wild wolves around Xinshu Woods?”
Shi Yanlan shook her head. “I don’t know about wolves, but there really are wild boars around there. I heard wild boars came down the mountain and wrecked the crops before.”
Li Anan sucked in a sharp breath. “Wild boars!”
She hurriedly waved her hands. “Forget it, then. I’m weak. Whether I run into a wild boar or get into a fight with people, I can’t handle it.”
Xu Qian smiled and took her hand. “I’m just like Educated Youth Li. I’m not going either.”
“And don’t let certain people lead you astray and turn you into their tools. Whether it’s Educated Youth Chu or Educated Youth Luo, they earned the job of guarding the water at night through their own abilities.”
“Some people only look at what benefits others get without considering what those people are capable of. Didn’t you see what Guo Aimin and the others looked like after getting beaten up?”
Everyone immediately thought of Guo Aimin and Guo Guoyuan, who had been coming out these past two days despite their injuries.
Their faces were truly a sight to behold. They had been beaten absolutely black and blue.
Thinking about that, everyone except Song Xingui, Yuan Jiansi, and Liu Suya immediately backed down and abandoned the idea.
Liu Suya’s expression was unpleasant, but she forced a laugh. “I-I’m not going either.”
Song Xingui was so angry she could have spat blood. She glared viciously at Shi Yanlan.
It was all that bitch’s fault.
Shi Yanlan stuck her tongue out at her. After returning, she told Luo Xi everything, not forgetting to remind her,
“Educated Youth Song and Educated Youth Yuan clearly aren’t the type to sit quietly. You should be careful around them, just in case they try something.”
Luo Xi smiled gratefully. “Thank you, Educated Youth Shi.”
Shi Yanlan waved her hand. “What are you thanking me for? We’re all revolutionary comrades.”
“It’s just…” She suddenly looked a little embarrassed. “We’re already this familiar with each other. Calling each other Educated Youth this and Educated Youth that feels too distant. How about I call you Xixi?”
Luo Xi nodded enthusiastically. “Sure! Then can I call you Little Stone?”
Shi Yanlan: “……”
Wait, what kind of nickname was that?
Shouldn’t it have been Yanyan or Lanlan?
Luo Xi burst out laughing. “I’m kidding. I’ll call you Sister Lan instead. You seem to be two years older than me.”
Shi Yanlan chuckled. “That’s right.”
Luo Xi never expected that just that evening, shortly after Shi Yanlan said those words, Yuan Jiansi would come looking for her.
When she heard the sneaky knocking at her door, Luo Xi immediately sensed that something was off.
“Who is it?”
The knocking was incredibly soft, tentative little taps, giving off the distinct impression of someone sneaking around like a thief.
Yuan Jiansi’s low voice came from outside. “It’s me. Open the door.”
Luo Xi cursed her luck inwardly. She should have just ignored him.
“I’m not here.”
Yuan Jiansi: “……”
“I need to talk to you about something.”
Seeing that the sky was gradually darkening, Luo Xi still opened the door.
“What is it?”
Yuan Jiansi’s expression was complicated. It felt like it had been a long time since he had spoken to her. She seemed even prettier than before.
Luo Xi watched his dead-fish eyes stare at her without blinking. Her fingers twitched slightly.
She really wanted to pluck his eyeballs out.
“If you have something to say, say it. Otherwise, I’m closing the door.”
Yuan Jiansi’s heart tightened.
This woman really didn’t understand his feelings for her at all.
“You’re guarding the water at night now, aren’t you? Why don’t you give the job to Xingui?”
Luo Xi looked at him as though he were an idiot.
“Have you ever considered that you might not actually be human? Seriously, I can’t understand your thought process. Why don’t you go buy a packet of rat poison and try it? If you eat it and die, that proves you’re a rat!”
Yuan Jiansi froze.
He immediately felt rage surge through him.
This bitch actually dared to call him a sneaky rat!
He swallowed his anger and deliberately softened his voice.
“You know Xingui is physically delicate. She isn’t used to farm work. She won’t need to do it for long. Just let her guard the water for two days, then switch back with her.”
Luo Xi was so angry that she laughed.
“Did your father shoot you onto the wall, then stuff you back into your mother’s womb by force, and that’s how you ended up as this defective product?”
It took Yuan Jiansi quite a while to understand what she meant.
His face flushed red, and his entire body trembled with anger.
“You—you’re a girl! How can you speak so crudely?”
Luo Xi looked completely innocent.
“How was I crude?”
Seeing how utterly unconcerned Luo Xi was, a dark glint flashed through Yuan Jiansi’s eyes.
He felt deeply humiliated, and his voice turned vicious.
“Luo Xi, you’d better give up your position guarding the water at night. Otherwise, I’ll expose your identity.”
Luo Xi raised an eyebrow.
“Oh? What identity do I have?”
Yuan Jiansi gave a cold laugh.
“Don’t think I don’t know who you are. Your family has lived overseas for all these years. You’re either from a capitalist-roader family or a spy. At the very least, you’re a capitalist!”
Luo Xi couldn’t help laughing.
This man really was stupid in the most straightforward way possible.
He hadn’t even figured out Luo Huizhou’s identity, yet he already dared to threaten her.
Her identity wasn’t something just anyone could touch. If there was truly someone capable of doing anything to her, it would have to be someone from the higher levels.
Then again, it made sense. Luo Huizhou’s identity was confidential to begin with, and not many people knew about it.
“Whether I’m a capitalist is another matter. But your Xingui is definitely the daughter of a capitalist—and an illegitimate one at that. What do you think would happen if I exposed her identity?”
Yuan Jiansi’s pupils shrank.
“You—you know?”
By now, the sky had gone completely dark.
Luo Xi smiled, her eyes curving into crescents.
“How I know is none of your damn business. Now get lost!”
With that, she slammed the door shut.
Yuan Jiansi nearly got his nose caught in it and hurriedly stumbled two steps backward.
Staring at the tightly closed door, he was so furious he almost fainted. His vision began to darken, and it took him quite a while to recover.
Oh.
It was simply because it had gotten dark.
He let out a sigh of relief, silently cursing Luo Xi’s ancestors a few times before turning around and leaving.
By then, it was completely dark.
There was still some distance between the educated youth compound and Luo Xi’s house, and most of the way consisted of narrow paths. Yuan Jiansi walked very slowly, afraid that he might accidentally trip and fall.
The educated youth compound was getting closer and closer.
He only needed to cross the half-person-high grassy path ahead, and he would be there.
Just as he was thinking this, a strange sound suddenly came from behind him.
Before he could turn around to see what it was, a sharp pain exploded across his back.
At almost the exact same moment, something struck him hard in the waist.