What was she hiding?
Rong Zhaonan thoughtfully stroked the Trailblazer Knife in his hand.
…
In the other main room, several female Educated Youth were gathered together, whispering.
“Ning Yuan is so shameless. She’s a loose woman herself, yet she dares to slander you…” Huang Xuehong cursed angrily.
“Forget it.” Tang Zhenzhen shook her head, putting on an understanding facade.
She lowered her eyes. “Ning Yuan is ideologically backward. She’s given up on herself and is messing around with a bad element. We should just ignore her.”
Within the small clique of female Educated Youth, Tang Zhenzhen had always been the leader. It was easy for her to ostracize or target anyone she pleased.
Huang Xuehong pouted. “Zhenzhen, you’re just too nice. Ning Yuan used to follow you around like a puppy, and now she dares to throw a tantrum at you.”
Tang Zhenzhen stared at the door curtain of the storage room, a cold glint flashing in her eyes. “It’s fine. We are all comrades.”
Ning Yuan had taken such a vicious bite out of her today, and she hadn’t settled that score yet. Not to mention, Ning Yuan had dared to expose her feelings for Li Yan to her face just now.
If word of that got out and the factory recruiters thought she was in a relationship here, what if it affected her chances of returning to the city?!
She had to teach that bitch Ning Yuan a lesson!
Tang Zhenzhen’s eyes darted around as a vicious idea took root in her mind.
…
Ning Yuan didn’t sleep well the entire night, constantly dreaming about her modern life and her time in the countryside.
She also dreamed that someone was always watching her every move from the shadows.
It wasn’t until she woke up and saw the dilapidated Educated Youth Spot that she once again confirmed she had truly returned to decades in the past.
And yesterday, she had made a choice that would change the course of her destiny—marrying Rong Zhaonan.
But no one knew if this was a good choice or a bad one.
“Sigh…” Ning Yuan rubbed the bridge of her nose and sighed.
She glanced at the other three beds, which were already empty. The three of them had already gone to work without waking her.
Ning Yuan didn’t care. She had planned to ask for leave from the production team today anyway to get the Marriage Introduction Letter. She would just let them deduct her work points.
She sat up with a blank expression and began to get dressed.
She couldn’t stay at the Educated Youth Spot any longer. Never mind what other malicious ideas they might have; just the sight of Tang Zhenzhen and the others disgusted her.
After a simple wash-up, Ning Yuan took out her old leather suitcase and packed her clothes, along with her enamel mug, towel, and toothbrush.
Her stomach rumbled.
Food and drink were already scarce in this era, and she hadn’t eaten much last night.
Ning Yuan opened the cabinet, intending to get some salted vegetables to make some porridge.
But when her gaze fell on Tang Zhenzhen’s bed, her eyes narrowed.
She closed the broken cabinet, walked over, and unceremoniously dragged out Tang Zhenzhen’s suitcase, opening it directly.
Beneath two layers of clothes, she pulled out a square, red biscuit tin.
Inside was more than half a pack of biscuits wrapped in oil paper, six or seven Great White Rabbit Milk Candies, and a crisp, new five-yuan bill with the Great Steel Refining design.
Tang Zhenzhen cherished these biscuits and candies. They were a rarity—sent from Shanghai.
Without any hesitation, Ning Yuan filled her own lunch box with some hot water from a thermos and began eating the biscuits.
She didn’t feel the slightest bit embarrassed. These were all things her older cousin had sent her, which Tang Zhenzhen had coaxed away.
As an Educated Youth, she had no family or friends in the village. In order to fit into Tang Zhenzhen’s little clique, she had often voluntarily “paid tribute” to them.
But now that she was going to “put down roots” in the village and had already fallen out with Tang Zhenzhen, what was the point of holding back?
After eating four or five biscuits to soothe her stomach, she packed the remaining biscuits and candies into her suitcase.
Carrying her bedding on her back and dragging her suitcase and a thermos, she walked out the door, heading toward the dilapidated hut by the Cowshed where Rong Zhaonan lived.
At this early hour, both the villagers and the Educated Youth were out working.
The dilapidated hut by the Cowshed where Rong Zhaonan lived was in a remote spot at the foot of the mountain, so she barely encountered anyone along the way.
This was a relief to Ning Yuan. She didn’t want to listen to people’s taunts and sarcasm first thing in the morning.
As she was carrying her old suitcase down a small forest path, a figure suddenly darted out and blocked her way.
Ning Yuan looked at the person and frowned. “Wang Jianhua, what are you doing here? Get out of my way!”
Wang Jianhua had a long face and a center-parted hairstyle. He was wearing gray-blue work pants and an old cotton shirt, looking like an upstanding person.
But the way he stared at Ning Yuan was filled with both jealousy and hatred. “You’re that desperate to go live with that bad element? You could have slept with anyone, but you slept with that kind of trash?”
His vulgar words made Ning Yuan sick to her stomach.
She looked at him coldly. “Isn’t this what you wanted? Now I definitely won’t get the factory recruitment spot. What more do you want?”
Wang Jianhua’s face fell, and he glared at her fiercely. “It’s all because you weren’t willing to date me! If you had dated me, I wouldn’t have done this to you. Wouldn’t it be great if we returned to the city together!”
Ning Yuan said with disgust, “With a disgusting person like you, I’d rather date a dog than date you!”
If he couldn’t have it, he had to destroy it. This kind of despicable man disgusted her no matter the era!
With that, she tried to walk around him with her luggage.
But the next moment, as she passed by, Wang Jianhua suddenly grabbed her and began to roughly drag her into the woods at the side of the path—
“Since you’ve even slept with someone like Rong Zhaonan, you might as well sleep with me too!”
This little bitch. He had pursued her with all his heart, yet she slept with a reform-through-labor element from the Cowshed like Rong Zhaonan and was now going to marry him.
Women were so damn cheap. They became devoted to whoever they slept with!
Ning Yuan’s face turned pale with fright, and she struggled desperately. “Mmph… Wang Jianhua, let go! Hooliganism is punishable by execution!”
But Wang Jianhua just sneered and reached out to cover her mouth. “Yesterday, everyone found out you’re a loose woman who sleeps around. If you say you were raped by me, a Five-Good Youth who was just commended by the team, will anyone believe you?”
As he spoke, he pushed Ning Yuan to the ground.
Ning Yuan was furious, her body trembling with disgust. This animal…
The suitcase fell to one side, its contents scattering on the ground. A small pair of hair-cutting scissors landed nearby.
She snatched the small scissors, her eyes filled with hatred, and raised her hand to stab at Wang Jianhua.
But someone was faster than her.
With a “bang!” accompanied by the sound of a bone cracking, Wang Jianhua was kicked away with a miserable scream.
“Ah!!”
The next moment, Wang Jianhua was sent flying with a clean, decisive motion, tumbling down into the ditch on the right side of the woods.
His head hit a rock with a thud. He let out a muffled groan, covered in blood, and passed out in the ditch.
A tall figure stood before Ning Yuan, silhouetted against the light. The sunlight coated his form in a layer of cold, menacing gold.
Ning Yuan stared at him in a daze. “Rong… Rong Zhaonan?”
“Are you alright?” The man’s gaze, as cold as a blade, swept over her, and Ning Yuan subconsciously flinched.
It was a chilling, murderous aura… the kind of aura only possessed by someone who had seen blood and had taken many lives.
She had seen this kind of aura in her past life on a decorated veteran hero from the Vietnam War—
The old veteran had snapped the necks of three knife-wielding robbers in just a few moves.
“Get up?” Rong Zhaonan extended a hand to her. Beneath his rolled-up sleeves, his long arms were lean and powerful, the muscles flowing with explosive strength.
Ning Yuan instinctively shrank back.
It was the primal fear a person feels when facing a predator like a wild beast.
She didn’t dare take his hand and scrambled to her feet in a panic, her face somewhat pale. “I… I’m fine… I can manage on my own.”
He was clearly so powerful. Why had he let himself be drugged by Wang Jianhua? Why didn’t he fight back when the villagers beat him?
In her past life, he had even been beaten blind in one eye.
Rong Zhaonan watched the little girl in front of him, who looked like a rabbit that had seen a wolf, and the corners of his lips curled.
Wasn’t she quite bold and calm last night?
Just a moment ago, she was so fierce, daring to stab the man who tried to violate her with scissors. But when it came to him, she was scared?
Was it because she was naturally perceptive?
Or was it because she had ulterior motives, already knew his background and his former identity, and that was why she was afraid?
Behind his black-framed glasses, an inscrutable light flashed in Rong Zhaonan’s deep eyes.
He suddenly reached out and clasped her wrist. With a seemingly casual but skillful tug, he pulled her into his arms.
“Ugh—” Ning Yuan’s whole body stiffened.