In the square outside the brigade headquarters, dozens of pairs of eyes were fixed on Li Chunhua, who was sprawled helplessly in the mud.
Their gazes were filled with shock, contempt, and barely concealed delight at her misfortune.
In the 1970s, when a person’s reputation could be destroyed by nothing more than a few words of gossip, an unmarried young woman sneaking into a haystack with a notorious loafer was enough to ruin her name completely.
“Tsk, tsk! I never would have guessed. Li Chunhua usually struts around like a proud peacock. Who knew she was so wild behind closed doors?”
“Wang Ergou doesn’t even have a single dime in his pocket. What does she see in him? His refusal to bathe?”
“What else could it be? He must be good at sweet-talking women! What a shameless woman! She’s completely disgraced the Li family!”
“And she still wanted to steal her sister-in-law’s job so she could move to the city! At this rate, the only place she’ll be moving into is a pigsty!”
The pointing fingers and whispered gossip felt like countless steel needles stabbing into Li Chunhua’s body.
Covering her swollen face, she wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole.
Her tears mingled with the muddy water, carving two ridiculous-looking trails down her face.
Her entire body trembled like a sieve, and she couldn’t even manage a single word of defense.
As Miao Cuihua listened to the vicious remarks, her old face turned red, then white, then purple.
Her most precious daughter.
The pride and joy she had hoped would marry into a city family and enjoy a comfortable life.
Today, right outside the brigade headquarters, in front of the entire village, her daughter’s dirty secrets had been exposed for everyone to see!
“Yu Qinghuan! You black-hearted little whore! I’ll tear that mouth of yours apart!”
Miao Cuihua had completely lost her mind.
The overwhelming humiliation and fury had stripped away every last bit of her reason.
She spread her ten sharp fingernails and let out a piercing scream.
Like a rabid cat with bloodshot eyes, she lunged straight at Yu Qinghuan.
She was going to tear that wretched girl to pieces!
She would gouge out her eyes and rip her mouth apart!
However—
Yu Qinghuan remained exactly where she stood. She didn’t even shift the soles of her feet.
As Miao Cuihua came hurtling toward her, Yu Qinghuan merely raised the thick-backed woodcutting cleaver in her right hand and positioned it horizontally in front of her chest.
The blade was bright white.
Under the morning sunlight, it reflected a cold, bone-chilling gleam.
Its sharp edge pointed directly toward Miao Cuihua’s incoming body.
“SKREEECH!”
Miao Cuihua abruptly slammed on the brakes.
The soles of her cloth shoes scraped harshly against the gravel, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Her sharp fingernails were now less than two centimeters away from the gleaming blade.
If she took even half a step farther, both her hands would be sliced clean off by that enormous cleaver!
Cold sweat.
It instantly began to bead across Miao Cuihua’s forehead.
She froze in place, mouth hanging open, her entire body trembling. The madness in her eyes was extinguished in an instant by icy fear.
Yu Qinghuan lowered her gaze slightly, looking at Miao Cuihua, who stood mere inches from the blade.
The corners of her lips curved into an exceptionally gentle smile that somehow sent chills down everyone’s spine.
“Mom, why don’t you try moving one more inch closer?”
“My hands are sore from working last night. What if I accidentally lose my grip…”
“Your head might not survive the mistake.”
Her voice was soft.
It was even fair to call it gentle.
Yet every single person present, including Miao Cuihua herself, shuddered from head to toe.
That wretched girl—
She really would chop someone to death!
Miao Cuihua swallowed hard, trembling as she took two steps backward. She no longer dared utter another word.
The surrounding villagers stared at Yu Qinghuan, who held the cleaver in one hand and remained completely calm.
A chill crept into every one of their hearts.
“Oh, my goodness! The Li family has really driven an honest woman completely mad this time!”
“Yu Qinghuan used to be such an obedient girl. She barely even dared to raise her voice. Just look at her now…”
“Even a rabbit will bite when it’s pushed too far. Whatever you do, don’t provoke a lunatic!”
“From now on, if I see her coming down the road, I’ll make sure to walk around her. What if she suddenly loses her mind and chops me with that thing? There won’t be anyone I can complain to!”
“Exactly! Stay away from her. That young wife has become far too fierce!”
Low murmurs spread throughout the square outside the brigade headquarters.
Yu Qinghuan held the cleaver in one hand and coldly surveyed the fearful expressions on the villagers’ faces.
This was exactly the effect she wanted.
In the countryside, if you were honest and easygoing, people would bully you and take advantage of you.
But as long as you acted like a lunatic who wasn’t afraid of dying—
As long as you held a blade in your hand and made it clear that anyone who dared take a bite out of you would have their throat bitten out in return—
Then not a single person in the entire village would dare mistreat you again!
Her plan to establish her authority by going on a rampage had been a complete success in Hongqi Production Brigade!
From this day forward, she, Yu Qinghuan, would be the one nobody dared mess with in this village. No one would ever be able to push her around again!
Just as Yu Qinghuan was savoring her victory, a tall shadow slowly fell over her, enveloping her entire figure.
Li Zhengting, dressed in his immaculate military uniform, walked across the gravel.
Step by step, he approached Yu Qinghuan.
The imposing presence of a man who had spent years in the military—and had even seen combat on the battlefield—pressed down on the surroundings like an enormous, overwhelming wave.
Li Zhengting’s deep, dark eyes were calm yet complicated.
He looked at the woman who was, in name, his newlywed wife.
Her face was smeared with stove ash, her hair was slightly disheveled, and her clothes were covered in mud.
She looked rather disheveled.
Yet the enormous cleaver in her hand, along with the unyielding—and even somewhat crazed—sharpness in her eyes, caused Li Zhengting’s heart to tremble ever so slightly.
This girl…
She seemed to have absolutely nothing in common with the “gentle, obedient, sensible” young woman his mother had described in her letters.
Li Zhengting looked down at her from his towering height. His voice was deep and resonant, carrying an unquestionable authority.
“Put the cleaver down.”
“Whatever happened, we’ll discuss it at home.”