As that voice spoke, its owner stepped forward. It was Zhou Xiaomei, the Party Secretary’s daughter. Her expression carried no malice—her wide eyes only looked curiously at Jiang Shanshan, and her healthy, wheat-colored face showed not the slightest hint of mockery.
But Jiang Shanshan’s face flushed crimson. She bit her lip, shoved Liu Lina aside, and hurried away.
Liu Lina felt utterly helpless. She turned back apologetically to Cheng Ning and said, “Comrade Cheng, please don’t hold it against her. She has family troubles, and her mood hasn’t been good lately.”
“Bad mood, so she bullies the newcomer? Does she think she’s some pampered young lady from the old society?” Wang Xiaojuan snapped angrily.
Beside her, Xu Dongmei’s face was stern: “And the first thing out of her mouth is to trample someone else’s reputation. She knows what it means to be ashamed, but doesn’t she realize another girl’s reputation is just as important? For a young woman, whose reputation isn’t precious?”
Even Liu Lina’s cheeks burned red at that. Still, she turned to Cheng Ning with earnestness: “Comrade Cheng, I’m sorry. Shanshan really isn’t a bad person. She’s just impulsive, speaks harshly, and doesn’t think about consequences. But she truly doesn’t mean harm. Please don’t hold it against her.”
Cheng Ning replied sincerely, “Mm, I won’t hold it against her. Didn’t I just talk back to her already?”
Everyone: “……”
Many people burst out laughing. But the laughter wasn’t malicious—it was hearty and good-natured.
Liu Lina’s face grew even redder. Seeing her embarrassment, Cheng Ning felt she might be bullying an honest person. She thought about how all of them were educated youths sent down together, with many hardships ahead. They needed unity, not division between dormitories. So she gave Liu Lina a kind smile and said gently, “This isn’t your fault. You don’t need to apologize to me.”
After a pause, she added, “Since you speak up for her, she must have her good points. But to me, she’s still a stranger. For her to immediately accuse me of chasing after a man and being despised—that’s unfair. Put yourself in my shoes: if I weren’t the type to talk back, if I were a softer, more sensitive girl, should I just endure her venting, then suffer gossip and humiliation afterward? Even as her friend, you should be fair to others too.”
She finished with another reassuring smile: “But don’t worry, I won’t hold it against her.”
Because whatever happens, she would deal with it directly, not brood over it.
Cheng Ning left with her roommates. Zhou Xiaomei followed after, having come to find Cheng Ning and Min Ran.
Behind them, Liu Lina could only give a bitter smile. She was several years older than Jiang Shanshan, and since they had grown up as neighbors in the same crowded courtyard, she had practically watched her grow up. She also knew the Jiang family’s situation quite well. So she always felt a certain pity for Jiang Shanshan. But she also understood—her own pity and tolerance for Jiang Shanshan didn’t mean others would feel the same.
The other girl was still a newcomer and younger than Jiang Shanshan by several years. She sighed.
Just as she was about to turn and leave, Zhao Zhi tugged at her hand. Perhaps mistaking her silence for embarrassment, Zhao Zhi urged, “Sister Lina, let’s go back. Let’s check on Shanshan—she must be terribly upset right now. They were a bit too aggressive.”
The two returned to the dormitory. Inside, Jiang Shanshan was crying, and their other roommate, Shen Qing, was there too.
Shen Qing was comforting Jiang Shanshan. Seeing Liu Lina and Zhao Zhi come in, she asked Liu Lina, “What happened?”
Earlier, she had asked Jiang Shanshan, but Jiang Shanshan had only cried, refusing to say anything.
So Liu Lina briefly explained what had happened, then sighed and turned to Jiang Shanshan: “You were fine, so why did you have to mock her like that? She didn’t provoke you. And Xu Dongmei was right—reputation is so important for a young woman. Once you drag in matters of men and women, it’s impossible to explain clearly.”
“She can do those things, but no one else is allowed to talk about it?”
Jiang Shanshan snapped, jumping up in anger at Liu Lina’s words.
Liu Lina: “……” Did she even know what Cheng Ning had actually done?
Even with her good temper, Liu Lina felt a headache coming on. Still, she tried to soothe her gently: “I heard she might have relatives in the brigade. Look, we’ve been here for years, and we still feel a bit distant from the villagers. But she’s only been here two days, and already she’s close with all the aunties and grannies, everyone speaking up for her. Don’t you want that teaching position the brigade is planning? At a time like this, stirring up trouble is only making things harder for yourself.”
“Not provoking her will guarantee I get the teaching spot?” Jiang Shanshan retorted angrily.
Hearing Liu Lina’s words only reinforced what Zhao Zhi had told her earlier—that Cheng Ning was two-faced, showing different sides to different people. She disliked her. And since avoiding her wouldn’t win her the position anyway, why should she swallow her own resentment?
Liu Lina: “……” That wasn’t the point.
She opened her mouth to try persuading her from another angle, but Shen Qing, who had been patting Jiang Shanshan’s shoulder, withdrew her hand and snorted: “There’s more than one spot. Our brigade leader and secretary are fair. If you work hard, it’s not impossible to get chosen. But if you give up on yourself, vent your emotions, and lash out at others, then you definitely won’t get it. And besides—does she owe you anything?”
Cheng Ning had only been here a few days. Other than a few words from Zhao Zhi, she hadn’t really interacted with them at all. They didn’t even know what kind of person she was—so rushing in to bite at her was bound to backfire. Otherwise, should a newcomer just be bullied the moment she arrives?
Jiang Shanshan lifted her head, wanting to say: *Easy for you to talk, you still have Sun Jian. What do I have?* But she only opened her mouth. She had been able to vent at the stranger Cheng Ning, yet she didn’t dare lash out at Shen Qing.
Shen Qing was never the soft type. If she provoked her, it would only make her own heart feel even more stifled. Her chest felt like it was about to explode. Her eyes burned with tears.
Seeing her like this, Liu Lina felt both angry and pitying. She tried to persuade her: “Calm down and think it over. Why not just apologize to her? I don’t think she’s unreasonable. What she said made sense, and she gets along well with her dorm mates. She doesn’t seem like a bad person. If you apologize sincerely, this matter will be over.”
Jiang Shanshan replied coldly: “No need.”
Why was she so stubborn?
Liu Lina opened her mouth, about to say more, when Jiang Shanshan suddenly declared: “When the snow melts, I’ll go to the commune with Li Sheng and get the marriage certificate.”
Everyone froze. They wanted to say something, but all fell silent.
No wonder her temper had been so sharp today. Making that decision was like pulling a taut string to its breaking point.
Later, when Jiang Shanshan went outside to fetch water, Zhao Zhi asked Liu Lina, “Sister Lina, who is Li Sheng? Shanshan said she’s getting the certificate, but you all stayed quiet.”
Liu Lina glanced at Zhao Zhi and explained: “He’s the son of Accountant Li from the brigade. He teaches at the commune’s primary school. Good job, good character. He’s liked Shanshan for years.”
By local standards, that was actually quite a good match. But Jiang Shanshan didn’t like him.
Meanwhile, back in Cheng Ning’s dormitory, everyone was talking about the incident.
Wang Xiaojuan said: “Really ridiculous. Bad temper is one thing, but bullying a newcomer? What’s that about?”
Then she turned to Cheng Ning: “You were right to talk back just now, and what you said afterward was right too! That’s how it should be. Why should we all have to give in to her? Is she some kind of royalty? ‘Bad mood’? Since when does a bad mood mean the whole world has to bow down?”
Cheng Ning smiled and shook her head: “I’ve already said my piece, so it’s fine. But as for her, maybe she really is facing some kind of difficulty right now. Later, you can tell me more about the situation here. I don’t know much about anyone yet, and it’ll help me get along better.”
She needed to carefully understand the backgrounds, temperaments, and habits of the other educated youths, both male and female. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Han Dongyuan killing someone in her previous life was suspicious. Han Dongyuan had a bad temper, yes—but he wasn’t someone who acted without measure. And many things afterward had seemed strange too. So she had to investigate carefully in advance. But there was no rush.
She turned to Zhou Xiaomei, who had been listening with great interest, and asked, “Xiaomei, why did you come over? Were you looking for me?”
She noticed Zhou Xiaomei’s eyes were red. Though she seemed cheerful now, she wasn’t her usual sunny self.
“Mm, yes, I came for something,” Zhou Xiaomei said openly. “My fiancé came last night to tell me that a female educated youth from their brigade fell into the river. He rescued her, and since the situation was urgent, he helped her change clothes. He saw her body, so now he says he has to take responsibility for her—and wants to break off our engagement.”
Zhou Xiaomei’s fiancé was the son of the accountant from the neighboring brigade. He was also a teacher at their brigade’s primary school. In these mountains, that was considered an excellent match.
Everyone: “……!!!”
In an instant, they forgot all about Cheng Ning’s earlier quarrel. One by one, they stared at Zhou Xiaomei, dumbfounded, yet not knowing what to say.
After a long silence, the oldest and most composed in the dormitory, Xu Dongmei, finally spoke: “In that case, let him break it off. You have good conditions—you’ll definitely find someone better. Don’t be sad over a man like that. He’s not worth it.”
The whole matter sounded suspicious. After years in the countryside, even in a remote brigade, they always went to the commune on Sundays. Educated youths from all around kept in touch—there was no shortage of gossip. Whatever the truth, such a man wasn’t worth keeping.
“I know,” Zhou Xiaomei waved her hand. “When I first heard yesterday, I was furious and heartbroken. I couldn’t sleep all night. But after sleeping through the day today, and then seeing Comrade Cheng and Comrade Jiang argue, I suddenly don’t feel sad anymore.”
“What’s so great about him anyway? He’s just an accountant’s son. My father is the Party Secretary! He’s only a primary school teacher. Once our brigade opens a school, I can be a teacher too!”
Since their brigade didn’t yet have a primary school, Zhou Xiaomei was one of the few with a junior high education.
Everyone: “……” *Are you here for comfort, or to brag?*
And she wasn’t finished. Zhou Xiaomei continued to criticize: “Bald, buck-toothed, ugly. Skinny like a farmer, yet insists on wearing glasses to look cultured, calling himself an intellectual. Who wants to marry him? I’ll find a real intellectual and throw it in his face.”
Everyone’s faces twitched.
Her fiancé, Zhang Wenshun—the accountant’s son from the neighboring brigade—had been engaged to her for years. He visited her family every holiday. Everyone had seen him. He was just a normal young man. Compared to villagers who farmed all year, he did look more refined. He was nowhere near as terrible as Zhou Xiaomei described.
Cheng Ning coughed lightly and asked, “Xiaomei, is there anything you need our help with?” She didn’t believe Zhou Xiaomei had come just to insult Zhang Wenshun.
“Mm,” Zhou Xiaomei finally remembered her real purpose. “Yes, Cheng Ning, you’re clever. Could you come with me to Zhangjia Village? I want to investigate what really happened between Zhang Wenshun and that female educated youth. I don’t care about the engagement itself, but whether Zhang Wenshun is lying to me—that’s another matter. Or…”
She blinked playfully. “You could ask Comrade Han to help me check. He knows many educated youths and could definitely find out the truth. The engagement will be broken, that’s certain. But no one gets to treat me like a fool!”
She wasn’t incapable of investigating herself. She worried that simply asking the villagers of Zhangjia Village might not yield much. The villagers might only treat it as gossip. As for what really happened with that female educated youth, and what her relationship with Zhang Wenshun was, the other educated youths were more likely to know the truth.
Cheng Ning flicked her finger lightly against Zhou Xiaomei’s forehead and smiled: “Alright. I was just about to bring something to him anyway. I’ll ask him to help you find out first, so you’ll have some idea. Then we can decide whether we need to go to Zhangjia Village.” She was quite happy to have an excuse to wander around nearby.
Zhou Xiaomei grinned and thanked Cheng Ning. But Cheng Ning could see that, despite her effort to smile, her face still showed exhaustion.
Feeling sorry for her, Cheng Ning turned to the wooden chest she had just traded from a villager yesterday, rummaged inside, and pulled out a bright red knitted wool hat. She placed it on Zhou Xiaomei’s head, tugged the ear flaps snugly, and said softly: “It looks lovely. Cheer up. Later, when I get the materials, I’ll make you a face mask so you’ll look even better. Then you can find a man a hundred times more handsome than that fake intellectual—bald, buck-toothed, and ugly.”
Zhou Xiaomei burst out laughing. Who doesn’t love beauty? She had always envied Cheng Ning’s skin—smooth and fair like a freshly peeled boiled egg. If she were as beautiful as Cheng Ning, what would Zhang Wenshun matter? Thinking that way, she suddenly felt much lighter.