“Look around the village—which man is as tall and strong as him? He works efficiently, can do the work of two people in a day, and earns full work points every time. Everyone envies his labor.”
“And all those pretty clothes you wear were bought by him, right? Not many men are so willing to spend money on a woman. You should cherish him.”
“Although Zhou Kuangye always looks fierce to others, haven’t you noticed? He never gets angry with you. His eyes are always smiling when he looks at you.”
“That’s not true,” Su Ying denied, but the sweet smile in her eyes might have been something even she wasn’t aware of.
Of course he had to treat her well. With a partner as good as her, if he didn’t cherish her, she would have run away long ago.
Wen Zi seized the opportunity and was about to reveal that Zhou Kuangye would become a high-ranking official in the future and be reinstated to his former position.
“He’s actually %/“”*？/““”@—@！：；、……”
“Soon, he’ll !@%/@“：_-（@~”-”
“He can make you @@//%_-（“；；”
Su Ying looked at her in confusion. “Wen Zi, what are you saying?”
She could only see her mouth moving, but couldn’t make out a single word from the jumbled sounds.
Wen Zi suddenly covered her mouth, her expression turning serious. It wasn’t that she hadn’t spoken clearly—it was that words like “regiment commander,” “reinstatement,” and “family quarters” simply couldn’t be uttered. They were automatically muted.
It must be the so-called Heavenly Dao preventing her from revealing the secret, or else it would disrupt the rhythm of the characters in the story.
Since she couldn’t say it, she could only keep a closer eye on things.
After a moment of thought, she said, “I mean he’ll definitely achieve great things in the future. Don’t be in a hurry to break up with him. Wait a little longer.”
Su Ying felt uncomfortable. She grabbed her thick braid and tossed it back. “Wen Zi, why do you always take his side?”
“Do you think I’m a bad woman and shouldn’t break up with him?”
She knew her behavior was fickle and flirtatious, but she couldn’t help herself. The thought of living in a small house for the rest of her life made her feel suffocated.
Wen Zi was almost ready to dig out her own heart to prove her loyalty. “Su Ying, I absolutely don’t think that.”
“Good women only get a reputation, while bad women get everything. There’s nothing wrong with fighting for yourself.”
Society’s shackles bind women, demanding unwavering loyalty, while men finding mistresses or multiple partners is all too common.
She had once read a report that said the probability of men cheating during their partner’s pregnancy was over 70 percent. They were practically worse than beasts.
Why shouldn’t women do the same? It’s just that she didn’t want Mi Zi to miss the chance to live the best life, especially since Zhou Kuangye would become the big shot in the future.
If someone else were the big shot, she would have long encouraged Mi Zi to pursue someone else. With her beauty, what man couldn’t she win over?
Her Mi Zi deserved to live a life of comfort and happiness.
This was her absolute favoritism toward her female lead.
Wen Zi’s words didn’t sound like lies, so Su Ying decided to believe her for now. “Wen Zi, you don’t need to worry about this. I have my own thoughts.”
“You’re my good friend. When I live well in the future, I definitely won’t forget you.”
It wasn’t easy to change someone’s mindset. Wen Zi knew she couldn’t rush it. She would have to take her time and gradually instill new ideas.
During the meal, Su Ying wanted to sit next to Lu Pingshu, but Wen Zi skillfully inserted herself between them.
As long as she was there, the couple she shipped would never break up.
Su Ying looked at Lu Pingshu with a hint of grievance, only to find him looking back at her. He gave her a reassuring smile, so she had no choice but to sit down.
Wu Yan, sitting across from them, saw their exchange clearly and sneered inwardly.
Su Ying truly had no shame. With such a good partner, she still wasn’t satisfied and went around seducing others. Served her right that she ended up drowning.
In two months, she would break up and return to the city, and then Zhou Kuangye would be hers.
In high spirits, Wu Yan picked up a piece of braised pork belly and ate it.
Meanwhile, Su Ying’s attention was fixed on the only plate of meat on the table. She ate quickly, one bite after another—this was all her meat. Every extra bite she took was a small victory; she couldn’t let others take advantage.
All the educated youths present knew that Zhou Kuangye had brought this meat specifically for Su Ying, so no one tried to take it from her. Only Wu Yan, putting on an air of superiority, helped herself to it.
Su Ying glared at her several times, but the woman acted as if she were blind and kept eating her meat.
Since she couldn’t finish it all herself, Su Ying started putting pieces into Wen Zi’s bowl. At least it wouldn’t benefit others, especially that ugly woman.
Wu Yan was a copycat. Whatever hairstyle Su Ying wore, she would imitate it the next day. If Su Ying had a new dress, Wu Yan would show up wearing the same one the following day, looking pitiful and annoying. She wasn’t even as good as Wen Zi.
Wen Zi looked at the few large pieces of fatty meat suddenly appearing in her bowl and couldn’t help but twitch the corner of her mouth.
As a modern person, she wasn’t used to such fatty meat. But she understood Su Ying’s little scheme and simply took out her own lunchbox, transferring all the meat into it for Su Ying to take away.
Su Ying watched as each of them had taken a piece of meat, then directly picked up the enamel basin and poured the remaining meat into the lunchbox.
One piece each was enough for them; they couldn’t have any more, or there wouldn’t be enough left.
Wu Yan’s chopsticks came up empty. As a future official’s wife, she could have as much meat as she wanted, but right now, she felt indignant.
“Su Ying, this meat is for everyone to share. You’re being too selfish. Even though we’re female comrades, we should be generous. Otherwise, people will look down on us.”
After eating her meat, this woman still dared to criticize her. She really had no shame.
Su Ying slammed her chopsticks on the table. “They all only had one piece each, but you ate five. If you have the guts, spit them out.”
“Who would’ve thought someone as thin as you could eat so much, like a pig.”
“It’s my meat. I can give it to whoever I want. It’s none of your business.”
Wu Yan’s face flushed red and pale from Su Ying’s words. Was she crazy? Who counts how many pieces of meat others eat during a meal?
Seeing the awkward atmosphere and how Wu Yan was trying to twist the situation, Wen Zi immediately stepped in. “Su Ying isn’t taking the meat for herself; she’s bringing it back for Grandma Ding.”
“There are 18 of us educated youths here. With one piece of braised pork each, and Wu Yan taking five, only four pieces are left. If she doesn’t take them back, Grandma Ding won’t have anything to eat. I think you all know this, right?”
All the educated youths present lowered their heads, clearly aware. Grandma Ding was blind and hard of hearing, relying on the Brigade Leader’s support to barely get by.
Now, realizing they had taken food meant for the old lady, each of them hung their heads in shame.
Especially Wu Yan, who had been singled out for eating the most. She was both embarrassed and furious, wishing she could spit the meat out. What bad luck.
Su Ying gave Wen Zi a grateful look, surprised that she would speak up for her. They had only just become good sisters.