After the meal, Yun Yixuan took the initiative to clear the bowls and chopsticks, but her father quickly stopped her.
“You’ve only just recovered. Go and get some rest. I’ll take care of this,” Father Yun said with a smile.
Seeing how loving her parents were toward each other filled Yun Yixuan’s heart with warmth.
She pulled her mother over to sit on the makeshift bed covered with straw, then took a packet of brown sugar and two bags of milk powder from her woven sack. In reality, she had taken them out of her spatial storage.
Mother Yun’s eyes widened in surprise when she saw them. She hurriedly stuffed everything back into the sack and lowered her voice.
“Where did you get these? Your father and I don’t need them. You’ve only just recovered, so keep them for yourself and build up your strength.”
“Mom, I traded medicinal herbs for them. Don’t worry, I still have more.”
As Yun Yixuan spoke, she took the items back out and firmly pushed them into her mother’s hands.
“You and Dad need to nourish yourselves properly.”
She looked at her mother with a helpless yet determined expression.
Tears welled up in Mother Yun’s eyes. She gently stroked Yun Yixuan’s head and said, “We’ve made you suffer along with us, Xiaoyi.”
“Mom, what are you talking about? We’re a family. Besides, these hardships are only temporary. Things will get better.”
Yun Yixuan continued comforting her mother before proudly patting her chest.
“Besides, I can earn money to support you and Dad now.”
She spoke with such confidence that she looked completely certain of herself.
The mother and daughter chatted for a while before Yun Yixuan finally said that she had to leave.
“Mom, I should go. I can’t stay away from the educated youth compound for too long. I’ll come back to see you and Dad in a couple of days.”
She had just stood up when she turned back to remind her mother, “Mom, don’t try to save everything. Make sure you drink the milk powder every day. I can support you and Dad.”
Mother Yun smiled and nodded, her eyes filled with reluctance to see her daughter leave.
Only then did Yun Yixuan leave the cowshed with peace of mind.
On the way back, she noticed two or three villagers gathered together, whispering among themselves as if gossiping about something.
Her heart tightened.
It seemed that if she wanted to avoid unnecessary trouble in the future, she would have to secretly visit her parents at night.
When Yun Yixuan returned to the educated youth compound and entered the women’s dormitory, all five female educated youths greeted her.
Li Meiling, the one who had the closest relationship with her, immediately pulled her aside and asked with concern, “Yixuan, where did you go? You didn’t even come back for lunch.”
Yun Yixuan knew that Li Meiling had been the original owner’s best friend.
In the original storyline, Li Meiling’s innocence would eventually be ruined by a lazy village hooligan. With no other choice, she would be forced to marry him. From then on, she would spend every day doing endless farm work while enduring beatings and humiliation. Her miserable life would eventually come to an unremarkable end in the Red Flag River Ditch Production Brigade.
Since Yun Yixuan had now taken the original owner’s place, she was determined to change the fate of this one friend who genuinely cared about her.
Smiling, Yun Yixuan said to Li Meiling, “Haven’t I been sick with a cold and fever these past few days? I went into the mountains to gather some medicinal herbs for myself.”
“Who knows whether you really went to gather herbs or went off to do something shameful?”
A mocking voice suddenly interrupted them.
Yun Yixuan turned toward the speaker.
It was Zhu Lili, a petty woman who loved taking advantage of others and spreading gossip.
Yun Yixuan knew perfectly well that if she didn’t teach Zhu Lili a lesson now, rumors about her might spread throughout the entire Red Flag River Ditch Production Brigade by tomorrow.
However, she had only just recovered from her illness and didn’t have the strength to fight.
In that case, she would start with words.
“Oh? Zhu Lili, how come you’re not crawling into the haystack with Wei Hongmin today? A few days ago, I saw the two of you sneaking around and slipping into the haystack near the cowshed.”
The moment Yun Yixuan said this, the entire women’s dormitory erupted.
The female educated youths immediately began talking among themselves, casting strange and curious looks at Zhu Lili.
Zhu Lili’s face instantly turned bright red. She was both embarrassed and furious. She wanted to argue back, but she had no idea where to begin.
All she could do was stamp her foot angrily.
“You… You’re talking nonsense!”
“How am I talking nonsense? I clearly saw the two of you, yet you still refuse to admit it.”
Yun Yixuan’s voice grew louder with every word. Her confidence was so overwhelming that it seemed as though her voice alone could shake the entire educated youth compound.
Her booming voice not only startled the women inside the room but also drew the male educated youths from next door like a magnet.
In the blink of an eye, the entrance to the cramped women’s dormitory was packed with people. Everyone whispered excitedly among themselves, their curious gazes darting back and forth between Yun Yixuan and Zhu Lili.
Zhu Lili’s face was crimson with rage, her chest rising and falling violently like an enraged little beast.
“Yun Yixuan, you’ve gone too far! How dare you ruin my reputation!”
Her shrill voice was almost piercing, carrying a hint of hysteria.
Yun Yixuan wasn’t intimidated in the slightest. She rolled her eyes and looked at Zhu Lili disdainfully.
“Oh? So the magistrates are allowed to burn down houses, but ordinary people aren’t even allowed to light a lamp?”
She sneered.
“I really did go into the mountains to gather medicinal herbs.”
As she spoke, she deliberately slowed her movements and emptied all the herbs from her woven sack onto the table.
Roots, stems, and leaves, still carrying the earthy scent of the mountains, scattered across its surface.
“Yet the moment you opened your mouth, you accused me of doing something shameful. But when it comes to you and Wei Hongmin, I saw the two of you with my own eyes. So why am I not allowed to say anything?”
Yun Yixuan raised her chin and stared directly at Zhu Lili, her piercing gaze seemingly capable of seeing right through her.
After being verbally cornered by Yun Yixuan, Zhu Lili’s anger surged, yet she had nowhere to vent it.
Tears suddenly poured from her eyes like a broken dam.
“I went to see him because I had something to discuss! We didn’t do anything! Ahhh!”
Her cries sounded both miserable and aggrieved, but Yun Yixuan remained completely unmoved.
Instead, she added fuel to the fire.
“Oh, give me a break. What could you possibly have needed to discuss with him? And if you really had something to talk about, why couldn’t you discuss it openly? Why did you have to sneak behind everyone’s backs and crawl into a haystack together?”
Her clear, powerful voice echoed throughout the room.
Every word struck Zhu Lili like a sharp blade.
By now, the educated youths inside and outside the dormitory were thoroughly entertained. Everyone began gossiping excitedly, clearly enjoying the spectacle.
“Did she and Wei Hongmin really crawl into a haystack together?” a male educated youth asked curiously, craning his neck for a better look.
“Judging from her reaction, it’s probably true,” another female educated youth replied, covering her mouth as she giggled, her eyes shining with the thrill of gossip.
Their comments were like handfuls of salt rubbed into Zhu Lili’s wounds.
Humiliated and furious, she glared viciously at Yun Yixuan as though flames might shoot from her eyes.
Seeing that the situation was getting out of control, Li Qing, the leader of the male educated youths, hurriedly stepped forward and tried to ease the tension.
“We’re all educated youths who came to the countryside together. We should help and support one another. Why don’t we just let this small matter go?”
A gentle smile appeared on his face, and his tone was sincere as he tried to bring the dispute to an end.
But Yun Yixuan wasn’t buying it.
She looked at Li Qing with a firm expression and said seriously, “Leader Li, what you said isn’t fair. I’m an innocent young woman. I merely went into the mountains to gather medicinal herbs, yet Zhu Lili accused me of going off to do something shameful.”
She gestured toward the herbs scattered across the table.
“But I clearly saw her and Wei Hongmin sneaking into the haystack together. I didn’t falsely accuse her of anything. Besides, she was the one who slandered me first. Now she’s crying and making a scene. Who is she putting on this performance for?”
Her words were sharp, clear, and perfectly reasonable.
Li Meiling immediately chimed in from beside her.
“Exactly! The one who starts trouble deserves what they get.”
She stood firmly beside Yun Yixuan like a loyal guard, her eyes filled with displeasure as she stared at Zhu Lili.