Lately, Yun Ting always felt like someone was watching her at work, but whenever she looked around, there was no one suspicious.
The one keeping an eye on her was exactly the person Auntie Meihua had warned her about—the son of a certain older woman in the village, Li Baojun, a.k.a. “Er Laizi.”
He had been missing somewhere recently and had just returned.
His mother mentioned that a batch of new educated youths had arrived, including two very pretty girls.
Naturally, he came looking.
Yun Ting and Yang Qingqing were both beautiful, but why did he fixate on Yun Ting?
The reason was the large parcel she had received. His mother assumed Yun Ting came from a wealthy family—money mustn’t be shown off. Just by exposing that one big package, Yun Ting had caught his attention.
Er Laizi secretly watched Yun Ting. He hadn’t seen her real face—she was wrapped up so tightly only her eyes were visible—but he stared at her slender figure and the pair of sparkling eyes that peeked out.
He imagined how stunning she must really be.
Auntie Meihua went to plant seedlings. Yun Ting was assigned to the soybean field, working alongside Li Hongxia, Zhao Xiulan, and a couple of village women, including Li Da Zui.
“Hey, you educated youths! You can’t focus on work—always looking around…” Li Da Zui scowled at Yun Ting.
“Hah! Auntie Li, standing there with your hands on your waist giving orders—is that working properly?”
“You little know-it-all! Every time I speak, you have a retort ready!”
Yun Ting wasn’t afraid. Today, she intended to make her reputation known—no one would think she was easy to bully.
“Oh Auntie, my mouth isn’t as sharp as yours. Everyone in the village knows your reputation!”
“You… you little brat! Don’t think just because you’re young I won’t hit you!”
“Brat? Who are you calling a brat?”
“You…”
“Ha ha…” People nearby couldn’t help laughing. Li Da Zui realized too late that Yun Ting was actually turning her own words back on her, and she was furious, almost charging forward to hit her.
“Li Da Zui, what are you doing? Work properly or we’ll deduct points!” the team leader barked.
“Team Leader, I know she’s on good terms with your family, but you can’t be biased! She insulted me first—no respect for elders!”
“She started it! Saying we youths don’t work properly, while you’ve been standing there all morning hands on hips, fussing. I just rebutted once. Then you cursed me and tried to hit me.”
“Exactly! We all saw it!” Li Hongxia chimed in.
Zhao Xiulan and the other woman nodded.
“Li Da Zui, do you still have anything to say? Elders or not, you’ve no decorum. Stop fooling around, deduct points if needed, and get back to work.”
Li Da Zui glared at Yun Ting, unwilling to let it go. Yun Ting made a face at her, which only infuriated her more.
For the rest of the day, Li Da Zui kept shooting glances at Yun Ting. Every time she glared, Yun Ting rolled her eyes and made another playful face. They were like two kids teasing each other.
When work ended, Li Da Zui quickly slipped away. That girl couldn’t outsmart Yun Ting—her back seemed to have eyes, always catching her in the act. If she were in the future world, she’d say Yun Ting had radar hidden in her body.
“Hmph… little brat, dare to mess with me? I’ll show you why the flowers are red!”
“Pfft… Yun Ting, you’re amazing!” Li Hongxia laughed and teased her.
“Hongxia Jie, we need thicker skin,” Yun Ting said. “Otherwise, these older women will keep bullying us.”
Li Hongxia smiled knowingly. When she first arrived, her thin skin had caused her many losses.
News of Yun Ting’s feat spread. Even Li Da Zui couldn’t do anything to her, and people started talking: the new Yun Ting was formidable.
On her way home, a sleazy-looking man blocked her path, grinning. “Yun Ting, nice to meet you! I’m Li Baojun. Fate brings us together. Let’s be friends, here, have some eggs.”
Yun Ting stepped back, cold as ice. “Sorry, I have no interest in you or your eggs.”
“Oh… Yun Ting, don’t be so heartless! If you come with me, you won’t have to work in the fields—you’ll eat and drink well every day. How about it?” He tried to grab her.
Yun Ting’s eyes turned cold. In one fluid motion, she gave him a shoulder throw.
Bang!
“Ow… you little woman…” Li Baojun cursed incessantly.
Yun Ting kicked him a few times as a warning. “Don’t think about me. If you do, I’ll hit you every time I see you. Or I’ll make one call and have you sent to labor reform. Believe it?”
“I… I understand… I won’t dare.” Li Baojun got up, wincing, and quickly fled.
This girl was a demon—he didn’t dare try anything.
“Yun Ting, this Li Baojun is the village rascal. His mother is troublesome. Since you hit him, she’ll probably come looking for you,” Zhao Xiulan warned, concerned.
“Zhao Zhiyou, thank you. I know. But I’m not afraid if his mother shows up.”
Sure enough, not long after Yun Ting returned, Li Baojun’s mother came wailing, followed by a crowd of nosy women—some even holding bowls of food while watching. Multi-tasking at its finest.
“That Yun Ting! Come out! My son kindly brought you eggs, and you beat him? Are you even human? You owe me an explanation…”
Li Baojun’s mother, Xu Guifang, was notorious in the village for being difficult and greedy. Few people wanted to deal with her. Now, wailing, the entire village could hear her voice. Everyone shook their heads. Yun Ting was about to face trouble with this hard nut.
“Come out… Yun Ting! Dare to act, but not dare to admit it?”
“She’s in trouble this time!” a woman whispered.
“Not necessarily. Haven’t you heard? Even Li Da Zui got no satisfaction with her. This Yun Ting is no ordinary girl.”
“Ugh, everyone knows what Xu Guifang is up to. Otherwise, how would Li Baojun know about Yun Ting as soon as he returned? He thought Yun Ting would like his son? Pfft…”
“Who’s calling me?” Yun Ting walked out slowly, casually playing with a stick of firewood.
Xu Guifang noticed the stick in her hands and felt uneasy. “You… you hit my son. You owe me an explanation.”
Yun Ting walked toward her, holding the stick lightly. Xu Guifang stared, afraid she would be struck.
“What… what are you going to do? Hit me too?”
“Auntie, why are you nervous? I’m not going to hit you. I just like to play with a stick,” Yun Ting said with a half-smile.
Xu Guifang swallowed nervously and took two steps back, on high alert.
“What explanation do you want? Your son sent you? He didn’t tell you why I hit him? Have him come here, and we can sort it out together.”