Liu Zhixia remembered that in the novel, the male lead had once offered the Zhou family a tiny bit of help during the darkest period of their downfall.
Later on, it was only because the Zhou family supported him after returning to the capital that the male lead was able to rise to prominence and live such a successful life.
But in Liu Zhixia’s eyes, that so-called help had merely been a way for him to satisfy his pitiful pride and vanity—the thrill of trampling a once untouchable genius beneath his feet.
She clearly remembered a passage describing the male lead’s inner thoughts:
So even Zhou Yunting, once so lofty and unreachable, could fall into the dust.
How the tides had turned.
To avoid alerting the enemy, Liu Zhixia did not expose the two men she had overheard.
Instead, she chose to return and inform Zhou Yunting.
She felt these men were likely the true culprits behind the injuries suffered by the Zhou father and son in the novel. It would be better to take precautions early.
Given the Zhou family’s current situation, keeping a low profile was the wisest course.
After the men left, Liu Zhixia picked up two nests of quail eggs near her feet and quietly took another two jin of rice from her spatial storage.
Then she hurried back the way she came.
The Zhou family had repaired the outside of the thatched hut again. At the moment, only Old Master Zhou remained inside.
“Zhixia, you’re back.”
The old man’s gentle voice sounded warm and kind.
“Grandpa Zhou, did Zhou Yunting and Uncle go out?”
Liu Zhixia already guessed the answer, but she asked casually anyway.
“They went with the production captain to inspect tomorrow’s work site. They said the mountain roads are difficult, so they left early.”
There was a trace of worry hidden in Old Master Zhou’s tone.
Still, when the old man had come to the countryside, he had already prepared himself mentally. The work assigned to them would certainly be the hardest labor with the fewest work points.
A flicker passed through Liu Zhixia’s eyes.
It seemed those people had already begun making their move.
This job was definitely not simple. Liu Zhixia could not remember exactly what work the Zhou family had done in the novel—only that the father and son had been injured.
The old master, whose health had already been fragile, grew weaker day by day afterward until he eventually became bedridden.
But Liu Zhixia also knew that once orders came from above, they would have no choice but to obey.
All they could do was stay vigilant.
“Grandpa Zhou, let me put something away first. Afterward, I need your help identifying two people.”
After entering the room, Liu Zhixia took out a sheet of paper and a pencil from her space.
Recalling the appearances of the two men, her hand moved faster and faster.
Old Master Zhou, who entered shortly afterward, was stunned by her drawing skills.
The pencil flew across the page. With only a few strokes, the outline of a man’s face had already taken shape.
But the old man had no time to marvel at her artistic talent.
He recognized the person in the drawing.
It was the youngest son of the Wu family.
As far as he knew, Liu Zhixia should not have known this man. The youngest Wu son had spent years serving in the military and had rarely returned to the military compound.
The old man’s expression grew increasingly grave.
“Done.”
Liu Zhixia let out a breath and handed him the sketches.
“Grandpa Zhou, do you recognize these two people?”
“Zhixia, where did you see them? Why did you suddenly draw their portraits? Did you discover something?”
Previously, Old Master Zhou had not known Liu Zhixia well. His impression of her had mainly come from the incident where she smashed her head against the wall after the marriage.
But after the Zhou family’s sudden downfall, everything she had done had been remarkable.
Still, the old man thought she was just a young girl. It was understandable if she struggled to accept reality at first.
In his eyes, Liu Zhixia possessed the bearing of a proper matriarch.
And she was certainly not the type to act without reason.
If she had drawn these two people, then they were likely dangerous.
“Grandpa Zhou, deep in the mountains near the village, I overheard the two of them plotting something…”
The old man’s pupils contracted sharply.
“Is that true?”
Liu Zhixia silently nodded.
By the time the Zhou father and son returned, the sky had already darkened considerably.
Clearly, the work site was very far away.
When the two men met Liu Zhixia and Old Master Zhou, they seemed hesitant to speak about tomorrow’s assignment.
The production captain had allowed Liu Zhixia to stay behind and help cook because she looked delicate and fragile. He feared something might happen to her and softened momentarily out of pity.
As for Old Master Zhou, he could only accompany the father and son to help construct the reservoir.
After hearing Liu Zhixia’s warning earlier, Old Master Zhou was mentally prepared.
He knew the exhausting labor was merely the surface of the problem.
What was truly frightening were the malicious schemes hidden in the shadows.
Those were impossible to guard against completely.
The old man’s brows furrowed tightly.
Without another word, Liu Zhixia handed over the portraits and explained everything before heading straight to the stove to prepare dinner.
She cooked the rice and boiled the quail eggs.
Then she pulled out a handful of sesame seeds from her pocket, toasted and crushed them, and sprinkled them with a little salt.
The atmosphere among the three Zhou men was chaotic and tense.
But the Zhou family had never been cowardly by nature.
Now that they were on guard, it would become far more difficult for their enemies to sabotage them.
Perhaps because tonight’s meal was unusually luxurious, all three men felt an aching emptiness in their stomachs.
In the past, this kind of food had been ordinary for them.
But under their current circumstances, even filling their stomachs was a luxury.
Who could afford white rice now?
Zhou Yunting swallowed slightly. He was hungry too, but he still asked curiously:
“Comrade Liu Zhixia… where did this rice come from?”
Commander Zhou and Old Master Zhou also looked at her expectantly.
They were equally curious.
Forget families undergoing reform—even most villagers could not afford a whole pot of white rice.
Liu Zhixia smiled and spread her hands helplessly.
“Today, near the place where I encountered those two men, there happened to be several quail nearby.
“And a few nests of quail eggs too.
“I traded the quail for rice, and brought the eggs back so we could improve our meals a little.”
Her explanation was only half true.
Still, the Zhou family did not seem suspicious.
Whether they believed her or not, Liu Zhixia knew they would be living together for a very long time.
She possessed many abilities.
If this were the twenty-first century, people would say she had many hidden identities.
Sooner or later, they would have to slowly grow accustomed to it.
Everyone ate heartily during this meal.
Their shrunken stomachs, empty for the past two days, finally felt full again.
The next morning, unexpectedly, Liu Zhixia chose to go work alongside the men.
She asked Old Master Zhou to take her place tending the kitchen fire.
The old man was advanced in age, while Liu Zhixia herself was incredibly strong.
More importantly, she needed to stay close to the Zhou father and son.
She intended to help them avoid the injuries described in the novel.
To escape this scheme altogether.
Old Master Zhou tried repeatedly to object, but Liu Zhixia rejected every protest.
Finally, seeing that the old man still refused to switch places, she leaned close to him with a shy expression and said softly:
“Grandpa Zhou… Yunting will help me.”
How could Old Master Zhou fail to see that this girl held no romantic feelings for his grandson?
Still, hearing her say this, he assumed she simply wanted to spend time cultivating a relationship with Zhou Yunting.
Only then did he agree.
At the same time, he repeatedly reminded the Zhou father and son to help Liu Zhixia with work and never let such a delicate young lady exhaust herself.
However…
Not long afterward, the “delicate young lady” shocked everyone beyond belief.
Was that girl digging faster than the men really Liu Zhixia?