When Xu Ning returned to deliver mountain goods, she saw Old Chen at the entrance of the youth camp. She intended to ask him to help her carry a jar for pickling sauerkraut tomorrow. After putting the mountain goods away at home, she headed toward the camp.

Upon arriving at the youth camp, she noticed the room where the female youth lived was filled with noise and commotion; someone was even crying.

Yang Xiaomei spotted her and quickly waved her over. Xu Ning walked into the room shared by Yang Xiaomei and Wei Lanlan. Inside, only Yang Xiaomei was there, as Xu Ning had seen Wei Lanlan and Chen Xiangdong still gathering mountain goods when she was coming down the hill.

Once Xu Ning entered, Yang Xiaomei leaned closer and whispered, “The village chief just brought two new female youth here from He Province. One of them is tall and strong. Li Fengjiao complained that she was too big and took up too much space. There were already several people sleeping on the kang, and there wasn’t enough room for anyone else. No matter what she said, she wouldn’t let them into the room, which really angered the village chief.

The new female youth ignored Li Fengjiao and asked the village chief where she would sleep. The village chief replied that this was the only room for female youth. The newcomer asked if she could only stay in this room, and the village chief nodded.

Without saying another word, the tall girl pushed Li Fengjiao aside and, with another female youth, brought in her luggage. Once inside, she placed her belongings on the edge of the kang, which was originally shared by Li Fengjiao and Lin Qiuhua.

Li Fengjiao was unwilling to give up her space to the newcomers. With a cry, she rushed in and threw both of their bags onto the floor. The tall and strong female youth raised her hand and slapped her twice.

Yang Xiaomei finished speaking with a satisfied smile, clearly someone who had often been bullied by Li Fengjiao.

Xu Ning felt excited too; another tough opponent had arrived. It seemed that life wouldn’t be so easy for Li Fengjiao and Lin Qiuhua from now on. However, she didn’t recall such a person from the original story.

As Xu Ning saw Old Chen preparing to leave, she called out, “Grandpa Chen, can you help me carry a jar for pickling sauerkraut when you head into town tomorrow?”

Old Chen chuckled and replied, “Sure, I’ll bring you one tomorrow and deliver it to your house.”

Xu Ning smiled, “Thank you, Grandpa Chen!” After saying that, she handed him the money for the jar and the transportation fee.

On her way home, as she passed by the entrance to the room where the female youths stay, she heard Li Fengjiao’s muffled crying from inside, which made her chuckle with glee.

Serves you right for picking on newcomers and being a bully; now you’ve run into someone tough! Hahaha!

Returning home in good spirits, Xu Ning was met with a curious glance from Lu Xiaotang, who asked, “What’s got you in such a good mood?”

Xu Ning animatedly recounted the events at the youth commune to Lu Xiaotang.

Knowing that Xu Ning was not the type to gloat, Lu Xiaotang asked in a serious tone, “Did she bully you?”

Xu Ning recalled how they had bullied the original owner and Xu An, her anger rising as she replied, “When Xiao An and I first arrived, they saw we were younger and made us do all their chores every day, even withholding our rations.

But after I fought back a few times, they dared not mess with us anymore.” She then demonstrated how she had fought them off, mimicking the actions.

At first, Lu Xiaotang listened with a serious expression, but as Xu Ning excitedly described how she had gotten her revenge, his demeanor softened.

After finishing her demonstration, Xu Ning suddenly felt that something was off. She casually glanced at Lu Xiaotang, only to find him smiling warmly at her. Suddenly, her cheeks flushed, and she hurriedly grabbed the nearby basket.

“Brother Lu, I’m heading up the mountain now,” she said quickly, picking up the basket and walking out. As she left, she muttered to herself, “So embarrassing, so embarrassing!”

Just as she opened the small door, Xiao Mo returned with a little basket on his back.

Seeing her walk while hitting her own head, Xiao Mo hurriedly asked, “Sister, what’s wrong? Why are you hitting your head? Is your head bothering you?”

Xu Ning felt as if lightning had struck her; her face burned even hotter. She couldn’t bear to look back at Lu Xiaotang, who was surely laughing.

Clearing her throat, she replied to Xiao Mo, “A mosquito just bit my head, and I was trying to swat it.”

Xiao Mo looked puzzled. “How are there still mosquitoes around? Sister, let me take a look,” he said, pulling her hand to make her bend down.

Xu Ning quickly blocked his hand and insisted, “It’s fine; it didn’t bite me. I already killed it.”

Fearing he would keep asking questions, she quickly changed the subject. “Xiao Mo, why did you come down by yourself? Didn’t I tell you to wait for me on the mountain?”

Xiao Mo explained, “Sister, I didn’t come back alone. I came down with Aunt Dashuan and Aunt Si.

Their baskets were full, so they were taking me back with them. I stopped by the cow shed for a bit, and when they walked away, I came over.”

Xu Ning had initially planned to bring back some chestnuts, but she was in a hurry to get back now.

Seeing Old Chen reminded Xu Ning about the jar for pickling sauerkraut, and after watching the commotion at the youth camp for a while, she lost track of time.

Turning to Xiao Mo, she said, “You don’t need to go; just stay home and play for a bit. I’ll head back up for another round.”

Without waiting for his reply, she took her basket and hurried back up the mountain.

Xu Ning spent quite a while on the mountain, but her basket was finally full. As she noticed the sky darkening, she mustered the courage to head back down.

Just before reaching the foot of the mountain, she spotted Lu Xiaotang approaching. When he saw her, he quickly came over and took the basket from her.

“Don’t stay out so late in the mountains next time. Come down earlier. Let’s go!” he said.

Xu Ning stole a glance at him. He stood a head taller than her, and a familiar scent wafted from him—the soap she used to wash her clothes outside.

Her heart began to race again.

Lu Xiaotang gently nudged her, encouraging her to walk ahead while he followed behind.

As she walked, Xu Ning thought to herself, This is bad. Am I starting to like him? Oh no, what am I going to do?

Meanwhile, Lu Xiaotang, walking behind her, also pondered whether she would be open to being in a relationship with him if he were to express his feelings.

The girl was only sixteen, but Lu Xiaotang thought that if he didn’t speak up now, he might not have the chance in a couple of years. She was such a wonderful girl; what if someone else noticed her too?

Suddenly, he remembered he was already twenty-one and wondered if she would think he was too old, making him feel a bit insecure.

As they walked in silence, each lost in their own thoughts, they arrived at the well by the cow shed.

There, they saw two young women washing clothes. One was more delicate and refined, standing about five foot three. The other was sturdier, likely over five foot six, and though not unattractive, she exuded a bold and lively aura. Describing her as sturdy merely meant she had a larger frame, the kind of woman mothers would approve of as a daughter-in-law.

These two were likely the new female youth who had arrived that day. As Xu Ning walked past them, she overheard the delicate girl say, “Chunhua, do you think that woman will come after us again after you slapped her?”

The girl named Chunhua replied, “Don’t worry, if she dares to cause trouble, I’ll deal with her. That girl is just a bully who’s afraid of strong people. Didn’t you see how quickly she backed down after I gave her a taste of her own medicine?”

Xu Ning thought to herself, That’s an accurate assessment; she really sees things clearly. This girl seems quite perceptive.