Chapter 87: A Girl Should Still Have Self-Respect

Huang Yingying looked even dumber than Su Niannian had imagined.

“Comrade Huang, Comrade Zhao hasn’t been able to speak since she woke up. So how did you know she took something by mistake?”

“Could it be that you’re the one who gave her the aphrodisiac?”

“And that specific one—used for pig breeding—that’s meant for livestock. Giving that to a human could seriously mess someone up.”

Su Niannian stood with her arms crossed not far from Jiang Aiguo, watching the scene like she was enjoying a good show.

Huang Yingying’s face went pale, her lips trembling. “I—I didn’t know what she took. I—I only saw her passed out and called for help…”

Su Niannian scoffed, “You’re quick to wash your hands of it. But where the drug came from—you’d better make that clear. A so-called educated youth carrying around something like that? Aren’t you ashamed?”

Her words sparked murmurs from the villagers watching nearby. Someone couldn’t help but mutter under their breath, “Is she even still a proper girl? Carrying something like that… shameful!”

Huang Yingying was struck speechless, her face flushing with alternating shades of red and white. She couldn’t even get a full sentence out.

Jiang Aiguo frowned deeply. He looked at Huang Yingying, his tone clearly more serious now. “Do you have anything else to say? Where did that drug come from?”

“I… I don’t know either… I just heard someone say it works… I… I didn’t think it’d…” Huang Yingying’s voice trailed off, barely audible by the end.

Jiang Aiguo’s voice turned stern. “This drug situation will be reported to higher authorities. Whether you were directly involved or not, all of you will need to cooperate with the investigation.”

Then he glanced at Zhao Sulan, his gaze a complicated mix of emotions.

As if suddenly reminded of something, he said, in a slow and meaningful tone, “A girl should still have self-respect.”

With that, he turned and motioned for the villagers to escort Huang Yingying away.

The atmosphere went quiet in an instant. Only Su Niannian remained standing where she was, watching Huang Yingying’s retreating figure with a cold, mocking smile in her eyes.

People like that… and she dares to call herself an ‘educated youth’?

“You… You better watch what you say! What evidence do you have to say something like that?”

“If you’re not careful, I… I’ll report you for slander!”

Huang Yingying actually meant to say “defamation,” but that particular term wasn’t commonly known in this era.

Jiang Aiguo, observing Huang Yingying’s reaction at that moment, couldn’t help but think that Su Niannian’s suspicions aligned quite well with his own.

“I was just making a guess, no need to get so worked up,” Su Niannian said casually, her tone completely indifferent.

“Reasonable suspicion. If you say it’s not true, then fine—it’s not,” Su Niannian said lightly.

Huang Yingying bit down hard on her back molars in frustration.

Su Niannian was just too infuriating!

Zhao Sulan, upon hearing Su Niannian’s words, also began to realize something.

But right now, her mind wasn’t exactly clear. A fleeting thought passed through, but Zhao Sulan couldn’t quite remember what it was she had just realized.

In any case, Lu Xingguang was going to marry her, and she was about to become his wife—that was enough.

Zhao Sulan swallowed a mouthful of water, then tried to speak.

Her throat burned with pain, but she still forced herself to squeeze out a few words.

“Acci… dental… no, just… care… less.”

Jiang Aiguo saw this and could only shake his head helplessly.

Things had already come to this—what more could be said?

Regardless of how it all really happened, for now it could only be defined as two young people, too young and too impulsive.

“Once you’re feeling a bit better in the next few days, go ahead and get the marriage certificate done,” Jiang Aiguo said, clearly not intending to look into it any further.

Since all parties involved had aligned their stories, there was nothing Jiang Aiguo could do even if he wanted to investigate further.

With that, he was ready to leave, gesturing for the two villagers to follow him out.

Just as he reached the doorway, Jiang Aiguo paused.

He turned around and looked at Zhao Sulan and Huang Yingying.

“Girls should still have some self-respect,” he said, leaving those words behind before walking out of the room.

So with that, there was no need to report the matter any further. Lu Xingguang wouldn’t be arrested and sent off for labor reform, and the incident was considered temporarily resolved.

Even so, Jiang Aiguo knew that what had happened last night would continue to stir trouble. The days ahead for Lu Xingguang and Zhao Sulan were unlikely to be peaceful.

He couldn’t help but wonder if, when the time came, this young educated youth Zhao Sulan would come to regret the decision she made today.

But then again, that was beyond his control—everyone walks their own path in life.

Today, whether it was at the grain-drying fields or working in the fields, the events from last night involving Lu Xingguang and Zhao Sulan had already spread throughout the village.

This incident became the main topic of conversation among the villagers during their tea and meals. The older women had all turned into storytellers. Although none of them had seen it firsthand, they spoke with such vivid detail, as if they had been there.

Especially the two aunts who had personally helped Zhao Sulan up—they described it in such clarity that it was almost as if they had witnessed the whole scene.

Meanwhile, Zhao Sulan didn’t know about the disgrace she had caused the previous night. All she remembered were the tender moments with Lu Xingguang.

On the other side, Su Niannian, having no more gossip to entertain her, went to visit the Gu family to see Gu Zhi and Gu Ningning.

Of course, she also brought the old hen that Aunt Zhou Dajie had sent to Su Niannian. It was quite hefty, so it seemed Aunt Zhou Dajie had given Su Niannian the fattest hen from her own home. Moreover, it had been cleaned up very well.

“Aunt, look what I brought!” Su Niannian said with a big smile, holding the chicken as she walked into the Gu family’s yard.

In the yard, she didn’t see Gu Ningning, but Gu Zhi was sitting there, busy weaving a bamboo basket.

“Niannian is here! Come in quickly!” Gu Zhi heard Su Niannian’s voice and hurriedly stood up.

When she saw the old hen Su Nian Nian was holding, her smile deepened even more.

“You child, why bring such a good thing here? It would be better for you to keep it for yourself,” Gu Zhi said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

She always felt like Su Niannian gave so much to her family. She was afraid that her family wouldn’t have enough to repay Su Niannian.

“It was given to me by Aunt Zhou Dajie yesterday, so I brought it over to share. I also have a fellow educated youth friend coming over tonight, so I thought I’d add a dish!” Su Niannian said, then asked Gu Zhi, “Why isn’t Gu Ningning at home?”

“She’s out picking wild fruits with her friends. Her health has improved quite a bit recently. She always likes running around outside,” Gu Zhi replied.

“Well, she’s just a child, it’s normal,” Su Niannian said as she placed the old hen directly into the kitchen.

“Niannian, I heard something happened at the educated youth site last night. With such people at your site, you need to be extra careful when coming and going, eating, and all. You have to be more vigilant,” Gu Zhi said, her voice filled with concern.

When she heard about the incident last night, she was completely shocked. Looking at it now, the educated youth site seemed a bit chaotic. She was really worried about Su Niannian’s safety.

If only she could marry Su Niannian sooner, Gu Zhi would feel much more at ease.

But Gu Nan wanted to wait until Su Niannian was of legal age and could get the marriage certificate before marrying her.

Gu Nan was a man with his own ideas, and since he felt this way, Gu Zhi had no choice but to accept it.

“I’ll be careful. The educated youth, Song, who is coming over tonight, is a close friend of mine. I don’t have any relatives here, so Song is like family to me, always looking out for me,” Su Niannian explained.

“We’re companions, looking out for each other,” she added with a smile.

Just now, Gu Zhi had wondered why Su Niannian wanted to invite an educated youth over for dinner. But hearing this now, it was clear that Su Niannian had brought her most trusted friend over.

This meant that Su Niannian truly accepted this home.

How wonderful.

Gu Zhi’s smile widened even more. “That’s great! Let educated youth Song, come over for meals more often when there’s time.”

“You should consider this your home from now on. No matter what happens, we, as a family, will always stand by you.”
Gu Zhi spoke from the heart, genuinely fond of Su Niannian.
“Alright!” Su Niannian smiled.

After a while, Gu Ningning returned, holding a bamboo basket. Her little face was a bit dirty, and there were still faint traces of tears.
“Ningning? What’s wrong… did you cry outside?”

Su Niannian quickly approached, crouched down beside Gu Ningning, and gently wiped the tears from her face.
“Big sister Niannian… Baozi… he’s going to die, woo woo…”
Su Niannian hadn’t asked before, but as soon as she did, Gu Ningning burst into tears.
“Baozi? Is he really going to die?” Su Niannian thought for a moment. Baozi must be a person’s name, right?

“Baozi is the son of Widow Wu in the village. Ningning, what happened to Baozi?” Gu Zhi also came over to Gu Ningning and gently patted her head to comfort her.

“Baozi was beaten a few days ago, and he’s been running a high fever for the past two days. His mother has no money and can’t borrow any. Just now, we saw Baozi’s mother holding him, kneeling on the ground, going from house to house asking for money.”

“Baozi has been unconscious, and he can’t wake up.”