Chapter 37: The Female Identity Cannot Be Revealed

Wang Fengxian’s invitation to Chu Ning was a blow. Chu Ning wasn’t a boy; she was simply disguised as one.

Fu Yuzhou said she was too immersed in her role, but it seemed Wang Fengxian was even more deeply involved.

Chu Ning grew up in the city. Aside from weeding, she had rarely even visited the countryside.

Seeing everyone working together, she found the atmosphere quite appealing.

However, the male educated youths’ conversation completely extinguished her desire to experience rural life.

She politely refused Wang Fengxian. “Um, thank you, Director. I have no experience working in the fields, and I might not do a good job. I’d rather not go.”

“It’s alright. None of the educated youths here have ever done this before. Just consider it a life experience.

I’ll tell you, we earn work points for farm work here. You’ll get work points for working, and you’ll receive rations regularly based on your points.

There are also corresponding rewards at the end of the year. Since you’re here, you need to adapt to our life here and strive to make progress.

Besides training, you should earn more work points to save face for your cousin.

You don’t know how hard your cousin worked to get you here. He submitted applications to the leaders several times. You absolutely cannot disappoint his efforts!”

Great efforts?

Chu Ning thought she should thank Fu Yuzhou on behalf of the real Fu Chen.

He had arranged her life with such painstaking care.

She wasn’t Fu Chen, but since she was taking his identity, she couldn’t let Fu Yuzhou lose face.

The key was that labor earned work points and food—wasn’t that good?

It would prevent her from freeloading off Fu Yuzhou and being disliked by him.

Earning work points and food would surely impress Fu Yuzhou!

“Okay, I’ll try.”

Chu Ning followed Wang Fengxian to the fields. The muddy field edges were slippery after the rain. Chu Ning lost her footing, falling flat on her back into the mud.

Her small body flattened a patch of rice, and she was covered in mud.

Wang Fengxian was distraught. “Goodness, Fu Chen, why did you fall? Are you hurt?”

Chu Ning waved her hand. “I’m fine, I’m fine.”

Chu Ning’s hands were covered in mud. As she tried to get up, the muddy stalks made it even more slippery. Chu Ning accidentally twisted her ankle.

“Hiss.”

She gasped, her pretty eyebrows furrowed.

“Did you sprain your ankle?”

Wang Fengxian instinctively showed concern.

“Yeah, I think so.”

“Comrade Cheng Yiqian, come help Comrade Fu Chen. She seems to have sprained her ankle. Carry her to the clinic.”

Wang Fengxian immediately called for the newly arrived male educated youth, Cheng Yiqian, to help.

Fearing that Fu Yuzhou would see Chu Ning’s embarrassing state, she instructed Cheng Yiqian, “Take Fu Chen to take a shower and change into clean clothes first, then go to the clinic.”

Cheng Yiqian, hearing the shouts, rushed over. Rumors about Fu Chen had already spread throughout the educated youth settlement.

No one had met Fu Chen, but everyone knew he was Fu Yuzhou’s cousin.

Fu Chen’s special status made him popular among the educated youths.

Cheng Yiqian naturally wanted to help Fu Chen.

He quickly approached Chu Ning and was about to carry her.

Chu Ning, terrified by Wang Fengxian’s words, was pale. She was a woman, not the real Fu Chen.

She couldn’t go to Cheng Yiqian’s dorm to shower and change clothes.

So, when Cheng Yiqian stood before her, she quickly refused. “No, I can get up myself.”

“Fu Chen, it’s alright. Let Comrade Cheng help you. He’s a warm-hearted young man, a very good person. I guarantee he’ll take better care of you than your cousin.”

Chu Ning broke out in a cold sweat. “No, my brother told me that when facing difficulties, I shouldn’t seek outside help, only inner strength. I can stand up myself.”

Then, enduring the pain in her ankle, Chu Ning stood up.

At that moment, Cheng Yiqian grabbed Chu Ning’s hand. “Comrade Fu Chen, I’ll take you to the bathhouse to shower, then to the clinic.”

Chu Ning shuddered again. The bathhouse?

She absolutely couldn’t go there; otherwise, her true gender would be revealed.

Just as Chu Ning was at her wit’s end, a white rabbit suddenly appeared in her line of sight.

A fluffy white rabbit with long ears, looking incredibly cute.

“Rabbit, such a cute rabbit.”

To escape, Chu Ning chased the rabbit.

The wheat fields were full of rabbits. Seeing Chu Ning chasing it, the rabbit ran away.

To escape, Chu Ning ran as fast as the rabbit, as if determined to catch it, unaware that she was knocking down a large swathe of wheat.

The work supervisor, Liu Dazhui, happened to see this and shouted from afar, “Who are you? Stop right there! Stop immediately!”

The farmland was jointly owned by the production team; it was the food source for all members. In addition, they had to deliver grain to the state every year.

This was the wheat heading stage. If the crop was destroyed, the yield would inevitably decrease.

Hearing the shout, Chu Ning slowed down, enduring the pain in her ankle, and stopped to look at Liu Dazhui.

She recognized Liu Dazhui from afar—the team leader who had gone to catch Fu Yuzhou in the act of adultery that morning.

Chu Ning’s face and body were covered in mud. Liu Dazhui couldn’t see her face clearly from afar and didn’t know who she was.

He only saw that she was wearing a soldier’s uniform, so she must be a soldier stationed there.

He pointed at Chu Ning and yelled, “Get out! Get out now!”

Chu Ning’s nerves tightened at the stern voice.

Wang Fengxian quickly said, “Fu Chen, come out quickly. Look what you’ve done!”

To be honest, Wang Fengxian was shocked by Chu Ning’s actions. She never imagined Chu Ning would chase a rabbit in the wheat field.

Everyone in the entire commune knew that Liu Dazhui was notoriously strict and intolerant of any mistakes.

Knowing that Chu Ning had made such a mistake, she would certainly be punished by Liu Dazhui and reported to the commune leaders.

Fu Chen was Fu Yuzhou’s cousin. Wang Fengxian had invited Fu Chen to experience rural life, and now this had happened, so she couldn’t stand idly by.

Immediately, she came up from the field and apologized to Liu Dazhui. “Team Leader Liu, it’s all my fault. I asked Fu Chen to go to the field, but I didn’t expect…”

“It has nothing to do with you. Whoever made the mistake will be held accountable!”

In other words, Fu Chen would have to bear the consequences of his actions.

From afar, Chu Ning clearly heard Liu Dazhui’s words and could only limp out of the field.

Liu Dazhui ran towards Chu Ning. When he saw it was her, he didn’t give her a good look.

“Fu Chen, you’re really reckless. Just because your cousin is Battalion Commander Fu, you can act so wantonly and destroy the public property of the team?

Don’t you know that these wheat fields are not only the food for the members of our entire commune but also feed many mouths for the country?

Frankly, you city slickers are all fed by our food. Why are you causing destruction?”

In his anger, Liu Dazhui slapped Chu Ning.