Chapter 8: The Person Zhan Nanhui Likes

Zhan Nanhui had just arrived at the pigsty when he saw Yan Dabao standing there with a few village thugs waiting for him.

Zhan Nanhui’s eyes darkened as he slowly walked over.

“Get him!” Yan Dabao shouted, and the thugs rushed at Zhan Nanhui.

Zhan Nanhui knew his identity—he was considered a bad element now and couldn’t fight back. But that didn’t mean he would just let them bully him. He deliberately dodged toward the water trough, and as the thugs came at him, he sidestepped. One by one, they fell into the pig trough.

Seeing that Zhan Nanhui dared to dodge, Yan Dabao shouted, “You must have a death wish!”

In the countryside, if a bad element died during “reform,” it would be as if he died for nothing.

Yan Dabao yelled as he grabbed an iron shovel nearby and swung it at Zhan Nanhui.

Zhan Nanhui raised his hand and caught the shovel. With a slight tug, Yan Dabao was pulled to the ground.

“You damn bad element! You pig! How dare you lay a hand on me!” Yan Dabao shouted, his mouth hitting the shovel covered in pig manure. He cried out in pain.

The remaining thugs wanted to move closer to Zhan Nanhui, but now they hesitated, wary of him.

“Zhan Nanhui, you dare hit me?! I’m going to tell my father and have your file marked with crosses. If you think you’ll ever leave here, you’re dreaming!” Yan Dabao threatened, pointed at Zhan Nanhui, cursed a few more times, and then left with help, limping home to tattle.

Zhan Nanhui expressionlessly continued cleaning the pigsty.

At the entrance, a woman in a black wool coat stood silently. Her hair was tied into two thick braids. She hesitated, watching the man’s busy figure, and finally stepped inside.

Zhan Nanhui was bent over, working, but when he saw the little leather shoes on her feet, his eyes lowered slightly.

He didn’t need to look up. He already knew who it was.

In the countryside, few women wore such lambskin shoes.

Zhan Nanhui turned and continued cleaning.

“Nanhui, did you get married?” the woman asked softly.

Zhan Nanhui didn’t respond, just kept sweeping.

“Are you still mad at me?” she asked again.

Zhan Nanhui paused, then lowered his gaze and said quietly, “You weren’t wrong. The times were.”

The woman’s voice rose slightly, filled with grievance and anger: “You’ve seen how we’ve lived these years. If I hadn’t done what I did, what do you think would’ve happened to me?”

Zhan Nanhui gripped the broom tightly, his knuckles turning white.

“I know I wronged you, but I had no choice. That person was in charge of assigning our posts. Do you really think I should have followed you here to live in a pigsty and clean up after pigs?” she said, her voice low and full of restraint.

Only then did Zhan Nanhui slowly raise his head.

The woman before him looked just as beautiful as when they first met years ago—big eyes, fair skin. But now, everything had changed.

“Go,” Zhan Nanhui said softly. “I hope you leave this place soon and live the life you want.”

The woman’s eyes welled with tears. She looked longingly at the man.

He was the one she truly loved, but if she wanted to leave this place, she couldn’t stay with him.

She couldn’t bear a life of eating coarse food and being beaten or scolded—not even for one day.

But now this man was married to a village woman. He might never be the same again…

Her heart was filled with complex emotions.

“I’ve been transferred to Yan Family Village to serve as the women’s committee director. If you ever need anything, come to me. I’ll help,” she said softly.

Zhan Nanhui acted as though he didn’t hear her and continued working.

Yi An’an clutched a book to her chest, cheerfully heading to find Zhan Nanhui. As she turned down the path, she saw a familiar figure leaving the pigsty.

Yi An’an stared at the figure, her fingers tightening.

That figure was her nightmare in her past life. Because of that woman, she lost her beloved daughter.

Her daughter had once been her only reason to keep going. But…

Yi An’an was just about to approach when she saw Zhan Nanhui walking out of the pigsty. He stood at the door, watching the woman’s back, seemingly deep in thought.

Yi An’an froze.

Only now did she remember the relationship between Zhan Nanhui and that woman.

That woman was Chen Sisi, a university-educated youth from the city who had been sent to the commune along with Zhan Nanhui for reform. Because of her beauty and singing talent, she was kept in the commune’s choir—a position that girls from clean, good backgrounds fought tooth and nail for. Unexpectedly, it had gone to a reformed urban youth like Chen Sisi.

Later, Chen Sisi had an affair with the choir leader and was caught by his wife. She was expelled and sent to the countryside. From then on, she became Yi An’an’s nightmare.

In her past life, Yi An’an lived a miserable life and never paid attention to Zhan Nanhui. All she knew was that the entire village was destroyed by his hand later on—maybe that was fate’s way of avenging her. Now, it seemed that Zhan Nanhui and Chen Sisi were very close.

Yi An’an hesitated, then walked forward.

Zhan Nanhui was still standing at the pigsty entrance, staring at Chen Sisi’s back, fists clenched. Just as he was about to turn his head, he suddenly saw Yi An’an.

He quickly reined in his emotions and looked at her.

Yi An’an walked up to him without a word and stuffed the book she’d been hiding into his hands.

Zhan Nanhui looked down at the book. After flipping through a few pages, he was instantly absorbed. He looked up at Yi An’an and asked, “Where did you get this?”

Yi An’an was in a bad mood. She said coldly, “Don’t worry about that. Just read it. I promised you, and I’ll keep my word.”

She shoved the book into his hands and turned to leave.

Zhan Nanhui frowned slightly. Last night, this woman had been so warm toward him. Why was she so cold today?

That evening, after a day’s work, Zhan Nanhui returned home carrying an enamel mug.

Since he worked in the commune today, meals were provided—stewed cabbage and two cornbread buns for lunch. He ate half and brought the rest back for Yi An’an.

He hadn’t even reached the house when a delicious aroma hit his nose. He sniffed hard and realized the scent was coming from the shack.

His stomach growled loudly, and he quickened his pace.

Yi An’an had cooked a pot of wild greens, but inside were also shrimp and loaches she’d caught in the river that afternoon. The rich aroma filled the air.

When Zhan Nanhui came in, Yi An’an didn’t say a word. She brought the pot down and scooped him a bowl of the wild vegetable soup with shrimp and loaches, placing a hot steamed bun in front of him.

Zhan Nanhui looked at the steaming hot food and felt awkward taking out his enamel mug with the leftover food.

“Where did you get this food?” he asked quietly.

He’d been in the countryside for four years, and this was the first time he’d had a hot meal.

“Just eat,” Yi An’an said grumpily.

Zhan Nanhui hesitated, then took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves to eat.

Yi An’an looked up at his jacket.

She remembered the photo of a woman was in the pocket of that jacket.

Could the woman Zhan Nanhui liked really be that Chen Sisi?