Chapter 7 Let them carry manure!

How could there be a woman as vicious as Chang Suisui in this world? Zhao Hang instinctively glanced at the willow switch in her hand and quietly edged closer to the village head. Then, in a weak but raised voice, he said, “In love, the one who isn’t loved is the third wheel!”

Chang Suisui raised her brows high, really wanting to slap this scumbag again. But she held herself back.

“Uncle Village Head, you heard it too. Zhao Hang originally had an engagement with me, but now he’s entangled with my cousin. Am I wrong to hit these two shameless cheaters?” She slightly lifted her chin, looking as though she was heartbroken yet trying to stay strong. It made others feel sympathetic toward her. Especially since the village head was the father of Chang Meili’s fiancé, it made him even more displeased!

His brows knitted tightly. “Zhao Hang, Chang Meili, the two of you are messing around with improper relationships in the village. As punishment, you’ll be hauling manure for two months!”

Normally, they should be reported directly to the commune in town. But Chang Meili was the daughter of the Chang family and had once been engaged to his son. He didn’t want to be too ruthless.

Chang Meili was dumbfounded. She quickly tried to explain, “Uncle Xie, I don’t want to haul manure! It’s all a misunderstanding. My cousin is mistaken. There’s nothing going on between me and Zhao Hang!”

As she said this, she shot a glare at Zhao Hang, signaling him to change his story quickly. She had intended to just stay silent and let the whole thing blow over without being addressed directly. Who would’ve thought the village head would make them haul manure? Even in her previous life when she married Zhao Hang, she never had to do that! Now that she had reincarnated and gained every possible advantage, how could she accept such disgrace?

Zhao Hang was also stunned. He never expected that publicly acknowledging his love for Chang Meili would lead to this. Hearing her now trying to deny their relationship, he wasn’t hurt. On the contrary, he felt moved that his beloved Meili was willing to hide their relationship for his sake.

Feeling suddenly emotional, he looked determinedly at the village head. “Village Head, I was just overwhelmed by anger at Chang Suisui earlier, which is why I claimed to have something going on with Comrade Chang. What we have is a pure revolutionary friendship!”

“Ha! Who hugs each other that tightly in a pure revolutionary friendship?”

“Exactly! I say they’re just messing around behind the scenes! And even stealing her cousin’s fiancé? Disgraceful!”

“No wonder Chang Meili always spoke ill of Chang Suisui behind her back. Turns out she was the real schemer all along. What a snake!”

“Yeah! When Comrade Chang first came to the village, a lot of young men were drawn to her pretty face. But soon after, we all heard from little Chang that her cousin was hard to please, had a princess complex, and was aloof…”

“I heard that too! We all thought Comrade Chang was trouble. But it turns out she’s the victim…”

…

Their attempts to clear their names were useless. The crowd’s judgmental chatter nearly drowned them in spit.

Just as the village head was about to speak, Chang Suisui interjected, “Uncle Village Head, I’d like everyone to bear witness. I want to break off my engagement with this scumbag Zhao Hang! And I want him to return the 200 yuan he borrowed from me!”

“Oh heavens, who would’ve thought Comrade Zhao would be capable of something like this—cheating Comrade Chang out of her money?”

“Pah! Shameless!”

The onlookers sneered at Zhao Hang. One bold person even asked directly, “Comrade Zhao, what did you borrow the money for?”

Zhao Hang’s expression changed again and again. He had indeed borrowed money from Chang Suisui, though it was little by little. Chang Meili had once told him that Suisui was hoarding the money meant for both girls’ living expenses, so she had asked him to “borrow” it on her behalf.

Zhao Hang hadn’t expected Chang Suisui to be so shameless—refusing to admit she took Meili’s money and now even demanding it back. Already fuming from all the insults, he completely lost it when she asked for the money.

“Chang Suisui, why do I owe you money? Don’t you know exactly why I took it? You clearly—”

Before he could finish, Chang Meili pulled him aside and whispered, “Brother Hang, don’t argue with cousin anymore. I’ll give you the money later, and you just pay her back.”

Chang Meili didn’t dare let this escalate. The 200 yuan really had been from Suisui—it was the money her parents gave her before she came to the countryside. In her previous life, Suisui lived quite comfortably on it and even used it to help the Xie family build a brick house. Now that she had been reborn, she wasn’t going to let Suisui live easily. That money was hers now, compensation for her past suffering.

But who would’ve thought Suisui would break off the engagement and demand the money back?

Seeing the two whispering to each other, Chang Suisui sneered. “What’s this? You took my money and now you don’t want to pay it back? Don’t tell me you used it all to support your lover?”

As she said this, her gaze flickered over to Chang Meili.

That made Zhao Hang explode. “It’s just 200 yuan! I’ll pay you back!”

“Wow, so generous!” Chang Suisui took two steps forward, making Zhao Hang flinch again.

Before he could react, he heard her mocking tone: “If you’re so generous, why did you need to borrow it in the first place? Tsk…”

Zhao Hang: “!!!”

That sarcastic tone—he couldn’t take it anymore!

“Chang Suisui!” he practically growled the words from between his clenched teeth.

Chang Meili couldn’t stand being watched anymore. She pulled out the 200 yuan from her pocket and handed it to Chang Suisui. “Cousin, Brother Hang just forgot to ask his family for money and had to borrow from you. Do you really have to push so hard?”

“Alright, I won’t push,” Chang Suisui’s expression suddenly softened as she looked at Chang Meili. But her words hit even harder. “So… you’re the one repaying the debt?”

Chang Meili instantly lowered her head, eyes turning red with tears. “Cousin, you know our family’s situation. My parents aren’t official workers like your uncle and aunt. How could we possibly come up with so much money…”

Her pitiful look once again stirred some sympathy from the crowd.

Chang Suisui snorted lightly. “Oh, so you do know. Then why were you telling people that the 200 yuan my parents gave me was yours?”

Chang Meili froze, completely forgetting to keep up her fake tears. She never expected Suisui to air such a private matter in public—this wasn’t like her at all. She’d always kept things behind closed doors. This sudden bluntness made her lose control of the situation. After all, it’s one thing to lie in private, and another to lie in front of a whole group.

Suisui might be foolish, but that didn’t mean the onlookers were too.

“Cousin, can we talk about this privately later? I know there are some misunderstandings between us…”