Chapter 15 The big carp hits him!

Xie Jianguo, thinking that Chang Suisui had been scheming to marry him, suddenly wasn’t that angry anymore. If she really wanted to marry him that badly, well… maybe that wasn’t so bad. With that thought, he started walking toward her, his gaze running up and down her body like he was inspecting some kind of merchandise.

Chang Suisui frowned slightly, her expression cold as she looked straight at him. “I am. What do you want?”

In the original novel, Xie Jianguo was described as a rugged man, with the typical sun-darkened skin of laborers. His looks were indeed more attractive than Xie Liye’s, but far inferior to Xie Yu’s. Though Xie Yu barely appeared in the story, he was the golden finger throughout the book, and naturally the pinnacle of male beauty. Otherwise, how could someone like Xie Jianguo—born to two completely average-looking parents—turn out so handsome? Later in the story, it was thanks to his resemblance to Xie Yu (about 60%) that he received favors and attention from others.

Xie Jianguo clicked his tongue against the back of his teeth, tilted his head slightly to show off his chiseled jawline, and looked at Chang Suisui. “I know you admire me. But I already have feelings for Meili. If you insist on marrying me using tricks or schemes, I’ll tell you straight—I can’t give you love.”

Chang Suisui: “???”

Her expression was the human embodiment of “Subway Grandpa Reading Phone in Disbelief.” Just listen to this guy. What brand of egotistical nonsense is this?

Xie Jianguo saw that she didn’t respond and thought his words had hit home. He assumed she was just shy—after all, girls were like that. And with someone as charming as himself, it was only natural. He sighed softly and continued, “I may not love you or give you children, but I’m willing to sleep with you. And you can raise the kids I’ll have with Meili.”

He thought he was already giving this woman who admired him enough dignity.

Xie Liye, standing off to the side, was completely dumbfounded.

At that moment, Chang Suisui’s fury bar maxed out. She shoved the stunned Xie Liye aside, grabbed the huge carp in her hand, and started slapping Xie Jianguo across the face with it.

“You think I’m being polite? Get your brain sorted out before you talk to me!”

Smack smack!

“Admire you? Where’s your face? What’s your skincare routine, huh? Must be industrial-strength thick skin!”

Smack smack!

“Want me to raise the lovechild of you and that slag? What are you, a muddy loach that touched seawater and now thinks it’s seafood?!”

Smack smack!

“Go piss in a puddle and take a look at yourself! With that face? You think you’re qualified?! Life is bland and boring? No, YOU’RE the livestock trying to school humanity!”

Smack smack!

Chang Suisui completely lost it. She was so enraged by Xie Jianguo’s delusions that she lashed him repeatedly with the fish, scales flying everywhere. His face swelled up like a balloon.

Xie Liye stood there in stunned silence. He hadn’t expected this gentle girl who could barely weed the field to be so fierce with a fish. She was hitting his older brother, but honestly, he thought his brother deserved it. His little uncle had taught him that a girl’s reputation was everything, and even casual gossip could ruin her.

But his brother? He skipped the gossip and went straight to harassment.

Suddenly, the sound of approaching footsteps reached them. The commotion had clearly drawn a crowd.

“Comrade Chang! Someone’s coming!” Xie Liye warned.

Just as he said that, Chang Suisui decisively kicked Xie Jianguo, sending him flying off the field and into the river by the edge.

The water wasn’t deep—especially for someone like Xie Jianguo, who stood over six feet tall. And kids who grew up in the countryside usually knew how to swim. He flailed around a bit before standing up. But he’d fallen in face-first like a stunned fish, so his hair was full of weird-looking aquatic plants. Combined with his now-swollen face and completely soaked clothes, he looked like a drowned ghost come back to life.

“Ahhhh!!! A water ghost!!!”

The villager who had just arrived screamed. Their shriek startled the village chief, who had been on his way to the fields and now rushed over in alarm.

Earlier that day, the village doctor had told the chief that Chang Suisui had treated the snakebite on another cadre. The doctor was impressed and thought Suisui had potential. The chief wanted to get her to train under the doctor, so she could stay on as the village’s medic when the doctor left.

But before he could even reach her, he heard shouting about a water ghost.

When the chief arrived, he saw Xie Jianguo being held back by a few villagers, clearly trying to rush at Chang Suisui. Meanwhile, Xie Liye was standing in front of her like a mother hen protecting her chicks.

The chief’s head started to throb. Just yesterday, he’d had to throw Chang Meili and Zhao Hang into the cattle shed for causing a scandal. Now here was another mess.

“What the hell is going on?!” he demanded.

Before anyone else could respond, Chang Suisui ran up with tears in her eyes.

“Uncle Chief, you have to stand up for me! Xie Jianguo tried to hit me! Boohoohoo…”

The chief’s face instantly darkened.

He remembered how he’d scolded Xie Jianguo that afternoon after dealing with Chang Meili’s nonsense. He’d thought the boy just needed to cool off. He never imagined he’d take his anger out on a girl!

Furious, the chief gave Xie Jianguo another kick, sending him stumbling back into the muddy field.

“You call this being a man? Bullying a comrade like that?! Is this what I taught you?!”

Xie Jianguo, already fuming from the fish slaps, was now seething. After getting kicked again, he exploded. “It was Chang Suisui! She shamelessly tried to seduce me! When I rejected her, she got mad and attacked me!”

Though he was a village boy, Xie Jianguo had been treated well because his uncle was in the army, his father was the village chief, and his aunt was the women’s league leader. With his good looks, plenty of women admired him—and he’d never once been treated like this.

As soon as those words left his mouth, all eyes turned to Chang Suisui.

Her eyes widened in disbelief, and her trembling hand pointed at Xie Jianguo. Her reddened eyes made her look truly pitiful.

“Xie Jianguo, you shameless bully! You tried to harass me and now you’re trying to smear my name?! If I don’t prove my innocence today, I’ll hang myself right here!”

She reached for a rope, ready to act, and scared the village chief half to death.

“Comrade Chang, let’s talk it out! Don’t do anything rash! I’ll get justice for you!”

Realizing things were spiraling out of control, he turned to Xie Liye, who was tightly holding onto Suisui.

“What happened? Tell me the truth!”