Chapter 54: This seems to be the heroine’s opportunity, right?

Zhou Xiangdong raised an eyebrow when he heard that, seemingly intrigued by Zhang Ergou’s words. “Let’s hear it… If you really can come up with something useful, maybe I’ll give you a chance to redeem yourself.”

Zhang Ergou swallowed hard, trying to steady his trembling voice. “B-Boss, that woman asked about Zhao Hang today. That means she definitely knows him—she might even be one of the educated youths from Hongqi Village… Maybe we can start from there.”

He figured that as long as they could find out more about the woman, everything else would fall into place.

After hearing that, a cold sneer curved Zhou Xiangdong’s lips. “If that woman doesn’t show up tomorrow night, we’ll go with your plan. But if we can’t find her…”

Zhang Ergou quickly nodded, nearly knocking his head on the ground. “Don’t worry, Boss! If we can’t find her, I’ll personally go get Zhao Hang and make sure we track her down!”

Only then did Zhou Xiangdong withdraw his gaze, choosing to let him off for the time being.

Because Chang Suisui had gone out in the middle of the night, she asked Zhang Fen to request a leave of absence for her in the morning and didn’t go to the fields.

The village chief, Xie Gui, came to find her around 9 a.m. She had just groggily gotten up and was sitting in the courtyard of the educated youth dormitory washing her face.

“Comrade Chang?”

Chang Suisui picked up a towel to wipe her face and looked up to see Xie Gui standing at the gate. She frowned in confusion. “Village Chief Uncle, you’re looking for me?”

Xie Gui nodded, seeming a little hesitant. “About your engagement to Xie Yu…”

At that, the aloof expression on Chang Suisui’s face softened slightly. She pulled the corners of her mouth into a slight smile. “Wasn’t that already decided?”

Xie Gui looked at her with his deeply wrinkled eyes, as if confirming that she wasn’t being forced. Only then did he awkwardly say, “Comrade Chang, if you don’t want to go through with the marriage to Xie Yu, you can tell me directly. Don’t feel pressured by what people in the village say. As for what my wife and daughter did before, I apologize on their behalf.”

He knew Chang Suisui’s parents had always cherished her, and marrying her off to Xie Yu was admittedly a bit unfair. His younger brother had been a soldier, sure—but he was now a disabled man…

Xie Gui had been persuaded by Zhao Xiulan before and figured he’d just ask Chang Suisui privately. But he didn’t expect her to drag in a whole group of people to confront them, and now the entire village knew about the swap-marriage situation.

He had just happened to be in town yesterday and wasn’t in the village. In that short time, his wife and daughter had stirred up a mess.

Thinking about it gave Xie Gui a headache.

Chang Suisui narrowed her clear eyes slightly, observing the village chief’s expression. She knew he was a good man—both from what the novel described and what she’d seen firsthand.

But… why had he married someone like Zhao Xiulan? Did he have poor taste?

She clicked her tongue inwardly, but kept a polite smile on her face. “Village Chief Uncle, I think Comrade Xie is a good man. I’m willing to marry him.”

Xie Gui remained silent, noting that she only acknowledged the marriage and didn’t say a single word about forgiving Zhao Xiulan or Xie Xiaohua. Clearly, she had no intention of letting them off.

And fair enough—if they hadn’t made such a scene, the village wouldn’t be buzzing about their family now. Every villager was treating their family drama like free entertainment.

Xie Gui couldn’t help but sigh. Well, he couldn’t force her.

“Don’t worry, Comrade Chang. You’re marrying into our Xie family—we won’t let you suffer when it comes to the bride price. You’ll get all the proper things: a bicycle, sewing machine, wristwatch, and radio.”

He looked at her seriously as he made the promise.

He and Xie Yu’s parents had died early, and since Xie Yu was young, Xie Gui had basically raised him. That’s why they hadn’t separated households yet.

He originally wanted to wait until Xie Yu got married to split the family, so his wife would stop trying to take advantage. But before that could happen, Xie Yu had been injured and discharged from the military.

Once his leg was crippled, Xie Gui gave up on dividing the household. So naturally, when Xie Yu got married, he, as the older brother, would prepare the bride price.

Chang Suisui gave him a slightly surprised look, though she quickly masked it. Her eyes crinkled slightly in a polite smile. “Thank you, Village Chief Uncle.”

Xie Gui’s mouth twitched. He wanted to correct her on the title—after all, once she married Xie Yu, she should call him Big Brother—but since they hadn’t officially registered the marriage, it didn’t matter for now.

“By the way, Comrade Chang, you know some medicine, don’t you?”

He suddenly remembered something. The village doctor had fallen recently when treating someone at night and was still bedridden. When Xie Gui went to town yesterday to ask if they could assign a new village doctor, they said no—too few medical personnel.

The town suggested that the village choose someone to train under the former doctor and eventually take over. Naturally, someone with prior medical knowledge would be prioritized.

He remembered that Chang Suisui had saved Li Chunhua and even helped Xie Yu with his leg. The former village doctor, Li Shuisheng, had also praised her.

If she could become the new village doctor, she’d have a stable income—a huge plus for her and Xie Yu.

Chang Suisui nodded. “Yes, I know a bit, but I wouldn’t say I’m proficient…”

Of course she wouldn’t claim too much in front of the village chief. The original host knew nothing about medicine. Saying she knew a little wouldn’t raise suspicion—after all, Chang Meili had studied at a medical school. As her cousin, it was reasonable for her to have picked up some knowledge secondhand.

Xie Gui nodded. “Perfect. Since we’re short a doctor, you can go to the clinic to study for now. Once you pass the certification, you can officially take over.”

Chang Suisui blinked, a bit surprised that the village chief would bring it up so proactively. If she remembered correctly, this was supposed to be a stroke of good fortune for the female lead.

She had originally just wanted to ruin things for Chang Meili, not expecting this opportunity to fall into her lap instead.

Since it was meant to be a lucky break for the female lead, she wasn’t about to turn it down. She had to lock this in.

Her eyes sparkled with joy, and the smile on her face became more sincere. “Thank you, Village Chief Uncle! I’ll definitely study hard and do my best to serve the village!”

“Why does such a good opportunity have to go to Chang Suisui alone?!”

Suddenly, a shrill voice pierced the air from the entrance.