Chapter 18

“Don’t worry. I treat you like my own wife—how could I not take you back to the city? Once I return, I’ll arrange everything for you immediately. You know how I feel about you, don’t you?”

Hearing this, Shu Yue nearly gagged. The exact same line, spoken to two different women—Chen Guo’an really was redefining scumbaggery.

“Of course I believe you,” Wang Aihua replied softly, fending off his advances while explaining her own sacrifices. “I’ve done a lot for you. I only got close to that scorekeeper to land an easier job. I told him you were my cousin. Hasn’t he been giving you lighter work these past few days?”

She had no intention of marrying a villager. This was all Chen Guo’an’s idea—play the cousin card, charm the scorekeeper, and both of them could avoid heavy labor. Before coming to the countryside, Wang Aihua would have scoffed at this kind of scheming for petty favors.

But after months of endless farm work—her skin tanned, her hands rough, her figure growing gaunt—those lofty principles had long since been tossed aside. With no hope of returning home through her family, she had to pay a price to reach her goal.

Her parents clearly didn’t care about her; if they did, they’d never have sent her down here in the first place. Chen Guo’an was different—his family was well-off, and as their only son, he had connections. His father, a cadre, sent him down to “set an example,” but everyone knew he’d never stay long. Packages and money arrived for him every month. Sure enough, just a year later came the news: he’d secured a transfer back to the city.

Knowing his powerful background, Wang Aihua decided to gamble everything—her body included—for a chance to escape this harsh life. What she didn’t expect was that Sun Qing had the same idea.

“Poor thing, you’ve been so wronged. That’s why I want to really make it up to you before I leave… I promise I’ll satisfy you today…”

A string of filthy promises followed, and then came the most primitive kind of “deep communication.” For all his skinny looks, Chen Guo’an’s stamina was impressive—maybe because Wang Aihua’s figure was better than Sun Qing’s, he seemed even more enthusiastic.

Listening to their noises, Shu Yue felt like her eyes needed disinfecting. Two disgusting scenes in one afternoon—what luck. But disgust aside, it was time to act.

She slipped into her personal space, using its stealth ability to approach unnoticed. With a thought, she whisked away the clothes the two had scattered on the ground—something she’d just discovered she could do silently. The trick cost a lot of mental energy, so she couldn’t use it often, but the short distance made it doable.

After stashing the clothes and the bundle of firewood she’d collected, Shu Yue exited her space and quickly left the mountain. At the footpath, she started thinking who she could send to catch the adulterers in the act—when she spotted Huang Fang walking toward her.

Before Huang Fang noticed, Shu Yue pulled the firewood back out of her space and dragged it along as if she’d just finished gathering it.

“Hmph! So much for splitting from the family. You thought you’d live better on your own? Look at you now—already out scrounging firewood. The old woman clearly doesn’t spoil you either. I don’t know why you bothered making a fuss,” Huang Fang sneered, feeling instantly better at the sight of Shu Yue laboring. She herself had been forced to work just days after childbirth while Shu Yue rested, and the unfairness had been eating her alive.

“If I hadn’t made a fuss, would you be lining up to swap babies with me?” Shu Yue shot back, stabbing right where it hurt. Huang Fang’s lips pressed into a thin, furious line.

“If you’re heading up the mountain, I’d advise you not to go… actually, never mind. I’m going home.”

Leaving those cryptic words behind, Shu Yue walked off. She didn’t care whether Huang Fang had planned to climb the mountain or not—after such a tantalizing warning, she definitely would now. People are funny like that: the more you tell them not to go, the more they want to see what’s there.

Sure enough, just as Shu Yue dragged the firewood back to the old family house, someone outside started shouting:

“Come quick! Someone’s fooling around on the mountain—catch them!”

Shu Yue’s lips curved into a sly smile. She couldn’t wait to imagine Sun Qing’s face when she found Chen Guo’an tangled up with Wang Aihua. What a pity she had to stay home with the baby instead of watching the chaos firsthand.

But just the thought of Sun Qing suffering was enough to make her happy.

If Sun Qing hadn’t spread rumors about the Shu family’s background, no one in the village would’ve known Shu Yue’s family had “capitalist ties,” and she wouldn’t have had such a miserable time—or been forced to cling to Cheng Jingchuan for protection.

Shu Yue and Sun Qing were barely acquaintances, but Sun Qing’s hostility had been relentless. Only in her previous life did Shu Yue learn the reason: Sun Qing was close friends with Gu Ziruo—Shu Yue’s half sister. And Huang Fang’s schemes? All under Gu Ziruo’s direction, to make Shu Yue’s life unbearable.

Well then… since Gu Ziruo wanted to play dirty, it was only fair to send her a little “gift.” They were sisters, after all—why should only one of them suffer?

“Grandma, I’m home!”

Fresh from her little act of sabotage, Shu Yue walked through the door smiling, her mood positively radiant.