This man was once the most important person in her life. They were born in the same compound and had played together since they could remember.  

Childhood sweethearts, growing up side by side.  

Even their parents believed they would end up together someday.  

She thought so too, even feeling that having such a partner was the greatest happiness in her life.  

When her family fell into turmoil, despite having the chance to go abroad, she willingly chose to go to the countryside with Sheng Zuoyuan, thinking that even if the rural life was tough, it wouldn’t matter—as long as she was with him, they could overcome any hardship.  

But reality proved otherwise.  

Her previous life had been smooth and uneventful, only for all the karmic retribution to manifest through Sheng Zuoyuan, tormenting her to the point where death would have been a mercy, and even dragging her family down with her.  

The man she thought would be her loving partner until old age turned out to be the one who stabbed her countless times. Now, reborn, she felt nothing but hatred for Sheng Zuoyuan.  

She didn’t want to recall the past of her previous life.  

Compared to seeking revenge on Sheng Zuoyuan, she had something far more important to do.  

The reason she followed him to the countryside again, just like in her past life, wasn’t to take revenge here—but because in Hongshan Brigade, there was someone she cared about most.  

Her only salvation.  

Bai Man suppressed her hatred for Sheng Zuoyuan, utterly disgusted by his touch. “I’ll say it one more time—call me Bai Man.”  

Just as Sheng Zuoyuan was about to speak, Luo Wang, standing ahead, snapped impatiently, “What are you standing around for? Come pull the cart!”  

When his first shout went ignored, he pointed directly at Sheng Zuoyuan. “You, in the military-green plaid shirt—why aren’t you responding? Hurry up and pull the cart!”  

Sheng Zuoyuan was still troubled by Bai Man’s sudden change in attitude. Hearing the shout, he pointed at himself in disbelief. “Me?”  

“Who else? You were the one who told the female comrade to sit on the cart—did you expect me to pull it?” Luo Wang sneered. “You sure know how to play the nice guy—spouting empty words while others do the work, taking all the credit for yourself.”  

Sheng Zuoyuan had never been subjected to such sarcasm before. His face darkened as he retorted, “Fine, I’ll pull it.”  

His leather shoes sank into the mud as he walked to the front of the cart and prepared to pull. After a brief attempt, he found it exhausting, but with so many eyes on him, how could he back down now?  

He turned to Bai Man, hoping she might refuse to ride—then perhaps he could get out of this chore.  

But when he looked back, Bai Man was already sitting on the cart, her tone light and indifferent. “Hurry up and move. If you keep dawdling, it’ll be night by the time we arrive.”  

“…” Sheng Zuoyuan suddenly felt suffocated with frustration.  

“This educated youth is right,” Luo Wang chimed in. “Let’s get moving. At this rate, I doubt we’ll even reach the brigade in two hours.”  

“That far?”  

“Why do we still have to walk so long?”

As soon as Jiao Gang heard this, his legs went weak. He circled the cart twice, then pleaded pitifully, “Bai Man, can you squeeze in a spot for me? I really can’t walk anymore.”  

A grown man on the verge of tears looked utterly ridiculous.  

But Jiao Gang didn’t care about losing face.  

Better embarrassed than crippled. Clasping his hands together, he begged, “Please, just a tiny space will do.”  

Bai Man didn’t respond but shifted slightly to the side, making room beside a small bag—just enough for two palms’ width.  

After all, she wasn’t the one pulling the cart. As long as she could watch Sheng Zuoyuan exhaust himself like a dog, she was satisfied.  

It was a shame the cart was already overloaded with luggage—otherwise, she would have gladly squeezed the others on too.  

In all his years, Sheng Zuoyuan had never trudged through mud pulling a cart.  

Seeing Luo Wang do it effortlessly earlier, he had assumed it was easy—only to realize how grueling it was once he tried. Veins bulged at his temples as he strained with every ounce of strength just to get the cart moving.  

But he was a proud man. Without anyone giving him an excuse to stop, he’d endure no matter how exhausted he was.  

What he wanted most was to hear Bai Man tell him to take a break.  

What he didn’t know was that Bai Man’s attention was entirely on the other educated youths.  

She studied them one by one, recalling that in her past life, she had also gone to the countryside with this group.  

Back then, however, her focus had been entirely on Sheng Zuoyuan. Plus, due to constant conflicts with the local educated youths, she had moved out of the shared lodging early and never really bonded with these people.  

Gao Liao was sharp—within no time, he had built good relationships with the other educated youths and earned a solid reputation in the brigade.  

Chen Shuming was sociable and got along with everyone, though he lacked shrewdness. Later, he was tricked by a local family into marrying their daughter.  

Jiao Gang, despite his tall and sturdy build, couldn’t handle hardship at all—his days were filled with loud, dramatic complaints.  

And Rong Xiaoxiao…  

Bai Man suddenly frowned.  

She lifted her gaze to study the figure walking ahead.  

The rural path was rough, and everyone else carefully picked their steps to avoid the worst of the mud—except this female comrade, who walked in a straight line without a care for the sludge splattering up her legs.  

There was something almost… cheerful in her stride.  

Bai Man wracked her memory but couldn’t recall much about Rong Xiaoxiao.  

Perhaps they’d had little interaction in her past life, leaving no impression.  

But this time, she wouldn’t mind befriending someone like her. Most of the people she remembered vividly from her past life were troublesome, unbearable types—dealing with them had been nothing short of infuriating.

Her lack of vivid memories about Rong Xiaoxiao suggested at least one thing—this person probably had a decent temperament.  

As an educated youth, she hadn’t caused trouble or stirred up incidents. She must have been competent at her work, living almost invisibly.  

Not particularly noticeable, but not difficult either.  

Someone like that was worth befriending.  

However, the most important person in Bai Man’s heart was still that man.  

The only man she had ever failed.  

Rong Xiaoxiao, of course, had no idea what the female lead thought of her.  

Right now, she was busy curiously surveying her surroundings.  

This would be her home for the next several years—of course, she wanted to learn as much as possible.  

“Brother Luo Wang, could you tell us a bit about Hongshan Brigade?” Chen Shuming stuck close to Luo Wang, eager for information. “How many educated youths are in our brigade now? What kind of work do we have to do?”  

“You’ve got a lot of questions.” Luo Wang grinned when Chen Shuming offered him a cigarette. “Oh, Hongtashan—good stuff.”  

“Glad you like it. Here, have another, Brother Luo Wang.”  

Luo Wang declined the second cigarette but sniffed the first appreciatively before answering, “Don’t worry, our brigade leader is fair. As long as you work hard and earn your work points, you’ll get a decent share of grain every year. Might not stuff you full, but you won’t starve.”  

“That’s a relief!” Chen Shuming pressed, “How exactly are work points calculated?”  

“Ten-point system. The more you work, the more points you earn. There’s a guy surnamed He in the educated youth dormitory—works like an ox, always gets the highest points. After harvest, he gets enough grain to feed himself and even has extra to send home.”  

At this, both Chen Shuming and Gao Liao looked intrigued.  

Their families weren’t well-off. If they could send something back, even better.  

Rong Xiaoxiao listened attentively.  

“Working hard” definitely wasn’t her style. Highest work points? Not a chance. She just wondered what the minimum was—one or two points would be plenty for her.  

As she stepped over a puddle, her sharp eyes caught something unusual. “Comrade Luo Wang, is that a river over there?”  

Something dark was bobbing on the water’s surface.  

“Yep, once you see that creek, you know the brigade’s close. That’s where—”  

Suddenly, Luo Wang’s expression twisted in alarm. He sprinted toward the river, shouting, “Chou Niu! Get your ass back here right now! Have you lost your damn mind?! You know the river’s still swollen from the storm two days ago! Get out NOW!”  

Rong Xiaoxiao shielded her eyes with a hand, squinting ahead.  

Ah.  

That “black lump” she’d seen?  

It was a head.  

A child’s head, floating in the river.

Before long, Luo Wang returned dragging a skinny six- or seven-year-old boy by the collar, scolding him the whole way: “Didn’t the brigade leader warn everyone not to go near the river? You’ve got some nerve, sneaking out past brigade territory to fish! If you’d drowned out here, wouldn’t your grandma have cried herself to death?”  

The malnourished boy, all skin and bones, retorted stubbornly, “If I starve to death, my grandma will cry herself to death too.”  

“…What nonsense are you spouting?!”  

The boy tilted his head thoughtfully, then rephrased: “Well, if my grandma starves to death, I’ll cry myself to death.”  

So either way, it’s death. Might as well risk fishing—a full belly means maybe both of them could survive.  

Exasperated, Luo Wang snapped, “…Get lost! If I catch you in that river again, I’ll give you the beating your grandma should’ve!”  

As soon as he let go, the boy glanced longingly back at the river, his round eyes full of reluctance—clearly not ready to give up.  

“Go home! Your grandma’s probably searching the whole brigade for you right now.” Luo Wang gave the boy a light kick on the rear to send him off, then added, “I’ll stop by your place tonight. Leave the door unlatched for me.”  

No household had much to spare, but digging up a few sweet potatoes to help out was still possible.  

The boy pressed his lips together, looked up at Luo Wang for a brief moment, then suddenly dashed toward the village.  

Luo Wang didn’t relax until he saw the child enter the village entrance. Turning to Rong Xiaoxiao, he said, “Thank goodness you spotted him. That creek doesn’t have many fish, and the current’s treacherous—even adults can get in trouble, let alone kids. Last year, a child nearly drowned there. Luckily, Rong Zhengzhi fished him out in time.”  

“Rong Zhengzhi?!” On the cart, Bai Man’s heart clenched.  

Just hearing that name made her tremble, aching to sprint into the brigade, rush to that man, and hold him tight.  

Rong Xiaoxiao also froze.  

She knew Rong Zhengzhi was the male lead, but it suddenly struck her—his surname “Rong” was the same as hers. Could they be distant relatives?  

“If it’s so dangerous, why was that kid in the river?” Jiao Gang scoffed, thinking the boy was just a brat who needed a good spanking.  

That’s how his dad handled things.  

Every time he messed up, his father would chase him with a switch, thrashing him until he wailed for mercy—then he’d go right back to misbehaving, getting beaten again, in an endless cycle.  

“You think Chou Niu doesn’t know the risks?” Luo Wang sighed. “He knows. But hunger drives him. His family’s just him and his blind grandma—she can’t earn work points, so they survive on brigade rations. And how much can the brigade really spare?”