Chapter 20

Taking Care of Qian Guilan Again

Xia Wanyang didn’t speak. In fact, she secretly hoped the news would spread, as that would completely tie Zhang Shiye to her, but she also didn’t want to do it that way—it would feel like pressuring him. Right now, she wasn’t even sure if Zhang Shiye liked her.

Afterward, Xia Wanyang went back to her room. She needed to prepare something. Since Zhang Shiye had helped her, it seemed appropriate for her to give him a gift in return.

But what should she give? If it were something too expensive, he would surely refuse. If it were something too cheap, it wouldn’t express her feelings well. Perhaps food? But that seemed too ordinary. After thinking for a while, she decided on giving him a piece of fabric. However, she couldn’t give it to Zhang Shiye directly. She planned to give it to Aunt Qiao, who she remembered from her previous life could make clothes. She would have Aunt Qiao make him a garment.

She entered the space and chose a piece of blue fabric. It was soft cotton and felt comfortable—definitely high-quality material from the warehouse. It seemed like something from the ’90s. She also picked a soft gray fabric that could be made into pants.

After selecting the fabric, she went out to eat. She hadn’t eaten breakfast with everyone, and she was afraid that if she didn’t join them for lunch, they would start to suspect her.

Today, the meal was prepared by Sang Qing, Li Huaguang, and Mao Xiaojun. Sang Qing and Li Huaguang had been sent to the countryside five years ago. They were the oldest among the young workers in the village. The others from their group either had their families help them return to the city or had married men from the team.

Now, only these two senior workers remained. Recently, Xia Wanyang had noticed them exchanging glances frequently. Though they quickly looked away, it was clear to her that they were probably a couple, just not publicly acknowledged.

For lunch, they had steamed buns with garlic sprouts and cured pork, which was provided by Gu Xiuyuan, along with shredded potatoes and tomato soup. There were three servings of each dish, enough for twenty people.

Xia Wanyang ate a few bites. The taste was decent, but she preferred milder food, while the food here was on the saltier side. She didn’t eat much of the dishes but finished the steamed bun.

Li Wenzhuo observed her as she ate, and when he saw that she hadn’t eaten much of the dishes, he immediately became overly eager. “Xia, is the food not to your taste? Should I cook you an egg?”

Xia Wanyang felt disgusted, and the bun she was eating got stuck in her throat, making her uncomfortable. She stood up and drank some water to help it go down.

Slamming the water cup onto the table, her sharp fox-like eyes filled with disdain. “Li Wenzhuo, are you out of your mind? Who do you think you are, offering to cook me an egg? Can you stop with your little tricks? Don’t think everyone is as naive as you. You think if you say a few flirtatious words, people will think you and I are together? You’re like a toad sitting on a frog’s back, just disgusts people without even biting them!”

Then, she swept her gaze across the entire table. “Listen up, everyone. If I hear anyone linking me to Li Wenzhuo outside, don’t blame me for being ruthless. I’ll slap anyone who says it!”

With that, she turned and left the young worker’s station, leaving the others staring at each other in confusion. Everyone knew Li Wenzhuo liked Xia Wanyang, but no one had ever dared to speak it so directly.

Li Wenzhuo’s face turned bright red with embarrassment. Clenching his fists, he angrily muttered, “What are you looking at? What’s wrong with me showing concern for my fellow countryman? She’s really a spoiled young lady, always able to scold whoever she wants. That’s the attitude of a capitalist! No wonder her father became a division commander!”

The other young workers lowered their heads, unsure of what to say.

They all knew that while Li Wenzhuo’s words were harsh, there was some truth to them. Xia Wanyang really didn’t spare any face for anyone. They had all faced people confessing their feelings, but no one had ever made a scene like this. Xia Wanyang’s personality was truly unpredictable, and it made people hard to read.

However, they also knew that Li Wenzhuo was most upset because he had been publicly scolded and lost face.

The whole young workers’ station fell into silence, the atmosphere becoming particularly awkward and oppressive.

But hearing this, Li Xiang couldn’t hold back. “Li Wenzhuo, do you really think everyone is blind? Who do you think you are, daring to have any ideas about my sister? I’ve known her since birth. In our compound, I’ve never seen a better girl than her. You keep saying ambiguous things, trying to make others misunderstand. Are you trying to use gossip to force my sister into a corner?”

Without waiting for Li Wenzhuo’s reply, he sat down and continued eating.

Xia Wanyang felt a surge of frustration. She wished she could immediately deal with Li Wenzhuo and Fang Zhaodi, but with so many people around and no substantial actions taken by them, all she could do was say something harsh to provoke Li Wenzhuo and wait for his next move, at which point she would strike.

As she walked, she thought of Song Changhe—this little brat who had harassed her and threatened Zhang Shiye. He even dared to go tell the village chief. That punch Zhang Shiye gave him was really hard. If the village chief found out, even if Zhang Shiye had avenged her, he would have to punish his son to avoid losing face. Xia Wanyang decided to take out her frustration on Song Changhe during lunch today.

It wasn’t long before she arrived at Qian Guilan’s house. The gate to the yard was open, and the place was tidy. As she walked toward the center, she heard Qian Guilan yelling from inside, “Zhang Shiye, that little bastard, how dare he lay such a heavy hand on my son? Just wait, I’m going to find the village head this afternoon and settle this!”

Xia Wanyang sneered and walked straight into the house. “Aunt Qian, who are you looking to settle this with?”

Qian Guilan could no longer bear the sound of Xia Wanyang’s voice. Every time she thought about how she had offended her so many times, she felt guilty. She quickly rushed out with a smile. “Oh, Xia, what wind brought you here today?”

Old Man Song and Song Changhe also came out. As soon as Song Changhe saw Xia Wanyang, his eyes widened, and he was practically drooling. “Little young worker, are you here to see my brother?”

Before Xia Wanyang could speak, Qian Guilan slapped the back of Song Changhe’s head. “You little brat, how dare you speak to Xia Wanyang like that?”

Song Changhe was stunned. When had his mother ever spoken to him like that? A pretty young lady came to their house, and instead of knocking her unconscious and taking her to his room to do things, she was being so bold?

Xia Wanyang calmly spoke, “Aunt Qian, do you know why your son got beaten? It’s because he tried to molest me, and luckily, Accountant Zhang saw it. You say your son, Song Changhe, is so bold. If this gets reported to the police as sexual harassment and I make a call, I wonder if Song Changhe will still be able to stay in the army!”

Qian Guilan almost wet herself in fear. She grabbed the stove hook and started beating Song Changhe. “You reckless bastard, you dare stop anyone? Are you trying to get your brother killed? I’ll beat you to death!”

Xia Wanyang walked into the yard, grabbed a small stool, and sat down, cracking sunflower seeds. The entire house was filled with the sound of Song Changhe’s screams and Old Man Song trying to stop her. Xia Wanyang laughed so hard her eyes narrowed into slits.

After more than ten minutes of this, blood stains appeared on Song Changhe’s back, and only then did Qian Guilan stop. She looked at Xia Wanyang, silently asking if she was satisfied.

Xia Wanyang threw down the sunflower seed shell, clapped her hands, and said, “Accountant Zhang is doing a good deed. I don’t want to hear anyone complaining about this. Many people saw it at the time!”

Qian Guilan threw down the stove hook and hurriedly nodded, “Don’t worry, Xia. Accountant Zhang beat him because he deserved it. We would never make trouble and file a complaint. We hope you won’t hold today’s matter against him.”

“Not holding it against him is fine, but doesn’t that mean you should go thank Accountant Zhang for stopping him? If Accountant Zhang had come a little later and he had really laid hands on me, what do you think would’ve happened to your whole family?”

Xia Wanyang pushed further.

Qian Guilan ground her teeth in frustration. “Fine, I’ll take a gift and go thank Accountant Zhang right away. Don’t worry!”

Xia Wanyang was satisfied, then hummed a tune as she walked away with her hands behind her back.