Chapter 13: A Slap to Ye Huan  

“Am I the one being unreasonable? Who has been using my things, living off me, and still scheming against me behind my back? Just now at the threshing ground, you tried to snatch my scarf—wasn’t it just to see me make a fool of myself?  

Did I not raise a thankless wretch? Someone like you—why should I bother saving your dignity?  

Suit yourself, Ye Huan.”  

Shen Jiaojiao didn’t want to waste any more words with her. She simply gathered all the items and carried them into the courtyard.  

Ye Huan panicked and quickly got out of bed to stop her.  

If her pots, bowls, and kitchenware were all taken away, how was she supposed to survive?  

That damn Shen Jiaojiao—was she really taking it this far?  

She had originally planned to endure the cold war, waiting for Shen Jiaojiao to come to her first and make amends.  

But judging from Shen Jiaojiao’s attitude now, it seemed her young lady’s temper was acting up again.  

This time, Ye Huan decided it was best to surrender first.  

Taking a step back would mean a broader path ahead.  

After all, she still needed to rely on Shen Jiaojiao for a good life.  

If they truly fell out, her days ahead would be difficult.  

“Jiaojiao, Jiaojiao, don’t go. I shouldn’t have argued with you. I’ll apologize, isn’t that enough?  

And about what happened today, I really wasn’t laughing at you. I genuinely wanted to help you. Those village women are fierce and aggressive. If you didn’t clear your name quickly and they decided to attack you, you wouldn’t have been able to fight back at all.”  

Ye Huan put on an expression of heartfelt concern, as if she truly had Shen Jiaojiao’s best interests at heart.  

“Jiaojiao, I know you’re in a bad mood because you have to marry Xu Mo. I also know you like Fang Qinghe and don’t want to marry Xu Mo. How about this—I can go talk to Fang Qinghe and ask him to marry you first?”  

Ye Huan then leaned in close to Shen Jiaojiao’s ear and whispered a suggestion. “Or… you could give yourself to Fang Qinghe first. That way, Xu Mo won’t be able to marry you.”  

Shen Jiaojiao let out a cold snort. This person… In her past life, in order to push her into marrying into the countryside, Ye Huan had constantly sung Fang Qinghe’s praises in front of her.  

Maybe Shen Jiaojiao had regretted being with Fang Qinghe, but she hadn’t been able to resist the persuasion of her so-called best friend.  

Then, in a moment of impulse, she had married Fang Qinghe.

Later, Ye Huan returned to the city. With Fang Qinghe’s help, she managed to snag a wealthy bachelor and lived a glamorous life for most of her years.  

But the most infuriating part was that when Ye Huan learned that Fang Qinghe was abusing Shen Jiaojiao, she acted as if nothing had happened. She didn’t ask, didn’t care, and even enjoyed watching Shen Jiaojiao’s misfortune.  

Shen Jiaojiao, furious at her own stupidity, slapped Ye Huan across the face.  

“Do you have any shame? Encouraging me to sleep with someone? Not only are you ruining my reputation, but you’re also inciting chaos in the collective. Your way of thinking is seriously problematic.”  

Shen Jiaojiao shouted loudly before turning to Captain Wang Song, who had just stepped out of the men’s dormitory.  

“Captain, Ye Huan is stirring up trouble in the collective. I suspect she’s an enemy spy. Captain, you need to take her to the Public Security Bureau for proper interrogation.”  

Ye Huan’s face burned from the slap.  

She had initially wanted to lash out, but as soon as she heard herself being accused of espionage, she panicked.  

“Captain, don’t listen to her nonsense! My background is clean—I could never be a spy!”  

As the Captain of the Educated Youth Team, Wang Song was responsible for maintaining order among the educated youth.  

In this era, espionage was a highly sensitive issue. He had heard too many stories of people close to him being exposed as spies.  

It was better to wrongly accuse a thousand people than to let a single spy go free.  

With a stern expression, Wang Song stepped up to Ye Huan. “You’ll come with me to the village first. The Village Committee will arrange for you to be taken to the Public Security Bureau for questioning.”  

Ye Huan was truly terrified now.  

“Captain, I’m really not a spy! You have to believe me! Shen Jiaojiao is slandering me—she just wants to set me up!”  

Wang Song remained impartial.  

“Comrade Ye, I advise you not to resist. Whether you’re innocent or not, the higher-ups will decide. If you refuse to cooperate, the village will have no choice but to tie you up and send you there directly.”  

Ye Huan was so enraged she burst into tears.  

Tears streamed down her face, but she didn’t dare resist. She could only follow closely behind Wang Song, step by step, as they headed toward the Village Committee Office.  

Everyone in the Educated Youth Residence agreed—Shen Jiaojiao had truly changed.  

She was no longer the foolish, arrogant young lady with unrealistic dreams.  

Shen Jiaojiao couldn’t be bothered with Ye Huan. She simply gathered up the clothes and belongings Ye Huan had used, found a wooden cart, and pushed everything over to the Captain’s house.

“Captain, I’ve brought over some used clothes and daily necessities. I don’t need these anymore, so I’d like to donate them to the collective. Please see if there are any families in need and help distribute them accordingly.”  

She had no intention of wearing anything Ye Huan had worn.  

But if she simply threw these items away, someone might report her for wastefulness, and she would face public condemnation.  

So handing them over to the Captain for distribution was the smartest choice.  

The Captain, with a dry tobacco pipe between his lips, glanced at the items Shen Jiaojiao had brought.  

The clothes were still in excellent condition, made of fine materials and stylish designs.  

The pots, bowls, bedding, and other household items were all far superior to what most rural families had.  

After everything that had happened last night and this morning, the Captain couldn’t help but feel some pity for the young woman.  

A perfectly good girl had her reputation ruined for no reason—her future was now bleak.  

Because of that, his opinion of Shen Jiaojiao had changed.  

He was even willing to look after her a little more.  

And now, seeing her donate such valuable goods to the collective, his respect for her deepened.  

“Educated Youth Shen’s spirit of hardship and frugality is something we should all learn from! Leave these items here—I’ll take them to the Village Committee later and let those in need claim them.”  

“Alright, then I’ll head back first. Thank you, Captain.”  

With polite words, Shen Jiaojiao bid the Captain farewell and then turned to leave.

The Captain’s wife walked out of the kitchen, wiping her wet hands on her apron. Watching Shen Jiaojiao’s departing figure, she remarked: “I think this girl is quite nice. She’s beautiful and well-mannered—really different from before. I don’t think it’s a bad thing for her to marry that Xu family boy. She has a face full of fortune; she’s someone who will bring prosperity to her husband.”  

The Captain nodded in agreement with his wife’s words.  

“Xu Mo is a filial and responsible young man. He’ll be a good husband. If this girl marries into their family, at the very least, she won’t be mistreated by her husband.”  

Shen Jiaojiao had no idea about the Captain and his wife’s evaluation of her.  

By the time she returned to the Educated Youth Residence, the other educated youths were already cooking.  

She had been hot-tempered in the past, offending nearly everyone in the residence.  

Now, it seemed no one had any intention of acknowledging her.  

When they saw her return, they simply continued with their own tasks, completely ignoring her presence.  

She felt a little embarrassed.  

Her past conduct had truly been terrible.  

Just as she was about to head back to her room, a voice called out to her.  

“Educated Youth Shen, you haven’t eaten yet, have you? Why don’t you bring some rice over? I can cook for you.”