Chapter 20: The Enemy of My Enemy Is My Friend  

At that moment, Ye Huan was like a madwoman, pushing and shoving through the crowd.  

“What do you mean ‘yours’? All of this belonged to Educated Youth Shen! She donated it to the collective. You shameless thing, how dare you claim someone else’s belongings as your own?”  

“Exactly! You spent Educated Youth Shen’s money and still wanted to see her make a fool of herself. People like you are utterly ungrateful! No one dares to befriend you—who knows what kind of scheme you’d pull on them?”  

“Hei—tui!”  

Ye Huan was so furious that she burst into tears.  

She was completely isolated now. No one was on her side.  

She had nothing left.  

Just then, Shen Jiaojiao walked in from outside.  

She ignored the commotion and headed straight for her own room.  

Ye Huan, sharp-eyed, spotted her immediately.  

She rushed to stand in front of Shen Jiaojiao, forcing a smile that looked worse than crying.  

Her voice was as gentle as possible.  

“Jiaojiao, you’re back. Let me apologize, okay? Don’t be angry anymore. We’ve been friends for so many years—we can’t just throw that away!”  

“Do you remember back when we were in school? You liked that boy, and I even helped you pass him love letters…”  

Shen Jiaojiao glared at Ye Huan.  

“Shut up. It would’ve been better if you hadn’t mentioned that. Now that you did, I remember it clearly.”  

“You were the one who liked him. What was his name again? Right, Wen Siyuan. You had a crush on him but used my name to pester him. In the end, Wen Siyuan humiliated me in front of the entire school.”  

This was something Shen Jiaojiao had only learned in her past life, during her lowest point, when Ye Huan had accidentally let it slip.  

At the time, Shen Jiaojiao hadn’t felt much about it. She only regretted not seeing Ye Huan’s true nature sooner.  

“Ye Huan, how could you be so utterly rotten? I never expected you to be this vicious at such a young age. I can only imagine what kind of schemes you’re plotting against me now.”  

“I’m warning you—stay away from me. Just looking at you disgusts me.”  

Shen Jiaojiao’s face was filled with disdain.  

Without sparing another glance at Ye Huan, whose face had turned deathly pale, she went back into her room.  

Ye Huan had suffered one blow after another that day, and at this point, she was on the verge of collapse.  

Especially when she returned to her bedroom and saw that her bed and the box inside were completely empty. She was so furious that she threw herself onto the bed and sobbed uncontrollably.  

“Shen Jiaojiao, you’re ruthless! Just wait… You just wait…”  

She cried on her bed for a long time.  

Yet not a single person came to comfort her.

Ye Huan was even angrier.  

The people here were all cold-hearted. She wanted to leave this place—she didn’t want to stay here any longer.  

“What’s the use of crying? Crying will only make people laugh at you. Instead, you should pull yourself together, become stronger, and make those who bullied you regret it.”  

Ye Huan lifted her head and saw Huang Honghong sitting in the corner of the heated brick bed, talking to her while looking into a mirror.  

Usually, they had no interaction at all. In fact, Huang Honghong and Shen Jiaojiao didn’t get along at all.  

Because of that, Ye Huan had never been close to this person.  

In her memory, Huang Honghong loved dressing up and looking pretty. She also liked to argue with people.  

She always wore her hair in two long braids, dressed in a faded, washed-out blouse, and swayed her hips exaggeratedly when she walked, exuding an air of flirtatious charm.  

She was quite beautiful, with well-defined features, fair skin, and eyes that seemed to have a captivating hook.  

She often bewitched the men in the village, leaving them utterly entranced.  

They all competed to do things for her.  

If Shen Jiaojiao was arrogant and domineering, at least she was straightforward—she spoke her mind without scheming.  

But Huang Honghong was like a needle hidden in silk, enticing many men while secretly tripping people up behind their backs.  

If Shen Jiaojiao were to go up against her, it was uncertain who would come out on top.  

At that moment, Huang Honghong put down her mirror and looked at Ye Huan.  

“I just think you’re pitiful, and besides, I also hate Shen Jiaojiao. So, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. If you don’t mind, from now on, we’re friends. You can use my pots and pans whenever you like, and you’re welcome to wear my clothes.”  

Faced with this sudden kindness, Ye Huan was instantly moved.  

This was what a true friend was. This was someone who genuinely cared for her.  

People were never satisfied, which was why they lost so much.  

And they only remembered the good in others, refusing to allow even the slightest mistake.  

Perhaps Ye Huan had already forgotten that, in the past, Shen Jiaojiao had treated her with an honest and sincere heart.  

“Huang Honghong, I never expected you to be so understanding. I used to speak ill of you before. I apologize—I’m truly sorry.”  

Huang Honghong rolled her eyes internally.  

What an idiot.  

But on the surface, she maintained a sweet smile. “It’s okay. Unlike some people, I’m much more magnanimous. I don’t get angry over trivial matters.”  

Ye Huan’s impression of Huang Honghong improved even further.  

That’s right!  

This was what a real friend was like.  

Compared to Huang Honghong, Shen Jiaojiao was simply too petty.  

At that moment, Ye Huan wholeheartedly placed her trust in Huang Honghong, believing in her completely.

The resentment in Ye Huan’s heart toward Shen Jiaojiao grew even heavier.  

She secretly vowed to herself that she would live a better life than Shen Jiaojiao.  

Now that Shen Jiaojiao’s reputation was ruined, she could only marry some country bumpkin.  

But she—she was going to become the wealthy wife of a rich family.  

By then, she would be able to stand tall before Shen Jiaojiao, watching as she turned into a haggard, pitiful old woman.  

“Alright, don’t just stand there. You haven’t eaten yet, have you? I’ll lend you my pot—go cook yourself something to eat.”  

Ye Huan was once again moved to tears.  

“Thank you so much!”  

Huang Honghong grinned brightly, but in her heart, she was cursing her for being stupid.  

“Go on, hurry up!”  

—  

Shen Jiaojiao returned to the bedroom, so exhausted that she wanted to collapse straight onto the bed.  

But she was covered in sweat, and there was dirt on her clothes.  

Even though she hadn’t done much work today—most of the weeds had been cut by Xu Meili—she had still managed to get herself filthy.  

As if she had been working so hard.  

In reality, she was completely useless when it came to farm work.  

Shen Jiaojiao wanted to take a bath.  

But she didn’t know how to heat water!  

She was thankful that it was summer, so she could bathe with cold water.  

She went outside and fetched a bucket of well water, struggling to carry it back to her room.  

Even though the weather was hot and stifling, the well water was ice-cold.  

It felt as if it had been mixed with ice.  

Shen Jiaojiao hesitated—she didn’t dare to use it.  

Suddenly, she remembered the spiritual spring water inside her space.  

The spiritual spring water always maintained a comfortable, constant temperature.  

Wouldn’t it be perfect for a bath?  

Besides, the resources inside the space were endlessly renewable, so she wasn’t afraid of wasting them.  

She brought out a few buckets of spiritual spring water and poured them into the bathtub.  

Then, she enjoyed a long, relaxing bath.  

It was only after she finished that she noticed how dirty the water had become.  

It had turned completely black—she even found herself disgusted.  

She changed into a pink nightgown and poured out the dirty bathwater.  

But after doing all that, she was covered in sweat again.  

It felt like she had bathed for nothing.  

In this era, there was no electricity, let alone electric fans.  

In summer, cooling off could only be done manually.