Chapter 39: In the Toilet…

From the educated youth courtyard, one could directly see Shen Jiaojiao’s house.

It was already well past lunchtime today, yet there seemed to be no movement from Shen Jiaojiao’s place.

Usually, didn’t Xu Mo, that country bumpkin, always deliver her meals on time?

Why hadn’t he come today?

Could it be that the two of them had a quarrel?

Hmph! I knew it—no one could tolerate Shen Jiaojiao’s temper.

She was lazy, greedy, and willful.

Perhaps in the city, she was still a pampered noble daughter.

But now, she was in the countryside.

People in the countryside didn’t like women who were only good as decorations.

See!

It had only been a week of delivering meals, and he was already getting impatient.

Besides, Shen Jiaojiao’s reputation was ruined now.

She wouldn’t be able to escape marrying Xu Mo, that country bumpkin.

Ye Huan thought smugly, convinced that Shen Jiaojiao’s future days would be miserable.

Maybe she would even be beaten to death by her in-laws.

After all, Liu Xiaolan, the Evil Mother-in-law, had a notorious reputation that spread across ten villages.

Thinking about this, Ye Huan began cooking even faster.

She imagined the wild vegetables in her hands as Shen Jiaojiao.

She chopped them, one slice after another.

“Die! Just die already! Once you’re doomed, I’ll be the first to send my blessings.”

“Ah—!”

Just as Ye Huan was basking in her glee, the knife in her right hand slipped and cut into her left index finger.

Immediately, blood gushed out, and a sharp pain surged through her.

Ye Huan clutched her hand, tears welling up from the agony.

That Shen Jiaojiao was truly a bringer of misfortune.

Just thinking about her was suffocating.

Meanwhile, Shen Jiaojiao had eaten lunch and taken a nap.

When she woke up, the educated youth dormitory was empty—everyone had gone to work.

At that moment, she felt the urge to use the toilet. So, she grabbed some paper and opened the door.

Just then, she happened to see a male educated youth standing in front of the female dormitory.

A moment later, Ye Huan walked out from the girls’ dormitory.

“You’re back?”

Ye Huan was surprised to see Chen Guangkun here at this time!

She had taken the day off because she had injured both her hand and foot, intending to rest for half a day.

But since she was the only one in the dormitory right now, she remained cautious and kept a certain distance from Chen Guangkun.

Chen Guangkun reached into his pocket and pulled out a tube of ointment, handing it to Ye Huan.

“This ointment helps reduce swelling and prevents infection. It’s very useful for minor wounds. Try it out.”

Ye Huan was even more surprised.

He actually bought ointment for her.

Could it be that he liked her?

Ye Huan scrutinized Chen Guangkun, but his expression remained composed, and there was no lecherous look on his face. Gradually, she developed a slight favorable impression of him.

“Thank you so much.”

Ye Huan accepted the ointment without hesitation.

After all, she didn’t want to be left with ugly scars. Since someone had gifted her the ointment, she had to use it.

A hint of shyness appeared on Chen Guangkun’s face.

“No need to thank me. We were all sent to the countryside together as educated youths. Helping each other is normal. Get some rest—I’m heading to work.”

Chen Guangkun didn’t linger and walked toward the courtyard exit.

After taking a few steps, he suddenly remembered something and turned back to Ye Huan.

“I carried your bucket of manure today, so don’t worry about losing work points.”

With that, he quickly disappeared into the Educated Youth Residence.

Ye Huan stared at the spot where Chen Guangkun had vanished for a long time. When she finally turned her head back, she saw Shen Jiaojiao stepping out of her room.

Ye Huan suddenly raised her chin smugly and twisted her body with a sense of pride before returning to her room.

Shen Jiaojiao: “…” Like a chicken that starts clucking frantically the moment it gets a little treat.

Shen Jiaojiao couldn’t be bothered to concern herself with other people’s affairs.

She simply walked out of the courtyard and headed toward the toilet.

The toilet was located outside the Educated Youth Residence, a simple hut made of straw and mud.

Inside, it was divided into sections for men and women, each with two pit-style latrines.

In truth, Shen Jiaojiao dreaded using the toilet every single time.

Just thinking about the scene inside made her nauseous enough to vomit out last night’s meal.

But humans lived by eating grains, and it was impossible to avoid using the toilet.

Shen Jiaojiao took a deep breath and stuffed a crumpled piece of paper into her nose.

The so-called “door” of the toilet could hardly be called a door.

It was just a tattered black cloth hanging at the entrance.

Over the years, exposure to wind and sun had made the cloth frail and brittle.

It was so weak that if someone with itchy hands gave it a gentle tug, it would tear open a hole.

Now, the cloth was already riddled with several gaping holes.

One hole was big enough for a head to poke through.

Another hole near the bottom was just the right size for a foot to stick out.

There were also several smaller holes scattered across it.

In short, the cloth was barely holding together.

Shen Jiaojiao had tried replacing it before.

But every time she put up a new cloth in the morning, by nighttime, someone would steal it.

This happened repeatedly, and it infuriated her to the point of wanting to commit murder.

She had reported it to the Captain.

However, since they couldn’t find the culprit, the matter was left unresolved.

Eventually, Shen Jiaojiao gave up on replacing it altogether.

She carefully pinched the edge of the tattered cloth and lifted it aside.

The sight inside was beyond words.

Two pit latrines were built from three slabs of stone, with a cesspool directly beneath them.

The Educated Youth Residence housed many people, and if the cesspool wasn’t cleaned for half a month, it would fill up more than halfway.

During the scorching summer, flies and mosquitoes swarmed everywhere.

On top of that, they bred larvae.

Right now, the cesspool was writhing with countless white maggots.

As Shen Jiaojiao stepped into the toilet, every muscle in her body tensed.

She wanted to finish as quickly as possible.

A hole had been dug into the mud wall inside the toilet.

Inside that hole, there were several stalks of wheat, each about the length of a finger.

In the corner, there was also a pile of dirt clumps.

People in the countryside were reluctant to use paper when going to the toilet.

Instead, they either used wheat stalks or dirt clumps.

Shen Jiaojiao still considered herself lucky.

At least she could afford to use paper.

If she were forced to use dirt clumps or wheat stalks, she would undoubtedly break down.

She finished as quickly as possible.

Just as she was about to stand up, she suddenly sensed that something was off.

She felt as if a pair of eyes were watching her.

It was the exact same feeling she had last time in the soybean field.

Shen Jiaojiao’s back stiffened, and goosebumps erupted all over her body.

She warily fixed her gaze on the tattered cloth at the entrance.

Suddenly, an eye appeared through one of the holes in the fabric.

“Ah—!”

Shen Jiaojiao let out a short gasp, but the sound got stuck in her throat.

Almost at the exact moment that the eye pressed closer,

Shen Jiaojiao jabbed the wheat stalk in her hand straight at it.

The only reason she managed to react so quickly was that, upon sensing danger earlier, she had instinctively grabbed a wheat stalk in preparation.

A muffled grunt of pain came from outside, followed by the sound of hurried, panicked footsteps.

Shen Jiaojiao quickly looked up through the larger hole in the cloth.

But the person outside had already vanished.

Cold sweat drenched her back.

With her pants still not properly worn, she didn’t dare to rush out after them.

The fury of being peeped on made Shen Jiaojiao want to beat that person to a pulp.

Who the hell was that?

How dare they be so bold!