Chapter 6

Ye Huan was stunned by Shen Jiaojiao’s scolding.  

From childhood to adulthood, Shen Jiaojiao had always been rebellious and unruly with others, but she had never scolded Ye Huan. She had always treated her as her best friend. Whatever she had, she would share a portion with her.  

But now, why had she become so unreasonable?  

“Jiaojiao, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Go inside and lie down.” Ye Huan said, pulling Shen Jiaojiao’s hand, trying to lead her into the house.  

She felt a little embarrassed. So many people were watching—did she not care about her dignity?  

Shen Jiaojiao forcefully shook her off.  

“Don’t touch me. From now on, we’re no longer friends. You are not allowed to pester me again. Also, pay back the 200 yuan you borrowed from me last month. And in the future, don’t even think about taking advantage of me again!”  

Only then did Ye Huan realize that something was off. A sense of unease began to rise in her heart.  

Shen Jiaojiao seemed serious—she truly wanted to end their friendship.  

Since childhood, whenever they had a falling out, wasn’t it always Shen Jiaojiao who gave in first?  

Because Shen Jiaojiao was too spoiled and domineering, no one wanted to be friends with her.  

But Ye Huan could tolerate her bad temper—or rather, it wasn’t so much tolerance as it was a deliberate approach.  

Who would have thought that, as they spent time together, Shen Jiaojiao would genuinely see Ye Huan as her best friend? She was eager to offer her all the good things she had and even listened to her every word.  

Perhaps this was the loneliness of a little princess.  

Though she shone brightly, cherished by her family, at school, she was constantly isolated.  

She longed for friendship but didn’t know how to express her emotions.  

After becoming best friends with Ye Huan, Ye Huan’s true nature began to show.  

Every time they argued, as long as Ye Huan got angry and mentioned breaking off their friendship, Shen Jiaojiao would immediately apologize, eagerly trying to make amends.  

She would even buy a pile of nice things to coax her.  

At this moment, Ye Huan was furious as well.  “Fine! You’re the one who said it—if you want to cut ties, then so be it! It’s just 200 yuan, isn’t it? I’ll give it back to you!”  

Fuming, Ye Huan stormed back into the house and dug out her wallet.

She looked at her savings—only two hundred and twenty yuan in total.  

Feeling a pang of reluctance, she pulled out two hundred yuan and clenched it in her palm.  

Hmph, in a little while, Shen Jiaojiao would definitely come running back to return the money.  

Thinking of this, Ye Huan stepped out of the house and handed over the money. “Here you go, Shen Jiaojiao. Don’t regret this.”  

“How do you even have the nerve to say that?”  

Shen Jiaojiao couldn’t be bothered with her. She snatched the money and turned to head back inside.  

At that moment, the captain of the Educated Youth team came over to mediate.  

“We see each other every day, so let’s not make this a big deal. I just got word from the captain that we won’t be working this morning. Yesterday, a wild boar was caught, and we’re going to the threshing ground to divide the meat.”  

The Educated Youth captain, Wang Song, was about 1.78 meters tall, with delicate features.  

However, after being sent to the countryside for ten years, time had worn him down, giving him a weathered look.  

At the mention of distributing wild boar meat, everyone’s eyes lit up.  

In these times of food shortages, it was already fortunate to have enough to eat—eating meat was something they hardly dared to dream of.  

The last time they had even a taste of meat was during the New Year.  

The Educated Youths lost interest in gossip and quickly freshened up before rushing to the threshing ground.  

Shen Jiaojiao didn’t pay any more attention to Ye Huan and simply followed the others out.  

Ye Huan stood there, dumbfounded and at a loss.  

Shen Jiaojiao had actually just walked away. She hadn’t returned the money, nor had she apologized.  

Hmph. She would definitely regret this.  

When she came back begging, Ye Huan would make sure to ignore her for a while.  

After all, Shen Jiaojiao didn’t know how to cook. Without her, she would surely starve.  

Just then, a sharp pain twisted in Ye Huan’s stomach.  

She quickly clutched her belly and glanced at Shen Jiaojiao’s tightly shut door.  

In the past, at times like this, Shen Jiaojiao would always bring her brown sugar water and give her biscuits and candies.  

But now…  

Hmph.  

Gritting her teeth, Ye Huan stomped her foot and went back inside.  

She had already thrown away her sanitary cloth.

When Shen Jiaojiao was around, Ye Huan never had to worry about sanitary cloths. She had an endless supply, all stuffed with cotton—far better than the countryside women’s method of using ash and straw.  

But she had never thought about washing and reusing them.  

Now, in this critical moment, she couldn’t find a single one.  

Even paper was gone.  

Ye Huan felt irritated.  Gritting her teeth, she went outside and picked a few large leaves to use as an emergency solution.  

Once Shen Jiaojiao came back to reconcile with her, she would ask for sanitary cloths again.  

---

Xu Mo hadn’t slept at all since returning last night.  

He tossed and turned in bed, feeling as if Shen Jiaojiao’s scent lingered on every inch of the bedding.  

Strangely, he found this scent even more intoxicating than the drugged incense she had once used on him.  

As soon as the first light of dawn crept in, he got out of bed.  

He did a hundred push-ups on the ground, then ran dozens of laps around his house, trying to shake off the restless energy coursing through him.  

By the time he finished, the sun had fully risen.  

Xu Mo returned to his room, preparing to fold the bedding.  

But then, he noticed a faint stain on the bamboo mat.  

A stain of dried blood.  

His mind buzzed, and realization dawned upon him.  

He had heard that a woman’s first night often left a trace of red.  

So… this belonged to Shen Jiaojiao.  

Xu Mo pressed his lips into a thin line, staring at the dried blood for a long time.  

Finally, he lifted the mat, carried it outside, and scrubbed it clean with water.  

As he washed, the rigid expression on his face gradually softened.  

A hint of tenderness flickered in his eyes.  

---

“Old Third, are you awake?”  

Liu Xiaolan stormed into the yard, her face full of anger.  

“Mother.” Xu Mo greeted.  

“Old Third, I just heard from the captain’s wife that that little bastard from the Fang family came causing trouble last night?”

Liu Xiaolan hadn’t known about the commotion last night.  

Their family had many members—her eldest and second sons were already married with children. Because of this, Xu Mo had given up his bedroom and moved to an abandoned house at the edge of the village.  

Calling it a house was generous. It was just a thatched hut, rundown and barely habitable.  

But after living there for a while, Xu Mo had done his best to repair what he could.  

Hearing Liu Xiaolan’s question, he didn’t even lift his head. He merely let out a low “Mm.”  

“I’ll be damned!” Liu Xiaolan cursed. “I always knew that sneaky little bastard was up to no good. But I never thought he’d have the guts to come and bully you. Son, wait here—your mother’s going to get revenge for you.”  

Her eyes swept the yard, and when she spotted a shoulder pole, she immediately reached for it, ready to storm off and teach someone a lesson.  

Xu Mo quickly stopped her.  

“Mother, leave it alone. If you make a scene, it’ll ruin Educated Youth Shen’s reputation.”  

If revenge was necessary, it had to be handled in private—like ambushing the bastard with a sack over his head.  

Anything too public would bring trouble.  

Besides, he and Shen Jiaojiao had already crossed the line. If this matter escalated, it would only bring her harm.  

Liu Xiaolan had acted on impulse and hadn’t thought it through. Now that she reconsidered, she saw the logic in her son’s words.  

She let out an angry huff.  

“If I had been there last night, I would’ve slapped that bastard’s mouth swollen! How dare he slander you and Educated Youth Shen? Filthy little troublemaker.”  

While speaking, Liu Xiaolan helped Xu Mo hang the freshly washed mat on the drying rope.  

“Old Third, didn’t you just wash this mat the day before yesterday? Why are you washing it again today?”

Xu Mo’s eyes flickered slightly.  

“It got dirty.” he replied.  

Liu Xiaolan shot him a strange look.