Chapter 38

“If I had passed the barefoot doctor exam, the brigade would have given me work points and a ten-yuan monthly salary. Giving you five yuan as a thank-you wouldn’t have been an issue,” He Yan said. 

“But now I’ve got nothing. I even spent money on the tractor ride back from the county. Why should I give you anything?”

Realizing that Lu Jiaojiao had come to the youth center specifically to extort money, He Yan became furious. 

She recalled the time when Lu Jiaojiao recommended her for the barefoot doctor exam but then dragged her to show off in front of Lu Baiwei. How had Lu Baiwei handled it? 

Lu Baiwei had simply remarked that Lu Jiaojiao’s face was beaten so badly it looked like a pig’s head, and Lu Jiaojiao instantly shut up like a frightened quail. 

Who had caused the injuries on Lu Jiaojiao’s face? What exactly was Lu Jiaojiao afraid of? 

Looking at her face, now marked with fresh wounds, a thought suddenly struck He Yan. 

“Lu Jiaojiao, what happened to your face?” 

“Last time, you said your injuries were from a fall, but those scratches on your face didn’t look like fall marks. And now you’ve ‘fallen’ again?” 

“Did Yin Zhihe hit you? Or was it your mother-in-law?” 

“I remember now—before the barefoot doctor exam, I went to your house to find you. I overheard you arguing with your mother-in-law. She said you kicked Yin Zhihe off the bed while sleeping, and he hurt his back.” 

“She also said if you dared to complain about Yin Zhihe again, she’d beat you to death.” 

Seeing Lu Jiaojiao’s expression change, He Yan knew she’d struck a nerve. 

Deliberately raising her voice so the others in the youth center could hear, He Yan said, “Let me guess—why did you kick Yin Zhihe off the bed? Could it be because the man you snatched isn’t up to the task?” 

“You were unhappy with Yin Zhihe, so your mother-in-law got mad and teamed up with him to beat you, right?” 

He Yan’s loud declaration dropped a bombshell. 

Lu Jiaojiao’s act of stealing Yin Zhihe had already caused a sensation across the Xiangyang brigade and even the neighboring brigade. 

What Lu Jiaojiao feared most was being overshadowed by Lu Baiwei. 

He Yan had uncovered her secret, leaving Lu Jiaojiao visibly rattled. 

“You’re talking nonsense! I fell and hurt myself; it wasn’t Brother Zhihe who hit me,” Lu Jiaojiao stammered. 

“Don’t think you can shirk your debt, He Yan. I’ll come back for the five yuan from recommending you for the barefoot doctor exam…”

Under the astonished gazes of the youth, who were thoroughly enjoying the drama, Lu Jiaojiao’s secrets were laid bare. She tried to act composed, as if nothing had happened, and left the youth center with feigned calmness. 

The moment she stepped outside, however, panic overtook her. 

This was bad—really bad! 

It was all He Yan’s fault.

It was all He Yan’s fault. 

If Shen Guixiang ever found out that her son was incapable, and the brigade got wind of it, she would kill Lu Jiaojiao. 

That vile woman, He Yan, had ruined her. 

As luck would have it, just as Lu Jiaojiao fled from the youth center, she passed by the brigade clinic and bumped into He Ting. 

The moment she saw He Ting, images of him bathing in the river the previous night flooded her mind. 

Even though she hadn’t actually seen anything, with only a faint moonlight illuminating a silhouette of his back, her imagination ran wild. 

Her face turned bright red, and she gazed at He Ting with a dreamy look. 

“Brother-in-law!” 

Her coy and saccharine voice startled He Ting. 

What in the world? 

This woman always looked at his Weiwei with contempt, her eyes filled with disdain. 

By extension, she didn’t hide her hatred for him either. 

Now, this overly flirtatious act—who was it for? 

Was she possessed? 

He Ting had already found last night’s rustling in the bamboo bushes suspicious. Now, seeing Lu Jiaojiao’s slippery, suggestive gaze, he felt as if a poisonous snake had locked onto him. 

In broad daylight, a chill ran down his spine, and he got goosebumps. 

Originally, He Ting had planned to visit the youth center and call Zhou Yanfeng to stay at the clinic with him for a couple of days. But Lu Jiaojiao’s bizarre behavior made him change his mind, and he turned toward Tang Yuanliang’s house instead. 

Zhou Yanfeng, however, was a master at taking advantage of opportunities. 

The last two times they returned with game from the mountains, Zhou Yanfeng had stayed at Tang Yuanliang’s house for the night, claiming it was too late to return to the youth center. Not only did he freeload a couple of meals, but he also cleverly avoided intruding on He Ting and Lu Baiwei’s private time. 

Zhou Yanfeng even managed to charm Lu Baiwei’s third aunt with his honeyed words. 

The man’s sweet-talking skills were unparalleled. Following He Ting and Lu Baiwei’s lead, he called her “Third Aunt” every chance he got and frequently brought little treats from the supply and marketing cooperative as gifts. 

On top of that, he sometimes offered goodies sent from the capital to win over the brigade leader’s wife. 

His flattery worked like a charm. Zhou Yanfeng’s own mother beamed whenever she saw him, while Tang Yunling could only roll her eyes in exasperation. 

Lu Baiwei’s third aunt was naturally a kind and accommodating woman, and Zhou Yanfeng’s constant thoughtfulness earned him a warm spot in her home. She often invited him to meals. 

However, Zhou Yanfeng’s freeloading only grew bolder over time. At first, he’d drop by occasionally, but now he had convinced the third aunt to let him pay for his meals and had made himself a regular, eating three meals a day at the brigade leader’s house. 

When He Ting arrived, Zhou Yanfeng welcomed him as if he were part of the Tang family himself.