Chapter 11

Originally a little scared, Lu Dabao immediately straightened his back when he heard the words collective property.

Right, that was collective property, owned by the whole village. Why should Lu Yao hog it all for herself? He ought to get a share too—snatching it was honorable!

With that thought, Lu Dabao rushed toward the west room, eager to grab blueberries. He was already familiar with the way; if it hadn’t been for that wretched woman Gu Yueqian yesterday, he would have gotten eggs then.

That’s how it had always been—Lu Yao’s things were his to take. Why should it be any different just because Gu Yueqian had shown up? The more he thought about it, the more justified, the more righteous he felt.

But inside the room, Gu Yueqian had already overheard their little scheme. How laughable. Collective property? Wild fruit on the mountain was for whoever found it—no one was hiding it away to sell for money. And they dared to use that excuse to justify stealing?

Rotten family breeds rotten kids. She decided it was time to teach them a lesson, so that Lu Dabao wouldn’t think he could come snatch things from her house every time.

So when Lu Dabao slammed open the west room door—

—he was greeted with another kick that sent him flying.

“Ah!” Lu Dabao shrieked, tumbling head over heels several times before crashing heavily onto the ground.

“You little wretch! You hit my grandson again? I’ll fight you to the death!” Dabao’s grandma had already been clutching a thick firewood stick, waiting for this moment to avenge the last incident. Now that Gu Yueqian had “delivered herself to the door,” she’d make that disobedient daughter-in-law pay.

The stick came swinging straight for Gu Yueqian’s face, but her eyes flashed coldly.

“Old hag, you’re looking for death.”

She had no intention of enduring it. She sidestepped, then lashed out with a kick that sent the old woman flying as well.

If it weren’t for the laws of this place, the weeds on these two graves would already be three feet tall. Giving each just one kick was already her mercy.

“Ow!” Dabao’s grandma howled, her wrinkled face twisting in pain. She had never imagined this woman would be so ruthless—no one in the whole Lujiagou, not even the fiercest shrews, dared act like this!

“Murder! My niece-in-law is trying to murder me! Help! Someone save me, I’m being beaten to death!” The old crone immediately sprawled on the ground, wailing at the top of her lungs.

Seeing this, Lu Dabao hurried to mimic her, rolling around on the ground and howling.

Grandmother and grandson, both determined to fight Gu Yueqian this way. As Dabao’s grandma shrieked, she was already plotting: since Gu Yueqian had dared lay hands on her, even if Lu Cheng backed her up, she would drag this to the brigade leader.

Unless Gu Yueqian knelt and apologized, she would never let it go!

But it happened to be near noon. Those who weren’t idle had gone home to cook, and those who weren’t cooking were still working in the fields. Their caterwauling not only failed to draw a crowd, but the blazing sun above burned their faces until they couldn’t even open their eyes.

Only Lu Yao, who had been chopping firewood in the back, ran in at the noise. But what she saw was her sister-in-law sitting lazily on the threshold, calmly holding a cup of roasted grain tea.

Seeing her, Gu Yueqian even waved. “Yao Yao, want some tea?”

Relieved, Lu Yao walked over. Gu Yueqian handed her a sip—bitter and odd-tasting, made from scorched sorghum grains steeped in water.

Lu Yao forced her brows to relax, sat down quietly, and asked, “Sister-in-law, what happened to them?”

“No idea. Maybe their backs itch?”

“…,” Lu Yao nearly toppled over.

The wailing grew louder.

Outside—

Brigade leader Lu Zhenzhong was walking toward Lu Zhuang’s house with two educated youths who hadn’t yet been assigned housing. Since Lu Zhuang’s home was big, with a main room plus east and west rooms, he thought perhaps one of the rooms could be shared out temporarily. After the busy farming season, the commune would arrange proper housing.

“Wait—didn’t that sound like someone yelling for help?”

Of the two sent-down youths, one was Wen Yan, the other Liu Jilan. It was Liu Jilan who had asked.

Lu Zhenzhong stopped to listen carefully. Indeed, someone was shouting for help—from Lu Zhuang’s house. “Sounds like trouble. Quick, let’s go see!”

He rushed ahead, the two young women following behind.

But Wen Yan’s brows pinched slightly.

In her last life, she’d been sent to the neighboring village, not Lujiagou. Still, she had never heard of any deaths here.

All she’d known was that Lu Cheng’s wife was a gaudy, flirtatious city woman who spent her days dolled up, seducing young men, never lifting a finger to work.

Her reputation was notorious across the nearby villages.

In her past life, Wen Yan had foolishly devoted herself to Chen Jiayi, giving him everything, only to be discarded in the end. Meanwhile, her old schoolmate Xu Xia had risen higher and higher.

Wen Yan remembered bitterly: Xu Xia and she had both gotten into the military academy as roommates. Xu Xia had the better family background, and luck on her side too—teachers and mentors doted on her, while Wen Yan had been isolated, shunned, always out of place.

And she, idiotically, had thought helping Chen Jiayi would make Xu Xia envious one day. But Chen Jiayi was nothing but a pit of hell.

Who could have guessed Xu Xia would later end up with Lu Cheng?

Back then, his first wife had run off with another man, leaving him to raise his sister and a disabled child while studying and working to support them.

Xu Xia had shamelessly clung to him, and behind their backs, everyone sneered that she was lovestruck. What good was a handsome man weighed down with burdens?

Everyone waited for her downfall.

But instead, the Lu family rose to heights none of them could ever dream of. Wen Yan still recalled that reunion years later… She shook her head violently, forcing herself not to dwell.

This life, she would change her fate.

She would cast off Chen Jiayi, come down to Lujiagou early, and approach Lu Cheng first. She wanted to see what tricks Xu Xia could possibly have left.

Wen Yan lowered her lashes, hiding her emotions.

“Grandma Dabao, Dabao, what happened to you two?”

Lu Zhenzhong hurried forward to help them up.

The old woman, seeing it was the brigade leader, lit up with joy. “Brigade Leader, you must uphold justice for this poor old woman! That vicious creature—she not only stole collective property and kept it for herself, but she even laid hands on me, her elder! What kind of wicked daughter-in-law does that? I can’t live anymore, I just can’t live!”

“What’s going on here, Lu Cheng’s wife?” Lu Zhenzhong turned toward Gu Yueqian.

Hearing those words—Lu Cheng’s wife—Wen Yan looked up.

And when she saw Gu Yueqian’s snow-white, dazzlingly beautiful face, her pupils shrank slightly. Pretty enough, indeed. No wonder she was always said to be seducing men.