Chapter 21

Everyone from the Wei family courtyard had already left, except Wei Yanzhen, who kept Feng Zhijun and Luo Yisen behind. He personally cooked, slicing up the fatty fish and planning to cook half of it that evening.

When the Wei parents and Wei Jinyue returned, the delicious aroma of food greeted them at the door. The dinner was a delightful gathering, thoroughly enjoyed by both hosts and guests.

Meanwhile, Song Yitao had returned next door and naturally caught a whiff of the fragrant braised fish.

She was furious and stormed off to open her parcel.

She devoured over half the chocolate inside, then kept digging, only to discover that the large black bag was stuffed with scraps of paper covered in incomprehensible letters.

“No way… did I really pick up the wrong package?”

Having grown up in a compound filled with righteous, second-generation elites, a warning bell immediately went off in her heart.

Song Yitao lit the kerosene lamp and examined all the papers under the light. The more she read, the more terrified she became…

After dinner, peace returned to the Wei household.

Wei Yanzhen had drunk a little at dinner and was now slightly tipsy.

He knelt beside Deng Zhilian, gently cupping her flat belly in both hands.

Inside was their little baby, more than three months along.

Deng Zhilian sat quietly in the chair, her eyes soft as water, her fingers resting lightly on Wei Yanzhen’s hand.

Though she wasn’t visibly showing yet, her lower belly had begun to slightly round.

To Wei Yanzhen, she looked especially beautiful in that moment.

“Wife, what do you think our baby is doing right now?”

He looked up at her, his gaze filled with tenderness and curiosity, the corners of his mouth turned up in a blissful smile.

Deng Zhilian stroked his hair gently and replied softly, “He’s still tiny. Later on, he’ll either be sleeping quietly or secretly playing.”

Wei Yanzhen’s hand gently circled her belly, as if afraid to disturb the life within.

“In the future… they’ll definitely be as beautiful as you.”

Deng Zhilian lowered her head and planted a kiss on his forehead. “Boy or girl, as long as they’re healthy and safe, that’s all that matters.”

Wei Yanzhen nodded, slowly closing his eyes, dozing off.

Deng Zhilian helped him onto the bed, took off his shoes and socks, and noticed the thick calluses on his feet and hands.

Whether it was his time as a soldier or working in the fields now, it had never been easy. Her heart ached for him.

She went to the kitchen and fetched a basin of warm water.

With a towel, she wiped his face and carefully applied a layer of cold cream to him.

Only then did she wash up and prepare for bed herself.

But just as she lay down, she heard a sound.

The night was silent and still.

Deng Zhilian quietly opened the door and slipped outside.

She saw Song Yitao with the black bag on her back, nervously scanning her surroundings, clearly up to something shady.

Without hesitation, Deng Zhilian followed her.

Meanwhile, at the educated youth point, Zhu Qinghan had another strange dream and jolted awake in the middle of the night, dazed and disoriented.

Could it be… that event would really happen in the coming days?

If it was true, then she might as well have divine powers—she could predict the future!

She ran her fingers through her messy hair and glanced at the wall clock. It was already past midnight.

Thinking about the chicken mushrooms she had dug up—all of which had been given away by Deng Zhilian to the villagers—and her seemingly perfect husband, she felt a pang of frustration.

Still, at least she could find more treasures to comfort herself.

Zhu Qinghan quietly left the educated youth point and headed straight for the back mountain.

…

In the dead of night, the back mountain was filled with strange vegetation and the occasional eerie cry of a bird.

It was, frankly, creepy.

Deng Zhilian rubbed her arms, goosebumps covering her skin. She hadn’t planned to keep following, guessing that Song Yitao just wanted to hide the bag somewhere.

She turned to head back, only to find someone standing on the return path.

A pointed oval face, fair skin, and a signature brightly colored headband tied into braided hair.

It was Zhu Qinghan—the female lead of the original story—who must have discovered some rare herb or treasure if she had come to the mountain at this hour.

The original story, titled Lucky Koi in the Seventies, featured Zhu Qinghan as a girl with prophetic dreams and incredible fortune. She made her first fortune by reselling medicinal herbs.

Caught between options, Deng Zhilian had no choice but to quickly duck into a bush at the roadside and watched as Zhu Qinghan passed by, then resumed her silent pursuit.

Following Zhu Qinghan would definitely lead to something good—Deng Zhilian planned to “pick the peach,” taking the reward without the effort.

As they went deeper, she noticed—

On an old tree up ahead, there was a massive hornet’s nest, with hornets buzzing ominously around it.

It looked terrifying.

Yet Zhu Qinghan carefully approached with a long stick in hand and jabbed at the nest.

Instantly, a swarm of hornets burst out, attacking her in a frenzy.

She screamed and ran for her life.

Watching her get chased farther and farther, Deng Zhilian smiled and stepped out of hiding, easily stashing the hornet’s nest into her spatial space.

Back on Song Yitao’s side—

She carried the black bag on her back like a time bomb—it was far too dangerous.

She found a remote spot on the mountain and started digging with a small shovel, planning to bury the bag.

But suddenly, a swarm of hornets came buzzing her way.

Panicked, she tried to duck and cover, but they descended like a black cloud.

Furious, she flailed and yelled:

“Who the hell are you?! Are you crazy? Stirring up hornets in the middle of the night and dragging me into it!”

Hearing the shouting, Zhu Qinghan was startled. Looking over, she saw it was the same woman who had earlier accused her of stealing from the commune.

“Comrade Song, I’m so sorry!”

With hornets in hot pursuit, the two of them had no time for explanations. They ran through the forest in total chaos.

Eventually, both were stung all over and collapsed, gasping on the ground.

Song Yitao’s face was covered in swollen welts, and she was crying from the pain, glaring at Zhu Qinghan.

“Ugh! You’re useless! You even dragged me into it!”

She spat directly at Zhu Qinghan’s face.

Before Zhu Qinghan could react, Song Yitao scrambled to her feet and ran down the mountain.

Furious, Zhu Qinghan turned around and saw that the spot where Song Yitao had been sitting had a dirt pit.

Curious, she dug into it—and found the black bag.

She unzipped it—only to find it full of US dollars!

Though she hadn’t gotten the hornet’s nest, the bag was a big enough reward.

With a smile on her face, Zhu Qinghan carried the bag back to the educated youth point.