Chapter 54: There’s Something Wrong with My Head  

Zhang Qiaoqin quickened her pace and reached Niu Guifang. “Let’s go into the mountains to dig up some wild vegetables and gather some firewood. It looks like it’s going to rain, so we should collect extra firewood to have on hand.”  

Hearing Zhang Qiaoqin’s words, Su Ruanruan instinctively looked up at the sky.  

The clouds overhead were quite thick, but the sun was still shining.  

Niu Guifang also raised her head for a glance. “It does seem like rain is coming. Let’s hurry. The weather can change in an instant.”  

The saying went: “June skies are like a child’s face—changing on a whim.”  

Su Ruanruan had heard this saying before.  

As the group set off, the atmosphere became livelier than before, filled with constant chatter.  

Aside from Niu Guifang, Su Ruanruan wasn’t particularly familiar with the others, so she simply listened without joining in.  

However, even though she didn’t take the initiative to speak, someone still started a conversation with her.  

“Hey, Comrade Su, how did you meet Seventh Fu? He never mentioned you before. How is it that he went home to visit relatives and came back married?”  

Su Ruanruan turned toward the speaker and saw a woman staring straight at her.  

The woman had a smile on her face, yet the smile didn’t reach her eyes. Instead of warmth, there was scrutiny in her gaze, with a hint of criticism.  

This woman hadn’t been present at Zhang Qiaoqin’s house yesterday.  

Su Ruanruan had never met her before, yet the woman knew who she was. That was interesting.  

Su Ruanruan smiled at her. “We met through a matchmaking introduction. We found each other suitable, so we decided to get married.”  

“Seventh Fu is the youngest Company Commander in our area. He’s been awarded honors for his service and has even received commendations. On top of that, he’s quite good-looking—young and promising, one might say. If Comrade Su is a good match for Seventh Fu, you must be quite outstanding too. What did you do before? Which unit did you work for? Was your unit really willing to let such an exceptional comrade leave to follow a military spouse?”  

The woman’s voice was soft and gentle, yet every sentence was a trap.  

Su Ruanruan neither got angry nor felt embarrassed. She simply answered truthfully about her situation.

Su Ruanruan replied calmly: “I’m just an ordinary member of the production team. Like everyone else, I work in the fields, raise pigs, and contribute to our collective labor. I haven’t made any outstanding contributions. Everyone in the production team is hardworking and capable—losing one person wouldn’t make a difference. There’s no reason they wouldn’t allow me to follow my husband in the military.”  

The woman looked shocked. “Huh? You’re just a member of the production team? So you’re a farmer? And you even raise pigs?”  

As she spoke, she waved a hand in front of her nose as if she had caught an unpleasant smell.  

Then, she flashed an apologetic smile at Su Ruanruan. “Comrade Su, don’t take it the wrong way. I didn’t mean anything by it. I’m just surprised that someone as outstanding as Seventh Fu would marry such an… ordinary wife.”  

Su Ruanruan raised an eyebrow. “Are you saying I’m not good enough for him?”  

“Oh, no!” The woman waved her hand dismissively. “It’s just that Seventh Fu is so exceptional. I thought he’d marry someone equally outstanding—at least a high school graduate with a stable job in a proper work unit—”  

Su Ruanruan’s smile vanished. She stopped in her tracks, turned to face the woman, and looked her straight in the eyes with a serious expression.  

“Comrade, are you saying that being a production team member isn’t proper? Are you looking down on farmers? The grains you eat, the rice, flour, oil, the clothes and shoes you wear, the pork you enjoy—every single one of them is the result of our hard labor!  

“We are in a new era now—farmers have stood up and are singing their songs of liberation. Labor is the most honorable thing. Even educated youths from big cities are answering the call to go to the countryside, where the vast fields provide the greatest opportunities!  

“Even government officials have to go to the grassroots level to eat, sleep, and work alongside the farmers! They don’t think laborers are improper. They don’t see farming or raising pigs as shameful—so why do you?”  

The woman instinctively opened her mouth to argue: “I—”  

“What? You think I’m not worthy of him because I’m just a regular production team member? That I’m just some peasant with muddy legs? My family has been poor farmers for eight generations—I’m proud of that! If you look back eight generations, who wasn’t a poor farmer?  

“Or are you saying your family isn’t? Is that why you look down on those of us who farm and raise pigs, like we belong to different social ranks?”  

Su Ruanruan finished her speech in one breath, then silently gave herself a mental thumbs-up.  

That felt amazing!  

Even though she was grinning inside, she kept a stern face, glaring at the woman with righteous indignation.  

The others didn’t dare to make a sound. They all stared at Su Ruanruan in stunned silence, clearly not expecting her to say something like that.

Niu Guifang was the first to react. She frowned at the woman and said: “Li Fengjiao, I always thought you were just picky and liked to gossip, but I never imagined you were this kind of person!”  

Li Fengjiao frantically waved her hands, hurriedly explaining: “No, no, that’s not what I meant! I was just speaking offhandedly. My family was also poor—dirt poor! Really! Have you forgotten? When I first came to follow my husband in the military, my accent was so heavy that none of you could understand me.”  

Su Ruanruan looked at Li Fengjiao with curiosity. “If you come from a poor farming family, then why do you look down on those who farm and raise pigs?”  

“I…” Li Fengjiao was so anxious that sweat covered her forehead. Her eyes darted around as she searched for an excuse. Suddenly, she blurted out: “I’m sick! That’s right—I’m sick! It’s too hot today, and the sun is too strong. It’s making me dizzy and confused. Comrade Su, I was just talking nonsense earlier. Please don’t take it to heart!”  

Su Ruanruan nodded in sudden realization. “Oh, so you said all that nonsense because you’re sick? Then of course I won’t take it to heart. But I’d still suggest that if you’re unwell, you should stay home, rest, and avoid running around and talking carelessly. If you run into someone less understanding than me, and they get so angry they report you, wouldn’t that be a huge loss for you? Don’t you think so?”  

Li Fengjiao’s smile was even more pitiful than if she were crying. She nodded repeatedly. “Yes! That’s right! Well, um… I’ll just go home and rest! I won’t go with you all anymore!”  

With that, she turned and left. In her haste, she stumbled slightly, nearly losing her balance.  

Watching Li Fengjiao flee in embarrassment, Su Ruanruan turned to Niu Guifang with a sweet smile. “Sister-in-law, let’s hurry up and go. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can return.”  

Niu Guifang nodded immediately. “Yes, exactly. Let’s go, let’s go!”  

Zhang Qiaoqin and the others exchanged glances, but in the end, they followed along.  

However, despite the large group, the lively chatter from before had completely disappeared. Hardly anyone spoke.  

Su Ruanruan could sense that Zhang Qiaoqin and the others kept sneaking glances at her from time to time. Their gazes were filled with curiosity—and fear.  

Clearly, they were intimidated by Su Ruanruan’s ability to escalate matters so directly.  

Su Ruanruan was quite satisfied with this outcome.  

In these unstable times, if one wanted to live securely, one had to stand on the highest moral and social ground. Only then would they not be shackled by those very things.  

As long as she upheld strong morals, she could hold others accountable!  

Being from a poor farming family was nothing to be ashamed of. Farming and raising pigs were not disgraceful. These were the very things that ensured Su Ruanruan could live safely in this era.