Chapter 25 : Rebirth again?

Jiang Li frowned, prying off the hand resting on her shoulder. “Comrade Guo Haifeng, before you head back to the city, remember to clean out the village manure pit. Otherwise, someone as diligent and responsible as you might end up dreaming about it.”

Clapping her hands, Jiang Li added, “Oh, and don’t forget to apologize properly to the old pig that died unjustly because of you.”

With a look of disdain, she wiped the spot Guo Haifeng had touched with a handkerchief, her expression turning stern. “If there’s a next time, I’ll make sure to break those claws of yours.”

It took Guo Haifeng several moments to process the sarcasm in Jiang Li’s words. The repeated blows today, first from Qin Xiaoting, now from Jiang Li completely shattered the gentlemanly facade he had been desperately maintaining.

His face twisted with rage as he gripped Jiang Li’s arm tightly. “Jiang Li, you’re just a peasant girl! How dare you speak to me like this? Who gave you the guts? A lowly wretch like you wouldn’t even be worth looking at if you stripped naked and threw yourself at me!”

“And a freeloader like you wouldn’t be worth a glance from me even if you ran after me naked for two miles. As for throwing myself at you ,what have you been eating pig manure and started daydreaming?”

Seizing Guo Haifeng’s arm, Jiang Li pulled it forward with a sudden force. A loud crack echoed, followed by a tremendous jolt that sent him sprawling into the muddy ground. His back scraped against stones and gravel, leaving him bleeding and battered, his head buzzing.

“Ah! My hand! My hand!” he wailed.

Jiang Li’s polished shoes landed mercilessly on his fingers. “Didn’t I warn you? If there’s a next time, you’d better be prepared to lose these claws.”

“I get it! I’m sorry! I won’t dare again! Please move your foot!”

Blinded without his glasses, Guo Haifeng had no choice but to plead for mercy.

Jiang Li stomped down a few more times, venting her anger. ‘This one’s for chopping firewood. This one’s for digging ditches. And this one’s for harvesting cabbages.’

“Next time you see me, take the long way around, or I’ll report your harassment to Secretary Jiang. You’ll be lucky to get out of that without facing the firing squad.”

Finally, Jiang Li stepped back, glancing at Guo Haifeng from head to toe. Should she cripple him entirely for good measure?

Having read the original story, Jiang Li knew that Guo Haifeng had tricked more than one person in the brigade. One of the village girls even became pregnant, eventually taking her own life after being overwhelmed by gossip and shame.

Guo Haifeng, cradling his arm and groaning, suddenly felt a chill in his lower body. This peasant girl had shocking strength! Frightened, he shrank back and raised his hands in surrender. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to harass you! I can make it up to you.”

Jiang Li’s mind clicked. That was a good idea. “Fine. Starting today, you’re to deliver two loads of firewood to the back door of my house every day. And make sure to do it early, so the brigade members don’t get the wrong idea.”

“If I hear even a hint of gossip about me in the village, you’ll see what I’ll do to you!”

“I got it!”

Jiang Li turned away from the educated youth’s quarters, planning to take a walk in the back mountains to digest her meal. Before long, Qin Xiaoting caught up with her.

“Jiang Li, your name is Jiang Li, right?”

Jiang Li stopped, warily sizing up the girl in front of her.

Short and petite, she had a curvy figure, an oval face framed by a student haircut, almond-shaped eyes, and a delicate nose. Her bright eyes sparkled with life.

Although dressed plainly, her wrist bore a Plum Blossom watch, and she wore red rubber shoes. In her basket were rare labor protection gloves. She was clearly one of the brigade’s educated youths, rumored to be from a well-off family in Haicheng.

When Jiang Li didn’t respond, Qin Xiaoting continued on her own, walking alongside her. “Are you heading into the mountains? It just rained, and the slopes are slippery. It’s not safe to go alone. Can I join you?”

Jiang Li hesitated, unsure of Qin Xiaoting’s intentions. In the original story, Jiang Li had kept to herself, working quietly and barely interacting with the educated youths in the village.

“I’m not going into the mountains. Just wandering around.”

“Then I’ll wander at the foot of the mountains, see if I can pick some mushrooms or wild vegetables to help with the food supply.”

Jiang Li frowned and stopped. “Comrade Qin, if you have something to say, just say it.”

Seeing Jiang Li on guard, Qin Xiaoting quickly waved her hands, looking uncertain about how to begin. Finally, as Jiang Li turned to leave, she stomped her foot and hurried after her.

“Jiang Li, don’t misunderstand. I just saw you beat that shameless Guo Haifeng senseless earlier. It made me really happy.”

Having been reborn, Qin Xiaoting had so much she wanted to say. But the few female educated youths at the quarters were either infatuated with Guo Haifeng or troublemakers who liked to stir up discord.

She had been bottling up her thoughts for ages, nearly suffocating. Seeing Jiang Li, who had also been deceived by Guo Haifeng, she felt a sense of camaraderie with someone similarly wronged.

Hearing this, Jiang Li slowed her steps. Something about Qin Xiaoting seemed off.

From what she knew, Qin Xiaoting had been fond of Guo Haifeng. People had even seen her giving him money and ration tickets. Jiang Li’s original self had been heartbroken over it.

But Guo Haifeng was a man of many tricks. He simply explained to everyone that the money had been returned to him by Qin Xiaoting.

However, anyone with a discerning eye could see that when he first arrived in the countryside, his clothes were patched up, and he was starving. How could he possibly lend money to Qin Xiaoting, who came from a wealthy family?

A person’s personality can change suddenly and in strange ways.

Jiang Li stopped and asked, “Aren’t you and Guo Haifeng dating?”

“Whoever is dating him, I’m just a fish in his pond!”

Qin Xiaoting seemed to explode like a firecracker at this, and she went on, “I’m such a victim. I spent so much money supporting him, and then he turned around, dumped me, and went back to the city to hook up with someone else…”

She stopped abruptly, covering her mouth in frustration.

How could I let that slip? That’s something that will happen in the future!

Doesn’t this reveal the secret of his rebirth?

She quickly turned her head to see Jiang Li’s expression.

Fortunately, Jiang Li wasn’t paying attention at all and was staring at a small group of mushrooms under the tree.

Jiang Li seemed to be picking mushrooms, but in reality, she was watching Qin Xiaoting out of the corner of her eye, not missing a single expression on her face.

After hearing this, Jiang Li was sure that Qin Xiaoting had been reborn.

It was still a revenge story of a heroine.

“Then you can’t just let him go, make sure you get all your money back!” Jiang Li advised.

Qin Xiaoting immediately cheered up upon hearing Jiang Li’s suggestion, “Don’t worry, I won’t let him off that easily. I’ve recorded everything I gave him in my diary, and when the time comes, I’ll make him return it.”

“Guo Haifeng isn’t someone who will easily pay back the money, you need to be careful.”

“He dares not refuse, otherwise I’ll report him to the team leader,” Qin Xiaoting said, excited and happy.

Today, she exposed Guo Haifeng’s mistakes in his work to Party Secretary Jiang, and she didn’t fall for him or take the blame, which blocked his way back to the city. This was already a big step forward .