Chapter 29.1

Chen Nongmo did not often walk around the village.

However, the children in the village all liked her quite a bit.

The reason was rather simple—her pockets were often filled with food.

It was either candy, biscuits, or peanuts, things that children loved more than anything else.

Of course, most of the children were well-mannered and would not deliberately run to her house to ask for treats.

Whenever they happened to receive her candies or snacks, they would return the favor with small things.

Most of the time, these were wild vegetables or fruits from the foot of the mountain or fields.

This day was no different. When Chen Nongmo went out, she specifically put a dozen or so candies in her pocket.

As she entered the village, she could already hear the children’s cheering and laughter from a distance.

Chen Nongmo curiously blinked her eyes, looking up at the Fourth Brother Jun to her right, and asked, “When the Educated Youth come to the village, do the children usually get this happy?”

Seeing Chen Jun playing happily in the village, he laughed heartily and replied, “Of course not. I heard this morning that Aunt Chunmei’s family was harvesting dates today, so I guess that’s what they’re excited about.”

There was a saying that went, “On the fifteenth of July, the red circle; on the fifteenth of August, the fallen pole.”

Chen Nongmo suddenly understood. Indeed, it was the perfect season for eating dates.

“…There are quite a few families in the village that grow dates, but if you’re talking about the sweetest, it’s definitely Aunt Chunmei’s family. Every year, when they harvest dates, there are always greedy cats who help pick them, and later every child gets one or two pounds of dates. No wonder they’re so happy. Back when the Fourth Brother Jun and I were in elementary school, we also went there. Aunt Chunmei’s Jujube Tree has been around for many years now…”

The Fifth Brother Yi’s words were quite amusing, and Chen Nongmo could almost picture it in her mind.

As Chen Nongmo passed by Aunt Chunmei’s house, she couldn’t help but glance over with curiosity.

She had originally planned to just take a quick look and leave, but as soon as she poked her head out, she locked eyes with a little girl who was chasing after dates.

The moment the girl recognized her, her eyes immediately lit up. “Sister Yuyu!”

Upon hearing this, not only did the other children picking dates look over, but even Aunt Chunmei, who was using a bamboo pole to shake the Jujube Tree, was surprised and turned to look. “Oh my, it really is you, girl! Come in, take some dates to eat, they’re sweet!”

Chen Nongmo wasn’t shy at all. She stepped over the threshold, called out to people, and then said, “The Fourth Brother Jun says Aunt Chunmei’s dates are the sweetest. I have to eat a few more.”

Aunt Chunmei was pleased to hear this. Without needing the girl to pick, she pointed directly to the bamboo basket and said with a hearty laugh, “Go ahead and pick from there. The redder ones are the sweetest.”

After handing out candies to the children, Chen Nongmo picked a few red dates, wiped them off casually, and took a bite.

Not only were they sweet, but they were especially crunchy.

Seeing the girl’s eyes squint in joy from the sweetness, Aunt Chunmei then directed the twins to take even more. “…Don’t be polite with me. Originally, I was going to send some to Qiuhua. She makes the best date cakes.”

In the end, the three siblings left with over ten pounds of Red Dates.

As Aunt Chunmei said, when she made the date cakes, she only needed to send her two pounds.

After leaving Aunt Chunmei’s house, the three siblings continued on to the Village Committee.

Chen Nongmo had eaten over ten dates in a row, and when she instinctively reached for more, Chen Yi moved her hand away from the bag. “It’s not good to eat too much at once.”

Chen Jun nodded. “Right, these dates are big, and if you eat too many, you’ll get gassy.”

“……”

When they reached the Village Committee, the three of them overheard villagers excitedly discussing something.

After listening closely, they understood that among the group of Educated Youth that had come, someone had brought a camera.

In these times, if one wanted to take a photo, they had to go to the county’s state-run photo studio.

Many people went their whole lives without ever taking a single photo.

It was easy to imagine just how rare cameras were, especially one like the Seagull brand that was being held in their hands.

Chen Yi spoke softly, “That’s a clever person.”

Chen Nongmo nodded in agreement, “Now, many uncles and aunts will probably be willing to temporarily accept the Educated Youth.”

Not particularly interested in the camera, Chen Jun turned to his Little Sister Yuyu and asked, “Do you want to go take a look?”

“Sure, we’re already here.”

Although curious, the three siblings didn’t push to the front. Instead, they stayed on the outskirts of the crowd, listening to the villagers chatter.

While the conversation mainly revolved around the camera, a few minutes were enough for Chen Nongmo to gather useful information.

This batch of Educated Youth came from Shanghai City.

Two women and four men.

She focused most of her attention on the men.

They were quite young, the oldest just over twenty, and none had particularly striking looks.

But perhaps because they came from a big city, their skin was noticeably whiter than the villagers of Shanshun Village.

On top of that, they were dressed neatly in white shirts and green military pants.

Even though they had blended in with the villagers due to the camera, the difference was still apparent.

Chen Nongmo’s gaze subtly moved over each of them before finally settling on the man holding the camera, explaining how it worked to the villagers.

For some reason, as she looked at the seemingly honest man not far away, she just had a feeling.

It was him!

In the original story, the girl who had not yet regained her senses was killed in the mountains during that winter.

At that time, the crime of being a hooligan carried a heavy sentence, especially when a life was involved.

Before the verdict, the villain confessed that he had only acted on impulse, never intending to kill anyone.

In his mind, a fool, especially one who was a beautiful, foolish person cleaned up by their family, wouldn’t understand what had happened even if he had raped her. She certainly wouldn’t be able to speak out about it.

Perhaps he wasn’t the only one involved in the act.

After all, while the girl might have been foolish, she was undeniably beautiful, and any normal man would have thoughts about her.

He had originally thought it would be easy to get what he wanted.

But he hadn’t expected the Chen family to be so vigilant. He had waited for months before he finally found an opportunity to take her to the mountains.

When he tried to act, the girl struggled and cried out fiercely, making it impossible to undress her.

Fearing someone might come, in his panic, he could only cover her mouth with his hand.

The more she struggled, the harder he pressed, and by the time he regained his senses, the girl had suffocated under his hand…

As she recalled this, Chen Nongmo took a deep breath, her fist clenched tightly in her pocket.

She couldn’t imagine how terrifying this must have been for a girl.

Nor could she fathom how Qiuhua’s mother, who had taken care of the girl for two or three years, would be able to bear the shock of her daughter’s tragic death, especially after the trauma of her son’s amputation.

Most books were written from the perspectives of the male and female protagonists.

But if one saw the male lead’s regret over the Little Sister Yuyu’s death as his life’s greatest remorse, it was easy to imagine how much pain Qiuhua’s mother, who had lived with the girl for three years, would have to endure.

And then… how the girl’s biological parents would break down completely.

“Sixth Sister? What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?” Chen Yi, sharp as always, noticed that the girl’s breath had become heavier. He immediately looked at her with concern and saw that her face was slightly pale.

Chen Jun, who was standing on the other side, also looked over. His concern was different. The young man lowered his head slightly, rubbing Little Sister Yuyu’s head with his large hand and asking worriedly, “Did you eat too many dates? Is your stomach hurting?”

Worried that his Little Sister Yuyu might be shy, Chen Jun lowered his voice when he asked.

Hearing this, Chen Nongmo looked at the Fourth Brother Jun speechlessly before breaking into a small laugh. “It’s not hurting. I’m just uncomfortable from being in the sun.”

In the past, she had indeed been afraid.

Although she had gotten used to relying on herself for everything, and no matter how much she tried to see herself as invincible, she still felt uneasy and fearful when faced with a ruthless murderer.

But now it was different. After being in this world for over two years, not only did she have a family, but she was also showered with love and care.

Even if she was targeted by scoundrels in the future, just like in the original plot, she wouldn’t need to be afraid.

Because standing behind her were the parents and brothers who loved her more than anyone else in the world.

Her family was the source of her unshakable confidence.

Once she realized this, and had more or less figured out who the villain was, Chen Nongmo no longer had any desire to stay. “Fourth Brother Jun, Fifth Brother Yi, let’s go home. I want to eat Mom Qiuhua’s date cake.”

Chen Jun waved his hand. “Then let’s go back.”