In 1973, the winds of revolution swept across the motherland, reaching Xiaoba Village in Suhua Township.

After the beginning of autumn, the slogan painted on the wall outside the brigade —welcoming educated youth to the countryside—had been repainted. The original phrase, “Take root in rural areas and carry out the revolution; the vast world will temper a red heart,” was replaced with a new directive from leadership: “Build a socialist new countryside quickly, efficiently, and economically.”

Back in 1967, a devastating flood struck. The men had all gone to the half-finished dam built by the Soviets to fight the disaster, but none returned. The women refused to leave their homeland, supporting one another as they worked the land near the dam. Determined to rebuild Xiaoba Village, they opened up the mountains and cultivated the fields.

Su Rui skillfully broke off the ripened corn cobs, tossing them into the burlap sack tied around her waist. Sweat dripped from her chin. She wiped it away with her sleeve and lifted the sack to check its weight.

“Hey, why didn’t that dutiful boy bring you lunch today?” Aunt Song approached, handing Su Rui a bowl of cool water. “Did he decide not to be your live-in husband anymore?”

Everyone in the village knew that Xiao Hongxing was pursuing Su Rui. He delivered water and meals to her every day, more diligently than if he were tending to his ancestors. The women in the village had taken to calling him ‘the dutiful one.’

Su Rui remained silent. Chen Xianglan leaned in and added, “Dahua’s mother went to his house to ask for a bride price—two hundred yuan. Who can afford that, right, Xiao Rui?”

The high bride price kept her from marrying him.

Su Rui pursed her lips. She indeed had feelings for Xiao Hongxing and wanted to marry him, but poverty had caused her to suppress her emotions.

She thought to herself, Once I have money, I’ll definitely marry him and make him a new cotton jacket every year!

Aunt Sun walked around and dropped the sack onto the ground with a thud. Wiping her sweat, she said, “Hey, Xiao Rui, why didn’t you go to the next village? Xiao Hongxing is getting married today. Didn’t he invite you to the big banquet?”

Married?

Su Rui froze and quickly looked at Aunt Song and Chen Xianglan. They were clearly putting on a show to amuse themselves.

Since she couldn’t afford the bride price, he was marrying someone else. How materialistic men had become!

“I didn’t go, and I won’t,” Su Rui said, her face stern as she spoke with determination. “Being desperate for a marriage is like a business transaction. I knew he was pretending to be dutiful! If I marry, I’ll marry someone truly dutiful.”

With that, Su Rui left the fields and let them laugh behind her.

Carrying the sack, Su Rui went to sign her work points. She found out that the women were still earning six work points, while the men from Qingnan Village, who had been sneaky and dishonest, were earning ten. Su Rui put down her sack and went straight to the village head, Guo Qingwang, to confront him.

After the flood, many villages had suffered, including Xiaoba Village, Qingnan Village, and Yi Wang Village, which were now merged. Guo Qingwang was from Qingnan Village and had a strong preference for men over women. His biases were clear.

Su Rui stubbornly walked up to Guo Qingwang. He was smoking and puffed out a cloud of smoke. Disgusted, she waved her hand to disperse it and said, “Uncle Guo, didn’t you promise to improve the treatment for the women comrades? Why are we still getting six work points today?”

“Don’t call me Uncle Guo, call me Village Head when we meet.”

Guo Qingwang had graying hair, dark purple skin, and small, cloudy eyes.

His back was slightly hunched, and he had the habit of clasping his hands behind his back. His position wasn’t high, but he spoke with the tone of an official: “This matter still needs further research. The revolution doesn’t happen overnight.”

Su Rui’s face tightened. “What needs researching? We’re all people, why are there different levels?”

“Men are stronger and work harder, so they naturally get more,” Guo Qingwang said, hands behind his back, wearing a dark blue official suit. His cloth shoes, made for a meeting in the county, were new.

“So, you mean women aren’t as good as men?” Su Rui retorted. “The People’s Daily clearly says that the Constitution guarantees equality between men and women, with women entitled to the same political, economic, and cultural treatment as men. The country’s laws protect women’s rights and ensure equal pay for equal work. Why does it seem like the law doesn’t apply here?”

“Here we go again! I told you to stop reading those outside newspapers and stop dreaming,” Guo Qingwang said with a tsk, shifting his gaze to Su Rui’s youthful face. His son had developed a crush on her, but he didn’t like it. This girl was getting more difficult with every encounter.

“What’s so unreasonable about it?” Su Rui said cheerfully. “I’m the acting group leader of the third militia squad. I have the right to protect the interests of my fellow comrades and safeguard the revolutionary spirit.”

Guo Qingwang thought to himself, Forget it. She speaks better than I do. Everyone looks out for themselves.

Guo Qingwang waved his hand dismissively. “It’s been this way for years. If you have a problem, take it up with higher authorities. This is the rule here.”

He clearly didn’t take women seriously.

Su Rui knew arguing in circles with him wouldn’t help. She didn’t have the connections to influence him, but she couldn’t stand his gender bias.

We’ll see about that.

Guo Qingwang saw her turn and walk away, his eyelids twitching. This girl was too good at causing trouble. She hadn’t even spoken two sentences before walking off. He suspected there might be something more to it.

“Hey, where are you going? Don’t walk away,” he called out.

“I have nothing more to say to you.” Su Rui turned around with a smile and added, “Since I don’t have connections to higher-ups, I’ll just figure it out myself.”

Guo Qingwang’s heart sank. This doesn’t bode well.

“I’m telling you, stop making trouble for me!”

Su Rui ignored him and walked home.

Two years ago, she had drowned while swimming and transmigrated into this era novel. In this story, the heroic character Fang Chiye, who had a glorious military career, was the main character. He led an armed unit to build a military hydroelectric power station here, and Xiaoba Village’s story was only a small part of the book.

After the hydroelectric station was completed, Fang Chiye was transferred to an even more important position and focused on his career. The entire book was a one-man show, with Fang Chiye going from military academy at sixteen to becoming the great commander. There was no female lead.

Su Rui just wanted to avoid the path of being a weak, tragic female character and live a healthy, happy life far from the main plot. She had already turned eighteen, and the unfortunate plot was about to unfold: her stepmother had arranged for her to marry a cruel widower from the mountains. In the original story, the original owner would be abused and “commit suicide.” The thought of it terrified her.

She had originally planned to marry a live-in son-in-law before the plot kicked in, but with the village leadership biased, earning money was hard, and things were just unfair. She had finally found a way to make it work, but at the critical moment, everything had fallen apart.

On her way home, she faintly heard firecrackers from Yi Wang Village. It made her feel bitter.

Cotton jackets? What cotton jackets?

Late feelings were worth less than grass.

***

At the eastern end of Xiaoba Village’s dirt road.

Guo Jiarong didn’t know that Su Rui had confronted his father and was already heading to her home.

Su Rui’s family, like many others in the widow village, was a blended family. Xiaoba Village had a high number of live-in sons-in-law, with over a hundred families by the end of the previous year. Su Rui’s father, Su Li, was one of them.

Fortunately, Su Li also had the surname Su. Otherwise, Su Rui would have to adopt her stepmother’s surname.

Having learned that Su Li wasn’t home, Guo Jiarong hurried to Su Rui’s stepmother, Su Yuqin, to ask about Su Rui’s situation.

His family was well-off, the only child in three generations, and didn’t need to marry someone from a poor family like Su Rui’s.

However, Su Rui was a small, delicate girl, only eighteen, full of youthful vitality. She exuded a wild, beautiful energy, like wildflowers blooming in the countryside, proudly flaunting their bright colors in the wind.

He remembered Su Rui wasn’t always like this, but now he was obsessed with her, unable to forget her day or night.

He arrived at Su Rui’s house and saw the wooden door partially open. He wiped the dirt off his shoes, cleared his throat, and entered the courtyard.

Su Yuqin was combing the hair of her second daughter, Su Chang’e.

Su Chang’e was ambitious and had recently been introduced to a county-level food store clerk for a potential marriage match. Coincidentally, during their first meeting, the clerk had seen Su Rui and couldn’t take his eyes off her.

“Mother has already rejected him. The third child has a wild nature, not suitable for a family of cadres. I’m doing this for her own good,” Su Yuqin comforted her. “Just think about it, he’s not the right match for you.”

Su Chang’e, looking into the mirror, argued, “How can a motherless girl like her compare to me? That person must be blind.”

“Exactly, he must be blind.” Su Yuqin recalled meeting a limping middle-aged widower from Huangshanling at the market last month. The man had offered a high price to “marry” a wife and take her to the mountains, offering 120 yuan.

She had thought of Su Rui first and had already agreed to the deal.

Su Chang’e knew about this and, together with her mother, had come up with ways to make Su Rui “volunteer” to marry him, even going so far as to send Su Rui’s father off to fish at sea.

However, Su Rui refused to meet any strangers and wouldn’t go far, as if she knew what was waiting for her. Yesterday, unable to wait any longer, the man had come to Su Yuqin and demanded the 50 yuan deposit back. Su Yuqin was still upset about it.

“Mother, can you give me ten yuan?”

The change of topic came too quickly. Su Yuqin paused for a moment while combing her hair before listening to Su Chang’e: “I found a matchmaker with connections. The family has ties with the military in Sichuan Province.”

Su Yuqin hesitated, unwilling to send her daughter far away. “Didn’t we agree to find a son-in-law who would come to our home, just like your father and I did?”

Su Chang’e suppressed her impatience. “The matchmaker just contacted me and gave me the address. Whether he likes me or not is another matter. If it works out, I could also take care of Su Rui.”

Su Yuqin had two daughters with her first husband: the eldest, Su Hongpei, and the second, Su Chang’e. She had no sons and felt that her eldest daughter was too kind-hearted and lacked the calculating nature needed. So, she had placed all her hopes on her second daughter.

As for her stepdaughter, Su Rui, she had tried multiple times to get rid of her, either by abandoning her or selling her, but her weak new husband insisted on keeping her. Su Yuqin gave her little to eat, never expecting that Su Rui would grow up.

“My goodness, you’re asking for ten yuan just to get an address? Is money that easy to make?” Su Yuqin set down her comb and sat on the edge of the kang, silent.

“Is Aunt here?” A clear voice came from the door. “It’s me, Jiarong.”

Upon hearing his voice, Su Chang’e was enraged and gritted her teeth. “See, here comes another one looking for that little vixen!”

Guo Jiarong was one of the top single young men in the village, and Su Chang’e had once secretly pursued him. After being rejected, she learned that he liked Su Rui, which made her hatred for Su Rui reach its peak.

“He’s petty, don’t offend him,” Su Yuqin quickly said. “Ten yuan is just ten yuan. Once you find an officer, he’ll be better than him.”

“That’s right.” Su Chang’e stood up, quickly braiding her hair. She still wanted to leave a good impression on Guo Jiarong.

Seeing that he was the son of the village head, Su Yuqin personally lifted the curtain of the door and went out to greet him.

Su Yuqin patted Guo Jiarong’s arm and said, “Come in, I’ll have Chang’e pour you some water.”

By the time Su Chang’e finished braiding her hair, she put on a forced smile as she said to Guo Jiarong, “I’ll use a new jar for you to drink from.” She jumped off the kang and slipped on her shoes before heading out.

Guo Jiarong didn’t pay any attention to Su Chang’e and turned his face away, secretly thinking: a square face with big cheeks, how could she be called Chang’e? It’s much more fitting for Su Rui.

Su Yuqin smiled and asked, “What brings you here, nephew?”

Guo Jiarong, without any hesitation, said, “I want to date Su Rui, but I don’t know if Aunt agrees.”

So that’s what this was about.

Su Chang’e walked in with the jar and laughed out loud.

Su Yuqin also found it amusing. Coming here to talk about marriage without offering anything is quite something.

On one hand, Su Yuqin hoped that Su Rui wouldn’t marry better than Su Chang’e, but on the other hand, she wanted to extract some benefits from Su Rui. “That girl is becoming more stubborn, it’s like she’s a different person now. I can’t control her anymore.”

Guo Jiarong placed his hands on the kang table, looking like a refined scholar. He had the highest education in the village, having completed the first year of high school.

But his words didn’t show much respect for the girl’s feelings: “In traditional marriages, the parents’ wishes and the matchmaker’s word are law. Once you give your approval, I will have the imperial decree to pursue her freely.”

Su Chang’e raised the corner of her lips slightly, showing a half-smile. “I’m just afraid you’ll take her straight to your house, and we won’t be able to say anything about it.”

Guo Jiarong didn’t like Su Chang’e’s single eyelids and high cheekbones, which made her seem sharp and harsh rather than gentle and delicate.

He turned his head as if he hadn’t heard the cutting remark, waiting for Su Yuqin to speak.

Though Su Rui wasn’t gentle either, she was the most beautiful girl in the village, and he was willing to spoil her.

Seeing that Guo Jiarong ignored her words, Su Chang’e stormed out into the yard in anger.

Su Yuqin said to Guo Jiarong, “I have three daughters. Why did you set your sights on her? I think you and the second one are most suited. Don’t mind her little temper; it’s just a phase young people go through.”

Guo Jiarong frowned and replied, “I’m not the type to just play around with a girl.”

Su Yuqin was caught off guard by this answer.

She thought that if Su Rui were to become Guo Jiarong’s wife, they would easily bully her and her daughter. She would never agree to this marriage.

Guo Jiarong pulled out his trump card: “How about I have my father arrange for Su Chang’e to work as a clerk in the village office? Then you’d probably agree.”

Before Su Yuqin could even react happily, a clear voice from outside interrupted: “I don’t agree!”

Guo Jiarong quickly stood up, but Su Rui had already entered without even looking at him. She confronted Su Yuqin and asked, “How dare you make decisions for me just because my father isn’t here?”

Su Yuqin furrowed her brows and said, “How can you speak to me like that? Have you forgotten who is in charge here? Besides, it’s not like we’re—”

Before Su Yuqin could finish, Su Rui turned to Guo Jiarong and said, “Who told you to come to my house? Get out!”

Guo Jiarong’s face turned red in an instant, struggling to maintain his scholarly dignity. Frustrated, he slammed his hand on the kang table and said, “You always reject me, I had no choice but to resort to this.”

Su Rui: “Did you just slam the table at me?”

Su Rui’s good mood was completely ruined by the Guo family’s father and son. Anyone with the last name Guo was no good. She turned to the main hall to grab a fire poker!

“Ai, look at her temper. You should go home for today. I’ll talk to her and straighten things out.” Su Yuqin was happy not to have to immediately agree to Guo Jiarong’s request, so she urged him to leave.

Su Chang’e was leaning against the door frame and teasing, “Oh, leaving already?”

Guo Jiarong craned his neck, looking at the furious Su Rui holding the fire poker and coming toward him. He quickly hid behind Su Yuqin and said, “Want to hit me? Just wait. I’ll have my father pull you out of your post as the acting group leader!”

Guo Jiarong ran ahead, with Su Rui chasing after him. But she was blocked and couldn’t catch up. She angrily started walking back home. Suddenly, she noticed a figure flash past from the wooden fence.

Here we go again.

These days, Su Rui kept feeling as though someone was watching her.

“Who is it?!” Su Rui grabbed the fire poker and went out, only to collide with her older sister, Su Hongpei.

“You scared me! Why are you shouting about hitting people at home?” Su Hongpei snatched the fire poker from Su Rui’s hand and gently guided her into the side room. “This is my mother’s fault. Calm down, okay?”

At twenty-four, Su Hongpei was considered an older unmarried woman in the village, but she had someone she was seeing. It was likely that they would have a wedding this year.

Su Hongpei wasn’t like Su Yuqin at all, nor did she share any traits with Su Chang’e. She dressed simply, with patches upon patches on her clothes. Her oval face had two bright red spots on her cheeks, and her eyes were double-lidded, with thick, greasy braids. She radiated gentleness, kindness, and compassion.

To Su Rui, Su Chang’e’s mind was full of schemes, a heart as dark as coal. But Su Hongpei was pure-hearted, so innocent it almost hurt.

When Su Rui first arrived, she was rebellious and had tricked Su Hongpei many times, but Su Hongpei would always believe her lies and reconcile without holding grudges. Over time, Su Rui reflected on her mistakes and built a genuine sisterly bond with Su Hongpei.

Their home had five red brick rooms, which were rebuilt after the flood by the government based on the number of people in the family. The Su family was fortunate to have avoided the old mud-brick house.

The main house was where their parents lived, attached to the living room for guests and a storage room.

The two side rooms were both about twenty square meters. Su Chang’e had the eastern side room all to herself, while Su Rui and Su Hongpei shared the western one.

After soothing Su Rui, Su Hongpei went to cook.

Su Rui stood under the jujube tree in the small yard, determined to find a time to teach Guo Jiarong a lesson!

At that moment, she heard light footsteps from outside the yard.

The old lady, Ah Xi, called out, “Guo Jiarong was beaten! It’s right behind your house!”

Amitabha! Just as I wished!

Su Rui quickly moved toward the yard gate, saying, “You rest, I’ll go check it out.”

“What can you do?” Old Lady Ah Xi hurriedly followed her.

Su Rui grinned widely, “What can I do? I’ll see what kind of mess he’s in after getting beaten!”