Guo Jiarong returned to Qingnan Village from the construction site.

The thought of the woman he longed for lying so casually on another man’s back made him furious.

He had always disdained using tricks, but now he regretted not acting sooner. If he had, she wouldn’t be out there flirting with other men. If she truly became someone else’s woman, things would get difficult for him.

Shutting himself indoors, he spent his days scheming. After much deliberation, he realized that the best way to deal with Su Rui was through Su Chang’e. Su Chang’e was Su Rui’s stepsister and had never been fond of her. If they worked together from the inside and out, they might just come up with a way to take Su Rui down.

Guo Jiarong wasted no time and had someone bring Su Chang’e over. The two of them whispered back and forth for two hours before finally coming up with a plan to force Su Rui’s hand.

Before leaving, Su Chang’e said, “If she’s not doing well, I can help her. But if she’s doing better than me, then no.”

Guo Jiarong sneered, “You’re just jealous. You want to feel superior for once. Once she marries me, I guarantee you’ll be even more jealous.”

Su Chang’e had heard some rumors about the Guo family. Unlike before, she no longer fawned over him. Instead, she laughed and said, “Ha, then I’ll just wait to be jealous.”

Guo Jiarong managed to get the contact information for the fool’s family and quickly wrote an anonymous letter.

If Su Chang’e hadn’t told him that Su Rui’s man was a reformed labor prisoner, he might have hesitated to offend him. But now that he had nothing to worry about, he entrusted someone to deliver the anonymous letter to the fool’s home.

He was the only one who could help Su Rui deal with the fool. When the time came, he would bring people with him, forcing Su Rui to choose between him and the fool.

Countless thoughts raced through Guo Jiarong’s mind as he imagined all the ways he would deal with Su Rui once she was in his grasp. The image of her breathtakingly beautiful face streaked with tears filled him with an intoxicating thrill, making him even more determined to have her.

He spent several idle days at home, lost in daydreams, waiting for news of the fool’s family taking action.

But never in his wildest dreams did he expect that while he was plotting against others, someone else had already set their sights on him.

Guo Qingwang caught wind of some rumors and planned to head to the county to pull some strings. That morning, just as he was about to leave with a bag of milk powder and biscuits, he suddenly heard a young woman outside the courtyard shouting angrily.

Guo Jiarong sprang up from his bed and rushed to the window. When he saw the woman outside, his face darkened. She was none other than the fiancée his parents had arranged for him since childhood. Technically, he still had to call her “little sister.”

Although they weren’t related by blood, she was the adopted daughter of their sworn family friends. Spoiled since childhood, she had grown into a headstrong and unruly woman with a fiery temper.

She didn’t come alone—she brought her parents and brothers along. Standing at the courtyard gate, she loudly cursed Guo Jiarong for being a heartless man, saying that after kissing her last time, he never came to see her again, leaving her to stay alone in an empty room.

Guo Jiarong was furious. He stormed out of the house and shouted, “Who kissed you?”

Lina retorted, “It was you! You drank too much and don’t remember, but I do! That night, you even slept next to me! My belly isn’t showing yet, but when it does, I’ll come find you again. If I have to lose my dignity, you might as well lose yours too.”

By now, a crowd had gathered, eager to watch the commotion. Qingnan Village had many bachelors, and it was rare to see a young woman making such a scene, so all eyes were glued to her.

Lina was causing a huge uproar in front of Guo Jiarong’s house. Although her parents felt ashamed, they couldn’t do anything about it. If their daughter got pregnant and was left unmarried, her life would be ruined.

Eventually, Guo Qingwang came out. When both families faced off, Lina’s parents gave an ultimatum—either Guo Jiarong married her, or they would report him to the authorities.

Guo Jiarong wanted to refuse, but Guo Qingwang slapped him across the face and dragged him inside. “Tell me the truth—did you sleep with her or not?”

Guo Jiarong stammered.

Guo Qingwang, furious, slapped him again. “Speak clearly!”

After a long hesitation, Guo Jiarong finally muttered, “That… that night, I was drunk… I didn’t even know it was her…”

Guo Qingwang was already overwhelmed with problems. Ignoring Guo Jiarong’s protests, he quickly settled the marriage arrangement and forced him to register for a marriage certificate.

Lina leaned against the doorframe smugly, looking at Guo Jiarong’s stunned expression. She snorted and said, “If it weren’t for my uncle, do you think your father could have been the village head for so long? I advise you to be grateful. After you marry me, I’ll have my uncle arrange a good job for you. Your future will be set.”

Guo Jiarong couldn’t stand her condescending attitude. His face darkened as he said, “With so many people watching, you just blurted out that we slept together. Do you have no shame?”

Lina shamelessly replied, “I didn’t lie, did I? If you don’t want to admit it, fine, but I don’t mind being shameless. If you refuse to marry me, I’ll keep coming back to cause trouble. Even if you have a wife and children in the future, I won’t let you live in peace!”

Guo Jiarong was driven to the edge by her harassment. Moreover, Guo Qingwang truly needed the support of Lina’s uncle. So, after getting the marriage certificate, both families quickly set a wedding date. Within a few days, the banquet and betrothal gifts were all prepared.

***

In Xiaoba Village.

“I told you—you’re not meant for a good life!”

Su Yuqin was furious when she heard that Guo Jiarong was about to hold a wedding banquet. “You had the chance to secure him, but you let it slip away. You’re destined to live in poverty.”

Su Rui sat cross-legged on the kang, twisting iron wires to weave a beaded curtain. She wrapped strips of newspaper around the wires, linking hooks together to create a hanging curtain.

In the summer, she was too busy to do it, so mosquitoes constantly flew into the house. Now that the farming season was over, she decided to prepare the newspaper curtain in advance and hang it up when the weather warmed.

Seeing Su Rui ignoring her, Su Yuqin got even angrier. She cursed a few more times before finally leaving.

Although Guo Jiarong didn’t invite her to the wedding, she still planned to go and cozy up to him. After all, he was the village head’s son. She didn’t want Su Rui to ruin their chances with the Guo family. If they only held a grudge against Su Rui, that was fine. But if they resented the whole family, that would be a disaster.

Once Su Yuqin left, Su Rui’s face immediately lit up with curiosity.

“Why is he suddenly getting married?”

Su Hongpei, who was stitching thick cotton shoe insoles with a thimble, jabbed the needle hard and said, “I heard he had slept with that girl. She showed up at his house and made a huge scene. His father wanted to save face and also owed a favor to her family, so he decided to rush the wedding.”

“Wow, what a scumbag.” Su Rui sneered. “Pursuing me while fooling around with another girl.”

She recalled that Guo Jiarong appeared in the novel as well. That Lina girl was quite promiscuous—she cheated on him multiple times after they got married. Thinking about it now, he totally deserved it.

A week later.

On Guo Jiarong’s wedding day, Su Yuqin took Su Chang’e with her to attend the banquet.

Meanwhile, Su Rui diligently performed her duties as a village official, visiting elderly villagers who lived alone.

With winter approaching, she needed to ensure that the rooftops were repaired, heating was arranged, and there was enough food stored. She couldn’t let anyone in Xiaoba Village freeze or starve to death.

She carried a notebook and wrote in it with her new fountain pen. Fang Chiye was indeed thoughtful—after he promised to send her ink, a young soldier delivered not only ink but also two notebooks.

The white covers were printed with the words “Progress” and “Perseverance,” which Su Rui found quite appealing.

Since Guo Jiarong was holding his wedding in the neighboring village, many laborers from Qingnan Village took the day off to attend. Even Sister Zhao had to go for work-related reasons.

u Rui was about to give the inspection report to Sister Zhao, thinking that she would definitely come back after lunch. However, at around eleven, Sister Zhao came back with a group of people, all wearing serious expressions.

“Su Rui, you really have good luck.”

Huang Bei, a local official who had settled in the village, was a plump woman with a mole on her nose. She loved gossiping and meddling in everyone’s business.

“What do you mean?” Su Rui stood up and greeted Sister Zhao. Earlier, Su Yuqin had scolded her for being unlucky, yet now Huang Bei was saying the opposite.

Huang Bei, full of excitement, pulled her to the desk and whispered, “Guo Qingwang was arrested! Just as the wedding fireworks were going off, the police showed up and handcuffed him in front of everyone.”

Su Rui was shocked. “Why?” She turned to Sister Zhao, who smiled and nodded.

Su Rui immediately understood—Sister Zhao must have reported his crimes, and the authorities had acted swiftly. What a perfect coincidence!

Huang Bei, thrilled, described the dramatic arrest scene in detail. She also mentioned that Guo Jiarong’s new wife’s family was in trouble too—her uncle had been caught for embezzlement and corruption. He had been under investigation for a while, just like Guo Qingwang. Both were parasites feeding off the collective.

Su Rui asked, “What about Guo Jiarong?”

Huang Bei sneered. “What else? If he was involved, he would’ve been arrested too. Looks like his father kept the embezzlement a secret from him. He was completely in the dark. But you really are lucky—just imagine if you had ended up with him—”

Su Rui’s voice turned cold. “Stop mentioning me in the same breath as him. I have nothing to do with Guo Jiarong. As an official, you should be more composed and professional instead of constantly dragging my name into gossip.”

Huang Bei was momentarily stunned, then let out an awkward laugh. “I was just joking. Don’t take it to heart. I think highly of you and was just happy for you. No other reason.”

Su Rui said, “There’s no best option.”

Sister Zhao, sitting across from her, said, “I have some good news.”

Su Rui liked talking to Sister Zhao and didn’t like Huang Bei. She stood up and walked to Sister Zhao and asked, “What’s the good news?”

Huang Bei wanted to jump in, but after thinking it over, she swallowed her words. She already knew what the news was, but seeing that Su Rui wasn’t interested in gossiping with her, she stood up and said she had something to do before leaving.

Su Rui watched her leave and then whispered to Sister Zhao, “How can someone so gossipy be a cadre?”

Sister Zhao sighed helplessly. “She has a middle school education and was chosen as an exemplary educated youth who decided to settle in the countryside. The organization directly assigned her this job to encourage other educated youths to stay.”

When Huang Bei first arrived two years ago, she practically made the village entrance her headquarters, gossiping all day with the elderly women, spreading all sorts of rumors.

After being repeatedly warned by Sister Zhao, who feared she would go around publicizing work-related matters and damaging the reputation of grassroots officials, she was eventually assigned to work on spiritual civilization propaganda—writing big-character posters and reading broadcasts. She was kept away from household visits to prevent her from leaking people’s private affairs.

Su Rui made up her mind to keep her distance from her in the future. Otherwise, whatever she said to her today would be spread everywhere tomorrow.

The incident with the Guo family alone would be enough to keep Huang Bei gossiping for days.

Sister Zhao motioned for Su Rui to sit down and handed her a document with a bright smile.

Seeing the official red header on the document, Su Rui tensed up. She carefully read through it, then looked up in surprise. “They’re restructuring Xiaoba Village’s grassroots organization? So from now on, Xiaoba Village, Qingnan Village, and Yi Wang Village will no longer be managed together by the brigade headquarters?”

Sister Zhao nodded. “From now on, Xiaoba Village will have its own village committee, led by someone from our village, who will report directly to the township instead of being managed by officials from other villages.”

This news delighted Su Rui. When the three villages had merged, favoritism had been inevitable. Who wouldn’t prioritize their own village?

Guo Qingwang was always saying, ‘If you don’t look out for yourself, heaven and earth will destroy you.’ Well, now he could no longer boss Xiaoba Village around.

“What about the village secretary position?” Su Rui grinned at Sister Zhao. “Secretary Zhao?”

Sister Zhao nodded. “The township chief appointed me, but it still needs to go through a thirty-day public notice period. She said she has been observing my work over the years and sees that I don’t let personal emotions interfere with my duties.”

Su Rui was truly happy for Sister Zhao. Back when the three villages merged, if Qingnan Village hadn’t had more people and dominated the votes, the village head might have been Sister Zhao instead of Guo Qingwang.

Compared to the mess with the Guo family, Su Rui much preferred hearing good news like this.

On her way home from the office, she heard a lot of gossip—all about Guo Qingwang.

It was proof that bad news travels fast. In no time at all, the entire village knew about it, and everyone talked as if they had seen it happen with their own eyes.

The restructuring of the village committee was a big deal, but Su Rui didn’t say anything about it.

When she got home, she saw a pile of gifts in the courtyard, and her eyelids twitched.

Then, she heard an excited, foolish voice calling out in the courtyard, and her heart sank. Was she about to be forced into a confrontation?

The first thing that popped into her mind was not anyone else but the phone number Fang Chiye had given her.

“Su Rui! Su Rui!” The fool saw Su Rui return, ran to the gate, and jumped up and down, shouting, “Come back! Come back!”

Only an idiot would go back.