Chapter 20

Upon hearing her name suddenly brought up, Song Chunzhi, who had been quietly eating, lifted her head in confusion. She glanced at the agitated Song Chunhua and sneered inwardly. She decided she would properly teach Song Chunhua a lesson later. Not only was she stirring up trouble, she even dared to spread such rumors about her.

“Good, you damn girl! I thought you were decent, but turns out you’ve got no shame. You might not care about your reputation, but I do!”

Song Xingguo shot up from his stool and charged toward Song Chunzhi, swearing as he raised his hand to slap her. If this money-losing girl started messing around, who would ever want her? How could she ever fetch a good bride price then? He wouldn’t tolerate such a thing.

Seeing that Song Xingguo was furious, Song Jiawang quickly darted to the side. His chubby face was full of glee. Serves you right, Song Chunzhi! You hit me yesterday. Let’s see how Dad teaches you a lesson now.

Song Chunzhi picked up the stool beside her and blocked Song Xingguo’s incoming hand. Her face turned cold, her eyes locked onto his. She said calmly, “If you dare hit me today, I’ll report you to the brigade. Grandpa Qingde is definitely on my side now. After all, I’m the brigade’s favorite these days.”

Song Chunhua, who had been gloating, was now staring in disbelief. Chunzhi actually dared to talk back to dad?

Her heart raced with excitement. She’s definitely going to suffer now. Didn’t she know that no one in this household could ever said “no” to him?

“You damn girl, you…”

Song Xingguo’s anger flared when he saw Song Chunzhi block him with a stool, but her words hit him like a bucket of cold water. He cooled off instantly. After clenching his fists, he finally lowered his hand. He didn’t want to be lectured again. Instead, he glared at her and cursed,

“You’re not even ashamed? What a disgrace…”

“Shame? I didn’t do anything, so I’ve got nothing to be ashamed of,” Song Chunzhi replied with a cold laugh.

She then turned her sharp gaze toward the dumbfounded Song Chunhua. Taking a step forward, she grabbed a handful of Chunhua’s hair and growled, “Song Chunhua, was it fun making up rumors about your own sister?”

“Which of your eyes saw me flirting with a man in the village? If you can’t explain yourself today, I’ll drag you to the brigade square so everyone knows that not only are you lazy, but you’re also a filthy liar. That way, the other village girls will know to steer clear of you before you start spreading stories about them too.”

Song Xingguo remained silent as he watched Song Chunzhi interrogate Song Chunhua. Song Jiawang clutched his face in shock; his eldest sister actually hit their second sister. She’s so fierce!

Thank goodness he hadn’t tattled on her. Otherwise, he’d be the one getting hit right now.

“Ow, ow, ow!”

Song Chunhua cried out in pain as her hair was yanked hard. She scrambled to grab at Song Chunzhi’s hand, only to be kicked in the leg and sent stumbling to the floor. Wincing in pain, she finally explained in a panic,

“It wasn’t me! It was Xiaoya who told me. She said she saw you yesterday afternoon going into a secluded alley with a man…”

Now it all made sense to Song Chunzhi. She let go of Chunhua’s hair and returned to her seat. Seeing Song Xingguo looking at her questioningly, she said with a cold expression, “That was the educated youth who fainted in the field. He asked me for directions. I happened to be heading to get my arm checked, so I led him to Uncle Ye’s place.”

Song Xingguo thought it over and recalled there was indeed a narrow alley beside Dr. Ye’s house. Furious, he lifted his foot and kicked Chunhua hard. His face twisted with rage as he shouted,

“You disgraceful brat! Try lying again and I’ll beat you to death.”

“But it was Xiaoya who said it, not me…”

Song Chunhua sat on the floor, clutching the spot where she had been kicked. Her eyes filled with tears as she protested weakly.

“Xiaoya didn’t say I was flirting. That part was all you.”

Song Chunzhi rolled her eyes and snorted coldly while continuing to eat. “Your heart is filthy, so you think everyone else is too. You’re as dumb as a pig, yet never know your place. Next time you try to stir things up, at least use your brain.”

Later that afternoon, Song Xingguo, now rested, and a very unwilling Song Chunhua left the house to return to work. Seeing that the house was empty, Song Chunzhi headed straight to the west room. The moment she opened the door, a foul stench hit her, and she immediately covered her nose.

She scanned the messy room and scoffed inwardly. Of course this was Song Jiawang’s room. He’s clearly Song Xingguo’s precious little treasure.

Despite the mess, the room was well-furnished, even with some newly made items.

“What are you doing?”

Song Jiawang turned around and saw Song Chunzhi standing in the doorway. Fear appeared on his chubby face. At home, the person he feared most now was his eldest sister. His beady little eyes were full of panic as he quickly assured her, “I won’t tell anyone you weren’t home this morning. Please don’t hit me.”

“Come out. I’m not going to hit you.”

Song Chunzhi cast a disgusted glance inside, then turned and left the room with her nose still covered. Another minute in there and I’ll vomit.

Zhao Wanmiao hadn’t been gone long, and the boy had already turned the room into a pigsty. Did he actually poop in there?

“B-big sister…”

Jiawang hesitated, then hurried after her. Seeing her take deep breaths in the courtyard, his beady eyes were full of confusion. He called out cautiously, “Big sister…”

After taking a few deep breaths to suppress the nausea in her throat, Song Chunzhi looked at him and immediately stepped back a couple of paces. With a cold face, she asked, “What on earth were you doing in there? It stinks like crazy!”

“N-nothing…”

Song Jiawang’s round face looked guilty as he lowered his head and mumbled. He had had a nightmare the night before and was too scared to go outside to use the bathroom, so he relieved himself inside the house. He had forgotten to clean it up in the morning, and now that Song Chunzhi was questioning him, he felt completely uncomfortable.

Song Chunzhi could immediately tell that Song Jiawang wasn’t telling the truth. He had definitely done it in the house. This wasn’t the first time he had done something like this. She looked at him with unconcealed disgust, her brows furrowed as she instructed him, “You’ll take water to the fields for Dad in the mid-morning and mid-afternoon. This is your job now. Don’t forget.”

“Dad said you should do it.”

As soon as Song Jiawang heard this, he naturally protested. He looked up at Song Chunzhi and said, “Dad won’t let me go deliver water to the fields. You might as well give up.” He knew full well that Song Xingguo treated him like a precious treasure and figured he could use that to push Song Chunzhi into doing the job instead.

“You want a beating for not going?”

Seeing that Song Jiawang was unwilling, Song Chunzhi clenched her right fist and waved it threateningly in front of him. Her face was cold as she stared him down and said in a low voice, “If you say you care about Dad and offer to take him water, he’ll be so happy he might even buy you an ice pop.”

At the mention of an ice pop, Song Jiawang licked his lips, his beady eyes full of desire. Then he glanced nervously at Song Chunzhi’s fist. It might be hot out, but a beating was worse than the heat. Between getting hit and having a treat, the choice was obvious. He quickly nodded in agreement, afraid that if he waited another second, her fist would land on him.

Though he was already fourteen, Song Chunzhi was still taller than him. Even though she was thinner, her strength was like that of a bull. He had no intention of getting beat up again.

After offloading the chore of delivering water, Song Chunzhi felt a lot more relaxed. She returned to her room and took a nap. When she saw that the sun outside was no longer as harsh, she got up, washed her face, and headed for the mountains with a bamboo basket on her back. Fewer people ventured deep into the mountains, but there were plenty of valuable things there. Since she had the ability, why not explore more?

Gu Huaishan looked at Song Chunzhi, who had draped a towel over her head. His expression was hard to describe. If she weren’t still wearing the same clothes from the morning, he might not have recognized her. After confirming it was her, he called out, “Song Chunzhi…”

Carrying her bamboo basket, Song Chunzhi heard the sound of a bicycle behind her and quickly moved aside. She hadn’t expected the bicycle to stop right next to her, nor did she expect a familiar voice to greet her with a smile.

“Commander Gu, heading out again? You sure are busy.”

“I’m not heading out. Actually, I’m here to find you.”

Gu Huaishan naturally heard the teasing in her tone. It seemed she had already forgiven him. His handsome face grew gentler as he remembered the reason he came. His cold eyes softened as he looked calmly at her and said, “I’m here to find you.”

“Me?” Song Chunzhi’s lovely face showed confusion as she stared at his cool, handsome face. Could it be because she had ridden on his military vehicle earlier, and now he wanted to charge her for it?

“The situation is urgent. Get on.”

Gu Huaishan gestured for her to sit on the back of the bicycle so he could take her back to the base. It would be faster this way. After all, things at the base couldn’t wait.

“Commander Gu, it’s not appropriate for me to ride your bicycle.” Song Chunzhi quickly waved her hands in refusal. Even though they were a bit away from the village, she didn’t want to start any gossip. People had already talked when she had just led the way yesterday. What would they say now?

Seeing Gu Huaishan’s usually cold face show urgency, she couldn’t help but ask, “What’s going on? Can’t you just tell me directly?”

Gu Huaishan saw that not only was she refusing to get on, but she had even backed a few steps away. He felt a headache coming on. After a moment’s thought, he said, “Yu Ming, the one you saved in the mountains… he wants to see you now.”

“Why does he want to see me?”

Song Chunzhi muttered in her heart. Did he want to thank her in person? She was just about to decline when Gu Huaishan added that Yu Ming’s condition was serious. That confused her even more. If he was sick, shouldn’t they call a doctor? What could she do?

“You’ll know when you get there.”

Gu Huaishan could see her hesitation, but this matter involved her and she had to be present. His tone turned firm, his cold eyes fixed on her.

Seeing the increasingly serious expression on Gu Huaishan’s face, Song Chunzhi figured it wouldn’t hurt to check on the man she had saved. She agreed to go but insisted on walking there herself while Gu Huaishan went on ahead.

Feeling helpless, Gu Huaishan even offered to let her ride the bicycle while he walked. But when she said she didn’t know how to ride, he had no choice but to pedal off alone. This girl was really stubborn. What was so bad about riding with him? After all, he had carried her down the mountain once.

When Song Chunzhi arrived at the entrance to the base, she left her bamboo basket with Xiao Tian and followed Gu Huaishan inside. Her heart grew more curious; what was so urgent that she had to come in person?

“Hold him down… hold him down, I need to give him the shot…”

Gu Huaishan led the puzzled Song Chunzhi into a courtyard. As they reached one of the rooms, they heard a flurry of panicked voices from inside. His cold eyes flickered. He pointed to the room and said flatly, “Yu Ming is in there.”

“Commander Gu, what happened to Yu Ming?”

Hearing the shouts from inside the room, Song Chunzhi guessed something had gone wrong with Yu Ming and quickly turned her head to ask.

“Comrade Song is here.”

Just then, the door opened and Commander Zhang appeared in the doorway. After glancing at Gu Huaishan and Song Chunzhi, he nodded and said, “Come in.”