Education 

“Cousin, if you’re going to blame someone, blame me. I’m the one who forced her!” Liang Song stepped forward, held Yan Hongyue in his arms, and looked at her with unwavering resolve. 

Lin Miaoyin’s lips twitched. She hadn’t even started her performance yet. 

She glared at him and said, “You’re quite courageous. Do you know that your actions could land you in prison for ten years or more? This is a serious offense!” 

Yan Hongyue lifted her head from Liang Song’s chest, looking panicked. Tears welled up in her eyes as she stared at Lin Miaoyin, shaking her head. “Cousin, cousin, it wasn’t him forcing me. It was my choice.” 

Liang Song lowered his head and gently wiped away her tears with one hand while tightening his grip with the other. “Yue’er, I will marry you. Believe me.” 

Lin Miaoyin: “…” 

Was she in the middle of a Qiong Yao drama? She felt like the villain in a melodramatic show, the one everyone hated and spat on for causing trouble. 

She pulled Meng Yuanzheng, signaling him to join in. 

The man who received the signal strode forward and asked in a deep voice, “A man must take responsibility for his actions. Do you dare?” 

Liang Song straightened his back proudly. “Why wouldn’t I dare? I’m going to go home and ask my mother to arrange the marriage!” 

“Does your family approve of you marrying someone from the countryside?” Meng Yuanzheng asked calmly. 

Judging from Liang Song’s clothes, it seemed his family ate commercial grain. It was unclear how he knew Yan Hongyue. 

“I… I’ll decide on my marriage myself. I’ll marry whoever I want. If they disagree, I’ll…” 

“Run away together?” Lin Miaoyin interrupted sarcastically. 

“Yes!” Liang Song nodded. 

“Bah!” Lin Miaoyin said disdainfully. “Run away? To where? To the mountains to live like a wild person? Have you asked my sister if she’s willing to follow you—someone who can barely feed himself? Can you even get a marriage certificate? And nowadays, where can you go without a recommendation letter? You think you can even leave the county? You’re so naive.” 

She couldn’t stop herself from speaking; she had no choice but to play the role of the villain. 

If she allowed Yan Hongyue to become pregnant before marriage or rushed into a marriage with Liang Song, her family might also be affected. 

Liang Song, who had been scolded, felt his face turn red and couldn’t speak. 

Lin Miaoyin rolled her eyes at him and said, “How could you come up with such an idea? Even if my sister is stupid enough to go with you, I, as her elder sister, would not agree.” 

Yan Hongyue fell limp in Liang Song’s embrace. After hearing Lin Miaoyin’s words, she felt her heart sink. It turned out that their love was so hard to pursue. 

“Cousin, when you got married to your husband, didn’t your aunt and uncle also oppose it? But in the end, you still got together,” Yan Hongyue bit her lip and said. 

Hearing this, Lin Miaoyin sighed deeply. “Because I threatened them by jumping into a well. Do you dare do that?” 

Yan Hongyue’s face turned pale. Her parents knew that she was afraid of death and dared not jump. Her father would be so angry that he would beat her. 

“And I regret it now. My parents loved me so much, and I ended up hurting them. Can you bear to do the same to your parents?” 

She shook her head. 

“Besides, after marrying him, I had to rely on my family for support, with nothing to enjoy from the marriage. I’ve regretted getting married for a long time.” 

Meng Yuanzheng, who had been silently listening, moved slightly. His gaze was deep. 

“But I think he treats you very well,” Yan Hongyue said in a low voice. 

“This only happened in the last few days. You know what he was like before. Who knows if he’ll change again?” 

Remembering that Meng Yuanzheng had just attended a self-criticism meeting in the morning for having improper relationships, Yan Hongyue did not dare to respond. 

“You’re too young. Why are you acting so impulsively?” Lin Miaoyin pointed at Liang Song, who still had his arms around Yan Hongyue’s waist. “What if you end up pregnant? How will your parents face that?” 

Yan Hongyue hurriedly said, “This is only our second time.” 

“Second time, and it’s not enough?” Lin Miaoyin glared. “How many times do you want to go through this? Why not just date properly and get married when the time is right? This is all because you ran into me. If you had met someone like my brother, he would have already beaten your little lover so badly he wouldn’t be able to crawl out of the gutter.” 

After these words, both Liang Song and Yan Hongyue were deeply ashamed, realizing how serious and wrong their impulsive actions had been. 

“Besides, if his family knew about this, would they accept you? Would they treat you well? He hasn’t even married you yet and has already gone out into the fields with you. Once you’re married, can you guarantee he won’t fool around with other women?” 

Yan Hongyue was instantly frightened when she heard this and looked up at Liang Song. 

Liang Song became worried and said quickly, “I promise that I will only love Hongyue in this life!” 

“What can you use to guarantee that? Can you convince your parents?” 

Liang Song said, “I work at the machinery factory in the county. I earn a few dozen yuan a month. I can support Hongyue. Once we marry, we’ll move out, and I can apply for a staff dormitory.” 

He finally calmed down and knew how to express his advantages. He believed that he could give Hongyue a good life. 

Lin Miaoyin looked up at Meng Yuanzheng, who nodded slightly to indicate that it was okay. 

She smiled and said, “I’m not the kind of person to break up a couple, but I don’t want to watch you make mistakes that will lead to serious consequences. As long as he treats you well and marries you openly, I’ll be relieved.” 

In the original novel, Yan Hongyue’s pregnancy was revealed in November. At that time, she was about four months pregnant, and her growing belly became noticeable and could no longer be hidden. 

It’s June now, so she likely wasn’t pregnant yet. 

“Thank you, cousin,” Yan Hongyue said, her eyes slightly reddened. 

“You can’t do this again before marriage, understand?” Lin Miaoyin said. “There’s no birth control now, and you never know when you might get pregnant.” 

“I understand,” Yan Hongyue nodded. 

“What about you?” Lin Miaoyin glanced at Liang Song, who nodded quickly. “I understand, don’t worry! I will apply for a dormitory as soon as possible, and when it is assigned, I will come to propose.” 

“Good,” Lin Miaoyin responded, satisfied. “It’s getting dark. Hongyue, come back with us.” 

“Hongyue, I will come to see you when I have time. You must take good care of yourself.” 

The young couple said their goodbyes reluctantly. 

Lin Miaoyin and Meng Yuanzheng, who were standing on the side, both looked gloomy and felt like their teeth were about to fall out. 

“I won’t change,” the man next to her suddenly said. 

“What?” She didn’t react immediately, but after a moment, she remembered that she had just said she wasn’t sure if he would change back. 

“Think about it yourself,” Meng Yuanzheng said coldly. 

“Hmph, I’ve thought about it. If you change back, I’ll divorce you, just like in ancient times when men divorced women,” she muttered softly. 

A smile flashed in Meng Yuanzheng’s eyes, but he said nothing. 

It was almost dark when the three of them returned to Houtouwan Brigade. After sending Yan Hongyue home, the two of them also hurried home. 

They unpacked their things and put them in the cabinet. Meng Yuanzheng went to boil water to take a bath, while Lin Miaoyin took the remaining money and stuffed it back into the bamboo tube. 

What should she cook tonight? 

Since it was a rare rest day, she decided to make steamed pork with rice flour. 

Author’s note: 

Lin Miaoyin: If you change back, I’ll divorce you! 

Meng Yuanzheng: 😭 Please don’t divorce me. I’ll fetch your foot water and warm your feet. 

Lin Miaoyin: Hmm, good. What else? 

Meng Yuanzheng: I’ll have children with you. 😶 

The above is the author’s self-indulgent imagination. Please forget about it as soon as you’ve read it! 

Thanks for the support. I will keep working hard! 🫶