Chapter 12

Hearing Jiang Manzhu's words, the others laughed heartily. "It seems our educated youth Jiang has changed quite a bit since getting married."

"Doesn't seem like she's been working in the fields though. Changed in what way?"

"You can't say that. At least she didn't leave the Li family and go back to the educated youth point. Doesn't that deserve some praise? Really!"

Jiang Manzhu awkwardly smiled at their gossip. No matter how socially confident she was, in situations like this, the only way to handle it was to change the subject.

The educated youths who overheard the older women praising Jiang Manzhu felt a bit disdainful. Really? Her?

Didn't people in the village see what Jiang Manzhu was like before? Back then, she used her pretty face to charm the young men into doing her work, and which mother wasn't furious about that?

Some of them chased their sons with bamboo sticks, beating them, and hurriedly got matchmakers to find wives for them!

That city girl Jiang Manzhu was nothing more than a vixen!

It hasn't even been that long, and the memory of it is still fresh in everyone's minds. Of course, they couldn't openly mock her when others were complimenting her, as it would label them as jealous.

They had to pretend they didn't hear and just accept that Jiang Manzhu, seemingly resigned to her fate, had decided to stay in the Li family and on this patch of yellow earth. Sigh…

As for why she was still buying books? Did the Li family plan to support her in school? Ridiculous.

After Li's eldest and second sons passed away, even the third son, who was in high school, had to drop out. How could they afford to support her, an outsider?

Still, some people were envious. Despite how pitiful Jiang Manzhu's situation seemed, the fact that she didn't have to work in the fields was enough to make other girls jealous.

The only ones with this kind of privilege were the village captain's daughters, and other people's envy was futile.

As they chatted, the tractor's 'putt-putt-putt' noise signaled that it had reached the village entrance. One by one, they got off. As Jiang Manzhu prepared to have Xiao Bei carry the books home, a female educated youth stopped her.

"Jiang Educated Youth, you left a wooden box at the educated youth point. Do you want to take it?"

Jiang Manzhu was surprised. She still had a wooden box? The original owner didn't take it? Had she forgotten about it or abandoned it?

"Okay," Jiang Manzhu nodded, then turned to Li Linxi and Xiao Bei. "Xiao Bei, go home with your third brother first. I'll be back soon…"

"Wait, is the box big?" Jiang Manzhu worried. If it was too large, she wouldn't be able to carry it by herself. Should she ask for help?

"It's not big; you should be able to carry it," the female educated youth assured her.

"Alright, thanks." Jiang Manzhu flashed a friendly smile, thinking to herself, Let's just put the past behind us.

She followed them toward the educated youth point, chatting along the way.

"I wasn't very sensible when I first came here, acting without much consideration. I apologize."

Jiang Manzhu's beautiful face showed an apologetic smile. Although she had planned to keep a polite distance from the other educated youths, maintaining only a surface-level cordiality, here she was making amends.

"Oh, it's nothing. We didn't take it to heart. After all, Jiang Educated Youth, you came to an unfamiliar place alone at such a young age. It's normal to be a bit pampered," said Yuan Fengxin, who offered her some gentle reassurance.

The other male educated youths, who didn't have as many conflicts with Jiang Manzhu, had already forgotten most of the past events. After all, none of them were personally harmed by her actions.

"That's right, Jiang Educated Youth. You don't need to dwell on it," said one of the men, who found it hard to hold a grudge against a beautiful woman smiling sweetly at him. Those with a more traditional mindset thought it was unmanly to quarrel with a woman.

Seeing her pleasant and friendly demeanor, they didn't mind offering to help. "Are you heading back to get your stuff? Need a hand?"

Jiang Manzhu, after all, was the most attractive of all the female educated youths. She received packages every month from town, suggesting her family had decent conditions. Unfortunately, she couldn't endure the hardships of fieldwork and had hastily married a farmer from the village.

But who could have predicted that the farmer would have such bad luck, leaving Jiang Manzhu as a young, beautiful widow shortly after marriage?

"No, thank you," Jiang Manzhu responded with a polite but distant smile, her gaze shifting to the female educated youth. "Chen Educated Youth…"

She now had a family, younger brothers-in-law to look after… Wait, how do I even describe my current status? But either way, keeping her distance from these men was the best course of action.

Jiang Manzhu believed not every female educated youth was into scheming. Here she was, chatting amicably, and some of them were still treating her courteously.

Soon, they arrived at the educated youth point. Chen Educated Youth went inside to get the box. It was a simple wooden box, but a slip of paper with her name was stuck to it.

Did the original owner have this box? Or did she just forget about it?

As she started to leave the educated youth point and head back toward the Li family, she noticed someone already waiting for her on the road. "Jiang Manzhu, are you purposely avoiding me?"

Yuan Fengxin wasn't stupid. He simply had desires that forced him to suppress his true feelings.

Looking at the still-beautiful and delicate Jiang Manzhu, and recalling the many sleepless nights he had spent, he thought, Why does she get to live so well?

His eyes darkened, no longer carrying the gentle warmth they once held.

Jiang Manzhu clicked her tongue. Damn it, why is Yuan Fengxin here? Oh right, he was with us earlier too, wasn't he?

"Yuan Educated Youth, is there something you need?" Jiang Manzhu kept her tone polite but distant. To Yuan Fengxin, this felt like disgust and rejection.

"Manzhu, have you fallen out of love with me?" Yuan Fengxin took a step closer, cornering her. "If it weren't for me putting your things in this box and asking Chen Educated Youth to call you over, you wouldn't have come, would you?"

Huh??

Jiang Manzhu was confused by his words. It took her a moment to process what he was saying. So, the things in this box really do belong to the original owner.

However, the items in the original owner's wooden chest were gifts she had given to Yuan Fengxin, who had now manipulated the situation to make it seem like they were her leftover belongings.

"I never expected you to be so scheming, pulling off something like this?" Jiang Manzhu had assumed that people from this era were simple and honest.

It turned out that when a scumbag wanted to cheat money, their methods were endless.

"Tell me, what do you want?" Jiang Manzhu asked coldly. Yuan Fengxin's constant pestering was becoming increasingly annoying.

After all, she was the good daughter-in-law of the Li family, the great sister-in-law of the male lead. She couldn't afford to be dragged down by Yuan Fengxin.

"Manzhu, do you have to speak to me like this? We used to…" Yuan Fengxin tried to stir up old feelings, hoping to remind her of their once pleasant memories. Last time was just an accident.

"Please, don't say things like that. I'm a married woman now. Even though Lin Dong is no longer here, I'm part of the Li family now. If I die, I'll be their ghost," Jiang Manzhu firmly declared her position. No matter who it was, no one could take her away from the Li family.

She quickly interrupted Yuan Fengxin. Enough was enough—she didn't want to hear his fake affections anymore.

She was done with it.

Yuan Fengxin's face twisted in grief when he heard this. "What are you talking about? Do you… do you like that third son of the Li family?" He couldn't believe it. Lin Dong, the rough farmer, a man who only knew how to move heavy things, how could Jiang Manzhu like him?

Hadn't she told him before that she was only interested in the Li family's assets? How could she suddenly change her mind?

Reflecting back, it seemed like Jiang Manzhu's change of heart started after the Li family's third son returned. That morning, the man had even whipped him with a bamboo stick.

"What's so good about him? He's destined to spend his life tilling the soil here in the countryside. Are you planning to stay on this land, working day and night? Are you out of your mind?" Yuan Fengxin couldn't understand and was furious. He thought she had lost her senses. That pretty boy wasn't even that pale anymore—he'd tanned from working in the fields!

Could he really be better than someone who had shared the hardships of life as an educated youth with her?

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Jiang Manzhu frowned, her eyes filled with disgust. "How can your thoughts be so vile?"

"Really? You don't fancy the third son of the Li family?" Although Yuan Fengxin still suspected she was lying, he decided to hold back his accusation. "I knew it. Manzhu, don't you want to return to the city?"

Jiang Manzhu resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Yuan Fengxin, we both know what you're after. There's no need to keep up the act."

Jiang Manzhu didn't want to waste any more words on Yuan Fengxin—it was too boring. She knew exactly what he wanted, and there was no point in his fake kindness.

Yuan Fengxin's heart skipped a beat. She knows? Knows what? Could she have found out? Impossible…

"Manzhu, what are you talking about? I don't have any ulterior motives. I'm just worried you might be getting bullied in the Li family," Yuan Fengxin's face was filled with sincerity, playing the part of the misunderstood gentleman who didn't care how she viewed him.

Jiang Manzhu looked at him for a moment before taking a step back. This wasn't the best place to run.

This was bad—she had forgotten that Yuan Fengxin wasn't exactly a gentleman. He was the type to hit women!

"Oh, by the way, I should mention: yes, I did go to collect the Li family's compensation money. But I handed it over to Lin Xi that same day. So, no matter how much you try with me, it's useless."

Jiang Manzhu smiled faintly, her words laced with a bit of sarcasm. The first half of her statement made Yuan Fengxin's eyes light up, but the second half sent a chill down his spine.

"What? What did you say?" Yuan Fengxin's eyes widened in disbelief, his voice rising in shock. His expression turned ferocious, like he wanted to devour her alive, staring at her as if she were his mortal enemy.

"So, there's no need to bother me anymore. I'm worthless to you now. Goodbye." Jiang Manzhu turned and walked away, unwilling to waste any more of her time on someone irrelevant.

She had a much broader world (of books) to conquer. As long as nothing involved her, she didn't care what Yuan Fengxin did in the future!

As she turned, she noticed Li Linxi standing not far behind her. At the first sight of him, she was momentarily stunned. "Lin Xi, when did you get here?"

Did he hear everything she said? If this were ancient times, her loyalty to the Li family would have earned her a monument of chastity!

Her eyes sparkled as she gazed at Li Linxi. Now that their misunderstanding had been resolved, wasn't it time for him to start respecting her as his sister-in-law?

"Let's go," Li Linxi said coldly, glancing at her shining eyes and the smile on her beautiful face. He seemed indifferent to her question and had no intention of answering it.

"Alright." Compared to staying here, she much preferred leaving with Li Linxi. Actually, she had planned to leave anyway.

Watching the two of them walk away, Yuan Fengxin was filled with hatred. Wretched woman! Fickle! Flirting with one person after another!

And now, his gaze turned even more spiteful toward Li Linxi. That country bumpkin! How was he worthy of her?

If only he had gotten his hands on that money, he could have gone back to the city! Damn it!!

These two despicable people—he would make sure they suffered for this!