Chapter 5: The Drama of Love and Hate

"Thank you, Uncle." Since Captain Qian was willing to establish a closer relationship, Wen Xi naturally had no reason to refuse. After all, she was on his turf and had to follow his lead; building a good rapport would also be beneficial to her.

After settling things with Captain Qian, Wen Xi returned to the side of Shen Jiaojiao and Jiang Yue and whispered, "Jiaojiao, Xiaoyue, I just spoke with Captain Qian. The three of us will stay in an empty house in the village instead of crowding in with others. If there are too many people, it's easy to have conflicts, and if things go missing, we won't even know who took them."

Most importantly, in her past life, Jiang Yue had been framed by someone living in the same room; otherwise, how could that hooligan have succeeded?

Jiang Yue looked a bit troubled. "Xiaoxi, my family only gave me thirty yuan to sign up for the rural placement, along with some old belongings. If I live with you all, you'll end up at a disadvantage."

Wen Xi patted her shoulder and said with a smile, "Those with money can contribute money, and those with strength can contribute labor. Since you have little money, Jiaojiao and I will pay a bit more, and you can do more of the work. How about it?"

Shen Jiaojiao had signed up secretly and had a hundred yuan in resettlement funds that she hadn't handed over to her grandmother.

Wen Xi had also brought all the pocket money, red envelope money, and the money her second brother had secretly tucked away for her over the years to the countryside; she also had quite a bit of money.

Therefore, it was fine if Jiang Yue had no money, as long as she did more work. If she neither paid money nor contributed labor, that would be truly taking advantage of them!

Jiang Yue looked at Shen Jiaojiao. "Is that okay?"

Shen Jiaojiao nodded readily. "Of course it's okay. The three of us are practically fellow villagers, so we naturally have to unite so that we won't be bullied."

After waiting for about twenty minutes, Song Lan returned with the luggage. Captain Qian said, "The three female educated youths will ride in the ox cart, and the male comrade will walk."

Once Wen Xi, Shen Jiaojiao, and Jiang Yue were seated in the ox cart, Captain Qian drove the cart forward.

Jin Changfeng was tall with long legs and walked steadily in front of Wen Xi. Whenever Wen Xi looked up, she could see his profile. This man's facial features were truly superior—his face was chiseled, his nose was high and straight, and there wasn't a single ounce of excess fat. He was quite pleasing to the eye, though he kept a cold expression on his face as if everyone owed him money.

It wasn't that Wen Xi wanted to stare at him, but rather that he was right in front of her; she could see him whenever she looked up.

The Fengshou Brigade was not particularly far from the commune. It took about an hour and a half on foot, but if they had a bicycle, they could arrive in thirty to forty minutes.

However, a bicycle was a major luxury in this era. As educated youths who had left their homes and were without support, it was best not to buy such a luxury item, otherwise, they might be schemed against until not even their bones were left.

In her past life, Shen Jiaojiao and Jiang Yue had been schemed against until not even their bones were left. Although Wen Xi had returned to the city, she had been tricked back by her eldest sister and brother-in-law. After enduring more than ten years of miserable days, she had finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel, only for them to refuse to give her a chance to live.

Wen Xi had walked the road from the town to the Fengshou Brigade many times in her past life; she could walk it back with her eyes closed. She knew exactly what lay along the way.

Although this place couldn't compare to the vastness and rich resources of the Northeast—it wasn't to the exaggerated extent of hitting a roe deer with a stick or scooping fish and pheasants straight into a cooking pot—scooping fish was certainly doable here. Wherever there was water, there were fish. There weren't many other things, but there were plenty of wild fish, guaranteed to be enough.

In her past life, she had already learned many ways to cook fish. Now that she saw them, she wouldn't have to watch them pass by helplessly like before. In her past life, due to the lack of oil and salt, no one would catch the fish that darted past her feet while she was transplanting rice.

In her past life, the letters Wen Xi wrote to her second brother and parents had all vanished into the sea without a single reply. Thinking about it now, they must have been intercepted by her eldest sister. In this life, she would be smarter and would never let her sister intercept them again. Furthermore, she would expose her sister's actions so that everyone would know what kind of sister she truly was.

Moreover, in two years, her eldest sister would surely write letters to trick her into returning and then sell her to an old man. This time, she would definitely not let her sister's scheme succeed.

If her brother-in-law wanted a promotion and a raise, he could just give away his own wife.

Jin Changfeng glanced at Wen Xi from time to time. He saw her looking into the distance, her face shifting through various expressions, wondering if she was thinking about something.

Bouncing along in the ox cart, Wen Xi soon became drowsy. Just as she was about to fall asleep, a sweet yet unfamiliar voice suddenly rang out, "Brother Changfeng, is it really you? I've finally seen you! I missed you so much!"

Wen Xi opened her eyes and looked over in confusion. She saw a girl with two braided pigtails and very simple clothing standing in front of Jin Changfeng, looking at him with a bashful expression.

A glint of gossip flashed in Wen Xi's eyes. They had just arrived in the countryside and hadn't even reached the production team yet, and she was already getting a taste of love and hate drama?

Fearing that Wen Xi might misunderstand, Jin Changfeng quickly glanced toward her, then took two steps back. "Mo Qiaolin, I am not your brother. Please address me as Comrade Jin from now on."

"Brother Changfeng, we grew up together; we could even be considered childhood sweethearts. I've been to your house many times. We are so familiar with each other, so what's wrong with me calling you Brother Changfeng? You never said anything about it before, why are you suddenly being so particular about it now?" As Mo Qiaolin spoke, she also looked toward the ox cart.

She saw three girls sitting on the cart who were much prettier than her, along with a cart full of luggage. Especially Wen Xi, who had red lips, white teeth, and eyes as beautiful as a painting, looking even more stunning than a person in a portrait.

A sudden sense of crisis surged in Mo Qiaolin's heart. Could these girls be the reason why Jin Changfeng was suddenly trying to keep his distance from her?

"Comrade Mo, please do not distort the facts or reverse right and wrong. Otherwise, do not blame me for handling this matter according to the rules and regulations." They were from the same village, and Mo Qiaolin was a close friend of his sister, so Jin Changfeng didn't want to be so heartless. But if this affected his image in his wife's eyes and ruined his good marriage prospects, then he wouldn't be polite.

Seeing Jin Changfeng's face turn cold, the smile on Mo Qiaolin's face froze awkwardly. She didn't dare to be playful with him anymore. She truly hadn't expected that Jin Changfeng could be so heartless toward her.

It must be because of some little slut on the ox cart!

Mo Qiaolin's eyes swept over the faces of Wen Xi, Shen Jiaojiao, and Jiang Yue like cold arrows. Once she figured out which little slut had seduced Jin Changfeng, she would definitely use her own way to make them regret coming to the countryside, and regret being born.

Mo Qiaolin gave a cold snort and climbed onto the ox cart, even using her backside to squeeze toward Wen Xi, nearly pushing Wen Xi right off the cart.

(End of Chapter)