Xiao Manxue was also startled by her sister's actions. If not for Dong Huimin supporting her, her legs would have nearly given out:
"Sis, put down the sickle. I'm really fine. Don't be impulsive."
Xiao Mandong gave her sister a reassuring look, then turned to Hu Guizhen:
"Your name is Hu Guizhen, right? How exactly did my sister seduce your boyfriend? Show me the evidence. If you can't produce proof and are just talking nonsense, spreading rumors to ruin my sister's reputation, and if something happens to her because she can't bear it, who will be responsible?
"Today, if you can't provide evidence, and I don't get a satisfactory resolution to your slander, I'll kill you right here. I'll die here too. If I'm not going to have it easy, neither will you!"
Hu Guizhen didn't dare step forward. It wasn't that she was afraid this woman would kill herself; she was afraid the woman would go mad and chop her with the sickle. Hu Guizhen was also frightened by the determination in Xiao Mandong's eyes. This Xiao Mandong was a madwoman. How could there be such a crazy woman? It was just a fight—why did it have to be a life-or-death matter?
"My boyfriend works for her. If that's not seduction, what is it?" she said, already feeling a twinge of guilt. In truth, she knew these things had nothing to do with Xiao Manxue, but she couldn't control her own boyfriend. She was angry. Why did Xiao Manxue have to be so pretty? She just wanted to ruin that face. If Xiao Manxue wasn't so beautiful anymore, would Brother Wenhai still volunteer to help her with the work?
Xiao Mandong laughed:
"Did your mother leave her brain in her pants when she gave birth to you? Did my sister ask him to work? That kind of man who eagerly helps others is pathetic. Such a pathetic man is only fit for someone like you. Please don't drag my sister into this."
Everyone present was stunned.
"Can she really curse like that?"
"So beautiful, yet so fierce."
"Her personality is nothing like Xiao Manxue's. Those nasty words don't match that face at all."
Xiao Mandong, having lived two lifetimes, was cursing for the first time. She was blinded by hatred. Decorum and dignity no longer mattered; she cared about none of it now. The only reason she hadn't immediately swung the sickle at Hu Guizhen was her remaining shred of rationality.
The Brigade Leader silently gave Xiao Mandong a thumbs-up in his heart. Hu Guizhen was notorious at the sent-down youth point for being unreasonable, throwing her weight around because her family was slightly better off, always expecting everyone to defer to her.
"You capitalist's daughter, what right do you have to curse at me?" Hu Guizhen's face twisted in anger. Since arriving at the youth point, this was the first time she had suffered such a loss!
"Who told you I'm a capitalist's daughter? Come on, who said that? Let's go to the Youth Affairs Office right now, go to the commune, and check whether our down-to-the-countryside assignment meets the national requirements. Let's see which leader approved our relocation. Are all these leaders problematic? Come on, Hu Guizhen, you're so capable. Which big leader is your father, that you can just casually slap labels on people?" Xiao Mandong hadn't expected her sister to endure so much gossip and bullying here.
At that moment, Wang Yuanyuan in the crowd felt a jolt of panic. She hadn't expected Xiao Mandong to show up here. And with Xiao Mandong saying this, all the rumors she had spread about Xiao Manxue being a capitalist's daughter would be useless. She quickly stepped forward to interrupt Xiao Mandong:
"Sister Mandong, why are you here? Everyone already knows. I accidentally let it slip. I'm sorry."
Xiao Mandong laughed. She hadn't expected this fool to still dare to jump out now. Perfect—she could settle accounts today:
"Oh, don't call me that. After all, my real cousin isn't you. My eldest aunt died in childbirth back then, and my cousin was taken back to her maternal grandmother's house. Your mother is just a second wife. But it's strange—you're only half a year younger than my real cousin. I heard you're the illegitimate child of my eldest uncle and your mother. A woman like your mother raising a child—how can anything she says be trusted?"
Wang Yuanyuan never expected Xiao Mandong to reveal her background in front of everyone. Her face turned deathly pale. Her nails dug deep into her palms. Her voice trembled as she forced herself to stay calm:
"My real father isn't your uncle. You can't slander my mother like that. She is your elder, after all. I grew up in the Wang family, which is why my surname is Wang. Isn't it right for me to call you sister?"
"Then your words are even less credible. You're an outsider—how would you know about our family's affairs? Oh, I see. You deliberately framed us, didn't you? You say you're not my uncle's biological daughter, yet you ate and drank at our expense. My uncle basically raised you for nothing. You don't show gratitude and instead slander his own niece. You're an ungrateful snake. Can the words of someone so treacherous be trusted?" This Wang Yuanyuan was indeed sharp-tongued, putting on a pitiful act. Who was she trying to fool?
Wang Yuanyuan was left speechless, her lips trembling with rage. Finally, she burst into tears and ran off, afraid that if she stayed any longer, Xiao Mandong would say something even worse.
"Everyone saw that, right? She ran away out of guilt. If anyone dares to spout nonsense again, I'll report them to the commune," Xiao Mandong said, staring hard at Hu Guizhen.
The Brigade Leader saw that things had reached a point and slowly spoke up:
"Comrade Xiao Mandong, put down the sickle. Don't hurt yourself.
"Hu Guizhen, you talked nonsense and slandered a female comrade. Apologize to Comrade Xiao Manxue immediately."
Hu Guizhen didn't want to apologize. Xiao Mandong didn't want to hear her apology either.
"Brigade Leader, an apology isn't necessary, because we won't accept it. Just go ahead and punish her directly. Deduct Comrade Hu Guizhen's work points. My sister's face was scratched. I want compensation for the medical expenses." Xiao Mandong dropped the sickle and dusted off her hands. What good was an apology? Money was what mattered!
Hu Guizhen glared at Xiao Mandong with red-rimmed eyes:
"You injured me too. You have to pay compensation as well."
Xiao Mandong shrugged: "The one who started it is the lowlife. You made the first move. Was I wrong to hit you? That's called self-defense." Xiao Mandong was completely bluffing; she knew that in this era, very few people understood the law. She could fool as many as she could.
Hu Guizhen bit her lip hard, her fingers twisting the hem of her clothes. Losing work points and paying money would be worse than apologizing. That just took a few words. She didn't want to hand over money or work points. Finally, she clenched her teeth:
"I apologize. I'm sorry."
"We don't accept. I hope the Brigade Leader will handle this properly. After all, this commotion affected so many people's work. Punishment is necessary. If others follow her example, no one will ever get any work done. We'd just be watching her perform a show every day." Xiao Mandong was full of provocation, nearly driving Hu Guizhen mad.
The Brigade Leader liked deducting work points—the points went to the brigade. He cleared his throat:
"In that case, deduct 20 work points from Comrade Hu Guizhen and compensate Comrade Xiao Manxue five yuan for medical expenses. A minor punishment as a warning. She can pay when her family sends money at the end of the month. Alright, everyone disperse. Get back to work quickly."
"Wait," Xiao Mandong called out to the Brigade Leader. "Could you tell me which one is Comrade Hu Guizhen's boyfriend?"
At that moment, everyone turned to look at a young man in the crowd. He wore glasses and had a gentle, scholarly appearance.
Xiao Mandong walked up to the male educated youth and faced him directly.
"Are you Comrade Hu Guizhen's boyfriend?"
The male educated youth nodded. Just as everyone expected Xiao Mandong to resort to violence again, she pulled out a single fen coin from her pocket and threw it at his face.
"This is your payment for helping my sister work. I hope you won't be so cheap in the future. We came to the countryside to build it up, not to fool around with romance."
The onlookers saw the coin hit his face, and some even laughed out loud. What a slap in the face.
"Brigade Leader, I'm taking my sister to get her wounds treated. When we get back, I'll take over her workload." In her previous life, Xiao Mandong had done plenty of farm labor; a little bit of work was nothing to her.
"Go ahead, and hurry back," the Brigade Leader agreed readily.
After thanking the Brigade Leader, Xiao Mandong took her sister's hand and headed back to the educated youth station.
As he watched Xiao Mandong and Xiao Manxue walk away, the male educated youth Fan Wenhai's eyes were filled with gloom. He clenched his fists tightly. The coin on the ground was the greatest insult to him, more humiliating than being slapped in the face.
He had been attracted to Xiao Manxue because of her beauty, and had noticed she never received any letters from home. Feeling she was alone and vulnerable, he had harbored improper intentions. He figured that with Hu Guizhen causing trouble, Xiao Manxue would eventually plead for his help. He had just wanted to take advantage of the situation to get something out of it. He never expected a sister to suddenly show up.
