Lin Yitang had no interest in the people or affairs of this village.
If it weren't for this special period in time, she would never have crossed paths with these people in her entire life.
She didn't like the villagers, but she also couldn't stand the way her fellow travelers spoke about them.
Utterly hypocritical.
Her family had sent her another large batch of books, but they were all left at the village entrance, so she had to go fetch them herself.
The people at the village entrance saw her and smiled cheerfully, "Zhiqing Lin, here to pick up books again?"
Lin Yitang nodded, not wanting to say much to them.
A few villagers sitting under a nearby tree watched her and discussed among themselves.
"She's a scholar, reading so many books."
"Reading is useless nowadays."
"These books must cost a lot of money."
Lin Yitang ignored their curious gazes, tied the books tightly together, and planned to carry them all back at once.
A man sitting on a stool said, "Zhiqing Lin, with so many books, I'm afraid you won't be able to carry them back alone. Let me call a few people to help you."
Lin Yitang shook her head, "It's fine, I'll manage it myself."
She loved books more than anything. Seeing a few covers dented from being tied too tightly made her heart ache, but that heartache was still outweighed by the irritation of staying here.
These people didn't understand manners; they never shied away when looking at someone, just staring blankly and directly.
She loathed that kind of gaze, even though she knew they were just curious and harbored no malice.
Lin Yitang struggled to carry the heavy stack of books. She had to rest after every few steps, and sweat soon beaded on her forehead.
Growing up, she had never even swept the floor, let alone carried something this heavy.
She walked forward, panting heavily. Unable to see the ground, she accidentally tripped. The books scattered all over the ground, covered in dust.
Lin Yitang's heart filled with frustration. If she had known, she would have let those people help her carry them. What did it matter if they asked a few questions?
She picked the books up one by one, but she had absolutely no strength left. She only hoped an educated youth would pass by and help her carry the books back.
The sky was gradually turning dark. The educated youths rarely came out at this hour. Just as she was about to fall into despair, she finally saw someone.
"Hello, could you help me carry these books?"
At this point, Lin Yitang didn't care if the other person was an educated youth or not. As long as someone helped her, she would be satisfied.
The person didn't speak, just silently picked up the books.
"Thank you so much," Lin Yitang wiped the sweat from her forehead.
Without him, she wouldn't have known how to get back today.
Lin Yitang lived quite far away. The man remained silent along the way, and Lin Yitang didn't know how to strike up a conversation. It had always been others who initiated conversations with her.
"Could you wait a moment? I need to go wash my face." Lin Yitang really couldn't stand the sweat on her face anymore.
The man nodded and stood to the side, waiting.
Just then, Ji Zhaoxi, who was sweating profusely from playing, hurried toward home. She looked at Qin Du, who was holding the books, as if she had seen a ghost, and ran even faster.
Lin Yitang shook the water off her hands and glanced at Ji Zhaoxi's retreating figure.
When she walked over, Qin Du was quietly looking at the cover of the top book, which had a synopsis written in Russian.
Seeing him reading it so seriously, Lin Yitang smiled and asked, "Have you studied it before?"
Qin Du nodded, "I studied it for a while."
Lin Yitang was taken aback. She had just asked casually and didn't expect Qin Du to have actually studied it.
"Then why did you stop?" Lin Yitang was a bit curious.
But Qin Du didn't say anything more.
"That girl just now, we often meet her older sister. You're from the same village, so you must know each other."
Qin Du still didn't reply. Lin Yitang felt a bit awkward and stopped asking.
However, Qin Du's personality actually made her feel he was very reliable.
Those educated youths all talked a good game, but none of them could shoulder any responsibility.
By the time they reached the courtyard where Lin Yitang lived, it was already dark.
Lin Yitang handed the Russian book to Qin Du. "Take it and read it. Just return it to me when you're done."
Qin Du frowned at the book and didn't take it.
Lin Yitang smiled. "It's fine. I have many other books, I can't read them all that quickly."
Only then did Qin Du take it, his voice cold and crisp, "Thank you."
After Qin Du left, Lin Yitang moved the books bit by bit. Just then, a male educated youth came out of the courtyard and helped her move them.
The male youth hesitated for a moment before asking, "Yitang, why were you walking with that guy?"
Lin Yitang frowned. "I ran into him on the road. What's wrong?"
The male youth lowered his voice, "Don't you know him? His father used to be a landlord, so his class background is very bad. The people in this village don't like him. You'd better stay away from him."
Lin Yitang's heart suddenly skipped a beat. No one saw him helping her carry the books just now, right?
No, that girl saw them.
Seeing her reaction, the male youth sighed, "It's fine, it's fine. I'm just letting you know. Just be careful next time."
The books were all placed in her room, and Lin Yitang was now thoroughly exhausted.
First these books, then that person; everything here annoyed her.
As night fell, the sound of frogs croaking in the village rose and fell, occasionally mixed with the sounds of some family arguing.
Listening to the commotion outside, Ji Zhaoxi's mind was full of the stack of books Qin Du was holding today.
"Sis, I want to read books too," she whispered.
Ji Zhuxin fanned herself and replied, "If you want to read, just go find Zhiqing Xie. He has so many books."
Speaking of Zhiqing Xie, Ji Zhuxin suddenly became energetic.
She leaned close to Ji Zhaoxi and whispered, "Tell your sister from the bottom of your heart, what do you think of Zhiqing Xie?"
Ji Zhaoxi didn't understand. "Sis, what do you mean what do I think?"
Ji Zhuxin, exasperated, flicked her on the forehead. "I mean, do you think he's good-looking? How does he treat you? What do you feel in your heart when you see him?"
Ji Zhaoxi leaned into her embrace and frowned. "I don't think he's as good-looking as me. As for how he treats me... I don't know. When I see him, I always feel a strong sense of familiarity."
Ji Zhuxin's eyes lit up. "What kind of familiarity?"
She's finally getting it!
Seeing her sister so happy, Ji Zhaoxi acted spoiled, "Sis, don't you think he's exactly like our dad? So rigid and incredibly boring."
Ji Zhuxin sighed deeply and shook her head. "Never mind, never mind."
Casting pearls before swine.
She pushed Ji Zhaoxi away, but Ji Zhaoxi clung even tighter, like a little puppy.
Ji Zhuxin suddenly felt a bit worried. She touched Ji Zhaoxi's face. "You need to grow up quickly. Otherwise, when you get married, you won't even know if you're being bullied."
"I'm not getting married."
"If you don't get married, what are you going to do?"
"Live with you, sis."
"Heh, you might want to live with me, but I don't want to live with you."
"I'm going to live with you anyway!"
"Alright, alright, go to sleep."
The next day, the sun was already high in the sky. The villagers had already finished a round of work, but Ji Zhaoxi was still sleeping.
"Ji Zhaoxi, get up!"
Still deep in her dreams, Ji Zhaoxi was instantly startled awake.
She ran to the door. Chen Yiping was leading a group of people, looking at her impatiently. "How can you sleep so much? Hurry up and get ready, we're going to play Fight the Landlord."
Ji Zhaoxi really wanted to say she wasn't going, but Chen Yiping glared at her, so she had no choice but to go wash up.
Halfway there, she was still groggy.
Chen Yiping looked at Ji Zhaoxi's state and shook his head, thinking she was a lost cause.
Ji Zhaoxi let out a big yawn and looked at Chen Yiping in front of her.
The large scar on his head made him look even more ferocious.
The day Chen Yiping was beaten, the village chief had called quite a few people to Qin Du's house. But Qin Du fought like a madman who didn't care about his own life. He might not value his life, but the others valued theirs, so no one could even get close to him.
She had been listening from her room at the time; the village chief pointed at Qin Du and cursed at him for a long time before leaving.
Now, whenever Chen Yiping thought of the scar on his forehead, his hatred for Qin Du seeped into his very bones. His expression twisted for a moment before he smiled and said, "Qin Du, long time no see."
Qin Du didn't say a word. The lackeys behind Chen Yiping couldn't hold back.
"Qin Du, didn't you hear our boss calling you?"
"Are you deaf or blind?"
Ji Zhaoxi also chimed in, shouting, "Deaf!"
Qin Du showed absolutely no intention of paying attention to them, making Chen Yiping's face turn even uglier.
In the very next second, Chen Yiping suddenly picked up a rock from the ground and hurled it at Qin Du. The rock struck Qin Du's forehead, and blood quickly began to flow.
Before the others could react, Chen Yiping shoved them aside and ran for his life. The others were also terrified; letting out a scream, they scrambled away as well.
Ji Zhaoxi was standing at the very edge. Just as she was about to follow them, someone pushed her hard. Her vision went dark, and she fell straight into Qin Du's field.
Ji Zhaoxi burst into tears from the fright. "Li Ergou, I'm going to kill you!"
The pain in her leg was nothing compared to the sheer terror in her heart.
The scene of a red-eyed Qin Du pinning Chen Yiping down and beating him was still vivid in her mind. The more Ji Zhaoxi thought about it, the more frightened she became, and she cried louder and louder.
Qin Du didn't even spare her a glance, merely continuing with his work.
When Ji Zhaoxi was tired of crying, she peeked at him, struggled to her feet from the dirt, and limped toward the ridge of the field. She kept looking back as she walked, terrified that Qin Du would charge over and punch her.
As soon as she got home, Ji Zhaoxi hugged Ji Zhuxin and cried uncontrollably. "Sister, Li Ergou bullied me. You have to go beat him up with me tomorrow!"
After learning what had happened, Ji Zhuxin was both anxious and heartbroken. If Qin Du had actually made a move, Ji Zhaoxi would have died right there.
"Li Ergou, that bastard! How dare he push you! Just watch me tear his skin off!"
