Chapter 45 I tasted it, and it's sweet!

Counting the days, it's only been almost two months since my first time with a man... that kind of thing shouldn't happen that quickly.

Zhao Xiaohua, who was standing beside her, helped her walk out, her face showing a mixture of joy and worry.

Her daughter-in-law was frightened, and she felt sorry for her. But if she really was pregnant, that would be a joyous occasion!

The wind picked up again at noon, and the north wind stung people's faces in the reclaimed land on the mountain.

The educated youth had worked all morning and were so tired that they could hardly straighten their backs. During a break, they gathered in twos and threes to eat their dry rations.

Su Huai, with his hands in his pockets, approached a female educated youth and said sarcastically, "Some people are just lucky. They were all sent to the countryside, but they were the ones who were sent down, and yet they didn't even have to work."

Her voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for everyone around her to hear.

Seeing that everyone's attention had been drawn to her, she raised her voice and continued, "People with pretty faces have all sorts of ways to shirk their responsibilities. Unlike us, we're stuck here starving."

The words weren't explicitly stated, but the underlying meaning was clear to everyone.

Zhao Hui, who was not far away recording work points in a small notebook, immediately perked up upon hearing this.

She slammed the notebook shut, ran over in a few steps, and, chin raised, chimed in: "What's so bad about shirking your duties? I've heard that some people who just came to our village haven't even had a chance to settle in before they're already flirting with people everywhere! Take that Wang Laizi, the village's notorious scoundrel, she even managed to have an affair with him. Tsk tsk, he's shameless!"

These words immediately sparked a flurry of whispers among the crowd.

A female educated youth named Liu Shengnan couldn't stand it anymore and stood up, glaring at them: "Zhao Hui, Su Huai, you two watch your mouths! What are you gossiping about when there's nothing to it? You should use that time to do your work properly!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Hui immediately adopted a defiant stance: "Who do you think you are? Do you know Jiang Wanqiu? If you don't, what are you doing here pretending to be a good person! Liu Shengnan, I'm warning you, if you meddle in other people's business again, watch out for your work points today!"

Liu Shengnan's face turned red with anger, and she wanted to argue again, but a deep, cold voice rang out from behind them.

"Zhao Hui".

Zhao Wenchang strode over: "Since you've taken on the role of scorekeeper, you must treat everyone fairly. If you dare to arbitrarily deduct someone's work points," he paused, staring coldly at the other person, "you'll be in trouble with the labels you and your father wear. You know how many eyes are watching these jobs that you got through connections.

Zhao Hui shuddered under his gaze and was speechless.

Zhao Wenchang stopped looking at her and fixed his gaze on Su Huai: "And you. I haven't settled accounts with you for what happened yesterday."

He pointed to an open space not far away: "Come out."

Su Huai's heart skipped a beat, but she didn't move her feet.

Zhao Wenchang stepped forward, and the powerful sense of oppression made Su Huai subconsciously take a step back.

"Write a letter of self-criticism about what you just said and what happened yesterday. After you finish writing it, read it aloud to me in front of all the educated youth. Apologize to Jiang Wanqiu."

Su Huai wasn't about to give in so easily. She stubbornly retorted, "I have the right to refuse!"

“Yes.” Zhao Wenchang nodded, a cold smile playing on his lips. “The military region has a partnership with the educated youth office. I am the battalion commander. I also have the right to apply to higher authorities to have you removed from the troop.

Upon hearing this, Su Huai's arrogant demeanor vanished by more than half.

In those days, losing one's farm registration was equivalent to losing one's household registration, making one a "black person" (unregistered person).

Forget about returning to the city; even in this desolate wilderness, no production team would dare to take her in. At that point, in this vast expanse, there would be nowhere for her to find shelter, and she might freeze or starve to death.

Looking into Zhao Wenchang's emotionless eyes, she knew this man wasn't joking.

In the end, she gritted her teeth and gave in.

Half an hour later, Su Huai was ordered to stand on a mound of earth about half a person's height, holding a crookedly written letter of self-criticism.

She held the paper in her hand, her voice so soft it was like a mosquito's hum.

"I can't hear you!" Zhao Wenchang stood below with his arms crossed, his voice booming, "Speak louder!"

Su Huai gritted her teeth and raised her voice.

"Still can't hear me! Haven't you eaten? Shout it out!"

After several rounds of back and forth, Su Huai's dignity was completely stripped away and trampled on. Finally, she almost went all out, yelling out every single word of the apology letter at the top of her lungs.

“I didn’t say stop, so you’re not allowed to stop!” Zhao Wenchang coldly retorted.

So, all afternoon, Su Huai's hoarse, tearful cries echoed over the reclaimed land.

She shouted until her throat was hoarse, and then her vision went black. She felt a sudden lack of oxygen, slipped, and tumbled down the mound of earth.

When she was helped up, she was in a sorry state, covered in dirt.

Everyone else had finished work, but she hadn't finished her afternoon's work and could only continue swinging her hoe alone in the cold wind.

The hoe struck the frozen, hard earth again and again, and the venomous hatred, like vines, tightly bound Jiang Wanqiu and Zhao Wenchang together.

That evening, Zhao Wenchang returned home chilly and saw Jiang Wanqiu sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) taking her medicine.

She didn't know what kind of herbs the calming pills were made of; they were so bitter that she grimaced. As soon as she swallowed them, her stomach churned, and she covered her mouth and gagged several times.

When Zhao Wenchang saw this, he couldn't help but laugh. Leaning against the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), he teased her, "You can't even endure a little hardship? How did you dare to go to the countryside in the first place?"

Jiang Wanqiu was a little annoyed by his words. She glared at him and handed him the water glass: "Hmph, easy for you to say. Try it if you don't believe me!"

Zhao Wenchang raised an eyebrow but did not take the water glass.

He suddenly bent down, stretched out his long arm, and pulled the woman into his arms.

Before Jiang Wanqiu could react, she felt something warm touch her lips.

The man stuck out his tongue and gently licked her lips, which still tasted of medicine.

The movement carried a bold allure and... tenderness.

Jiang Wanqiu was momentarily stunned, blinking as she looked at the man's face so close to hers.

The bitter taste on her lips hadn't yet dissipated when the man's deep, amused voice rang in her ear.

"Isn't it sweet?"

"You!" Jiang Wanqiu came to her senses, feeling both ashamed and angry. Her face turned so red it looked like it could bleed, and she raised her fist to punch his firm chest.

The man chuckled, letting her play around, but tightened his grip on her arm.

"Stop hitting me, stop hitting me." He pressed his forehead affectionately against the woman's. "You might as well save that energy for bed..."

It was late at night, and the two had just lain down when a series of chaotic footsteps and desperate shouts suddenly came from outside.

"Bang bang bang!"

The door was being pounded on loudly.

A villager stumbled in, his face filled with terror, and he could barely speak:

"Commander Zhao... Battalion Commander Zhao! Something terrible has happened! The educated youth at the settlement... the educated youth have mutinied!"