The next day, Zhou Huijuan, along with the newly appointed site leader Liu Qunfu and Chen Haiying, representing the educated youth site, went to the neighboring Wuxing Brigade.

They said they were going to Liu Fang's house for a visit.

They initially tried to persuade Su Qingci to go along, but Su Qingci ignored them.

Su Qingci understood perfectly well that they were after her fighting prowess.

But she didn't want to get involved in these things.

No matter what era you live in, you have to be able to stand on your own two feet if you want to make a living.

If you don't dare to resist yourself, how many times can you rely on others to back you up?

If you had a butcher's knife in your left hand and a wood-chopping knife in your right, who would dare to slap you and then swing the knife? Which family would dare to look down on you?

It's better to be reborn than to suffer that humiliation.

Besides, she had never met Liu Fang before, nor did she have any connection with her.

I went to someone's house and made a scene for no reason. If it turned out well, that would be fine.

If things go wrong, people might even blame you for meddling.

So when Zhou Huijuan came to find her, Su Qingci's attitude was very clear.

He simply shrugged and said, "I can't be relied on."

"None of you can rely on me."

She can't even rely on herself. If it weren't for the farm, she might be in a worse situation than anyone else right now.

She was exhausted from fighting two battles for herself, and now she has to go and fight for Xi Jinping. There are so many Xi Jinpings in the world, how can she possibly fight them all?

The people in the educated youth settlement rarely shared a common hatred, and standing on the moral high ground, they severely criticized Su Qingci.

At noon, Zhou Huijuan, Chen Haiying, and Liu Qunfu returned.

The three of them looked unwell.

Chen Haiying had two obvious scratch marks behind her ears.

Even after styling, the hair still shows a slight messiness.

Chen Xiuxiang was meticulous and knew what was going on, so she avoided it more than anyone else.

Li Li pulled Su Qingci aside and whispered something to her.

"Qingci, something seems off about their expressions."

"They went there full of pride and high spirits, but they came back looking like they're half dead."

Su Qingci rolled her eyes. "Weren't you just condemning me with them this morning? Why are you talking to me now?"

Li Li blushed. "Qingci, if you keep doing this, I won't be friends with you anymore."

Su Qingci stopped teasing her. "Is that even a question?"

"You definitely didn't get the short end of the stick. It's normal to get scolded or even beaten up."

“The local villagers are all related, both inside and outside the village. Not to mention their uncles and aunts, plus their nephews and nieces, every family has dozens of people.”

"Do you think they'd be afraid of a few educated youths from other places?"

"Just like that, you went to the next village to interfere in other people's family affairs as a member of the maternal family. The fact that they didn't beat you up is already a big favor to Gaotang Brigade."

Li Li sighed, "Then Liu Fang is even worse off?"

"That depends on her. If she's willing to go all out and be ruthless, she can also climb over her in-laws to get ahead."

“Li Li, let me tell you something. You must understand one thing: it’s better to rely on yourself than on others.”

Seeing Su Qingci's serious expression, Li Li nodded in confusion.

The suggestion to support and advocate for educated youth getting married was never mentioned again after its first setback.

Su Qingci met Shen Chuntao, who was working with everyone, while herding cattle. Remembering her gentle smile, she couldn't bear to hurt her.

I secretly brought her brown sugar and snacks several times, and each time I made her eat them in front of me.

She already knew about the fish soup incident. Given Shen Chuntao's personality, if she took it back, who knows who would end up eating it?

Every time they met, Su Qingci tried her best to instill some ideas about strong women in her.

Even the most delicate woman will rise up for her child.

Every time Su Qingci mentioned Yan Yan, Shen Chuntao's eyes would light up, and she would stuff food into her mouth in big gulps.

"Qingci, thank you, thank you, thank you so much."

Shen Chuntao didn't know how to express her gratitude, so she could only say thank you over and over again.

But fate did not spare this frail woman.

In the twilight afternoon, a sharp scream echoed throughout half the village.

Many people rushed towards the Xiao family after hearing the news.

Shen Chuntao sat on the ground with a blank stare, making trembling sounds.

When everyone followed her gaze to the bed, their eyes widened in surprise.

Little Yan Yan's face was bluish-purple, with dried bloodstains around her eyes, nose, and mouth, and her two delicate hands were covered in blood on her fingers.

Aunt Xiao slapped Shen Chuntao across the face, "You bitch, you useless piece of trash."

"You can't even take care of a child properly. Our Xiao family is really unlucky to have married you."

"Even animals know to watch their own cubs, but look at you, you're not even as good as a dog."

"It's a good thing it's a girl. If it were a boy, I'd probably strip you naked."

Slaps and fists rained down on her body, but she seemed oblivious to the pain.

Soon, Xiao Hu rushed in through the door, glanced at Yan Yan on the bed, and kicked Chen Chuntao hard in the chest.

Shen Chuntao could no longer bear it, her eyelids rolled back, and she fainted.

Witnessing all this, Xiao Quangui's face fell. "Alright, alright, haven't you made a fool of yourself enough?"

“This child is not meant to be with us. Let’s pack him up and take him up the mountain with a winnowing basket.”

"There are children in the family, it's bad luck."

According to local custom, when a child dies, no grave can be erected; the body is simply left in the mountains and covered with a winnowing basket.

Aunt Xiao took out a worn-out winnowing basket from behind the house, stripped Yan Yan of her clothes, and then threw her into the basket by one foot.

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