Chapter 53 Xiang Zhaodi

In the courtyard outside the village committee office in Aimen Village.

Just like last time, Cheng Ying gave the villagers the mail containing the messages from the villagers of Aimen Village and apologized to them, explaining that she had fallen from the foot of Ayi Mountain and hadn't been able to deliver the mail for more than ten days.

The villagers expressed their understanding and inquired about her injuries. They chatted with her about other things, and finally turned their attention to Wei Muchen, who was standing behind her. In front of her, they asked, "Comrade Xiao Cheng, who is the man behind you? Is he the new postman?"

It's no wonder they thought that way. After all, Cheng Ying was a woman who fell off a mountain on her first delivery. She was simply not as reliable as a male postman.

In addition, Wei Muchen was wearing a white polyester shirt and military green trousers, and his attire looked a bit like a postman. They assumed that Wei Muchen was a new postman sent by the post office and was probably going to replace Cheng Ying on this postal route.

Before Cheng Ying could speak, Wei Muchen interrupted, "Dear fellow villagers, hello. I'm not a postman, I'm Cheng Ying's boyfriend. I'm here with her to see what she's doing at work."

Cheng Ying immediately explained, "Don't listen to his nonsense. We were just dating before, and we broke up more than two months ago. We have no relationship now. He keeps bothering me and insists on traveling with me, so I can't do anything about it."

Wei Muchen's face darkened, and he looked at Cheng Ying with a sinister gaze. "Do you have to argue with me about our relationship in front of so many people? I've already said that I didn't agree to break up. You broke up with me unilaterally, so the breakup doesn't count! You're still my girlfriend!"

"Are you deaf? I've already said I don't like you anymore, I don't want to be in a relationship with you anymore, so why do you keep chasing after me?" Cheng Ying's face was also very unpleasant.

The two men were on the verge of exchanging angry glances.

Upon hearing this, the villagers looked at Wei Mucheng with varying expressions.

Some people think that such a handsome young man, with an extraordinary appearance and temperament, is probably from the military, based on the time Cheng Ying mentioned when they broke up. Why didn't she like him?

I think she's ungrateful; so many girls in the countryside want to marry soldiers and live off their families.

Some people think that young women nowadays are too promiscuous. Cheng Ying had already started dating a gay man, so how could she just break up with him like that and say she didn't want to date him anymore? That hurts the gay man's self-esteem and makes him lose face.

She's already dating someone, why isn't she marrying him? What does she want? Does she want to marry someone else? She's incredibly promiscuous.

Many people are open-minded and understand Cheng Ying's situation. They believe that since she is a young woman who took the initiative to break up with the man and no longer wanted to be in a relationship with him, it must be because the man had a problem or did something to wrong Cheng Ying.

Who would have thought that this man would even follow her to her hometown, constantly stalking her and saying those things in front of many unfamiliar villagers? Wasn't he just trying to annoy Cheng Ying and force her to give in and change her mind?

What good is it for a man like that, who is scheming and disgusting, to be handsome?

Immediately, the village committee meeting was abuzz with discussion, and the villagers spoke their minds about whatever they were thinking.

Faced with the whispers and pointing fingers of dozens of villagers, Wei Mucheng's face turned pale and then red. He wanted to say something to defend himself, but he was afraid that Cheng Ying would not give him any face and would say whatever she wanted to the villagers. So he could only suppress his anger and stand in the crowd, letting the villagers point and whisper.

Cheng Ying completely ignored the villagers' gossip. After sending out all the mail belonging to Aimen Village, she tidied up her mailbag, put it back on her back, and prepared to leave.

As she was about to leave, a young woman with a refined appearance, wearing glasses, and looking to be about twenty-five years old quietly took her hand and whispered in her ear, "Comrade Cheng, do you need me to help you report the case?"

Cheng Ying turned her head and recognized the girl as Xiang Zhaodi, the eldest daughter of the Xiang family. She was an excellent student who had achieved top grades in all subjects and had once ranked first in the high school entrance examination.

However, her father, who favored boys over girls, ordered her to go home to work and take care of her younger brother, forcing her to drop out of school.

Back then, the principal of Zhaodi School, her homeroom teacher, and several other teachers couldn't bear to let her talent go to waste. They took turns visiting her home to persuade her parents to let her continue her studies, but her parents refused no matter what.

Later, the female principal gritted her teeth and decided to take ten yuan from her own salary every month to give to her parents to maintain their basic living expenses. She and other teachers pooled their money to cover Xiang Zhaodi's tuition and living expenses, and only then did her parents agree to let her continue her schooling.

Xiang Zhaodi knew that her opportunity to study was hard-won and did not want to let down the principal and teachers who had supported and expected her. During her studies, she worked very hard and always got full marks in all subjects, ranking first in the whole grade. She excelled in both academics and character and was well-liked by her teachers and classmates.

Unfortunately, she was admitted to high school, but due to the ten-year upheaval, the school was closed. She originally wanted to go to the county to work in a factory, but her parents arranged for her to meet a poor man from a remote mountain village and marry him.

She refused, so her parents drugged her and locked her in a room with that man, trying to force her to comply, but she refused even at the cost of her life.

When she rammed her head against the wall and committed suicide, leaving herself covered in blood and barely breathing, the man and her parents were startled. Fearing she might die, they stopped forcing her.

From then on, she did manual labor at home, and all the work points she earned were taken by her parents. She could only eat half full every day, and she also had to help her parents take care of her younger siblings. She had to do all kinds of work, both at home and outside. She was so tired that she became thin and frail, but her parents didn't care.

So that she couldn't bear the hardship, her parents wanted her to marry into a poor man's family, and they sold her off to them because they wanted a large dowry.

Having received education and guidance from teachers, Xiang Zhaodi's thinking has undergone a qualitative leap. She understands that girls are like mountains, not rivers, and certainly not dandelions that drift aimlessly. Besides getting married and listening to her parents' so-called "good intentions," she can have a much broader life.

Although those broad paths in life seem like an unattainable dream in the current situation.

But she was unwilling to give up her dream. She wanted to go to university, go to a big city, find the job she wanted, live for herself, and not be bound by anyone. No matter how her parents pressured her, she would never bow her head.

Such an outstanding and stubborn girl, yet she has that discriminatory name, Zhao Di. It would be difficult for Cheng Ying not to know about Xiang Zhao Di's life story.

Cheng Ying sincerely admired the girl who, despite living in a harsh family environment, remained true to herself, refused to compromise with her parents, refused to marry a man from a poor mountain village, have a bunch of children, and live a miserable life.

At this moment, Wei Mucheng was surrounded by several middle-aged women asking him all sorts of questions, and he was too busy to pay attention to Cheng Ying.

Cheng Ying walked to a tree at the corner of the village committee courtyard and said to Xiang Zhaodi, "Thank you for your kindness, but reporting it to the police is useless for me. The police officers can't handle it."

"Why can't we do anything about it? If a man goes against a woman's wishes and keeps bothering her and following her around, he's being a hooligan and committing a crime. You can go to the police station to report him and have the police arrest him so he can never bother you again!" Xiang Zhaodi, who had regular features but a thin face with protruding cheekbones, looking dark and thin, didn't understand.

Cheng Ying didn't hide anything: "He's from the capital, born into a high-ranking family. Both his parents hold high positions. He's a difficult person to deal with. Even if we report him to the police and he's arrested and detained for a while, given his personality, he'll definitely hold a grudge and retaliate against me and my family even more severely after he gets out. I can't let my family be harmed because of him, so I can only endure it for now. Let him follow me if he wants. I'll see how long this pampered young master who never lifts a finger can stick to it."

Upon hearing this, Xiang Zhaodi felt a sense of powerlessness welling up inside her.

She knew Cheng Ying; after all, Cheng Ying was the only girl from more than twenty villages around their town to be recruited into the army as a female soldier in recent years.

Cheng Ying's father was a well-known postman in the village. Logically speaking, Cheng Ying had become a platoon leader in the army and a female officer, so she should have a bright future and a broader path in life.

Unfortunately, fate intervened; Cheng Ying's father fell and became paralyzed on one side...

After Cheng Ying became a postman, she envied Cheng Ying quite a bit, because Cheng Ying had a government-affiliated job. Although delivering mail was hard work, Cheng Ying had her own job and salary, and could control her own life.

Unlike her, who was morally blackmailed by her parents who favored sons over daughters, forcing her to marry and exchange her happiness for a large dowry to support their only precious son.

Although she hadn't met Cheng Ying many times, Cheng Ying's experience as a female soldier was enough to make her and many other girls from the countryside feel a kind of inexplicable longing and admiration for Cheng Ying.

It's probably because there are fewer female soldiers than male soldiers, and Cheng Ying is already very capable in the army.

But now, Cheng Ying is being harassed by her ex-boyfriend, who comes from a prominent family. Cheng Ying has no way to protect herself through normal means, so she can only drag it out and let that man ruin her reputation in front of so many outsiders.

Xiang Zhaodi suddenly felt lost. Even someone as strong as Cheng Ying had many things she couldn't solve. She wondered what the point of her persistence was, and how long she could keep going.

Just then, Cheng Ying suddenly leaned closer to her and whispered in her ear, "Thank you for your concern. You're a good girl. Over the years, you've always stayed true to yourself and never compromised with anyone. I believe you're a strong girl with your own ideas. Keep going, and before long you'll see the light and walk the path you want to take! If you have time, go to town and look for high school books, whether you buy them, borrow them, or use other means, you need to review the textbooks and materials you've read before. After a while, you might be able to do what you want to do. If you encounter any difficulties and need help, you can come to me for help. I will definitely help you to the best of my ability."

Xiang Zhaodi's pupils contracted. She was a smart woman. Upon hearing Cheng Ying's words, she immediately realized that Cheng Ying was a retired female soldier and her ex-boyfriend was from a high-ranking official's family in the capital. It was normal for them to know inside information that outsiders did not.

With the ten-year turmoil now over and the newly appointed national leaders constantly introducing new policies, the country cannot maintain the status quo indefinitely, leaving so many students to work in the countryside. It is highly likely that schools will be reopened so students can continue their studies.

In other words, the country is very likely to reinstate the college entrance examination, and her dream of going to university will no longer be just a dream!

Xiang Zhaodi became excited, extending her hands—hands calloused from years of hard work, the backs of her hands dark and cracked, covered in mud—and tightly grasping Cheng Ying's hand. "Comrade Cheng, thank you for reminding me. I felt my life was stagnant, with no end in sight, but finally, hope has arrived! I will try to find textbooks in town to review. I won't stand on ceremony with you; I do have many difficulties right now, and I have no choice in what I do, but I will not give up any opportunity to escape my fate. When I need help, I will definitely come to you, and when I am able, I will repay you properly."

"Okay, I'll wait for you." Cheng Ying smiled and chatted with her for a while. Seeing that it was getting late, she told Da Huang to continue on his way.

Seeing that she had left, Wei Muchen quickly slipped away from the group of gossipy and curious women and followed Cheng Ying in a disheveled state.

Cheng Ying glanced back at him and gave a sneer without any politeness.

She didn't speak, but Wei Muchen could still tell what she wanted to say from her actions and expressions: Now you know the consequences of your shameless boasting in front of so many villagers.

Wei Muchen was speechless. If he had known beforehand how gossipy these village women were, surrounding him and asking endless questions, he would never have said a word in front of them.

The two men and their dog walked for half an hour until they reached the top of the low hill, next to Li Zhuzi's house.

There was no letter from Li Zhuzi's mother today. She didn't come to the village committee; she must have gone to work in the fields. Only Li Zhuzi's grandfather was at home.

As Cheng Ying passed by the huge banyan tree outside the Li family's house, she smelled the fragrance of the banyan flowers and couldn't help but stop and look up at the tree.

Among the towering canopy of trees, some green leaves are showing signs of yellowing. Among those leaves, one can vaguely see some pale yellow magnolia flowers blooming among the leaves, and with the autumn wind on the mountaintop, a charming fragrance wafts over.

Wei Muchen saw her gazing at the big tree, so he looked up as well. After seeing the few flowers on the tree, he remembered that Cheng Ying seemed to have always liked the yellow magnolia orchid, which was unique to the southwest region, and had described to him how fragrant the yellow magnolia orchid was.

The fragrance was neither so strong as to be unpleasant to smell, nor so faint as to be undetectable; it was just right, neither too strong nor too weak, perfectly balanced.

He took a careful sniff; it was indeed very fragrant and smelled very pleasant. No wonder Cheng Ying liked magnolia orchids.

In his past life, he was obsessed with women and enjoyed being with different women. Because he was busy with work, he rarely accompanied Cheng Ying back to her hometown.

My two visits to Qingqu Town were both during the winter, close to the Lunar New Year, so I missed the flowering season and had no idea what the magnolia orchid that Cheng Ying liked looked like.

Now that he finally saw the magnolia, and seeing that Cheng Ying liked it very much, he climbed up the tall tree without saying a word.

Seeing his actions, Cheng Ying frowned and asked, "What are you doing?"

"I'll pick some flowers for you. Isn't magnolia your favorite?" Wei Muchen climbed the tree using both his hands and feet.

Cheng Ying's expression was strange. It was true that she liked magnolias, but she liked more than just that one flower.

Especially during the time she was dating Wei Muchen, because they were both in the military and it was the 1970s when thinking was still relatively conservative, it wasn't like in the future, where it was customary for male comrades to send female comrades various flowers to please them on holidays.

Whether in her past life or this life, before they got married, Wei Muchen never thought of sending her flowers.

She wasn't the type of person who needed men to send her flowers and gifts on holidays or to be romantic. Therefore, judging by the timeline, she probably hadn't told Wei Muchen that she liked magnolias by now.

Why did Wei Muchen say that she likes magnolia flowers the most?

Considering Wei Muchen's unusual behavior in coming to see her, she had a bold guess in her mind and tentatively said, "This is someone else's tree. It's not right to climb someone else's tree and pick their flowers without their permission. I don't particularly like magnolias; I have many other flowers I like—"

"You don't like magnolias, so what flowers do you like? You've told me more than once that you really like magnolias from your Sichuan-Chongqing region, and besides that, you like jasmine, gardenias, and wintersweet. I bought you roses before, but you didn't like them and just tossed them aside." Wei Muchen answered her question subconsciously as he climbed the tree.

really……

Cheng Ying's heart sank, and her face turned extremely ugly: "When have you ever bought me roses? You must have mistaken the recipient. Were they for your Miss Yu who lives far away in Kyoto?"

Upon hearing this, Wei Muchen slipped and almost fell off the tree. He struggled to steady himself and climbed onto a branch thicker than his thigh. Standing on the branch, he looked down at Cheng Ying and said somewhat guiltily, "I guess I misremembered. I might have bought flowers and given them to my mother or my sister, thinking I gave them to you."

Cheng Ying sneered, "Giving your mother and sister roses? Do you even know the meaning of roses?"

Wei Muchen remained silent. Of course, he didn't know that he was a man who had always been a carefree playboy in his previous life. After being married to Cheng Ying for many years, he lost interest in her and started wandering among women.

Women love flowers, so he orders and buys them flowers. He doesn't know, nor does he care to know, the meaning of roses, but he does know that this meaning is definitely not suitable for his mother and sister.

By this point, Cheng Ying was basically certain that Wei Muchen's unusual behavior was perhaps due to his own rebirth, or a dream, and the possession of memories from his previous life.

She couldn't quite describe the feeling in her heart; it was a mixture of hatred, disgust, and a vague sense of relief.

She hated that even after Wei Muchen was reborn, he wouldn't let her go and continued to harass her.

She resented his feigned kindness in picking flowers for her, which made her even more disgusted.

Fortunately, she discovered that this person had also been reborn and possessed memories of his previous life. She no longer needed to be polite to him, and the tension in her heart finally eased.

Wei Muchen, if you are ruthless, don't blame me for being unjust!

You like to pretend, don't you? Well, I'll pretend too. I'll pretend I don't know anything, pretend I don't know you've been reborn. I want to see what tricks you're up to!

Cheng Ying stopped talking, called to Da Huang, and turned to leave.

Wei Muchen called out to her, "Why are you leaving? Don't you want the magnolia anymore?"

"No, I don't want it." Cheng Ying walked away without looking back.

Wei Muchen had no choice but to pick two flowers at random, jump down from the tree, and chase after them.

**

Two hours later, Cheng Ying stopped at the bottom of the man-made sloping cliff, placed the mailbag on the inner cliff wall, and leaned against it to catch her breath.

Wei Muchen was tired after following her for several hours, so he sat down to rest two meters away from her.

Cheng Ying rested for a while, took out the small water cup hanging on the mailbag, took out the military water bottle from her shoulder bag, and poured a full cup of water for Da Huang.

The thirsty rhubarb drank every last drop of water.

Wei Muchen hadn't eaten breakfast since he got up at five in the morning, and he followed Cheng Ying empty-handed, without bringing anything with him. Now he was exhausted, hungry, and thirsty.

Seeing Cheng Ying drinking water from the kettle, he couldn't help but say, "Leave some water for me."

In response, Cheng Ying picked up the kettle and drank the water in one gulp.

After Cheng Ying finished drinking, she turned the water bottle upside down and shook it. "I'm sorry, I only brought enough water for me and my dog. There's no water for you. If you want some water, there are springs by the roadside and rivers at the foot of the mountain. You can drink as much as you want."

Wei Muchen: ......

He was the son of a high-ranking official and cadre, and enjoyed a life of luxury from a young age, where everything was done for him. He was extremely picky about food.

Even after he joined the army and participated in a lot of tough training in the field, he would not eat or drink anything from the wild, and would only eat and drink good food and water.

Anyone who has served in the military knows that many water sources in the wild may look clean, but in reality, they harbor many parasites and leeches. If the water is not filtered and you boil it and drink it, you can easily get sick.

Of course, in special circumstances, when a person is extremely thirsty, they will drink some water, no matter how unclean, to save their life.

Before arriving at this location, Wei Mucheng was already thirsty. He also saw many small mountain springs and puddles, typical of the southwestern region, by the roadside, filled with clear, cool spring water.

He didn't drink a drop. He saw the small water cup Cheng Ying was carrying and thought she would stop to boil water at a water source or ask a villager for water. But she kept walking without stopping at a villager's house or boiling water. He had been walking for almost five hours on the mountain road and his throat was parched.

Wei Muchen licked his dry lips, staring intently at Cheng Ying. "You anticipated this, didn't you? That's why you didn't stop me from following you."

Cheng Ying put the military water bottle back into her crossbody bag. "Young Master Wei, you're wronging me. I warned you beforehand, but you wouldn't listen and insisted on coming with me to suffer. How can you blame me for that?"

Wei Muchen twitched the corner of his mouth and gave a self-deprecating smile, "Yeah, I brought this on myself."

He was a soldier, and his training was outstanding. He often encountered situations where he was short of water and food during missions, but it was only a few hours without water, which was nothing to him.

He was just used to a privileged life. When he wasn't on missions in the military, he wanted everyone to fawn over him, pamper him, and give him the best treatment wherever he went.

He thought Cheng Ying would be like she was in his previous life, always thinking of him and doing everything for him, such as washing clothes and cooking. Every time she finished cooking, if he wasn't home, she would always save some for him, regardless of whether he ate it or not.

Unexpectedly, Cheng Ying is now so heartless to him, leaving him nothing and only thinking of herself. She would rather give water to her dog than give him a sip.

This woman is as ruthless as ever.