Chapter 35 I feel sorry, but I'll do things that hurt men. ...

Unlike Ji Yuanchang, who had worried that she would scold Zhong Ying upon returning home, Deng Xia looked at her daughter anxiously and asked, "Ying, tell your mother, you don't have those kinds of thoughts, do you?"

Zhong Ying asked, puzzled, "What kind of thoughts?"

"It's the same kind of feeling that young man surnamed Ji had for you!" Deng Xia said.

"Oh~" Zhong Ying suddenly realized, and under Deng Xia's tense gaze, she gave her mother a quick answer, "No, that's not it."

If it were a girl from this era, she might be moved by such a tactic.

But Zhong Ying had seen it all before.

Most male artists use the same few tricks to woo girls.

Music majors play guitar and sing love songs, while art majors draw portraits for people.

When Zhong Ying was in college, she saw male students from her department draw a whole sketchbook of pictures every year to express their love to different girls from neighboring schools. They were all art students, and no one thought this way of expressing love was particularly touching. They just thought the guy was being pretentious and that he was using this method to pick up girls again, without any originality.

Therefore, Ji Yuanchang's behavior really did not move Zhong Ying.

Deng Xia breathed a sigh of relief. "You scared me to death. I thought you were like me, with strong opinions like I was back then, making your own decisions about your marriage."

Zhong Ying's eyes widened immediately. Was there a story behind this?

Deng Xia then realized that she had let something slip and her breath hitched. Under her daughter's gaze, she had no choice but to reveal some of the past events: "Back then, my family wanted to arrange a marriage between me and my second brother, but I was unwilling. Your father happened to have hired a matchmaker to arrange the marriage, and I rushed ahead and agreed on my own. I didn't care about anything else and went with the matchmaker on the spot."

She spoke lightly, but in reality, her family was in turmoil. Her father cursed, her second brother cursed, and her mother cried and begged, but Deng Xia pretended not to hear them. She just didn't want to be a barter commodity, which led to a break with her family. It wasn't until a few years ago when Chengzi went to join the army that their relationship improved.

"What is 'relationship transfer'?" This was the first time Zhong Ying had ever heard of this term.

"It's similar to 'marriage exchange,' except that in a marriage exchange, two families swap daughters to become wives, while in a marriage transfer, three families take turns exchanging daughters to become wives," Deng Xia said.

Zhong Ying responded with an "Oh~", which sounded feudal and ignorant.

Deng Xia returned to the original topic and warned her daughter, "Don't be tempted by that young man just because he's from the county town. This 'leaping over the rural gate' thing sounds like a great thing, but in reality, rural wives who marry into the city don't get a good welcome. Do you know that even if you marry into the city, your household registration and grain rations will still remain in the place of production?"

Zhong Ying shook her head in surprise, "Can't it be registered on the man's household registration book after marriage?"

“No,” Deng Xia said. “I only found out when I saw Li’s daughter marry into the city. The groom’s family has to be very capable. The approval process is very strict, and there are few spots available. Most of the time, people marry into the county town, but their household registration and grain ration records are still with the production team. Rou’er is an example of this.”

Deng Xia sighed, "This is one of the reasons why her life is so hard. Originally, if a mother-in-law from the city marries another daughter-in-law from the city, the family would get another person's food ration. But now her son insists on marrying a rural woman. Food coupons and all kinds of coupons are distributed according to household registration. Rou Ni'er can't get any, so she can only eat her husband's and in-laws' food ration. Naturally, she is not well received. Even though every time the food is distributed, the Li family will make a trip to the county town to bring some food and vegetables to their daughter."

As Zhong Ying listened, she could feel the predicament just by thinking about it.

“And marrying into a higher social class is not easy,” Deng Xia sighed heavily again. “Do you remember when our family went to Captain Li’s house and saw Rou Ni’er? She was frighteningly thin. Her mother said it was because she had miscarried again. I know of at least three times! She has only been married for five years and has already miscarried three times, leaving only a baby girl.”

Deng Xia sighed deeply, which is why she didn't want her daughter to become the second person to "leap over the rural gate." Whether "leaping" over would lead to heaven or hell is really hard to say.

Zhong Ying was shocked. "How could you have had so many miscarriages?"

Deng Xia shook her head, "Who knows? Who would talk about their private affairs with outsiders?"

“总之，”邓霞又瞪起眼睛来恐吓女儿，“你别给我起心思，不说这青年是城里人的身份，他在绘画队的工作就不安稳，到处跑，你嫁过去了他要是对你不好，我和你爹去揍人都不知道往哪儿去揍！”

Zhong Ying quickly swore, "Mother, I really won't even think about marrying him!"

What a joke! She doesn't even want to get married, let alone marry a city guy.

Moreover, Zhong Ying was originally a child who grew up in the city, and she did not have the yearning and worship that rural people of this era had for urban household registration.

Zhong Ying used her most sincere eyes to prove to her mother that she really wouldn't be bewitched.

Deng Xia finally felt relieved.

"Aunt Zhong Er—" Liu Fengshou's voice called from outside the door.

Deng Xia opened the door wide. "What's up? A bumper harvest?"

Liu Fengshou saw Zhong Ying behind Deng Xia and respectfully greeted her, "Sister Ying."

"I just wanted to warn Sister Ying to be careful of that guy surnamed Ji," Liu Fengshou said with a look of disgust. "I think he has bad eyesight and isn't very bright."

"He actually said that Sister Ying is beautiful, quiet, and talented, with a cool yet gentle demeanor—"

Deng Xia slapped Liu Fengshou on the head. "What do you mean? Isn't my daughter like this?"

Liu Fengshou clutched his head in pain; he had never seen anyone more protective of their child than Aunt Zhong!

Zhong Ying, being self-aware, spoke up fairly, saying, "Mother, these adjectives really don't apply to me."

I don't know how this person imagined her; men really know how to "create" their dream lover according to their own ideas.

Deng Xia turned to look at Zhong Ying, "Nonsense! At least 'beautiful' is not wrong!"

Zhong Ying: ...I'm being biased by my mother.

Liu Fengshou glanced at Zhong Ying discreetly and thought it seemed to be true. Although people often referred to his aunt's third cousin, Li Rou, as the "flower of the Tonggan production team," upon closer inspection, Zhong Ying was not bad-looking either. It was just that her temperament was not gentle and her temper was too bad, which overshadowed her good looks.

"Cool and gentle, huh?" Zhong Ying rolled up her sleeves, revealing a slightly cruel smile. "Tomorrow I'll show him what it means to be hot-tempered and sharp-tongued."

As darkness fell and night descended, the villagers, having worked all day, went to bed early. The dirt road was deserted, but a figure appeared on the river.

Li Linshi looked at the propaganda poster on the wall from afar. He didn't need light to see Zhong Ying's enlarged face in the center of the picture, which was as straightforward as words.

Will she agree? Will she... marry someone else?

Li Linshi suddenly understood why his cousin Changgui had repeatedly said those unpleasant things.

He's probably worried about this very situation.

Li Linshi chuckled self-deprecatingly, but the smile on his lips carried a murderous intent. For the first time, he harbored murderous thoughts towards a complete stranger.

Reason was trying its best to control him, and Li Linshi was cold and lonely. However, the river behind him was like a reflection of his inner emotions. The river surface lost its calm, and waves rose up without wind, surging and roaring as they crashed against the rocks on the bank.

As dawn broke and people left their homes for work, Li Linshi's dark, lifeless eyes flickered, and the Ganlin River returned to its calm.

But Li Linshi made a move.

The veins on the back of his pale hand, which had climbed onto the rocks by the river, stood out. He slowly emerged from the river, step by step, like an approaching wild beast.

However, Zhong Ying attacked even faster than him.

This time, Deng Xia even took the initiative to send out the brown sugar that guards the house to protect her daughter.

However, she was overthinking it; Zhong Ying's "fighting power" was enough on her own.

As the morning sun shone down on everything in the world, Zhong Ying came over with brown sugar. She immediately grabbed her paintbrush and paints and started sharpening them, grabbing a spot and pushing Ji Yuanchang aside with her elbow. Zhong Ying deliberately said in an annoying tone, "What are you painting? It doesn't look like me at all, and it doesn't fit the positive energy tone of propaganda posters."

"Look at the mandible and orbicularis oris muscles of the figure. They're not drawn well at all, lacking any sense of power..."

"And look at that complexion, so fair and clean, it doesn't look like that of a working person at all. Look at the figures I paint, their faces are ruddy and full of energy, they look like they've been working in the fields for most of the day, the rosy cheeks from the heat of their hard work..."

"The figure at the very center of the painting should be depicted with great care, embodying heroism and optimism..."

Ji Yuanchang's heart shattered into pieces with each retort, unable to believe that the person in front of him was the same aloof goddess he had met yesterday.

Xie Jixiang couldn't help but cough lightly, "Xiao Zhong, sometimes you should save a man's face when you speak..."

Zhong Ying blinked. "Sorry, I'll do things that hurt men."

Don't even think about saving face for a man.

Zhong Ying quickly changed the original promotional image of herself to have a healthy, rosy complexion and a full, powerful face, making people exclaim that this girl must be very energetic! However, the more she changed it, the less she looked like Zhong Ying. Now, even people who know her can only say that she looks somewhat familiar, but they can't quite place her.

Looking at the portraits on the wall that had become unrecognizable in the blink of an eye, Ji Yuanchang: ...

Li Linshi stopped in his tracks: ...

Artists hate it when others arbitrarily modify their work. Ji Yunzhang not only felt heartbroken, but he also felt like he couldn't breathe. Zhong Ying was jumping around on his sore spot!

Since ignoring him would be misinterpreted as aloofness, Zhong Ying figured she might as well be as annoying as possible.

"How about it? Isn't my drawing better than yours, and more in line with the spirit that the whole propaganda poster is supposed to promote?" Zhong Ying asked Ji Yuanchang deliberately, trying to humiliate his male pride.

Ji Yuanchang doesn't like her anymore; now he hates her.

But looking at the painting on the wall again, Ji Yuanchang couldn't say anything bad about it. It was indeed better painted than his and more in line with the spirit that the propaganda poster was supposed to promote.

But Ji Yuanchang couldn't bring himself to admit it. He just gritted his teeth, kept a straight face, and silently went to the side to fill in the details of the corner wheat field.

Li Linshi silently retreated back into the river. He should have realized long ago how powerful Zhong Ying's "destructive force" was. Even he himself had been infuriated by her several times.

Xie Jixiang shook his head, "Sigh, Xiao Zhong..."

It's over. She's ruined this perfect match herself.

"I was originally planning to bring you into the painting team," Xie Jixiang sighed.

Zhong Ying didn't feel it was a great pity. She was content with just a few days of leisure and never intended to keep drawing promotional posters.

It's often said that you hate what you do, and Zhong Ying is no exception. Initially, she learned to draw because her mother thought girls should learn a special skill. Later, she chose to major in gaming because her father thought that industries related to the internet had a promising future. Perhaps when she first picked up a paintbrush, Zhong Ying did have some interest in it, but later... it all wore off.

Tonggan Village truly lives up to its reputation as a favorite of wealthy businessmen. With its beautiful mountains and clear waters, it's practically a paradise, except for its somewhat underdeveloped state. Zhong Ying really didn't want to travel all over the country with the painting team to paint propaganda posters. She was someone who wanted to be a couch potato for the rest of her life, and a couch potato should stay in one place and live a leisurely life.

When the members of the Tonggan production team saw the revised painting, they all understood what had happened.

People in this era value "everything is understood without words," and they don't like to reveal their true feelings. They also don't speak out bluntly or lack emotional intelligence. So no one actually asked Zhong Ying directly, "Are you rejecting people?"

Everything was understood without words. Moreover, another day had passed. The old and young members of the painting team bid farewell to everyone in the production team, and they thanked Zhong Ying for her help with great politeness and courtesy. Everyone understood even more. Well then, let's pretend nothing happened.

However, the propaganda posters left at the village entrance were really beautiful. They depicted vast fields of harvested wheat and people with joyful faces. Just looking at these pictures made the production team members feel that the hardships of the autumn harvest were nothing. Everything was worthwhile, all for the sake of the country. Only with a country can there be a home, and only when the country prospers can they have their own good life.

"What are those red words written at the bottom?" the illiterate person asked, pulling on someone else's arm.

Zhong Ying replied, "It's 'Go all out and strive for a bumper harvest in agriculture.' Uncle Qiang, did you skip the literacy class before?"

Liu Qiang waved his hand, "I didn't run away. My stupid brain just doesn't like to memorize things. I forget what I learn in the blink of an eye!"

The people gathered around looking at the poster burst into laughter.

Zhong Ying looked at the people and smiled gently. Reality was a more vivid picture than the propaganda posters on the wall.

Her gaze then swept past the crowd and landed on the Ganlin River behind them. The river was calm and still, just like the river in the painting.

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Author's Note: Zhong Ying: I can cut off all the unwanted romantic advances myself! (Yes, I am such a cold and ruthless woman.)