Xu Nuo woke up four times that night, each time saying she was thirsty and wanted to drink water.
While she was asleep, Li Xian got up again, went to the kitchen to start a fire, and boiled another pot of water.
Half of the water was taken out to dry in the yard, and the other half was kept warm on the stove, so that the water wouldn't get too hot or too cold when she wanted to drink it.
The room was filled with a domineering sweet fragrance, which seemed stronger and more intoxicating than usual.
Li Xian stood outside the door, not going in immediately. After being exposed to the cold wind for a while, he still felt inexplicably hot.
"Li Xian."
A soft sound came from behind him. Li Xian quickly turned around and saw Xu Nuo sitting blankly on the bed, her face pale. His heart ached, and he immediately forgot all about romance.
She went inside and called softly, "Nuonuo, what's wrong?"
Xu Nuo looked bewildered, unsure of what was wrong with her. She was acting strangely tonight. She looked up at him, a little aggrieved, and said, "I think I'm acting a little strange."
Her dark, grape-like eyes were misty with tears, and she nestled closer to me in a curled-up manner, looking very docile.
Li Xian sat down on the edge of the bed, leaned over and hugged her, afraid that he might scare her with his words: "Besides being thirsty, is there anything else that's bothering you?"
His tone was so cautious that Xu Nuo's nose tingled, and a feeling of attachment welled up in her heart. She leaned closer to him.
After thinking for a moment, she said, "I want to drink water, and then... I feel a little unwell."
"Where does it hurt?" Li Xian reached out and touched her forehead. Her head was still the same temperature; she didn't have a fever.
She rested her head on his hand, nuzzled it, and didn't say anything.
Li Xian frowned: "Does your stomach hurt? What about your head?"
"Hmm... headache, I guess." Xu Nuo's tone was full of uncertainty. She couldn't quite pinpoint what was wrong, but after his reminder, she felt a little dizzy.
Li Xian reached out and massaged her hands: "Is it any better?"
His fingertips were strong, yet controlled within a range she could tolerate. Xu Nuo hummed comfortably, squinting her eyes as she enjoyed it for a while.
After a while, she said pitifully, "I want to drink water, I'm thirsty."
Li Xian brought her the water he had prepared earlier, and seeing her gulp down a large bowl of it, his brows furrowed even more.
Who drinks water like that? He's already had his seventh bowl in one night.
He grabbed a flashlight, turned it on, and placed it on the bed. Xu Nuo asked him, "What are you doing?"
Li Xian's tone was somewhat serious: "Check if it's been bitten by any insects."
There are many poisonous snakes and insects in the countryside, and Li Xian was afraid that she had been bitten by something and poisoned.
At that moment, he disregarded everything else, rolled up her sleeve, and held her arm up to examine it carefully.
The flashlight beam was white and bright, as if water was glazing on her jade-like arm, which was slender and white, and incredibly smooth and soft to the touch.
A sweet fragrance fills the room, captivating the mind and spirit.
It's like poison.
Li Xian's breathing was intermittent, like a broken blower.
He bit his tongue hard, tasting the blood, and the heat in his heart subsided slightly.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
Before he could finish venting his anger, Xu Nuo leaned closer, her voice soft and sweet: "Did you get bitten by any bugs?"
Li Xian didn't speak.
Receiving no response, Xu Nuo leaned closer and casually braced herself with her other hand, only to find herself braced against that spot.
"Ugh." Li Xian's body trembled violently.
Xu Nuo was also taken aback and somewhat at a loss for words: "You..."
Li Xian closed his eyes with difficulty, moved away a little, gritted his teeth, and said with great remorse, "I'm sorry."
His voice had an indescribable hoarseness, which, when it reached Xu Nuo's ears, felt like a feather tickling her heart. The dryness in her mouth intensified, and she felt even more uncomfortable, so uncomfortable that she wanted to cry.
She really cried, and in her confused state, she leaned closer to him. The reassuring scent emanating from him seemed to dispel her unspeakable discomfort.
Xu Nuo's breathing became slightly labored and disordered. To verify her guess, she climbed up and found his tightly clenched lips, trembling as she pressed down on them.
The string in Li Xian's heart snapped with a snap.
Having lived to the age of nineteen in another world, even if she had never eaten pork, she had at least seen pigs run. She knew what she should know, and also knew a little about what she shouldn't know.
Xu Nuo thought with a touch of despair, "Didn't I become a strong female knight in a period novel, but instead...?"
Her thoughts were interrupted as the man took the initiative, showering her with kisses like a storm, stealing away the last bit of air she had left.
"Mmm." She let out a small sob, a sound that seemed to be both joy and tears.
At that sound, Li Xian's rationality was slightly pulled back. He bit his tongue hard and released the person.
He picked up the bowl from the bedside and said in a hoarse voice, "Nuonuo, herbal water, make some herbal water."
Xu Nuo, seemingly understanding but not quite, placed her hand over her fingertips, and in an instant, a stream of fragrant water flowed from her fingertips.
The herbal water fell into the bowl, and Li Xian took a sip himself before feeding it to Xu Nuo.
The antidote entered the mouth, like water covering the fire.
Sweetness returned to normal, and the two of them gradually calmed down.
…
The next day, the sun was high in the sky.
The production team is turning the soil and planting seedlings today, and everyone is working hard.
Shen Cuiping doesn't usually work, but today she has a job recording grain rations with a pen. Although the work points aren't many, the work is easy, so Pan Yinhua lets her do it.
Shen Cuiping was unwilling, but dared not say no.
Although the work wasn't tiring, she was quite unhappy about being out in the scorching sun.
Thinking back to when I left, there was still no sound from Xia Jie'er's room next door, so that comrade from the city must still be sleeping in.
Lazy woman.
Shen Cuiping spat, and Gao Xiaoyun next to her asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
Just as Shen Cuiping was about to say no, a wicked thought suddenly arose in her mind, and the words slipped out: "You know the schoolteacher from the city who lives in my house, right?"
Gao Xiaoyun was taken aback, then nodded: "I remember, Comrade Xu Nuo, he's... quite handsome."
Gao Xiaoyun's tone was a little sour, and Shen Cuiping pouted: "She's pretty, but she's not a good person."
Gao Xiaoyun was eager to hear some gossip and idle chatter, so she asked excitedly, "What's up, Comrade Cuiping? What do you know?"
"I know about her shameful deeds."
An older woman who lived nearby walked over and asked, "Who is it? Whose shameful secret is this?"
There's no shortage of gossip spirit everywhere; everyone's ears are perked up, eager to hear about the scandalous affairs of that city woman.
While they were chatting enthusiastically, Xu Nuo was sleeping soundly in her room until the aroma of food wafted in, which finally woke her up.
Having slept well and feeling refreshed, she shouted in a loud and clear voice, "Li Xian!"
…
Because she had gone to bed late that day, Xu Nuo was about to go back to the brigade leader's house after dinner, and Li Xian took her back via the shortcut.
Xu Nuo thought Chang Xiaohong would be home, but there was no one at the Chang family's house. She stayed in the room for a while and felt extremely bored, so she decided to go to the commune canteen to find Xu Yan.
There is a shortcut that goes through the labor camp and directly to the commune canteen.
In a corner of the labor camp, a few women were gathered, discussing something.
Xu Nuo hadn't intended to eavesdrop, but he happened to hear Shen Cuiping's voice and took notice.
Shen Cuiping's voice was loud and excited, as if she had witnessed it herself, and she described it vividly.
Xu Nuo went to listen from the perimeter of the labor camp. When she heard who the protagonist of the story was, she couldn't help but frown and turn cold.
Shen Cuiping said, "Last night, I saw it with my own eyes. That teacher Xu Nuo from the city was dressed up so beautifully and was wearing perfume, the smell was just amazing. Then I hid behind the door and secretly watched her. She ran out like a thief. I was worried, so I... I thought she was going to relieve herself, and I also needed to relieve myself, so I followed her out. But she didn't go to the outhouse. Guess where she went?"
Perhaps she was too excited, because Shen Cuiping spoke incoherently, her sentences not connecting properly.
The group looked at each other, their expressions growing increasingly grim and disdainful: "Shen Cuiping, tell me quickly, what did you see?"
Shen Cuiping's heart pounded like a drum. The fear of being caught doing something wrong turned into the excitement of crying "Stop thief!" She described the scene vividly, gesturing wildly: "I saw her running towards the grassy area. She was running so happily that I couldn't catch up with her. I was so scared that I got lost. I walked and walked, and suddenly I heard some strange noises."
Someone asked, "What did you hear?"
Shen Cuiping chuckled, revealing a mouthful of disgustingly yellow teeth, but everyone was eager to hear the rest of the story, so no one paid any attention and urged her, "And then?"
"Then I heard the adulterous couple whispering sweet nothings in the haystack. Shameless, utterly shameless, it was utterly immoral! Shouldn't a woman like that be caught and drowned in a pig cage?"
Xu Nuo's sweet and innocent eyes grew colder and colder. She wished she could rush out, grab Shen Cuiping, and slap her hard twice to make her talk nonsense and cry foul.
But now was not the time. After thinking for a moment, she quickly turned around and ran towards Li Xian's house.
Li Xianzheng was squatting by the door watering the clump of flowers when he heard footsteps. He stood up and saw Xu Nuo running breathlessly. His heart skipped a beat, and he ran over quickly: "Nuonuo, what happened?"
"Quick, quick...go and bring Gao Ai...min here." Xu Nuo gasped for breath, grabbing Li Xian's arm and saying, "Chen Cui...ping, that...bad guy...hmph!"
Li Xian frowned, his face turning cold: "What did she do to you?"
Xu Nuo said angrily, "She wronged me... by accusing me of rolling around in a haystack with someone else."
The water ladle in Li Xian's hand cracked with a sound, spilling water all over the ground.
His eyes were as cold as ice, as if he wanted to skin and tear Shen Cuiping apart. Xu Nuo quickly pulled him: "Go and bring Gao Aimin over quickly. I have to go back to the classroom, otherwise they won't be able to find me."
"No, we can't go back." Li Xian grabbed her arm, his voice filled with resentment. "Those people are unreasonable. What if they get hurt..."
"No, right now Shen Cuiping is just talking nonsense. Do you think I don't have a mouth? Do you think I can't speak? Watch how I talk her to death. You didn't even hear what she said. It's full of holes. She can't even make up a story properly. She's also misusing idioms. Okay, I'm not going to say anymore. I'm going back to the battle. You go and bring Gao Aimin here right now."
Enraged, Xu Nuo's fear faded. She knew the key to this matter lay with Gao Aimin, and Li Xian knew it too. Only by bringing Gao Aimin here would it become clear who the thief was.
...
"Comrade Shen Cuiping, can you guarantee that everything you said is true?"
Captain Chang Youxin asked with a serious expression. Shen Cuiping was startled to hear her father-in-law call her "comrade," and felt a pang of fear. But remembering she had already lied, she forced herself to say, "Yes...yes, what I said is true. I saw it with my own eyes."
Pan Yinhua refused to believe it: "Then why didn't you say so last night?"
“It was so late last night, I... I didn’t dare to wake everyone up, but the Chairman said that we cannot protect criminals, so I... that’s why I said it.”
Upon hearing the news, Xu Yan rushed over and angrily said, "You're talking nonsense."
Shen Cuiping glanced at Xu Yan, who was being carried on Li Hong's back, and said confidently, "I'm telling the truth. I'm not making this up. I really saw it."
Xu Yan's eyes turned red with anger: "Pah, Nuonuo is not that kind of person. You are wronging her."
Li Hong also believed Xu Nuo: "That's right, Comrade Shen Cuiping, you have to be responsible for your words."
"Comrade Cuiping saw it all with her own eyes, how could it be false? Your sister is shameless enough to come to Luxian Village to seduce men. I think she should be dragged to Youlongtan and drowned in a pig cage."
"That's right, that's right."
"Pah, I told you long ago she's a vixen, a fox spirit."
"Looking at him like that, you can tell he's not someone to be trusted."
The educated youth who were on good terms with Xu Nuo retorted angrily: "Don't talk nonsense. Comrade Xu Nuo treats people with courtesy. She doesn't even talk to male comrades much. She is always very proper. Has any of you seen her do anything improper?"
Lu Xueyun snorted coldly: "Who knows what's going on in public and in private?"
"Yes." Seeing so many people supporting her, Shen Cuiping became arrogant: "That's right, Lu Zhiqing is right."
"Go, go and grab that tattered shoe."
A large group of people walked towards the classroom at the foot of the mountain.
When she arrived at the classroom, Shen Cuiping was even more furious.
Everyone was covered in dust and dirt after a day of farm work.
In contrast, Xu Nuo sat there politely, with red lips, white teeth, and sparkling eyes.
She looked at everyone, a slight smile playing on her lips, and said softly, "Why are you all here?"
…
Several children have been taken away, and the once quiet classroom is now packed with people.
Xu Nuo sat there, showing not the slightest bit of fear.
Gao Xiaoyun chimed in, "You say you're innocent, then why would Shen Cuiping falsely accuse you? It must be because you did something shameful."
Xu Nuo still had that smiling face, and even her voice was still as sweet as ever, which made the women who were already jealous of her appearance even more eager to beat her half to death.
She said, "Because I know Shen Cuiping's secret, she's afraid I'll tell, so she's crying wolf and framing me."
Everyone was taken aback.
Shen Cuiping screamed, "If you don't tell, who's crying 'stop thief'?"
Xu Nuo turned to look at Shen Cuiping and said coldly, "Comrade Shen Cuiping, you rolled around in the haystack with someone else, but you're accusing me. Isn't that the thief crying 'stop thief'?"
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