It was getting dark, and Huang Siwen rushed to the edge of the village without a care. She slipped and fell, scraping her skin on the gravel and wincing in pain. She ended up twisting her ankle.
There were very few pedestrians on the road, almost no one in sight, but a tall, muscular figure approached from afar.
"Ouch—" After hearing the noise, Huang Siwen deliberately made a sound to attract the attention of others, hoping that they would come to help her, but after waiting for a long time, there was still no response.
She looked up and saw a strong, muscular figure from behind. The clothes he wore looked familiar, and she couldn't help but look closer. Instinctively, she called out, "Zhao Fang..."
The man called Zhao Fang tensed up, his muscles taut. He couldn't ignore it, so he just turned his head with a cold expression and gestured to the other person with his eyes.
"I...I twisted my ankle." Huang Siwen felt as if something was completely out of her control, and she couldn't help but shrink her neck, her confidence instantly gone.
Zhao Fang is the eldest son of the brigade leader. He is an educated high school student and is now the village accountant. He is very capable, handsome, and the ideal man for many girls.
To be honest, if Huang Siwen hadn't been beautiful and educated, Zhao Fang might not have even been interested in her.
Although Zhao Fang felt some disgust towards Huang Siwen because of what had happened before, he still couldn't bear to watch a girl fall to the ground like that.
After helping her up, Zhao Fang immediately let go of her hand. His eagerness to avoid her hurt Huang Siwen's pride, and the little girl's tears instantly fell.
"Zhao Fang, how could you treat me like this? What have I done to wrong you?" Huang Siwen had no intention of settling down in this rural area and had no feelings for Zhao Fang. However, she was very proud and could not tolerate being treated like this.
“Huang Zhiqing, I’m also from the countryside.” Zhao Fang was somewhat relieved that he hadn’t invested too much emotion in Huang Siwen. After that day, he looked into it and found that many men in the village had given her gifts, which caused his goodwill towards her to plummet to negative value.
At first, Huang Siwen didn't react immediately. After thinking for a moment, she hurriedly explained, "I...I..."
But she was not good at lying at all, and after stammering for a long time, she still didn't know what to say.
“Huang Zhiqing, you don’t need to explain to me.” The two of you have no relationship to begin with. “I’m just giving you a piece of advice: don’t accept things from men indiscriminately. Apologize to Aunt Zhao and the others. Marrying Hong Jun is your best choice.”
Huang Siwen had only been in the village for less than half a year and didn't understand many things. The saying "gossip is a fearsome thing" wasn't just a figure of speech; if the other woman and Zhao Hongjun fell into the water together, no decent family in the village would be willing to marry her.
Unless she can return to the city, but given the current situation, it is extremely difficult for educated youth to return to the city.
It must be said that Zhao Fang's advice was well-intentioned, but Huang Siwen couldn't understand it. Her face immediately fell, she glared at him, and said coldly, "Since you said we have nothing to do with each other, what right do you have to interfere in my affairs? I did nothing wrong."
Without waiting for a response, she turned and limped away, wiping away tears as she went, feeling incredibly wronged.
Back home, she was a pampered daughter, spoiled by her parents. But here, she was unfamiliar with the place and had to be bullied. How could she not feel wronged? Since the other party was so stubborn, Zhao Fang had no choice but to carry his hoe home.
Life in the 1970s was simple. People went to work and came home on time every day, working from sunrise to sunset. It was tiring but fulfilling. However, this was the general trend of the times, and every household was very poor, struggling even to fill their stomachs.
Under Wuyou's tutelage, the mother and son often sneaked off to the back mountain just as dusk was falling. Their house was located in a remote area, closest to the back mountain, and no one had ever discovered them. Gradually, the western house became more lively, mostly with wild pheasants and rabbits they had caught, and every few days they could even have a little meat.
Zhao Hongjun worked with even more energy, earning ten centimeters a day, and his face gradually showed more smiles, making people happy to see him. Soon, the planting season ended, and the production team members had much less to do. Wuyou took the opportunity to ask for a day off, planning to take her son to town.
She's been here for almost a month and hasn't been to town yet. Her family's circumstances are really bad, so they have to find a way to earn some money.
Sitting on Uncle Niu's oxcart in the village, Wuyou closed his eyes to rest and breathe in the fresh air, while Zhao Hongjun looked around and chatted with Uncle Niu from time to time. He had only been to the town a handful of times in his life, and each time he went there to deliver grain. He never dared to wander off.
"Uncle Niu, are you going to town? Could you give us a ride?" A clear voice rang out from the roadside, and two figures quickly approached.
Zhao Hongjun frowned upon hearing the voice. It wasn't that he didn't welcome the person, but rather that the voice sounded familiar.
"Okay, let's go together!" Uncle Niu was indeed very generous, and besides, he would earn more money if he picked up another person, so naturally he was happy to do so.
At this moment, the two women approached. They were wearing white shirts and military green trousers, a fashionable outfit that only educated youth from the city would wear.
Yu Xiaohong only saw Wuyou and her son when she got closer. Her eyes flickered, and she subconsciously looked at Huang Siwen. The other party did not disappoint her. His face was hard and cold, like a lump of stone.
For some reason, Huang Siwen didn't argue with Wuyou and the others. He just pursed his lips and got into the car without saying a word.
Zhao Hongjun and his mother sat on one side, and the two women sat on the other. Neither side spoke, as if an invisible barrier had been erected, each looking at the scenery on either side without uttering a word.
The nearly one-hour journey finally came to an end. Uncle Niu dropped the people off by the roadside in town, told them when he would return, and then they dispersed.
Watching the carefree mother and son's leisurely backs, Huang Siwen pursed her lips even tighter, a part of her heart beginning to waver and crumble.
Time always proves things. Huang Siwen's spoiled temper easily offended people, and the previous farce had put her on someone's blacklist. Even if some boys were attracted to her beauty, their parents forbade them from associating with Huang Siwen, so they gradually gave up on the idea.
The people in the youth compound grew increasingly dissatisfied with her, and they would quarrel every few days, making her experience the pain of isolation and helplessness.
Only now did she realize that without the gifts and care from those men, it would be difficult for her to survive in this village.
“Siwen, didn’t you say you wanted to buy liberation shoes? Let’s go to the department store together! We can also call home while we’re at it.” Yu Xiaohong pretended not to see the other’s expression and tugged at her sleeve, heading in the opposite direction from Wuyou.
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