Ning Yuan looked at her and said, "If there's only one five-yuan note left in your box, then it's mine!"
Tang Zhenzhen was furious. She took out five yuan from the biscuit tin and said, "Ning Yuan, you're talking nonsense. This five yuan note is mine. Do you have that much money?!"
This five-yuan note with the large steel chain printed on it was something she kept in a box. She usually carried small change, a few cents or dimes, with her on her person.
If she hadn't trusted these few sycophants who lived with her but only knew how to fawn over her, she wouldn't have failed to lock the box properly.
Who knew that Ning Yuan, this little tagalong, would turn things upside down!
Ning Yuan smiled slightly: "My family can send me Evergreen biscuits and White Rabbit milk candy, so of course I get a living allowance."
These words immediately caused everyone to look at each other in surprise, and they began to whisper among themselves.
"That's true. It's not surprising that Ning Yuan's family could send her such high-end cookies and candies, even if it cost five yuan."
"So who stole from whom?"
The educated youth ate, lived, and worked in the village without spending any money, but their families would give them two or three yuan a month as a living allowance to buy things like soap, matches, and salt.
Five yuan is quite a lot.
Huang Xuehong was also a little confused. She subconsciously pointed at Ning Yuan and imitated Rong Zhaonan's tone from earlier: "Words are no proof. Do you have any evidence?"
Tang Zhenzhen sneered and waved the five-yuan note in her face: "Yeah, do you have any proof? Or do you call it? Will five yuan answer you? You're the kind of person who hangs out with bad guys..."
Before she could finish speaking, Ning Yuan seized the opportunity to snatch the money that was dangling in front of her.
Tang Zhenzhen was both shocked and furious: "You dare to rob me..."
The next moment, Ning Yuan held up the money and showed it to everyone: "Look carefully, everyone, my name is on this five-yuan note. I wrote it so I wouldn't lose the money!"
Everyone's eyes immediately focused on the five yuan in Ning Yuan's hand.
Sure enough, the five-yuan note printed with the image of a steelworker had two characters in the lower right corner: Ning Yuan.
Everyone was stunned. The money really did "agree" to Ning Yuan's request.
The villagers started looking at Tang Zhenzhen, and even at Huang Xuehong and Qin Xiaoxia, with strange expressions.
"So this money really did belong to Ning Zhiqing?!"
"Isn't this a case of the thief crying 'stop thief'? The evidence is all in the other person's hands, and she has no evidence at all, yet she accuses someone of stealing her things..."
The male educated youths were also bewildered by this bizarre reversal, wondering how the most beautiful girl in their team could have such a bad character.
Tang Zhenzhen's face flushed red and then turned pale. She reached out to snatch it, saying, "How could that be? When did you put your name on my money?!"
Ning Yuan immediately took a step back and coldly threw back the words she had just said: "You dare to rob me!"
Tang Zhenzhen, enraged, reached out to grab her again: "Give it back to me, that's my money! My money!!"
Li Yan reached out and grabbed her shoulder, his face serious and grim.
"Tang Zhiqing, have you made enough trouble? Making false accusations and labeling people is a crime!"
Tang Zhenzhen saw the disdain in Li Yan's eyes, her delicate face flushed red, and her chest heaved.
She desperately wanted to scream in despair—you bunch of idiots! She's the one who framed me! The money is mine, it's mine!!
But the gazes of those around her, and even Qin Xiaoxia's grip on her arm.
Tang Zhenzhen burst into tears instantly, choking back tears with grievance: "Li Yan... Deputy Secretary Li... I understand, I must have misremembered. I put my five yuan in Qin Xiaoxia's study notebook."
Qin Xiaoxia felt Tang Zhenzhen's fingers pinching her arm, which made her gasp in pain. She could only nod and say, "Yes, yes, yes... I remember now. There was five yuan of Zhenzhen's in my notebook."
That reason is so lame.
But... this escalation is not a good thing for the educated youth who hope to return to the city.
Li Yan glanced at Ning Yuan, then looked at the crying Tang Zhenzhen: "Return the money to Ning Zhiqing and apologize for the misunderstanding. The brigade can treat you as a first-time offender and not record it."
Tang Zhenzhen's fingertips were digging so hard that her palms were about to bleed, but she knew she couldn't... she couldn't break down on the spot, and she couldn't snatch the five yuan back from Ning Yuan.
She gave Ning Yuan a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Ning Yuan, I'm sorry... Can you forgive me?"
Ning Yuan looked at her calmly: "Be a good person and don't have any crooked thoughts, otherwise you'll lose both your wife and your army."
When she took the cookies and candies this morning, I guessed that Tang Zhenzhen wouldn't let it go so easily.
So she wrote her name in an inconspicuous place on the five-yuan note beforehand.
After saying that, she turned and went back to the small hut next to the cowshed.
Hearing her pointed sarcasm, Tang Zhenzhen wished she could rush up and scratch Hua Ningyuan's face.
But it was Qin Xiaoxia who pulled her back. She gritted her teeth, turned around with tears in her eyes, covered her face, and ran away in a hurry.
Watching Tang Zhenzhen run away, Huang Xuehong muttered resentfully, "Ning Yuan splashed me with stinky water..."
"Secretary Li, well... I'll take Xuehong to take a shower first!" Qin Xiaoxia gave Li Yan a dry laugh and dragged the smelly Huang Xuehong away.
The parties involved were no longer present. Li Yan glanced at the other educated youth and villagers who had come to watch the commotion and said, "Everyone, disperse."
As soon as the brigade leader spoke, everyone looked at each other, whispering about the matter, and then dispersed.
Li Yan looked at Rong Zhaonan with a cold expression and said, "Treat Ning Zhiqing well, do not bully or oppress women, study the leader's thoughts well, the brigade will check your ideological reform at any time!"
Rong Zhaonan lowered his cold, deep eyes and gave a slight sneer: "Yes..."
The key point in the young deputy secretary's words should be that he should treat Ning Zhiqing well, otherwise his ideological reform was not in place.
The little spy was quite charming and resourceful; he was very good at deceiving people.
Li Yan looked at Ning Yuan, his expression softening considerably: "Ning, Aunt Bai came from the commune this afternoon. She must have brought you your living expenses. She's waiting for you in the production team office."
Aunt Bai is Ning Yuan's aunt. She married into the neighboring village, but they were both under the jurisdiction of the same commune. It was Aunt Bai who brought Ning Yuan and Bai together.
Upon hearing her aunt's name, Ning Yuan stiffened and nodded absently, feeling flustered: "Okay."
Li Yan nodded and led Ning Yuan to leave, pretending that Rong Zhaonan didn't exist at all.
Rong Zhaonan watched them walk away with several people wearing red armbands.
Ning Yuan's aunt?
He coldly pushed up his old black-rimmed glasses and followed silently.
This is an opportunity to find out the truth about your so-called 'wife,' isn't it?
...
Ning Yuan and Li Yan walked silently together.
Li Yan wanted to ask her why, after spending several days together and agreeing to start dating when they met again, she had changed her mind.
But then I felt that saying anything was pointless, especially since there were other people around.
Ning Yuan had no interest in paying attention to Li Yan. She knew that her aunt must have come over immediately after hearing that she had gotten married.
If her mother was merely indifferent to her, her aunt was strict and demanding in terms of rules.
When she was little, no one in her family had time to take care of her, so during winter and summer vacations, they would leave her at her aunt's house to work as a laborer.
She was responsible for doing housework according to her aunt's instructions, but even if a few drops of water from washing dishes were left on the sink and not wiped off, or if she spoke a little louder.
They would be severely reprimanded—for being unruly, they would have to write a self-criticism, go without food, and be beaten with a stern face.
Her mother, however, felt that this was teaching her manners and even wanted to give her up for adoption to her aunt who had no daughters. It was only because her current father saw how much she was crying that he did not agree.
When she was assigned to this village during her rural assignment, her mother said she was lucky to have relatives to take care of her, and insisted on giving all the living expenses she was given to her aunt.
If I wanted to earn my monthly living expenses of two yuan and fifty cents, I had to work as a laborer for my aunt.
Then, they continued to be punished at every turn.
So in her past life, she was always afraid of this aunt who called herself her second mother, who was almost like a childhood trauma to her.
Unless she absolutely had to go to get her living expenses, she would rather stay at the educated youth settlement than go to her aunt's oppressive home.
In her past life, the only thing her aunt ever did that she was grateful for was introducing her to Li Yan as a potential partner.
It was only later that they learned that after they started dating, her aunt's two sons—her older cousin—were transferred to work in the commune.
After she and Li Yan got their marriage certificate, her younger cousin successfully obtained a spot in the army from their hometown.
Li Yan was forced to do all of this by his aunt.
Li Yan began to be annoyed by her from then on, feeling that it had a bad influence on him. He was an upright person and rarely sought personal gain for his family.
So much so that later, he resolutely refused to help her transfer out of the silk spinning factory where she worked three shifts and stood for ten hours a day.
Even though she suffered several miscarriages due to overwork, he felt it was all for the sake of glorious labor—it was what he should do.
He owes her and her family nothing.
Ning Yuan gave a slight, expressionless twitch at the corner of her lips.
Her sudden marriage completely ruined her aunt's plans, who always had the final say. What will her aunt do?
She felt a secret, cathartic sense of satisfaction.
I even wanted to see the furious expression on my aunt's face.
Rong Zhaonan silently watched Ning Yuan's expression from the shadows of the trees, lost in thought.
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