When Li Yan saw the girl with big eyes in front of him, his stern expression softened.
He stepped forward and said, "You're all our comrades, don't be afraid. We're here to protect you and punish the bad elements!"
Ning Yuan's expression was complicated and dazed.
She and Li Yan have been married for decades, and there are no exaggerated plots like those in most novels, such as her being killed by her husband and his mistress.
Li Yan came from a distinguished family and was fair and impartial in his dealings. He became the youngest brigade secretary in the commune at a very young age.
They met through an introduction when she was sent to the countryside, and later fell in love freely.
Li Yan later studied forestry and became a promising young state-owned enterprise cadre.
By the time he turned thirty, he had become the youngest division-level cadre in a state-owned enterprise in the entire province.
She had always been just an ordinary worker in a company, and everyone said she had gotten incredibly lucky to become the wife of the department head.
As Eileen Chang once said, life is like a brocade robe crawling with lice.
She worked too hard at the silk spinning factory, working three shifts. She was pregnant and still had to do housework. She suffered three miscarriages because of the hard work. In the end, he was the only one who wanted to have a child and agreed to transfer her to the cashier position at the lumber mill to prevent her from having miscarriages again.
He was so busy with work that he was rarely home, and he disliked her for not being able to have a son, for her low education level, and for not having anything in common with her.
She has a bad temper and will curse at people at home if things don't go her way.
And then...
He had a female journalist from a news agency as his confidante.
Ning Yuan knew that Li Yan must have thought about divorcing her many times.
However, due to social influence, the female reporter waited for him for ten years, but in the end, he still did not end up with her.
Everyone in the staff quarters seemed to know something, but she could only pretend not to.
Her salary is low, and people of her generation are often judged and gossiped about if they get divorced.
Everyone says he's just having an affair, and that the man still has a family in his heart and doesn't mind that she can't have a son, so she should be grateful.
Can……
Every night, she would stay awake until dawn, her pillow soaked with tears, but during the day she would still act as a virtuous wife and loving mother, managing the household.
As time went by, Ning Yuan developed severe depression and suffered from insomnia night after night.
People with depression don't attack others like people with schizophrenia, but they do attack themselves.
She retired early from her workplace, and her health began to suffer from various immune problems, backaches, leg pains, and general discomfort.
This is a microcosm of the lives of countless virtuous wives and mothers of the older generation.
Ordinary and quiet, yet the pain is like a dense, persistent needle pricking my heart.
She fantasized countless times every night about going back to the beginning: would she still marry Li Yan?
And you, will you marry your husband again?
...
Ning Yuan stared blankly at the face in front of her.
Li Yan reached out and patted her shoulder with some concern: "Ning Yuan?"
Ning Yuan jolted, instinctively taking several steps back: "No!"
Li Yan's hand froze in mid-air, and the people around her wearing red armbands looked at each other in confusion. What was wrong with this female educated youth?
Ning Yuan took a deep breath to calm herself down and forced a smile: "I'm sorry, I'm just a little shocked."
Looking at the pale-faced girl with big eyes in front of him, Li Yan felt a pang of pity: "It's alright, the brigade will stand up for you and won't let a single bad person get away with it!"
As he spoke, he glared fiercely at Rong Zhaonan, who was leaning against the wall.
Rong Zhaonan looked at Ning Yuan expressionlessly, taking in her strange reaction.
What's the relationship between the petty spy and the brigade secretary? They're exchanging glances; it's not normal.
"Bad element, what are you looking at? Squat down and behave yourself!" Several people with red armbands nearby immediately reprimanded Rong Zhaonan when they saw Li Yan speak.
Ning Yuan also subconsciously looked at Rong Zhaonan.
He was very tall, wearing black-rimmed glasses, with his head down, his bangs covering half his face, and he squatted down against the wall with a pale and submissive look.
Ning Yuan instinctively took a few steps forward and stood in front of Rong Zhaonan: "Don't do this, he didn't bully me, he didn't do anything bad."
The red armband-wearing men were stunned, and Li Yan's expression turned serious again: "Ning Yuan, don't protect bad elements out of fear!"
Ning Yuan took a deep breath, raised her eyes to look at Li Yan: "No, I am not afraid, nor am I protecting bad elements. Dr. Rong and I are dating."
Li Yan's face turned pale, and he looked at Ning Yuan in disbelief.
Although they haven't officially defined their relationship or started dating, they clearly like each other.
He visited the village teams several times to inspect their work and assign tasks to the commune. Whenever he saw her, they always had a lot to talk about.
She looked at him with a mixture of shyness and joy, and they agreed to officially start dating on their second meeting.
He heard this morning that Ning Yuan had an accident last night, so he immediately brought people over. He has always believed that she is innocent and that someone must have bullied her last night.
But why...?
Just before they were about to confess their feelings and confirm their relationship, she changed?!
The red-armband-wearing men looked at Li Yan's ashen face and were a little confused. What was going on?
They also knew that the young brigade secretary was a promising young man from the surrounding area.
Many girls liked Li Yan, but he seemed to have taken a fancy to a female educated youth. He heard that she had been bullied by bad elements, so he rushed over early in the morning.
But judging from the current situation, it seems like Li Yan is the only one enthusiastic about shaving heads.
Ning Yuan looked away from Li Yan, clenching her fists: "I don't know who's spreading rumors, but Dr. Rong and I have already obtained the necessary certificates in the village, and we'll get our marriage certificate tomorrow!"
God gave her a second chance at life, and she doesn't want anything to do with Li Yan!
She wanted to change her way of life and never again... never again walk the old path of depression until old age.
I wasn't brave enough to take a chance before; now that it's over, it's time to say goodbye!
Li Yan stared blankly at her, feeling an indescribable pain in his heart.
It's as if something needs to be let go.
He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists: "Since... Ning Zhiqing wasn't bullied, that's good. I still have work to do, so I'll be going now!"
With that, he turned and strode away.
The rest of the red armband-wearing members looked at each other in bewilderment, then immediately followed suit.
Before long, the area around the cowshed became quiet.
Ning Yuan couldn't help but tear up, and leaned against the wall, feeling somewhat exhausted.
She... was truly saying goodbye to her past life, her heart aching with a mix of emotions of gain and loss.
Rong Zhaonan patted his pants, stood up, and looked in the direction Li Yan had left: "Is that young secretary your girlfriend? She doesn't like me at all."
Ning Yuan rubbed her temples wearily: "No, Li Yan is very upright in these matters. He would never retaliate against you because of me."
Although Li Yan was not a good husband, nor a good father.
But he was very upright in his work throughout his life, and was remarkably incorruptible.
Despite holding power, he was never corrupted and never sought personal gain.
Forget about giving him money as a bribe; even if someone gave him a basket of imported fruit, he would either refuse or hand it over.
He was honest and upright throughout his life, and his wife and daughters hardly ever benefited from his influence. He was a truly good cadre who was incorruptible!
Look, people are just that complicated.
Rong Zhaonan raised an eyebrow as he watched Ning Yuan speak of Li Yan in a familiar tone.
“You know him very well, why don’t you ask him to help you get out of your current predicament? You don’t need to marry me.”
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