Chapter 22: The Little Troublemaker of the Seventies (22)

The man was stunned after being struck. He had only taken the opportunity to grope her while reaching for a tool, assuming she would swallow her pride and accept it. He never expected her to be so fierce.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, being hit by a woman left him with nowhere to hide his embarrassment. Once he regained his senses, he flew into a rage.

"What do you think you're doing, you little wench? I was just grabbing a hoe; why did you hit me? Do you think that just because you're an educated youth, you can act lawlessly and do whatever you please?"

Educated youths and villagers were distinct groups. Even after living together for so many years, the villagers remained xenophobic. Although everyone knew the man's character, he was one of their own, so how could they possibly make things difficult for him?

Immediately, people began to chime in.

"How can you, an educated youth, just go around hitting people?"

"Exactly, exactly. I think she just looks down on us villagers, which is why she's so arrogant."

"You can't use your status as an educated youth to discriminate against us common folk. What did we ever do to you?"

Once a few people spoke up, others followed suit, all centered on accusing her of wrongdoing. Yet, anyone with a clear eye could see it was the man's fault. If he hadn't reached out to grope her, how could things have ended up like this?

Liu Suisui looked at them coldly, her heart devoid of any ripples. The moment she struck him, she had already calculated their reaction. The status of an educated youth had its pros and cons, but here, the cons definitely outweighed the pros. However, that did not mean she was someone who would endure bullying at will.

"You! You are all bullies!"

Her eyes reddened, and she raised her voice, loudly denouncing their crimes.

"I have never used my status as an educated youth to do as I please. If he hadn't been handsy, why would I have hit him? Instead, you are the ones ganging up to bully me, isn't it just because you think I'm young and easy to push around?"

"If that's the case, I'll have to go to the Educated Youth Office. I want to ask them if every educated youth sent to the countryside is meant to be bullied by you!"

"Furthermore, molestation is a serious crime. If you aren't afraid, you are more than welcome to go to the Public Security Bureau with me!"

People aren't afraid of the strong; they are afraid of the reckless, and those with nothing to lose are the most dangerous. She was in the right in this matter; why should she cower?

To frame this as a minor issue, it was just an impulsive man taking liberties with a girl. To frame it as a major one, it was a deliberate provocation inciting conflict between the educated youths and the villagers. Everyone had their vulnerabilities, and these villagers weren't fools. Once this matter was reported to the police or reached the Educated Youth Office, the village would likely face reprimands from the leadership. Moreover, they could probably kiss their chances of being named an "Advanced Brigade" this year goodbye.

"You foul woman, stop threatening me! I didn't do anything. I just accidentally touched you, that's all. Stop acting like some chaste maiden; you dress so provocatively just to seduce men!"

"Slap!"

Liu Suisui struck him across the face again. The force of the blow made her own hand ache so much she wanted to wince. But she couldn't let her momentum falter now, so she grabbed a sickle from the side.

"Rather than letting you ruin my reputation, I might as well ruin it myself. Since your mouth only spits filth, I wouldn't mind helping you cut it off. What I wear is my business; your lack of self-control is your own problem. Besides, I am dressed very appropriately."

She was wearing a dress, and a long one at that, reaching nearly to her ankles. What kind of person with a distorted mind would say such things? It was nothing more than someone having those thoughts but being afraid of getting caught, so they splashed dirty water onto the woman instead.

When everyone saw Liu Suisui pick up the sickle, they thought she was just putting on a show to look tough. It wasn't until she actually swung the blade that they realized she was serious!

The man dodged instinctively, the blade narrowly missing his shoulder. He looked up, terrified, only to see her swing the sickle again. Scared out of his wits, he immediately fell to his knees.

"Grandma, I was wrong! I was really wrong! I was rambling, talking nonsense—it was my fault. Please, put the sickle down; I won't dare do it again."

He didn't even try to run; he just knelt right there.

Liu Suisui withdrew the sickle and gave a contemptuous laugh. "If I hear anyone spreading rumors about me again, I'll make sure you learn what 'bitter fruit' tastes like!"

The man nodded vigorously. Seeing that she had stopped, he scrambled to his feet, wiped the cold sweat from his back, and ran off. It was terrifying—she had truly wanted to hack him to death!

The others were also stunned into silence. Those who wanted to say something kept quiet, fearing that if she were mentally unstable, she might just start swinging that sickle at them too. Consequently, the rest of the queue remained quiet, and the other men behaved themselves, not daring to cause any more trouble.

The educated youths, who had initially intended to speak up for her, found that the matter was already resolved before they could even open their mouths. They were deeply impressed by Liu Suisui's efficiency.

When the last person came to collect their tools, Liu Suisui gave him a sweet smile.

"Comrade Li Xiangyang, do you think I was impressive just now? Did I look cool?" She struck a pose she imagined to be heroic.

Li Xiangyang pursed his lips, watching her with complex emotions. "Don't get yourself hurt." If she had actually injured someone, it would be difficult to appease the villagers. He had wanted to step in earlier but held back for fear of creating more trouble. When the man started spouting nonsense, he had almost lost his temper and charged over to hit him, but he hadn't expected her to resolve it herself.

"Hmph! What's the point of living if you're always going to be stifled? I’m the kind of person who vents my anger on the spot; I never let it last overnight. If you actually let yourself get sick from anger, people will just laugh at you."

Being a coward was useless and would only make you ill. She only had to stay in this village for two years; eventually, she would take the college entrance exam and go to Kyoto—that would be fun. Even if she didn't pass, she could go into business. She had plenty of options; she wasn't a soft pushover. Well, actually, if you set a lump of cotton on fire, it burns quite hot, too.

"As long as you're okay." He took his tools, left that sentence behind, and turned to walk away.

Liu Suisui watched his back and kicked the leg of the table. He was the one who had taught her these principles, after all. Besides, as the daughter of an elite family, how could she not have a temper? It was just that her actions just now had been a bit crude. Oh well, she wouldn't change that anyway.

...

Night fell, and the village was silent. In one of the rooms, a man knitted his brows, his expression grim. He wasn't sleeping soundly; in his dreams, he felt a monster chasing him. Then, the monster lunged at him, tearing and beating him until he was in such agony he wanted to scream, but something was stuffed in his throat, and he couldn't make a sound.