Chapter 23: The Little Troublemaker of the Seventies (23)

When he woke up, he glanced around—the familiar room, the familiar surroundings. But his body ached as if he had been given a sound beating. Surely, it was just a dream; it shouldn't have been that intense, right?

Meanwhile, Li Xiangyang had paid visits to three households, taking advantage of their slumber to give each of them a thrashing. It was fortunate they were such deep sleepers; otherwise, things wouldn't have gone so smoothly. After finishing the job, he felt refreshed and invigorated. He turned and headed toward the cowshed, carrying the white flour and rice that Li Xinxin had given him earlier that day.

Several respected elders lived in the cowshed. They had once been held in high regard, but now, that was a complicated matter.

"That girl had you bring us old folks supplies again?" Old Man Qin looked at the bag of white flour and sighed. "In this day and age, you are the only one who dares to associate with us."

The others sighed in succession. They had once enjoyed great prestige, but that was in the past. Thinking about how they had been denounced by their own subordinates, students, or even their own children, it was almost laughable—and bitingly ironic.

Li Xiangyang intended to drop off the items and leave, but he was held back. "Since you're here, stay and chat with us old folks for a while. Tell us how things are on the outside. Is it peaceful?"

They knew the young man often went up the mountain to hunt game to sell outside, which was how he kept himself well-fed and learned his trade. They couldn't leave the place, so they were cut off from the outside world. Since everyone shared the same stigmatized status, no one cared if they gathered together.

Things had improved significantly compared to previous years. The situation had once been exceptionally severe, making everyone move with extreme caution and carry the Little Red Book everywhere, reciting Chairman Mao’s quotations. In recent years, while one couldn't say the policies had relaxed entirely, the management had become less tense.

Li Xiangyang poured out all the news he had gathered. The elders nodded frequently, as if witnessing it all with their own eyes.

Toward the end, Old Man Qin asked, "Comrade Xiangyang, do you have feelings for that little girl, Li Xinxin? Otherwise, why would you go out of your way to help her so much? Would you like us old folks to pass on some experience? We still know a thing or two about chasing girls." Among them was an elderly couple who had walked through years of storms together; they had argued, but they had never once considered parting ways. Their affection remained deep, which was why they had made it to this day.

"No, I have no feelings for her," Li Xiangyang denied directly.

Old Man Qin teased him, "We’re all men here, no need to be shy. If you like her, you like her; there’s no need to hide it. Be a real man and be brave."

"I don't like her," he continued to deny.

"I haven't seen you get close to anyone else, only that girl Li Xinxin. What is there to hide from us old folks?"

"I really don't," Li Xiangyang sighed helplessly. What had given them the misconception that he liked Li Xinxin? He only saw the potential benefits in her, which was why he was willing to interact with her. Otherwise, she was no different from any other villager. "It's getting late. I'm heading back." He stood up and left the cowshed.

The elders looked at the white flour on the table and sighed again.

"I quite like that girl Li Xinxin. It’s a pity my eldest grandson isn't here, or I would have had him come over," Old Man Qin said with regret.

Old Man Zhang rolled his eyes at him. "In our current situation, don't you dare bring your grandson here. Xinxin is a good girl; don't drag her down with us."

"You're right."

"Enough, enough. Stop wallowing in sentimentality and get some sleep."

***

Ever since word got out about Liu Suisui brandishing a sickle at people, she had become famous overnight. Small in stature, but with a massive temper. Now, no one in the village dared to provoke her, and no one dared to get close to her either. However, she didn't care; it was a place she would eventually leave, and she didn't need to form any attachments.

"Here, the eggs you wanted." Li Xinxin arrived at the agreed-upon spot to trade.

Liu Suisui counted them, confirmed there were thirty, and gave a grateful smile. "Collecting these thirty eggs couldn't have been easy."

"It's alright, I have my ways." Li Xinxin curled her lips in triumph. Recalling what had happened a few days prior, she couldn't help but ask, "When you swung that sickle, weren't you afraid? Weren't you truly afraid of cutting someone?"

She had never seen someone so tough—or rather, she had never seen a woman like that. In her basic understanding, women were always submissive; even if bullied, they could only swallow their bitterness. But the girl before her hadn't done that; instead, she had shown great courage.

Looking back, Liu Suisui felt a lingering fear. If she had actually cut someone, she would probably have been traumatized herself, right?

"I controlled the distance. If he didn't dodge, I would have swung to the side. But if he dodged, I would have swung directly. Regardless of the process, the outcome was that I intimidated him, and that was enough."

"But hasn't your reputation been ruined?" Now, everyone was terrified of her, fearing she might start hacking away at the slightest provocation.

"It's fine. At least now no one comes to bother me," Liu Suisui said, adapting well.

"Everyone is saying you won't be able to get married in the future."

"I'm only sixteen. Why would I get married? By the time I'm twenty, four years will have passed. Do they really think they'll still remember this?"

Li Xinxin fell silent. The girl acted boldly, her thinking was liberated, and she was unbound by conventions, living only for her own comfort. Did she really have to follow all those rigid rules? Why care about the opinions of others? Just to make herself miserable?

"Educated Youth Liu, you see things very clearly," she sighed. She used to think all women in the world were the same: born, raised, married, and spending their entire lives in toil. It wasn't until she couldn't stand the status quo and rebelled that she discovered there was another way to live. Hearing Liu Suisui's words now, she felt her own world becoming much clearer. "You're right. Other people's opinions aren't important. What matters is being happy."

After working for many days, Liu Suisui felt she should take a break. She planned to go to the city to buy some textbooks. The team leader had no way to deal with her; whether an educated youth worked or not didn't affect the growth of the crops in the field. Since that was the case, he approved her leave.

At the same time, she invited Li Xiangyang to go with her. He had always been the one to carry bags when they went out shopping; even in a different world, he wouldn't be escaping that duty.