Chapter 15: She Has No Conscience, and She Never Forgives a Grudge

As the bell signaling the end of the workday rang out, Lin Jingyue darted away like a wild horse freed from its reins. A few of the older women looked on, rolling their eyes in exasperation.

When Lin Jingyue returned to the commune’s youth quarters, Jiang Xun was already cleaning the rabbit, with Zhou Yan assisting him.

“Comrade Lin, you’re back,” Zhou Yan greeted her, his eyes shining with familial warmth at the prospect of having meat for dinner.

“Yes,” Lin Jingyue replied, eyeing the wild rabbit as she pondered how best to prepare it. Though she was content to coast through life, her standards for food were anything but low; she had even taught herself to cook for that reason. Making dinner was never a challenge for her.

“How about we braise the rabbit with soy sauce?” she suggested to Jiang Xun, though her tone left no room for negotiation.

“Sure,” Jiang Xun agreed readily, indifferent to the choice.

No one asked Zhou Yan for his opinion; it simply didn’t matter.

The other youth soon filtered back. As they saw the three handling the rabbit, their eyes widened with envy. But since those three now cooked and ate separately, there was no advantage to be gained.

Chen Chunlan shot Lin Jingyue a covert glare. It was all her fault—always stirring up trouble and insisting on splitting off for meals as soon as she arrived, as if terrified someone might take advantage of her. Jiang Xun and Zhou Yan were both from the capital and lived more comfortably; Chen Chunlan and the others had benefited plenty from their largesse. The more she thought about it, the more annoyed Chen Chunlan became with Lin Jingyue.

“Be careful,” Wang Xueping said helplessly, giving her a gentle tug.

There were seven senior members in the group—Big Brother Luo Jianhua and Big Sister Xie Wenjuan, both of whom had been here for six or seven years. They’d never married; some of their peers had managed to return to the city, while others had settled down and started families in the countryside. Besides them, Chen Chunlan had arrived two years earlier, while Jiang Xun, Zhou Yan, Wang Xueping, and another male youth, Sun Liangdong, had all come the previous year.

This year, the group was larger—seven newcomers: Lin Jingyue, Lin Xinrou and their companion, Xia Nan, Du Jianguo, and a quiet young man named Yang Ming, also from the capital.

“Let’s go cook,” Wang Xueping said, exhausted after a full day’s work.

“I’ll help you,” Sun Liangdong volunteered quickly.

Wang Xueping smiled, but Chen Chunlan pulled them back. “Let them cook first,” she said, hoping to snag some scraps.

The others caught on to her meaning and kept silent.

“They’re not done yet. I have two taels of cured meat left—let’s treat ourselves tonight,” Wang Xueping offered.

“Xueping, you—”

“It’s fine, there isn’t much left anyway. Let’s just have a little extra,” Wang Xueping said nonchalantly. Her family was well-off and often sent her supplies.

“By the way, it’s not your turn to cook tonight. Where are Lin Xinrou and Xia Nan? Why aren’t they back?” Xie Wenjuan asked after washing her hands, frowning.

Women handled cooking at the youth point, two at a time each day. Xia Nan and Lin Xinrou, being new and with Lin Jingyue having split off, were paired together.

“They haven’t finished their tasks yet. They were kept behind,” Wang Xueping replied with a sigh.

“Not just them—Du Jianguo, Zhao Hua, and Lin Xinjian too. They were late this morning, and the brigade leader was already annoyed with them,” Chen Chunlan said, barely concealing her schadenfreude.

She glanced into the yard at Lin Jingyue and Yang Ming. Those two had adapted quickly, finishing their work on the very first day.

“So who’s going to cook?” Sun Liangdong asked, brow furrowed.

“We’ll swap with them,” Wang Xueping said, pulling Chen Chunlan along.

Chen Chunlan was reluctant, but the promise of cured meat swayed her. She agreed with a pout.

The two women headed into the kitchen, while the others returned to their rooms to lie down. A glimmer flickered in Lin Jingyue’s eyes—what an interesting place this was, full of fascinating people.

Meals at the youth point were simple: a pot of mixed-grain porridge, a dish of cabbage fried with cured meat—mostly cabbage, with the meat barely visible—a bowl of salty pickled vegetables, and a bowl of shredded radish salad. That was it.

“Comrade Lin, tonight you’ll get to taste Jiang Xun’s cooking. I guarantee you’ll be back for seconds,” Zhou Yan announced, blocking Lin Jingyue from the stove.

Lin Jingyue was surprised—Jiang Xun could cook?

“Are you sure we’re having braised rabbit?” Jiang Xun asked with a laugh.

“Absolutely,” she affirmed. If she could just sit and wait for dinner, she was happy to do so.

She watched Zhou Yan tend the fire, taking the chance to learn from him—it had taken her over ten minutes just to light it at noon.

Jiang Xun’s skills were no joke; his movements were deft, every gesture exuding the confidence of an experienced chef.

“For the staple, is rice all right?” Jiang Xun glanced at Lin Jingyue, who was sitting quietly by his side.

A sudden urge to feed this young woman swept over him, his ears tinging red—though no one noticed.

“Perfect! I love rice,” she replied. In both her lives, she’d been from the south—rice was her favorite.

Jiang Xun nodded and set about steaming three large bowls of rice. The bowls were wide-mouthed earthenware; Lin Jingyue could eat a lot, but even she couldn’t finish one.

Forty minutes later, the braised rabbit was ready, with tender chunks of potato and a side of freshly boiled baby bok choy. The fragrant dinner was complete.

Just as the three were about to eat, Lin Xinrou and the others returned, faces drawn with exhaustion.

The moment Lin Xinjian saw Lin Jingyue, hatred flashed in his eyes. Lin Xinrou managed to restrain herself, but her eyes were red with anger.

“Lin Jingyue, this is all your doing! Signing us up behind our backs—you’re so vicious!” Lin Xinjian’s strength was spent, but his glare looked as if he wanted to tear her apart.

Lin Jingyue calmly took a mouthful of rice, savoring a piece of braised rabbit. Delicious! Jiang Xun was a superb cook.

The others at the youth point looked at Lin Jingyue with varying degrees of reproach. Secretly signing someone up to be sent down to the countryside—how malicious! Yet she could still eat—what a heartless woman.

Lin Jingyue ate slowly, relishing the dejected faces of Lin Xinrou and the others. “I was just following your example. Lin Xinrou signed me up behind my back for the sake of my job—I’m only doing as you did. Why is it all right for you to set fires, but I can’t light a lamp?”

“Honestly, seeing you like this, I could eat half a bowl more. I’m thrilled.”

“Lin Jingyue, I’ll kill you!” Lin Xinjian’s eyes blazed with fury.

“Don’t—” Lin Xinrou held him back desperately.

“Sis, let me go! I’ll beat her to death today!”

Lin Jingyue took another bite of rice. “Come on, then. If I beat you half-paralyzed, you won’t have to work anymore.”

Her eager look made Lin Xinjian freeze, his anger stuck in his throat. He had a feeling Lin Jingyue would absolutely do it—she was a demon!

“Coward!” Lin Jingyue sneered when he hesitated, her smile openly provocative.

Lin Xinrou clung to Lin Xinjian, refusing to let him go. Their hatred for Lin Jingyue could not have been deeper.

The rest of the youth exchanged glances, seeing Lin Jingyue in a new light—vindictive and utterly heartless.

“Such a pity, really—a wasted opportunity,” Lin Jingyue sighed as the others retreated to the kitchen.

The original Lin Jingyue had only one life—if she didn’t make them question their very existence, she wasn’t living up to her name!

PS: Once again, let me make it clear—the heroine has a conscience, but only just. Don’t expect her to go soft; that’s not going to happen.