The straw in the fields, after setting aside enough for the livestock at the brigade’s breeding farm, was mostly chopped up and composted into fertilizer.
Afterwards, the village organized its members to start gathering mountain goods.
Yunyi spent two days foraging in the mountains. Aside from the share she had to hand over to the village, she also secretly stashed a considerable amount in her space.
She figured she would have some free time in the next few days, so she planned to quietly make a trip to Boar Ridge. She wanted to hunt a wild boar to make some smoked and cured meats, some of which she could send to Beijing.
The main reason, however, was that she was truly craving meat.
Today, as she walked down the mountain after work, Yunyi kept feeling that someone was constantly staring at her. When she used her spiritual power to look, she discovered she didn’t recognize the person.
However, that greedy gaze sent a chill down Yunyi’s spine.
Where did this disgusting creep come from? she wondered.
What she didn’t know was that this "disgusting creep" had been meticulously arranged for her by Deng Xiaojie. Deng Xiaojie had found the person before Yunyi even left for Tang City. However, it was only after all preparations were complete that she learned Yunyi had been temporarily transferred elsewhere.
This had infuriated Deng Xiaojie.
She had suffered a significant loss at Yunyi’s hands before. Then, by some cruel twist of fate, she’d had a bout of diarrhea so severe she almost fell into the latrine pit. Deng Xiaojie blamed Yunyi for all of it.
The more she thought about it, the more resentful she became, so she found someone to teach Yunyi a lesson.
And so, the moment Yunyi returned to the village, Deng Xiaojie promptly set her plan in motion.
Yunyi hadn’t deliberately offended anyone since arriving in Songling Village. However, there were indeed two or three people who disliked her, and it was likely they who had hired this man.
She wouldn’t pay him any mind.
Whether their schemes were covert or overt, they were all futile in the face of absolute strength.
After handing in her gathered goods from the collective task, she carried her share back to her small courtyard.
She arrived to find Liu Chenglin waiting there. "Is something wrong?" she asked.
Liu Chenglin looked somewhat uncomfortable. "Well," he began, "I wanted to talk to you about the private plot."
Yunyi then remembered her previous conversation with the fake Liu Chenglin. "What are your thoughts?" she asked.
Liu Chenglin glanced at the private plot, which was now withered and yellow. "I think it’s better if we plant our plots separately," he said. "After all, we have different tastes, and if they’re separate, we can each plan as we like."
Yunyi understood. She guessed the original Liu Chenglin hadn’t informed this one about her frequent outings. This Liu Chenglin had likely heard she was out and about every day and was worried that if they didn’t separate the private plot, she’d be eating the vegetables he grew for free.
Whether he truly thought that way or not, that’s what Yunyi guessed. "Alright," she said. "Do you want to ask the Branch Secretary and the others to come divide it, or should we just do it ourselves?"
Liu Chenglin looked toward the private plot. "Let’s just divide it ourselves. It doesn’t need to be too precise."
So, within a few minutes, the private plot was divided in two, with each of them taking half.
Liu Chenglin found some stones and placed them in the middle to mark the division.
The next day, Yunyi didn’t join the work team but went up the mountain alone.
She didn’t want to wait any longer. She was eager to find a wild boar; once the cured meat was smoked, it would be time to hunker down for the winter.
Moreover, she wanted to collect more firewood, as the older women in the village had thoroughly impressed upon her how cold the winters were there.
She also needed to gather more pine needles for kindling to avoid having to go up the mountain in the bitterly cold weather.
Just as Yunyi reached the foot of the back mountain, she sensed someone following her. Official source is N0velFire.ɴet
Yunyi pursed her lips. Bold, aren’t they? she thought.
She ignored the person following her and quickened her pace up the mountain, taking a path not commonly used by the villagers.
The man following her, Zhang Mazi, was thrilled. This little vixen, he thought, she’s really to my liking. It’s like she can’t wait to give herself to me!
He loved this kind of job. He’d get paid, and maybe even snag a "wife" for free. What a massive score! he thought.