Chapter Twenty-Four: The Second Clash with Yang Yue

"On what grounds did you hit me!"

Yang Yue gritted her teeth. If the person who had just struck her had been Xie Yunshu, she might have accepted it—after all, being outmatched meant she had to suffer the consequences. But what right did Lin Jingshu have to interfere?

It wasn't as if she had stolen Lin Jingshu’s application form; there was no need for her to be such a busybody! Especially... especially since this bitch had slapped her right in front of Jiang, the educated youth. Being slapped in front of the man she pined for by someone who clearly envied her was enough to make a person want to smash their head against a wall. Yet, Lin Jingshu stood her ground with even more righteous indignation.

"So what if I hit you? If you've got the guts, let's have a one-on-one!"

A one-on-one?

Don't make her laugh; she obviously couldn't win. Just looking at the intensity and ferocity Lin Jingshu had displayed, the two slaps had already left Yang Yue’s head spinning. If she actually stepped into a fight, she might end up being shoved into the river by this bitch, Lin Jingshu, in the next second.

Yang Yue gnashed her teeth, cursing her as a shrew, but she kept her voice low, terrified that if she grew too loud, Lin Jingshu would strike her again. After all, she had realized over the past two days that this Lin Jingshu was nothing but a reckless, unreasonable tigress.

...

But Lin Jingshu was right; this wasn't over. The victim hadn't even had her revenge yet.

Chen Ming, who had only just realized the full sequence of events, added fuel to the fire, cheering Yunshu on with fervor: "Yunshu, don't feel burdened! If she dares to bully you, just hit her back! It's only right and proper!"

"If it weren't for my family rule against hitting women, I would have done it myself to help you vent!"

"Shut up! You blockhead!"

Jiang Xiucheng slammed his hand onto Chen Ming’s face, pinning him down as the boy hopped about. Pei Wenyuan, fearing that Jiang Xiucheng wouldn't be able to hold the hulking oaf back alone—after all, this was a fight between girls, and why would a grown man want to join in?—pressed down on him as well, leaving Chen Ming to struggle in vain.

With the three boys occupied, they no longer looked like a gang of thugs waiting for their leader to make a move. Yunshu and Lin Jingshu exchanged a glance, the strange feeling that they were a small gang blocking someone after school fading slightly.

After all, they weren't schoolyard bullies; they were a league of heroes ridding the world of evil!

Seeing Yang Yue, already reduced to tears by Chen Ming’s words, Yunshu did not hesitate. She breathed onto her palms, stepped forward decisively, and unleashed a smooth, practiced combo. She landed her blows on the side of Yang Yue’s face that already bore the imprint of Lin Jingshu’s hand, leaving a glowing red mark on her cheek.

Although her own hand was red and stinging, a voice in Yunshu’s head was screaming with pure satisfaction—'Refreshing!'

Yang Yue collapsed to the ground, unable to withstand the force, covering her burning, numb cheek and sobbing until she was nearly silent. Yunshu, who lacked the "lone wolf" mentality of heroines reborn from the apocalypse, felt a slight pang of unease at the sight, but she was no saint who returned evil with good, and she had no intention of using this opportunity to make peace with Yang Yue.

Besides, she knew Yang Yue would likely only hate them more.

Hand in hand with her true best friend, Yunshu turned to leave. After walking for a moment, she glanced back.

As expected, Yang Yue was glaring at them with bloodshot eyes, filled with a hatred so thick it couldn't be dissolved.

Evil people never believe they are in the wrong; they only ever resent others for not behaving according to their wishes—for not quietly dying, or allowing themselves to be picked clean to the bone and trampled into the mud.

In the original story, Yang Yue was like a cockroach that refused to die, failing and fighting again countless times, dedicated to framing the heroine, Lin Jingshu. Although she ultimately suffered the consequences of her own actions, there was no denying that she had successfully disrupted Lin Jingshu’s life.

Now that they had arrived at the Fengsheng Brigade only a few days ago and had already triggered a conflict comparable to the latter half of the original story, it was likely that Yang Yue would become even more extreme, employing even more underhanded methods against them.

...

Turning back, Yunshu grew more vigilant toward Yang Yue. However, upon returning, they all acted as if nothing had happened.

Yang Yue returned much later. Yunshu, who was watching Chen Ming drill a hole in the glass window to install a chimney, caught a glimpse of her; Yang Yue’s cheek had swollen down quite a bit, but it was still conspicuously red.

There were water stains on her clothes, suggesting she had used river water to cool her face.

The main house now had electricity and lights installed, and Yang Yue’s odd appearance was quickly noticed by the other female educated youths. They gathered around her in surprise, wanting to know what had happened. Yang Yue’s subconscious instinct was to splash mud on Yunshu and Lin Jingshu.

But recalling the disgusted, cold look Jiang Xiucheng had given her by the river, and the threat from Lin Jingshu, Yang Yue covered her cheek and stammered for a long while before making an excuse that a bug had landed on her face and she had accidentally hit herself twice while trying to shoo it away.

There were indeed many insects in late autumn, but no one hits themselves like that while shooing a bug; the truth was clearly otherwise.

The female youths in the room exchanged glances, suppressing their endless curiosity. The eldest among them handed Yang Yue a box of peppermint oil, and after comforting her and telling her to sleep early, the group dispersed.

That night, lying on the kang after the lights were out and having applied the peppermint oil, which made her face feel slightly better, Yang Yue felt only deeper hatred.

Staring fixedly out the window at the single room where the two girls still had their lights on, Yang Yue’s eyes were as red as if they were dripping blood.

She was filled with jealousy, resentment, bitterness, and a refusal to admit defeat!

She thought to herself that only when those two bitches knelt on the ground and begged her would she be cured of this nightmare and untangle the knot that was slowly becoming a festering obsession.

...

While Yang Yue drifted into an uneasy sleep filled with jealousy and hatred, Yunshu and the others were excitedly lighting the lamp to test the coal stove that Chen Ming and Pei Wenyuan had bought from the county town.

The device was truly useful. They had removed the small glass pane at the top of the front window and filled the space with bricks and mud, leaving only a hole just large enough for the chimney. The coal stove was placed next to the small square table, and since the door opened outward, there was no risk of them colliding.

It would be much more convenient for boiling water and cooking in the spring, summer, and autumn, and they wouldn't have to worry about overheating the kang the moment they lit a fire, which used to keep them awake at night.

Once again reflecting on how efficient Pei Wenyuan was, Yunshu and Lin Jingshu gave him the money for the stove. Pei Wenyuan didn't stand on ceremony; after all, it cost dozens of yuan, not something small like candy, snacks, or meat and eggs that they could trade as casual favors.

It had been another turbulent day. After extinguishing the coal stove, Yunshu locked the door, climbed onto the kang, and tucked herself into the quilt, feeling quite reflective.

When reading the book, she had always found the scenes where the heroine slapped the villainess quite satisfying, and she never understood how the villainess's brain worked—why couldn't they learn their lesson instead of obsessively targeting the heroine?

But now that it was happening to her and Yang Yue in reality, she felt that perhaps it was just a reflection of life; after all, people like Yang Yue truly existed in this world.