The poor girl from the 1970s was forced to kiss by the damp educated youth.

The injured Liang Song and the unconscious Liang Zhu were carried home, and the onlookers dispersed.

The dark clouds dispersed, the moon emerged, and the stars hung low, seemingly within reach.

"Is Liangzhu really insane?" Chen Zhi wondered. "Liangzhu's tone is just like Chen Yao's. That widow Yu is called Xiaoru. I've heard Chen Yao call her that before. It's exactly the same tone as tonight, even the subtle transitions are the same."

Xi Lang looked in the direction the beam had left and said indifferently, "Whatever it is, it's nothing."

A wisp of resentment, almost dissipated, won't last until tonight.

"Xi Lang, do you think ghosts really exist in the world?" Chen Zhi asked, both scared and curious.

"If I said yes, would you be afraid to go out at night?" Xi Lang asked, and Chen Zhi frowned, looking conflicted.

Xi Lang laughed, "Have you ever seen a ghost in your life?"

Chen Zhi shook her head.

"That settles it then. We haven't seen one in over a decade, which shows that even if ghosts exist, we can't see them in everyday life." Xi Lang nudged Chen Zhi. "Alright, let's go back."

When Chen Zhi returned home, the family was talking about Widow Yu and her "lovers".

Aunt: "Chen Yao's wound became inflamed, and he developed a high fever after going to the hospital. He was in critical condition after only two days, and the Chen family brought him back before dawn this morning. The Chen family said they want the Liang family to pay them money, or they will have the police shoot Liang Bai."

Chen Da: "This isn't a serious injury, is it? Otherwise, why were there so many eunuchs in ancient times?"

Uncle: "You can't say that. In ancient times, eunuchs were all cleaned up when they were young, and many of them didn't survive. Besides, Chen Yao is older, so the impact will definitely be greater."

Chen Gui: "Where is that widow Yu?"

Aunt: "He's back too, injured and staying indoors. Did you hear that tonight? There were more than a dozen people standing by the beam. You can never judge a book by its cover. He seems like a decent person on the surface, but I never expected him to be like this behind people's backs."

Fortunately, hers wasn't there.

The men in the family couldn't help but feel relieved that they hadn't climbed over Widow Yu's wall, otherwise their names would have been among those who lost face.

Chen Mu: "Now that this has been exposed, what will become of those people and Widow Yu? Will they be paraded through the streets and subjected to public criticism?"

The uncle shook his head, "Someone died, it's hard to say."

"Alright, that's enough. Don't mention it in front of the children," Grandma said.

Chen Zhi came in at this moment, and Chen Dongqing was the first to notice her, or more precisely, the bird in her hand.

"Auntie, you've shot a bird again!"

Chen Dongqing ran over excitedly and hugged the birds tightly.

Chen Zhi released her grip at the opportune moment and asked, "Is anyone taking a shower? If not, I'll go take a shower first."

No one answered immediately.

Chen Zhi was very satisfied. "Then I'll wash first."

"Zhizhi, lend your slingshot to your brother for a day tomorrow," Chen Mu said.

"No."

"Why won't you lend it to me? I promise I won't break it."

"No."

"Brother will shoot you a big bird tomorrow."

"No."

"Please, brother."

"No."

Chen Mu glared angrily, "Don't call me brother anymore."

"I couldn't ask for more," Chen Zhi sneered.

Chen Mu gritted his teeth, "If you get bullied in the future, don't come looking for me."

Chen Zhi still sneered, "Even if I asked you, you wouldn't help me."

Not only will Chen Mu not help her, but no one in the Chen family will help her.

Overnight, news of Widow Yu and her "lovers" spread throughout the entire Sandong Village. That night, more than a dozen couples broke out in a fierce argument, smashing pots and chairs, creating a scene as lively as a New Year's celebration.

Chen Zhi was woken up early in the morning. She got up in a daze and ate breakfast when Chen Mu, who had gone to see what was going on, also returned.

"Seventh Uncle and the others carried Yao's body and blocked the Liang family's gate, demanding two hundred yuan in compensation from the Liang family, otherwise they wouldn't leave," Chen Mu said.

Chen Da: "What did the Liang family say?"

"The Liang family wouldn't open the door. The brigade leader and the secretary came and chased us away." Chen Mu's face was full of regret for not being able to watch the whole show.

"Alright, don't mention this at home, it's bad luck!" Grandma Ding Fangfang said unhappily. "Eat quickly, and then go do your chores."

Chen Zhi's group member today was still Liang Xiaoqiu. The two met but neither spoke. Xi Lang and Zhu Yuan were next to them, Li Zhou'an and Yang Wenyu were not far away, and Chen Peng and Chen Da were a little further away.

Everyone gathered together.

Li Zhou'an walked towards Chen Zhi with a lunchbox in his hand. As soon as he moved, everyone around him turned to look at him.

Li Zhou'an was poised and relaxed.

Chen Zhi was already hoeing the ground when Xi Lang walked up to her. She looked up with a puzzled expression.

"Didn't you say you wanted to eat bird eggs yesterday?" Xi Lang asked softly.

Chen Zhi's eyes lit up as she took the lunchbox and a pair of chopsticks from Xi Lang. "Stir-fried?"

"Boiled in water."

When Chen Zhi opened the lunchbox, she found that the bird eggs inside had already been peeled; no wonder she was given chopsticks.

"You can keep the kettle too."

Xi Lang put down the kettle and left.

Chen Zhi had something in her mouth, so she didn't speak, but just nodded.

There were more than a dozen bird eggs, which Chen Zhi ate in two or three minutes, along with the brown sugar ginger tea prepared by Xi Lang.

"Xi Lang has been very proactive these past few days. Has he really taken a liking to Chen Zhi?" Yang Wenyu's gaze darted back and forth between Chen Zhi and Xi Lang. "But you know what, these two have bad reputations, which makes them quite a good match."

Li Zhou'an tightened his grip on the hoe and didn't reply.

Yang Wenyu didn't let him off the hook, continuing, "Chen Jun has come to see you twice. What are you thinking? You don't like his daughter? If you ask me, Chen Xiuzhen isn't bad either. Even in the city, there aren't many girls who go to high school, and Chen Xiuzhen is pretty. Marry her, and you'll have the biggest backer in the village. Maybe the next spot at the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers University will be yours. Brother, don't you want to go to university?"

Li Zhou'an paused, of course he wanted to go to university. He had studied hard for so many years, always ranking first, all for the sake of getting into university. He almost got a university recommendation letter, just a little bit short—

Thinking about this, Li Zhou'an still felt resentful.

"If there are any openings at the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers University, Chen Jun will give priority to Chen Xiuzhen."

"But what if Chen Xiuzhen willingly gives it to you?"

At noon, while everyone else was eating, Chen Zhi's lunch was delayed.

Could it be that her family knew Xi Lang was bringing her food, so they saved her portion?

The thought of this possibility darkened Chen Zhi's face; the work points she earned belonged to her family. If her family didn't give her food, she wouldn't go to work tomorrow.

When Xi Lang came over with his basket on his back, he saw Chen Zhi angrily pulling at the grass on the ground, not even taking out her favorite slingshot to play with.

"What's wrong?"

My grandma didn't bring me food.

"Maybe something got in the way." Xi Lang handed the lunchbox to Chen Zhi. "Eat what I brought first."

The dishes were the same as yesterday, but there were noticeably more pieces of meat today.

As usual, Chen Zhi ate the meat first, and then ate the other dishes.

"Do you like this meat?"

"like."

Chen Zhi couldn't describe the feeling; it was like a desire from an instinct.

Xi Lang: "There are still many, I'll save them all for you."

Chen Zhi's heart felt as if it had been gently bumped by something, throwing her off balance. She lowered her head, not daring to look at Xi Lang.

Xi Lang has been acting very strangely these past few days.

Just as Chen Zhi finished eating, her uncle Chen Dexian rushed towards her with a bowl in his hand, looking anxious. "Your eldest cousin is dying. Your grandparents and your uncle's family have all gone to your brother-in-law's house. They left in such a hurry that they didn't have time to tell you. You must be starving. This is your uncle's lunch. Eat some to tide you over."

My older cousin is dying?

Chen Zhi frowned, looked at the bowl placed in front of her, and shook her head, "I've already eaten."

Chen Zhi pointed to the lunchbox on the ground and Xi Lang, who was still standing nearby, "My friend brought this to me."

The bowl in my uncle's hand is his own lunch, right? If he gives it to her, what will he eat?

This uncle was one of the few people who had any goodwill towards Chen Zhi. But he had his own children, and he couldn't even take care of his own, let alone pay much attention to his cousin's daughter.

"It's good that you've eaten," Chen Dexian said, glancing at Xi Lang beside him. He had many questions in his mind, but after all, Xi Lang was just a cousin, and there were many things he couldn't control.

Xi Lang nodded slightly to Chen Dexian and said politely, "Hello, Uncle."

"Hello," Chen Dexian said, then looked at Chen Zhi, "If you have any problems, talk to your mother. She would never harm you."

After saying that, Chen Dexian left without waiting for Chen Zhi's reaction.

When I got home in the evening, the house was quiet and there was no one there.

Chen Zhi went to boil water for the bath. The cabinet containing firewood, rice, oil, and salt was locked with a padlock, so she couldn't cook even if she wanted to.

A short while later, Chen's mother, Chen Ye, and Chen Mu also returned.

There are only four people in their family.

"Mom, I'm hungry, please cook." Chen Mu said weakly.

Mrs. Chen shook her head. "I don't have the key, I can't open the cabinet. I'll go to your Uncle Dexian's house to borrow some rice and a few sweet potatoes, let's have sweet potato porridge."

Chen Mu wasn't too happy, but he didn't say anything. He turned to look at Chen Zhi and asked, "You didn't shoot any birds today?"

"I tried, but missed. The bird has become a spirit." Chen Zhi lied through his teeth.

Chen Mu snorted coldly, "I told you to give me the slingshot so I could shoot it."

Chen Zhi: "If you want to, just make one yourself."

Chen Mu stared wide-eyed. If he could do it, would he have been eyeing her slingshot for so long?

My uncle's family didn't come back all night.

Breakfast was made with rice borrowed by Chen's mother, who cooked a pot of porridge.

Chen Zhi ate only half a full meal. When she arrived at the field in the morning, Xi Lang fed her two egg pancakes, which barely filled her up.

At noon, Chen Ye brought Chen Zhi a bowl of sweet potato rice and told her, "My eldest cousin has died. My uncle's family will not come back until after the funeral."

Chen Zhi gave a blank "hmm".

Seeing her like this, Chen Ye got angry. "You're so cold-blooded. Your older cousin is dead, and you don't even shed a single tear."

Chen Zhi looked up and saw that Chen Ye's eyes were red, as if she had just been crying. Chen Ye was close to her two older cousins, who often took her out to play. Now that her eldest cousin had passed away, it was normal for Chen Ye to be sad.

But what does this have to do with Chen Zhi?

Her two older cousins ​​bullied her a lot, and they even dragged Chen Ye into it.

To her, they were less than strangers. Strangers, at least, held no resentment or hatred.

When a person dies, the debt is settled. If she doesn't smile, she's already showing respect for this blood relationship.

Chen Ye stormed off in a huff.

Chen Zhi held a slingshot and shot stones into the sky. Today, her aim was exceptional, almost hitting the target every time. Birds fell from the sky one by one, and the people around her were green with envy.

Someone shamelessly asked Chen Zhi for two, but Chen Zhi refused; some children even tried to snatch them, but Chen Zhi didn't tolerate it either, and she beat each one who came up to her.

The children cried, and then their parents arrived and accused Chen Zhi of being immature and bullying the children.

Chen Zhi remained unmoved. "If they dare to rob me, I dare to beat them up."

"As expected, you were born of a mother but not taught by a father. Since your father won't teach you, I will teach you how to be a person."

An aunt rolled up her sleeves, revealing her rough hands from years of hard work, and walked angrily toward Chen Zhi.

Chen Zhi knew this aunt; she was a woman who had married into the family from the next village. Her surname was Lan, and her name was Lan Xiaoya.

Is he going to hit her?

Chen Zhi narrowed her eyes and grabbed a hoe from the side.

"Chen Zhi, injuring someone can land you in jail. Think it over." Li Zhou'an arrived at some point, followed by Yang Wenyu.

Liang Xiaoqiu stepped aside, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.

"You still want to hit your elders? Be careful, or you'll be struck by lightning!" Lan Xiaoya cursed, grabbing Chen Zhi's hoe as soon as she came up.

Seeing this, several children who were trying to snatch Chen Zhi's sparrow rushed over to help, each waving their little fists at Chen Zhi. Chen Zhi narrowed her eyes, grabbed her hoe, and spun around. Lan Xiaoya followed suit, spun around in a big circle, and knocked the children who rushed up to the ground one by one.

Seeing the children fall, the parents who were watching the commotion couldn't resist joining in.

The situation instantly spiraled out of control.

Chen Zhi was not afraid at all. She fought against ten people at once, pushing and kicking them as they were asked. A dozen people of all ages surrounded her, but none of them could get close to her.

Li Zhou'an and Yang Wenyu, who were standing to the side, were dumbfounded.

Yang Wenyu: "I didn't realize Chen Zhi had this skill."

Li Zhou'an: "It was indeed unexpected."

Liang Xiaoqiu was dazzled; at that moment, Chen Zhi shone brightly in her eyes.

When Xi Lang arrived, he saw Chen Zhi kick someone so hard they fell flat on their face. He couldn't help but smile. He was so worried that he lost his composure. With her current strength, no one could bully her.

Just as Chen Zhi had defeated everyone, Captain Chen Jun arrived.

He's been having a headache these past few days because of the issues between Chen Yao and Liang Bai's families, and now Chen Zhi's latest stunt has made him furious.

"Can someone tell me what's going on?!"

"Captain, she hit someone!" Lan Xiaoya pointed at Chen Zhi and added, "Everyone saw it."

"You tried to hit me first," Chen Zhi protested. "You bullied me because you were big and outnumbered, and you tried to steal the sparrows I shot down. When I refused, you tried to take them by force, and when you couldn't, you hit me. People around saw it all."

"You bullied the child first," Lan Xiaoya retorted.

"That was your child who stole my sparrow," Chen Zhi said. "Robbers are executed!"

"You're talking nonsense! He's just a child!"

"I'm seventeen, so I'm still a minor."

"You even hit us elders!"

"You elders are bullying me, a child."

"..."

In the past, Chen Zhi was always the one who was bullied and beaten. This time, it was her turn to beat others, and Chen Zhi felt extremely happy.

"Shut up, all of you!" Chen Renzheng snapped, pointing at Li Zhou'an beside him. "You tell me what happened?"

Li Zhou'an took a step forward, glanced at Lan Xiaoya, and then at Chen Zhi. He said, "The incident started when these children asked Chen Zhi for sparrows. When Chen Zhi refused, they tried to snatch them, and Chen Zhi beat them up. Then these aunties arrived and said that Chen Zhi was born of a mother but had no father to teach her, so they rolled up their sleeves to teach Chen Zhi a lesson, and that's how the fight started."

After settling things down, Li Zhou continued, "It was the children who started the trouble, and it was Aunt Lan who struck first. Now that we're at the police station, the children and the aunt are the ones at fault."

"Can't you speak properly? We're the ones who'll get beaten up." Lan Xiaoya glared at Li Zhou'an.

Chen Zhi sneered, "That's because you're incompetent. The enemy has come to our doorstep, and we're not allowed to fight back? There's no such logic anywhere."

Chen Renzheng had a terrible headache. He looked coldly at the children and women and said, "If you want to eat sparrows, hunt them yourselves. If you kill the four pests, I'll give you a verbal praise. What kind of skill is it to covet other people's things?"

Lan Xiaoya was unwilling to accept it. "We just took the beating for nothing?"

Chen Renzheng's face hardened. "Otherwise what? If they accuse you of robbery, then you deserve it."

"Exactly. Jackals and bandits will eventually die under our guns!" Chen Zhi was extremely proud of his first victory.

"Shut up!" Chen Renzheng directed his anger at Chen Zhi. "They are your brothers and sisters, your younger brother and elders, not enemies. Next time you hit someone, you'll have to apologize in front of the whole village."

After both sides were given equal blame, Chen Renzheng stormed off in a huff.

In front of several aunties and children, Chen Zhi continued to shoot birds in the air with her slingshot. One stone killed one sparrow, and the sparrows fell like dumplings being dropped into a pot. Xi Lang helped her pick them up.

The aunties were both angry and resentful, and the children burst into tears.

"Mom, I want a sparrow too."

"I want a slingshot, give me a slingshot."

"I want to eat meat, Mom, buy me some meat."

"..."

The cries were shrill and piercing. Several women, their faces dark, dragged their children away.

"Eat, eat, eat! I'll cut off a piece of my own flesh for you to eat!"

Chen Zhi shot down about ten more sparrows before her mood finally calmed down.

"Are you satisfied?" Xi Lang asked her.

"Mmm, I'm satisfied." I won for the first time, it feels so good.

Xi Lang smiled and said, "Well done."

Chen Zhi looked at Xi Lang in surprise, "Don't you think I went too far?"

"Of course not. They were trying to bully you, so it was only right for you to fight back."