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

Chen Zhi was in a daze all morning, and didn't even know to go home after work at noon. It was Xi Lang who came and took her back.

When she got home, Xi Lang washed her hands and face and let her take a warm bath, which made her seem to regain some consciousness.

"Xi Lang, Liang Xiaoqiu has been eaten by pigs," she murmured.

Xi Lang frowned, then relaxed. "This isn't your fault."

"I shouldn't have come back early last night. If I had waited until later, I might have noticed that something was wrong with her—"

"Chen Zhi, Liang Xiaoqiu is not your responsibility. Her accident has nothing to do with you. You did nothing wrong!" Xi Lang hugged her tightly, his arms clenching, a hint of suppressed anger in his voice.

Chen Zhi, however, remained oblivious, still lost in her own emotions, thinking, "How much pain must she have felt when the pigs were gnawing on her? She must have been terrified—"

"Chen Zhi!"

Xi Lang said coldly, grabbing Chen Zhi's shoulders and making her look into his eyes. "I told you, it's not your fault, it has nothing to do with you. You're tired now, go to sleep, okay?"

Chen Zhi nodded slowly and lay down on the bed.

Xi Lang lit an incense stick, and the scent of the burning incense was the same as the scent on his body. He then stood guard by Chen Zhi's bedside, holding one of Chen Zhi's hands.

Chen Zhi wasn't sleepy at first, but the fragrance made her eyelids grow heavier and heavier until she finally lost consciousness.

Once he was sure Chen Zhi was sound asleep, Xi Lang released her hand, left the room, and closed the door behind him.

Xi Lang stood under the eaves, gazing in the direction of the Liang family's house, his expression growing colder and colder.

Revenge is fine, but if you come to bother Chen Zhi, then don't blame him for being impolite.

Xi Lang asked Chen Zhi for two days off.

When Captain Chen Renzheng saw him, he hesitated, then finally sighed and asked, "You're not going anywhere far these next few days, are you?"

Xi Lang: "No."

Chen Renzheng was relieved. "That's good."

After seeing Xi Lang off, Chen Ren went to find Chen Jun and immediately asked, "What do you think we should do about the Liang family's matter?"

Chen Jun shook his head. "Report it truthfully and see what the higher-ups say."

The outcome may be inconclusive, but they did what they were supposed to do and have a clear conscience.

Chen Renzheng: "I was very uneasy, worried that something bad might happen."

Chen Jun gave a wry smile, "Me neither. I'll go ask my second aunt after dark. What did Xi Lang say?"

"I didn't ask. He's not from our village, and I'm still a little worried about him." Chen Renzheng paused, then added, "But he said he won't be going out anytime soon. If something really happens, he should be able to help, right?"

Chen Renzheng himself wasn't quite sure either.

When Chen Zhi woke up, Xi Lang was building a house with the workers.

"Did I miss my work start time?" she asked.

"I've asked for leave for you. I've left some books and pens in the hallway. Take a look first, and circle any words you don't understand. I'll teach you to recognize them in a bit," Xi Lang said.

On a chair in the corridor were two comic books, a piece of draft paper, and a pencil.

The comic book was only the size of a palm, mostly filled with pictures and very few words. Chen Zhi's mind was in turmoil; she didn't want to read, but Xi Lang insisted, so she took a look.

At first, she couldn't concentrate, but gradually, she became attracted by the pictures and content in the book.

Before she knew it, she had finished reading two books.

"Finished reading?" Xi Lang asked her, looking down at her.

Chen Zhi hummed in agreement, her face slightly flushed. "I don't recognize almost any of the words inside; I'm just looking at the paintings."

"It's alright." Xi Lang pulled up a chair and sat down. "I'll teach you."

Xi Lang took the book, pointed to the words, and read them to Chen Zhi one by one. His voice was clear, magnetic, and very pleasant to listen to. Chen Zhi couldn't help but pay more attention, and even after Xi Lang finished reading both books, she still felt that she hadn't had enough.

In the evening, Shi Xin came to pick up the workers, and Xi Lang asked him to help find some comic books.

"You read comic books?" Shi Xin was surprised.

"Can't I watch?" Xi Lang asked back.

"Yes, of course you can read them. Comic books are quite interesting. My kids and I have over a hundred comic books combined. Shall I bring them all for you?"

"Okay, bring everything, including extracurricular books. You can collect them as you see fit."

"There's no bookstore in town. I'll find one for you when I go to the county or city."

Thanks.

"If you really want to thank me, then get me some meat. After eating the meat here, other meats just don't feel quite right."

"no."

"......mean."

As night fell, before going to sleep, Xi Lang pasted a talisman on the door.

Chen Zhi had no dreams all night, and when she woke up, she found herself being held in Xi Lang's arms.

Why did Xi Lang get up so late today?

She was a little surprised.

Listening to Xi Lang's regular and strong heartbeat, her face slowly turned red.

"Awake?" Xi Lang's voice was slightly hoarse.

Chen Zhi hummed in agreement and got out of Xi Lang's arms.

Xi Lang dressed first, then went out and closed the door, leaving Chen Zhi alone. Chen Zhi took off the pajamas Xi Lang had made for her, changed into light blue long-sleeved shirts and trousers, and then went out.

"The water in the water tank is not enough. I'll go fetch some water. Will you stay at home by yourself?" Xi Lang asked for her opinion.

"I'll go fetch water, you stay home and make breakfast." They had to prepare breakfast for the workers, and Chen Zhi felt she couldn't manage it all.

She carried buckets of water out the door and met Zhao Jinbao, who was also on his way to fetch water.

"Did you hear crying last night?" Zhao Jinbao asked in a low voice.

Chen Zhi was completely confused. "Who was crying? I didn't hear anything."

Zhao Jinbao looked enigmatic, hesitant to speak, and finally managed to utter, "It's good that you can't hear me."

His tone was full of envy.

Chen Zhi was even more puzzled. Had something happened again last night?

There were quite a few people carrying water in the morning. They all had dark circles under their eyes, looked tired, and seemed like they hadn't slept enough.

"You heard it too last night?"

"I heard it, all night long."

"It was terrifying. We got up in the middle of the night to spread lime, but the sound still came in. It sounded like crying in your ear. We turned on the light, but we couldn't see anything. My children were terrified and all huddled together on our bed."

"Every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt has its debtor. We didn't harm her."

"Who can argue with that?"

"I saw my second aunt go to the Liang family early this morning, but I don't know what's going on now."

"Are the Liang family members alright?"

"I didn't see any members of the Liang family. They'll be at work soon, we'll see if they come."

"Where's the pig?"

"They're probably still keeping them, since they could sell them for over a hundred yuan at the end of the year. The Liang family can't bear to kill them."

"Oh dear, these pigs that have eaten people, aren't they afraid?"

"They're heartless, all they care about is money, what are they afraid of?"

......

"Did you hear Liang Xiaoqiu crying last night?" Chen Zhi asked Zhao Jinbao.

Zhao Jinbao nodded. "That's right. You really didn't hear me?"

Chen Zhi shook her head. "Maybe I was sleeping too soundly."

"Everyone's exhausted from working all day, and no one can sleep soundly. But that voice is right next to your ear, like she's crying right beside you. Even the deepest sleeper would wake up by now." Zhao Jinbao's face turned pale. "Chen Zhi, do you think Liang Xiaoqiu has become a ghost and come back for revenge?"

Chen Zhi was stumped; she didn't know either.

"Why don't you go back and ask Xi Lang?" Zhao Jinbao cautiously probed.

Chen Zhi pursed her lips and nodded after a long while.

Little did she know that just as she and Zhao Jinbao returned from fetching water, they saw a group of educated youth surrounding Zhao Jinbao.

"I saw the talismans on your door. Sell us a few," Yang Wenyu said.

Xi Lang remained silent.

"We didn't tell anyone about your unusual wolf-killing incident last time. We've been really kind to you. Please, sell us a few talismans." Zhou Zhengping pleaded.

Zhu Yuan: "Was there anything unusual about killing the wolf last time? Didn't you kill the wolf?"

"Grandma, this isn't the time to discuss this," Yang Wenyu said impatiently. "If you don't want to hear that crying tonight, just keep quiet for a while."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuan turned pale and fell silent.

Li Zhou'an: "Xi Lang, please help us out since we're all former educated youth. Don't worry, we won't tell anyone."

The others chimed in, "Yes, we won't tell anyone."

Xi Lang remained silent.

"Brother, I'm kneeling down to you." Zhou Zhengping bent his knees, actually about to kneel down.

He was tormented by that sound all night, and if it continued for another night, he would go crazy.

"You can have it."

Xi Lang said, glancing at Zhou Zhengping's now straight legs, "One talisman can be exchanged for five books."

"Okay, no problem, I'll gather the money and get it for you." Zhou Zhengping agreed readily.

The educated youth settlement had one dormitory room for men and one for women. They needed two talismans, and there were ten books in total. They went back and quickly gathered the materials, and took two talismans from Xi Lang.

As soon as Li Zhou'an and the others left, Chen Zhi couldn't help but ask, "Was it really Liang Xiaoqiu?"

Xi Lang looked into her eyes and said seriously, "If you're dead, you're no longer a person."

Chen Zhi was taken aback, as if she understood, yet also as if she didn't. She poured the water into the water vat and continued to fetch water.

When she returned with water again, there were a few more people in the house: Chen Peng, Chen Ergou, Chen Da, and Chen Xiaoshuai. Chen Peng, Chen Ergou, and Chen Da were just listless, but Chen Xiaoshuai looked like he had lost his soul, looking haggard as if he hadn't slept for days, with stubble growing on his face.

"Xi Lang, was it Xiao Qiu's ghost last night?" Chen Xiaoshuai looked at Xi Lang with red eyes and full of expectation.

Xi Lang: "So what if it is, and so what if it isn't?"

"I want to see Xiao Qiu, please help me, okay?" Chen Xiaoshuai pleaded.

Xi Lang shook his head. "I can't do it."

"You're so capable, how could you not do it?" Chen Xiaoshuai didn't believe it. "Is it because she doesn't want to see me? Is she blaming me? She must be blaming me."

Xi Lang: "I don't know."

Chen Xiaoshuai seemed not to hear Xi Lang's words and continued to mutter to himself, "It's my fault. I couldn't protect her. I'm so useless. I promised to marry her, but I failed."

"She must have been in a lot of pain last night when the pigs were biting her, which is why she kept crying all night."

"Was she crying all night the night before last? She cried all night, but no one came to save her. How scared and helpless she must have been."

"She was so pitiful; she was eaten by pigs."

"Oh right, the pig, that pig is still alive. I'm going to go kill it and avenge her!"

Chen Xiaoshuai ran away.

Chen Peng and the other two hurriedly followed.