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

Today is Chen Gui's wedding day, but Chen Zhi didn't take Chen Ye's words to heart, and didn't go back early in the morning to help with the work.

She got up and first cooked pig feed and breakfast. After eating breakfast, she went to prepare the vegetables.

After finishing all that, she read a book for a while.

Around noon, she fed the pigs, washed her hands, and then headed towards the Chen family's house.

Since getting married, Chen Zhi has never returned to the Chen family. Now, standing at the gate of the Chen family, looking at the familiar and old gate, she feels as if she has been in another world.

This place holds the memories of her more than ten years of tragic life, but thankfully, she escaped.

The person writing the gift list at the door was Chen Dexian, Chen Zhi's cousin. When he saw Chen Zhi, he greeted her with a smile, "Zhizhi is back."

Chen Zhi hummed in agreement, took out five one-yuan bills from her pocket, and placed them on the table with both hands. She glanced at the gift list and noticed that gifts included all sorts of things—money and gifts. The highest monetary gift so far was two yuan, given by her second cousin, Chen Hua. Other gifts included eggs, towels, wooden basins, and even two bunches of green vegetables and two potatoes.

It is clear that Sandong Village is truly poor.

When Chen Zhi took out five yuan, Chen De was stunned for a moment, then took it and wrote Chen Zhi's name on the gift list, followed by the amount of the gift.

"Let's go in and eat," Chen Dexian said to Chen Zhi.

Chen Zhi nodded and stepped into that familiar home.

Yesterday, when Chen Ye returned home, the bruises on her neck didn't escape the attention of her family. Chen Da and Chen Mu were furious and immediately wanted to confront Chen Zhi, but their grandmother stopped them. Grandma Ding Fangfang's reason was that they had a banquet tomorrow and couldn't afford any unforeseen complications.

The rest of the Chen family were unwilling, but they could only swallow their anger.

They had been waiting for Chen Zhi since early this morning, checking to see if each guest was her. They waited from morning until noon, and just as afternoon was approaching, Chen Zhi finally arrived.

The Chen family's anger reached its peak at this moment.

"Ha," Chen Mu sneered, "you still have the nerve to show your face?"

Chen Zhi remained expressionless. "I didn't want to come, but didn't you guys invite me?"

Chen Mu couldn't stand her nonchalant attitude. She used to be like a dog, crawling on the ground and letting them bully her. Now, why did she act so high and mighty, looking down on them?

Chen Mu raised his hand to strike that face, which, despite its beauty, still filled him with disgust.

But he was quick, and Chen Zhi was even faster; she grabbed the raised hand and squeezed it tightly.

A slight clicking sound rang out, and Chen Mu's face instantly turned pale, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.

Chen Zhi sneered, "Didn't Chen Ye tell you how I dealt with her yesterday?"

Chen Mu gritted his teeth, "Let go!"

He tried to slap Chen Zhi with his other hand, but Chen Zhi caught him anyway.

Pain also came from my other hand.

Chen Mu doubted whether Chen Zhi had crushed his hand. How could she have such strength?

"Chen Zhi, let go of your brother." Chen's mother came over and felt heartbroken when she saw her son's face covered in sweat.

Chen Zhi glanced at her lightly, released Chen Mu, and said, "Don't mess with me, or I'll repay you for all the tricks you've used on me over the years!"

Mrs. Chen frowned and said disapprovingly, "Even if we weren't good to you, you still grew up well."

Chen Zhi scoffed, "Then you might as well have strangled me the moment I was born."

Mrs. Chen was so angry that her eyes turned red. "If I had known you were this kind of thing, I should have drowned you in the potty the moment you were born."

In rural areas, cases of abandoned or drowned female infants are common.

Chen Zhi couldn't understand why the Chen family, who disliked her so much, didn't just abandon her.

"Yes, if that's the case, why don't you drown me?"

"Because your father won't give it to you," an elder in the clan sighed.

Chen Zhi looked at the elder and asked, "What do you mean?"

The elder's gaze fell on Chen Zhi, his expression extremely complicated. "Your father returned home barely alive, begging your uncle and grandparents to help raise you."

Chen Zhi did not stay for dinner at the Chen family's house and went back to her own home.

When she got home, she washed rice and cooked porridge. She cut off a piece of cured fish, boiled it in water, cleaned it, and then used it to stir-fry chili peppers.

Spicy cured fish and piping hot porridge—after finishing lunch, Chen Zhi's lips were slightly swollen, and she was covered in sweat, but she felt extremely refreshed.

After lunch, she carried her basket and went into the mountains.

She planned to cut some pig feed, hoping to save some rice bran and vegetables for her family before the vegetation in the mountains completely withered.

Besides pig feed, we're almost out of firewood.

If she can't find pig feed today, she'll carry some firewood back with her.

Chen Zhi was preoccupied with her own thoughts, and the little incident in the Chen family was forgotten without leaving a trace.

That evening, Zhao Jinbao came to fetch water and saw Chen Zhi carrying several sacks into the house.

"Where have you been again?" Zhao Jinbao was dumbfounded. Are there really that many good things in the mountains?

Chen Zhi casually tossed the bags on the ground. "They're pig feed."

The sack was filled with pig feed; it wouldn't break if you threw it on the ground.

The basket contained seven wild rabbits.

When Zhao Jinbao saw the wild rabbit, his eyes widened. What a fat rabbit!

"Sell or not?" he asked.

Chen Zhi nodded, "Sure, ten yuan each."

"Okay. I'll go back and discuss it with them first. Wait for me a moment." Zhao Jinbao said as he ran towards the educated youth settlement, forgetting even to take the water bucket.

Within two minutes, the people from the educated youth settlement arrived, and a group of them surrounded the seven rabbits.

"What a fat rabbit! We should weigh it."

They brought the scales.

Chen Zhi ignored them. She fed the pigs first, and then cooked dinner for herself.

"It's really fat!" Zhou Zhengping said in a low voice.

Seven rabbits, none of them weighing less than ten pounds.

Zhao Jinbao: "I plan to buy two for my family, smoke them, and then mail them back."

Zhu Yuan: "I also want to mail one home."

Zhou Zhengping thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll mail one home too."

You need ration coupons to buy meat in the city, but now that it's almost the end of the year, even if you have coupons, you might not be able to buy vegetables and meat.

Several people who send rabbits home also occasionally receive items mailed from home.

Yang Wenyu: "There are three left. How many should our educated youth settlement buy?"

They looked at each other, wanting to buy it, but they didn't have the money.

Zhao Yiqing: "Why don't we buy one first? Anyway, Chen Zhi often has prey here."

Others who think about it agree.

Yang Wenyu: "Then let's buy one first. The village will distribute grain in a couple of days, but money won't be distributed until the end of the year. For the next while, we probably won't be able to eat meat. Anyway, I'm out of money."

The others nodded in agreement; they couldn't afford it either.

The money I have now comes from selling chestnuts and lotus roots at the market these last two times. But now the chestnuts are all gone and the lotus roots are almost all dug up, so it will be even harder to make money in the future.

Zhao Jinbao: "I'll ask Li Zhou'an if he wants the remaining two rabbits. He also mentioned last time that he wanted to send some mountain produce home."

Yang Wenyu: "He's staying at the Party Secretary's house now, which isn't convenient, is it?"

Zhao Jinbao: "I can help him with the fumigation while I'm at it."

Yang Wenyu: "That's one way to do it."

In the end, Chen Zhi sold all seven rabbits, and she had seven more ten-yuan bills in her pocket.

After the meal, Chen Zhi cut pig feed, planning to cook it tonight and go into the mountains to chop firewood early tomorrow morning.

After Chen Zhi finished cooking the pig feed and turned off the fire, she was about to go back to sleep when she heard hurried footsteps approaching her house.

Almost instinctively, Chen Zhi locked the kitchen doors and windows, went out into the yard, and looked directly in the direction of the person who had come.

The moonlight was so bright that you could see everything clearly without needing to turn on a lamp.

"Chen Zhi, Chen Fu has been slashed," Chen said, panting heavily.

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhi's face remained expressionless, as if Chen Fu were a complete stranger to her, and whether he lived or died was none of her concern.

She had been beaten many times because of Chen Fu since she was a child. The last time her leg was broken was because Chen Fu stole money.

Although it wasn't Chen Fu who broke her leg, she still held a grudge against him.

Hearing that Chen Fu had been attacked, Chen Zhi felt neither pleasure nor sadness.

"I didn't mean for you to go see him," Chen Da explained. He also remembered the incident where Chen Zhi's leg was broken because Chen Fu stole money.

Chen Zhi grunted in agreement; she wouldn't go even if she were asked.

"I'm here to let you know that Chen Fu's injuries are very serious. I heard that his entire arm was almost severed. The Chen family just held a banquet, and I don't know if they have enough money to pay for Chen Fu's medical expenses. I'm afraid they might come after you, so please be prepared." Chen Da said.

Chen Zhi's affairs and the Chen family's affairs are family matters, and they are all relatives in the same clan. Even if he wanted to help Chen Zhi, his grandfather and father would not agree. All he could do was come and inform Chen Zhi in time.

"I understand, thank you." Chen Zhi frowned; this was something the Chen family would do.

From Chen Da's words, Chen Zhi learned that Chen Fu's injury was entirely undeserved. Chen Xiaofu, who was on his way to Niujiao Village to arrange a marriage, happened to witness a brawl between people from Sihe Village and Niujiao Village. While everyone else ran far away, he took advantage of his older brothers' inattention to run over and join the fun. As a result, swords and knives had no eyes, and this half-grown boy was slashed.

Chen Da: "The situation between Niujiao Village and Sihe Village is getting bigger and bigger. Now there are casualties in both villages. I heard that more than 30 people have died."

Chen Zhi was taken aback. "So many?"

"That's right." Chen Da sighed as well. "Now there are police stationed in both villages. These police are all armed and have said that if there is any fighting, they will open fire."

Chen Zhi: "What happened to those people who fought and killed?"

Chen Da: "They've all been arrested, and they probably can't escape going to jail. The scene was chaotic at the time, and nobody knows who attacked Chen Xiaofu. We can't even find anyone to compensate for his medical expenses."

At this point, Chen Da hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Chen Zhi asked, "What's wrong?"

Chen Da then said, "If the Chen family can't afford the medical bills, you might lose those three pigs."

Chen Zhi: "You mean they're going to come and steal my pigs?"

Chen Da nodded. "Chen Fu is the most favored in the Chen family. They would do anything for him. I know you're not afraid, and I know your strength, but if you fight with the Chen family and don't save Chen Fu, I'm afraid your reputation in the village will suffer again. After all, it's a matter of life and death. No matter how ugly things get on a daily basis, when it comes to life and death, people will sympathize with the weak."

Chen Zhi frowned deeply. She wondered if there was any way to completely sever ties with the Chen family once and for all.