Chapter 323

The fourth day of the Lunar New Year, morning.

Today is the first sunny day after the heavy snow. The sky is exceptionally blue, and behind the red clouds in the east, half a face is hidden, shooting out rays of intense sunlight.

Chen Chen Chen Zijin had just gotten up and was chatting with Tian Run'e, who was cooking on the first floor. Just as she was planning to go out and return to her own home across the street, she suddenly bumped into Xiao Han.

Xiao Han was carrying a bag, wearing a deep blue plaid long trench coat. Her hair was gently pinned up, her face was bare, her eyebrows were delicate, and her eyes were almond-shaped. She was slender, elegant, and refined. Her shoulders and neck were as white as fine porcelain, and her waist was supple and graceful. She was in the prime of her womanhood. She was tall, and her light steps carried a fragrant breeze. One smile could topple a city, and every eyebrow and eye was full of charm.

The sisters Li Xi and Li Wang, who were taking a walk at the door, were stunned when they saw Xiao Han.

Li Wang pouted and muttered, "Sister, it's really strange. How can such a beautiful girl exist in this kind of mountain hollow? I swear, this is absolutely the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.

I haven't seen anyone like this in reality in Xiangjiang, Taipei, or Singapore."

Li Xi examined Xiao Han carefully and finally sighed, "She is indeed born beautiful enough!"

With the sudden eye contact, Chen Chen Chen Zijin's mouth opened slightly, her face full of disbelief.

Looking at the sworn enemy and rival in love coming out of his house, Xiao Han's heart ached as if pricked by needles. After a moment of silence, she revealed a sweet smile.

Having secretly and bitterly loved honey for so many years, she had learned to wear a mask and become a "Masked Queen," never showing weakness in front of an enemy.

After staring at each other for ten seconds, Chen Chen Chen Zijin walked deep toward her and asked, "So early, why are you appearing in Shangwan Village?"

Her tone wasn't particularly good, and it was even a bit unkind.

Just imagine, first thing in the morning, you go out and run into a rival in love looking for your own man at his house; whose mood would be pleasant?

Xiao Han said unhurriedly, "I accompanied my father to the brigade headquarters above to drink the hundred-year-old wine, so I passed by here. Well, I also came to see you by the way."

As Xiao Han said this, her smile grew even brighter, enough to melt an Antarctic glacier.

The two women had been fighting and loving each other for so many years; how could Chen Chen Chen Zijin be so easily fooled? She stared into her eyes and said, "You really are a habitual liar.

But lying isn't a skill; being able to deceive yourself and others to come here, you really have reached a new height of shamelessness."

Xiao Han was stunned.

In the past, the two would bicker, but they would never use dirty or vulgar language, and they both tried their best to maintain a certain level of cultivation. But today...

But today, Chen Chen Chen Zijin's temper was particularly big!

Or rather, Xiao Han's sudden raid on her "private territory" had violated her bottom line, causing her to feel a serious sense of crisis!

Facing each other, after a long silence, Chen Chen Chen Zijin took two deep breaths, lowered her head, and said, "Sorry, excuse me."

Seeing more and more people gathering at the doors of the Chen and Li families, and more and more gazes cast over, Xiao Han quickly changed the subject and said, "Let's go somewhere else to talk."

Chen Chen Chen Zijin used her right hand to comb her hair and walked about 20 meters toward a place in front where there was no one:

"It's so cold outside; logically, I should invite you into the house to sit. But look at me, I'm sorry, I just got up and came out of his house, everything is a mess, my body is exhausted, and my brain is confused."

"Just got up, came out of his house, everything is a mess, my body is exhausted..."

What does this combination of words mean?

Even a fool could figure it out, okay!

The underlying meaning is: I just got up from his bed, I was too tired last night, my body is very exhausted, my brain is a bit messy, so I brought you here.

As for why her body was exhausted?

She was already sleeping in his bed; they were both adults, did she need to say it explicitly?

If Xiao Han's heart had been pricked by needles before, now it was like being cut with a knife—cut by cut into her heart, 3,600 cuts, a hundred times, ten thousand times more painful than being sliced to death.

Honey's bed—she herself had never slept in it, yet this person in front of her was showing it off as if it were a daily routine. The key was that they were publicly sleeping together in front of the adults of the Chen and Li families. For a moment, she felt a bit dizzy.

But fortunately, the hardships of the past six years had cultivated a resilient mind. Six years of secret love had trained her to be invulnerable to knives and guns, and immune to evil fires. It wasn't as if those two hadn't slept together before; she had survived the huge scandal the year before last, so could she be defeated now?

Xiao Han cleared her throat and said crisply, "It doesn't matter. He is going to Shanghai soon. I can understand that your relationship is deep and you are reluctant to be apart."

"He is going to Shanghai soon!!!"

Why is he going to Shanghai?

Why did he apply to Fudan University in the first place?

Because of whom did he go to Shanghai?

The two women—or rather, adding Song Yu, the three women—knew this clearly.

If you aren't in the same city, what does it matter if your relationship is deep? So what if you slept in his bed? Running first doesn't necessarily mean winning, and winning temporarily doesn't necessarily mean winning in the end. If you aren't the final victor, you've lost your wife and broken your army; everything is in vain!

In one sentence, Xiao Han counterattacked thoroughly, quickly reversing the decline of being hit by two consecutive attacks just now.

Chen Chen Chen Zijin's chest heaved, and she snorted, "Sharp-tongued, you really came prepared."

As the words fell, the former good sisters looked at each other and fell into silence again.

After a long time, Xiao Han asked, "What day are you leaving?"

Chen Chen Chen Zijin said, "I'm hanging the 'xia' for my grandmother tomorrow, and leaving the morning after tomorrow."

Xiao Han asked, "Are you coming back for the summer vacation?"

Chen Chen Chen Zijin said, "I have two homes now: one in Jingcheng and one in Shangwan Village. When I get tired of staying in one place, I go to the other. As for whether I'm coming back for the summer vacation? I don't know yet, but if I hadn't come back for this winter vacation, I wouldn't have run into you today."

Xiao Han gasped, pursed her two small dimples, and said, "Your aggressiveness today is a bit strong. You might not believe me when I say I went to drink the hundred-year-old wine, but I'll show you something."

Chen Chen Chen Zijin said with a smile, "What is it? If it's to humiliate me, I advise you to give up that idea."

Xiao Han smiled and took a stack of photos out of her handbag.

After confronting each other for two seconds, Chen Chen Chen Zijin reached out and took the photos, starting to flip through them one by one.

Most of them were group photos of the two of them at the town middle school last time, with only four exceptions.

The four exceptional photos were: a solo photo of Li Heng at the Spring Festival Gala, a solo photo of Zhou Zhou Zhou Shihe playing the piano, a solo photo of Yu Yu Yu Shuheng, and a group photo of Li Heng, Zhou Zhou Zhou Shihe, and Yu Yu Yu Shuheng together.

Seeing the gray scarf on Li Heng's neck, Chen Chen Chen Zijin paused and narrowed her eyes. "Is this the purpose of your visit today?"

Xiao Han didn't make a sound, just looked at her.

Chen Chen Chen Zijin frowned. When she saw the white scarf on him and the black-and-white plaid scarf she had given him, she, who had been angry just a moment ago, gradually calmed down. "It's Song Yu's, right?"

Xiao Han replied, "It should be."

After staring at Li Heng's solo photo for a long time, Chen Chen Chen Zijin began to check Zhou Zhou Zhou Shihe and Yu Yu Yu Shuheng's photos one by one, and finally asked, "I heard they are his teacher and classmate. Have you met them in person?"

Xiao Han said, "I have."

With one question and one answer, the situation that had just eased between the two women became rigid again.

Chen Chen Chen Zijin seemed to be asking if she had met Zhou Zhou Zhou Shihe and Yu Yu Yu Shuheng in person, but in fact, she was probing whether she had been to Fudan University.

But Xiao Han's answer without hesitation made her realize that things might be even more complicated than she imagined.

After staring at her for a long time, Chen Chen Chen Zijin asked coldly, "How much confidence do you have in winning against them?"

There was a tacit understanding between the two women here: the moment they saw Zhou Zhou Zhou Shihe's appearance and temperament, they both developed a sense of crisis similar to when they first saw Song Yu.

They both understood what kind of man the man they had taken a fancy to was: he loved beauties exclusively!

The more beautiful, the more he loved; the more beautiful, the less resistance he had.

Their eyes collided, and Xiao Han said lightly, "Let's speak based on our own charm; what's there to fight about?"

"Hmph, wherever there are people, there is a world; don't be blind. From ancient times to the present, in every field, in every corner, people are fighting to the death every day. Just like the imperial palace in ancient times—you can't possibly not understand the allusion of the 'sheep cart looking for favor.' Who does the emperor sleep with today? Which concubine is pregnant, which palace maid has miscarried and disappeared? Life is only a few decades long; what is there to fight about? Yet people still fight with great relish, don't they?" Chen Chen Chen Zijin mocked.

Xiao Han said, "Maybe."

Glancing at her, Chen Chen Chen Zijin said, "Do you know what my biggest impression was when I went to the town middle school last time?"

Xiao Han asked, "What?"

Chen Chen Chen Zijin mocked, "In middle school, and even in this town, your beauty was unrivaled; no one was your opponent. You alone suppressed all women so they couldn't lift their heads.

But after meeting Song Yu in high school, the days when your beauty dominated the world were gone forever. Would you say this life is interesting enough?"

Xiao Han looked at her and smiled. "Is that so?"

The two women fell into silence for the third time. After a while, Chen Chen Chen Zijin asked, "I haven't been to Shanghai. Is it beautiful there?"

Xiao Han said, "It is."

Chen Chen Chen Zijin glanced at the photos in her hand, glanced at Zhou Zhou Zhou Shihe in the photo, and said meaningfully, "I hope you are just as brilliant in Shanghai."

Xiao Han pursed her lips. "It shouldn't be worse than you are in Jingcheng."

The two women asked and answered, seemingly saying nothing, but saying everything.

Because of Zhou Zhou Zhou Shihe's appearance, the two women, who also felt a sense of crisis, chose to temporarily ease their relationship, temporarily stop fighting, and form a short-term alliance—one guarding against Song Yu in Jingcheng, and the other guarding against other women in Shanghai.

As for the two of them, it just confirmed that saying: each relies on their own ability.

The reason for this was that the two women had been fighting openly and secretly for so many years; they knew each other well, knew the deep feelings each had for Li Heng, knew the sunk costs were too high, and knew that it was impossible to easily subdue the other in a short time.

Since that was the case, the two women chose to fight while guarding against each other; peaceful coexistence was impossible. But they couldn't let the two of them fight to the death here and let someone else benefit for nothing.

You look at me, I look at you, and for a while, neither spoke.

Finally, Xiao Han raised her right wrist to check her watch and said, "I have something to do, so I'm leaving. Do you want to go to the brigade headquarters with me?"

Chen Chen Chen Zijin said with a smile, "You go ahead, I won't see you off; I want to go home and take a bath."

Whoa! Taking a bath first thing in the morning?

Why take a bath first thing in the morning?

Of course, it was because he had entangled himself with her in love this morning.

Before parting, Chen Chen Chen Zijin didn't forget to stab her best friend.

The smile on Xiao Han's face remained, but in her heart, she wished she could twist her into a pretzel. However, she wasn't someone to be trifled with either.

Toward Song Yu and other rivals in love, Xiao Han might be able to be elegant and silent. But facing this mortal enemy, she would be as rude as she could be!

As soon as Xiao Han appeared, Tian Run'e had been secretly paying attention to the two women.

Others might not know, but didn't she know that these two girls were the apples of her precious son's eye?

Tian Run'e seemed to be killing a duck and plucking its feathers, but in fact, her attention was entirely focused on the two women, terrified that they would start fighting.

Li Lan was also on the side.

Her little brother had stayed up late writing last night and was catching up on sleep. She was now playing the role of her little brother; if the two women clashed, she would have to rush over immediately.

Seeing Tian Run'e and her daughter, Xiao Han called out crisply and proactively: "Auntie, Sister Lanlan, Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year. Hanhan, where are you going? Do you want to come in and sit for a while?" Tian Run'e was originally just saying something polite, but who knew Xiao Han would take it seriously.

Well, she didn't take it seriously; she was doing it on purpose, betting that Auntie Tian would say something polite.

Xiao Han stopped, smiled sweetly, and said, "Auntie, I'm a bit thirsty now; can I ask for a drink of water?"

In the countryside in this day and age, asking for water to drink while passing by was a very normal thing, not to mention that both sides knew each other and were quite familiar.

Therefore, her request was reasonable and not abrupt at all.

Besides, even strangers would be given a ladle of water; since they were acquaintances, how could they refuse?

Hearing this, Tian Run'e's heart skipped a beat! She realized she had been stupid just now; she shouldn't have said something polite. She looked up at Chen Chen Zijin, who had followed, and didn't know what to do.

Finally, it was Li Lan who had the foresight to go into the house, pour a cup of hot tea, and bring it out, handing it to Xiao Han: "It's boiling water that was just boiled this morning; it might be a bit hot, wait for it to cool down before drinking."

"Okay, thank you!"

Xiao Han squeezed out the brightest smile on her face, took the water, said thank you, and chatted for a while until the hot water was cool enough, then drank it before leaving.

This could be considered a powerful counterattack against Chen Chen Chen Zijin; you stabbed me before leaving, so I'll stab you back.

The goal was to tell Chen Chen Chen Zijin: this house isn't one that only you can enter; if I want to, I have ways to enter in minutes. And they would be the ones carrying me in.

Watching Xiao Han disappear around the corner of the road, Chen Chen Chen Zijin chatted with the mother and daughter for a while before returning to her own home.

As soon as Chen Chen Chen Zijin left, Tian Run'e immediately breathed a sigh of relief and secretly asked her second daughter:

"Lanlan, do you think they know your little brother is messing around on both sides?"

"Both sides? Isn't it three sides? Maybe there's a fourth side in Shanghai. Mom, you need to prepare your heart for heartbreak," Li Lan said meaningfully.

Tian Run'e wasn't in the mood to bicker with her. "Answer me, help me analyze it."

Li Lan said, "Mom, you are worried and confused. Does this need analysis? Under normal circumstances, would Chen Chen Zijin treat a guest like this? Especially a good friend? There must be bad blood between the two women, which is why they didn't invite her into the house, but chatted on the side of the road, making it convenient to say some things."

Without waiting for her mother to reply, Li Lan continued: "If I'm not mistaken, the two women must have just fought, but I don't know who won and who lost?"

Tian Run'e was stunned, feeling that what her daughter said made sense. After a long while, she asked, "Then who do you think has the upper hand?"

Li Lan looked at the road leading to the brigade headquarters, then looked at the Chen family across the street, pondered, and said, "Hehe, these two daughters-in-law of yours are not easy to mess with.

But this is Chen Chen Chen Zijin's home turf, yet Xiao Han dared to kill her way over alone and blatantly. She clearly has psychological advantages and confidence—confidence that she has the grasp to laugh last. I even think..."

Tian Run'e stopped plucking the duck feathers and looked up. "Think what?"

Li Lan lowered her voice further: "Your son may have already thoroughly provoked Xiao Han, and it's even possible he has already made a move. Otherwise, knowing that Chen Chen Chen Zijin and your little brother have slept together, she wouldn't dare to come; she clearly has a trump card."

Tian Run'e was speechless, and after a long time, she lowered her head and cursed: "This bastard!"

Li Lan said spiritedly, "This is a bastard? My dear mother, you must take good care of your health; the days of being overwhelmed are still ahead."

Tian Run'e frowned: "You aren't a good thing either, still gloating?"

Li Lan curled her lips: "If I were gloating, I would have gone upstairs to wake up my little brother just now; wouldn't watching the excitement be more comfortable?"

Tian Run'e ignored her words: "Just now you poured tea for Xiao Han; will Chen Chen Zijin be angry in her heart?"

Li Lan shook her head: "Mom, you're thinking wrong there. Chen Chen Zijin isn't like you and Zhong Lan, narrow-minded. She has the heart of a prime minister, has a big picture, and is very generous. Otherwise, if an ordinary person faced a rival in love, they would have fought long ago."

Tian Run'e sighed in a low voice and was about to speak when her sister-in-law came, so she changed her words: "Lanlan, you go cook; you don't need to help with the duck anymore."

Li Lan helping here was fake; preventing Xiao Han and Chen Chen Chen Zijin from making a big scene was real. Seeing the crisis resolved, she immediately gave up her position to her aunt and went into the house to cook breakfast.

The aunt sat on a stool and asked, "Sister-in-law, where is that girl from just now?"

Tian Run'e said, "Xiao Shuji's daughter from town."

The aunt admired, "Her features are really good. Is her mother also this beautiful?"

Tian Run'e said, "Xiao Shuji's wife seems to be from Chongqing. It is said that when she was sent down to our place 20 years ago, she caused a sensation, and many young masters pursued her, but I don't know why she finally chose Xiao Hai."

"Oh, so it's her. Is her name Wei Wei Wei Shiman?" The aunt had grown up in Shangwan Village, after all, and still had some impression of the major events of the past.

Tian Run'e said yes.

The aunt said, "Then it's no wonder. I have seen Wei Wei Wei Shiman in person, and she is comparable to you when you were young, sister-in-law."

Tian Run'e was from Jiangsu, and when she was sent down to neighboring Jiangxi, she was picked up by Comrade Li Jianguo.

Well, if it weren't for the fact that Tian Run'e's parents both died in the countryside, with her family background, she wouldn't have married down to Li Jianguo.

At that time in the countryside, she thought she had no hope and thought she would never get out for the rest of her life. Thinking that Li Jianguo at least had a state-provided job and didn't have to worry about food and clothing, she reluctantly agreed to the marriage.

Who knew?

Who knew this was a big fire pit!

She hadn't lived a good life with Li Jianguo for many days before she returned to the countryside and picked up the hoe to work in the fields again. At that time, if it weren't for the children, and if it weren't for Li Jianguo being truly good to her, she would have run away.

Thinking of the past, Tian Run'e sighed with emotion.

The sister-in-law asked, "Sister-in-law, do you miss home? I've never seen you mention it, nor have you said you wanted to go back to visit relatives."

Tian Run'e said, "There's no one left at home."

The sister-in-law asked, "Listening to my brother-in-law, don't you still have a younger sister?"

Tian Run'e recalled, "At that time, the family suffered a change, and my little sister was given away by my parents when she was three years old. Because they were afraid of being implicated, I heard she was sent very far away, thinking they would pick her up when the situation became clear, but they didn't survive, and I don't know where she was sent?"

The sister-in-law asked, "Did the two elders leave you any last words or anything?"

Tian Run'e shook her head, not very willing to mention this scar.

The sisters Li Xi and Li Wang, who had just returned from a walk, heard this. Li Xi said to Tian Run'e, "Auntie, you can let Xiao Heng help you look for her. With his reputation now, maybe he can find clues."

Tian Run'e was a bit moved, but later shook her head: "He is only a freshman; we'll talk about it if there's a chance in the future."

She didn't hold much hope for finding her little sister, because Zhao Jing had been helping her look for her all these years, but there had been no harvest.

Furthermore, the two sisters had been separated for so many years; even if they found her, what could they do? Could they still be close?

Around 9 o'clock in the morning, Li Lan pushed the door and entered the bedroom, dripping a drop of cold water on Li Heng's face.

Li Heng's confused eyes opened a slit. "What are you doing?"

Li Lan said, "The food is ready, get up and eat."

Li Heng felt dizzy and hadn't slept enough. He said "Oh" and didn't move.

Li Lan rolled her eyes. "Xiao Han is here."

Li Heng's eyes widened, and he sat up immediately: "Really?"

Then he lay down again and complained: "Don't joke about this kind of thing, it will kill people!"

Li Lan said, "I'm not joking with you, Xiao Han went to the brigade headquarters..."

Spending a minute, she described what happened in the morning in concise language.

Li Heng was stunned, his sleepiness vanished instantly, and he quickly put on his clothes and got up. "Where is Chen Chen Zijin?"

Li Lan said, "She went into the mountains with the Chen family to sweep her grandmother's grave."

Li Heng asked, "Didn't you say you were hanging the 'xia' tomorrow?"

Li Lan said, "It is tomorrow, but today they went over to sweep the thatch and pile soil on the grave."

"Crackling! Crackling!..."

Just as the two siblings were talking, the sound of firecrackers came from the road.

At first, the two didn't pay attention, thinking someone was paying a New Year's call, but the next second, someone shouted on the road: "Li Jianguo, your Second Uncle is dead, come quickly!"

"Second Granduncle is dead?"

"Second Granduncle is dead!"

The two siblings said in unison, staring at each other.

Li Lan turned around quickly and walked to the door: "I'll go take a look."

"I'm going too." Li Heng followed.

Li Lan asked, "Have you finished your writing? Didn't you say you had to catch up on progress?"

"Chapter 4 is already finished. Besides, I have to go see the old man for the last time."

Li Heng was a bit confused: "He was drinking rice wine yesterday, and today he's gone. I even promised him I'd go chat with him at noon today."

Li Lan didn't have much of a reaction to this, just sighed and said: "I dreamed that the old man died several times, it's really accurate."

The Second Granduncle was a "Five Guarantees" household member who had never married or had children in his life.

According to local customs, generally, people who died without descendants would not be dragged until the next day after passing away in the morning; they had to be buried on the same day.

If they passed away in the afternoon, they could be dragged until the next morning.

It just so happened that the Great-Granduncle's branch was at home. Li Jianguo discussed it with them and planned to hold a ritual for the Second Granduncle, but the ritual would use long benches assembled into the shape of a coffin, while the real coffin and the body had to be buried today.

Shangwan Village had a tradition that no matter whose wedding or funeral it was, people from the two nearby production teams would spontaneously come to help. They didn't ask for wages; just providing food and drink was enough.

Because for hundreds of years, every household had helped each other like this, so there was no question of who was losing out.

Once there were many people, things were easy to handle. Those who called the monks went to call the monks, those who called the feng shui masters called the feng shui masters, and there were special people to arrange the borrowing of tables and chairs, so Li Jianguo and the others didn't have to worry at all.

When the nails were being driven into the coffin, Li Heng watched from the side, thinking inexplicably of that toad. Could it be that the Second Granduncle knew his time was up? Did he give it to him in advance?

A moment later, he felt he might be overthinking it. How could it be that divine?

However, he had heard many old people say that when a person is about to die, they have a feeling, and many people talk about this as if it were divine.

Li Heng thought of his past life, when he was still strolling through the fields with Song Yu, talking about beautiful things, and the next second he was struck dead by lightning.

He died without warning, the process was simple and fast, he didn't even have a reaction, and he didn't even have time to say a last word. Damn it, who can you reason with about this?

The Second Granduncle passed away around 9 o'clock in the morning, and by 12 o'clock noon, he had entered the mountains and been buried.

Many women sighed: "Sigh, this is the sadness of having no children."

Others said: "It's still okay, at least there are so many filial sons to kneel and worship him for his last journey. Many other 'Five Guarantees' households don't even have a filial son; that's what's truly miserable."

The ritual lasted for a day and a night, from 1 o'clock in the afternoon on the 4th to noon on the 5th, exhausting Li Heng and his group.

The sisters Li Wang and Li Xi had never experienced this before. After kneeling and worshipping for a day and a night, they were not only haggard, but their knees were sore and weak. According to Li Wang, their legs trembled when they stood up.

"Li Heng! Li Heng! Someone is looking for you."

Back home, Li Heng had just finished taking a bath when a neighbor shouted loudly on the road outside.

Li Heng wiped his hair with a dry towel, walked out of the threshold, and asked: "Who is it?"

"Li Heng, it's me." A person walked out from behind the crowd.

"Ah! Senior Brother, why are you here? How did you find me?" Seeing the suddenly appearing Editor-in-Chief Sister Sister Liao, Li Heng was greatly surprised, then hurriedly invited him into the house and poured a cup of hot water.

Editor-in-Chief Sister Sister Liao seemed quite thirsty and drank two cups of tea in one breath before starting to explain: "I arrived in Shao City last night and wanted to wait for you at the gate of Shao City No. 1 Middle School as agreed.

But before I left Shanghai, I received a phone call. She wanted to see what your hometown looked like, so I came over. Accompany me to take some photos to take back later."

Hearing this, a graceful figure appeared in Li Heng's mind.

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Posted first, edited later.

(More to come)

(End of chapter)