Chapter 6: A Mouthful of Vitriol
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Su Xiaoyun was furious, rolling up her sleeves and ready to fight! She wasn’t the type to swallow her grievances silently or endure injustice meekly.
“Yang Jinyue, I’m calling you out for slandering me!”
“You’ve been eating too much fine grain and can’t keep that foul mouth of yours shut, huh? You even dare to drag a soldier into this and slander him? I’ll teach you a lesson for having no filter!”
Su Xiaoyun grabbed a broom leaning against the wall and swung it with all her might.
The broom at the youth settlement was made of dried willow twigs, and the lashes stung sharply when they struck the skin.
It would leave marks for days, no doubt!
She didn’t hold back. The broom twigs whipped through the air with a sharp swishing sound.
If you’re crazy, show it now; if you have grudges, settle them now. In short: pure satisfaction!
Yang Jinyue didn’t expect her to suddenly strike back. “Hey, you madwoman! You must be out of your mind!”
“How dare you hit me! Believe it or not, I’ll make sure you can’t stay in this village!”
Dust and dirt from the ground flew up, mixed with yellow sand, and filled Yang Jinyue’s mouth. She clenched her teeth tightly.
Her molars creaked with the pressure.
Su Xiaoyun paid no mind and swept the broom over Yang Jinyue’s synthetic fabric dress.
Yang Jinyue screamed wildly, dodging while yelling, “Su Xiaoyun, you’re just jealous! My fabric costs more than ten yuan at the supply and marketing cooperative! If you don’t pay me today, I’ll have my father deduct your work points!”
She looked filthy and disheveled, like a sweet potato freshly dug from the earth.
Su Xiaoyun sneered coldly. “You spout nonsense, damaging the captain’s reputation. You think you can slander me and just get away with it?”
“So what if your father is the production team leader? Village officials serve the people. If they abuse their power for personal gain, I’ll take this matter to the county’s commune!”
Her bright, sharp eyes fixed coldly on Yang Jinyue.
Yang Jinyue gritted her teeth, wishing she could tear Su Xiaoyun apart.
Just then, as tensions rose, a figure suddenly emerged from the youth settlement’s side room.
The person immediately stepped in front of Yang Jinyue, glaring at Su Xiaoyun with clear dissatisfaction.
“Su Xiaoyun! As an educated youth, you disgrace the image of cultured people!”
“Everything Jinyue said is true. Why are you so angry and embarrassed? You’re just guilty.”
“No wonder that man was protecting you everywhere yesterday. So you two have been involved all along!”
The sharp, sneering voice belonged unmistakably to Zhou Xuejun!
Su Xiaoyun threw down her broom with a slap, her gaze growing colder. “I haven’t finished with you. You two have illicit affairs and try to turn the tables on me?”
She quickly glanced outside the youth settlement.
More and more people had gathered, stretching their necks to watch.
Perfect.
Su Xiaoyun’s lips curled into a smile as she swiftly produced the certificate Yang Hongfu had written yesterday.
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“You two conspired to steal my bracelet, worth at least a hundred yuan on the market!”
“Stealing, slandering, and having improper relations—what right do you have to accuse me?”
The moment the certificate was revealed, everyone was stunned.
No way... The handwriting was that of the brigade leader himself, sealed with the village brigade’s official stamp!
Zhou Xuejun panicked, his eyes darting around. “This is forged! I never stole your bracelet. If you hadn’t been pestering me, Jinyue and I would’ve been together by now!”
“You forged the brigade leader’s signature and made up lies. Why am I living in the same youth settlement with someone like you?”
“Give it here!”
Outraged, Zhou Xuejun’s face darkened as he lunged forward to snatch the paper.
Su Xiaoyun was prepared, deftly dodged, and spun around to kick him hard in the lower back.
Zhou Xuejun fell flat on the ground of the youth settlement, landing face-first in a corner by the slop bucket.
The sour, foul-smelling kitchen waste sloshed violently, dousing his head.
His hair, slicked with clam oil, looked greasier and more disgusting than ever.
“Ahhh!”
“Su Xiaoyun, this isn’t over!”
Zhou Xuejun was prideful, and the instant he smelled the stench on himself, he stomped furiously.
“You’re despicable and shameless—faking the certificate and claiming I owe you money. You just want to use connections to get back to the city!”
“You kept chasing me but couldn’t win my heart, so you resorted to this low trick. I really misjudged you!”
Yang Jinyue nodded vigorously, shouting, “Someone like you can’t stay in the brigade any longer. You need ideological reform at the farm!”
The other educated youths in the courtyard began whispering to each other.
Outside, the villagers—men, women, young and old—wore varied expressions, suspicion landing on Su Xiaoyun.
Voices rose in a continuous murmur.
“Why is Su Xiaoyun so vindictive? She’s so scheming, like the widow at the village entrance.”
“Exactly. Everyone knows Zhou the educated youth and the brigade leader’s daughter are an item, yet she keeps chasing after him.”
“She’s always fighting; I think she’s got some problem, stirring up trouble day and night.”
“If you ask me, we should have the brigade leader and party secretary settle this to stop all the chaos.”
...
Many onlookers had gathered, some even egging on the conflict.
Everyone’s gaze toward Su Xiaoyun was full of disdain.
Su Xiaoyun frowned in exasperation.
The original owner had no good reputation in the village and was utterly discredited.
Even when in the right, everyone still turned against her, no one believed her!
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A wave of helplessness washed over Su Xiaoyun just as she was about to argue her case.
Suddenly, a tall and imposing figure broke through the crowd.
Huo Congjing stood straight in his military uniform.
His gaze immediately locked onto the besieged Su Xiaoyun—isolated but resilient and unyielding.
Her dark, bright eyes seemed to ignite with vibrant life.
Suddenly, he spoke, “What Comrade Su says is true. Zhou Xuejun and Yang Jinyue colluded to steal her silver bracelet. Last night, under my witness, the brigade leader personally wrote this certificate.”
“Please, party secretary, summon the brigade leader so this matter can be properly addressed.”
The crowd fell silent upon hearing his low, commanding voice.
They turned to look behind Huo Congjing—there stood the village party secretary, accompanied by a few soldiers.
This sudden shift drained the color from Zhou Xuejun’s face.
Why was this man always siding with Su Xiaoyun?
Since Huo Congjing spoke, Yang Jinyue’s arrogance diminished considerably.
The uncontrollable situation finally calmed down somewhat.
Su Xiaoyun’s eyes brightened. “Captain Huo, what brings you here?”
Huo Congjing’s dark eyes flickered as he calmly replied, “I happened to be coordinating logistics with the party secretary. He recommended two people to me.”
“Besides you, there’s also someone named Feng Wanqing.”
“The youth settlement is too far from the military station, and all the residents are women, which is inconvenient. So I came here instead.”
Su Xiaoyun’s heart stirred at his words.
In other words, he was here to offer help?
That was good!
Before she could say anything, someone clumsily interrupted.
“Captain Huo, don’t be fooled by this woman. She’s always clinging to men!”
“And also—”
“Enough!”
Huo Congjing cut them off sharply, his hawk-like black eyes flashing cold light.
The person who had spoken trembled uncontrollably.
Goodness, this man was terrifying!