Chapter 30: A Brawl at the Educated Youth Settlement

Silencing the Sun family was a simple matter. She had indeed tried to end her life; as long as she reported the incident to the Public Security Bureau, she could easily get the Sun family into trouble. What mattered most to them was Sun Zhiyuan’s future. In the military, promotions required thorough background checks and interviews. If it came out that his own mother had driven someone to attempt suicide by jumping into a river, Sun Zhiyuan could forget about any advancement.

With this leverage, the Sun family could only swallow their anger. As for being unwelcome in their house, Lin Xinrou was confident—she lowered her gaze and gently touched her abdomen.

Sun Zhiyuan would return to his unit in two days. She had to seize this window to conceive a child.

Without further delay, Lin Xinrou took Sun Zhiyuan to register their marriage.

When they went to get the letter of introduction, the brigade leader’s expression was difficult to read. Luckily, Sun Zhiyuan’s marriage application hadn’t been fully approved yet; otherwise, the sudden change of bride would have been hard to explain.

Now, they could use any excuse, simply saying Wang Xueping had changed her mind and no longer wished to marry.

Back at the educated youth camp, Wang Xueping locked herself in her room, refusing to eat for the entire day.

Later that day, Zhao Hua and Lin Xinjian returned, igniting a blaze of anger among everyone present.

“Zhao Hua, your fiancée has become Sun Zhiyuan’s wife. How does that make you feel?” Chen Chunlan, never one to stay idle even for a quarter of an hour, couldn’t help but stir the pot.

Zhao Hua’s face darkened visibly.

Lin Xinjian clenched his fists. “Chen Chunlan, what my sister does is none of your damn business!”

“Hmph, she can do such things but can’t bear to be talked about? Despicable hussy—already has a man and still steals someone else’s! Shameless!” Chen Chunlan’s own heart was filled with resentment.

Her anger did not stem from sympathy for Wang Xueping. Rather, it was the brigade’s attitude toward the educated youth that made her want to spit blood. Lin Xinrou’s behavior was bad enough; now she was dragging their reputation down with her.

“A whole family of rotten scoundrels.”

Lin Xinjian couldn’t take it anymore and lunged at Chen Chunlan, but others held him back.

It was Luo Jianhua and Sun Liangdong who intervened. They too were furious. No matter what Lin Xinrou had done, she was still one of their own at the educated youth camp. Her actions had humiliated them all.

They couldn’t touch Lin Xinrou, but Lin Xinjian? He was fair game.

As a result, Lin Xinjian was pinned to the ground and beaten, while Zhao Hua stood aside, unmoved.

He didn’t know how Lin Xinrou had silenced him, but after his engagement—barely announced for two days—his fiancée had married another man. His cheeks burned with humiliation.

Watching Lin Xinjian get pummeled black and blue, he felt a surge of satisfaction.

Lin Jingyue and Xia Nan returned together and found the camp in chaos. Neither said a word.

“Lin Jingyue, after what Lin Xinrou has done, don’t you have anything to say?” Chen Chunlan’s teeth were clenched in anger at Lin Jingyue’s calm demeanor.

These two sisters are no good, she thought, always dressing to attract attention—who were they trying to seduce? She shot a furtive glance at Jiang Xun as he entered.

“I have nothing to do with her. Let me warn you for the last time—if you dare mention me in the same breath as her again, I’ll beat you half to death,” Lin Jingyue said coolly, brow furrowed.

She wasn’t pleased either. Lin Xinrou’s outrageous behavior would inevitably drag her down as well. The villagers would gossip, caring little about the nature of her relationship with Lin Xinrou. To them, they all came from the same household—damn it!

A flicker of fear crossed Chen Chunlan’s eyes, but remembering the backup from Luo Jianhua and Sun Liangdong, she straightened her back. “She’s your stepsister, your family. Don’t tell me you didn’t know about her plans all along—is that why you’re not surprised?” Her words dripped with malice.

From the other room, Wang Xueping came out after hearing the commotion. She glanced deeply at Lin Jingyue, her face clouded.

“If the tiger doesn’t bare its fangs, do you think I’m a sick cat?” Lin Jingyue cut the exchange short, rolling up her sleeves and storming forward.

This fight was inevitable. Damn it.

Luo Jianhua and Sun Liangdong hesitated, thinking of Lin Jingyue’s reputation as a loner, and tried to block her path on instinct.

But they forgot about Jiang Xun and Zhou Yan.

As soon as they moved, Jiang Xun and Zhou Yan stopped them in their tracks.

Lin Jingyue was already in front of Chen Chunlan. “Smack!” The slap landed hard, sending Chen Chunlan sprawling, one cheek swelling rapidly.

Before anyone could react, Lin Jingyue squatted down, grabbed Chen Chunlan by the collar, and delivered several more resounding slaps, leaving Chen Chunlan seeing stars.

“These are to teach you a lesson,” she said coldly. “You’d better learn to hold your tongue. Otherwise, you’ll be the only one to suffer.”

Chen Chunlan’s face went rigid, her eyes a mix of fear and anger. “You—Lin Jingyue, you dare hit me?”

“Why wouldn’t I? Next time, if you push your luck, I might break your leg. I can afford the medical bills.” Her gaze was calm, her words chilling.

Chen Chunlan’s pupils shrank, as if someone had grabbed her by the throat. She was speechless.

She really would do it!

The others were stunned, intimidated by Lin Jingyue’s presence.

“What’s going on now?” The brigade leader frowned as he looked over the raucous camp.

There was never a moment’s peace.

Not only were they skipping work, but now they were fighting!

Several onlookers followed in his wake, including Aunt Liu, the notorious gossip, who was assigned to Lin Jingyue’s group.

“Brigade leader, it’s nothing really,” Lin Jingyue replied innocently. “Chen Chunlan was asking about my relationship with Lin Xinrou, and I explained it to her. Now it’s clear to everyone that we’re not close, and there’ll be no more rumors.”

She looked as harmless as could be—provided no one had seen her dish out those slaps. Unfortunately, everyone had.

The brigade leader’s mouth twitched. “If it’s nothing, then get back to work. Do you think you’ll have enough grain to last through the winter?”

Everyone froze—of course they wouldn’t.

He offered a few words of advice and left with his entourage, eager to avoid further involvement in the affairs of the educated youth.

He had barely turned away when another voice called out, “Brigade leader…”

“What is it?” he replied irritably.

Lin Xinjian, face battered and bruised, pointed at Luo Jianhua and Sun Liangdong. “They beat me. I want to report them!”

The two men’s faces darkened.

“How do you want to report it? To the Public Security Bureau?”

“No, brigade leader, you heard wrong. He was just talking nonsense,” Zhao Hua interrupted, recalling Lin Xinrou’s promises and quickly pulling Lin Xinjian back.

Report them? For what? Even if it was more than a simple scuffle, the chances of any real consequences were slim.

The brigade leader wouldn’t want anyone dragging the team’s reputation through the mud.

Lin Xinjian struggled, but Zhao Hua held him down firmly. “Remember what your sister said.”

The cold reminder brought Lin Xinjian back to his senses. He cast a resentful glance at Luo Jianhua and the others.

His sister was right—there would be time to settle scores.

With a snort, the brigade leader led the others away.

Soon, word of Lin Jingyue’s actions spread throughout the brigade, her boldness in the fight becoming common gossip.

Once again, she had shattered everyone’s expectations. Yet, she had made her point; at least now, when people spoke of Lin Xinrou, though they might still mutter behind closed doors, none dared to casually link Lin Jingyue’s name to hers.