Chapter 40: A Grand Performance

The people at the educated youth settlement set out early and returned late every day, all of them tanned a shade darker, especially the newcomers among them, whose darkened skin was particularly noticeable.

Except for Lin Jingyue, the only one who slacked off by merely gathering pigweed.

Her skin was still fair, like a freshly peeled egg, smooth and delicate.

Chen Chunlan found herself consumed by envy on a daily basis, cursing under her breath each time, while Lin Jingyue pretended not to hear, much to her frustration.

"Sister Lin, I won't be coming to gather pigweed with you tomorrow," said Tiedan, sidling up to Lin Jingyue as she worked.

"Why is that?" Over the past half month, the children had taken turns accompanying her, and she would sometimes treat them to little feasts, which was rather fun.

"Tomorrow I have to go with my mother to my grandma's house," Tiedan replied, a little reluctant.

He didn’t like going there.

"That's all right then, just go," Lin Jingyue said with a smile.

Tiedan seemed a bit deflated but didn’t say more—his grandmother always said there were some things you shouldn’t discuss with outsiders.

"We don’t have any candy today, so I’m handing out sticky rice sticks instead—two for each of you," Lin Jingyue announced when the time was right, taking a packet of treats from her cloth bag.

Sticky rice sticks, fried from flour and coated in sugar, were a favorite with the children. After receiving their shares, they all left happily.

Tiedan bade Lin Jingyue farewell and left as well. Checking the time, Lin Jingyue decided to wander around the mountain.

During this period, she had thoroughly explored the area.

She made a circuit around the outskirts, bagged a wild rabbit and a pheasant, and stowed them away in her special storage.

Just as she was about to venture deeper, she suddenly heard a rustling noise—something was off.

She immediately softened her footsteps and crept toward the sound.

"Sun Tiezhu, let me go..." The woman’s voice was strange, hoarse with suppressed emotion.

Lin Jingyue raised her eyebrows. That voice... Lin Xinrou?

Sun Tiezhu? What were those two doing here?

Curious, she parted the thicket to peer through.

Well now!

Sun Tiezhu, red-eyed, was pressing Lin Xinrou against a tree, fumbling with her clothes. "Lin Xinrou, you want me to help you out? How can you expect that without paying a price?"

Lin Xinrou’s face was full of anger as she tried to push him away, but the difference in strength between men and women rendered her efforts futile.

Adding to that, a strange heat was coursing through her body, leaving her weak and powerless.

"Sun Tiezhu, come to your senses! I am Sun Zhiyuan’s wife!" Lin Xinrou said in a low, trembling voice.

Her panic was already apparent.

"You think I’m afraid?" Sun Tiezhu sneered.

Suddenly, Lin Xinrou let out a babyish whimper, which seemed to spur Sun Tiezhu on even more.

Lin Xinrou herself didn’t know what was happening to her—her whole body was burning, and she was losing control.

Lin Jingyue… what a spectacle!

She suddenly felt the urge to slip away—how could she watch such a juicy scene alone?

"They’re just ahead. I saw them come up the mountain with my own eyes. Maybe they’re already rolling around together..." A faint voice sounded nearby.

Lin Jingyue’s sharp ears caught it immediately.

It was Qian Guihua!

Unbelievable. She’d actually brought people to catch her own daughter-in-law in the act?

This was going to be good.

Lin Jingyue glanced at the still-entangled Lin Xinrou and Sun Tiezhu—they were just about to cross the final line.

Exciting!

"Ah—!"

The pair, lost in their own world, were startled by a sudden scream. They jolted awake.

Lin Xinrou’s face shifted from blue to white, her eyes filled with lingering fear. "Sun! Tie! Zhu!"

Sun Tiezhu hesitated, his gaze lingering on Lin Xinrou’s flushed face, and his desire flared up again. "You were enjoying it just now—why the pretense?"

"You..." Lin Xinrou gritted her teeth. "I asked you to do something for me, not to touch me!"

"That woman never showed up, so what was I supposed to do?" Sun Tiezhu scoffed.

"So, you two were up to no good! You shameless hussy..." Qian Guihua’s voice rang out abruptly, and both of them shuddered in terror.

They hurried to their feet.

Only then did they notice the commotion not far away.

"…Aren’t they talking about us?" Sun Tiezhu still felt a lingering fear. If they were caught, he’d be finished.

"What are you standing around for? Let’s go this way," Lin Xinrou took a deep breath. "What happened here today never happened. If anyone else finds out, I’ll personally see you thrown in jail!"

"Ha!" Sun Tiezhu gave her chest a glance, said nothing, and ran off.

Lin Xinrou clenched her fists, smoothed out her disheveled hair and clothes, and staggered away.

Hiding in the thicket, Lin Jingyue curled her lips in a smirk and tsked—what a show she’d witnessed today.

But whom had Lin Xinrou been plotting against?

Her? Or Wang Xueping?

With her basket on her back, Lin Jingyue descended the mountain by another path, handed in the pigweed, and returned to the settlement.

"Huh? Why are you back so late today?" Only Jiang Xun was at the settlement.

"Everyone else went to watch the excitement," Jiang Xun said, washing an apple for her.

Lin Jingyue didn’t stand on ceremony, washed her hands, and bit into the apple.

"What excitement?"

"Not sure yet."

The two of them chatted idly in the courtyard.

After finishing her apple, Lin Jingyue fetched a book to read with Jiang Xun. Around six o’clock, people began returning, all looking grim.

"Shameless hussy!" Chen Chunlan cursed, her face dark.

"Enough, say a little less," Xie Wenjuan frowned, glancing at Wang Xueping and Yang Ming as they entered behind her.

Yes, Yang Ming.

"Why should I be quiet? She’s ruined the reputation of the whole settlement, fooling around, and I can’t even say a word?" Chen Chunlan exploded.

"Chen Chunlan, you know exactly what happened today. If you don’t shut up, I’ll go to the police myself and let them investigate," Wang Xueping said coldly.

Chen Chunlan instantly fell silent, her heart pounding—how did Wang Xueping know?

"Yang Ming and I are engaged. What we do together isn’t fooling around—we’re planning to get our marriage certificate tomorrow," Wang Xueping took a deep breath.

Today’s events had completely slipped from her control, but this was the best outcome.

Fortunately, Yang Ming’s family was decent—not too bad.

Chen Chunlan was silenced, still unconvinced, but not daring to say another word for fear that Wang Xueping might really call the police in a fit of anger.

Wang Xueping shot Yang Ming a look and went into her room.

Her whole body ached.

Once the door was closed, her expression darkened.

Today, Qian Guihua had gathered people to catch an adulteress—and the target was her.

Here’s what happened: Wang Xueping had endured for more than half a month, finally finding a chance to make Lin Xinrou pay the price.

She had found a sleeping drug on the black market, and paid Sun Tiezhu a sum of money, then timed it perfectly and slipped the drug into Lin Xinrou’s drink—everything was ready.

But she hadn’t expected that Lin Xinrou was plotting against her at the same time.

And she had chosen Sun Tiezhu as well.

What’s more, she had used an aphrodisiac. Sun Tiezhu, collecting payment from both sides, secretly swapped the drugs and, compared to Wang Xueping, found the delicate and beautiful Lin Xinrou more to his liking.