It started raining heavily, so Xu Zifan let Song Xin stay the night. Song Xin was overjoyed, feeling that being able to stay meant their relationship had become closer. Xu Shengnan, on the other hand, was terrified; the rain poured down all night, with thunder and lightning every now and then.
The main reason was that she had just complained to God and had experienced rebirth, which terrified her. She knelt on the ground and kept kowtowing and begging for mercy, fearing that God would punish her and take back her golden finger.
Xu Shengnan spent the night like this. When the sun came out, her eyes were dark, she looked haggard, she was completely exhausted, and she was in a daze.
Out of fear, she didn't bring a basin to catch the rain, and the whole house was soaked. The bedding and clothes were completely wet, and it would probably take a whole day to dry.
She sat there absentmindedly, not knowing how much time had passed, when someone knocked on the door and called her to work. There was so much to do after the heavy rain—clearing roads, stabilizing the soil, and so on. She didn't want to go, but remembering the team leader's wife's threats, she could only drag her aching legs to her feet. She had no clothes to change into, so she had to go to work in her damp clothes.
She followed the crowd with her head down, overhearing their gossip. She hadn't paid much attention at first, but then she heard the name Xu Xiuzhen. She looked up and saw the person say enviously, "Xu Xiuzhen is amazing! She actually got a job at the grain depot. I heard you don't have to do much there, it's super easy, and once you get in, it's easy to become a permanent employee. She'll be a city dweller in no time!"
"Yeah, her workplace will definitely provide her with housing, and she can find a boyfriend from the city, maybe even one right there at the grain depot. Then both her family members will be employed, and it'll be such a good job at the grain depot—high pay and no work required! It's amazing!"
As they talked, someone remembered Xu Shengnan, glanced at her, and sneered, "Some people, I don't know if they're smart or stupid, give someone five hundred yuan to buy their house, they're really rich. But then that person turns around and pulls strings to get a job at the grain depot. That's a prestigious and respectable job, with a bright future ahead. And her? She insisted on marrying into our brigade, but her husband doesn't like her, her in-laws don't like her, and she has to work in the fields like us. What's the point?"
"He's out of his mind!"
As they spoke, they glanced sideways at Xu Shengnan, not caring whether she could hear them or not. It was clear that they disliked her and were speaking to her.
Xu Shengnan was trembling with anger. She stepped forward and shoved the person who was talking the loudest to the ground. "Shut up! Didn't your mother teach you how to speak? Your mouth stinks, did you eat shit?!"
The man screamed, scrambled to his feet, slapped her across the face, and started fighting with her. "Didn't your mother teach you to have any shame? Taking off your clothes to seduce men, your shameless face is disgusting enough. Who's as stinky as you? Who knows, you might even be carrying a bastard's child. Your man is never home, probably afraid of touching you and not being able to explain himself. He only comes back when your belly is big enough!"
Xu Shengnan screamed and fought back, cursing and hitting her. For several days, Xu Shengnan had been feeling frustrated and had nowhere to vent her anger. Provoked by their words, she suddenly found an outlet for her frustration and started fighting back fiercely without dodging or avoiding them. They couldn't be pulled apart.
But the other woman was a hardworking woman who worked year-round, while she was a young girl with delicate skin. How could she possibly be a match for her? She was grabbed by the hair and slammed to the ground, pinched and scratched, leaving her face and neck covered in bloody welts!
After quite some time, the team leader's wife finally arrived. She was also startled to see her like this. She scolded both of them and was about to take her to the clinic when Xu Shengnan glared at them angrily. "No need. I'll just go home and rest. Just don't force the patient to work anymore!"
Xu Shengnan strode home. The brigade leader's wife was furious at her attitude. The woman she had fought with immediately said, "At first I thought I hit her too hard, but now I think she did it on purpose. She just doesn't want to work and deliberately picked a fight with me. Who knows if those bruises are real? Didn't someone see her hand swollen yesterday? They're fake, aren't they?"
The team leader's wife said irritably, "Alright, alright, forget about her. We have a lot of work to do today, so let's get back to work. I'll go check on her after work, and if it's serious, we'll have to deal with it."
Everyone dispersed, still discussing whether Xu Shengnan was genuine or faking it. Fighting back then couldn't be faked, but if it was real, Xu Shengnan's skin was incredibly delicate! She looked like a pampered young lady from a wealthy family. Then they started wondering why they'd never heard of Xu Shengnan being so beautiful before.
If the village beauty of Team Four were a celestial being, wouldn't suitors be lining up at her door long ago? She never had a bad reputation before; if she were this beautiful, it would have been known by now. How come she suddenly seems to have become more and more beautiful? Did she take some kind of magic pill?
When Xu Shengnan got home, her face was burning with pain. It was a real pain; she had scratched herself until her skin bled, and even the slightest movement felt like excruciating. She quickly locked the door and drank some spiritual spring water. Luckily, new spring water had condensed, otherwise, how unbearable would it have been for her to endure this pain?
The room was a mess, and there was still nowhere to stay. She recalled what those people had said and felt somewhat dazed. Xu Xiuzhen had never gotten a job at the grain depot in her previous life. That old man was extremely stingy and favored boys over girls. How could he possibly spend five hundred to buy a job for a worthless girl?
But in this life, she drove Xu Zifan away, and the main house of the Xu family became Xu Xiuzhen's. In order to occupy the main house of the Xu family and annoy them, she bought the main house, and Xu Xiuzhen used the money to buy a job.
Did she help Xu Xiuzhen?
Xu Xiuzhen used her money to live a good life in the city, enjoying a leisurely life at the grain depot. And what about her? She had to work in the fields, live in this dilapidated place, and endure Song Xin's emotional abuse. Why? Why was even Xu Xiuzhen living a more comfortable life than her?
She suddenly remembered that it wasn't just Xu Xiuzhen, but also Xu Jingwei.
Everyone in the Xu family is living a more comfortable life than her now, especially Xu Zifan, who has set up such a farmhouse, like a paradise, living a million times better than her. What is she doing?!
Even if she marries Song Xin, she should at least buy a job like Xu Xiuzhen and live comfortably for the next few years!
Xu Shengnan's eyes lit up; she finally saw hope again. Since Song Xin looked down on her anyway, and everyone in the village was targeting her, she might as well go to the city. She had done Xu Xiuzhen such a big favor; surely Xu Xiuzhen could help her buy a job at the grain depot? The work at the grain depot was easier than anywhere else; once she got a dormitory, life would be comfortable.
Xu Shengnan had made up her mind to go find Xu Xiuzhen, but the bloodstains on her face were gone, and it would be too strange for her to go out and be seen by others. She was anxious, but she could only wait.
The firewood was all wet and couldn't be used for a fire. She had no food or hot water to drink. Sitting in the empty house, she suddenly felt so pitiful and even hated Song Xin. This man clearly loved Xu Jingwei very much in his past life and was a good family man. But with her, he was cold and heartless, like a hooligan who would curse at anything. He was simply a bastard.
The past few days of spending time together have worn away any love she had for Song Xin in her past life. If she didn't know that Song Xin would become successful in the future, she would definitely teach him a lesson!
Song Xin stayed at Xu Zifan's place for one night. When he woke up, he helped Xu Zifan drain the water from the yard and then ran back to the Song family in a good mood.
Someone saw him and told him, "Song Xin, you should go home and see what's going on. Your wife got into a fight with someone, and it was really bad. I heard she's disfigured."
Song Xin was stunned. "Huh? Disfigured?"
"Yeah, you have lines all over your face. I wonder if they'll leave scars. And your house is leaking, isn't it? It looks pretty bad. By the way, where have you been?"
"I went to a friend's house, but it was raining too hard so I didn't come back."
"Then you should go back now, I'm going to work."
Song Xin shook his head and said, "With this rain, my dad's yard must be all muddy. I definitely have to go to my dad's house to help first. We'll talk about it at home later."
Song Xin went to the Song family home and told his family to go to work while he stayed to tidy up the house. They all felt that Xu Shengnan had become increasingly unreasonable these past two days, so of course they wouldn't persuade him to go back. They even told him to rest well at the Song family home. Song Xin stayed at the Song family home and didn't even go back for lunch.
This was the first time Song Xin had eaten at home since the family split up. Song's mother was delighted and cooked two of her signature dishes herself. Song Xin went into the kitchen to learn how to make them.
Song's mother asked in astonishment, "Why are you learning this? You want to cook for Xu Shengnan?"
Song Xin hurriedly waved his hand, "No, Mom, what are you thinking? I'll never cook for her in my life! I'll tell you a secret, I've found a master, but don't tell anyone else. My master is amazing, he doesn't charge me tuition, he just loves to eat good food, and I'm planning to learn a few dishes to show my respect to him."
Song's mother was both surprised and delighted. "What are you learning from him? Who is he?"
"Mom, don't ask anymore. Anyway, it's about learning a skill, which will benefit me. Otherwise, I'm just sitting around doing nothing these days. I might as well secretly learn some skills that will be useful in the future, don't you think?"
"Yes, yes, I'll make these two dishes properly today, so you have to learn carefully. One is chicken stew with mushrooms, and the other is stir-fried green beans with pork. Don't underestimate these two simple dishes; when they're done well, they're incredibly fragrant, but if you don't do them well, they're just so-so. Your mom is a pro at making these."
"Mom, let me do it. You direct me." Song Xin enthusiastically rolled up her sleeves and started chopping vegetables, trying out each step her mother taught her, carefully noting down every detail, intending to teach Xu Zifan later.
The aroma of meat wafted from the Song family's house, and neighbors peeked out and saw Song Xin had returned. As more people found out, the news spread quickly, even reaching the brigade leader's family within the time it took to eat a meal.
Just after finishing their meal, the brigade leader's wife came to find Song Xin and told him about Xu Shengnan being beaten. After all, she was Song Xin's wife, and since he wasn't home, it was a little embarrassing that the villagers had beaten his new wife. However, Song Xin didn't seem to care at all, instead saying, "She's always causing trouble; she never has a moment's peace."
The brigade leader's wife breathed a sigh of relief at his attitude, but she still needed to keep an eye on Xu Shengnan, so she said, "I knocked on the door just now, but no one answered and no one saw her moving around. She probably didn't go back to her parents' house. I'm just worried that she might be having some kind of mental breakdown while she's alone in the house. You should open the door for me and come with me to check on her."
Song Xin had just returned from the fourth team and was certain that Xu Shengnan hadn't gone back; she must be at home. Regardless of why she locked the door and didn't answer, since she was doing this, he would open the door and bring her in. Song Xin immediately took the team leader's wife home, and Song's mother, worried, pulled her sister-in-law along as well.
Song Xin opened the door, and Xu Shengnan, remembering the terrifying night, ran out angrily and yelled, "Song Xin, you still know how to come home? Why don't you just die out there?"
After finishing her tirade, she stared speechlessly at the four people at the door. They were also staring at Xu Shengnan in astonishment. Wasn't she supposed to have a face covered in blood? How come she's so fair and delicate so quickly?!