Chen Lishu and Gu Xingping stayed at home until the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, and planned to return to town on the sixth. Before leaving, Chen Lishu went to the educated youth spot to say goodbye to Xu Ning.
"Come in and sit down quickly." Xu Ning pulled her inside as soon as she saw her.
"Why are you the only one left in the house? Where are the others?" Chen Lishu followed her into the house, her curiosity piqued by the single bed against the wall.
"One returned to the city due to illness, and the rest, Zhao Hong, moved out after marrying Lu Chengming a while ago," Xu Ning explained.
Zhao Hong married Lu Chengming? "Didn't you say they broke up and she had an abortion?"
"Who knows? Anyway, after Lu Chengming approached her a few times, they said they were getting married. Now they are renting a place behind the rice milling station, living in the east and west rooms next to Wang Ermazi's house."
Chen Lishu nodded. They were two unrelated people anyway, so she didn't ask further but changed the subject: "I told you I have a neighbor who is a high school teacher. Before I came back this time, I asked him for this semester's final exam papers and answer keys from his school. You can do them when you have time."
Xu Ning was very happy when she saw the papers Chen Lishu brought. After carefully putting them away, they chatted for a while longer before Chen Lishu got up to leave.
As she walked not far from the educated youth spot's gate, she bumped into Zhao Hong and Lu Chengming walking towards her.
Having not seen them for a while, seeing their hands tightly clasped, their relationship seemed quite good.
Chen Lishu averted her gaze, changed her step, and was about to leave when Zhao Hong suddenly called out, "Chen Lishu, stop."
Chen Lishu turned her head, "Is there something?"
Zhao Hong released Lu Chengming's hand and quickly walked a couple of steps closer to her, her face cold. "You still have the nerve to ask if there's something? Tell me, was it your doing that caused what was written in that book?"
"I don't understand what you're saying." Chen Lishu didn't want to get entangled with her and started to walk away.
Seeing her about to leave, Zhao Hong became anxious and grabbed her arm. "You always act so high and mighty. Are you jealous of the good relationship between Chengming and me, so you want to destroy our relationship by any means necessary?"
Chen Lishu unceremoniously slapped her hand away and sneered, "I'm jealous of your relationship? Please use your brain before you speak. With one渣男 (scumbag) and one贱女 (bitch) like you two, what would I be jealous of? Jealous of your faces being thicker than a city wall, or jealous of the water in your heads being more than others?"
"Chengming told me everything. You're just someone who despises the poor and loves the rich. You liked Chengming before, but when the Gu family offered a more substantial bride price, you turned around and married into the Gu family. Even though you're already married, you shamelessly tried to seduce him and were jealous of our relationship, so you deliberately framed him."
Zhao Hong grew more and more angry. If Chen Lishu hadn't interfered, she wouldn't have misunderstood Chengming, Chengming wouldn't have been angry and ignored her after a month of hard labor, and she wouldn't have had the abortion.
Chen Lishu raised her eyes and looked at Lu Chengming, "Did you tell her these things?"
Lu Chengming's eyes flinched with guilt, then he put on a dismissive face and sneered at Chen Lishu, "That's the truth."
What a truth.
"Lu Chengming, have you no shame? Even if I were blind, I wouldn't look twice at a useless bum like you who can't do anything and eats without contributing anything! You really are one to put gold on your own face. You say you're from the city, but everyone knows you're a second-rate hooligan who couldn't make it in the city. Only someone like Zhao Hong, whose brain is filled with water and eyes blinded by dung, would like you."
Chen Lishu grew angrier as she spoke. She had seen shameless people, but never one as shameless as this. She thought that after rebirth, she had completely bid farewell to the past, but she didn't expect this贱男人 (bitch man) to come crawling back. In that case, don't blame her for being impolite.
"I'm not over you? My man is a thousand times better than you, and you're not even fit to carry his shoes. Why don't you take a look at yourself in a puddle of urine? Oh, right, a useless person like you who can only vent his abilities on women would probably choke on his own urine if he looked."
"And you! A good girl, not only blind but also mentally retarded. I bet that wound on your forehead was inflicted by that scoundrel Lu Chengming, wasn't it? Tell me, aren't you pathetic? You listen to everything he says, and if he told you to die, would you? Isn't getting pregnant before marriage something to be proud of? Blaming me for aborting a child is like blaming the Earth for gravity when you can't pass stool!"
Chen Lishu paused after speaking and spat impatiently, "You two are purely like toads jumping on flour, not biting but disgusting people."
It took the two of them a while to react to Chen Lishu's barrage of words. Zhao Hong's eyes immediately widened in anger, and she lunged at Chen Lishu, "You bitch, how dare you curse me? I'll rip your mouth apart."
Chen Lishu, having been prepared, quickly reached out and pushed her as she lunged forward, causing Zhao Hong to lose her balance and fall to the ground.
"Bitch, I'll teach you a lesson today!" Zhao Hong fell, but Lu Chengming, who was nearby, acted as if he saw nothing and menacingly raised his arm towards Chen Lishu.
"Lu Chengming, I advise you to think carefully before you act. Whichever arm you use to hit me, I believe I can cripple it directly." Chen Lishu narrowed her eyes and looked at Lu Chengming, speaking in a soft voice.
"Who are you trying to scare? Do you really think I'm easily intimidated?" Lu Chengming's face darkened, and he swung his hand towards Chen Lishu again. Chen Lishu was faster than him, giving him two loud slaps with both hands.
This was all thanks to her reflexes honed from years of fighting with Lu Chengming in her previous life.
"You bitch, how dare you hit me?" Lu Chengming touched his burning cheek and looked at Chen Lishu as if his eyes were spewing fire.
Chen Lishu knew that look very well. Every time he was about to hit her in the past, his eyeballs would turn red and bulge, his expression as ferocious as a vengeful spirit.
"What's wrong with hitting you? Are you some important person who can't be hit? You're just a stinking educated youth from the city. I'm telling you, this is Qingshan Village. If you dare to lay a finger on me today, I'll make sure you leave here horizontally."
"I really didn't expect you to have such a sharp tongue. I'll hit you today, and let's see who can do anything to me!"
Lu Chengming's anger had been ignited. He wouldn't feel appeased unless he beat Chen Lishu soundly.
"Third Sister-in-law, what's wrong?"
Gu Xingye had just come out of Zhang Xiaoju's house. He saw Chen Lishu's figure in the distance and, noticing that the educated youth named Lu seemed to be intending to harm Chen Lishu, his expression changed immediately, and he ran over.
"Fourth brother, you're here at the right time. This guy named Lu is trying to hit me." Chen Lishu immediately pointed at Lu Chengming.
"What's wrong with hitting you!" Lu Chengming said, raising his palm to strike Chen Lishu.