Chapter 138: Too Cruel
The next morning, everyone in the educated youth dormitory dabbed themselves with purple antiseptic. As seasoned drama kings and queens, they couldn’t risk having their “performance” from yesterday exposed — so they carefully applied the medicine over all the places where they had drawn fake scratches, fully committing to the act.
Ning Xiyue even went a step further: she wrapped her hands in gauze, wound another strip around her neck, and then smeared the same purple antiseptic all over it. Only after making sure everything looked convincing did she leisurely push her bicycle out the door, heading to the market.
The moment the educated youths stepped out of the dormitory, they became the center of attention. Those large, dramatic patches of purple drew every eye in sight.
As Ning Xiyue pushed her bicycle along, she not only drew waves of sympathy but also plenty of envious glances — mostly directed at the bicycle itself.
“Sigh, look at Doctor Ning’s injuries — all because of Wu Xiuli’s evil deeds.”
That was the sentiment from the sympathetic crowd.
Some young men, eager for a chance to ride a bicycle, called out, “Comrade Ning, if your hands hurt, how about I ride and take you there?”
Ning Xiyue politely declined with a smile. “Thank you for your kindness. It’s just my hands — they’re much better after applying medicine. Riding with bandages isn’t a problem.”
Once she was out of sight of the team, Ning Xiyue hopped on the bike and pedaled away at full speed.
In less than twenty minutes, she reached the town.
When she arrived in Yongchuan Town, she paid two fen to park her bicycle at the public storage station, then walked straight to the rendezvous spot she had previously agreed on with Comrade Li from the Armed Forces Department — a small, inconspicuous farmhouse on the outskirts of town.
Comrade Li was already waiting for her inside.
Without a word, he handed her a signed contract.
The long-awaited document was finally before her eyes.
Ning Xiyue opened it and examined it carefully. The bright red official seal made a smile spread across her face.
Now, she officially had an iron rice bowl — a guaranteed state job, under government protection.
Comrade Li asked routinely, “Comrade Ning, do you have any new formulas you’ve been working on?”
“Yes. This time, it’s a medicine useful for women. I believe the female soldiers in the army will really appreciate it.” Ning Xiyue carefully tucked away the contract, then pulled from her pocket a bottle of menstrual pain pills, along with a handwritten formula and usage instructions. “The usage and effects are all written down here.”
Comrade Li, whose job was only to deliver things, sealed the items in a bag without even glancing at them.
“Do you have any other requests?”
“Not at the moment. I’ll let you know if I do. But there’s one thing I want to ask.”
Ning Xiyue was dying to know about last night — more specifically, about Wu Xiuli. She wanted to dig for information.
“Go ahead.” Comrade Li nodded, listening seriously.
Ning Xiyue sat upright and asked cautiously, “I hope I’m not overstepping, but… could you tell me what happened to those people who were taken away from our dormitory yesterday?”
“Of course. We were going to inform you anyway.” Comrade Li nodded in agreement and continued, “You are now under our protection. Anyone who threatens your safety is acting against the interests of the state.”
Since she was now considered part of their inner circle, Comrade Li briefly explained what had happened the previous night.
It turned out that he had originally gone to Mount Daqi to meet Comrade Ji and, while on his way, had planned to stop by to deliver the contract. By coincidence, when he arrived, he saw Wu Xiuli causing a scene in the dormitory and even attacking her.
Since Ning Xiyue was under state protection, there was no way Comrade Li could allow that to happen. And just like that, Wu Xiuli was arrested on the spot.
Wu Laogen’s whole family was taken in as well — though, to be fair, Wu Laogen was only implicated because of his daughter.
“We searched Wu Xiuli’s bag and found snake venom. During questioning, she admitted that she didn’t just plan to attack you yesterday — she also intended to poison the people she hated. Although she failed, the nature of the crime is extremely serious.”
“What? Snake venom? She’s terrifying — to think she’d go so far as to poison people over a man!” Ning Xiyue was utterly shocked.
She hadn’t expected Wu Xiuli to be even scarier than a lunatic — she had actually planned a poisoning.
And who were the people Wu Xiuli hated? Wang Fenglan and Chen Yechu… and now herself, Ning Xiyue. That was three lives. How cruel and heartless must she be to even contemplate such a thing?
Ning Xiyue’s eyes turned red with anger. “So how will she be punished?”
“The higher-ups have decided: Wu Xiuli will be permanently sent to a labor farm in the northwest, where she will remain until death. As for Wu Laogen and Li Cuihua, they may be released tomorrow.”
“She’s getting off easy,” Ning Xiyue muttered bitterly. “If the poisoning had succeeded, she wouldn’t be alive right now.”
Comrade Li, speaking as a friend, added, “Don’t worry. Life won’t be good for her there. She’s being sent to one of the harshest labor farms in the northwest.”
“Mm.” That was all that could be done.
It was truly bad luck to have run into someone like Wu Xiuli during her rural service.
Once she had learned everything she wanted, Ning Xiyue left the farmhouse.
Outside, she tied another wolf fang she had “signed” from Little Grey onto the string around her neck. Only after wearing three fangs in total did she feel refreshed, as if all the bad luck brought by Wu Xiuli had finally left her.
Ning Xiyue decided she should collect more wolf fangs from Little Grey in the future.
Life was full of misfortune, and one could never have too many protective charms.
With that matter settled, she turned her attention to the erba gang project in her storage space.
Finding a secluded spot, she had her system check the surroundings before pulling the gambling table out of storage and pushing it toward the house she owned in town.
When she arrived at the small courtyard and knocked on the door, she was almost shocked at what she saw inside — the house was so changed she barely recognized it.
The once dilapidated building had been fully renovated. The courtyard was tidy and well-kept, surrounded by a wooden fence, with rows of vegetables growing inside.
The broken, one-legged stone table on the right side of the yard had been repaired, and above it, a new tea pavilion had been built. A pot of tea sat on the table beneath it.
The entire property had transformed from a crumbling ruin into a lively, welcoming home full of warmth and vitality.
Even the storage shed she had reserved for herself had been repainted with fresh limewash.
This rental was turning out to be a great deal — she didn’t have to lift a finger, and the place had become a cozy little residence.
A young woman carrying a baby on her back greeted Ning Xiyue with a bright smile as she entered. “You must be the owner, Ning Xiyue. Please, come in and sit. I’m Li Quan’s wife — my name’s Wu Junya. You can just call me Sister Junya.”
She introduced herself while leading Ning Xiyue to the repaired stone table on the right side of the courtyard and poured her a cup of tea.
When she made a move to go inside and fetch more things to serve, Ning Xiyue quickly stopped her.
“Hello, Sister Junya. No need for the trouble. I just had some time today and came by to take a look. I’ll be leaving soon to find my brother, but I’ll come back later.”
“Alright. Then have a cup of tea and rest before you go,” Wu Junya said cheerfully, sitting back down on the stone stool.
After finishing the tea and chatting for a bit, Ning Xiyue took out her key, opened her private storage shed, pushed her bicycle inside, locked it up, and headed to the commune to look for Ning Qingyuan.
