Chapter 29: In the Face of Absolute Power, All Schemes Are Paper Tigers
Seeing that Ning Xiaoxiao was fine, Zhao Jianshe cleared his throat tactically to draw everyone’s attention.
“Alright, everyone, that’s the end of our welcome meeting. Go to bed now. Tomorrow morning at 6:30, gather at the brigade office — the captain will introduce you new educated youths to the rest of the team. Don’t be late. Once the introductions are done, you’ll have a full day to rest. That’s all. Meeting adjourned.”
As Ning Xiyue was leaving, she glanced at Ning Xiaoxiao, who was half lying on the ground. Their eyes met — Xiaoxiao’s full of hatred, Xiyue’s playful and taunting. She raised the brick still in her hand slightly and mouthed silently, “Anytime.”
Ning Xiaoxiao shrank back when she saw the brick, her body instinctively scooting a bit farther away, afraid that Ning Xiyue might swing it down again.
She touched the spot where she’d been hit earlier. The skin wasn’t broken, not even a bruise had formed, but the dull ache in her forehead was still unpleasant.
Ning Xiyue snorted when she saw Xiaoxiao’s cowardly reaction and turned away. Did a dog eat this woman’s brain? she thought. With tricks that pathetic, she wants to fight me? Her brick was the ultimate cure for anyone unwilling to behave.
Chen Yechu looked at Ning Xiaoxiao lying there so pitifully, then noticed how Xia Zhipeng flinched and stepped back in fear as Ning Xiyue passed by him. The resentment buried in her heart from her previous life seemed to fade a little, and she exhaled a long, relieved breath.
There was nothing scary about them. Nothing impressive either. There was no problem that couldn’t be solved. Ning Xiaoxiao and Xia Zhipeng were just… like that. Maybe in her past life, she’d been blinded by eye gunk and mistaken that scumbag and that bitch for a husband and a best friend.
In this life, her eyes were truly open. From now on, she would learn from Xiyue — never compromise for anyone, always be true to herself. She could endure many things, but suffering was not one of them. If anyone offends me, they will be destroyed.
After the exhausting drama of the night, everyone was utterly spent. They all returned to their rooms to wash up and rest.
Ning Xiyue packed up her clothes and boiled some water for a bath. After a day like this, her body stank — sour and sweaty. First the crowded bus, then the long walk back, and to top it off, she’d just been in a fight. In the middle of summer, her clothes had never fully dried all day.
Even she was disgusted with herself.
The educated youth dormitory had two shower sheds, built by previous batches — one for men and one for women.
The men’s shed was behind the men’s dorm, and the women’s behind the women’s dorm. They were in completely different directions, with buildings in between to avoid unnecessary conflicts, making things much more convenient and safer.
Seeing the shower shed made Ning Xiyue quite happy — plant trees so others may rest under them, she thought. The ground was paved with stone slabs, so no mud would splash onto her body, and the structure was tall — about three meters — with a proper door and bolt. It was actually pretty secure.
Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief. She did not want the experience of getting dirtier while showering — nor did she want to risk being peeped on.
She pulled out the bar of soap she’d once drawn at the Supply Station and silently thanked her “Comrade System” for always keeping her stocked with supplies.
After washing her body and hair, she finally felt clean and human again.
Among the towels she had received from the sign-in system, one was specifically for drying hair. It was highly absorbent — after a few wipes, her hair was already half-dry. A few minutes in the night breeze, and it was completely dry.
“Wow, this towel’s amazing. I don’t even have to worry about wet hair at night.” Hanging up her laundry, Ning Xiyue hummed a tune as she ran her fingers through her fully dry hair and walked back inside.
Chen Yechu had gone to wash up, so Ning Xiyue was alone in the room.
She took out pen and paper, laid on her bed with a flashlight, and started writing letters — imitating the original host’s handwriting to write to her parents, her brother in the army, and even a thank-you letter to her brother’s comrade.
She tried every position imaginable to make writing easier, and by the time she finished, her hands and feet were sore. “Ugh, it’s such a pain without a table and chair. I’ll have to make some furniture — a table, chairs, and maybe a cabinet. Writing like this is torture.”
Thinking of her empty spatial storage, she realized she’d have to prepare a lot more items in the future.
The room had nothing but a kang bed. There was a lot she still needed to acquire, and she resolved to sort it all out during tomorrow’s rest day.
“Xiyue, not asleep yet?” Chen Yechu came in with a basin in her hands.
“Almost.” Ning Xiyue tucked the letters away, ready to lie down, when she heard Chen Yechu’s sincere voice.
“Hmm?” Ning Xiyue looked at her with a puzzled expression, though she already knew why Yechu was thanking her.
Chen Yechu shook her head and smiled. “Nothing. I just wanted to say thank you. Xiyue, you’re amazing.”
“Thank you. You’re amazing too. Let’s work hard together.” Ning Xiyue returned the smile. So far, she really liked Chen Yechu — she had a good impression of her. Especially since they shared a common enemy. “Good night.”
“Mm, good night.”
Ning Xiyue pulled down the curtain, lay down comfortably, and had just closed her eyes when she remembered — she hadn’t drunk her Yangzhi Ganlu. She peeked through the curtain to check on Chen Yechu, and once she confirmed it was safe, she quietly took a small porcelain jar from her system backpack and drank the only sip she had.
It was colorless and tasteless, just like cool boiled water.
Within a minute, she could feel the effects — her pores seemed to be singing with joy, her whole body relaxing, her mind clear. All the irritability caused by the hot weather vanished.
It felt a hundred times better than a hot spring or a full-body spa. Her mind calmed completely.
Within two minutes of closing her eyes, she had drifted into a deep, sweet sleep — better than any melatonin or sleeping pill — and slept straight through until morning.
Thankfully, she’d set her system to act as an alarm clock, or she might have slept who knows how long.
She had to admit, the Yangzhi Ganlu was incredible. Despite walking so much yesterday, she felt no soreness at all. She was full of energy, practically skipping her way to the brigade office. In stark contrast, Chen Yechu trudged along, dragging her legs — the difference was like night and day.
“Xiyue, your legs don’t hurt?” Chen Yechu asked enviously, watching her walk so effortlessly ahead.
With a straight face, Ning Xiyue lied, “Maybe because I massaged myself last night. Plus, I exercise regularly at home, so my leg muscles are used to it. They don’t get sore anymore.”
“I was so tired I just collapsed last night. I forgot to massage, and sure enough, my legs are killing me this morning.”
“It’s fine. Just remember to massage after exercise next time.” Of course, Ning Xiyue wasn’t about to tell her the real reason — that her “golden finger” was the reason she felt so fresh. That kind of love from the system was hers alone to enjoy.
By 6:30 a.m., all the educated youths had gathered on the open ground near the brigade office for the meeting. The local villagers were already there waiting.
Ning Xiyue noticed Ning Xiaoxiao deliberately limping exaggeratedly, eyes gleaming with malicious excitement — clearly plotting something.
Still haven’t learned your lesson, huh? The needle was in her toe, not her heel. And yet she was copying the limping style of another villager with a heel injury — tiptoeing forward. Terrible acting. Even calling it “eighteenth-rate” was too generous.
Ning Xiyue withdrew her gaze and stopped paying attention. In the face of absolute strength, all schemes are nothing but paper tigers.
At exactly 6:30, Captain Zhang Dawei emerged from the office next door, face glowing with joy, followed by two people.
When Ning Xiyue saw the familiar figure walking behind him, her lips curved into a delighted smile. Her protective talisman had arrived.
