Xie Jiajiao instinctively glanced around, trying to find out who had uttered that sudden comment.
The other female youth workers—pretending to be busy but actually eavesdropping—caught Jiajiao's searching gaze and immediately froze in embarrassment. Some cleared their throats lightly, some turned to straighten their bedding, others hurriedly bent down to fix their clothes.
One thing was certain:
When people feel awkward, they always pretend to be very busy.
That was exactly the case right now.
If it wasn't them, then who was it?
Before Jiajiao could figure it out, another, even more exasperated voice rang out.
"Lies! Lies!"
"Just like Old Mrs. Zhou said—those briquette coals are sly, nothing good ever comes of them when they fall apart."
"Pfft." Xie Jiajiao couldn't help but chuckle quietly.
You've got to admit, that description was perfect.
Old Mrs. Zhou was well known in the village as the "Big Loudspeaker." Nothing stayed behind closed doors once it reached her ears—any little thing, no matter how trivial, would spread across the entire village by the next day.
Jiajiao's soft laugh abruptly cut through Liu Niannian's impassioned admonishments. Seeing Jiajiao clearly distracted, Liu Niannian felt a sudden sting of shame—as if caught off guard—but she discreetly pinched the soft flesh at her waist and regained her composure.
"Jiajiao, Jiajiao."
"Cousin, sorry, I got distracted," Jiajiao replied lightly and nonchalantly. "By the way, what were you just saying to me?"
Again, the same old routine.
Even when Jiajiao was clearly in the wrong, she remained confident, unabashed, and completely unafraid, as if someone was always backing her up. Not like Liu Niannian, who always had to act sneaky and secretive, as if she were doing something shameful, a little petty and small-minded.
Liu Niannian clenched her fists and took a deep breath, repeating her words from before: "Jiajiao, even if you're dating Jiang Ye just to make Su Yu jealous, Su Yu is indeed starting to care about you, thinking about you—but you can't be foolish and lose yourself in the process!"
Before Jiajiao could answer, that mysterious voice spoke up again.
"Nonsense."
"The briquette coal's talking rubbish again."
"Just now at the door, that sickly weakling was hugging her, not thinking about the fool."
At the door? Sickly weakling?
Could they be talking about Su Yu?
From what she remembered, Su Yu's slender frame couldn't compare with the burly countryside boys. Even among the male youth workers, he was noticeably thin and really did look a bit sickly.
Because of this, she always worried that Su Yu didn't eat well, and ended up being the one who paid for him.
After finishing her sentence, Liu Niannian glanced at Xie Jiajiao, eyes shining with barely contained excitement.
Based on what she knew of Jiajiao, after hearing this, Jiajiao would surely grab her hand excitedly and repeatedly ask if Su Yu was really jealous.
If Jiajiao said "yes," Liu Niannian would lead her on a bit more, making her chase Jiang Ye even harder. By then, she'd spread more rumors. Even if they didn't catch them in the act today, Jiajiao would have no choice but to marry that rich landowner's hick son.
Liu Niannian waited and waited, but heard no response. Looking up, she realized Jiajiao had once again drifted off.
"Jiajiao!" Liu Niannian nearly bit her tongue in frustration. "I'm talking to you, are you listening?"
"Yes, I'm listening."
"Cousin, Jiang Ye and I are seriously dating. Also, I don't like Su Yu anymore. If you like him, you can pursue him boldly. No need to worry about my feelings or hug and cuddle in front of the youth workers' camp." Jiajiao paused, then, under the guise of being considerate, said casually, "That's bad for our reputation."
Seeing Liu Niannian's expression suddenly change, Jiajiao felt triumphant.
Though the unknown voices outside only said a few words, combined with what she'd dreamt before, Jiajiao couldn't help but doubt her cousin's "good intentions."
Her cousin said Jiajiao was so good that only highly educated families were worthy of her;
Her cousin said since Jiajiao was already involved with Jiang Ye, if she didn't marry him, she'd become a laughingstock;
Her cousin said, "Jiajiao, I was wrong, I hurt you. Jiang Ye is a bastard who never cherished you. He got you pregnant, caused a miscarriage, and now you can never have children."
But why did Jiajiao feel something was strange about everything that happened that day? It was her cousin who hinted that early pregnancy meant she should be with a man for the baby's sake. Who knew halfway through, her lower abdomen suddenly hurt, and the sheets were stained with blood?
So, was this cousin who claimed to care so much really looking out for her?
And what about Jiang Xiu—was she telling the truth?
Did her cousin really force her to tarnish her own reputation?
Was Su Yu taking money from her while using it to curry favor with her cousin?
Immersed in her thoughts and secretly pleased that Jiajiao hadn't left, Liu Niannian, who had been spying on her and Su Yu, didn't notice Jiajiao's increasingly complicated gaze.
Liu Niannian was truly mentally strong—within moments, she wiped away two tears and forced out a couple more.
"Jiajiao, Su Yu is the one you like. How could I, as your elder sister, compete with you?"
Liu Niannian was certain that Jiajiao, proud as she was, would never admit to spying from the shadows.
"You can't just get jealous because Su Yu was hurt by Jiang Ye and you saw me helping him to the village clinic. Don't slander us and suggest we have something improper going on."
"If anyone misunderstood that, it'd be like wishing me dead."
"Hahaha, then go die!"
"Breaking this Duck Lord's wings—you deserve to go to hell."
Duck Lord?
Ignoring Liu Niannian's sobbing, Xie Jiajiao glanced through the window, searching outside.
The courtyard was empty. No ducks in sight.
"Jiajiao, don't you believe me?"
No sign of the so-called "Duck Lord," but Liu Niannian's tearful accusation lingered in her ears. Usually sympathetic, Jiajiao now felt a bit irritated and changed the subject.
"Cousin, the food's ready. Let's eat first—we still have work this afternoon."
From the tone of her voice, Liu Niannian knew that Xie Jiajiao had backed down, just as she had guessed. Jiajiao didn't dare to push the issue any further; for now, she was just quietly nursing her anger.
So Liu Niannian obediently fell silent, deciding to find an excuse to smooth things over another day.
The two of them walked one after the other toward the courtyard. But just as they stepped outside the door, a shadow suddenly fell from above.
Then, a faint but unmistakable foul smell wafted through the air, followed by Liu Niannian's sharp, startled scream piercing the quiet yard.
"Ahhh!"
Xie Jiajiao tilted her head and glanced over, spotting Liu Niannian—about 1.58 meters tall—with a streak of bird droppings smeared across her head, white with a hint of yellow, glaringly obvious.
Jiajiao took a couple of quick steps back, fanning the air near her nose, and kindly warned, "Cousin, you've got bird poop on your head. You better go wash it off."
Anyone would be in a foul mood after having a steaming pile dumped on their head, let alone having it announced out loud like that. Liu Niannian shot Xie Jiajiao an angry glare, then spun on her heel and ran off.
Why was she glaring at her?
Completely baffling.
Xie Jiajiao didn't take it personally. Though she suspected her cousin Liu Niannian had ill intentions, she wouldn't use just a dream as evidence to accuse or retaliate against her.
But she wasn't going to invite trouble either. She disliked pretending to tolerate what she couldn't accept, and was certain that both Liu Niannian and Su Yu were going to keep their distance from her.
"That was close!"
"If it weren't for that fool speaking up in time, the briquette coal might have snapped one of Duck Lord's wings for good."
"Duck Lord?"
Jiajiao looked toward the courtyard, where a black crow flapped awkwardly on the ground, trying to take off again with one half-broken wing. She smiled wryly.
Caw caw.
"Who called you Duck Lord?"
Heh.
So this "Crow Lord" was not the same as the "Duck Lord"!
Jiajiao stepped over and squatted beside the black crow, grabbed one of its legs, and hung it upside down.
The Crow Lord, hearing footsteps approaching, had decisively kicked out its legs and played dead.
"Crow Lord?" Jiajiao teased with a dark grin, shaking the black crow. "You fool?"