Time Travel: Volume 1! Starting from a Small Mountain Village

Long Lifan feigned nonchalance and inquired about the details of purchasing fish fry from Wang Dezhu, but a glint of something else shone in her eyes. Noticing Wang Dezhu following closely behind, she secretly considered her options and then said, "Captain Wang, you don't need to be so polite and stay with us. We'll just take a stroll around the fishpond and see if there's anything else we need to be aware of..."

Her words were perfectly airtight, but she had other plans in mind. Their real purpose for this trip was to see Zhao Xiaodong and Xia Aiguo in a sorry state; how could they let Wang Dezhu see through their scheme?

Hearing this, Wang Dezhu hesitated for a moment, but he had no choice but to stop and watch them leave. Once Wang Dezhu's figure was out of sight, Hu Lili immediately leaned close to Long Lifan and asked in a low voice, "Sister Fan, Qingmiao Brigade is so big, where should we look for Zhao Xiaodong and the others?"

A mysterious smile played on Long Lifan's lips as she continued walking forward. Her gaze fell on a man in his sixties who was busy feeding the fish and observing the situation. He seemed much more reliable than Zhao Xiaodong and Xia Aiguo.

"Grandpa," Long Lifan greeted him warmly, "has there been any new development at the fishpond recently?" As she asked, she glanced around out of the corner of her eye, already having made up her mind.

"Oh, it's Long Zhiqing! No, no, everything is fine in the fishpond now. The fish are all lively and jumping around. There have been no more deaths."

The old man's name was Wang Defa, and he and Wang Dezhu were cousins. He naturally recognized Long Lifan, since he had also followed the crowd to Dongwan Brigade that day. As an elder, he especially cherished the hard-won fruits of their labor. Therefore, upon seeing this "benefactor" who had saved the fishpond, he was exceptionally attentive, his eyes almost narrowed into slits.

Long Lifan casually offered some guidance on the details of fish farming, while Wang Defa listened attentively, taking notes as he went. After Long Lifan finished speaking, Wang Defa sincerely remarked, "You know, we're all educated youth, so how come there's such a big difference! Some people just cause trouble and make things worse."

"Sir, who were you referring to as the troublemaker?" Long Lifan knew perfectly well who it was, but she still pretended to be puzzled and asked.

"Who else could it be! It's those two lads, Zhao and Xia!" Mentioning the two, Wang Defa's face instantly turned ashen, his anger blazing. "If they weren't so clueless and giving such bad orders, our Qingmiao brigade wouldn't have suffered such heavy losses! In my opinion, they should pay compensation for the huge losses they caused the village! But Dezhu only sent them to reclaim wasteland; that's letting them off too easily..."

Speaking of this, Wang Defa was furious. For the villagers, physical strength was the least valuable asset; they had plenty of it. Therefore, many villagers felt that the brigade leader's punishment of the two men was too lenient and that they should be made to pay compensation!

“Reclaiming wasteland…” Long Lifan, Hu Lili and Lin Yue exchanged glances, their understanding unspoken, and a strange smile appeared on their lips in unison.

They could almost picture Zhao Xiaodong and Xia Aiguo sweating profusely under the scorching sun, digging the soil with hoes in hand. Just thinking about it made them feel "comfortable".

The group then learned the exact location of the two men from Wang Defa—north of the field. So, they strolled leisurely in that direction, as if to witness a carefully prepared spectacle.

Before they even got close, they could see Zhao Xiaodong and Xia Aiguo busily working. One of them was bent over, digging frantically, while the other was laboriously clearing stones from the ground. In just a few days, the two had become so disheveled that Long Lifan and the others almost didn't recognize them.

"Hey, isn't this Zhao Zhiqing?"

Lin Yue, with her sharp eyes, recognized Zhao Xiaodong at a glance. She feigned surprise and exclaimed, "How come you've changed so much in just a few days... Weren't you threatening me so arrogantly the other day? How are you feeling now? Not so good, are you?"

Her tone was filled with a vengeful pleasure, as if seeing Zhao Xiaodong's miserable state was the greatest comfort to her.

"Lin Yue..." Hearing that familiar teasing voice, Zhao Xiaodong suddenly looked up and recognized the speaker at a glance. The stone in his hand seemed to become a tool for venting his anger, and he threw it aside hard, kicking up a cloud of dust.

He never expected that Lin Yue and the others would see him in such a wretched state. Judging from their relaxed expressions, it seemed they had come specifically to see him make a fool of himself.

Zhao Xiaodong was burning with rage, but he was exhausted and weary, his body too tired to even utter a single word. He could only channel his anger into hatred, glaring fiercely at them.

Xia Aiguo, standing to the side, kept his head down, his hands constantly busy, as if trying to hide his embarrassment through his activity. He didn't want Hu Lili and the others to see him in this disheveled state.

Seeing Zhao Xiaodong's defiant gaze, Hu Lili immediately retorted without hesitation, "Zhao Xiaodong, why are you glaring like that! If it weren't for Sister Fan helping to clean up that mess at the fishpond, you would have been charged with damaging collective property. Is this how you treat your benefactor? Humph, you really don't know what's good for you!" Her words were laced with sarcasm and dissatisfaction, making Zhao Xiaodong and Xia Aiguo feel even more ashamed.

They'd watched the play and exchanged words, but the silence of Zhao Xiaodong and Xia Aiguo made Long Lifan utterly bored. "Let's go!"

She stretched lazily, winking at the two men as she spoke, a playful look on her face. "Let's not disturb them while they're working. If they don't finish today's task, Captain Wang won't let them go back for dinner!"

After saying that, Long Lifan turned around and beckoned Hu Lili and Lin Yue to leave. The three of them walked away chatting and laughing, leaving Zhao Xiaodong and Xia Aiguo standing there in a daze.

"Hmph, Lin Yue, since you've started this, don't blame me for doing the same thing again." Zhao Xiaodong gritted his teeth and vowed in his heart, "We'll see who has the last laugh."

Zhao Xiaodong secretly plotted, deciding to write a letter to his parents in Beijing as soon as he got back. His father was Lin Yue's stepmother's boss; with such a connection, he was confident he could handle Lin Yue. As for Hu Lili, he didn't even dare to consider her, and judging from Long Lifan's appearance, her family background was probably not simple either, so he had no interest in her either.

As Zhao Xiaodong imagined Lin Yue being verbally abused by her parents, his anger gradually subsided, and he even couldn't help but laugh out loud. He glanced at Xia Aiguo, who was still busy, then turned to look at the backs of Long Lifan and the other two, his heart filled with mixed feelings. But mostly, he felt resentment and unwillingness towards Lin Yue.