It could be said that in her past life, the death of Feng Qingqing and her husband was half the doing of Xiong Baoguo. This Xiong Baoguo was a ruthless man—ruthless to himself and ruthless to others—willing to use any means necessary to gamble on an uncertain future.
In that past life, Xiong Baoguo won his gamble. By sending Feng Qingqing’s entire family to hell, he became Jiang Yun’s most trusted confidant. Every dirty job was left to him. Xiong Baoguo leapt from being a good-for-nothing hooligan in the countryside to a locally renowned entrepreneur, a wealthy tycoon, and a famous man of success. The entire Xiong family rose to prominence with him, enjoying unimaginable riches.
As for his father, Team Leader Xiong Tianhua, one might ask if he knew what his son was doing. Perhaps he wasn't clear at the beginning, but having lived under the same roof for so long, it was impossible for him to be entirely ignorant of his son’s true nature.
People are selfish; whenever something concerns their own interests, they will inevitably show bias. Feng Qingqing had a clear understanding of men like Xiong Tianhua and knew how to handle them: if you don’t provoke me, I can pretend you don't exist. But if you infringe upon me, I will pay you back double. As for his precious youngest son, that was a different matter entirely.
That was a battle to the death. If she didn't ensure that those who harmed her family in the past life received their due retribution in this one, she would not be worthy of living in this world, nor would she be worthy of the second chance fate had given her.
Feng Qingqing pondered these thoughts silently. She also thought of her husband, imagining he must still be in the fields, working diligently to earn work points. The thought made her heart ache slightly. However, now that she had returned, she would surely lead their little family to a happy life. Looking back at the various things others had craved but failed to obtain—the thought was quite delightful.
Time slipped away second by second. Before long, the other educated youths returned, laden with large and small parcels. The Jiang siblings, in particular, had initially ignored Feng Qingqing, but upon seeing her massive parcel, they exchanged glances and steered their steps toward her.
Feng Qingqing was well aware of their intentions. She said nothing and acted as if they weren't there, though the disdain in her eyes betrayed her true thoughts.
The third brother, Jiang Hongjun, couldn't hold back and spat out, "You wretched girl, what kind of look is that? Don't think you're something special just because you had a little money to buy a few things. You'll need us here in the countryside. If you bow your head and apologize to us now, I might still forgive you for the sake of our past connection. But if you..." He huffed, looking at Jiang Yun, who was watching Feng Qingqing with an expectant expression.
Feng Qingqing treated them like barking dogs and ignored them entirely, walking straight to the Team Leader to ask, "Team Leader, everyone is here. Can we leave now?"
Seeing this, the Jiang siblings were even more furious. Jiang Yun, in particular, felt a pang of panic. The series of actions she had hinted to her third brother on the train were meant to give Feng Qingqing a warning, to make her realize that in this strange land, they were her only support. Unexpectedly, things had gone the opposite way, resulting in an even greater distance between them. She hadn't wanted this. Looking at Feng Qingqing, she didn't seem to be merely throwing a tantrum; it looked as if she truly wanted nothing more to do with them.
For Jiang Yun, her decision to go to the countryside and all the beautiful expectations she had shared with her father, Jiang Yong, were built on the foundation of obtaining the spatial dimension. If she couldn't get it, the loss would be too great—something she could never allow to happen.
Thinking this, Jiang Yun, who knew how to bend when necessary, stepped forward and grabbed Feng Qingqing's arm. "Sister Qingqing, Sister Qingqing, my brother is just joking with you. You wouldn't take it seriously, would you? Think of the relationship between our two families. If Mom knew you were like this, she’d be so worried. Before she left, she told us repeatedly to take good care of you and to help one another." She held onto Feng Qingqing’s arm tightly, as if afraid she would shake her off.
Feng Qingqing didn't mind. To her, revenge was inevitable, but the way she went about it had to be strategic. There was no need for the two sides to be at each other's throats before the final reckoning. Of course, this was assuming they could still treat her this way after learning of the fate of her parents back in the city. She was just waiting to see their reaction when that news finally arrived.
Although Jiang Hongjun was reckless, he listened to his sister. Seeing Jiang Yun treat Feng Qingqing as she always had, he knew his sister had her own plans and held his tongue. Beside them, Team Leader Xiong Tianhua watched the scene with a premonition that the Educated Youth Hostel was going to become much more lively in the future.
Nearby, Qi Hongsheng and Zhuang Shan, perhaps exhausted from the long journey since the morning, looked listless. Qi Hongsheng shot a few strange glances at Feng Qingqing but said nothing more.
And so, the group of nine set off, with Team Leader Xiong driving the ox cart and the youths following on foot, slowly heading toward the Lanshan Production Brigade. The cart only carried luggage, not people. Although the Lanshan Production Brigade was less than ten miles from the commune, these city folk had never walked such a long distance. Just as they were about to collapse, Team Leader Xiong’s voice sounded like music to their ears: "Everyone, keep going. We're almost there."
They looked up, and sure enough, not far ahead, the faint outline of a village emerged. Their spirits lifted; they were finally arriving. Even Feng Qingqing was reaching her limit. Yet, despite her physical exhaustion, she couldn't stop thinking about the situation at the Educated Youth Courtyard.
There were currently six people at the courtyard, three men and three women. The women were Lü Yulan from Beijing, Yao Huiyue from Shanghai, and Miao Qiucui from Hubei Province. Miao Qiucui had arrived first and was currently managing the affairs of the male and female youths alongside one of the men. She had a bright personality, was helpful, and had even offered the original owner a few kind warnings in the past, though in her previous life, Miao Qiucui had met a poor end.
Yao Huiyue from Shanghai, coming from a wealthy background, had a distant personality. Her family often sent her parcels, and she didn't grow close to the others. However, Feng Qingqing now felt that Yao Huiyue was an extremely clever woman; she must have discovered something targeting her in their past life, but since she couldn't—or wouldn't—interfere, she had simply chosen to protect herself. After the college entrance exams began, she had passed and returned to the city, and from then on, there was no more news of her.
As for Lü Yulan, Feng Qingqing narrowed her eyes, keeping her thoughts to herself. Although from Beijing, Lü Yulan’s family was large; she was the third child with an older brother and sister, and two younger brothers below her. With only her father holding a formal job, she had grown up living a very frugal life. Being neglected as a child had made her competitive and desperate to stand out, knowing that if she didn't fight for what she wanted, she would have nothing.
The other three male youths included Ma Mingchuan from Sichuan, who managed the daily affairs of the courtyard, Lu Kang from Shaanxi, and Lai Heping from Hunan. Ma Mingchuan and Miao Qiucui had arrived early; Feng Qingqing could tell they held mutual feelings for each other, though nothing had been made official yet. Lu Kang and Ma Mingchuan were on good terms and usually acted together.
As for the last youth, Lai Heping, according to her memories of the past life, he and Xiong Baoguo had been quite close. Later, he became Xiong Baoguo’s right-hand man after he struck it rich, enjoying immense glory. Some people were just born with a keen eye for opportunity—Lai Heping’s wife was Lü Yulan; perhaps there had been something going on between them long before anyone realized it.