Chapter 7

cart full of "junk" from the old storage room at the village primary school back to their small hut in the cow shed.She held a large stack of old newspapers and watched Rong Zhaonan effortlessly drag...Li Yan saw the girl with big eyes before him, and his stern expression softened.

He stepped forward: "Ning Zhiqing, we are all like-minded people. Don't be afraid. We are here to protect you and punish the bad guys!"

Ning Yuan's expression was complex and dazed.

She has been married to Li Yan for decades and there isn't the kind of exaggerated plot like being killed by her husband and a mistress that you see in most novels.

Li Yan came from a good family and was known for his honesty and fairness. He became the youngest squad secretary in the commune at a very young age.

They were introduced to each other when she cut in line, and later fell in love freely.

Li Yan later studied at the Lin Institute and became a young and capable state-owned enterprise cadre.

By the time he reached thirty, he had become the youngest provincial-level cadre in state-owned enterprises at that time.

And she had always been just an ordinary worker in a department. Everyone said she got lucky and became the wife of the director.

As Zhang Ailing once said, life is like a brocade robe, with lice crawling all over it.

She worked too hard at the silk factory, working shifts around the clock. Even while pregnant, she had to do housework. After suffering three miscarriages due to exhaustion, her husband finally agreed to transfer her to a bookkeeping position so she wouldn't keep miscarrying.

He was so busy with work that he spent hardly any days at home all year. He disliked that she couldn't give birth to a son and had a low level of education, and they had nothing in common.

He has a bad temper and yells at people at home if things don't go his way.

Then, later on....

He had a talented female reporter in his communications agency who was his confidante.

Ning Yuan knew that Li Yan must have thought about divorcing her many times.

But due to social influence, the female journalist waited for him for ten years. In the end, they still didn't get together.

Everyone in the family's yard seemed to know, but she could only pretend not to.

She earns a low salary, and divorce is heavily stigmatized in her generation.

Everyone says he's just having an affair, that a man has a home in his heart and doesn't mind she can't give birth to a son. She's been praying hard for this.

Please...

Every night, she stared into the darkness until dawn, tears soaking her pillow. During the day, however, she still put on a facade of being a dutiful wife and mother, managing the household.

As days passed, Ning Yuan developed severe depression and suffered from insomnia night after night.

Depression won't attack others like someone with schizophrenia, but it will attack the patient themselves.

She retired early from her workplace, and her body began to have various immune problems, with aches and pains all over her body. She felt unwell in general.

This is a glimpse into the lives of countless wise and virtuous housewives from past generations.

Plain and quiet, yet pain pierces my heart like countless needles.

Every night, she fantasized countless times about going back to the beginning. Would she still marry Li Yan

And you, would you marry your husband again in this lifetime

......

Ning Yuan gazed blankly at the face before her.

Li Yan also reached out with some concern and patted her shoulder: "Ning Yuan"

Ning Yuan jumped back a few steps instinctively, her voice filled with alarm: "No!"

Li Yan's hand froze mid-air. Several people wearing red armbands around him looked at each other in confusion. What was wrong with this female educated youth

Ning Yuan took a deep breath, calming herself down and forcing a smile: "I'm sorry, I was just a little shocked."

Li Yan looked at the girl's pale face with big eyes, and felt compassion in his heart: "It's alright, the brigade will take care of you, and won't let the bad guys get away!"

Saying that, he glared fiercely at Rong Zhaonan who was leaning against the wall.

Rong Zhaonan looked at Ning Yuan with an impassive face, taking in her strange reaction.

What's the relationship between Little Agent and this platoon's secretary They seem to be getting along a little too well, it's not normal.

"You little scoundrel, what are you looking at Get down on your knees and behave yourself!" Several Red Guards beside Li Yan reprimanded Rong Zhaonan when they saw him speaking.

Ning Yuan also subconsciously looked at Rong Zhaonan.

He was very tall, wearing black-rimmed glasses, his head bowed. His fringe covered half his face, and he looked pale and submissive as he crouched against the wall.

Ning Yuan subconsciously took a few steps forward, blocking Rong Zhaonan's face: "Don't do this, he didn't bully me, he didn't do anything wrong."

All the Red Sleeves were stunned, and Li Yan's face once again turned serious: "Ning Yuan, don't cover up bad people out of fear!"

Ning Yuan took a deep breath and looked at Li Yan: "No, I'm not afraid, and I'm not protecting bad people. Rong Dafu and I were talking about marriage."

Li Yan's face turned pale, and he stared at Ning Yuan in disbelief.

Although they haven't officially confirmed their relationship or started dating, it's clear that they have a good connection.

He had visited the Xiaocui Squadron several times to inspect their work and assign tasks from the commune. Whenever he saw her, they always had a lot to talk about.

Her eyes met his with a mixture of shyness and joy. They set a date to meet and officially begin dating.

This morning I heard that Ning Yuan had an accident last night, he immediately brought people over, he always believed she was innocent, someone must have bullied her last night.

Why.....

Before she was about to break through the window paper and determine their relationship, she changed!

Several red armbands saw Li Yan's face turning ashen, and they were instantly a little confused. What was going on

They also knew that the young head of the team was a handsome lad who was the talk of the town.

Many girls liked Li Yan, but he seemed to have taken a liking to a female educated youth. It was said that she had been bullied by bad elements and he rushed over early in the morning to help her.

But looking at the current situation, it seems like Li Yan is acting rashly and impulsively, like someone who has gotten a haircut without thinking.

Ning Yuan averted her eyes, no longer looking at Li Yan. She clenched her fist and said, "I don't know who started this rumor, but Rong Doctor and I have already filed a certificate in the village, and we will go to get it tomorrow!"

God gave her a second chance at life, and she didn't want anything to do with Li Yan!

She's going to have to change her ways this life, never again walk the old road she walked. She's lived in depression all her life.

I wasn't brave enough before, afraid to give it my all. Now, those who have passed on should be bid farewell!

Li Yan stared blankly at her, not knowing how a strange and indescribable pain welled up in his heart.

It feels like something is being let go of.

He gritted his back teeth and clenched his fists: “Since...it's good that Ning Zhiqing wasn't bullied, I have work to do. I'll be going now!”

Saying that, he turned and strode away.

The rest of the red sleeve ranks looked at each other in surprise, and then immediately followed suit.

In no time, the area around the cattle shed was deserted.

Ning Yuan couldn't help but her eyes turned red, she leaned against the wall feeling somewhat weak.

She... was truly about to bid farewell to her past life completely, her heart aching with a mixture of sorrow and anxiety.

Rong Zhaonan patted his pants and stood up, looking in the direction where Li Yan had left. “Is that young scribe your partner He seems to dislike me quite a bit.”

Ning Yuan rubbed her temples wearily: "No, Li Yan is very honest in these aspects. He would definitely not take revenge on you because of me."

Though Li Yan wasn't truly a good husband, nor a good father.

However, he was a very upright person in his work throughout his life, and rarely did any extravagance.

Though he held power in his hands, he was never corrupted and never used it for personal gain.

Don't even talk about bribing him with money, even if someone gave him a crate of imported fruits, he would either refuse or turn it in.

He was a model of integrity and incorruptibility throughout his life. His wife and daughters hardly benefited from his position, he was truly an upright official who lived a simple life!

Look, people are that complicated.

Rong Zhaonan watched Ning Yuan speak of Li Yan in a familiar tone, he raised an eyebrow——

"You know him so well, why not ask him to help you out of your current predicament There's no need to marry me."alked away. He let out a sneer.Well, she's not exactly a model spy, is she You'd think she'd be more proactive, you know, trying to build rapport and gather intel. Instead, she just sits there.Althou...