Chapter 53: Does the Little Monkey Like That Girl?

"Lin Zhiqing, I know you like me. Let's hurry before someone sees us..." As Chen Guang spoke, he lunged at Lin Xiaodou.

But instead of the soft body he imagined, he was met with a solid kick.

"Bang!"

Chen Guang was sent flying, crashing heavily into a large tree, the leaves rattling loudly from the impact.

"Lin Zhiqing, you—!" Chen Guang struggled to his feet, shocked and about to say more.

Before he could finish, a flurry of fists rained down upon him.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Caught completely off guard, Chen Guang couldn't dodge at all. The fists felt as hard as rocks, slamming into his face with such pain that he screamed out.

"Ah! Lin Xiaodou! You wretched woman! Stop, please!"

Always so refined in public, Chen Guang now couldn't help but curse.

"You want me to stop?" Lin Xiaodou sneered, her fists relentless. "I'm beating you, you shameless, thick-skinned man. Take a good look in the mirror before you dare pester me again!"

She targeted the most painful spots on his face and body. In less than five minutes, Chen Guang was left battered and bruised, blood oozing from his mouth.

He curled up on the ground, clutching his head, sobbing and begging for mercy. "I'm sorry, please stop, please!"

Never had Chen Guang imagined he would one day be bested by a woman. Lin Xiaodou, who always seemed so delicate and easy to bully, had such a fierce side. She fought as if her life depended on it—it was truly terrifying!

Seeing him beg, Lin Xiaodou finally stopped. With her newfound strength, she was worried she might kill him if she wasn't careful. The beating was lesson enough; now it was time to lay down the law.

"Listen up!" She grabbed him by the collar, her tone menacing. "Stay away from me from now on, or I'll beat you every time I see you! And if you dare harass any other women, if I catch you, it won't end at just a beating, understand?"

Her gaze was icy and murderous, sending chills down Chen Guang's spine. He trembled and nodded repeatedly. "I understand! I do! I won't dare again!"

"Hmph!" Lin Xiaodou tossed him to the ground and turned away.

Chen Guang lay there, shaking like a leaf.

Suddenly, he found himself longing for his mother. The women out here were truly terrifying!

...

Much later, Chen Guang limped back to the Educated Youth Courtyard, his face swollen and bruised. He kept silent in the face of everyone's concerned questions—if anyone found out he'd been beaten by a woman, he'd lose all his dignity.

If his manly pride was at stake, he'd rather die than tell the truth.

Zhang Lian, who liked him, was the only one who felt sorry for him, fussing over him and tending to his wounds. Looking at the gentle woman before him, Chen Guang's chilled heart was comforted.

See, there were still people who liked him.

If only Zhang Lian didn't come from such a poor family, he might actually agree to be with her. He'd wait a bit longer. Handsome as he was, who knew what other 'big fish' he might catch?

---

Meanwhile, after dealing with Chen Guang, Lin Xiaodou returned to the house to gather her luggage and rations.

She had quite a bit to carry—a wooden trunk, a large woven bag, and her grain allotment.

According to regulations, each educated youth was given forty catties of raw grain per month. After husking, that amounted to about thirty-two catties, or roughly three hundred eighty in a year.

It was the end of August, four months left until the year-end distribution. Each of them received just over a hundred and twenty catties—thirty catties of brown rice, fifty of cornmeal, and the rest in potatoes and corn cobs.

At this rate, each meal was barely enough to stave off hunger. With so much work and so little food, it was no wonder the older educated youths looked so thin and sallow.

At dinner the night before, one of the older youths had brought out three taels of preserved meat he'd been saving, to welcome the newcomers. Perhaps because of the summer heat or because it had hung too long from the beam, the meat was moldy and crawling with bugs. The older youth, unfazed, was about to wash it in hot water and cook it.

Fortunately, Lin Xiaodou had caught this in time. She discreetly got rid of the spoiled meat and replaced it with some she had stashed away.

At dinner, the older youths chewed on fragrant, savory meat, their faces alight with joy. It had been ages since they’d tasted anything like it!

Only the girl who’d handled the spoiled meat was puzzled. The meat had been infested with bugs—shouldn’t it have tasted odd? Why did it seem perfectly fine?

Maybe it was just the cook’s skill. Since Lin Zhiqing had volunteered to help in the kitchen, she’d left the cooking to her. So perhaps the credit belonged to Lin Zhiqing.

Thinking this, the girl gave Lin Xiaodou a grateful glance, then shared the story with the group.

The older educated youths were unfazed, praising Lin Xiaodou's cooking. Only the newcomers felt uneasy and avoided the meat, so in the end, it was the old-timers who devoured it all.

Because of this, the older youths grew quite fond of Lin Xiaodou and treated her warmly.

When Lin Xiaodou came to collect her belongings and rations, it happened to be lunchtime, just as the older youths returned from work. Hearing she was moving out, they all offered to help.

"No need. My place is up in the hills, a bit far. You’ve just come back and need to cook, so I won’t trouble you," Lin Xiaodou replied as she tied her trunk, woven bag, and rations together.

Someone asked curiously, "How are you going to move all that by yourself? It's so heavy."

"I've always been strong," Lin Xiaodou said. "This is nothing."

Under their doubtful gazes, Lin Xiaodou lifted the two-hundred-pound bundle with one hand and hefted it onto her shoulder.

Everyone was stunned.

Good heavens, what had they just witnessed?

Lin Zhiqing was tall and slender—how could she possibly be so strong? It was unbelievable!

Lin Xiaodou had never intended to hide her strength. It was the truth, and sooner or later they'd find out, so she might as well reveal it now.

She waved at everyone with a smile. "I’m off now. You all get back to work!"

With that, she strode away, light on her feet.

---

Meanwhile, in the mountain forest.

Zhou Qinglang walked forward, feeling his way with a wooden staff, a little golden monkey in his arms.

They passed a sheer cliff, where the monkey leapt down and bounded ahead, soon revealing a small cave hidden by the undergrowth.

The little monkey pushed aside the foliage and slipped inside. The cave was pitch dark.

It made its way to the very back and pressed a paw against the wall.

With a rumble, the wall rotated, revealing a staircase leading down into the earth.

The monkey called back, and Zhou Qinglang followed closely, descending the steps together.

Before long, they reached their usual resting place. Zhou Qinglang picked up a golden bowl from the stone table and scooped spring water from a large earthen jar.

"Come drink, Little Mischief."

The little monkey scampered over, holding the golden bowl with its furry paws, and gulped down the water.

Zhou Qinglang stroked its fur gently. "Better not go near the cabin anymore. If you want to play, stay in the woods."

The monkey’s round eyes darted about, and it began to cry out noisily.

Zhou Qinglang couldn’t understand its words, but he could guess. "You mean, you really like that girl and want to see her again?"

...