By the time Li Yi returned to Nianzi Mountain Village, it was already past three in the afternoon.
Instead of going home directly, he drove his mule cart to the village committee compound, heading to the youth camp.
With many young people returning to the cities, especially those with connections who had already left, the once lively youth camp now seemed deserted.
In his past life, Li Yi had visited this place with his third sister to bring Tang Xue some supplies, so he vaguely remembered that Tang Xue lived in a side room on the west side of the courtyard.
Tying the mule's reins to a large poplar tree, Li Yi took the dough sticks he'd bought and walked toward Tang Xue's dormitory.
Just as he reached the doorway, he heard stifled sobbing from inside, accompanied by his third sister Li Na's comforting voice.
Fearing something had happened to Tang Xue, Li Yi pushed open the wooden door without hesitation.
Inside, the room was a mess. The table had been flipped over, and its contents were scattered all over. Li Yi even saw a shattered thermos on the floor, shards of glass everywhere, clearly broken beyond repair.
Tang Xue was sitting on the cold floor, her shoulders trembling as she sobbed uncontrollably, looking heartbroken and devastated.
Li Na was holding her, trying to console her.
The noise of the door opening startled them, and when they saw it was Li Yi, both were taken aback.
Though he didn't know what had happened, Li Yi could tell that Tang Xue was clearly distressed.
He walked over without hesitation, lifted Tang Xue from the cold floor in one swift motion, and placed her gently onto the wooden bed, all while his sister and Tang Xue stared at him in stunned silence.
Then, Li Yi looked at his sister and asked, "Sis, what happened here?"
Li Na was about to say something, but then she noticed Tang Xue shaking her head frantically, signaling her not to speak.
Suddenly realizing her slip, Li Na recalled her brother's temperament—if he found out what had happened, he would stir up a huge fuss, and the situation would spiral out of control.
Quickly, she tried to come up with an excuse to brush him off.
However, Li Yi wasn't easily fooled. Having lived through decades as a multi-billionaire in his previous life, he could see through their thoughts with ease.
Before Li Na could speak, he said directly, "Sis, whatever happened, let's face it together. Avoiding it won't help!"
"Besides, in a small village like this, secrets don't stay hidden for long. Even if you don't tell me, I can find out by asking around, so don't even try to keep me in the dark!"
Li Na opened her mouth, then finally gave him a glare and said, "It's all because of you, you little troublemaker! And you still have the nerve to ask?"
Li Yi guessed that it might have something to do with what happened yesterday, so he replied sheepishly, "Sis, let's talk about the issue itself—no need for personal attacks!"
"Hmph! You know Xu Hong, right? He's the one who trashed this room!"
"Xu Hong? Who?" Li Yi asked, frowning.
Li Na was surprised that Li Yi didn't recognize the name and explained, "Xu Hong is a fellow youth volunteer from Qin Province, just like Little Xue. They're hometown friends."
Li Yi's memory instantly conjured up an image of a guy with a weaselly face who used to hang around Tang Xue, often acting overly familiar by calling himself her fellow townsman.
"So why did he trash Little Xue's room?"
"It's all because of the city return quota!"
"The city return quota?"
"Yeah! Little Xue was granted a spot to return to the city, but if she marries you, she no longer qualifies for the program, so her slot would be forfeited."
Li Na continued, "Xu Hong knows this, so he came today to pressure Little Xue to give up her spot to him. Little Xue is torn about the whole situation and hasn't decided whether she'll give it up, so of course, she couldn't promise him anything."
"But that guy flipped out, said a lot of nasty things, and even flipped over the table!"
Li Yi's brows furrowed at her words, and he asked again, "The spot is Little Xue's—it's her decision how to handle it. Giving it to him would be a favor, not giving it is her right. What gives him the nerve to go around smashing tables?"
Li Na glanced between Tang Xue and Li Yi before she answered, "He… he chased after Little Xue before, but she turned him down! And then you, little troublemaker, went and spread word about you and Little Xue all over the village. That bastard must have heard and couldn't take it, so he stormed in spewing filth!"
"What exactly did he say?"
"This…"
Seeing her hesitation, Li Yi pressed her, "Sis, what can't you say at a time like this?"
At that moment, Tang Xue suddenly raised her head and, with a hoarse voice, shouted, "You want to know what he said? Fine, I'll tell you! He called me loose and shameless, said I'm a girl who throws herself at men, a worthless tramp who deserves to be paraded in the streets…"
Hearing this, Li Yi's anger flared.
Without hearing the rest, he tossed the fried twist in his hand onto Tang Xue's bed, turned on his heel, and stormed out toward the men's dormitories in the front courtyard.
Seeing him like this, Li Na knew trouble was brewing!
Her brother was a hothead, and once he got riled up, no one could hold him back. If she didn't stop him now, there'd surely be blood!
She rushed out after him, calling urgently, "Little Yi, stop right there!"
Without turning, Li Yi shot back, "Sis, you go back and stay with Little Xue. I'm going to deal with that bastard. He thinks he can just bully my fiancée? He must think the Li family men are all dead!"
"Little Yi, don't act impulsively. It's not worth it over something like this…"
"Not worth it? That dog thinks he can pick on my fiancée, and if I don't stand up, I'd be nothing but a cowardly fool!"
With that, he pushed past Li Na's attempts to block him and kept heading for the men's dormitory.
Inside, Tang Xue listened to Li Yi's loud declarations of "my fiancée" through the door. Her once empty heart stirred ever so slightly.
Li Yi might not be an ideal match, but he did seem to genuinely care for her.
When that incident happened, he had immediately decided to marry her, which showed responsibility.
If only his family's circumstances weren't so poor, and his reputation not so terrible, perhaps marrying him wouldn't be entirely out of the question.
But the thought only flickered across her mind. Everyone in Nianzishan Village knew what Li Yi was like!
He was lazy and always looking for trouble, often caught stealing chickens or eggs. Whenever something went missing in the village, he was usually the first suspect.
He was also a ringleader among the younger boys—kids as young as fifteen or sixteen all looked up to him. Last year, they even killed one of the village's sheep to roast, and only after Li Shan Kui paid the village for it was the matter settled.
Could someone like him be marriage material?
At the thought, tears once again spilled from Tang Xue's eyes.