Chapter One: Will You Marry Me? (New Release—Your Attention Is Welcome!)

“Waaah…”
In a haze, Li Yi seemed to hear the sound of a girl sobbing, followed closely by a commotion that grew louder and louder, wave upon wave. Forcing his eyes open, Li Yi stared in confusion at the scene before him.

Gone was the hospital room; in its place was a dim, cramped earthen house. The sharp tang of disinfectant had vanished, replaced by a faint, fresh fragrance. Through the paper window, Li Yi could see a crowd gathered outside, and he could just make out their disordered voices:

“What a calamity! How could Tang Xue end up in bed with that loafer from the Li family? What was she thinking?”
“Exactly! Little Tang’s just about to return to the city—what’s she going to do now?”
“If this gets out to the brigade, do you think they’ll parade her through the streets?”
“Such a pretty flower planted in a pile of manure. What a pity for Tang Xue, still an untouched maiden…”

In bed together? Tang Xue?

A sliver of clarity pierced Li Yi’s chaotic thoughts. He turned toward the corner, where the silhouette of a girl sat, sobbing.

Though she was wrapped in a thin quilt, her head buried between her knees, Li Yi’s heart still gave a jolt. It was her—Tang Xue, the woman who had haunted him with guilt for a lifetime.

Smack!

Li Yi landed a hard slap on his own face, making one side swell instantly. It hurt! Was this real? Had he truly returned to forty years ago?

Forcing himself to calm down, Li Yi tried to recall what had happened. Judging by the commotion outside, he must have returned to the morning after that night with Tang Xue, and now they were trapped inside by the villagers.

Tang Xue wasn’t from Nianzishan Brigade. Three years ago, she had come from her hometown in Qin Province to work here as an educated youth. Because she was close friends with Li Yi’s third sister, Li Na, Tang Xue often visited the Li family, and the parents were very fond of her.

Just a few days earlier, Tang Xue had received notice from the county that she could return to the city, finally ending her stint in Nianzishan Brigade. To bid farewell to Tang Xue and the other returning educated youth, the brigade had held a send-off party, where many—including Tang Xue—had drunk too much.

To take care of her intoxicated friend, Li Na brought Tang Xue back to her own home and settled her in her younger brother Li Yi’s room, since he hadn’t been home in days. It seemed harmless for her to sleep there for a night.

No one could have expected that Li Yi would return home late that night, himself also drunk. In their muddled states, Li Yi and Tang Xue ended up in bed together.

Early the next morning, a few of the educated youth came by to help Tang Xue pack for her return, only to find the two of them still together in bed. Soon, Li Yi’s parents and a crowd of villagers gathered outside his room, all eager for gossip.

Outside the wooden door, Brigade Secretary Feng Kai glared darkly at Li Shankui, who squatted beside him, and demanded angrily, “Shankui, how could your family do something like this? How am I supposed to explain this to the county?”

Li Shankui said nothing, only drawing furiously on his dry tobacco pipe. No one knew what was going on in his mind. Beside him, Li Yi’s mother, Zhang Yuehong, asked nervously, “Old man, think of something! Our Yi won’t end up in jail, will he?”

Feng Kai’s voice was grave. “If Little Tang decides to report your son, he’ll definitely be sentenced.”

“Oh heavens, what will we do? Yi is our only son—he can’t go to jail…”

Perhaps wanting to shut out Zhang Yuehong’s wails, Secretary Feng raised his voice. “Enough! There’s only one way out of this mess, a way that might save Li Yi!”

“What is it?”

“Li Yi and Tang Xue must get married—if Tang Xue agrees, that is.”

At these words, both parents fell silent. Never mind that their son was idle, uneducated, and jobless—utterly unworthy of Tang Xue. According to the current policy, once an educated youth married a local, they forfeited their right to return to the city.

Because of this, the county’s civil affairs bureau had processed many divorces for educated youth lately. Now that Tang Xue had received her notice to return, marrying now would almost certainly cost her that chance. Who would agree to such a thing?

At that moment, Li Yi’s third sister, Li Na, stood up and said, “I’ll go talk to Xiao Xue.”

Creak.

The wooden door swung open, and Li Na strode in. She shot a furious glare at Li Yi before saying coldly, “Get dressed and get out of the way!”

Li Yi could sense his sister’s anger. He didn’t dare utter a word, but hurriedly found his clothes, dressed, and stepped outside.

At the door, every eye fixed on him. Li Shankui, who had been puffing on his pipe moments ago, suddenly leapt up, grabbed the cattle whip beside him, and charged at Li Yi, lashing it down hard on his back.

Li Yi remembered all too well the whipping from his past life—not because of the pain, but because he had run away, and his father, chasing after him, broke his arm in the process.

So, as the whip lashed down again, this time he did not run. He dropped to his knees before his father.

Li Shankui, in his fury, was unmoved by his son’s surrender. The whip cracked again and again across Li Yi’s back. Soon, his shirt was torn in several places, blood seeping from seven or eight fresh welts.

Zhang Yuehong, coming to her senses at last, rushed forward to shield her son, weeping and pleading, “You old fool, do you want to beat our son to death…?”

“Get out of the way! You spoiled him rotten—drinking, gambling, lying, cheating, and now this disgraceful act! Do you want him dragged to the execution ground?”

Amid the commotion, Li Na emerged from the house and shouted, “Enough! All of you, be quiet!”

At once, the crowd fell silent, all eyes turning to Li Na.

Ignoring everyone else, Li Na addressed her brother. “Go inside. Xiao Xue wants to speak with you.”

Li Yi rose from the dusty ground, biting back the pain in his back, and returned to the earthen house.

Inside, Tang Xue had already dressed, but her expression was still bleak, her sorrow heartbreaking.

“I’m sorry,” Li Yi whispered.

Tang Xue did not respond to his apology. In a hoarse voice, she asked, “Will you marry me?”

Hearing those words again, Li Yi’s heart surged with emotion and confusion, leaving him momentarily stunned.