Time-Travel: The Tragic Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Character Makes a Comeback
CHAPTER 133: The Pretty Educated Youth in the 1970s (1)
The moment Ye Susu entered the story, she hadn’t even had time to figure out what was going on before she choked on a mouthful of water.
“Cough, cough…”
She was actually submerged in water! Acting on pure survival instinct, she immediately started paddling with her hands, trying to get herself out of the situation.
But her body suddenly went limp, and she began sinking straight down. She cursed under her breath. Was she seriously going to die right at the start of the mission?
Suddenly, she heard a splash beside her.
She didn’t have time to turn around and check what was happening. All she could do was use the last of her strength to paddle with her arms and keep her head above water.
The next second, a strong, powerful arm slipped under her armpit and pulled her straight out of danger.
Ye Susu let out a relieved breath. Finally, she was saved!
But in the very next moment, a sharp cry rang out from not far away.
“Everyone, come quick! I saw Xia Shuang fooling around with a man here with my own eyes!”
The moment Ye Susu heard the words “fooling around,” her guard shot up. The man holding her also stiffened.
They both realized at once that this was a trap.
Jiang Jin’s handsome face darkened. Gritting his teeth, he had no choice but to quickly change direction and take her toward the reeds behind them to hide.
Ye Susu cooperated without hesitation, using the opportunity to hurry up and absorb the plot.
It was the 1970s, and the movement sending educated youth to the countryside was still in full swing.
The female supporting character was named Xia Shuang. She had been sent to the countryside for three years and only needed to endure another two before she could return to the city. But then the Village Chief schemed against her, forcing her to marry his intellectually disabled son. She was made to bear three children in just two years, while all her identification documents were confiscated.
Later, her family came looking for her. But when they saw that she was already married with children, they felt she had brought shame upon them and abandoned her outright. They left her a hundred yuan and walked away.
With no family left to support her, Xia Shuang fell into despair. Her two helpless, hungry children became the only reason she kept going, and little by little, she resigned herself to her miserable life.
Later, she was forced to give birth to six more children over the years. To her horror, her in-laws kept only the two boys and sold the four girls off as child brides. One of the girls even died along the way. That was the final straw that broke her.
She wrote letters begging her family for help, but her in-laws intercepted them. Her family never came to see her over the next decade or so, leaving her completely cut off from the outside world.
She hated how unfair the world was, how heartless her family had been, and why she had been the one forced to endure all this suffering. Most of all, she hated having to live with a family of murderers. Broken and utterly desperate, she eventually drank pesticide and took her own life.
The female supporting character harbored deep resentment and wanted help completing the following missions:
She wanted to return to the city. Under no circumstances would she stay in the countryside. Everyone who had harmed her had to be punished.
There was also Jiang Jin, the male educated youth who lived at the same educated youth compound as her. Back when she fell into the water, he had tried to save her out of kindness, but she mistakenly accused him of molesting her. Not only did this lead to her being schemed against, but Jiang Jin was also beaten so badly that one of his legs was left crippled. In the end, villagers reported him for hooliganism, and he was sentenced to thirty years in prison. His reputation was ruined, and his entire future was destroyed.
His elderly parents had come to the village several times, begging everyone to testify on their son's behalf. He was their only child, and they knew he was a good person. They couldn't bear to see his life destroyed by a false accusation, especially when it would also leave their family without anyone to carry on the family line.
They had even hired a lawyer and offered money to anyone willing to stand up and defend their son. But the Village Chief simply brought people over and drove them away.
When Xia Shuang found out, she secretly slipped out, hoping to make amends for her mistake by testifying on Jiang Jin's behalf. Unfortunately, she had barely left the village when her in-laws caught her and beat her mercilessly. They locked her up for three days without giving her any food, cursing her for being shameless and trying to chase after a man.
Jiang Jin was the person Xia Shuang felt she had wronged the most. Every time she thought about what she had done, she was overcome with guilt. If she could have another chance at life, she would do anything to make it up to him. Even marrying Jiang Jin and helping clear his name would be a thousand times better than marrying that idiot.
After absorbing the entire plot, Ye Susu fully settled into her new identity as Xia Shuang.
Meanwhile, the people searching for them had already arrived.
“Huh? Where are they? Didn’t you say they were right here?”
Liu Erbao, who was leading the group, was just as confused. He had clearly lured the two of them to this very spot.
“That’s impossible! I saw them here just a moment ago. They must be hiding somewhere. If you don’t believe me, everyone, help me look!”
The group began searching along the riverbank.
Meanwhile, in the thicket beside the reeds, Jiang Jin heard the approaching footsteps. Gritting his teeth, he held the woman in his arms tightly and sank beneath the water with her.
Almost the instant the villagers used their poles to part the reeds, the two of them disappeared beneath the river’s surface.
“They’re not here either! Erbao, are you pulling our leg? Things are so strict these days. What kind of couple would sneak off to fool around in broad daylight?”
“Exactly! Maybe your eyes were playing tricks on you…”
Unwilling to give up, Liu Erbao grabbed a stick and started whacking the reeds in every direction. “Come out! I saw you two! Get out here, now!”
Seeing him acting like a madman, the villagers burst out laughing.
“Look at him. He’s completely lost his mind.”
Meanwhile, in the river…
Xia Shuang’s body was already extremely weak. She couldn’t hold out for long in the water before she started losing strength.
Her body grew heavy and began sinking. Her face had turned deathly pale. When Jiang Jin noticed, he gritted his teeth and hesitated for a moment before finally pressing his lips to hers, giving her a breath of air.
“Could it be that Erbao’s just messing with us? There’s no point standing around here like fools. Come on, let’s head back!”
Some of the villagers chatted and laughed as they dispersed, while a few others stayed behind, continuing to peer around and search with Liu Erbao.
Xia Shuang’s bluish lips suddenly touched a source of warmth and oxygen. Instinctively, she parted her lips and clung to him with both her arms and legs, hugging him as tightly as if he were an oxygen tank.
After who knew how long, the people on the riverbank finally all left.
Jiang Jin suddenly surfaced with her in his arms, gasping for air.
Xia Shuang had her arms and legs wrapped around him, her eyes closed. In her weakened state, she clung to him as if he were her only lifeline.
Jiang Jin didn’t have time to worry about anything else. He hurriedly carried her to shore, afraid the villagers might return and catch them off guard.
Once they were out of the water, Jiang Jin felt his cheeks heating up. He hadn’t thought much of it while they were still submerged.
But now that they were out, both of them were soaked from head to toe, their bodies pressed tightly together. The atmosphere was unbearably intimate.
He quickly disentangled her from him and urged her, “Educated Youth Xia? Wake up. Can you walk on your own?”
Xia Shuang was still a little oxygen-deprived. She swayed as she straightened up and rubbed her head. “I can walk on my own. I’m just a little dizzy. You go ahead.”
But the moment she finished speaking, her legs gave way. She stumbled and nearly fell flat on the ground.
Jiang Jin instinctively reached out to catch her, only for her to fall right into his arms. Her softness pressed against his firm chest, and his ears immediately turned red.
Xia Shuang was at her wit’s end. What was wrong with this lousy body? Being oxygen-deprived was bad enough, but she felt as if she hadn’t eaten in three days. Even the slightest movement of her head made her dizziness worse.
Still, she remembered the plot. She raised a hand and pushed him, urging him to leave. “Hurry up and go! Those people might come back. I don’t want to get you into trouble.”
When Jiang Jin first heard Liu Erbao’s accusations, he had suspected that someone was trying to frame him. At the time, he had even wondered whether Xia Shuang was involved. But they were both victims here, and ruining her own reputation wouldn’t do her any good either.
He had wanted to ask her what was going on, but she was clearly in such a weakened state, yet she was still worrying about getting him into trouble.
Jiang Jin had always been the sort who softened when someone treated him gently. He couldn’t bring himself to abandon a young woman and let her reputation be ruined, so he gritted his teeth, scooped her up, and hurried away.
Since they were both soaked from head to toe, they obviously couldn’t return to the educated youth compound like this. Instead, he took her along a secluded path and headed straight up the mountain.
There was a temporary thatched hut on the mountain where people could stop and rest during their trips up the slopes. It was their safest option for now. First, they needed to find a way to dry their clothes.
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