Time-Travel: The Tragic Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Character Makes a Comeback
CHAPTER 134: The Pretty Educated Youth in the 1970s (2)
Jiang Jin had sharply defined features and a cool, handsome appearance.
He stood around 180 centimeters tall. Although he looked rather lean, he was surprisingly strong. Carrying her up the mountain in his arms was easy for him, and he even moved at a brisk pace without breaking a sweat.
Xia Shuang lay in his arms, cradled bridal-style, her head resting against his chest. His strong, steady heartbeat was unmistakable.
Her current body was far too weak and useless. She had wanted to summon the system and have it strengthen her body, but clearly, this wasn’t the right time.
To avoid arousing his suspicions, she had no choice but to put up with this frail body and follow him to the thatched hut on the mountain.
The hut was extremely crude. It didn’t even have a door. There was only a rock inside where people could sit and rest. Apart from that, it was completely bare.
Jiang Jin was very familiar with the place. It was noon, and the sun was scorching hot, so he told her to hang her clothes up inside the hut to dry while he went around to the back to take off his own clothes and hang them up.
While Jiang Jin was away, Xia Shuang quickly exchanged some points for a Restoration Pill through the system. Her current body was just too weak. She was exhausted even sitting down.
She didn’t dare take a whole pill, afraid the changes would be too drastic. Instead, she broke off a quarter and swallowed it, finally feeling a little more energetic.
She wasn’t going to be fussy about it either, so she stripped off all her soaking-wet clothes.
It was summer, and people were wearing light clothing anyway. After taking off her shirt and pants, she was left wearing a small bellyband on top and a pair of loose, four-cornered shorts made from floral fabric underneath. The wet fabric clung uncomfortably to her skin.
Wearing wet clothes was miserable. She hung them along both sides of the thatched hut, using them as makeshift curtains to partially block the openings. Then she promptly entered her space, took off the wet clothes, and had a shower.
Afterward, she changed into a camisole and a pair of loose, four-cornered shorts.
They were just underwear, and no one else knew what they looked like anyway. At least she could stay dry and comfortable instead of suffering in damp clothes. Besides, there was no one else around.
Of course, she deliberately left her hair undried. Only after taking care of everything did she return outside.
Drying the clothes was more troublesome than she’d expected. Even with the scorching sun beating down, it still took quite a bit of effort. Xia Shuang had considered tossing the clothes into the dryer in her space, but she was worried that might arouse suspicion, so she decided against it.
She waited patiently, and after an hour in the sun, the clothes were finally dry.
Just as Xia Shuang was bringing them inside to change, Jiang Jin suddenly burst in. He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her toward the woods.
Xia Shuang was completely bewildered. One hand was being dragged along by him, while the other clutched the two pieces of clothing she hadn’t changed into yet.
They ran for quite a distance before Jiang Jin finally let go of her. He didn’t dare look at her and lowered his voice as he explained, “I’m sorry. It was urgent. I heard Liu Erbao bringing people up here, and I was afraid they’d find us. I didn’t have time to think things through.”
Xia Shuang muttered under her breath, “That bastard has a nose like a dog. How did he figure out we were up here?”
Jiang Jin had already noticed that she wasn’t wearing her outer clothes. Lowering his eyes, he turned his back to her and said, “Our shoes were wet. They might have gone back and spotted the muddy footprints along the riverbank, then followed them up here.”
Liu Erbao’s biological uncle was the Village Chief. The whole lot of them were a bunch of bastards. She’d deal with them sooner or later!
After cursing them out for a bit, Xia Shuang finally noticed that Jiang Jin had been standing with his back to her the whole time. Only then did she realize that she still hadn’t put her clothes on.
The way she was dressed didn’t seem particularly revealing to her, but given the era they were in, she quickly got dressed anyway.
She had barely finished when she heard him say, “I’ll take responsibility.”
“Huh?” Xia Shuang asked instinctively.
Jiang Jin fought back his embarrassment and asked, “Are you dressed yet?”
“I am,” Xia Shuang replied.
Only then did Jiang Jin turn around. He looked at Xia Shuang seriously and said, “Even though we were set up, we did see each other in a compromising situation. Women always have more to lose in these matters, so I’ll take responsibility for you.
“If you’re willing, we can start by dating. Then, if we get the chance to return to the city someday, we can register our marriage.”
Xia Shuang pressed a hand to her forehead, wondering whether she should agree.
The reason hooliganism was treated so seriously in this era was that relationships between men and women were held to extremely strict standards.
Even married couples couldn’t be too affectionate in public when they went out, let alone two people who had ended up soaking wet and holding each other. He had even seen her without her outer clothes on.
The era might have been conservative and old-fashioned, but that was simply how things were right now.
On top of that, the original Xia Shuang had wronged Jiang Jin and wanted to make it up to him. She didn’t want him to suffer the same injustice as in his previous life, when he was falsely accused and sentenced to thirty years in prison.
If she agreed to date him, he wouldn’t have to fear being falsely accused of hooliganism again. They would be in a legitimate relationship, after all.
Besides, having a boyfriend would also keep her from getting entangled with the Village Chief’s intellectually disabled son.
Taking all this into consideration, Xia Shuang nodded. “All right.”
Jiang Jin let out a quiet sigh of relief. He wasn’t much of a talker, and he usually came across as rather aloof. He wasn’t particularly good at dealing with women either.
He had been worried that after what happened earlier, Xia Shuang might cry, make a scene, or even do something rash, so he had cautiously suggested that they date.
Fortunately, she was easy to talk to. Now that he had made his promise, he would sincerely commit to their relationship and take the time to get to know each other better.
Xia Shuang had much the same mindset. He was her benefactor, after all. She could treat dating him as a way of repaying his kindness.
Although Xia Shuang and Jiang Jin lived at the same educated youth compound, they rarely interacted in their daily lives. Now, after being framed together, they had suddenly become a couple despite knowing very little about each other. Naturally, there wasn’t much affection between them yet. More than anything, both of them simply felt a sense of responsibility.
With Jiang Jin leading the way, Xia Shuang made it safely down the mountain.
They split up and went to borrow things from villagers they knew well, then found excuses to return to their respective work teams.
Meanwhile, Liu Erbao continued searching the mountain with his men. Even after nightfall, they still couldn’t find any trace of the two.
Cursing under his breath, he led everyone back down the mountain and stationed himself at its foot, waiting for the pair to walk right into his trap.
“Those two shameless bastards! I refuse to believe they’ll actually spend the night up there. I’m staying right here with my men today. Just wait until everyone sees what they’re really like!”
Some passersby overheard him and curiously asked, “Erbao, who are you talking about?”
“Who else? Xia Shuang and Jiang Jin! They’ve been fooling around behind everyone’s backs, and I caught them up on the mountain. I’m just waiting for the chance to catch them red-handed!”
Everyone began whispering among themselves.
“Wasn’t Educated Youth Xia working in the fields? I just ran into her a little while ago, and she even greeted me.”
“Educated Youth Jiang is here too. He’s been working all afternoon. How could he possibly have been up on the mountain?”
“Erbao, don’t go slandering people! Both educated youths have been working dutifully in the fields. We can all vouch for them.”
“Exactly! This is a serious accusation. Even if they get off with a light punishment, they could still be arrested and sentenced to prison…”
Liu Erbao was too furious to pay attention to their accusations. He immediately led his men toward the fields.
Those two wretched bastards! When had they come down?!
By the time Liu Erbao and his men arrived, the female educated youths were helping several village aunties spread fertilizer in the fields. Xia Shuang was among them, wearing the same clothes she had on earlier that day, and even her hairstyle looked unchanged.
Meanwhile, Jiang Jin was busy pulling weeds in the fields, sweat covering his face.
“Jiang Jin, you bastard! Get your ass over here! You think you can make a fool out of me?!”
Liu Erbao was furious. Those two had made a complete fool of him!
Xia Shuang couldn’t swim to save her life. He had pushed her into the water himself, so if it hadn’t been for Jiang Jin, who else could have saved her? And now the two of them had returned to the fields to work as if nothing had happened!
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T/N: So, I didn’t upload any chapters last week. I’m sorry! I’ve been unwell again because the weather in my country hasn’t been great. This week, I’ll upload two chapters per day to make up for the missed chapters. Thank you for your patience!
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