group to track her every move.

Liu Xiaoyan’s love life was her own; no one could interfere. But the subject of her affection, Tong Laidi, ended up facing a storm. Just the number of saliva drops flying at him could have drowned him.

Under immense pressure, Tong Laidi temporarily withdrew from school to avoid the public backlash. Fu Le secretly visited Tong Laidi’s hometown and met him. As the eldest of seven siblings, Tong Laidi’s father sold their only valuable ox and fell into debt to send him to university.

Amusingly, Tong Laidi was unaware of Liu Xiaoyan’s love for him. Ironically, the person who sponsored his tuition in exchange for marriage had held a wedding ceremony before he started school. 

As the direct victim of Liu Xiaoyan’s overflowing compassion, Fu Le felt obliged to console Tong Laidi. Upon returning to school, Fu Le noticed Liu Xiaoyan’s unusual absence for several days, which was unlike her. 

Usually, both of their living expenses were managed by Fu Le, and she would directly ask him whenever she wanted something. Even if he got upset, her charm would dissolve his anger. Despite the rivalry between the adults of East and West Villages, the children were as close as family.

Discussing East and West Villages required addressing Secretary Liu and Secretary Fu’s history. They were childhood friends, with Secretary Liu two years younger. At age ten, while playing under a large willow in West Village, a gust of wind broke a branch that fell on Secretary Fu, but quick-reacting Secretary Liu pushed him aside, taking the hit and falling unconscious for three days. 

He broke three bones, and the snake-like scar on his back remains. Hearing the news, Secretary Fu’s father slapped him so hard he spit blood. Carrying Secretary Liu ten miles to a rural hospital, he wept seeing him barely breathing.

Secretary Fu’s father’s violence angered Liu’s father, sparking a longstanding feud between them, though the two children kept silent about their hardships to avoid additional beatings. They nearly drowned together in a winter river, emerging with an unspoken bond.

During the early days of economic reform, the two villages chased prosperity, both characterized by simple, thrifty lifestyles. Living modestly, regardless of social standing, ensured that even the village heads’ slight luxuries were communal wishes. Their roles justified a slightly higher standard.

Post reform, out of 387 households, 385 bought minivans within three months, with only East Village’s Old Wuye and West Village’s stubborn Old Jiantou abstaining. Seven hundred new driver’s licenses were issued within five months, with women comprising half of the new drivers.

A survey of living conditions claimed 99% of East and West Villagers were henpecked, with men valuing this do

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