Chapter Sixty-Six: What on Earth Is Happening with Zhang San?

Han Li was still unaware that, because he had killed a wolf, the village was already preparing to have him join the Autumn Guard.

During a game of cards, someone brought up Zhang San’s situation again, and Han Li couldn’t help but smile inwardly after hearing about it.

A graceful lady is attractive to a gentleman; desire for food and beauty is human nature—there’s nothing strange about that. After all, those girls were quite good-looking, and it was obvious from their backgrounds that they came from well-off families.

If this man was lucky, perhaps he could ride the winds of fortune and soar to greater heights. But there was a precondition for him to succeed: at the very least, he needed to make sure he had enough to eat. Only when one’s hunger is sated does one have the luxury to pursue other desires; otherwise, with an empty stomach, who has time for romance?

While chatting with the Yun sisters, Han Li had asked about their initial days in the village, and found that the routines of both the village head and the brigade leader were nearly identical: promises like “work hard and you’ll never go hungry,” or “occasionally, you’ll even get to eat meat.”

Even if anyone had believed those words at first, reality would shatter their illusions on the very first day of labor. The promise of never going hungry was contingent on “working hard,” but those words were a tall order.

By now, Zhang San had been in Shanghe Village for some time—he should have understood this principle. To be honest, although Zhang San was also in the Third Squad, they only saw each other before heading out to the fields. Once work started, he was hardly seen again, so Han Li hadn’t paid much attention to the details of Zhang San’s life.

However, judging by his clothes, it was clear Zhang San was far from wealthy. Still, it would be wise to keep an eye on him in the future; Han Li was curious to see which girl Zhang San would pursue.

It was unlikely to be Hao Hongmin—she was burdened by too many thoughts and, by the looks of it, kept a clear head. Choosing Yang Xiuying might be more promising; in local parlance, she had a bit of a feisty personality and was considered an easy target.

As for the Yun sisters, that was basically out of the question. Han Li didn’t know the specifics of their family situation, but it was clear they came from an extraordinary background. Even if they had fallen on hard times, there was still an air of pride about them.

As for He Mi… Han Li frowned at the thought and decided to take things one step at a time.

For now, he would simply pay attention to Zhang San, hoping that he might bring some amusement to these otherwise monotonous days.

The next morning, at the crack of dawn, Han Li pushed open his door and was greeted by a breath of cool air. The brightest morning star still hung in the eastern sky, as if guiding the sun to rise from that direction.

Because of the recent rain and having taken Qi Zhaodi to the clinic, Han Li hadn’t exercised for two days.

So he rose especially early today. The entire village was exceptionally quiet, with only the sounds of insects and birds. Roosters crowing? Not a chance—nowadays each household was allowed to keep only two chickens, and no one would waste a spot on a rooster that couldn’t lay eggs.

Han Li stretched his limbs, then practiced several sets of boxing techniques. His body warmed up, and he finally felt at ease. Next, he made use of the wooden stake set up for training.

He didn’t stop until he was sweating shirtless. After washing up and applying some ointment, the village bell finally rang. Han Li reheated the leftover wolf meat from yesterday for breakfast.

As usual, he filled his water bottle, donned his straw hat, and, feeling invigorated, strode off toward the drying yard.

After the rain, the most important task was weeding the fields—even though the corn and sorghum were taller than a person, it was still necessary. The brigade leader’s motto was that not a single weed should be left to steal nutrients from the blossoming crops.

Many people rolled their eyes at this, knowing it was impossible to get rid of every weed.

Today would be another day of pretending to work, but it was tough on the body. As soon as they entered the fields, everyone was soaked with dew; once the sun rose, they were drenched in sweat.

By midday, Han Li’s water bottle was already empty. Sitting under the shade at the edge of the field, he used his straw hat as a fan. He hadn’t even cooled off from sweating when someone nearby shouted,

“Squad Leader! Han Li’s been sitting in the shade for ages—doesn’t that count as slacking off?”

Han Li... Damn it, who was being so annoying? He’d always been like this—no, actually, everyone had been like this. Work a bit, rest a bit—it was a tradition in the Third Squad. This guy was blatantly breaking the unspoken rules.

Han Li looked over in the direction of the voice, and it turned out to be Zhang San—the very person he’d been thinking about yesterday.

He hadn’t even gotten around to observing him, and now the guy was already picking a fight. Was he out of his mind?

But Zhang San wasn’t unwell; it was just that he hadn’t slept well these past few nights.

Zhang San’s dream was to marry a fallen princess and become a son-in-law to a powerful family. Even if her family was down and out, a lean camel was still bigger than a horse—their connections and resources were beyond anything a small-town man like him could imagine. If her family ever regained its former glory, he could rise with them.

To put it bluntly, Zhang San was looking for a free ride.

But it was almost impossible to meet such a wealthy heiress in the city—anyone who made a mistake had been sent to the countryside.

He also had no way to get firsthand information about them, and couldn’t offer warmth at the critical moment even if he wanted to.

So when his family sent him down to the countryside, it was exactly what he had hoped for. He extorted a large sum of money from home and boarded the train.

Upon arriving in Shanghe Village, he began secretly observing the girls—Han Li included, since he saw him as his greatest rival.

After a period of observation, Zhang San discovered that Han Li’s relationship with these girls was purely that of ordinary comrades. They each had good backgrounds; it was normal for there to be more social contact between them.

Especially on the rainy day when Hao Hongmei and the others knocked on Han Li’s door and he didn’t answer—this further convinced Zhang San of his conclusions.

Yesterday, because the rain had kept everyone from working, Zhang San saw his chance. He followed the girls up the mountain to show off, helped them pick mushrooms (though in the end, they didn’t take any). Still, Zhang San felt he’d made a good impression; if they refused his help, it was only because they were shy.

All in all, Zhang San believed he’d laid the groundwork for future interactions.

The only pity was that he hadn’t yet decided which girl to pursue—otherwise, he might have achieved even more.

Since Hao Hongmin and her companions only greeted the educated youth in passing, the others in the commune didn’t know much about them. But Zhang San didn’t see this as a problem; he would first win over the group, gradually gather information, and finally choose one to pursue wholeheartedly.

But Zhang San’s good mood evaporated when he returned to the commune: Han Li had killed a wolf single-handedly.

Han Li might not have any romantic intentions toward those girls now, but who could guarantee he wouldn’t be moved in the future?

P.S. Thanks to the benefactor for the reward. Many thanks to "Clear Rainy Night" for the 100 book coins. I humbly ask all of you for your continued support and votes.