Chapter 15: Arranging a Marriage Proposal

“Flora, since when did you become so capable?”
In the cornfield, a girl about Flora’s age approached her, eyes sparkling as she asked.
Flora bent over, pulling weeds, replying casually,
“I have to be capable, given my family’s current situation...”
Upon hearing Flora’s words, Lily’s eyes flickered briefly before she continued with a smile,
“So, after summer break, are you still going to high school?”
Flora kept pulling weeds without pause, waiting a moment before turning to Lily and asking, “Why the sudden questions?”
Lily looked a bit uneasy under Flora’s gaze.
After hesitating for a moment, she leaned closer and whispered, “It’s Tang Wenjie who asked me to find out.”
Tang Wenjie was a middle school classmate of both Flora and Lily.
Flora sifted through her memories of Tang Wenjie, sighed silently in frustration, then replied expressionlessly to Lily,
“No, I’m not going.”
Though she knew kids these days matured early, it was pitiful that in her previous life at twenty-five, she had never had a boyfriend.
Now, having been transported back to the 1970s, still struggling to improve her family’s living conditions, she had to face boys falling in love early.
Thinking it over, Flora realized she had missed out greatly in her past life.
But no matter how much she regretted, she couldn’t go back.
Lily’s face brightened at Flora’s response, but the expression soon returned to normal.
She looked at Flora with a hint of regret but couldn’t hide a secret delight in her tone,
“You’re so good at studying; it’s really a shame if you don’t continue to high school.”
Flora caught the underlying meaning in Lily’s words and silently rolled her eyes.
From Lily’s earlier reaction, Flora guessed that Lily liked Tang Wenjie.
But Tang Wenjie probably liked the original owner of this body—Flora.
So, if Flora didn’t attend high school anymore, Lily would lose her main rival, naturally making her secretly happy.
After a quiet sigh, Flora hastened her work.
At the same time, she mentally categorized Lily as someone not to be trusted deeply.
Lily, completely absorbed in the excitement of having Flora out of high school and thus having a chance to grow closer to Tang Wenjie, didn’t notice Flora pulling ahead by a large distance.

Meanwhile...

Today, Hao had been assigned to cut pigweed.
Never having worked in the fields before, Hao followed some children younger than him from the village to cut pigweed.
He made quite a few mistakes at first, so frustrated that he wanted to punish those kids.
But recalling Flora beating up Mao Zhaodi that morning, he dared not act on his anger.
However, cutting pigweed was truly agonizing!
His palms were blistered, and the bristles on the pigweed scratched his arms and hands, leaving red marks everywhere.
Sweating only made the stinging worse.
“Mom, Dad, can you please come back to life?”
Hao hung his head, crying uncontrollably.
Flora was unaware of Hao’s thoughts.
If she had known, she would only have sneered, “This is just the beginning; the days ahead are even longer!”
Nevertheless, Flora was feeling quite irritated at the moment.
With Lily—who was two-faced—gone, another man had come close again.
It was Deng Ziqing, the same man who had stopped her from walking away the last time.
“Comrade Flora, do you want to take a break and have some water? I brought a flask.”
Deng Ziqing watched Flora’s fair complexion gradually brighten, though her youthful beauty was just beginning to show, and his heart ached with desire.
Flora sensed Deng Ziqing’s repulsive eyes glued to her face.
But having already beaten up Mao Zhaodi that morning, if she were to beat up Deng Ziqing too, it might be excessive.
So she distanced herself from Deng Ziqing with disdain and spoke coldly,
“Deng Ziqing, I don’t think we’re acquainted.”
Deng Ziqing had made an effort to look sharp today, hoping to impress Flora, and thus missed her earlier fight with Mao Zhaodi.
He hadn’t expected Flora to treat him with such contempt.
This was unbearable for the proud and arrogant Deng Ziqing.
“Comrade Flora, how can you say that? You’re really hurting my feelings!”
He looked at Flora with a wounded expression, his face full of sorrow as if accusing her of being cruel and indifferent.
Flora was truly disgusted by Deng Ziqing’s expression.
“Deng Ziqing, where do you get the confidence to think I’d like a weakling who can’t lift or carry anything?”
Flora realized she didn’t want to be harsh, but the scoundrel kept clinging to her.
In that case, she wouldn’t hold back.
Deng Ziqing hadn’t expected Flora to be so blunt.
His face flushed with shame and fury as he pointed at her, lips moving but no words coming out.
In the end, he turned and left in embarrassment.
Nearby, an older woman couldn’t help but loudly scold,
“Bah! A city-born educated youth! With that scrawny, useless look, how dare he fancy Ning?”
After finishing her scolding, the woman smiled warmly at Flora and stepped forward,
“Ning, let me tell you, these city educated youths can’t be trusted! If you want to find a husband, it has to be someone from our village.”
“I’m telling you, my sister-in-law’s nephew is handsome and strong, and very efficient at work. Should I send someone to talk to your mother?”
Usually, matchmaking talks were held with the girl’s elders.
But ever since Mrs. Hua returned from the hospital paralyzed, everyone in the village knew that Flora was now making decisions for the Hua family.
So the woman directly addressed Flora about the match.
“Auntie, I’m still young, and I’m mourning my father!”
Implying she wanted to end the topic quickly.
“No harm meant, dear. Even if you’re mourning and can’t marry, you can get engaged first! Besides, you should settle on a good man early, or someone else will snatch him away. Then you’ll regret it!”
The woman was relentless in her chatter.
“Auntie!” Flora turned sharply, eyes cold and sharp,
“I said I’m young, so I won’t consider this. Please stop talking about it!”
After Flora’s firm refusal, the woman sneered, turned, and returned to her work.
Yet her lips kept muttering,
“Tch! A jinx who brings misfortune, yet so picky? If you weren’t decent-looking, do you think I’d want to introduce someone to you? I’m waiting to see what kind of man you’ll ever find! Humph!”
Flora heard the woman’s muttering but paid it no mind.
Human nature was just like this.
But when it came to what kind of man she would find in the future, Flora’s mind suddenly flashed to the man she had accidentally bumped into yesterday.
That face truly struck a chord deep in her heart.
Unfortunately, that man was far beyond her reach.