Chapter 248: Chapter 248: Hanging Herself

Gu Qinghuan wasn’t the least bit afraid—she’d never cared much about these complicated relationships to begin with.

She was here to work, and when her time was up, she’d leave. There was no need to curry favor with anyone; as long as she did her job well, that was enough.

Her motto was simple: I don’t bully others, but if someone wants to bully me, no way.

She did feel a little sorry for Lin Xiaomeng, though. It was obvious Lin really didn’t want any trouble.

Lin Xiaomeng waved it off. “Oh, come on. We’re all in this together—if one prospers, we all do; if one suffers, we all suffer. That Wan Rong really does need to be taught a lesson!”

Gu Qinghuan just nodded thoughtfully and said no more.

Carpenter Xu and his son helped them move their things in and left soon after.

The two women tidied up their belongings again, putting everything away in the cabinets.

Just like that, their little nest was set up.

It was getting late, and lights were coming on in the houses around them, the air filling with the smells of dinner.

That’s when Gu Qinghuan realized—thanks to the school, this little room actually had electricity. Even though it was just a low-wattage bulb, it was so much better than a kerosene lamp—at least there was no smell.

Both of them were delighted and couldn’t wait to head home.

On the way, they stopped by the supply store and bought up all the leftover vegetables for the day—there wouldn’t be time to cook when they got back.

Gu Qinghuan still had to pick up her two kids from Erdan’s house. When she arrived, Erdan’s family had just started dinner, and the two kids were happily eating with them.

Kids always think food from someone else’s pot tastes better—everything seems new and exciting.

Gu Qinghuan didn’t bother taking them home right away. She just reheated the dishes she’d bought at Erdan’s place and brought them out to share. Chen Fengqin saw she insisted, so she let her do as she pleased.

The two families got along well now—no need to fuss over little things and make everyone uncomfortable.

After heating up the food, Gu Qinghuan ate dinner with them, using Erdan’s family’s mixed-grain steamed buns.

She was starving—she ate three buns by herself.

She’d been running around since morning and only had a bit of sticky rice snack at noon—no wonder she was so hungry.

But at least everything was finally settled.

“Qinghuan, have your work assignments come down yet? What grade will you be teaching?” Chen Fengqin asked a bit shyly.

“I’m not sure yet—I’ll do whatever needs doing! But my sister-in-law has been assigned to teach the lower grades,” Gu Qinghuan replied as she ate.

“Oh, that’s great. I’ll bring her some eggs or something tomorrow, have a good chat, and ask her to look after our Erdan. No one in our family has ever been a scholar. If you educated folks can help teach him a bit, I don’t expect him to become anything big—just as long as he doesn’t end up like us, not knowing a single character and working the fields all day.” Chen Fengqin shot a stern look around the table.

The kids all squirmed under her gaze.

It wasn’t their fault they couldn’t read—nobody in the family had the knack for it.

But little Erdan was quick-witted and immediately tugged at his mother’s sleeve, acting cute.

“Mom, don’t worry. I’ll study hard, make lots of money, and buy you new clothes, new shoes, and pretty jewelry!”

That did the trick—Chen Fengqin broke into a big smile, and everyone else quietly breathed a sigh of relief, especially Xu Huainian.

Otherwise, his wife would have started in on him next, but their son’s antics made her forget.

“You’re always making empty promises. When you grow up, you’ll be just like the rest—get a wife and forget your mother.” Chen Fengqin scolded with a laugh, giving her youngest a gentle knock on the head.

Gu Qinghuan smiled as she watched. The atmosphere in Erdan’s family was really nice—she’d never experienced this kind of warmth growing up.

Dabao and Beibei kept sneaking glances at Erdan, and seeing how happy Chen Fengqin was with his sweet talk, Beibei quickly said to Gu Qinghuan, “Mom, I’ll study too and make lots of money for you.”

“I’ll study hard too and make you proud, Mom,” Dabao said, his little face full of seriousness.

Chen Fengqin was touched by this and winked at Gu Qinghuan, as if to say, “You raised a good son.”

Gu Qinghuan knew both her kids were good, especially Dabao—so sensible for his age.

After a while, Gu Qinghuan took her two children home. They had to get up early for work the next day.

As the three of them walked down the path near home, Gu Qinghuan spotted someone heading into the hills in the distance—it looked like Jiang Xue.

She was hurrying, clutching something in her hands. What was she up to, heading into the hills at dusk?

Gu Qinghuan felt uneasy. She remembered the empty, lost look in Jiang Xue’s eyes earlier that day and couldn’t help but worry—her mental state seemed off.

So she settled her kids at home, told them to lock the door and not come out, and hurried after Jiang Xue.

Jiang Xue was an annoying person, always mouthing off, but she’d never actually done anything truly evil—just had a sharp tongue.

Gu Qinghuan couldn’t just stand by and watch something happen to her.

She called Jiang Xue’s name as she walked.

By now, it was completely dark—the woods were pitch black.

The moment Jiang Xue hung herself from the tree, she regretted it. Yes, she’d tried to hang herself.

She just couldn’t take the endless blows life had dealt her.

So much had changed lately—her family was under investigation, her parents and brother sent to the Northwest to open up new land. She’d escaped only because she was a sent-down youth.

The man she loved had married someone else, and now, at her age, she had nothing to show for it.

People she used to dislike were thriving, while she herself was like a prisoner.

She’d hoped to escape by becoming a teacher, but that was just wishful thinking—nothing but disappointment.

Thinking about all this, she just didn’t want to go on. Death seemed easier.

She’d thought dying would be easy, but when she actually faced it, the fear was indescribable.

She thought she’d just hang there in despair until she died.

But then, suddenly, she heard a voice—like a gift from heaven.

Someone was calling her name.

And she could even tell it was Gu Qinghuan, the person she used to hate most.

Her voice was unique—pleasant to the ear.

At that moment, Jiang Xue didn’t care about old grudges. She just wanted to be saved.

She didn’t want to die anymore. However hard life was, it was better than being dead—dead meant no hope at all.

So Jiang Xue desperately grabbed at the rope, trying to give herself a little room to breathe, and made a whimpering sound. But it was too faint—no one could hear.

When Gu Qinghuan got no response, she simply took a flashlight out of her space and swept it around.

Luckily, Jiang Xue hadn’t gone deep into the woods—she was afraid of wild animals, and figured hanging was better than being eaten.

So she’d picked a tree right at the foot of the mountain.

Gu Qinghuan walked along, sweeping the flashlight, when suddenly—she got a huge fright. Was that a person hanging from a tree?

Her heart started pounding.

She forced herself to look again—sure enough, there was someone hanging there. In the dark, it was terrifying.

Should she go over? Or not?

Was it Jiang Xue? Or someone else?

She struggled with herself. Even though she’d died once before, she was still afraid of dead bodies—especially out here in the pitch-black woods. It was scary.

After a few seconds, she decided to go over—what if there was still hope?

Muttering “Amitabha” under her breath, she approached.

Sure enough, it was Jiang Xue.

Her instincts had been right.

The person was still moving, showing faint signs of struggle—maybe it was the wind, maybe not.

There was no time to think. Gu Qinghuan quickly dragged a big rock over and placed it under Jiang Xue’s feet.

Jiang Xue finally felt solid ground beneath her.

With the last of her strength, she pulled her head out of the noose and collapsed to the ground, not wanting to move at all."

"Chapter 249: Saving a Life

Gu Qinghuan plopped down on the same big rock as before, her heart still pounding wildly.

Thank goodness Jiang Xue hadn’t succeeded in killing herself. Otherwise, Gu Qinghuan would probably be haunted by nightmares for a long time—the scene just now had been far too terrifying.

Just imagine: a remote mountain village, an old crooked tree, and a woman hanging lifelessly from it, swaying in the wind…

It took Jiang Xue quite a while to catch her breath.

She struggled to sit up, her voice hoarse and raspy like a broken gong. “Thank you. How did you find me?”

“I saw you heading into the mountains alone when I was on my way home. It was already getting dark, and it didn’t seem right, so I followed to check on you,” Gu Qinghuan explained, still shaken.

“Luckily you did. Thank you!” This time, Jiang Xue’s gratitude was utterly sincere. If not for Gu Qinghuan, she really would have died today—become a lonely wandering ghost, with no one even to mourn her.

All the grudges between them seemed to vanish in this moment, leaving only calm and relief.

“What were you thinking, trying to kill yourself like that? You scared me half to death—I thought you…” Gu Qinghuan patted her chest.

“You thought I was dead?” Jiang Xue let out a harsh, self-mocking laugh.

“Gu Qinghuan, do you know? I really envy you.

I used to envy how easily you won Chen Jianghe’s affection.

I envied how, even when you’d fallen into the mud, you still lived like a pure lotus, untouched by the filth—so proud.

I always wanted to break that pride of yours.

Now, I envy you even more. I envy your courage to face everything head-on, how you always manage to turn things around, to survive against all odds. Why can’t I do that?

I’m just like you now! My parents were labeled as ‘class enemies’ and sent to the remote northwest. Now, I’m all alone.

How I wish I could wake up and find that none of this ever happened!” A hot tear slid down her cheek.

Gu Qinghuan suddenly understood. No wonder Jiang Xue’s mental state had been so bad lately—her family had suffered such a huge blow. No wonder she couldn’t handle it and tried to end her life.

“You… you’re not going to… try again, are you?”

Gu Qinghuan was afraid that if she left, Jiang Xue might do something foolish again.

Jiang Xue knew what she meant.

“No, I won’t! Don’t worry. Hanging up there, when I was about to suffocate, I figured it out: better a miserable life than a good death.

If you can survive and live with dignity, why can’t I?”

Gu Qinghuan finally relaxed. With a mouth like hers and a stubbornness like a cockroach, Jiang Xue was definitely not going to die so easily.

“Alright then, if you’re fine, get up and head back to the zhiqing camp. Don’t tell me you need me to help you?” Gu Qinghuan deliberately goaded her.

Jiang Xue slowly got up from the ground, taking down the rope she’d used and carrying it with her.

With Gu Qinghuan’s flashlight lighting the way, the two of them stumbled down the mountain together.

Neither of them spoke on the way back.

Gu Qinghuan didn’t want to talk to her, afraid she’d get angry.

Jiang Xue felt awkward and embarrassed. She hadn’t exactly treated Gu Qinghuan well before—always mocking and ridiculing her.

But if not for Gu Qinghuan today, she’d be dead. The person she’d wronged had saved her without holding a grudge. Jiang Xue could only imagine how complicated her own feelings were.

Gu Qinghuan walked her all the way to the edge of the zhiqing camp.

“We’re almost there. I won’t go any further. Go on, and don’t do anything foolish again. Life has its ups and downs—who can say what will happen?” Gu Qinghuan, for once, offered a few words of comfort.

“Thank you, Gu Qinghuan. I owe you my life. If you ever need anything, just ask.”

Jiang Xue’s face was flushed, but the night hid it.

“Don’t mention it. Let’s just call it even. Just don’t cause me any more trouble and I’ll be grateful,” Gu Qinghuan replied, waving her off.

“Um…” Jiang Xue hesitated.

“What is it?”

“Could you… not tell anyone about what happened just now?” Jiang Xue asked awkwardly, her voice low.

“Don’t worry. I have enough on my plate—I don’t have time for gossip.” The implication was that she’d keep it secret.

Not just about the suicide attempt, but also about Jiang Xue’s family troubles.

Your enemy often knows you best. Jiang Xue knew Gu Qinghuan well enough to trust that, once she promised, she’d keep her word.

Gu Qinghuan had a certain pride—or maybe aloofness—deep in her bones.

Finally reassured, Jiang Xue limped back toward the zhiqing camp. Gu Qinghuan only left after seeing her go inside.

After all that, Gu Qinghuan was drenched in cold sweat. She needed a hot bath to recover.

Once she’d settled the two children for the night, Gu Qinghuan finally had time to enter her space.

She first fed the animals in the pasture, then gave the plants in the growing area a round of artificial rain.

By the time she was soaking in the tub with a face mask on, it was already 10:30 at night.

She wondered how Xu Huaian was doing. Other than the letter saying he was safe, there had been no news from him.

As for Gu Lanting, Ming Ruxue, and Zhong Luoning, they’d sent a second letter after the first one assuring her they were safe.

Gu Lanting and Ming Ruxue were going to school as usual and wrote about their daily lives. Gu Qinghuan read their letters with great interest.

With Xiao Zhuo’s help, Zhong Luoning had found a relatively easy and flexible job as a piano tutor for two children from wealthy families.

It was basically like one-on-one private tutoring in later times, paid by the lesson—five yuan per lesson, two lessons a week for each child, four lessons total.

That was twenty yuan a week, eighty yuan a month—a very good income.

After all, it was easy work, and she only needed to work sixteen hours a month to earn a senior technician’s salary.

Zhong Luoning’s tone in her letter was clearly much lighter. It seemed that, no matter the era, being able to support yourself was a woman’s greatest source of confidence.

With that, Gu Qinghuan could finally relax."

"Chapter 250: Good News—School Has Started