A Scholar in a Year of Famine

Everyone on the farm laughed at Li Xiulian, calling her the biggest fool around.

Despite her suspect family background, she scrimped on food, worked in his place, warmed his bed with her own body on cold nights, and devoted herself wholeheartedly to supporting Chen Jingzhi, the pale-faced scholar sent down to the countryside.

Others warned her: "Scholars are clouds in the sky. Once he gets back on his feet, he'll toss you aside like an old shoe."

Li Xiulian only chuckled, thumping her chest as she defended him: "He's well-read. His soul is noble!"

Everyone thought she was a lovesick fool, blinded by infatuation.

Only Li Xiulian knew the truth: she had lived this life once before and remembered exactly how it ended.

She wasn't waiting for him to repay her kindness. She was waiting to witness his betrayal with her own eyes.

Beneath the lively, laughter-filled days on the wasteland lay a heart, already buried in the yellow sands and shattered to pieces.

He accepted every sacrifice she made without a qualm, painting her a rosy picture of a bright future.

When the notice came that he had been rehabilitated, he would leave the mud behind, and they would part forever.

She smiled and played her part, quietly awaiting his betrayal. The barren land sustained him, while she laid her heart to rest.

Theme: Human nature is cold, regardless of one's education. Blind worship will never earn you genuine affection. Only by waking up and saving yourself can you find freedom.