The 60s Island: The Daily Life of a Capitalist Young Lady with the Army - Chapter 81: Trembling with Rage

Chapter 81: Trembling with Rage

In the courtyard, Xu Xiangsi had already settled back into the bamboo recliner.

She even leisurely readjusted the thin blanket over herself.

Through the creaking fence, she watched the group of furious women outside, a sweet yet wicked smile curling at the corners of her lips.

“Hey~” she drawled lazily, her voice soft yet clear enough to reach every ear, “I’m just not opening it.”

“If you’ve got the guts, come in yourself?”

This airy provocation was like pouring a bucket of oil directly onto the fire raging in Li Hong’s heart!

“You—!”

Li Hong trembled from head to toe with fury.

“Li Hong! Don’t be rash!”

“Yeah, we… we should just go back!”

Some of the women soldiers behind her, now frightened, reached out to pull her back.

But Li Hong, blinded by rage, was beyond restraining.

“Get off!”

She shook off her companion’s hand, blood rushing to her head as she lifted her foot and delivered a fierce kick to the dilapidated courtyard gate!

“BANG—!”

A loud crash!

The gate’s bolt snapped instantly, and the wooden door swung crookedly inward.

“Li Hong!”

No one had managed to stop her in time. They could only watch helplessly as she charged into the courtyard like an enraged lioness.

In a few strides, she was standing over Xu Xiangsi, glaring down at her and shouting, “What do you mean by this? Why wouldn’t you open the gate!”

Xu Xiangsi remained as languid as ever, reclining sideways in the chair and even shifting to a more comfortable position.

She lifted her eyes, her gaze as if looking at a complete stranger.

“Who are you?”

Her voice was flat and unemotional.

“Why should I open the gate for you.”

With that, her slender finger rose slightly, pointing toward the damaged gate.

“Let me give you some advice.”

“Right now, immediately, fix that gate, and then get out.”

Her tone was light, yet carried an undeniable authority.

“Otherwise, the consequences might be more than you can handle.”

Li Hong let out a scornful laugh, as if she’d just heard the most ridiculous joke.

“Consequences? More than I can handle?”

She planted her hands on her hips, her face full of contempt and disdain.

“You, a descendant of a Capitalist with questionable background, dare to threaten me?”

She took a step closer, lowering her voice to a venomous whisper that only the two of them could hear:

“Xu Xiangsi, believe me, I can have you arrested right now and dragged away for criticism and struggle!”

Faced with a threat that could crush anyone in those times, Xu Xiangsi’s expression remained unchanged.

She simply watched Li Hong quietly, as if she’d heard some irrelevant nonsense.

Then, from her rosy lips, she softly uttered a single word: “Oh.”

That one breezy “Oh” was like a needle, precisely puncturing Li Hong’s last shred of restraint.

Her rationality collapsed completely.

“You—!”

Li Hong leaped up, pointing a finger almost directly at Xu Xiangsi’s nose.

“You Capitalist-bred young lady! A parasite on society!”

Her voice was shrill and piercing, filled with long-accumulated jealousy and hatred.

“Every grain of rice you’ve eaten, every piece of clothing you’ve worn, you grew up sucking the blood of us proletarians!”

She stood extremely close to Xu Xiangsi, close enough to smell the pleasant, faint scent of soap on her.

And close enough to see her face clearly.

Her skin was as delicate as fine mutton-fat jade under the sunlight, without a single visible pore.

Her features were so exquisitely refined, she seemed to have stepped out of a painting. One more glance would make anyone’s heart tighten.

Then she looked at herself—years of training under sun and wind had left her skin rough, her hands calloused.

Why?

Why should this woman, who did nothing, live so comfortably and even get to marry someone as outstanding as Battalion Commander Long?

Jealousy and resentment coiled like venomous snakes, gnawing viciously at Li Hong’s heart.

Pointing at Xu Xiangsi, she cursed even more fiercely: “A parasite like you, who can’t even tell the five grains apart and never lifts a finger—you deserve to be thrown into the harshest farm!”

“Let you taste what it’s like to work before dawn, facing the soil with your back to the sky!”

“Let you understand how hard life is for us laborers!”

Spittle flew as Li Hong ranted. She waited eagerly, expecting to see terror, fear, or even collapse on Xu Xiangsi’s face.

But there was nothing.

Xu Xiangsi simply listened quietly, her beautiful eyes blinking as if brushing away nonexistent dust.

Only when Li Hong had finished her tirade and was panting heavily did Xu Xiangsi leisurely speak: “Finished?”

Then, meeting Li Hong’s furious glare, she nodded seriously.

“Alright then.”

“Go ahead and arrest me.”

Li Hong’s panting stopped abruptly.

Her eyes widened as if she couldn’t comprehend what Xu Xiangsi had just said.

Arrest… arrest her?

She just casually said, “arrest me”?

Li Hong’s mind went blank. She had imagined a hundred possible reactions from Xu Xiangsi.

She thought Xu Xiangsi would turn pale with fright, roll off the lounge chair, and cling to her legs, begging for mercy.

She thought Xu Xiangsi would weep bitterly, swearing to renounce her exploitative class and reform herself.

She even thought Xu Xiangsi would remorsefully declare that, to avoid hindering Long Peiye’s future, she would willingly leave him and support his revolutionary cause!

That’s how it should be! That was the script!

But how could she… how could she be so indifferent?

How dare she be so indifferent!

Li Hong’s lips trembled with rage. Every one of Xu Xiangsi’s reactions felt like an insult to her and all their revolutionary comrades!

“Don’t think I won’t do it!”

She squeezed the words through gritted teeth, issuing her final ultimatum.

“Xu Xiangsi! I’m going to the military district right now to report you to the political commissar!”

At this, Xu Xiangsi even let out a soft laugh—a laugh that felt unbearably mocking to Li Hong.

“Go ahead.”

Her tone was as light as if discussing the weather.

“I’m not stopping you.”

Xu Xiangsi looked Li Hong up and down, then suddenly added with an expression of “sincere” realization:

“Ah, you’re really quite thoughtful.”

“Coming all the way to my home to give me advance notice before reporting me.”

“Thank you so much.”

She paused, her slender finger pointing toward the kicked-in gate at the courtyard entrance.

“But I should remind you.”

“You broke my door. Make sure to fix it before you go.”

“Otherwise, my man will be angry when he gets back.”

Li Hong nearly choked on her fury!

She had never in her life met someone so brazen!

“I’ve never seen a woman as arrogant as you!” she shrieked.

Xu Xiangsi looked puzzled, even tilting her head slightly, appearing both innocent and naive.

“Where exactly was I being arrogant?”

She began counting on her fingers, speaking slowly and deliberately.

“You called me a parasite of society, and I told you to arrest me then.”

“You threatened to report me, and I said go ahead, even thanked you.”

“Throughout the entire exchange, wasn’t I just following along with what you said?”

“How does that make me arrogant?”

“Pfft—”

A female soldier who had been following behind, not daring to speak until now, couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing.

Though she quickly covered her mouth, the sound was particularly clear in the quiet courtyard.