Chapter 71 I Can't Be a Medic Anymore

Just then, a knocking sound suddenly rang out on the door.

Xia Qianqian hurriedly grabbed her bundle and left Peach Blossom Spring in a flash.

She composed herself, quickly stuffed the bundle into the deepest part under the bed, and then poked it in with the handle of a broom.

After doing all this, she finally breathed a sigh of relief, deliberately making her voice sound hoarse and languid as if she had just woken up: "Who is it?"

She secretly rejoiced: Luckily, she locked the door when she came in, otherwise it would have been terrible if someone had seen her appear out of nowhere!

A voice came from outside the door: "Mommy, are you awake?"

It's Da Ya!

Xia Qianqian unlatched the door and saw that only Da Ya was standing outside. Lu Zheng hadn't followed her, and she felt relieved. As long as it wasn't Lu Zheng, she didn't have to worry about the secret being exposed for the time being.

However, she also secretly warned herself: it seems that she should be more careful when entering and leaving Peach Blossom Spring in the future, otherwise if she is caught, there will be no way to explain it.

"Mom, did you sleep well?" Daya looked up at Xia Qianqian's sleepy face and asked with concern.

Xia Qianqian said, "Yes, I slept well. What did you come to see me about?"

If there's nothing wrong, Daya definitely won't bother me while I'm sleeping.

Daya hurriedly said, "I just ran into the production team leader. He said he had something urgent to discuss with you."

"The production team leader?" The production team leader was looking for her, and she didn't dare to delay.

She said to Daya, "I'll go right now. You go and tell your father first."

With that, Xia Qianqian turned and went back into the house. Looking in the mirror, she quickly tidied her slightly messy hair and applied some face cream, finally making her look less haggard. She then composed herself and headed towards the production team leader's office.

The production team leader's office was actually just an ordinary mud-brick house in the village. On weekdays, all kinds of matters, big and small, in the village were discussed and handled here.

As soon as Xia Qianqian entered the door, she saw the production team leader sitting at the table smoking a pipe, but his brows were furrowed, and it was clear that he was in a bad mood.

"Captain, did you need something?" Xia Qianqian asked directly, a hint of unease crossing her mind.

"Xia's here, sit down first." When the production team leader saw her come in, his brows not only didn't relax, but instead furrowed even more, almost forming a knot.

Xia Qianqian sat down as instructed, but her heart sank. Judging from the situation, the production team leader had clearly encountered a thorny problem, and it was most likely aimed at her.

The production team leader took a deep drag on his cigarette. He looked at Xia Qianqian, coughed lightly, and then said in a deep voice, "Today I went to the city to report on my work, and the city leaders told me... someone reported you."

"Report me?" Xia Qianqian suddenly raised her head, her eyes filled with astonishment.

She looked at the production team leader in surprise, completely bewildered, unable to think of anything she could have done that would warrant being reported.

The production team leader sighed, tapped his pipe on the sole of his shoe, and said in a deep voice, "I submitted your name to the city before, hoping you could go there for proper training, but who would have thought... your family background wouldn't be good enough!"

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Xia Qianqian's heart.

The production team leader continued, "The city leaders have directly removed your spot and said they can no longer let you serve as a sanitation worker. Starting tomorrow, you'll have to go to the fields with everyone else to earn work points. Moreover, in a couple of days, at the production team meeting, you'll have to make a public self-criticism and completely sever ties with the past."

Upon hearing this, Xia Qianqian felt her head buzzing, and only then did she belatedly realize that someone had reported her family background!

She asked, "Captain, do you know who reported me?"

The team leader shook his head: "The leader didn't say, so I didn't press further."

"This is a false accusation! I'm going to report them!"

Hearing her say that, the captain gave a wry smile and waved his hand: "Xia, it's not that I don't want to help you. Everyone in Nancheng knows about your family background. Now that someone has seized on that, you'll have no way to defend yourself."

He paused, his tone carrying a hint of consolation, "I know you're feeling bad and wronged. But what's done is done, and that's all we can do for now. Work hard in the fields and try to reform yourself; there might still be a chance."

Lu Zheng walked in unnoticed: "Captain, was it Liu Xiao'e who reported it?"

The production team leader's expression turned unnatural; he hadn't expected Lu Zheng to guess the mastermind so quickly.

After hearing Lu Zheng's words and seeing the production team leader's expression, Xia Qianqian immediately understood that it was she who had reported him.

I never expected that after I drove Liu Xiao'e out of the village and didn't pursue the matter further, she would not only fail to repent but also dare to sabotage me by reporting me behind my back.

Lu Zheng looked at Xia Qianqian and said guiltily, "Qianqian, I'm sorry."

If I had firmly rejected Huang Zhaodi back then, without giving her any hope, there wouldn't have been all that messy stuff involving Liu Xiao'e, and Xia Qianqian wouldn't have been implicated.

The production team leader stood aside, watching this scene, and couldn't help but sigh. This was really Lu Zheng's fault.

This young man stood out in the village, making all the other young men in the village look like stones in the mud.

So many families were eyeing him with longing, all hoping to marry their daughters to him. If Huang Zhaodi hadn't treated Lu Zheng like her own man and given everyone else in the village a cold shoulder, the production team leader probably would have had to act as a matchmaker for Lu Zheng several times over.

Thinking this, the production team leader looked at Xia Qianqian again and couldn't help but sigh inwardly, thankful that he hadn't played matchmaker.

Look at Xia and Lu Zheng standing together, they're a match made in heaven.

Hearing Lu Zheng apologize, Xia Qianqian couldn't help but roll her eyes at him and scolded, "This is all your fault. All those rotten suitors you attracted have now caused such a big problem."

Lu Zheng quickly assured him, "Now that things have come to this, we can't make things difficult for the team leader. From now on, you can rest at home. I'll do double the farm work and I won't let you suffer any injustice."

The production team leader also knew that he had actually wronged Xia Qianqian this time. So even though Lu Zheng's words were somewhat against the rules, he did not object as he usually did.

Lu Zheng's statement calmed Xia Qianqian's anger considerably. His ability to reflect on his mistakes so quickly and his sense of responsibility truly touched her.

However, she wouldn't let Liu Xiao'e's malicious accusation go easily.

Xia Qianqian raised her eyebrows, cleared her throat, and said, "Captain, I want to report Liu Xiao'e. She's framing me, and I have evidence!"

The production team leader and Lu Zheng turned around at the same time and spoke almost simultaneously: "Really? What evidence do you have?"

In Xiangyang Village, Xia Qianqian's identity is common knowledge. Although she is not the real daughter of the Xia family in Nancheng, the mark of being born into a capitalist family cannot be erased.

The production team leader couldn't think of any compelling evidence she could offer to turn the situation around.