Chapter 39

Bang bang——

"Is Pei Zhiqing home?"

At noon, the family was having lunch when a female voice was heard outside the door. She was looking for Pei Xingzhi. It looked so strange.

Meng Yanchun glanced at Pei Xingzhi suspiciously, "Xingzhi, who is this?"

Pei Xingzhi drank his water calmly and said, "I don't know. I don't know him."

These two concise and clear sentences, without any trace of guilt, made Meng Yanchun feel relieved.

Meng Wanqiu looked at Pei Xingzhi curiously. Since he married her, in the whole Qinghe Village, only the people at the Youth League Institute would call Pei Xingzhi like that. But his voice didn't sound like Zhang Xiuqing's, so she ran to open the door.

"I'm here, Pei Zhiqing's home." Meng Wanqiu opened the door and exclaimed in surprise, "Why are you here?"

The woman outside the door had thick bangs and wore clean black leather shoes. Her eyes were darting around, always looking inside the door. It was Bai Ting who had been lying dormant for several days.

Bai Ting smiled slightly, her eyes full of pride. When she saw that it was Meng Wanqiu who always deducted her work points when opening the door, the corners of her mouth stretched even wider, and she looked inexplicably weird.

"It's Comrade Meng. I'm here as the president of the Qinghe Village Youth League. I'm here to inform Pei Zhiqing about something. Where is he?"

Bai Ting raised her chin, glanced at Meng Wanqiu, pushed the door open and prepared to go in.

"What's up?"

Pei Xingzhi happened to come out from inside, blocking Bai Ting. He glanced at Bai Ting quickly and coldly, and held Meng Wanqiu's hand.

Bai Ting's breath was choked by Pei Xingzhi's cold gaze. She was stunned for a moment, but then she thought of her current identity and her confidence returned to her.

Meng Wanqiu leaned close to Pei Xingzhi's ear and whispered the purpose of Bai Ting's visit. Frowning, she asked, "What is a leader of a gang? I've never heard of him."

Pei Xingzhi's eyes flashed with a smile, and he pinched Meng Wanqiu's earlobe, "I don't know what it is either. Let me explain it to you later."

Hearing Pei Xingzhi and Meng Wanqiu ignoring her existence and calling her something, Bai Ting's face instantly flushed red. She gasped and shouted in a broken voice, "What nonsense are you talking about? I'm nothing."

Pei Xingzhi and Meng Wanqiu were stunned, and then Meng Wanqiu burst out laughing. Seeing Meng Wanqiu laugh, Pei Xingzhi also curled up the corners of his lips.

Bai Ting's mind twitched, and when she came to her senses, she realized what she had said. She glared at the hateful man and woman in front of her, almost biting her teeth off.

Humph, she is indeed the daughter of a bureaucratic local boss and the son of a You faction bad element, she is just so unruly.

Bai Ting decided not to argue with the two of them now. When the gang meeting started in the afternoon, she would record every word and action of Pei Xingzhi, the son of a rightist, and let the leaders of the Revolutionary Committee punish them.

Thinking of this, Bai Ting's expression softened, her rationality returning, and she cut the Gordian knot. "A few days ago, the commune leaders came to the Youth Home and said they were setting up a re-education group to educate and manage the sent-down youth, especially those with bad family backgrounds, like Sun Yating and you."

Bai Ting glanced at Pei Xingzhi with pride and continued, "And the Gang is made up of intellectuals like us who are of a certain class background, politically correct, and have ideas and beliefs. We are here to help you make revolution in your souls, punish past mistakes, and prevent future ones, and heal and save lives."

Bai Ting thought that her words would definitely make Pei Xingzhi afraid and scared, but not only did Pei Xingzhi not react as she imagined, there was not even a flicker in his eyes.

Bai Ting's eyes widened, almost popping out like two copper bells, and she pointed at Pei Xingzhi, "You, you, you really are hopeless."

Her passionate, inspiring words did not cause any fluctuation in Pei Xingzhi. He was indeed a You-style kid who was deeply influenced by poisonous thoughts.

Seeing Bai Ting pointing at Pei Xingzhi, Meng Wanqiu's eyes turned cold and she raised her hand and slapped Bai Ting's pointing hand hard.

There was a "pop" sound.

Bai Ting screamed, covering her swollen hand, and looked at Meng Wanqiu in disbelief, her voice trembling, "You, you dare to hit me?"

Meng Wanqiu stepped forward, pulled Pei Xingzhi behind her, and scolded him harshly: "What's wrong with hitting you? Don't you have a mouth? If I see you pointing at my man again, I'll hit you in the face next time."

Bai Ting took a step back in fear at the coldness in Meng Wanqiu's eyes. "I'm the daughter of a revolutionary cadre, a complete member of the five red categories."

Meng Wanqiu took another step forward and approached Bai Ting. She was not afraid of Bai Ting. "The daughter of a revolutionary cadre, haha, my father was a revolutionary soldier, and my grandfather was a poor peasant. Nine generations before me are of good family background. I am much more red than you. How about I hit you?"

Seeing Meng Wanqiu's fierce and aggressive look, like a tigress protecting her cubs, Pei Xingzhi not only did not stop her, but instead showed a doting smile.

He was protected by his Wanwan behind him. It was a novel and touching experience.

Bai Ting retreated, and Meng Wanqiu pressed forward step by step.

Just when Bai Ting didn't know what to say, Meng Aiguo's voice saved her.

"Xiao Wan, what are you doing?"

It turned out that the two of them had not returned yet. Meng Aiguo came out to check the situation. As soon as he came out, he saw his daughter squeezing the female educated youths in the educated youth courtyard into a corner, looking like she was about to hit someone, so he quickly called her.

Seeing Meng Aiguo coming out, Bai Ting quickly ran behind him and said, "Secretary, please take care of your daughter. She wants to hit me."

Meng Aiguo raised his eyebrows and took a step to the side, exposing Bai Ting.

Meng Wanqiu chuckled.

Bai Ting's face froze.

Damn, I almost forgot they are in the same group.

Meng Aiguo glanced at his daughter, then turned to ask Bai Ting, "What brings you here?"

Bai Ting quickly recounted what had happened and showed Meng Aiguo her red and swollen hands that had been beaten by Meng Wanqiu, asking him to give an explanation.

After hearing this, Meng Aiguo frowned, "People from the commune came a few days ago, why didn't you come to inform me? It took several days before you remembered to call them."

As he spoke, Meng Aiguo's face turned cold. "Comrade Bai Ting, please understand that you are now an educated youth in Qinghe Village, and I am your primary superior. You should have informed me promptly when someone from the commune arrived, or informed me immediately afterward. But you acted so presumptuously, not only without informing them, but also bypassing your superiors to notify the other educated youth. This is typical of overstepping one's authority. You have no sense of community and no understanding of rules. Is this what you learned from Chairman M's quotations?"

Bai Ting's face turned pale. As soon as she heard the news about the commune, she thought she had a chance to take revenge and never thought of notifying Meng Aiguo.

In order to come up with a foolproof plan and severely punish Sun Yating and the others, she even thought about it carefully for several days without telling anyone else in the Youth League Institute.

Usually, Bai Ting was proud of her status as one of the "Five Red Categories" and she quoted Chairman M's quotations every day. Now that Meng Aiguo had labeled her like this, she panicked instantly and didn't know what to do.

"Comrade Bai Ting, please answer my question seriously. Is this how you learned the Quotations?"

Meng Aiguo suddenly spoke in a loud and stern tone.

Meng Wanqiu was carefully examining Pei Xingzhi's injured hand when she suddenly heard her father's fierce voice. She was so frightened that she trembled, her pupils suddenly dilated, and her hands clenched.

Pei Xingzhi first pinched Meng Wanqiu's earlobe, then stroked her head with his warm hands. He leaned close to her ear and whispered softly, "Touch the fur, it won't scare you."

Meng Wanqiu felt both embarrassed and sweet, and glared at Pei Xingzhi. She was not a child, so why did he need to touch her fur?

Really, it's too disgusting.

Bai Ting, who had been lost in thought, also came back to her senses, her mind racing. "Yes, it's my fault, Secretary. I'm sorry, Secretary. I've been busy with the autumn harvest these days and forgot about it. I only remembered it today. I'm sorry, Secretary. It won't happen again."

After saying that, he quickly bowed to Meng Aiguo to admit his mistake. His bangs hid his drooping eyes, which were sparkling with hatred.

Who is Meng Aiguo? How could Bai Ting hide her little thoughts from him? However, he did not intend to pursue the matter any further. The important thing now was to find out what this gang was and whether it would have any impact on Pei Xingzhi.

"Alright, be careful next time. Since you're already the president of this gang, tell Pei Xingzhi about your plans, right?"

Bai Ting stood up, turned around and said to Pei Xingzhi with a smile, "The church meeting is held four times a month. Pei Zhiqing, remember to come to the Youth Courtyard this afternoon for the first meeting. Also, because Pei Zhiqing and Comrade Sun Yating have been designated as key targets for help and education by the County Revolutionary Committee, they must submit a thought report every month."

After Bai Ting left, Meng Wanqiu and Meng Aiguo both frowned and looked at Pei Xingzhi worriedly.

But Pei Xingzhi smiled faintly and comforted them, "It's okay. It's just writing a thought report every month. It's not a big deal."

In fact, Pei Xingzhi had anticipated this day long after his background was exposed.

"That's true, but do you know the content of the ideological report?"

Meng Aiguo walked in with his hands behind his back and turned to look at Pei Xingzhi.

Pei Xingzhi nodded, "Don't worry, Dad. I know what's going on."

He wasn't inflexible, nor did he have any unwavering beliefs; he only believed in himself. Now that he was married and had a family he cared about, he naturally wouldn't cause trouble for himself or worry them.

Meng Wanqiu didn't quite understand this, but she roughly guessed that Pei Xingzhi might not be so free in the future. Whether it was the Youth League Institute or the commune, there would always be people keeping an eye on him.

If they caught Pei Xingzhi doing something wrong, they would take advantage of him. Therefore, from now on, Pei Xingzhi and Brother Sun's business partnership would probably no longer work.

Thinking of this, a hint of cruelty flashed in Meng Wanqiu's eyes. She didn't want Pei Xingzhi to be restrained and controlled by those people in the Youth League Institute.

If, if those people had died quietly, there would be no worries, right?

For a moment, Meng Wanqiu's mind flashed through the dark means of her previous life, and she slowly sorted out a plan in her mind.

Suddenly, her hand tightened. Meng Wanqiu looked over in astonishment, and Pei Xingzhi clearly saw the cruelty in her eyes.

His heart suddenly trembled. Thinking of the secrets about her, Pei Xingzhi couldn't help but hold Meng Wanqiu's hand tightly and shook his head slightly at her.

The cruelty in Meng Wanqiu's heart dissipated, and she thought of the promise she made to Pei Xingzhi last time, that she would not do anything dangerous again and would tell him in advance before doing anything.

She lowered her head and bit her lip, and Meng Wanqiu shook hands with her in return. Their fingers were intertwined, and their body temperatures were transmitted to each other. As the temperatures balanced, the two beating hearts gradually became consistent in frequency.

"This Bai Ting is obviously trying to cause trouble for you. It seems she's holding a grudge against me from last time, and she blames Xiao Wan for constantly deducting her work points, so she's holding a grudge against our family. Now that she's in power, she can't do anything to us, so she wants to punish Xingzhi and make us uncomfortable so she can vent her anger."

Sitting on the stool, Meng Aiguo explained the reason to Pei Xingzhi with an apologetic tone.

Pei Xingzhi shook his head indifferently and comforted Meng Aiguo, "Dad, don't think that way. Even if she's gone, there will be others."

Meng Wanqiu brought a few cups of tea, and as they smelled the rising tea mist, their emotions calmed down.

"Bai Ting is a typical dogmatic villain, bullying the weak and fearing the strong. But it's people like this who are troublesome. You never know when she'll pop up and accuse you of a bunch of inexplicable crimes. Xingzhi, I'm afraid you can't do that job with Sun Lei anymore."

Sun Lei is Brother Sun.

Meng Aiguo picked up the teacup, first evaluated Bai Ting as a person, and then reminded Pei Xingzhi.

Pei Xingzhi nodded in understanding, "Don't worry, I'm quitting from now on. I'll have Brother Sun return that small warehouse someday."

Pei Xingzhi spoke calmly, but Meng Aiguo felt more and more uncomfortable. After pondering for a moment, he stood up and patted Pei Xingzhi on the shoulder.

Then he walked into the room, opened the drawer, took out paper and pen, and started writing the letter.

Pei Xingzhi blew away the tea foam, took a sip, and looked at Meng Wanqiu beside him, "Remember what you promised me, don't put yourself in danger again."

The sinister murderous intent emanating from Meng Wanqiu just now made Pei Xingzhi feel unfamiliar, frightened, and terrified.

Of course, I'm not afraid of Meng Wanqiu herself, but I'm afraid that she will do something stupid.

Thinking of the last time Meng Wanqiu fought alone with two knife-wielding gangsters, Pei Xingzhi's heart almost stopped when he found out.

Therefore, when Pei Xingzhi noticed that Meng Wanqiu had some intention of taking risks, he repeatedly forbade her and reminded her to abide by the agreement.

Meng Wanqiu curled her lips and replied reluctantly, "I know. Don't worry, I won't do it."

Pei Xingzhi suddenly put down his teacup, grasped Meng Wanqiu's wrist, and leaned in front of her, whispering, "You really thought so!"

Meng Wanqiu was startled and subconsciously tried to break free, but seeing the panic and worry in Pei Xingzhi's eyes, her heart suddenly softened and she let go of the force. She muttered, "I was just thinking about it, I didn't do it."

"Don't even think about it!" Pei Xingzhi gritted his teeth and warned Meng Wanqiu in a low voice.

"Forget what I told you last time. Don't be so arrogant. Do you think you're invincible just because you know that little bit of Kung Fu?"

"Alright, alright, keep your voice down. I won't dare to speak anymore. Isn't it enough for me to listen to you? If you speak any louder, Dad and the others will hear you."

Pei Xingzhi's voice became louder and louder uncontrollably, and Meng Wanqiu suddenly covered his mouth to stop him from nagging.

Pei Xingzhi had his mouth covered by her, and he looked at Meng Wanqiu with a frown. Every time she didn't finish her words, she begged for mercy and admitted her mistakes faster than anyone else. He was so angry that he bit her palm.

Meng Wanqiu frowned and hissed, but didn't dare to say anything. She could only complain in her heart that Pei Xingzhi was indeed a dog and was becoming more and more fond of biting people.

Seeing her sister-in-law Dong Hanyun from the opposite house sticking her head out to watch, Meng Wanqiu smiled and waved at her, then pulled Pei Xingzhi back to her own room.

In the county town, Jiang Bo was sitting on the sofa in his office. Opposite him sat a thin man. Judging from his appearance, he was the commune leader who had spoken to Bai Ting last time.

"Thank you so much for helping me. Don't go back to town for now. Let's go to the state-owned commune for a meal."

The man opposite waved his hand. "Oh, why write? We are old classmates, and your father is still my superior. This little favor is nothing. It's what I should do."

Jiang Bo laughed heartily, feeling quite proud. He had not expected that his old classmate would actually go to that new department and be in charge of the ideological education of the educated youth in the commune brigade.

Jiang Bo felt sad when he thought about the last time he went to the town and met Meng Wanqiu, but she ignored him and left on her own. In order to meet Meng Wanqiu by chance, he used to go back once a month, but now he goes back every few days.

It was clear that when he met Meng Wanqiu a few times before, he greeted her and said a few words to her, but after the last time, she didn't even look at him and simply ignored his existence.

Jiang Bo thought uncomfortably that it must be Pei Xingzhi's fault. If this scheming man had not met Meng Wanqiu first, who knows whose wife Meng Wanqiu would be now?

Now he is even preventing Meng Wanqiu from seeing him and hindering their relationship. Pei Xingzhi deserves death.

After learning about his old classmate's current job, Jiang Bo asked him for help to leak Pei Xingzhi's background, causing him trouble and making him uneasy in the future.

As far as he knew, the commune now attached great importance to this new department, and ideological education was indispensable every now and then. He also hoped that Meng Wanqiu would understand this and divorce Pei Xingzhi as soon as possible. Being with Jiang Bo, a man with a bright future, would be her best destination.

At this time, Jiang Bo didn't know that the Jiang family's handle had already fallen into Pei Xingzhi's hands.

It’s just that Pei Xingzhi doesn’t want to cause trouble. As long as the Jiang family doesn’t cause trouble for him, he won’t take the initiative to report Jiang Xiuxiu.

"Hey, Jiang Bo, you're already 27 or 28, why aren't you married yet?"

Jiang Bo couldn't help but face darkening, he was bringing up something that was not relevant. He had never wanted to marry a woman before, but now he didn't get married because the woman he wanted to marry had become someone else's wife.

And just a second ago, he was laughing at the trouble he had caused his love rival.

"Well, there's no rush about this. If you haven't met someone you like yet, you can get married when the time is right." Jiang Bo also had some shame and laughed it off.

He didn't dare to say that he had taken a fancy to a married woman. He was secretly causing trouble for the woman's husband and waiting for her to divorce and marry him.

Such content was too explosive, and Jiang Bo didn't dare to tell anyone about it because it was too tasteless.

The old classmate didn't care, just teasing Jiang Bo that his standards were too high. Suddenly, he mentioned Bai Ting again, "The person you told me about, there happened to be a female educated youth in their village. She's very positive and promised us that she would teach those educated youth with backward ideas, so..."

When Jiang Bo heard that there was such a person in Qinghe Village, he became interested. It seemed that Pei Xingzhi's future life would not be easy.

Haha, God is indeed on his side. Knowing that he doesn't want Pei Xingzhi to have an easy time, he sent a woman like this to help him cause trouble for Pei Xingzhi.

But will things really turn out as Jiang Bo imagined?

Qinghe Village, Youth League Home.

Zhang Xiuqing and others had more intense conflicts with Yu Baiting and even came to blows.

Zhang Xiuqing pressed her against the wall, tightly grasping Bai Ting's collar. However, Bai Ting was no match for Zhang Xiuqing, who had done farm work for several years, and could only use her hands to grab, scratch, and pull people's hair.

"Okay, what Yang Xue said before is indeed true. You, Bai Ting, are a rebel at heart. You act first and report later, bypassing your superiors to report. There are so many veteran educated youth in the Youth House. What qualifications do you have to ride on their shoulders as soon as you arrive? Bai Ting, Bai Ting, you are just like your father who started his career as a rebel. You actually use some disgusting methods."

After saying that, Zhang Xiuqing let go of Bai Ting, straightened her messy hair, turned around and left. She would not let Bai Ting's little tricks succeed.

Bai Ting glared at Zhang Xiuqing fiercely, her eyes red. Until she heard Zhang Xiuqing's last words, there was a loud bang in Bai Ting's head, and her brain went blank in an instant.

When he came to his senses, Zhang Xiuqing was already lying on the ground, with bright red blood flowing from the back of his head, staining the ground red.

In her hand, she held a hatchet dripping with blood.

“Ahhhh—”