Chapter 147 Educated Youth in the 1970s (XI) I Want to Build! I Want to Learn...

She quickened her pace, beads of sweat sliding down her forehead and dampening the stray hairs at her temples.

"Who?" Jian Fangning turned around abruptly, gripping the washbasin tightly in her hand, ready to use it as a weapon at any moment. However, there was nothing behind her, only the corn leaves rustling in the breeze, and no one in sight.

Jian Fangning bit her lip, trying to reassure herself, "What danger could there be in broad daylight? Don't scare yourself, let's go back quickly." But she hadn't taken more than a few steps when the light, hurried footsteps sounded again. This time she was certain it wasn't a hallucination, but that there really was something, or... a person.

Her heart was in her throat. Her eyes darted around, searching for a place to call for help, but there was nothing but a cornfield along the way. She took a deep breath and forced herself to remain calm as she continued walking.

Just then, a slightly greasy male voice suddenly came from behind, "Jian Zhiqing, wait for me!" Upon hearing this voice, Jian Fangning immediately hugged the washbasin in her arms tighter and turned around warily.

Ten meters away stood a dark-skinned, plain-looking young man. What made Jian Fangning extremely uncomfortable was that his restless eyes scanned her up and down, his face carrying a somewhat sneaky and lewd expression.

Almost instantly, Jian Fangning remembered that this person was the only son of Granny Xu in the village, and his name seemed to be Xu Jiajun.

Seeing Jian Fangning staring at him blankly without saying a word, Xu Jiajun was secretly delighted and said in a charming tone, "Sister Jian, did you just finish washing the clothes?"

Jian Fangning simply nodded slightly, pulling the basin full of clothes closer to her chest. She caught a glimpse of Xu Jiajun walking towards her out of the corner of her eye, took a small step back, and called out loudly, "Comrade Xu, is there something you need?"

Xu Jiajun rubbed the hem of his clothes, took a few steps forward, and said with a grin, "It's nothing. I just thought you looked lonely walking alone, so I thought I'd come over and keep you company."

"No need, I'm in a hurry to get back and cook, I'll be going now." After saying this, Jian Fangning turned to leave. Unexpectedly, Xu Jiajun quickly walked over and suddenly reached out to grab her hand that was resting on the edge of the basin.

Jian Fangning suddenly turned to the side, forcefully shaking off his hand, and angrily said, "What are you doing?"

"Hey, Jian Zhiqing, why are you so angry? I just smelled your fragrance and wanted to ask what kind of face cream you use..." Xu Jiajun stopped in his tracks and said with a grin.

"Comrade Xu, please show some respect!" Jian Fangning gripped the washbasin tightly, forcing herself to calm down.

"Respect? How much do I respect you! Sister Jian, can't you even let your brother smell your fragrance?" Xu Jiajun's desire grew stronger as he watched Jian Fangning's face turn red with anger. He leaned closer and said with a smile, "There's no one else here, Sister Jian. To tell you the truth, I've liked you from the first moment I saw you! You're fair-skinned and literate. If you're willing to be with me, I promise I'll treat you well in the future..."

Before Xu Jiajun could finish speaking, Jian Fangning quickly took a few steps back and shouted, "Don't come any closer! If you do, I'll call for help!"

Xu Jiajun took another step closer, saying shamelessly, "What are you pretending to be so high and mighty for? You educated youth from the city just want to find a backer in the countryside, don't you? Our Xu family has been poor peasants for three generations..."

Just then, Jian Fangning seized the opportunity and smashed the basin, clothes and all, hard onto Xu Jiajun's head. The loud crash stunned him. Taking advantage of Xu Jiajun's momentary daze, Jian Fangning quickly turned and ran as fast as she could towards the village!

Xu Jiajun snapped out of his daze and chased after her fiercely, shouting, "Jian Fangning, you stop right there!"

Jian Fangning dared not stop and ran forward as fast as she could, her shoes kicking up clouds of dust on the dirt road. However, Xu Jiajun's footsteps were getting closer and closer behind her, and she vaguely heard a nauseating panting sound that was almost touching her.

Suddenly, Jian Fangning tripped over a loose stone on the road and stumbled forward! She instinctively braced herself with her hands, but to her surprise, she didn't fall into the field, but instead landed in a warm embrace.

Just then, Xu Jiajun caught up. He had just shouted, "You little bitch, let's see if you still want to..." when he noticed that there was suddenly someone on the path, he quickly stopped talking.

Jian Fangning was still in shock. She subconsciously looked up at the person who caught her and was surprised to see that it was Song Ce.

At this moment, Song Ce's expression was extremely cold. After gently helping Jian Fangning to sit upright, he stepped forward and stood directly in front of her.

Seeing that someone had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, Xu Jiajun's expression turned even more ferocious. He glared fiercely at Song Ce and cursed, "Song Ce, mind your own business! This is a private matter between me and Jian Zhiqing, and it's none of your business!"

Song Ce straightened his back. His voice was not loud, but it carried a chilling undertone. "Comrade Xu, how dare you bully a female comrade in broad daylight?"

"Bully me? Today I'll bully you too, you little chick!" With that, Xu Jiajun rolled up his sleeves, making a move to pounce, but Song Ce knocked him to the ground with a hook punch.

Xu Jiajun winced in pain, instinctively covering his face and screaming, "What are you doing? How dare you hit me?"

"You're bullying a woman, why can't I hit you?" Song Ce said indifferently.

"You...you educated youth! You shamelessly freeload in the village and act all high and mighty with me! Jian Fangning is always attracting attention in the village, isn't it just because she wants to find a good family to marry into?"

Jian Fangning trembled with anger upon hearing this. She leaned out from behind Song Ce and retorted loudly, "I came to the countryside in response to the organization's call to work and build! I didn't eat a single grain of food from the village for nothing!"

"You make it sound so nice! Let me tell you, I've got my eye on you! He saved you once, but can he save you a second or third time? Let me tell you, next time I'll make sure you're done for! I'll make you cry and beg for mercy under my crotch! Damn it!" Xu Jiajun got up from the ground, brushing the dirt off his trousers, and said viciously.

Upon hearing this, Jian Fangning's legs went weak and she almost fell again, but fortunately Song Ce reached out and supported her.

Song Ce patted Jian Fangning's shoulder reassuringly. Before she could react, he walked up to Xu Jiajun with a stern face, lifted him up with one hand, and clenched his right fist, repeatedly hitting Xu Jiajun on the head.

"You...little...wait...don't...don't hit...brother..."

At first, Xu Jiajun could still curse and swear, but later he could only let out a few indistinct sobs.

Jian Fangning stared at the scene before her, almost frozen in shock. She was filled with fear and dread, but even more so, with an indescribable gratitude and…a flutter of emotion. No one…no one had ever stood up to protect her so readily as he had.

Soon, Xu Jiajun was beaten until his face was covered in blood by Song Ce.

Jian Fangning snapped out of her daze and quickly grabbed Song Ce's arm, urgently stopping him, "That's enough, Song Ce, that's enough... It's not worth it for such a scoundrel." She was worried that if he continued hitting him, someone might die.

Song Ce paused for a moment before stopping, releasing Xu Jiajun and letting him collapse to the ground.

By this time, Xu Jiajun's face was bruised and swollen, covered in blood, and his clothes were a mess. He stared intently at Song Ce and Jian Fangning, gritting his teeth as he said, "You...you're going to get us! This isn't over yet!"

Song Ce chuckled softly, his tone gentle: "We'll wait."

"You... I'll remember... you." Xu Jiajun struggled to get up, kept his distance from Song Ce, spat, and then limped towards the village.

Jian Fangning watched Xu Jiajun's departing figure, her eyes immediately reddening. She quickly lowered her head and said tremblingly, "Thank you, Song Ce."

Song Ce's expression softened, and he asked with concern, "Fang Ning, are you alright?"

Jian Fangning first shook her head, and after a long while, she nodded gently and whispered, "I...I'm fine."

Song Ce frowned but remained silent.

Jian Fangning forced a smile and bent down to pick up the basin that had fallen to the ground. Song Ce helped her pick up her clothes scattered on the ground. Looking at Jian Fangning's panicked appearance, he sighed very softly: "Let's go."

"Huh? Where to?"

"Just come with me."

After saying that, Song Ce pulled Jian Fangning to the riverbank where she was washing clothes, pressed her down to sit under a tree, and then picked up the basin of dirty clothes and went to the riverbank himself.

The warm summer sun shone on the river, shimmering with golden light. Jian Fangning looked up blankly, watching Song Ce not far away, sleeves rolled up, deftly washing clothes in a basin. The gentle sound of flowing water mingled with the chirping of cicadas, gradually calming her initially anxious heart.

Just then, Jian Fangning suddenly came to her senses.

Song Ce... he seems to be washing... her clothes? There are still some of hers in there...

She suddenly stood up, her face flushed, and ran to Song Ce's side, reaching out to take the clothes: "Song Ce, don't... I'll wash them myself." Song Ce didn't even look up, taking the clothes and dodging to the side, splashing water droplets onto her face, "I'll wash them, you rest."

Jian Fangning: "..."

She stood there, bewildered, watching Song Ce's earnest expression. Her ears burned; this was the first time a man had ever offered to do her laundry. They…they clearly…clearly had nothing between them…

By the time Song Ce finished washing and wringing out her clothes, it was almost noon. The two walked towards the educated youth settlement one after the other. Jian Fangning looked at the slender figure in front of her and realized for the first time that her heart could beat so fast.

As they approached the educated youth settlement, Song Ce stopped and suddenly called out, "Jian Fangning."

"Hmm?" she responded instinctively, then asked, "What's wrong?"

Song Ce lowered his eyes and turned around, his face unusually gentle. He said softly, "Don't be afraid, I'm here. I will never let anyone bully you again." After saying that, he put the basin containing the clothes into her arms, turned around and walked away quickly.

Jian Fangning stood there dumbfounded, her mind a complete mess.

What does "he, he, he..." mean?

She didn't know how much time had passed when she heard someone call her name, and that's when she came back to her senses.

"Fang Ning, what are you daydreaming about? I called you several times and you didn't answer." Qi Ziling walked over and, seeing that Fang Ning's expression was off, quickly asked, "What's wrong?"

Jian Fangning hesitated for a moment, but still recounted what had just happened.

Qi Ziling stomped her foot angrily and said, "This Xu Jiajun has gone too far! We educated youth came to the countryside to contribute to its development, not to be bullied!"

"Sister Ziling, I'm alright. If it weren't for Song... the educated youth arriving in time, I'm afraid I would have..."

Although Qi Ziling wanted to ask more questions, seeing Jian Fangning's still frightened appearance, she ultimately didn't speak and took her arm as they returned to the courtyard.

Meanwhile, Xu Jiajun returned home with a swollen, pig-like head and embellished the story to his mother. Seeing her beloved son beaten like this, his mother's eyes reddened with heartache.

After treating Xu Jiajun's wounds, she immediately started yelling and cursing throughout the village: "My God! These educated youths from the city are going to beat us villagers to death! These educated youths eat the village's food and still dare to hit my son! I don't want to live anymore! I need an explanation today!"

Once the villagers had all gathered at Xu's door, Aunt Xu immediately led a group of people to the educated youth settlement. As soon as she entered, she started throwing a tantrum, crying and screaming, "You heartless people! My son did nothing wrong, and he's been beaten like this! Do you city people have no regard for the law?"

"Aunt Xu, please get up." Hearing the noise, Jiang Zhangjun quickly squatted down and tried to help Aunt Xu up, but she shook him off.

"Get up? How can I get up after you beat my son like this?" Aunt Xu spat, glaring fiercely at Jian Fangning behind Qi Ziling, and pointed at her, shrilly, "It's you! It's you, you vixen! Not only did you flaunt your charms to seduce my Jiajun, but you also shamelessly ordered your lover to beat him!"

Everyone was stunned by what Aunt Xu said.

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Author's Note: Thank you so much, Qingliang, for the nutrient solution! [Sprinkling flowers]