Ruan Xianxian leaned on her seat and turned around to reach for the large bag on the back seat. Mu Xia handed the bag to her with a complicated expression.

I watched helplessly as this guy took out one stack, two stacks, three stacks... a total of nine stacks, 900 yuan in total, from his bag and handed them to Wenrou through the car window.

"Here you go, 900. Buy me another one of these cars."

Chen Zhaodi sighed, leaned closer and whispered to Mu Xia, "No wonder Ruan Xiaoxian refused to deposit her money in the bank before we came back; she was waiting for this."

Looking at the newspaper package, stacks of brand-new ten-yuan bills, the villagers' eyes lit up and they wished they could rush over and snatch them.

A hand resembling a chicken claw crept closer to the car window, almost touching the money, when it was suddenly slapped away by Ruan Xianxian.

Li Dazui met her half-smiling face and awkwardly touched his nose with the back of his hand that had been slapped red.

"I'm not trying to help you hand the money to Wen Zhiqing."

Ruan Xianxian ignored her, her gaze passing through the crowd and settling on the gentle face filled with resentment and gritted teeth.

"Come on! Didn't you say you bought this car for 900 yuan? I'll give you another 900, why don't you take it? Money's hot, you can hold it in your mouth."

"If you don't come over soon, I'm getting off."

Why did this crazy thing get off the bus? It's going to get a home run, and Wenrou unconsciously took a step back.

One villager, with a sudden glint in his eye, figured it didn't matter where the money came from; it would just fill the team's deficit. So he gave Wenrou a push, letting the duck that was about to be eaten fly away.

"Wen, hurry up. Since Comrade Ruan has realized that cheating people out of money is wrong and is willing to return the money, you can accept it."

"Exactly, she's feeling guilty. She probably knows she can't hide it anymore, so she's trying to shift the blame and keep quiet."

Gentle was pushed and stumbled.

Ruan Xianxian noticed that the villagers who jumped the highest were all from the Hu family. Although they didn't know what had happened in the village, they kept mentioning 900 yuan, which was probably related to the oil press.

Pushed to the forefront, her gentle smile turned ugly. "I was just suggesting a possibility. There's no need for you, Ruan Zhiqing, to make such a big deal out of it."

"You cured Comrade Ye Guo's congenital ailment, Wen Zhiqing?" Ruan Xianxian suddenly asked, Wenrou was stunned, "Wh? What?"

"If you can wash his smelly underwear, you must have cured his hidden ailment."

The dead memories attacked Wenrou and Ye Guo again. Wenrou was so angry that her face turned pale and then red. "What nonsense are you talking about?"

Making baseless accusations without evidence is nothing short of undermining unity.

Ruan Xianxian slowly withdrew her hand that was handing over the money, and said with a drawn-out "Oh," "So, even Wen Zhiqing knows that speaking out about things without evidence is damaging to unity!"

At that moment, the rear window of the Jeep rolled down, revealing Mu Xia's expressionless face.

The team members were surprised to find that this chubby girl had lost far more than a fraction of her weight since she first arrived.

She said, "Don't you know how much the brigade spent on tractors in the past two years? Anyone who thinks they can buy a car for 900 yuan can come to me for money anytime."

"Please make way."

"Make way for what..." Ruan Xianxian suddenly sneered, flooring the gas pedal. The steel behemoth-like jeep roared, and the villagers blocking the way subconsciously made way to both sides.

Some people even fell to the ground while trying to dodge Tai Chi, ending up with mouths full of dirt.

He stared furiously in the direction where Ruan Xianxian and the others had disappeared, hurling as many vulgar insults as possible.

Some people also looked blaming at Wenrou, who had also fallen to the ground due to inertia from dodging too hastily. If she hadn't started talking nonsense as soon as she arrived, they wouldn't have almost been hit by the car.

Before even finding out where the public funds are, isn't this seriously offending people? Will we ever be able to get the money back?

Facing several reproachful or resentful gazes, Wenrou forced herself to straighten up, revealing a smile that was more like a grimace, as if she were talking to herself.

"Besides deceiving our village, did Ruan Zhiqing also deceive quite a few other people? Otherwise, if a trip to the provincial capital could make us all rich, we'd all go."

This is suspicious. It would be best to have the Red Armband (a term referring to young intellectuals who have been sent to the countryside during the Cultural Revolution) investigate where her money and car came from. As a fellow educated youth, I really can't bear to see her sink deeper into this mess.

Some scoffed, while others seemed thoughtful.

...

On the way back from the village to the educated youth settlement, the three women in the car remained silent.

Ruan Xianxian turned around and looked at Mu Xia, her eyes meeting hers.

Neither of them said anything, yet it was as if they had said everything.

She actually understood Xiaxia's purpose in wanting to set up a village factory: to avoid working and to do everything possible to avoid working!

But all of this must be based on the premise that the villagers are willing to accept it.

With a slam of the brakes, the car came to a steady stop in front of the educated youth compound. The Red Army soldiers were striding towards them from the other direction, some of them out of breath.

After catching his breath, he wanted to say something, but when he met the girls' smiles—some friendly, some nonchalant—he swallowed back the words he was about to utter.

He waved his hand and smiled as well, "It's good that you're back. No one has lived in that house for half a month. Let's go back and tidy it up first. We can talk about village matters later. There's no rush."

"Fine!" Ruan Xianxian slammed the car door shut and said in a particularly arrogant tone, "I've been eating meat every day in the provincial capital, and it's made me feel hot and bothered."

I'll cook a few dishes tonight, and Uncle Xiang can come over for a drink.

The captain laughed, unable to resist pointing with his finger at the little rascal who could drive a person crazy with anger, yet was also exceptionally good at coaxing.

"Okay! We still have some wild aralia shoots and celery leaves at home. I'll have Xiao Nuan bring them over later. We'll have a drink tonight, and I also have some things to discuss with you."

I just got back and didn't keep the children for long. The brigade leader left after he finished speaking.

The three women walked through the front yard, looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar little house, and felt a sense of ease and comfort, as if they had come home.

He took out the key to unlock the door, picked up the washbasin from the shelf and scooped two ladles of water from the kitchen water tank. He then used his hands to lift some water from the kang (heated brick bed) to press down the loose soil.

Holding a feather duster, Ruan Xianxian began to complain, "I should have waited until the educated youth finished work before coming back. I asked Comrade Liu to clean the house."

Mu Xia, who had come out to get the broom, overheard this and rolled her eyes. Without saying a word, she started cleaning up for her.

The room wasn't actually dirty, but there was a lot of plaster on the kang (a heated brick bed).

After cleaning and laying out bedding, and washing the kang cabinets and tables, the whole room regained its luster.

Avoid stepping on the wet rammed earth ground. Use a large broom to sweep up the water stains and open all the windows and doors to let in some fresh air. Then the two women move on to Mu Xia's room.

Two people can clean up faster than one person.

After finishing up inside the house and in the kitchen, I went to the car to organize the things I brought back from the provincial capital.

This is where the advantages of living in a dormitory become apparent. Chen Zhaodi, who only cleaned her own bed, had already finished her chores and was sitting in the backyard picking vegetables!

Looking at the mess she had bought, piled up on half of the kang (a heated brick bed), Ruan Xianxian puffed out her cheeks, waved her hand and threw it into the space villa, asking Alex to help tidy it up.

"I'm so tired!" Ruan Xianxian, who hadn't actually done much, lay sprawled on the kang (a heated brick bed).