"You help me once, I'll help you once, then we're even."

He paused for a moment, then felt he couldn't take such a big advantage of the young girl, since the fare was only one cent, while a pound of smoked meat pancakes cost six cents.

So I added:

I'll return the six cents to you.

"Give me back my 50 cents. This bus belongs to the government, and I can't ride it for free."

Shen Jingyan spoke in a businesslike tone.

Gu Zhiyun did not answer, and Shen Jingyan did not know whether his silence meant agreement or disagreement.

Upon arriving at the entrance of Dalin Village, Shen Jingyan jumped out of the car before Gu Zhiyun could speak.

"Thank you, this kettle is very warm."

The little girl spoke very sincerely and had a sweet smile.

Gu Zhiyun felt a sense of disbelief. Could this delicate and adorable girl really be the one who beat up the strong man with an axe that night?

Shen Jingyan carried the basket for quite a distance before Gu Zhiyun came to his senses.

There seemed to be a lingering, pleasant fragrance in the driver's cab.

He touched the water bottle that the little girl had been holding in her arms; it was warm, like the temperature of a person's body.

...

"That brat hasn't come back this late yet, she must be out meeting some other man!"

The Shen family had already eaten dinner. Chen Feng sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), craning her neck to look towards the front door, muttering curses as she looked.

Shen Honggang frowned upon hearing this.

"Don't talk nonsense. Jingya is a good girl. Where would she get some random man?"

"Dad, Jingya is having an affair. Mom and I both saw it. She bought a whole bunch of clothes at the supply and marketing cooperative and dressed up like a vixen. What else could it be but trying to seduce men?"

Shen Yuqin said firmly, "She even bought a military overcoat for that other man! If you don't believe me, wait until she comes back and see for yourself!"

Anzi, who was playing with pebbles nearby, was displeased and retorted sharply to Shen Yuqin.

"Sister Jingya doesn't have a lover, but you do!"

"You brat, what nonsense are you spouting?" Shen Yuqin scolded, her eyes narrowing.

"You do have it, I saw it with my own eyes!"

Anzi was constantly being scolded by Shen Yuqin, or having his ears pulled and beaten. He had been harboring a lot of resentment for a long time. And children can't keep things to themselves; he just blurted things out like beans spilling from a bamboo tube.

“I saw you flirting with Zhou, the educated youth from the forest farm, and you were touching him all over! You also tried to seduce Gu and Yang before, but they ignored you, so you went after Zhou!”

The "educated youth" that Anzi mentioned was Zhou Zhengqing, a high school graduate who went to the countryside in the same batch as Gu Zhiyun. He wore glasses and had a refined appearance.

However, he didn't have a good reputation in the village because he liked to flirt with young girls.

Shen Yuqin's secret was revealed by Anzi all at once, and she blushed with embarrassment and anger.

She grabbed the broom handle and swung it at Anzi's back.

"I'll beat you to death, you lisp-mouthed brat! Did Jingya give you something in return to make fun of me? Am I your real sister, or is Jingya your real sister?"

Although Anzi was only ten years old, she had some strength and was not a dough that could be kneaded at will.

He threw stones at Shen Yuqin while shouting:

"Jingya is my own sister. She gives me everything to eat, and all you do is try to take it from me!"

Upon hearing Anzi's words, Chen Feng became furious and joined in beating Anzi.

"How could I have given birth to such an ungrateful wretch like you? You're not close to your own sister, but close to a stranger!"

Shen Honggang pulled the mother and her two children apart.

"Alright, alright, the child is being immature, but aren't you, as the mother, being immature too?"

Anzi was hit on the back with a broom several times, and Chen Feng pinched his thigh several times, making his eyes water with pain.

He angrily threw the largest pebble in his hand, which hit Shen Yuqin right on the left eyelid.

"Hey, Shen Zhian, do you have a death wish?!"

Shen Yuqin screamed and lunged at Anzi to scratch his face, but was stopped by Shen Honggang.

"Enough! You're the older sister, how can an older sister beat her younger brother so badly?"

The two had just been fighting, and Anzi's neck was scratched by Shen Yuqin, leaving bloody marks.

Shen Yuqin screamed like a madwoman, howling like a ghost.

"You son of a bitch, I'll tear your mouth off!"

Chen Feng, who was about to chime in, was speechless.

She slapped Shen Yuqin across the face: "Do you have any guts? He's a son of a bitch, and what are you?"

Now, Shen Yuqin had a bright red handprint on her left cheek, and her left eyelid was swollen and bluish-purple. Her already unremarkable face was now completely ruined.

"Alright, stop!"

Amidst the commotion and distress, Shen Honggang raised his voice.

This shout made Shen Yuqin and An Zi swallow their sobs.

Don't let Shen Honggang's usual gentle and quiet demeanor fool you; this 1.8-meter-tall man can be quite intimidating when he gets angry.

Shen Honggang's expression was not good. He stared intently at Shen Yuqin, his gaze scrutinizing her.

"Yuqin, I'm asking you, is what Anzi said true?"

In fact, he already had a plan in mind. Although Anzi was mischievous, he never lied.

Shen Yuqin puffed out her chest and vehemently denied it, saying, "No, he's talking nonsense!"

She was breathing rapidly, her chest heaving, but her eyes remained fixed on her, trying her best to appear open and honest.

But in Shen Honggang's view, his youngest daughter was guilty of something she had done wrong.

Because from childhood to adulthood, Shen Yuqin has always been caught lying in this way.

"You should break up with that Zhou Zhengqing as soon as possible! He's no good. He doesn't work properly all day and just likes to fool around. What kind of life is it for you to hang out with him?"

Chen Feng was displeased upon hearing this.

“What’s wrong, Shen Honggang? Our daughter was able to become an educated youth; that’s her own ability!”

Mentioning Zhou Zhengqing, Chen Feng's small eyes gleamed as if they had been rubbed with lard.

"I've heard that Zhou Zhengqing's father is a workshop foreman in a big factory, and his mother is also a factory worker—both have secure jobs! If our daughter could go to the city with him—"

"Come on!" Shen Honggang waved his hand, interrupting Chen Feng's wild imagination. "He's an intellectual, from a big city. Do you think he'd be interested in a country girl like Yuqin?"

"Why don't you like her? Our Yuqin has both looks and figure. Which girl in the surrounding villages can compare to Yuqin?"

Chen Feng's inexplicable confidence left Shen Honggang speechless.

Shen Yuqin wiped away the snot and tears from her face and revealed a confident smile.

However, to onlookers, this smile was terrifying.

"Ugly monster, nyah nyah nyah~"

An Zi made a face at Shen Yuqin.

"Dafeng, how can you be so confused?"

Unable to contain his anger, Shen Honggang's tone was full of accusation, "Last summer, when Gu Zhiqing kindly brought Jingya back, you insisted on accusing her of being a hooligan. Now that Yuqin is seducing Zhou Zhiqing, you say Yuqin is capable? Even if you are biased as a mother, you can't be unable to distinguish right from wrong, can you?"