"Alright, Brother Gu, then this poor little thing will get lost."

Zhao Youcai walked towards the door while joking around.

"return"

Take the letter away.

Gu Nanxun handed the rewritten letter to Zhao Youcai and said.

When Lin Qing returned to the educated youth settlement, the brigade leader had just left, and Chen Zhaodi was lying on the bed crying. There wasn't a single mark on her body from being beaten.

"What's wrong?" Lin Qing asked Lu Xianghong in a low voice. She was curious. Didn't Zhao Youcai put a sack over her head and beat her up? How come she couldn't tell at all?

"She started crying as soon as she got back, and then said she wanted to find the brigade leader. We were worried something might have happened, so we helped her find the brigade leader."

"She told the captain that she had been put in a sack and beaten, but there were no marks on her body. When asked if she had seen who beat her, she said no and she hadn't heard any sound."

Lu Xianghong explained. Then she whispered to Lin Qing, "Be careful, I think Chen Zhaodi is faking it, she probably doesn't want to compensate you."

"Okay, I understand, thank you, Sister Xiang Hong."

Lin Qing knew Chen Zhaodi wasn't faking it, because the person who beat him up was Zhao Youcai. She just hadn't expected Zhao Youcai to be so skilled; he could do it without leaving a trace.

As night falls, the sky is adorned with stars as bright as diamonds. The crescent moon of the Milky Way casts its soft light upon the earth, adding a touch of mystery and romance to the quiet night.

"Sister-in-law, over here!"

In the morning, Lin Qing carried a basket on her back and walked towards the oxcart. From afar, she saw Zhao Youcai waving to her.

Lin Qing walked over, nodded to Zhao Youcai, and sat on the oxcart.

"How clever! Why do you call Xiaolin, the educated youth, 'sister-in-law'?"

"That's right, Xiao Zhao, you can't call him that! Xiao Gu and Xiao Lin, these two educated youths, aren't married yet."

"That's right, Lin, you really need to think this through. This Gu may be handsome, but he's crippled."

“Yes, yes, Xiao Lin, being good-looking won’t put food on the table. When looking for a man, you need someone who can earn work points. Look at my Hongjun, he can earn 10 work points.”

"Come on! Your Red Army soldiers may earn 10 work points, but they're not mentally sound!"

"Liu Sufeng, say that again! Don't think I don't know. You've also taken a liking to Xiao Lin, the educated youth. How dare you slander my son?"

"Look at your son! He's idle all day long. No wonder Xiao Lin, the educated youth, would never be interested in you..."

"..."

Lin Qing had barely gotten onto the oxcart and hadn't even spoken when a group of middle-aged women started chatting. As the saying goes, three women make a drama; this group of women must have put on quite a show!

"Sister-in-law, you're quite..." Zhao Youcai whispered to Lin Qing. He didn't expect Lin Qing to be so popular, with so many middle-aged women taking a liking to her.

"Don't tell your brother Gu."

Lin Qing didn't want to upset Gu Nanxun, so she gave instructions to Zhao Youcai.

"Don't worry, in my heart, my sister-in-law is the most important person, and then Brother Gu. Whatever my sister-in-law says goes. If my sister-in-law tells me not to tell Brother Gu, I will never tell him."

Zhao Youcai patted his chest and assured him! He wasn't stupid. If Brother Gu's leg wasn't injured, he would definitely tell Brother Gu. But now that Brother Gu was lying in bed, he couldn't let Brother Gu worry anymore.

Soon the oxcart arrived at the commune, and Lin Qing and Zhao Youcai boarded a bus to the county town. There weren't many people on the bus, but the journey was rough, and the swaying almost made Lin Qing nauseous.

Finally arriving in the county town, Lin Qing jumped off the bus as fast as she could. This bus ride was awful—small and shaky. Luckily, she hadn't had time to eat breakfast that morning, otherwise she would have thrown up.

"I'm never riding in a car again. It's so uncomfortable. I need to buy a bicycle."

"You're talented. Do they sell bicycles in the county town?"

"Yes, sister-in-law, do you want to buy a bicycle? I'll take you there."

Hearing that Lin Qing wanted to buy a bicycle, Zhao Youcai exclaimed excitedly. "A bicycle! Nobody in our brigade has bought one yet! My sister-in-law is amazing; she can even afford a bicycle."

"Sure, if you're not busy, come with me to buy it!"

Lin Qing and Zhao Youcai arrived at the department store! Led by Zhao Youcai, they went directly to the bicycle section.

A black, old-fashioned bicycle was parked in the middle, surrounded by ropes to prevent people from getting close.

"Hey ma'am, how much is this bicycle?"

"150 yuan, you need a bicycle ticket," the woman selling bicycles said without looking up when she heard Lin Qing's question.

Lin Qing learned from reading the novel that sales clerks in that era were very impolite, and now that she saw it, it was indeed true.

"I'll buy it. Here's the money and the ticket." Lin Qing took out 150 yuan and a bicycle ticket and handed them to the woman selling bicycles.

The woman selling bicycles glanced at Lin Qing in surprise.

Then he quickly wrote out the ticket, pushed the bicycle out, and handed it to Lin Qing.

People around gathered around when they saw someone buying a bicycle. In those days, being able to afford a bicycle was something to be very proud of.

"Look how beautiful this bicycle is!"

"What kind of family can afford a bicycle!"

...

People around started talking about it.

"Don't touch it, what if you break it?"

Suddenly Zhao Youcai's voice rang out, and Lin Qing turned her head to see an old lady taking her hand off the bicycle seat.

With great difficulty, Lin Qingcai managed to squeeze out of the crowd with Zhao Youcai's help.

"Young lady, are you married? My nephew works at a steel factory. How about I introduce you to him?"

A neatly dressed middle-aged woman, carrying a basket, stopped Lin Qing as she was about to leave and asked her a question.

"Auntie, I have a boyfriend."

Lin Qing was surprised that someone would introduce her to a potential partner, and after a moment of hesitation, she declined.

"Girl, what does your boyfriend do? My nephew works at a steel factory! He earns 40 yuan a month!"

The older woman persisted, refusing to give up.

"Auntie, my boyfriend is a soldier."

"What kind of soldier is your boyfriend? He's clearly a cripple with both legs disabled."

Li Hongmei looked at Lin Qing's smug expression. She really couldn't understand it; so what if she was a cripple? What was there to be proud of? She had some business in the county town today, but she didn't expect to run into Lin Qing. Seeing her proud demeanor, she felt utterly disgusted.

"Li Hongmei, do you want to get beaten up?"

"Lin Qing, I'm doing this for your own good. What's so good about being with a cripple? He can't earn money, and you'll have to serve him. The man I introduced you to is much better! Why do you insist on being with a cripple?"

"Your boyfriend is a cripple! Girl, you can't do something like this! How can someone as good as you marry a cripple?"

"You two sons of bitches, do you want to get beaten up? Who are you calling a cripple? My brother Gu is a soldier, a dignified soldier. He sheds blood and tears for the country. Now that his leg is injured, it's still for our country."