Chapter 32 Retribution

After Su Tangtang and the others left, Shen Yingying and Gu Qingke also returned home.

As soon as he entered, Gu Qingke noticed that Shen Yingying was in a bad mood and was obviously angry. He felt inexplicably irritated and did not want to coax her, so he just followed behind in silence.

Shen Yingying walked to the bedside and sat down, her head lowered, her voice cold, "Don't you have anything to say to me?"

Gu Qingke paused, then looked up at her.

Shen Yingying scoffed, her tone laced with mockery, "Gu Qingke, have you fallen for Su Tangtang?"

Gu Qingke seemed to have been hit where it hurt, and her voice suddenly rose, "How is that possible!"

He strode forward, pulled Shen Yingying into his arms, and gently kissed her on the cheek. "You're the only one in my heart."

Shen Yingying clearly didn't believe it, her voice trembling slightly, "Whether her relationship with Huo Yizhou is real or not, what does it have to do with you? Su Tangtang treated me like that, how could you...like her?"

Before she could finish speaking, tears had already fallen silently.

Gu Qingke panicked immediately and quickly wiped away her tears, "I don't like her, and I could never like her. Don't cry, it hurts my heart."

But no matter what he said at that moment, Shen Yingying couldn't listen to anything.

She raised her tear-filled eyes and asked softly, "You said before that you would help me deal with her. Do you still have that idea now?"

Gu Qingke paused for a moment, then remained silent.

He had to admit that the urge to teach Su Tangtang a lesson on behalf of Shen Yingying was not as strong as it used to be.

Seeing his silence, Shen Yingying's tears fell even harder. "Do you still hate her as much as before?"

"You know you're my boyfriend, yet you spoke to me like that today. How am I supposed to feel?" She wiped away her tears. "Or perhaps, you didn't even consider my feelings at all?"

Seeing her crying so sadly, Gu Qingke felt heartbroken and quickly hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry, it's my fault. I won't do it again. I was just angry and thought she was trying to get my attention this way again."

Shen Yingying interrupted him, "I don't think she meant that at all. You're just overthinking it."

Gu Qingke's expression froze, then she solemnly promised, "Yingying, don't worry, I will never do it again. She hurt you so much before, I will definitely avenge you."

Shen Yingying looked up at him with her red and swollen eyes, "Do you... stand by your word?"

Gu Qingke gripped her hand tightly, her tone firm, "Of course it counts."

Shen Yingying simply gave a faint "hmm" and didn't say anything more.

She knew in her heart that Gu Qingke always said he would teach Su Tangtang a lesson for her, but he never actually did it.

He never really meant it; he just talked the talk.

He used to genuinely dislike Su Tangtang, and he made no attempt to hide his aversion whenever he saw her. But now, things seem different. He can even stand calmly next to her, and his expression isn't as unpleasant as before.

Shen Yingying had a strong intuition: Gu Qingke might really have fallen for Su Tangtang, otherwise, how could his unusual behavior during this period be explained?

-

The next day, after everyone had packed up, they set off again to dig lotus roots in the pond.

After digging for more than an hour in the morning, the harvest was not much. After a short rest after lunch, everyone went back to work in the pond.

"I heard from the villagers that skilled lotus root diggers can dig up six or seven hundred catties a day," Zhou Yan said with a sigh as she worked.

Su Tangtang straightened up, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and replied, "So many? All of us combined only weigh a little over two hundred pounds so far."

Zhou Yan glanced at Su Tangtang and Huo Yizhou's basins and said with a smile, "Your group is quite fast. It's only been a short time since the afternoon started, and you already have about ten plants."

Su Tangtang smiled and glanced at Huo Yizhou beside her, "It's Huo Yizhou who's really helpful."

Zhou Yan smiled, looked at Huo Yizhou, and said with a hint of teasing, "Yizhou, Tangtang is praising you."

Huo Yizhou smiled slightly, his gaze gently falling on Su Tangtang's face.

Su Tangtang met his gaze, her eyes crinkling as she smiled at him.

The sunlight shone on her face, making her smile appear exceptionally bright.

“I’m not wrong, you really are amazing,” Su Tangtang said with certainty.

Huo Yizhou glanced at the lotus roots in the basin, not at all modest, "Yes, I dug them all up."

Su Tangtang immediately chimed in, "But I also deserve some credit, okay?"

Huo Yizhou smiled and teased her, "Really? I didn't see it."

Su Tangtang was speechless for a moment, suppressing a laugh as she glared at him: "..."

Watching the two of them go back and forth, Zhou Yan couldn't help but nudge Qu Xian beside her and whisper, "Young couples are so sweet."

Qu Xian smiled and agreed, "Isn't that how all newly-dated couples are?"

He paused, then leaned closer to Zhou Yan's ear and whispered, "But we're also very sweet."

Zhou Yan was a little embarrassed and gently nudged him, saying, "You're all so old, why are you still saying these things?"

Qu Xian looked at her and smiled, saying, "No matter how old you are, you should still say it."

Meng Meng glanced at Su Tangtang and the others who were chatting and laughing, pursed her lips, and walked straight through the water to Chen Yingying's side.

“Yingying,” she called out.

Shen Yingying looked up and forced a smile at her, but it seemed somewhat forced.

"Are you in a bad mood?" Meng Meng asked as she bent down to feel for lotus roots.

Shen Yingying paused for a moment. "I was laughing. How did you know?"

Meng Meng turned her head and winked at her, "Don't I know you well enough?"

She picked up a lotus root, pulled it out forcefully, and casually tossed it into the basin in Shen Yingying's group. Then she looked at Gu Qingke and asked, "Gu Qingke, did you bully Yingying?"

Gu Qingke was taken aback for a moment, then laughed, putting on a henpecked husband act, "How could I dare?"

Hearing his words, Shen Yingying felt a sense of insincerity.

Meng Meng clenched her fist and said, half-jokingly and half-seriously, "If you dare to bully her, I'll let you taste the power of my fists."

Gu Qingke repeatedly replied, "Don't worry, don't worry."

Afterwards, Meng Meng continued digging lotus roots while chatting with Shen Yingying, but every time she dug out a section, she casually put it into the basin that Shen Yingying and the others had.

Lin Lang, who was not far away, was originally closer to Gu Qingke's group, but now he slowly moved to Su Tangtang's side.

She leaned closer to Su Tangtang and whispered, "Meng Meng from your group put all the lotus roots she dug into Shen Yingying's and the others' basins."

Su Tangtang stopped what she was doing, looked up, and just then saw Meng Meng throw another freshly dug lotus root into the basin in Chen Yingying's group. "I guess she had planned to do this for a while."

"You guessed it?" Lin Lang asked. "How did you guess it?"

Su Tangtang nodded, "I think she's very hostile towards me. I think she did this because she definitely didn't want us to get first place. In the end, we were last and got less reward, so she gave it all to Shen Yingying so that their group could get first place. She did this to stand up for Yingying, since I was quite a jerk before."

Lin Lang didn't expect her to say that, so she smiled but didn't reply, because she really didn't know how to respond.

She didn't know the Su Tangtang from before, but she knew a little about the Su Tangtang now, and she was completely different from what was said online.

She also expressed some indignation on her behalf, saying, "Isn't this a bit unfair to your group?"

Su Tangtang just smiled faintly, "It's alright, let her be. I'm not one to suffer losses."

She then said, "I will tell the director that the prize money for our two families cannot be split equally, but should be divided according to the amount of water each family dug up."

Lin Lang suddenly remembered how Zhao Zhiyi and his group had ruined Su Tangtang's vegetables, and how they had moved Zhao Zhiyi's vegetables to their own plot the next day. They certainly weren't the type to suffer a loss. She smiled and said, "I think it's a good idea."

Su Tangtang knew that Meng Meng had worked so hard to dig lotus roots yesterday mostly to compete with her. She guessed that Meng Meng had figured it out last night and naturally acted according to their original plan.

Around 4 a.m., everyone gradually came ashore, took off their muddy clothes, and changed into clean ones.

As soon as they finished tidying up, Meng Meng asked, "Tangtang, have you bought groceries?"

Su Tangtang raised an eyebrow at her, "We've been busy together the whole time, how could we have time to go shopping separately? It's only a little past four o'clock now, why don't we all go to town to buy it together?"

Meng Meng readily agreed, "Sure."

So everyone set off together, and the production crew's car took them to the town's largest supermarket.

As soon as they entered the supermarket, Meng Meng took the initiative to pull over a shopping cart and said with a smile, "Let's go buy some drinks first, and we'll wait for you at the checkout."

Su Tangtang paused slightly, looked at her smiling face, and replied with a smile, "Okay."

Meng Meng nodded and walked towards the beverage area with Shen Yingying and the others.

Zhou Yan leaned closer to Su Tangtang and whispered, "Meng Meng seems quite shrewd."

Su Tangtang chuckled, "I noticed it too."

She then asked, "Sister Yan, why don't you order? Don't be shy."

Zhou Yan laughed, "Okay, then I won't be polite."

After selecting their ingredients, Huo Yizhou pushed a cart full of groceries toward the cashier, but Zhou Yan stopped them, saying, "Since you're going to cook anyway, let us pay for the groceries."

Su Tangtang quickly declined, "How can that be? We're treating you to dinner."

Zhou Yan insisted, "Don't mention it, it's my pleasure."

Su Tangtang shook her head again, "Really, there's no need."

Zhou Yan thought for a moment and suggested, "Then you can go look at other things, and we'll settle these first, and you can pay us back later, okay?"

Su Tangtang glanced at the checkout counter and saw Meng Meng and the others waiting there, their cart already piled high with things. She immediately understood what was going on.

She smiled and replied, "Okay, Sister Yan."

Seeing this, Huo Yizhou took out a thousand yuan from his pocket and handed it to Su Tangtang.

Su Tangtang took it and was about to hand it to Zhou Yan, but the latter still tried to refuse.

Su Tangtang insisted, "We're the ones treating, there's no reason for you to pay."

Zhou Yan then took the money and said with a smile, "Then let's go pay the bill first, you guys wait for us outside."

Su Tangtang nodded in agreement and walked towards the supermarket entrance with Huo Yizhou.

Zhou Yan and her group pushed the cart to the cashier. When Meng Meng and Shen Yingying saw that it wasn't Su Tangtang and Huo Yizhou who came to pay, their expressions immediately turned sour.

Meng Meng couldn't help but ask, "Sister Yan, is it you guys? Where are Tangtang and the others?"

As Zhou Yan tidied up the things in the cart, she said casually, "They went out first, we'll settle the bill."

Meng Meng was taken aback for a moment, then blurted out, "But...shouldn't they be treating?"

Lin Lang chimed in, her tone calm yet firm, "They're all in charge of cooking, so it's only right that we pay for the groceries."

Meng Meng and Shen Yingying were speechless for a moment and didn't say anything more.

Their cart was filled with drinks and snacks, which together cost more than the groceries Zhou Yan and her friends bought.

Zhou Yan glanced at their car full of food and drinks, smiled and said, "You're too kind. You brought so much stuff just to have a meal at Tangtang's house."

Before Meng Meng could explain, Lin Lang spoke up first, his voice cheerful, "Yes, Sister Yan, we bought quite a lot too. Look, these ribs cost over a hundred, and the fish, meat, and chicken aren't cheap either."

Meng Meng pursed her lips and swallowed her words back.

Shen Yingying clenched her hands secretly where no one could see. She felt a little uncomfortable. Zhou Yan and her husband, Lin Lang and Qiu Nan, had all started speaking up for Su Tangtang and were always thinking of them.

Gu Qingke frowned, having roughly guessed the current situation.

He chimed in at the opportune moment, his tone relaxed yet carrying a hint of unquestioning authority, "After all, we're visiting someone's home. It wouldn't look good if we brought too few things. Buy what you should buy, and bring what you should bring."

By speaking up, he essentially agreed that they would have to pay for the entire truckload of goods themselves and take them all to Su Tangtang's house.

Meng Meng and Shen Yingying's expressions turned even uglier.

But since the matter had already been discussed, the two could not say anything more and could only be helped down the stairs.

Shen Yingying forced a smile and continued, "Yes, anyway, we're all eating together. Su Tangtang and the others contribute their labor, and we just pay for it. It's fine."

Zhou Yan nodded and agreed, "Yes, anyway, we're all eating together."

After paying, the group walked out of the supermarket carrying large and small bags. Meng Meng stared at the bill in her hand, feeling heartbroken. These drinks and snacks had cost a total of six hundred yuan.

She secretly regretted it; if she had known this would happen, she shouldn't have taken so much. She had really shot herself in the foot.

Seeing them come out, Su Tangtang, who was standing at the door, quickly went to greet them, her tone somewhat surprised, "Why did you buy so much?"

Zhou Yan laughed and replied in a cheerful voice, "That's right! Especially Mengmeng and Yingying, they were so generous, they bought 600 yuan worth of drinks and snacks alone, while we only bought 580 yuan worth of groceries."

Her words, spoken casually, only made Meng Meng and Shen Yingying feel even more aggrieved.

Shen Yingying maintained her smile and said, "It's only right. Tangtang, you'll be working hard cooking later, so it's only right that we help out."

Su Tangtang couldn't help but smile, her tone light and cheerful, "It's only right that we cook, but you guys are really going to waste money, buying way too much."

Looking at the smile on her face, Meng Meng suppressed the urge to tear her apart and forced a fake smile, "Of course, look how good we are to you."

As they walked, they chatted amongst themselves, creating a lively atmosphere on the surface, but each person harbored their own thoughts; some were suppressing laughter, while others were suppressing heartache.

The boys were all aware of the subtle friction between them, but they tacitly refrained from saying anything; it was indeed not a good time to say anything at this moment.

It was already 5:30 when I got back to my lodgings.

Instead of going back home, everyone went to Su Tangtang's house.

When Lin Lang first visited Su Tangtang's house, he immediately noticed the persimmon tree in the yard and exclaimed in surprise, "You have a persimmon tree?"

Su Tangtang nodded with a smile, "Yes, I'll pick some for you all to try when they're ripe."

Lin Lang replied, "That's great!"

After exchanging a few words, everyone got busy with their own tasks.

Some were washing vegetables, others were chopping vegetables.

Gu Qingke and Qiu Nan tidied up the table and chairs for the meal.

The main room wasn't big enough to accommodate so many people, so they moved the long table from the main room to the courtyard and installed electrical outlets and lights.

Amidst the hustle and bustle, Meng Meng wandered around the courtyard alone.

Her gaze fell on Su Tangtang's electric tricycle. Remembering how she had been refused when she asked to borrow the vehicle, she felt a surge of resentment.

She had thought about finding a way to "teach the car a lesson" before, but never had the chance to do so. Today, she suddenly felt that the time was right.

She quietly moved closer to Shen Yingying and asked in a low voice, "Do you have nails in your house?"

Shen Yingying looked up and asked, "What do you need nails for?"

Meng Meng whispered a few words in her ear.

Shen Yingying gave a soft "Mmm" and stood up, saying, "Come with me to my house to get it."

Meng Meng nodded, and the two were about to walk out when Zhou Yan suddenly asked, "Mengmeng, where are you going?"

Meng Meng paused, turned around and smiled, "Sister Yan, I'm going to Yingying's house to use the restroom."

Zhou Yan joked, "You're almost ready to cook, are you trying to avoid the job of cooking?"

Meng Meng felt a surge of annoyance. Why was Zhou Yan always picking on her?

Meng Meng forced a smile and replied, "I know."

After saying that, he took Shen Yingying's arm and said, "Let's go."

Shen Yingying's house was next to Su Tangtang's, and the two arrived quickly. Shen Yingying took out a few round and long nails, handed them over, and asked, "Will these be okay?"

Meng Meng picked up a long nail, frowned, and asked, "Isn't this too conspicuous?"

Shen Yingying nodded. "A little."

She then handed over the round nail, saying, "This one's fine; it doesn't look deliberate."

Meng Meng hesitated, "I just don't know if it can puncture..."

Shen Yingying said confidently, "You scattered it on the ground, so it definitely will."

Meng Meng then took the few round nails and said, "Let's go."

When they returned to Su Tangtang's house, Zhou Yan was carrying firewood in from outside. As soon as she saw them, she said, "You're back just in time. I was just about to start cooking."

Meng Meng couldn't help but roll her eyes inwardly, but replied aloud, "We arrived just in time."

As they entered the courtyard, Shen Yingying offered, "I'll go cook the stove."

Meng Meng nodded, then turned her gaze and saw Qu Xian moving a long bench next to the electric tricycle. She quickly walked over and said, "Let me help you."

Qu Xian waved his hand, "It's alright, I can manage on my own."

Meng Meng had already reached out and lifted the other side, saying, "It's easier for two people to carry it."

Together, the two moved the unused and obstructive bench to the back of the car.

She clapped her hands and asked casually, "Is this car in the way?"

Qu Xian replied, "A little, just don't touch it while we're eating."

Meng Meng immediately chimed in, "Then I'll move over."

He then reached for the handcart.

She pushed the car to the corner of the wall, so that when she needed to push it out, she could only do so by backing it up. Then she got out of the car from a less convenient spot on the other side.

He crouched down quietly, then quickly took out nails from his pocket and scattered them behind the wheels.

He was secretly plotting: when he uses the car, he will definitely reverse, and the tire will surely get punctured. Once the tire blows out, let's see how smug Su Tangtang will be.

It's just a beat-up car, right? She'll destroy it today.

At this moment, Qu Xian heard the noise and asked, "What's wrong?"

Meng Meng hurriedly stood up and said perfunctorily, "It's nothing, I just bumped my leg."

Qu Xian asked with concern, "Is it serious?"

This small commotion attracted the attention of others.

Meng Meng pretended to be calm and was about to get out of the car again, but her heart was pounding because she had done something wrong.

Just then, Su Tangtang came out of the kitchen, saw her standing in the car, and asked in confusion, "What are you doing standing there?"

As darkness fell, Meng Meng panicked, her hand trembled, and a nail fell to the ground. Fortunately, it was dirt and didn't make a sound.

She hurriedly looked down to look for it, but couldn't see where it had fallen. She could only try to remain calm and replied, "I just said the car was in the way, so I pushed it."

Su Tangtang said "Oh" and turned to go back to the kitchen.

Meng Meng breathed a sigh of relief and jumped out of the car to walk into the kitchen.

He hadn't taken two steps when he suddenly cried out in pain!

Everyone turned to look.

Qu Xian was a little taken aback by her sudden outburst and quickly asked, "What's wrong now?"

But Meng Meng looked pained as she slowly lifted one foot. A thin wooden board was stuck to the sole of her shoe, with a round nail clearly visible on it! She was wearing flat shoes with very thin soles today.

Qiu Nan shouted into the kitchen, "Meng Meng pricked her foot!"

Hearing the noise, everyone came out of the kitchen. They saw Meng Meng crying out in pain, tears streaming down her face. Ke Tangshu came out of the kitchen and rushed forward to support her, but she kept trying to pull away because of the pain.

“We have to pull it out,” Ke Tangshu said, frowning.

"No, it hurts too much," Meng Meng said, both in pain and anger, turning to Su Tangtang to complain, "How come your house has a board with nails in it?"

Su Tangtang looked blank. "I don't know either. We usually just store miscellaneous things there."

She then suggested, "Go to the clinic and let the village doctor treat it first, be careful of infection."

Meng Meng was both angry and in pain, and had nothing to say.

Shen Yingying chimed in from the side, "I'll go with you."

Ke Tangshu picked her up in his arms, with Shen Yingying following closely behind, and the three of them hurriedly walked outside.

Zhou Yan leaned close to Lin Lang's ear and whispered, "She's really unlucky."

He paused, then added with a slightly teasing tone, "If he had just obediently gone to tend the fire, he wouldn't have pricked his foot."

Lin Lang shook his head slightly and replied, "Who says it isn't?"