Chapter 14

"That's for sure. Those few are always up to no good, doing nothing but petty theft and other bad things. It's no wonder they offend people. I bet it's..."

The aunties huddled together and whispered the second half of the sentence, their voices so soft that no one could hear them clearly; they were probably people who were avoiding the topic.

"I just felt it must be this group of people. They came back in the middle of the night, so they must have gone to that place. There's no one else but that group."

The educated youth looked at each other, and suddenly they all understood who these aunties were talking about.

It's not new that there's a gambling den in the neighboring brigade; it was shut down by the police last year. I didn't expect them to be up to no avail this year and come back again.

This group of people broke the law and violated discipline. The team members, who preferred to avoid trouble, didn't think of reporting them. It wasn't their business anyway. Even the captain of the neighboring brigade didn't care, so the team members had even less to do. The team members were happy to see the neighboring brigade get the short end of the stick.

Moreover, the two teams had a long history of grudges, having fought over water sources, mountain produce, and even a single acre of fertile land. Before liberation, the two teams had clashed countless times, only coexisting peacefully after liberation under the pressure of higher authorities.

The local people are known for their fierce and unruly nature, and some things are difficult to manage. Everyone tends to turn a blind eye, letting things pass as long as no major trouble arises. That's why the casino in the neighboring brigade has been able to open and close repeatedly.

It's common for gamblers who win money at the casino to get beaten up on their way home. This is a warning from the casino not to win too much, and sometimes, if a gambler wins too much, the casino will take the money away.

The casino was shut down by the police last year because the gamblers who had been robbed by the casino were so angry that they went to the police station to report it.

The whistleblower reported that the quarry had been shut down for several months, and all the gamblers who had been caught in the act were sent to labor camps in the quarry. Yet, those gamblers who weren't caught were still blaming the whistleblower and even went to their doorsteps to cause trouble.

Even if the casino intercepts money halfway through the transaction, those gamblers who are blinded by greed will still gamble. The unscrupulous casinos drive perfectly good people into insane madmen.

Even those who want to stop it find it difficult to do so.

Everyone just listened and moved on, not paying much attention to it, except for Zhao Dechuan, who glanced at Chen Jingbai beside him without making a sound.

Zhao Dechuan is a light sleeper. Last night, he noticed that Chen Jingbai went out and came back very late. Coincidentally, the incident of Zhou Dahe and his group cursing Chen Jingbai just happened yesterday morning. After connecting the dots, he guessed that it was not the casino group that did it, but Chen Jingbai.

Zhou Dahe and his group offended Chen Jingbai, and it was Chen Jingbai who beat them up.

He knew that Chen Jingbai was not as simple as he seemed. His nonchalant attitude after being scolded yesterday was just a facade. Behind the scenes, Chen Jingbai had already beaten up everyone who had scolded him.

It was the same before. When Chen Jingbai was scolded, he would not say anything, but when it was late at night, he would always sneak out alone, and the next day, the group of people who had scolded Chen Jingbai would be in pain.

Zhao Dechuan had encountered this many times, but he pretended not to know anything about it. He followed everyone to collect the farm tools and then walked into the rice paddies.

He He followed behind the group, chatting away with Zheng Xinxin.

"Those guys deserved it. Why weren't they beaten to death last night? Their mouths were so foul. They deserved to be beaten to death. It was so satisfying."

When Zheng Xinxin heard her aunts talking, she thought that the group of people had offended the casino gang, and she felt very relieved. "The wicked will be punished by the wicked. They deserved it. They bullied Chen Jingbai, and now they've gotten their comeuppance."

He He smiled and replied, "That's right, that's right, serves him right."

The two were talking quite loudly. Zhao Dechuan, who was walking in front, chuckled to himself. He thought it was indeed deserved. It would have been better if everyone had just assumed that the people who beat him up were from the casino, so as to avoid causing any further trouble.

Zhao Dechuan looked at Chen Jingbai in front of him. His back was straight and his steps were calm. He showed no worry that the matter would be suspected.

That's good. They have the courage to do it and the confidence to avoid being doubted.

Zhao Dechuan greatly admires Chen Jingbai.

Upon arriving at the rice paddies, everyone performed their assigned tasks and entered the paddies assigned to them by the scorekeeper.

He He followed Chen Jingbai around for another day.

The sun was fully out in the morning, not as intensely hot as at noon, but it was still very warm on people.

He He pressed down her straw hat, waiting for Chen Jingbai to cut the first bundle of rice before she picked it up.

The sickle in Chen Jingbai's hand gleamed silver in the sunlight, its blade swiftly slicing across the base of the rice stalks with clean, decisive movements.

He He was momentarily blinded by the silver light, and quickly turned her eyes to the left. She saw that the arm holding the sickle had clearly defined muscles that stretched and relaxed with each movement, while the hand holding the base of the rice stalk had long, bony fingers that appeared and disappeared behind her.

He He quietly stepped forward and said, "Chen Jingbai, you cut the sickle so fast! You're really amazing."

"And your hands are so beautiful too. I never noticed how beautiful your hands were before. Your fingers are so long. No wonder you can hold such a big handful of rice. I see that no one else is as fast as you. It must be because their fingers are short, unlike your long fingers, which can hold such a big handful of rice. You are better than them just by looking at your fingers. It is only right that you can get ten work points. You are really amazing."

Following Chen Jingbai's words from yesterday, He He praised him earnestly, her eyes shining as she diligently sought out his good points.

When Chen Jingbai turned around, he was met with those clear and bright eyes. He didn't expect He He to be serious. This praise was more than all the good things He He had said to him in the past two years.

"Thank you, I'll continue cutting rice." Chen Jingbai's expression was a little unnatural, and his ears turned slightly red, but no one noticed. He quickly turned back to his original position and continued cutting rice.

He He: "Just thank you? Don't you have anything else to say to me? Was my praise not sincere enough?"

Chen Jingbai's Adam's apple bobbed as he turned his back to He He. "No, it's very sincere. It's been a long time since anyone praised me. I really thank you. But the rice harvest can't be delayed, so you should continue picking up the rice too."

He He was easy to coax. "Really?! Then I'll praise you more often from now on. You can continue harvesting rice, and I'll continue picking up rice. I'll also continue to discover your good points!"

So no one had ever praised Chen Jingbai before. No wonder he wanted to be praised so much. He He understood. She promised to make sure Chen Jingbai heard her sincere praise every day from now on.

Win over Chen Jingbai as soon as possible!

He He followed Chen Jingbai's footsteps, diligently picking up rice and stacking it neatly.

With Chen Jingbai's affirmation, He He was full of energy all morning. Whenever she found a good point about Chen Jingbai, she would go up to him and praise him earnestly.

When the scorekeeper came to check the rice harvest at noon, Chen Jingbai carried a large stack of rice in each hand to the weighing area, and He He started again.

"Chen Jingbai, you're so strong! You can carry two stacks of rice at once, that's amazing!" He He had just finished speaking when she also picked up a stack of rice in each hand and followed Chen Jingbai's pace.

Chen Jingbai looked at the rice stalks that He He was lifting with both hands, then looked up and saw her expressionless face. "You're quite strong too."

He He loosened her grip, and the two stacks of rice fell to the ground. Oh no, she had been too happy this morning and had momentarily forgotten that she was a woman with very little strength.

She gave an awkward smile, her mind racing. "I had such a pleasant morning with you. Your enthusiasm inspired me, and I felt so motivated. What are two bundles of rice!"

Chen Jingbai saw through it but didn't say anything, and continued walking forward, saying, "It's my honor, and I hope you continue to maintain this enthusiasm."

He He dropped a stack of rice, then lifted it up with both hands, turning it from its original position on the left and right sides to being shoved in front of her legs. "Oh dear, I realized too late that I can't lift it. I guess I'm just not strong enough, unlike you who are so strong."

She doesn't want to be this energetic all the time; otherwise, she'd be exhausted.

Chen Jingbai didn't say anything, but walked steadily to the scorekeeper in the uneven rice paddy.

He He thought Chen Jingbai didn't believe her, so she let go of one hand and let the stack of rice return to her side. Without delaying her walk, she quickened her pace to catch up. When she was almost in front of Chen Jingbai, she tried to put the rice back in front of her and lifted it up with both hands.

Just as He He reached out her left hand, she saw Chen Jingbai put down the rice and turn around to get more. She noticed Chen Jingbai turn around and looked up in surprise, only to meet his half-smiling face.

He He quickly lowered her head, lifted the rice with both hands, and muttered, "It's so heavy, let's switch hands."

A faint smile played on Chen Jingbai's lips, a gentle light in his eyes. "Be careful with your hands, don't squeeze them."

Little liar, he had already noticed that she was stronger; he knew it shortly after He He arrived.

That time it was evening. He He wanted to take a bath but found that the water tank was not full, so she went and fetched two buckets of water herself. She carried one bucket in each hand, and walked steadily without panting or skipping a beat. Not a single drop of water was spilled.

Chen Jingbai had just returned from picking wild longans on the mountain behind the house. Standing in a corner where He He couldn't see him, he could still see the joyful expression on He He's face, as if she was afraid no one would know how strong she was.

If Chen Jingbai hadn't been hiding in a dark corner, no one would have noticed how strong she was.

But he just happened to stumble upon her. He He thought she had hidden it well and that no one knew she was strong.

If we could go back to that day, he would definitely come out from the corner, and her expression when she was caught would be quite interesting, just like today.

Chen Jingbai passed by He He, trying hard to suppress the corners of his lips.

Regardless of whether Chen Jingbai believed it or not, He He assumed he did, and carried the rice back to the scorekeeper, then turned back to collect the rice again.

He He slowed down a bit towards the end, mainly because she was tired. The midday sun was the strongest, and even someone as strong as her couldn't keep up with all the lifting.

While she was resting, Chen Jingbai acted as if nothing had happened, going back and forth several times without even bending his back.

He He was panting heavily when Chen Jingbai passed by her again and gave her a thumbs up. "You're really strong! I'm relieved to have you with the rice. Keep it up!"

Chen Jingbai glanced at He He and said, "You should rest a bit more and avoid getting heatstroke."

Moving to the back was actually quite difficult for Chen Jingbai, especially as the distance increased and he had to walk more. However, he persevered despite the challenges.

Hearing Chen Jingbai's words, He He took the opportunity to slack off, occasionally carrying a bundle slowly, and entrusting the rest of the rice to Chen Jingbai with peace of mind.

After moving the rice for a while, all the tasks for this morning were completed. When Chen Jingbai put down the last bundle of rice, He He held his water bottle, and in a charming manner, she unscrewed the cap and handed the water bottle to Chen Jingbai.

"Hurry up and drink some water. I've opened the cap for you. Luckily you helped me, otherwise I would have been exhausted. It's so great to work with you. I want to work with you from now on." He He's words were full of flattery.