Chapter 33 Ma Liang's Magic Brush: Don't Lose to That Moment.

Li Linshi returned to the Ganlin River. This time, he went upstream and stopped in the stream of Yingshan.

When he was a child, he had never gone into the mountains to explore like Zhong Cheng. He thought Yingshan was dangerous and scary and just wanted to stay far away from it. But when he was actually in Yingshan, Li Linshi found that Yingshan was actually quite nice. Animals roamed freely in the forest and bushes, and sunlight filtered through the intertwined branches and leaves, casting dappled light and shadow on the fallen leaves and bluestone ground. It was very beautiful.

Just like Zhong Ying.

Li Linshi was immersed in the river, and also in his memories.

"That fierce girl Zhong Ying! She kicked my butt again!" Liu Fengshou, the fourth son of the Liu family, who was only five years old at the time, said angrily with a pout, cursing and swearing in the words he had learned from the adults, "Silly woman, let's see who dares to marry her in the future!"

“We should call her sister, Sister Ying is older than us,” his third brother Liu Guangtian said with a helpless expression. “But it’s because you pulled her braid again.”

Liu Fengshou retorted, "Who told her not to look at me..."

The Liu brothers passed by Li Linshi, and only stopped talking when they saw him. They greeted him in unison, "Fourth cousin, are you going to the village primary school?"

During the holiday, Li Linshi left the county high school and returned to Ganlin Village. As he walked on the dirt road, he paused and looked up, only to be met with a pair of eyes staring at him.

Li Lin frowned slightly. As he grew taller, his eyes and brows also opened up. It wasn't that no female classmates at school would secretly stare at him, but when he looked over, they would usually look away immediately and pretend to be doing something else.

But the girl who was staring at him didn't seem to realize this.

Li Linshi recognized her; she was Zhong Ying from Uncle Zhong's family.

His eyes met hers, and under her direct and curious gaze, Li Linshi looked away first. He pursed his lips, quickened his pace, and hurried into his house.

After graduating from university, Li Linshi gave up waiting for job assignment in the city and returned to the Tonggan production team.

The girl who had stared at him that year had also grown taller, and her gaze was still direct. Li Linshi could easily read the contents hidden in those clear eyes, as if she had seen something valuable and wanted to possess it, which displeased him, and he avoided her at every turn.

They were both grown up now, and Li Linshi knew what this kind of "possession" meant, but he didn't want to marry Zhong Ying.

Looking back now, Li Linshi realizes that he, like everyone else, had some preconceived biases in the past.

Even now, most people's impression of Zhong Ying is still that of a "cunning, lazy, greedy, and sly girl," and that they "don't understand why her parents spoiled her so much"...

But just as one only realizes the beauty of the mountains when one is actually in them, one only knows how good a mountain is when one understands it.

But... Li Changgui's words resurfaced in Li Linshi's mind.

"Humans and ghosts are ultimately on different paths; how can either of them have a good ending? Once you die, everything in your life is wiped clean. You can't hold on to anything by forcibly staying in the mortal world..."

A dark, oppressive aura climbed onto Li Linshi's handsome face, making his expression appear gloomy and terrifying. He suddenly dissipated his human form and merged into the waters of the Ganlin River.

Stop thinking about it.

He shouldn't be thinking about that.

Humans and ghosts do not share the same joys and sorrows, and Zhong Ying continues to live in the bustling human society.

After a series of incidents, including a lazy bum being caught stealing vegetables from another production team, the team leader's own "backyard on fire," and his two grandsons getting into a fight, September finally arrived. The production team, like a machine wound up again, began to operate busily once more.

First, the summer corn ripens after the "Three Summer Harvests" rush, then another round of harvesting and drying begins; after the Autumn Equinox, winter wheat must be sown, and planting too early or too late won't work, so that the wheat can have another bumper harvest in June of the following year. With both "harvesting" and "sowing," they are incredibly busy.

The good thing is that the weather isn't as hot as it is in the summer, and people are so tired after work that they just want to sleep and don't have the energy to think about anything else.

However, Zhong Ying was also exhausted. There was no other way; there was too much work to do during the autumn harvest, and everyone in the production team who could be considered a laborer had to work in the fields.

After picking and drying the corn, and then planting wheat... this time, without her brother Zhong Cheng's help, Zhong Ying was fully engaged in rural labor. It was a different kind of exhaustion than modern desk work. At that time, farm tools had not yet developed into the convenient tools of modern times, and most of the work still required manual labor.

After completing their daily work quota, the production team leader, Li Ming, would check the quotas and have the scorekeeper, Fan Wu, record them in the commune members' work points register. Only when people returned their farm tools to the custodian, Li Gang, could they consider it the end of the workday.

Zhong Ying returned the farm tools, took off her straw hat, and her sweaty hair clung to her face. She suddenly understood the original owner of the body a little. Managers like scorekeepers and storekeepers, who had certain responsibilities, also had to work in the fields, but at least they weren't tied down to fixed farm work from morning till night like ordinary commune members.

A little envious, a little envious, no wonder the original Zhong Ying wanted to marry into the Li family and take the scorekeeper job that Li Lin had at the time. She also—Zhong Ying thought, shaking her head vigorously. No, she couldn't take this kind of "shortcut".

Working in a high-intensity internet company, Zhong Ying has seen female colleagues who worked overtime until late at night and were then lured away by their boyfriends' words, "If you're tired, marry me." They disappeared, leaving only an empty workstation.

After a while, Zhong Ying would hear the advice of those who had learned from past mistakes: "Don't lose to that moment," "Don't go gentle into that good night."

Often, marriage is not a safety net, but rather a deeper quagmire.

Zhong Ying tucked her straw hat under her arm and reached up to rub her sore arm. She thought that once she got used to it, she wouldn't feel so tired anymore.

But where did Li Linshi go?

Zhong Ying thought of that unpredictable and elusive ghost, and sometimes she really wanted to put him in her pocket; it would be so cool to have him around.

People who have finished work walk out, but in the past few days, instead of rushing home to eat and rest, they detour to the village entrance to watch the "excitement" for a while before going back.

"Is this a drawing of me?" Hu asked excitedly, pointing to a spot on the wall.

Lai Hunzi retorted, "I think it's me! You must be one of the people behind me."

Auntie San said with a smile, "This is just a draft, and you can't even tell who's who yet."

At the end of September, a small painting team arrived at the Tonggan production team. It consisted of one old man and two young men. It was one of the temporary painting teams organized by the commune, and its task was to create propaganda posters in various production teams.

The outer wall of the village school at the entrance became their canvas. In the first few days, the painting team first smoothed the wall surface, using wheat straw mud to fill the pits and depressions. After the mud dried, they brushed a layer of white lime water onto the surface, thus turning the wall into a "canvas".

These past two days, the painting team finally started sketching on the wall with charred wooden sticks, attracting the curiosity of the production team members who would come over to take a look every day after work. Today, they finally saw something interesting: the painting depicted people working in the fields!

The people in the Tonggan production team couldn't help but get excited, searching for their own figures in the few strokes of each stick figure.

The creator of this propaganda poster, Xie Jixiang, the oldest member of the painting team, was not annoyed when people gathered around. He smiled and said, "Don't worry, this is a picture of a bountiful harvest. How could there be few people? There aren't many people in your production team, so almost everyone is included in the painting."

Upon hearing this, people were overjoyed, and some of the quick-witted ones immediately invited the three members of the painting team to their homes for dinner, hoping that they would paint their family members in the foreground.

Xie Jixiang, Jia Genwang, and Ji Yunzhang couldn't refuse their hospitality, and after several attempts to decline by saying that the team leader's family would provide them with meals, they finally agreed.

Little did they know that this meal would lead to trouble.

In the middle of the night, Nie Jinlong was summoned to the team leader's house. When he saw Jia Genwang, who was vomiting and having diarrhea, he turned pale with fright. "This... I'll go get my wife!"

After saying that, he shouldered his medicine box and walked away quickly.

Li Ming knew things were going to get bad as soon as he heard that. Nie Jinlong could treat the minor ailments of the production team members, but he would only call his wife to help him with serious illnesses that he couldn't handle. After all, his skills in treating people were taught by his wife, and if his apprentice couldn't treat someone, he would have to call his master.

A short while later, a woman with short, ear-length hair and delicate features arrived. She was Yao Dongxiu, Nie Jinlong's wife. She was said to be a descendant of the Medicine God of Panpokou, and her whole family knew a little about medicine. Hu had inquired about her three times before finally getting her to marry his eldest son.

However, if it weren't for his capable wife, Nie Jinlong wouldn't have been able to become the barefoot doctor in the production team.

“She’s vomiting and has diarrhea, just like Si Nie from Uncle Fan’s family before,” Nie Jinlong said to his wife in a low voice, “Si Nie died that time…”

That's why Nie Jinlong turned pale with fright at the sight of the doctor and rushed home to "call for help." He himself was only a mediocre doctor and definitely couldn't cure this kind of disease. His wife might be able to save him. This person who came to their production team to paint propaganda posters couldn't just die like that; it would be hard to explain to the public!

Yao Dongxiu nodded calmly, indicating that she had a general idea of ​​what was going on.

When Yao Dongxiu actually saw the patient, her heart sank, but she didn't show it on her face. Her father had taught her that the doctor shouldn't panic, because if the doctor panics, the patient will panic even more.

"What did you eat for dinner?" Yao Dongxiu asked.

Jia Genwang was so weak from vomiting that Xie Jixiang and Ji Yuanchang had to answer for him.

“We ate dinner at the house of a thin, short auntie. Her husband’s name is Fan Wu. He cooked some simple home-style dishes, such as stir-fried bean sprouts, steamed buns, and fried small fish,” Ji Yuanchang said, puzzled. “We ate all of these dishes, but only Genwang turned out like this.”

Xie Jixiang added, "By the way, when we were halfway through the meal, Fan Wu brought out a few salted duck eggs and offered them to us. Xiao Ji and I smelled them... a bit stinky, so we didn't eat them. Only Xiao Jia ate them."

Yao Dongxiu nodded and turned to the team leader Li Ming, saying, "Uncle, hurry up and take the cart to town. It's probably acute gastroenteritis. We can't treat this here. You need to go to the town clinic for an IV drip and antibiotics."

Upon hearing this, Li Ming didn't question it and immediately called out to the men present, "Come on, everyone lend a hand."

I was busy all night.

The people in the production team only learned what had happened the night before when they woke up the next day.

Deng Xia was somewhat gloating, whispering to her daughter, "This time Nie Ying is going to get criticized by the captain for pulling such a dirty trick!"

Zhong Ying was already exasperated by the daily "battles" between her mother and Aunt Fan next door.

However, besides the fact that Fan Wu and his wife were given a lecture, the more serious consequence of this incident was that the painting team was missing one person. Jia Genwang was hospitalized at the clinic for acute gastroenteritis and was seriously injured, so he would not be able to return for a while.

Even though it's only one person missing, the work that the three of them planned to complete in more than half a month will probably take almost a month for just two people, which will affect their subsequent work.

Early in the morning, Li Ming, who hadn't slept all night, addressed the production team members. Instead of immediately discussing the day's fieldwork, he started by talking about the painting team: "...That's the gist of it. So now the painting team hopes that the production team can send someone to help them, to replace Jia Genwang, and finish painting the propaganda posters on the wall as soon as possible. Work points will still be awarded."

Although he was speaking to everyone in the production team, Li Ming's gaze was fixed on the four educated youths in the production team. They were cultured people from the city, and they should be able to paint, right?

Cheng Bin remained silent.

Qiu Yucai avoided eye contact.

Chen Lina was somewhat tempted; if she went to paint, she wouldn't have to work in the fields anymore, but... unfortunately, she had never actually painted before.

Yang Meijuan's expression was resolute. She was there to support rural development, not to paint. The autumn harvest needed her, the fields needed her, and besides, she couldn't paint.

There really isn't a single one who knows how.

Zhong Ying excitedly raised her hand, "Can I...can I choose myself?"

Rather than getting an easy job through marriage, Zhong Ying prefers to make her own way in the world.

Lai Hunzi could tell at a glance that Zhong Lao Er's little girl was tired from working in the fields and wanted to find an easy job. He also wanted an easy job, so he immediately raised his hand and said, "Choose me, I'm a boy!"

Zhong Ying glanced at him speechlessly. It was her hand holding the paintbrush, not her penis.

Li Ming frowned. Were these two trying to slack off?

Xie Jixiang didn't know anyone in the production team and genuinely thought that the two people who raised their hands were good at drawing. He said in a fair, open, and democratic manner, "We only need one person to help. You two can draw anything on the ground first, and Xiao Ji and I will choose the one who draws the best."

Upon hearing that he was to draw something on the spot, Lai Hunzi, who really didn't know how to draw, looked timid and regretted shouting out along with Zhong Jia Xiaoni.

Zhong Ying wasn't intimidated at all. She picked up a twig from the ground and started painting on the yellow earth as her canvas. However, compared to the modern things she had shown Li Lin last time, Zhong Ying was much more restrained this time in front of the other members of the production team.

The production team members were surprised. Judging from her demeanor, she seemed to have some real skills, rather than just putting on an act.

Before long, people were even more surprised.

"Isn't that you?" Hu Dating exclaimed as he looked at the face drawn on the ground and turned to look at Deng Xia.

The others looked at the portrait Zhong Ying had drawn on the ground, and then at Deng Xia standing there. Hey, they could really tell who it was at a glance!

Deng Xia herself was surprised and looked at her daughter, "How do you know how to draw?"

In rural areas, not many people are literate, let alone capable of painting—it's unheard of! That's why the people in the production team treated the painting team coming to paint propaganda posters as a spectacle.

Of course, Zhong Ying couldn't say that she was in her past life—no, according to the timeline, it should be her future life (?). She couldn't just say that this was what she did, so she just lied through her teeth, "I see my mother every day, and that's how I drew her."

She spoke with such conviction that no one could raise any further questions.

The production team members looked at Zhong Ying with completely new eyes. They were surprised to find that this young girl had such talent.

Xie Jixiang walked over and saw that the painting on the ground was better than the paintings by Xiao Ji and Xiao Jia, whom he had brought with him. He was immediately surprised and looked at the young girl, "You've never studied painting before?"

Zhong Ying didn't even blink. "Yes."

The person who pretended to have studied painting for five years, finally got into a top art school, studied for a combined bachelor's and master's degree, painted for seven years in school, and then painted for two more years after graduation was not her.

Xie Jixiang exclaimed in surprise, "His hands move as he pleases, what a genius!"

Zhong Ying tried her best to control her discomfort. It's just wearing the "skin" of Ma Liang with his magic paintbrush. Hang in there!

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Author's Note: Zhong Ying: That's right, I am a genius!