The thought of the mocking looks from others made him unconsciously tighten his grip on the other person's neck.

For a moment, Wang Meihua believed that Zhang Changsheng really wanted to kill her.

Just when she thought her life was about to end like this, the grip on her neck loosened, followed by Zhang Chang's angry and exasperated roar.

"Let me tell you, you belong to the Zhang family for life. If you dare to cheat on me, I'll kill you, and then I'll kill your precious little brother."

Wang Meihua is a complete shrew; all the money she's earned over the years, aside from what's needed for her own family, has gone into her younger brother's pocket.

She believed that Zhang Changsheng wouldn't target Zhang Yanhong and the others, after all, they were of Zhang family blood, but she didn't dare gamble with her brother.

She's fallen on hard times now, with none of her children working. If she ever gets the chance to leave, she'll definitely have to ask her younger brother for help.

If something happens to her brother too, she'll lose her last support.

"I won't do it again, I really won't do it again."

Zhang Changsheng was pleased with her fear and grabbed her by the collar, leading her towards the shack. "Go back and cook."

The work was arduous, the food scarce, and they were ostracized and ridiculed. This kind of life repeated itself every day, tormenting their fragile nerves.

Gu An'an didn't need to look to know that Zhang Changsheng's life must be good now, but she had no intention of inquiring about his life, after all, she was too busy living her own life.

When she left, Uncle Li and Aunt Li came to see her off. Just before the car drove away, the two of them threw a large package to Gu An'an.

"Take your things, we're leaving."

Gu An'an wanted to return the items, but seeing the two people fleeing, she kept them.

"Uncle Li and Aunt Li are such kind people," Wang Xiaojuan said enviously.

It's normal for parents to love their children, but these two people have no blood relation to Gu An'an, yet they are willing to treat her this way, which is hard not to be moved.

"Yes, they are indeed very nice."

"But relationships are reciprocal, and you've been very good to Uncle Li and Aunt Li too."

The truck rattled along for several days before finally stopping in Shuangshan City.

"We've finally arrived."

After rubbing their stiff bodies, the group got off the bus with their packages.

"An'an, here."

The village chief left home before dawn, driving his tractor to the station with his head held high. He waited for three hours, and just as he was getting impatient, a familiar figure finally appeared in his sight. He immediately jumped off the tractor and ran towards the group.

Passerby: ...This old man is really agile.

The village chief was born and raised in the village, and he does look older than his peers in the city, but his legs are much more agile than theirs.

Hearing the shouts, Gu An'an turned around and saw the village chief running towards them like a cannonball. "Village chief, take it easy."

"What are you dawdling about? I'm young and have nothing to be afraid of."

As he spoke, he forcefully took the things from Gu An'an's hands, and then greeted the other three, "You've worked hard this time. You are now heroes of our village and will all be rewarded."

There were rewards for going out to learn, and everyone smiled, but they were very modest.

"It's our good fortune that the village chief is willing to give us a chance."

"Yes, now I'm one of the few people in the village who has been to Shanghai. I can brag about it when I get home."

"Uncle Cai, you have no idea how prosperous Shanghai is. The houses are big and tall, the roads are wide and clean, and you can buy all kinds of imported goods."

......

The group chattered away, making the village chief eager to join in.

"Sigh, if I weren't worried about the village, I would love to go out and take a look."

As soon as the group got into the vehicle, the distinctive sound of a tractor rang out. But no matter how loud the tractor was, it couldn't stop the village chief from wanting to share with them.

"Ever since I heard that you sold everything, adults and children alike have been getting up early and going to the mountains to pick wild vegetables. Yesterday I went to a meeting at the commune, and the village chief from the next village was still complaining about how the villagers didn't listen to him. I envied him. He has so many things to do every day and his life is so fulfilling. Unlike me, all I do is harvest vegetables and sort goods. I do such boring things every day."

Gu An'an: ...If you didn't smile so smugly, this statement might have some credibility.

"Uncle Cai, do the other village chiefs know how smug you are?"

Wang Xiaojuan directly voiced her true feelings.

The village chief looked at the main road in front of him and was extremely proud of himself. "I don't care if they know or not, they certainly won't dare to challenge me."

Since their village's goods have been continuously transported out, the village chiefs of the other villages have been doing nothing but currying favor with him, and they dare not say anything. As for what they are gossiping about behind their backs, he doesn't care.

Helping other villages is not out of the question, but we must prioritize the people in our own village. Even if we help other villages, it certainly won't be a free service. As for how to proceed, he still wants to discuss it with Gu An'an.

"Knowing you were coming back, many people wanted to come and pick you up, but I scolded them all away. How can you not do your job properly?"

“Xiaojuan, your dad said your mom misses you so much that she cries under the covers every night.”

...

With the village chief's nagging, time flew by. The dry northern wind made the journey feel much shorter than when I first came.

As soon as the tractor arrived at the village entrance, Gu An'an spotted a large group of people gathered under the big tree at the village entrance. They had been working, but upon hearing the commotion, they immediately looked up.

"They're back. Gu Zhiqing and the others are back."

They couldn't even care about their work anymore, and stood up one by one to watch the car approaching from afar and the increasingly clear faces inside.

"Yes, it's Gu Zhiqing and his group."

When the tractor finally stopped, Gu An'an and the others were surrounded by hands reaching out from all sides, all urging them to take the packages.

The village chief couldn't stand it anymore and his face hardened. "You're all alright, right? Quickly spread out and let Gu Zhiqing and the others get off the bus."

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately took a few steps back, but none of them were willing to leave completely, and they all looked at the group with excitement.

"Gu Zhiqing, you are really amazing. You managed to sell so many goods for our village."

Gu An'an refused to take credit, saying, "This wasn't something I could have done by myself. Juanzi, Wende, Brother Chen, and Brother Dahai all contributed a lot."

The Party Secretary's wife was also there. Hearing Gu An'an praise her daughter, she couldn't suppress her smile. She thought to herself, "Let's see who dares to say a bad word about my daughter in the future."

But she also knew that if it weren't for Gu An'an leading the way, her daughter would have been completely lost in Haishi. "An'an, you're being too modest. It's true that they put in a lot of effort, but without you as the leader, things definitely wouldn't have gone so smoothly."

"That's right, Gu Zhiqing was one of the most outstanding in our commune."

"They are among the best not only in the commune, but also in our Shuangshan City."

"No, it's impressive even in Haishi. Otherwise, how could the people of Haishi accept something that's everywhere in our mountains? It's all thanks to Gu Zhiqing's good promotion."