Lin Xiaoru couldn't stand seeing He Tiantian doing better than her, so she deliberately sowed discord between He Tiantian and the other educated youth.
Everyone was taken aback by Lin Xiaoru's words. Although they didn't say it, they secretly felt that Tiantian's work was easier than theirs.
If she were this age in her previous life, being watched by such an adult, He Tiantian might have been nervous, timid, and wouldn't have offered any explanation. But now she has changed a lot, and with so many years of life experience, she knows how to change her situation.
"Sister Xiaoru is joking. Working in the livestock team is not easy. We have to clean the cowshed, pigsty, and sheepfold every morning and evening, and move all that smelly manure to the septic tank to compost. There are flies and mosquitoes everywhere. Then, we have to go to the back mountain to cut grass. We not only have to prepare the current green grass, but also the dry grass for the cattle and sheep to eat in winter. Aunt Liu and I have to go up the mountain to cut grass several times a day," He Tiantian explained, indicating that her work was not easy and was also very dirty.
Everyone had been to the livestock team and knew the conditions there. The thought of the stinking manure made them lose their appetite. Some of the educated youth understood that He Tiantian wasn't lying; the work there was indeed not easy.
"Your skin is so fair, you don't look like you've been working for days. I thought your job was easy," Lin Xiaoru explained awkwardly, without apologizing, steer the conversation towards He Tiantian's skin, implying she hadn't been working.
Everyone else had gotten darker, but He Tiantian hadn't changed at all; in fact, she seemed even prettier than before. "God is so unfair," Lin Xiaoru thought, feeling resentful.
He Tiantian ignored Lin Xiaoru and smiled at the other female educated youths who were more concerned about her skin not getting tanned, saying, "It's actually very simple. When I'm working, I wear a straw hat and cover my face with a towel. At noon and in the evening, I would soak a towel in cool water and apply it to my face. This can reduce the degree of tanning and moisturize the skin. You can try it too."
"Will this really work?" Sister Wu asked hurriedly.
“It works! You can try it if you don’t believe me,” He Tiantian said with a smile. Actually, she wanted to tell them to use cucumber slices on their faces, but then she thought that resources were scarce at this time, and doing so would be considered wasteful.
Lin Xiaoru ate her meal silently. He Tiantian was so good to that old woman, and that old woman must have given He Tiantian something in return. Otherwise, He Tiantian would never be so good to that old woman when they were not related.
Another carefree educated youth, Zhang Qingshan, couldn't stand Lin Xiaoru's delicate manner. She ate just as much as others, but when it came to work, she would complain about not having enough energy and always fell behind, causing Ye Xiaoyun, who worked in the same group as her, to do much more work.
Zhang Qingshan was unhappy for another reason: Ye Xiaoyun was his girlfriend. He didn't give Lin Xiaoru a friendly look because his girlfriend was being left behind.
“I’ve worked at the livestock team for a few days before. That old man Qi has a strange temper, and the place is smelly and filthy. It’s really not easy.” Zhang Qingshan glanced at Lin Xiaoru. “After we finish our work, we can rest for a while, but Comrade He Tiantian has to work all year round as long as there are livestock in the livestock team. She has to clean every day.”
"No work points if you don't work, work points if you do work." Lin Xiaoru knew that Zhang Qingshan disliked her and said these words to embarrass her.
"Heh, some people work but don't even get full work points, what's the point!" Zhang Qingshan said coldly, "Whoever you're paired with is unlucky." If it weren't for Brother Wang Lei mediating, they would have already started arguing.
"You..." Lin Xiaoru stood up angrily, glaring at Zhang Qingshan, "You... don't push your luck!"
Zhang Qingshan wouldn't back down either, saying, "Who's going too far? You can't do the work yourself, so all you do is complain about this person not doing well, that person not doing enough, that you've done more. Tell me, who hasn't done more than you these past few days!"
"Wah..." Lin Xiaoru couldn't argue with her, so she ran back crying.
Huang Jingli quickly chased after them to comfort them, not even caring that He Tiantian had come to see them.
"Ignore her, she's just being dramatic," Zhang Qingshan said. "Xiaoyun is in a group with her, and she's been dragging her down these past few days, she's even gotten sick from exhaustion."
That Lin Xiaoru is a real piece of work. She started putting her down the moment she arrived, but luckily the other educated youths were perceptive. Lin Xiaoru made a fool of herself; it really proves the saying, "A bitch is just pretentious!"
Upon hearing this, He Tiantian suddenly remembered that Zhang Qingshan and Ye Xiaoyun were from the same place, were classmates, childhood sweethearts, and were now in a relationship, waiting to get married when they went home for the New Year at the end of the year. But later, Ye Xiaoyun was raped by Erlaizi from the next village. Humiliated and unable to bear the pressure, Ye Xiaoyun committed suicide by jumping into the river.
In their past lives, Zhang Qingshan, Ye Xiaoyun, and Lin Xiaoru did not get along.
When she saw Lin Xiaoru's sinister gaze just now, she had some guesses in her heart. Perhaps Ye Xiaoyun's humiliation in her previous life was not accidental.
Because Zhang Qingshan spoke up for her today, He Tiantian decided to pay more attention to Ye Xiaoyun in the future, hoping to prevent the tragedy from happening.
"Alright, Qingshan, you're a man, why are you arguing with a woman?" Wang Lei said. "Since Huang Jingli and Lin Xiaoru are close, let them work together, then your Xiaoqing will be free!"
Seeing his elder brother say this, Zhang Qingshan didn't know what else to say.
"Hmph!" Li Mingkai left with his rice bowl, muttering, "What kind of ambition is it to target a female comrade!"
"You..." Zhang Qingshan was furious, wanting nothing more than to beat Li Mingkai up. This guy was no good either; working in the same group as him was like a woman. He hadn't said anything to him before, but today Zhang Qingshan was really tired and said a few words to him, and Li Mingkai was still being stubborn.
"Qingshan, stop talking." Wang Lei stopped him. If he continued, the educated youth settlement would not have any peace today.
Seeing this, He Tiantian quickly said, "I'm sorry, I didn't know that my coming here would make everyone unhappy. I just felt that we are all educated youth, responding to Chairman Mao's call, coming from all over the country to support rural construction. We should unite, work hard, and build socialism together."
He Tiantian's words were righteous, stern, and powerful, forming a stark contrast to Li Mingkai and Lin Xiaoru.
Apart from Li Mingkai, Lin Xiaoru, and Huang Jingli, everyone else thought He Tiantian's words were correct.
“You’re right. We all come from different parts of the country, so we should be more united,” Wang Lei said. “If we have any opinions, we can talk to Secretary Qi privately. Let’s not cause any conflicts. After all, we live together and see each other all the time.”
"I understand," Zhang Qingshan said, not wanting to argue with Li Mingkai.
Sister Wu shared the sour dates that He Tiantian brought with everyone, including Lin Xiaoru, Huang Jingli, and Li Mingkai who were in the house.
Lin Xiaoru was angry because He Tiantian came over, which led to her arguing with the other educated youths. So she threw the sour dates out the window. Huang Jingli and Li Mingkai couldn't bear to part with them and secretly ate them.
Seeing Lin Xiaoru throwing a tantrum and throwing away the sour dates, Sister Wu didn't say anything, picked them up, and ate them herself. This wasn't home; nothing edible could be wasted. Knowing Lin Xiaoru's temperament, she wouldn't cherish food until she was starving.
He Tiantian got to know the other educated youth. These people were much better than Huang Jingli and Lin Xiaoru. They agreed to come over often in the future, and then she said goodbye.
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