Peeling corn under the blazing sun is so hot it'll practically burn your skin off, but all this corn belongs to the collective, so you can't take it home to peel. Who knows if someone will secretly pocket some?
So in the afternoon, Xia Qingqing came up with a good idea. She brought an old bed sheet from home to the threshing ground, found an open space, and used sticks to prop up the sheet, instantly turning it into a small tent.
When Liang Shuang saw what she did, she gave her a big thumbs up: "Qingqing, you're so smart! How come I didn't think of this? This way you don't have to worry about getting sunburned."
Xia Qingqing proudly raised her head: "Don't you even know who I am?"
Xia Qingqing and Liang Shuang took off their cumbersome straw hats and sat under the simple tent, husking corn and chatting. Every now and then a gentle breeze would blow by, making it incredibly comfortable.
The older women nearby saw Xia Qingqing had made a frame out of bed sheets and criticized her for degrading herself.
After Xia Qingqing's little tent was set up, he immediately started to feel envious again.
Everyone was sunbathing without feeling anything, but when someone started acting differently, the others immediately felt the sun getting hotter and hotter.
Suddenly, an older woman came over and started talking to Xia Qingqing: "Qingqing, you're quite smart, no wonder you went to high school."
"I see you have some space here, ma'am, would you like to come in and sit for a while?"
Xia Qingqing looked up at the old woman who was speaking and realized that she was Liu Caixia's mother-in-law. She smiled and greeted her, "Hello, Aunt Zhang, please come in and sit down."
"Oh, it's so cool in here!" Aunt Zhang carried her stool and basket in, smiling as she wiped the fine sweat from her forehead.
Those people not far away saw that Aunt Zhang had successfully snagged a small tent, and they began to get restless.
Unfortunately, the tent made of a bed sheet wasn't very big; it was just right for three people to sit in, and no one would dare to squeeze in under such circumstances.
Some clever people even immediately went home to find old bed sheets and blankets.
Unfortunately, not everyone is so perceptive.
"Oh, Qingqing, you've really set up a good position. Make room for your aunt too," He Xiaohua's mother, Li Lanfen, kicked Xia Qingqing's basket aside and then moved a stool next to Xia Qingqing.
Xia Qingqing frowned unhappily when she saw that the person who came was He Xiaohua's mother: "Excuse me, there is no room here."
“Why can’t we all sit down? Move over to the side, you girls, move over a little too, and there will be room for one more person,” Li Lanfen began directing Liang Shuang to make room for her.
Liang Shuang looked at Xia Qingqing questioningly, mainly because she didn't know what Xia Qingqing's relationship with this person was, and whether Xia Qingqing would be willing to let her sit in.
"I told you there's no room, Auntie, why don't you go home and get a sheet and make your own?" Xia Qingqing directly blocked Li Lanfen's small stool, looking directly at her, her refusal obvious.
Li Lanfen was a little annoyed by Xia Qingqing's attitude, but considering that she still needed to use the framework that Xia Qingqing had set up, she forcibly suppressed her anger and then tried to play the emotional card: "Qingqing, have you forgotten how good you and my Xiaohua used to be? You're a girl, don't be so stingy. It's no big deal to squeeze in a little."
Hearing her mention He Xiaohua, Xia Qingqing's face grew even colder: "You still dare to mention He Xiaohua? Have you forgotten how she almost killed me before?"
“Children always fight and play around. You can’t let a little girl hold a grudge like that, or she’ll never be able to get married,” Li Lanfen suddenly remembered the 20 yuan her family had given her, and her face immediately darkened.
Xia Qingqing forced a smile: "What's it to you?"
This remark completely enraged Li Lanfen. She put her hands on her hips and angrily scolded, "You brat, how dare you speak to your elders like that? Is this how Zhang Hongyan taught you?"
Xia Qingqing calmly tossed the corn cob back into the basket, glancing at her sideways: "Who do you think you are, some kind of elder? Stop showing off and get out of here, don't bother us while we work."
Li Lanfen didn't expect her to dare to talk to her like that. She was used to beating her daughter, so she immediately raised her hand to slap Xia Qingqing's face, muttering, "You brat, if your mother can't teach you, then let me teach you."
Aunt Zhang and Liang Shuang, who were standing nearby, did not expect her to attack so suddenly. By the time they tried to stop her, it was too late.
Xia Qingqing reacted quickly, grabbing Li Lanfen's wrist and secretly tightening her grip. Li Lanfen's face turned pale with pain. "Ah! Let go of me! You little Bego, how dare you hit me! I'll teach you a lesson!"
The aunties and older women nearby were drawn over by Li Lanfen's screams. When they saw that Xia Qingqing dared to lay a hand on her elders, some of them immediately began to condemn her: "What's wrong with you, child? How could you lay a hand on your elders? Let go of her right now!"
"Yes, this must be Hongyan's daughter. She's so inconsiderate."
"Quickly pull her away, didn't you see that Lanfen's face has turned white from the pain?"
Those who gathered around then noticed that Li Lanfen's face was deathly pale, and a large bead of sweat was appearing on her forehead.
When Xia Qingqing saw that several women around her were about to stop her, she decisively pushed Li Lanfen into their arms.
Everyone was about to criticize Xia Qingqing when they saw this scene, but Aunt Zhang immediately stepped in front of Xia Qingqing:
"How can you blame Qingqing for this? It's all because Li Lanfen went too far and wanted to hit someone for no reason."
"Qingqing didn't do anything to her, so how could her wrist hurt like this from just a pinch? You're not faking it, are you?"
Aunt Zhang is of a high generation, and when she spoke up for Xia Qingqing, everyone was willing to believe her.
Yeah, it's just a quick pinch on the wrist, what's the big deal?
Just then, Li Lanfen recovered and lunged forward to scratch Xia Qingqing, saying, "You little bastard, how dare you hit me? I'll teach you a lesson!"
Seeing that she still had the energy to hit and curse people, everyone understood what was going on. Some pulled her arm, others tried to persuade her, and they dragged the unwilling Li Lanfen away.
Xia Qingqing smiled and thanked Aunt Zhang, who waved her hand dismissively: "She's just a troublemaker who tries to bully a young girl like you, but she's only made things worse."
Li Lanfen got nowhere with Xia Qingqing, so after work she vented all her anger on her daughter.
Seeing the cold pots and pans in the kitchen, she started to get angry: "You brat, why haven't you started cooking yet? Do you want to starve your old mother to death?"
He Xiaohua explained with some grievance, "Mom, I just got back from work too."
Seeing that she dared to talk back to her, Li Lanfen raised her hand and pinched the soft flesh on her waist: "You shouldn't have said a few words to you? Why are you so temperamental, you brat?"
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