Chapter Thirty-Five: You Are Not Ma Daya
The brigade leader roared, which startled Wang Yanhong, who quickly lowered her head and got back to work. Although the others were also eager to participate, they were too embarrassed to speak up. After all, Shen Yuzhu had always shared the good food and drink whenever she came to the educated youth settlement. People were obliged to help those who had helped them, and it would be shameless to try to shirk their responsibilities now.
Wang Yanhong said indignantly, "Don't you have anything to say?"
"They're all educated youth, so why does Shen Yuzhu get all the benefits? Is it just because she's rich and her family is well-off?"
"Why aren't you saying anything? If we protest together, maybe you'll get such a good job. Don't you want it?"
......
Wang Liping's chest heaved with anger. She abruptly threw down the hoe in her hand and gestured to the brigade leader.
"Report, I want to report Wang Yanhong, a former educated youth. She doesn't work properly and is always bothering others, which affects the unity of the educated youth."
Wang Yanhong: "???"
What do you mean? She's doing this for everyone's benefit, so why should we report her?
Lu Guangzhi walked up to Wang Yanhong with his hands behind his back. This educated youth was always causing trouble, and when she spoke, her head would shake like a rattle drum. Sometimes Lu Guangzhi worried that her neck might break from shaking.
"Can't you work properly? If you don't want to work properly, go carry manure. Look at you, working non-stop all day long."
"If anyone doesn't work properly, their work points will be deducted. If they don't get any grain at the end of the year, don't blame me. Think about why everyone else can eat their fill while you don't have enough grain. It's because you're lazy, annoying, and troublesome."
........
"Pfft~!!!"
"Ha ha ha ha......"
Wang Yanhong: "......."
He lowered his head even further, not daring to utter a word, and dug at the ground with his buttocks sticking out, afraid that he would really be assigned to carry manure. If he carried manure on a day like that, he would be pickled to perfection.
As dusk fell, Shen Yuzhu finished washing up and sat in the courtyard to cool off. On the table in the main room were four bowls of sweet soup, some candies and snacks, and several meat pies.
Hearing Panpan's chattering voice, Shen Yuzhu's face lit up with joy, and she opened the courtyard gate to wait for the others to come over.
When Ma Daya met Shen Yuzhu's expectant gaze, she was taken aback for a moment, then smiled. After putting her things away, she was invited into the main room to eat. The image of Zhang Li's ferocious face from the previous night flashed through her mind.
"That educated youth Shen is a fool. She sees you and those three good-for-nothings looking pitiful and tries every trick in the book to help you out. Does she think no one knows this? Humph, let me tell you, you and those good-for-nothings should play the victim and you'll definitely be able to swindle money from her."
"What are you standing there for? Did you hear me? Don't think that just because I'm injured and lying on the bed, I can't deal with you. You bitch, Ma Daya, go ahead and mess with me. I'll teach you a lesson!"
"Those educated youths are just pampered city girls, they don't know anything. You can just gather some firewood, that's enough. The most important thing is the money. All the money you swindle will be left for your son's wedding. Do you hear me, you bitch?"
........
No, I don't want to.
When Shen Yuzhu saw Ma Daya suddenly push her away and take two steps back, her face filled with fear, she felt a chill run down her spine.
"Sister Ma, what's wrong?"
"Ah? Oh, Shen Zhiqing, thank you, thank you so much. I know you're a good person, but my family is a mess. You can't help me or the children. You're the best person I've ever met, but I can't drag you down. Now that I'm helping you with the work, there's already some gossip in the village. But if Zhang Li gets better and starts clinging to you, that'll be troublesome."
After Ma Daya finished speaking, she forced a smile at her.
Such a kind girl! Every time she comes to deliver things, she brings out so many delicious treats. Although she has never been to school, she knows the importance of gratitude.
Thinking this through, I made up my mind.
“Starting tomorrow, my children and I won’t be coming over anymore. If you really need firewood, I’ll have Xiaojie and Panpan gather some and bring it to you later. I won’t charge you.”
Shen Yuzhu's eyes were already red when she finished speaking. She grabbed Ma Daya's wrist. All the thoughts she had before about taking things step by step and waiting for her sister to become stronger vanished at this moment when she couldn't finish speaking.
"Sister Ma, come here, I have something to tell you. Xiaojie, Panpan, Qianqian, your aunt has prepared some food for you in the main room. Go and eat. Mom and I have something to talk about. Be good and wait outside, okay?"
Zhang Jie held her younger sisters' hands, pursed her lips, and nodded gently.
"Shen, the educated youth..."
Shen Yuzhu pulled Ma Daya into the house, and after entering, she closed the bedroom door. She helped the bewildered Ma Daya sit on the kang (a heated brick bed), and then turned to take a photo from a drawer.
"Sister Ma, take a look at this photo."
Ma Daya looked up at her, wiped her hands vigorously on her clothes, and then took the photo.
The black and white photograph shows a gentle and beautiful young woman with her head resting lightly on the shoulder of a gay man. In front of them sit two elderly people who look kind and gentle.
"Are these... are these Shen Zhiqing's family members?"
Before Shen Yuzhu could speak, tears streamed down her face. She choked out, "Yes, they are my family, and they are your family too."
Ma Daya's gaze froze, and she suddenly looked up at Shen Yuzhu. Her mind seemed to go blank for a moment, and her lips trembled violently. She didn't understand what Shen Yuzhu meant.
"What did you say?"
"Sister, you're my sister, sob sob sob... You're not some Ma Daya, you're the eldest daughter of the Shen family in Haicheng, named Shen Yuming, and my name is Shen Yuzhu, which means precious pearl."
Shen Yuzhu's words were like a thunderbolt, exploding directly in her heart, striking her mind and leaving her completely stunned. What Haicheng Shen family? What Shen Yuming? She was just a country girl who, because her parents didn't like her being a girl, was given the name Daya by chance.
How could she possibly be some rich young lady?
“Sister, listen to me. After Mom got pregnant with you, her health was always poor. Grandpa and Grandma took care of her for a long time. All the work at the factory was handed over to our father, Lü Jiahao. That beast used the excuse that there was something going on at the factory that he couldn’t handle, tricked Grandpa and Grandma away, and stayed by Mom’s side. The day before Mom gave birth, he bribed the nurse and stole you away and dumped you in the hands of a family in the countryside.”
“After my mother woke up, the nurse said that she hadn’t taken good care of herself during her pregnancy, and the baby died shortly after birth. My maternal grandparents also saw the stillborn baby when they came. Lü Jiahao is such a good actor that he fooled them. It was only after I grew up that I accidentally learned that I had an older sister in the countryside. Over the past two years, I finally found out your address, so I signed up to go to the countryside and came to find you.”
"Sister, your name isn't Ma Daya, you're my sister, your name is Shen Yuming!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
