Chapter Thirty-Four: Let's Get Practical
After the busy farming season ended, Shen Yuzhu was exhausted, panting as she walked home. She had no energy left and just wanted to go straight into her spatial dimension to cool off and then have a good meal in the warehouse full of food.
Since being sent to the countryside, her appetite has increased dramatically. She can eat three steamed buns, a bowl of porridge, and half a bowl of sweet soup in one meal.
He put his straw hat on, brushed his sweat-dampened hair aside, and walked to the fork in the road. An arm appeared in front of him; it was Lü Jianshe, whom he hadn't seen for several days.
"What's up?"
"Shen Zhiqing, I happen to have something to discuss with you. Let's talk over here!"
Before Shen Yuzhu could agree, Liang Manxiu suddenly rushed over from behind, demanding, "What are you doing?"
Qiao Wangshu walked slowly behind, and when he saw Liang Manxiu's action, he thought that Lü Jianshe was here to cause trouble, so he jogged over. The two women glared at him unfriendly.
Lü Jianshe: "!!!"
"......."
What's he doing? He knows he's no good, but this defensive look is just too hurtful.
"I... I'm not doing anything. I just came to find Chen Zhiqing about something. What could I possibly do on this busy road?"
"Who knows..."
"It's alright, you guys go back first. I guess the brigade leader has something to tell you. He's been busy all morning. You should hurry back to the educated youth settlement for lunch and then get a good rest."
Qiao Wangshu glanced at Lü Jianshe and, seeing that Shen Yuzhu's face was calm, simply nodded. Liang Manxiu, however, did not want to leave. What a great opportunity to show off in front of Shen Yuzhu. But before she could say anything, Qiao Wangshu pulled her away like a little chick.
Shen Yuzhu followed them to a shady spot, took off her straw hat, and gently fanned herself.
If someone else had worked in the fields all morning, they would be covered in sweat, feeling hot and flushed, with an unpleasantly red face. But Shen Yuzhu was different. Even after working in the fields for half a day, her cheeks were rosy, and the sweaty strands of hair clinging to her face looked playful. Her bright eyes squinted slightly in comfort because of the gentle breeze, making her incredibly beautiful.
What do you want from me?
Shen Yuzhu's words interrupted the stunned Lü Jianshe, who then said "Oh" and came back to his senses.
"Well, Zhou Li, Li Wang, and I have confirmed that it was Lü Jianmin who harmed us. My father has already gone to their house, and from now on, their affairs have nothing to do with us. We really have to thank you for this."
"Yeah, don't just thank me verbally, give me something in return."
Upon hearing this, Lü Jianshe immediately grinned. If it were any other woman, she would have politely said something like "It's alright" or "Helping others is a joy"—but look at Comrade Shen, she immediately asked for something delicious. She's just different.
"Hehehe... Well, it's almost the busy farming season. I'll ask my dad to find you some easy work. Of course, pork will be coming to the black market in a few days, so I'll save some good meat for you."
"Okay, that's settled then. By the way, I think you should still have a good talk with your cousin, so as not to leave any potential trouble."
Lu Jianshe smirked, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes.
"He won't have that ability again."
Shen Yuzhu understood. If Lü Jianmin wanted to work or attend the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers University, he needed a recommendation letter signed and stamped by the brigade leader and the village head. If the two families had a good relationship in the past, and there were quotas available, it wouldn't have been a problem to recommend one of their own people. But what was the situation now?
Lu Jianmin's future is entirely in Lu Guangzhi's hands. If anything happens to their family, Lu Jianmin and his family will definitely suffer the consequences.
After parting ways with Lü Jianshe, Shen Yuzhu walked straight toward her courtyard. Suddenly, she stopped, feeling as if someone was secretly watching her. She turned around but saw no one.
Finally home, she took a good shower in her room, then, still in her pajamas, went to the food warehouse and found a bowl of spicy rice noodles, potstickers, and steamed buns, along with two bottles of soy milk.
After eating and drinking my fill, I felt sleepy and took a nap in my bedroom.
The midday sun was too scorching, and the work bell wouldn't ring until after 3 p.m. She filled two kettles with ice-cold mung bean soup in her spatial dimension, and after thinking for a moment, she took a few steamed buns, wrapped them in oil paper, and put them in her bag.
After getting ready, they would go out and wait to start work. Most of the villagers would rest or chat in the shade of the fields, and some would even sleep in the fields instead of going home.
When Shen Yuzhu arrived at the task field, Ma Daya and several children were already there, and Qiao Wangshu was talking to her beside her.
"Why is your arm bruised? That bastard's thing is lying on the bed, how could he hit you? Xiaojie, what happened?"
Zhang Jie glanced at Qiao Wangshu, then at her mother, her lips trembled for a moment, but she didn't dare to speak. She just kept her head down. When Panpan saw Shen Yuzhu coming over, she jumped up and ran towards her.
They weren't speaking loudly, but Shen Yuzhu still heard them. When she saw her sister pulling Zhang Jie away from speaking, she frowned.
"Aunt Shen."
"Panpan, call me Auntie, not Auntie Shen. Tell Auntie, did your dad bully your mom again?"
Panpan turned to look at Ma Daya, and when she looked at Shen Yuzhu, her tone was very firm.
"Dad bullied Mom and threw a broom handle at her."
"Panpan, don't talk nonsense."
Ma Daya stood up, took two quick steps, and hugged Panpan tightly. Her eyes darted left and right, as if afraid that others would hear and ask the three maids about it, making fun of her child.
Shen Yuzhu composed herself, handed her a kettle, and then took out a few steamed buns from her handbag.
"This is the mung bean soup I made at noon. It's good for cooling down and relieving summer heat. You and the rest of you can drink this. These steamed buns are for the kids."
"That won't do, especially since it's made with wheat flour. No, I can't accept it."
"Don't always refuse, take it. I have another pot here, it won't bother you."
Seeing that she couldn't refuse, Ma Daya had no choice but to give each of the children a few sips. She herself didn't drink any, and she secretly gave the three girls the steamed buns, afraid that others would gossip.
After the work bell rang at around 3:00, Lü Guangzhi asked to find Shen Yuzhu. When he arrived, he learned that the previous scorekeeper had been transferred to look after the warehouse. The double harvest was about to begin, and the warehouse was extremely important.
She's now been assigned the job of a scorekeeper.
This made many educated youth extremely envious. Wang Yanhong was so tired from working in the fields that she couldn't straighten her back, and her hands were covered in calluses. But Shen Yuzhu had always been very carefree in the Xiangyang production team. First, she built a small three-room courtyard and lived a simple life on her own. Now she didn't have to work at all. She could just stand in the shade and watch them work. How could she be content with that?
“I’m not satisfied. Why should Shen Yuzhu be the scorekeeper? She should be selected through a competitive process. I’m protesting.”
"Protests are ineffective. Get to work now, or I'll deduct your work points."
Wang Yanhong: "!!!"
"........"
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