"you..."
Lin Yao was forced to back away, her heels scraping the ground as she stammered, her lips trembling as she struggled to utter a word. Her dark eyes darted around several times before she finally managed to stammer out a sentence.
"You have a bad reputation in this courtyard, so don't try to blame it on me! I can't win an argument with you, so what if I leave?"
As she spoke, she backed away, and before she knew it, she had moved to the door, unaware that there was a round wooden beam lying across the doorway.
Her heeled leather shoes slipped, her ankle twisted, and she fell to the ground with a cry of "Ouch!" Her skirt flew up high, making her look even more disheveled than the young worker who had fallen earlier.
The young man had already gotten up from the ground. Seeing this, he turned his back, covered his mouth, and laughed.
Lin Yao was so angry that her face turned pale. Her lips trembled and she couldn't speak. She hurriedly got up and staggered back to the next room.
Zhou Qiqi didn't even glance at her, turning her head to look at the young worker.
"Master, are you alright? What happened?"
"It's okay, it's okay,"
As the young man spoke, he shook the dirt off his trousers. He was about to laugh when he remembered Lin Yao's words. Afraid that the dirt would drift onto Zhou Qiqi, he quickly withdrew his hand halfway through, awkwardly rubbing the corner of his clothes.
"I went out to deliver some materials just now, and I bumped into her as soon as I opened the door. I thought she was just another military wife from the compound coming to chat, so I said a few words to her, but I don't know what I said that offended her..."
This kid is about the same age as Qin Lei, around sixteen or seventeen. Although he's from the countryside, he works very hard and is ambitious.
Seeing his restrained demeanor, Zhou Qiqi felt a pang of sympathy and stepped forward to pat him on the shoulder, her fingertips brushing against the faded work clothes fabric.
"Don't take it to heart. I don't mind that you're dirty. Go wash your face over there. The green basin and towels are new and were specially prepared for you. Use them freely."
After he finished washing, Zhou Qiqi brought him a rosy apple from the house, telling him to rest for a while, eat it, and then go back to work, and comforting him.
"Don't listen to her nonsense. We country kids may not have had much schooling, but as long as we put in the effort, our future prospects are no worse than those of college students."
What she said is absolutely correct.
China is currently undergoing reform and opening up, and opportunities abound. If this child follows his master and studies diligently, even if he doesn't achieve great success, he will definitely be able to make a living without worrying about food and drink.
Putting aside everything else, he is definitely better than someone like Lin Yao, who went to university but didn't learn any skills and only knew how to rely on connections.
Upon hearing this, the young man's eyes lit up.
He took a bite of the apple with a "crunch" and patted his chest as he spoke.
"Thank you, Sister Zhou! I'll definitely work hard! I don't know anything about the future, but I want to build my parents a house like yours, with their own toilet and a yard full of flowers and plants!"
Zhou Qiqi smiled and nodded, "Okay! I believe in you!"
The young man scratched his head and leaned closer to ask.
"Sister Zhou, I work a lot now and can earn more than 20 yuan a month. How long do you think it will take me to save up enough to buy a house like this?"
"Well..."
This was a bit difficult for Zhou Qiqi. Afraid of discouraging the child, she had no choice but to pass the problem on to someone else.
"Sister, this isn't my specialty. You should ask your master about this; he'll definitely know the answer."
Then she changed the subject, "By the way, you said you make about twenty yuan a month?"
She remembered that Xu Shu also worked as a temporary laborer with the construction team. He wrote back saying that he only earned seven or eight yuan a month.
After deducting food and drink expenses, I barely had any money left, so I never sent money home.
Given this situation, she asked Xu Shu for 100 yuan as dowry money, which was almost a year's salary for him.
Looking back now, was that asking for too little?
Just as I was pondering this, the young man spoke again, a hint of smugness on his face.
"Twenty-odd yuan is because I worked hard and didn't rest for a single day. There was a lazy man in our village who also followed my master, but he would work for ten days and then rest for half a month. He only earned seven or eight yuan a month."
That solves the case!
Look at Xu Shu's slicked-back hair and powdered face, he's probably just like that lazybones, that's why he doesn't earn much.
That's why he chose to dump the original owner of the body and hook up with Lin Yao, this "rich woman".
Thinking about it this way, Lin Yao is quite "pitiful".
She gave up Shen Huaichuan, a responsible and good man, and her good life for that rotten cabbage, Xu Shu.
You see, this little courtyard is something she could only dream of in her past life.
She sighed inwardly, but Lin Yao, who was just a wall away, didn't think so.
Listening to Qiu Chunfang say—
"What's with Zhou Qiqi acting so high and mighty? Everything she has now should have been yours, Yao Yao! She just got a bargain and she still dares to act tough with you!"
She immediately pursed her lips and replied.
"I don't care! It's just a house, I'll have everything in the future! I don't envy her things, and I certainly won't force myself to marry a cold, unapproachable guy for them! He's neither gentle nor considerate, always has a cold face, and might even be..."
She suspected that Shen Huaichuan was asexual, but she was too embarrassed to say it directly.
In her eyes, Shen Huaichuan was no match for Xu Shu in any way.
All we could do was arrange a job for her and have her family send her some money while she was in school.
Forget sweet words, they rarely even give you a pleasant look.
Unlike Xu Shu, who looked at her with eyes that seemed to have hooks, spoiling her like a treasure.
The image of Xu Shu's magical hands and affectionate eyes flashed through her mind, and her cheeks flushed instantly. Her fingertips unconsciously rubbed against her lower back and moved downwards.
Seeing her like this, Qiu Chunfang asked in bewilderment.
"Yaoyao, what's wrong with you? Are you confused from anger, or is your bottom itchy?"
Lin Yao immediately frowned. "Can you please not speak so vulgarly? What do you mean by 'your butt itches'?"
Qiu Chunfang quickly slapped her mouth.
"Sigh, it's all because of Zhou Qiqi! You have no idea, she's only been in the family compound for a little over a month, and she's already caused a huge mess, giving me so much trouble!"
Lin Yao became interested.
"Really? I don't think she's easy to get along with."
Qiu Chunfang nodded repeatedly.
"No! It's not just me; the logistics director's wife, Battalion Commander Hong's wife... several of them have had disagreements with her!"
"She acts so arrogantly in the family compound, isn't anyone able to control her?"
"None of us dare to do that. Commander Shen is a favorite of the political commissar. In our military region, only Director Zhou can keep an eye on her. If you say a few words to her, Director Zhou's eyes light up. Just like us, she doesn't think much of Zhou Qiqi!"
"Director Zhou?"
Qiu Chunfang's words immediately enlightened Lin Yao.
She had met Director Zhou two years ago; he was very warm towards her, and she even called the provincial military hospital to look for her last month.
However, she was busy dating Xu Shu at the time, so she didn't get through.
She should be able to see Director Zhou when she reports to the logistics department later.
She'll definitely sue Zhou Qiqi then, to give her a hard time!
To prevent her from being so smug!
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