Chapter 25: The Troublemaker
Gu Ci paid special attention to Su Hongqi because he was Chu Hong's elder brother-in-law.
But Su Hongqi already had a wife and children, and he still chatted and laughed with Chen Mei. Hearing that he had sent her boiled eggs several times, he realized something was wrong.
The twenty-two educated youth each had their own rations of steamed rice in lunch boxes, and two of them took turns cooking every day.
The food from the big pot will definitely not taste good, but if you steam your own rice, you can eat about 70% full.
They had not been in the countryside for long and did not earn many work points, so they mostly bought food secretly in the village.
Sometimes when I feel hungry, I will cook a few eggs.
But he already had a daughter, and he still chatted and laughed with Chen Mei. I heard that he sent her boiled eggs several times, so he realized something was wrong.
Chu Hong frowned after hearing this: "Don't you have a team leader for the educated youth camp over there? What if something goes wrong without anyone in charge?"
For example, the educated youth point in their village was at the very front, and villagers seldom went there to hang out, so they specially selected a male educated youth who was good at speaking and capable to be the team leader.
Chu Hong did not forbid the villagers and the people at the educated youth center from falling in love with each other, but for the safety of the female educated youth, she repeatedly emphasized that it was best to have a companion when going out.
Lingxia Village is a little poor and remote, and there are currently no extremely vicious men there.
People like her uncle, who don't like to work and love to go to the black market, are already considered second-rate people in the village.
"There is a captain." Gu Ci was helpless: "But when they come to our house, they all use the excuse of being literate, so it's hard to refuse them, right?"
It is said that unruly people come from poor and remote areas.
These educated youth were not as strong as the villagers. Even though they had a higher level of education than the villagers, the villagers would never let outsiders like them become village cadres.
Moreover, people in the countryside are tough and xenophobic nowadays, and they dare not offend the villagers.
Chu Hong looked at him and sighed: "Be careful and don't let anyone get ahead of you."
She felt that it was not only the female educated youth who would be in danger when going out alone, but also a handsome male educated youth like him should be careful when going out alone.
When Gu Ci heard her teasing him, he couldn't help but smile.
He didn't know why he liked listening to her talk so much, he just felt very happy when he was with her.
Before the sweet potatoes were cooked, a boy from the village came to call her, "Second Sister Chu, there was a fight at Sixth Aunt's house up ahead, and the captain asked you to go over and mediate?"
Chu Hong gestured to Gu Ci to wait at home, and then she hurried out.
Whenever there was a fight or quarrel in the village and the situation got out of hand, it was Chu Hong's father who stepped in to deal with it.
Secretary Song is not at home now, and the newly appointed team leader is facing a difficult situation for the first time. He doesn't know where to start, so he has to ask someone to find Chu Hong.
In the past, everyone thought that the Song sisters were a little pampered. All the girls were sent to school, especially Chu Hong and Chu Dan, who both had high education and attended high school.
Everyone in the village thinks that a girl will get married sooner or later. After studying for so many years, not only does it cost money, but it will also be cheap for the husband's family.
But since Chu Hong was able to go to Shencheng alone and ask for five tractors and a few hundred yuan in compensation for the commune, everyone admired her.
This is the advantage of being educated, one dares to travel far away.
Another reason is that I think she is capable and talented, and has a bright future like her father.
In addition, Chu Hong is also a small cadre in the village: warehouse manager and accountant.
It’s okay to call her if you have any problems.
There are only two outsider households in Lingxia Village, and the other more than 40 households are all relatives.
Chu Hong had never been prepared to take the lead in the past, because she was a junior.
Before she reached the door of Aunt Liu's house, she saw from afar the villagers surrounding Aunt Liu Song's house in three layers to watch the fun.
The wind was howling in the cold wind, and the people watching the fun were either carrying hand warmers or huddled together with their hands clasped together.
When a half-grown child saw her, he immediately shouted, "Second Sister Chu is here, make way."
Chu Hong looked at the cleared passage and the unanimous stares, and thought to herself: Thank you all, for some reason I felt like I was walking on the red carpet.
Aunt Song Liu sat on the ground, pointing one hand at her daughter-in-law and cursing her, slapping her thigh with the other hand. At this moment, the intangible cultural heritage was fully demonstrated in her: "...You can't divide the family, unless I die."
Uncle Song squatted in the corner, smoking his pipe without saying a word.
The youngest son was comforting Wu Zhiqing, who was crying with a handkerchief covering her face. The eldest and second sons were following their respective wives in silence.
They have three sons, and their parents favor the youngest son, who is fifteen years old. They sent him to junior high school, and now he has returned home to earn work points.
Chu Hong also learned the general situation from the gossips of the people around her. Song Laosan and Wu Fenfen, a female educated youth who had gone to the countryside, fell in love with each other, but Wu Fenfen asked for a watch and three hundred yuan as a betrothal gift.
The two eldest sons are already married and have children, so with more people there are more conflicts.
The eldest daughter-in-law also cried and complained loudly: "I can't live like this anymore. If the family doesn't split up, I'll go back to my parents' home. Why should we give all the money we've earned over the years to my brother-in-law as a betrothal gift? This isn't marrying a daughter-in-law, this is marrying a spoiler."
The second daughter-in-law also cried to Captain Song, who had just taken office a few months ago: "That's right, Captain, you have to make the decision for us. Mother-in-law even asked us to borrow money from outside."
The captain got a headache when he saw this situation. He was good at doing the work, but it was a splitting headache for him to deal with such a dispute between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.
Seeing Chu Hong coming now, it was like seeing a savior, and he immediately asked: "Is your father back? What do you think we should do about this?"
Chu Hong also felt that Wu Fenfen’s demands were too high.
The Sixth Aunt continued to promote the traditional culture: "I have the final say in family affairs. Even if Song Youliang comes, it will be useless."
Chu Hong, who was originally prepared to remain silent, could not help herself after hearing this. She took two steps forward and said, "You have offered so many betrothal gifts, I wonder what dowry Wu Zhiqing has prepared?"
Why involve your own father?
She let her know that her words would work even without her biological father.
At this special moment, there must be no chaos in the rear.
Wu Zhiqing pretended to be dead, just lowered his head and said nothing.
Song San stiffened his neck and spoke for her: "I like her as a person, and I am willing to pay the betrothal gift."
Chu Hong sneered: "Even if there is a difference in length between the five fingers, Sixth Aunt is too biased."
He glared at Song San again: "If you have the ability, use the money you earn to marry a wife. Why do you have to use the family's capital?"
"Nowadays, people are advocating new ways of celebrating marriages. You are backward."
It is indeed impossible to hold a grand wedding ceremony now. Most people in towns and cities do not invite guests or hold banquets. Instead, they invite a trade union witness to chant a slogan first, then say a few simple words, and finally the newlyweds each take an oath: both husband and wife will join the revolution and devote themselves to production.
Chu Hong stared at Wu Zhiqing and said, "We let the educated youth go to the countryside because we hope you can do a lot in the vast fields, eliminate the urban-rural gap, and improve rural productivity."
"I think you cannot accept the re-education of poor and lower-middle peasants, and you do not have the good qualities of hard work and perseverance. I will suggest that you go to a more difficult place to work and transform your thinking..."
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