Xu Xinghe came out from behind the door, her eyes filled with anticipation. "Can I come with you?"
She'd been spending all her time in the courtyard these past few days and was getting bored; she was looking for something to do.
Moreover, she was already an old acquaintance of the villagers of Hongqi Village.
“I’m quite familiar with the people in Hongqi Village. I even gave them some frostbite cream before. If they really run into trouble, maybe I can help persuade them. That would be more effective than if you tried to force them.”
Wang's eyes lit up immediately, and he quickly nodded, "Yes! Comrade Xu, you must go with us! With you there, the people of Hongqi Village will definitely be more willing to listen to our advice!"
He never underestimated the power of women, especially Xu Xinghe.
During the snowstorm, she helped many people with her frostbite cream, and the village had long since spread the word that she was a lucky star. This reputation was more effective than anything else.
Rather than calling them superstitious, it's more accurate to say they're looking for a spiritual anchor, hoping for a more peaceful life free from further troubles.
With Xu Xinghe around, they might be able to stabilize the situation without much effort.
Jiang Linchuan glanced at Xu Xinghe, and seeing that she really wanted to go, he didn't object. "You can go, but don't get too close later."
"Okay!" Xu Xinghe immediately followed, and the group quickly walked towards the outside of the military headquarters.
They had only gone halfway when they bumped into Zhang Cishu, who was on his way to the cafeteria.
These past few days, he seems to have gradually gotten used to life here, going to the cafeteria to eat on time every day, and never asking Xu Xinghe any questions.
People in the military also had a good impression of him, and there were always people who would take the initiative to help him.
Perhaps it was because he was handsome and refined, with the air of a scholar about him.
These days, people like this are really rare.
Zhang Cishu's gaze fell on Xu Xinghe, and he stopped in his tracks. "Where are you going?"
"Something's happened in Hongqi Village. We're going to check it out," Xu Xinghe explained simply. "It's that village near the military headquarters. I heard it's causing quite a stir, so we need to go and deal with it."
Zhang Cishu nodded. "Can I come along?"
His mission was to get close to Xu Xinghe and learn from her what popularity meant.
Daily interactions are a form of learning; following her to handle things, observing how she deals with people and solves problems, is also a form of learning.
Jiang Linchuan frowned, clearly unwilling.
Zhang Cishu has a special identity, and his strength is unknown. If something happens, he might be blamed.
Lieutenant Wang agreed with a broad smile, "Of course! More people mean more help, it would be good if Comrade Zhang went along too!"
After saying that, he winked at Jiang Linchuan.
Political Commissar Wang had specifically instructed that if Zhang Cishu made any requests, they should try not to refuse, and should comply with all requests as long as they did not involve his personal safety.
Seeing this, Jiang Linchuan could only suppress his concerns and nodded, "Let's go."
The group walked to the door, got into a military vehicle, and headed to Hongqi Village.
Hongqi Village is located downstream of Hongxing Village, separated by a river, and the distance is not far.
As the car approached Hongqi Village, a soldier suddenly rushed out from the roadside, his nose red from the cold, waving his arms and waving his hands frantically.
Lieutenant Wang immediately slammed on the brakes, opened the door, and saw snowflakes that had started falling and were being blown into the car by the wind. "What's the situation inside?"
The soldier scrambled into the vehicle, his clothes already covered in a thin layer of snow, clearly having waited for a long time. "Commander Jiang, Lieutenant Wang, there's a standoff inside! The two sides are practically arguing!"
"A standoff?" Jiang Linchuan frowned. "Tell me what happened, don't leave out any details."
The fact that the word "standoff" is used indicates that this is not a trivial matter that can be explained in a few words.
The soldier swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and then spoke, "Here's what happened. A while ago, a group of educated youth came to the village, and there was a woman named Ye Wenshu among them. She was very pretty, and the village chief's son, Dazhuang, took a liking to her and kept pursuing her, but Ye Wenshu didn't agree. With the New Year approaching, Dazhuang suddenly said... that he had seen Ye Wenshu's body and insisted on marrying her, but Ye Wenshu absolutely refused."
He paused, lowering his voice even further, "After the New Year, Dazhuang incited the villagers, saying he wanted to force Ye Wenshu into marriage. Ye Wenshu was driven to the point of wanting to commit suicide! The other people at the educated youth settlement protected her, and they got into a stalemate with the villagers. Now both sides are blocking the entrance to the educated youth settlement, and neither side will give way!"
Xu Xinghe sat to the side, her brows furrowing instantly.
She remembered those educated youths; she had bumped into them a while ago when she went to the movies with Jiang Linchuan and Lian Xiao. Although they weren't close, as a woman herself, she knew all too well what forced marriage meant.
People always say that marriage is a woman's second chance at life. It might be okay for her, but for educated youth like Ye Wenshu, once she was forced to marry, she had almost no way out in this remote village.
In this day and age, who gets divorced easily? From now on, I'll probably be bound tightly to this small place.
After listening, Lieutenant Wang restarted the car. "It sounds like a civil dispute. Let's go and mediate properly; we should be able to settle it. Hurry up, or someone might actually die."
The car sped along and arrived at Hongqi Village in just ten minutes.
As soon as they arrived at the village entrance, they could see the village from afar.
Dozens of people gathered at the entrance of the educated youth settlement, with men, women, and children from the village crowding to one side, looking quite aggressive.
Jiang Linchuan was the first to push open the car door and walk quickly towards the crowd.
The villagers were so engrossed in their argument that they didn't notice anyone approaching.
"Comrade Ye Wenshu, just listen to my advice! Dazhuang has already seen your body. Besides marrying him, who else can you marry?"
"Exactly! Da Zhuang is already being kind by not looking down on you because you're an educated youth! Who knows when you educated youth will go back to the city? Then he'll have married for nothing!"
The village chief's wife stood at the front, hands on her hips, her voice louder than anyone else's, spitting as she spoke, "Ye Wenshu! My son is willing to marry you, that's your good fortune! If he hadn't been crying and begging that he couldn't live without you, do you think I would have been happy to let you into the family? Bah!"
"So what if you're an educated youth? You can't lift a finger, you can't even hold a hoe properly. Marrying you is no different from raising a rich old man. If you know what's good for you, you'd better come out and agree! Otherwise, your reputation will be ruined, and you won't be able to stay in this village!"
The male educated youths guarding the entrance to the educated youth settlement were so angry that their faces turned ashen, and they took half a step forward.
"Watch your mouth! Don't start insulting people with your words!"
"We're here to develop Heilongjiang Province and support rural areas, not to be your servants!"
“Since we came here, we’ve been working hard every day to earn work points. We haven’t been eating a single grain of rice from the village for nothing. Why are you saying such things about us!”
The village chief's wife was a native rural woman who had been working in the fields since childhood and had never lost an argument. Why would she be afraid of these weak and educated youth?
She sneered, her voice even shriller, "Building Heilongjiang Province? How dare you even say that! You think you're so great after carrying manure for a few days? You can't even tell the difference between wheat seedlings and weeds, what kind of construction are you talking about?"
"You...you're utterly unreasonable!" The educated youth were speechless, clenching their fists.
They considered themselves cultured people and couldn't resort to violence, so they could only endure the humiliation, their eyes turning red with suppressed anger.
In the crowd, a sturdy young man stepped forward; it was Dazhuang, the village chief's son.
With a confident smile on his face, he shouted towards the educated youth settlement, "Comrade Hongying, I truly love you! I promise you, if you marry me, I will definitely treat you well and never let you suffer!"
A voice finally came from behind the wooden door—a woman's tearful scream, "I won't marry you! I don't like you at all, get out of here! Don't force me anymore!"
Da Zhuang's face instantly darkened, and his tone hardened. "Ye Wenshu, I've seen your body. You're no longer pure. No one but me will marry you! I advise you to agree now, otherwise, once you're in my family, you might not have a good life!"
These words enraged the educated youth even more.
"You've gone too far!"
"You are committing a crime!"
The village chief's wife exclaimed, "A crime? You're really trying to scare us common folk! My son is getting married, is that a crime? Even if the King of Heaven himself came today, we'd still be in the right!"
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