Chapter 60
Wen Xiuwei was startled. She reflexively took a few quick steps back to put some distance between herself and the man. At the same time, she looked around, but found that there was no one nearby.
Not a single blade of grass grew on the bare ridges of the fields because they were constantly trampled by people walking on them. On both sides were neatly planted sugarcane fields, and the green sugarcane grew to a height of one person. She could not see the people outside, and the people outside could not see her inside.
Her whole body tensed up, and Wen Xiuwei stared at the man with eyes full of vigilance.
"Are you okay?"
In Xujiawan, Wen Xiuwei claimed that she was seventeen years old. She matured precociously and her figure was no different from that of an adult woman, so no one doubted her age. But the man opposite was different. He had a talent that others did not have. He could tell a woman's real age just by looking her up and down.
But this talent also has a range of application. It is only applicable to people under the age of sixteen. If they are older, he will no longer be interested in them and naturally will not be willing to find out their age.
The man's name was Xu Jie. He had not been in the village for some time. He just returned to Xujiawan yesterday and saw Wen Xiuwei and several other female educated youth returning together. Then, he felt his blood boiling all over his body.
What a beautiful girl! She looks about fifteen or sixteen years old. Well, a little older, but she is so beautiful that her looks make up for the shortcoming of her age.
Being used to seeing country girls who are stronger than men, few men can resist being moved when seeing a beauty like Wen Xiuwei who looks like a fairy. This is especially true for Xu Jie. Normally, he would suppress the impulse in his heart and wait patiently for the prey to take the bait, but looking at Wen Xiuwei's face, he felt that he could no longer bear it.
The more he looked, the more itchy he felt. Xu Jie did not answer Wen Xiuwei's words. He took two steps forward and stretched out his hand in a possessed manner, pretending to touch Wen Xiuwei's face. Wen Xiuwei naturally would not let him touch her. She quickly turned around and wanted to run away. Xu Jie saw it and grabbed her arm.
"Don't run! Wen Zhiqing, we haven't even met yet, and you're leaving without saying a word. Do you look down on us country folk?"
As Xu Jie said these words, there was an almost excited smile on his face. Wen Xiuwei accidentally saw it while struggling, and her brain immediately started to frantically sound the alarm.
Her intuition told her that this man was a pervert. He dared to catch her in broad daylight. If she really let him catch her, she would be finished today!
Wen Xiuwei used all her strength to pull her arm back. At the same time, she opened her mouth and screamed sharply: "Help!"
Although she usually speaks softly, when she really shouts, the penetrating power of her voice is like that of two loudspeakers. Hearing this scream, the women working in the distance were confused for a moment. They raised their heads, but did not hear the next shout.
Did they hear it wrong?
Shaking their heads, they bent down again and continued to look at the land beneath their feet.
Wen Xiuwei only shouted once, because after hearing her shout, Xu Jie was frightened and immediately covered her mouth. He was very strong. When Wen Xiuwei saw him do this, she became more convinced that this man was planning something bad to her. She punched and kicked Xu Jie, and Xu Jie almost couldn't control her. At this time, a third hand joined the battle.
A fist came out of nowhere and hit his cheek, almost knocking out his teeth. Feeling the pain, Xu Jie loosened the hand that was restraining Wen Xiuwei. He hissed loudly, covering his right jaw. He looked at the person who came in angrily, "Why did you hit me?"
Chu Shao stood across from him, his fists still clenched tightly, his chest heaving. It wasn't that the punch he'd just thrown had taken too much effort, but rather that he'd heard someone screaming for help and rushed over without a second thought. Later, when he saw a man forcing a woman, he suddenly remembered how Chu Jiujiu was nearly sold by human traffickers. Although he'd never witnessed it himself, many people had described it to him. This incident had cast a shadow on Chu Shao. He'd never told anyone about it, and it hadn't affected his daily life. Only specific incidents like this would trigger the vigilance and hostility that had been hidden in his heart for who knows how long.
Unexpectedly, he dared to strike first. Chu Shao immediately yelled back, "What were you doing just now? I hit you lightly!"
Xu Jie: "What did I do? I just wanted to say a few words to her. She was the first to think I was a bad guy and insisted on running away. I pulled her back, and she started hitting and kicking me again. She was shouting so loudly that it almost deafened me. Can't I tell her to shut up?!"
Chu Shao was too lazy to talk nonsense with him. He waved his fist and was about to rush forward again, but Xu Jie was scared. He was in his twenties, but only 1.73 meters tall. He was lazy at home and did not do any work. Looking at Chu Shao again, one punch from him could loosen his teeth. If they really fought again, he would definitely not end up in any good situation.
"You little bastard, do you know who I am? You dare to hit me? Just wait for me!" After saying that, he looked at Wen Xiuwei again. He was not as angry as Wen Xiuwei, but he was also gritting his teeth, "You are shameless."
After saying this, Xu Jie turned and left. As he walked, he was still mumbling something. Chu Shao couldn't hear clearly, but it was definitely not a good thing.
He frowned and looked at Xu Jie's back. Xu Jie walked faster and faster and disappeared in a moment. At this time, he remembered that there was a woman behind him.
He turned around and wanted to ask the other person how he was, but as soon as he turned his head away, he fell silent.
Chu Shao has been a good boy all his life, but now, he really couldn't help it and had to curse in his heart.
Fuck.
It's so similar!
He stared at Wen Xiuwei's face but didn't say a word. Wen Xiuwei had just experienced a shock, and before she could recover, she was frightened again.
The pervert had been beaten away by this boy, but why did this boy like staring at him even more than the pervert?
The words of thanks were stuck in her throat, and Wen Xiuwei habitually wanted to step back, but considering that he had just saved her, Wen Xiuwei was not so quick to judge him.
She stared at Chu Shao without blinking, "What... are you looking at?"
Her voice brought his attention back, and he realized how inappropriate his behavior was. He quickly turned his head to the side, looking at the fields of sugarcane. Chu Shao quickly replied, "Nothing."
His eyes wandered aimlessly for a while, and suddenly he remembered the question he wanted to ask. He turned his head back a little, but still didn't dare look at her directly. He just looked at her trouser legs with his peripheral vision, and then asked unnaturally: "Are you hurt?"
Wen Xiuwei found his reaction amusing. She had seen little boys with similar reactions before, but those kids were around ten years old, already aware of their gender identity but still unaware of its meaning. Chu Shao, on the other hand, was already quite tall, taller than Wen Xiuwei. Seeing such a grown boy looking bewildered, she found it... a little endearing.
After knowing that he was not the second pervert, Wen Xiuwei relaxed. She smiled softly and replied, "No, thank you for helping me. You hit him. Does your hand hurt? Do you need to apply ointment?"
When Chu Shao heard this, he immediately raised his head.
Are you kidding? Apply ointment?
He said to Wen Xiuwei seriously: "He's like that, his head is like tofu, I can punch him a hundred times and it won't hurt."
Wen Xiuwei almost laughed out loud when she heard him bragging in such a serious tone, but in order to save Chu Shao's face, she didn't say anything. Boys have strong self-esteem, she understood.
Curling her lips, Wen Xiuwei stopped talking about this topic and thanked Chu Shao again. "Okay, thank you anyway. I have something else to do, so I'll leave first."
After saying that, she really turned around. She neither asked who Chu Shao was nor said a few more words to him to get to know him better. Chu Shao was stunned for a moment, and his mouth moved faster than his brain.
"etc!"
Wen Xiuwei turned around and asked, not understanding what was going on: "Is there anything else?"
Chu Shao: "Don't go out alone again."
Wen Xiuwei also knew this, but living in the village, she had no close friends and no one she could trust, so she would inevitably encounter situations where she had to act alone. All she could do was try to avoid such situations in the future, and she would never take this path again.
Smiling at Chu Shao, Wen Xiuwei agreed good-temperedly: "Okay, thank you, I'll remember that."
They had only exchanged a few words, but Wen Xiuwei had already thanked him three times. Realizing Wen Xiuwei's politeness and distance towards him, Chu Shao pursed his lips and said nothing more.
Chu Jiujiu did not come to Xujiawan today. It was a rare day that she would not come. Since last night, Chu Shao's mind began to become active. He naturally wanted to see what Wen Xiuwei looked like, but he was too embarrassed to ask Chu Jiujiu to bring him to see her.
Today, Chu Shao wanted to come here secretly. After finding Wen Xiuwei, he would take a sneak peek at her from a distance, just a glance, and then he would go back immediately. But he didn't expect to encounter such a thing. It seems that what Chu Jiujiu said was right. Wen Xiuwei really didn't have a good life in this village.
On the way home, Chu Shao was worried. When he passed by the fields, he heard two peasant women talking in the fields.
"What's going on? Where are those educated youth? When I look up, why can't I see any of them?"
"They ran away. Sun Zhiqing ran the fastest, and then Lu Zhiqing and Ren Zhiqing also left. I think Wen Zhiqing did a good job these days. Although she was a little slow, she even finished Sun Zhiqing's part. Who knows, it's only been a short time, and she can't stand it anymore."
"She was an educated youth, holding a pen, not one of us with a hoe. Wen Zhiqing is no different from others. She just wants to be advanced, but she doesn't know how difficult it is to be advanced in the countryside. Look, she has already quit."
"But if you don't work, you won't get any work points. Last year, educated youth Luo and her friends didn't get much food, and they only had a few food coupons. In the end, everyone shared some relief, so they were able to have a good New Year. This year, educated youth Luo is working as a primary school teacher, so she doesn't have to worry about that anymore, but what about the remaining educated youth?"
"Why do you care so much? It's true that the emperor is not anxious, but the eunuchs are. When they are hungry, they will know how important it is to work. Okay, hurry up and work. I have to go back and bring food to my wife later."
Another person asked, "Doesn't the dam have a mobile canteen? Why aren't they providing lunch now?"
Chu Shao did not listen to the rest of the conversation. He looked at the endless farmland, was silent for a while, and then turned around.
…
Wen Xiuwei didn't have a kettle, so Chu Jiujiu went to the supply and marketing cooperative with her once. However, there were regulations on when the educated youth could go to the town. Since she had just arrived, it was not convenient for her to go out alone, so she and Chu Jiujiu went to the supply and marketing cooperative next to the commune.
There were very few things in this supply and marketing cooperative. There was plenty of oil, salt, sauce and vinegar, but only a few pots, pans and utensils. Chu Jiujiu took a few coupons from home and helped Wen Xiuwei buy the most important things, such as washbasins, toothbrushes, towels, etc.
The quality of the items sold in the small supply and marketing cooperative was not very good, and the patterns were particularly old. It was unknown how many years they had been on the shelves, but for emergency purposes, they could only make do with them. As for the water bottles that every farmer had, the small supply and marketing cooperative did not sell them, and the gourd water bottles that everyone in the village had had to be asked from local families. Wen Xiuwei didn't have any acquaintances yet, so whenever she was thirsty, she would either endure it or walk back, drink it all at once, and then come back to continue working.
When Wen Xiuwei returned, she saw Sun Yuqin sitting on Luo Shuyang's bed. She opened a pack of biscuits she brought from home and was eating them leisurely. When she saw her come in, she snorted, but didn't say anything unpleasant to her.
This is the situation in the dormitory now. Sun Yuqin is unilaterally quarreling with Wen Xiuwei and Luo Shuyang, and makes a few sarcastic remarks from time to time, but she doesn't do anything else, so Wen Xiuwei and Luo Shuyang don't bother with her.
As for that educated youth Lu, Lu Wanhua, her relationship with the other three was similar, neither close nor indifferent. Wen Xiuwei observed for a few days and found that she might have some relationship with Ren Shengli, the only male educated youth in Xujiawan. Every time they went to work, they would leave together, but no one in the dormitory had ever mentioned this matter. Wen Xiuwei didn't dare to ask, so she pretended to know nothing.
After drinking the water, Wen Xiuwei rushed back without stopping. The distance between the educated youth's site and the fields was too far. At the beginning, the brigade headquarters in Xujiawan only considered its own convenience, but did not think about the inconvenience of the educated youth. They did not have to go to the fields, but it was hard for these educated youth who had to run back and forth.
The round trip took less than an hour, but when Wen Xiuwei came back, she found that the land belonging to her area had been ridged, neither more nor less.
The brigade gave the educated youth a piece of land, and each of the five educated youth was responsible for a part. However, farm work requires cooperation, so except for the male educated youth Ren Shengli, the others divided the work into pairs. Wen Xiuwei and Sun Yuqin were in a group. Sun Yuqin was always lazy, so she had to do more work.
But it didn't matter. The more she worked, the more work points she earned. With the team leader watching, her work wouldn't be counted on Sun Yuqin. Wen Xiuwei was short of money, so she was naturally willing to work more. Although it was tiring, at least she didn't have to worry about going hungry.
This man only did half of the work. Wen Xiuwei stared blankly at the small black dot standing at the end of the field. He put away his hoe and saw Wen Xiuwei coming back. Chu Shao walked back with one step deep and one step shallow.
He stood at the bottom of the ridge, while Wen Xiuwei stood on it. There was a head difference in height between them. A slight sweat broke out on Chu Shao's forehead. He looked up and said to Wen Xiuwei, "You don't have to work so hard, educated youth. As long as you do your part well, no one will say anything. If you do too much, you'll be blamed. You all eat from the same pot, so how to divide the food will be a problem."
But in just one hour, Chu Shao, who picked up the hoe, seemed like a different person. He was no longer nervous or at a loss. When he mentioned things he was familiar with, even his expression became more reliable.
"I've finished your work for today. Your team leader didn't come over just now, so don't tell him right away and let him keep score. Wait for a while until the others start to leave, then follow them."
After saying that, Chu Shao put the hoe on the edge of the field without looking at her again, "I'm leaving."
Wen Xiuwei was stunned for a moment. She was still digesting the little tips Chu Shao had just given her. After two seconds, she finally reacted and chased after him down the ridge of the field. "Wait a minute, who... who are you? Why are you helping me with the work?"
Chu Shao paused and turned his gaze slightly. He pursed his lips. He didn't know how to respond to the next sentence, so he simply said four words.
"My name is Chu Shao."
After he finished speaking, he started walking again. He walked very fast and took big steps. If someone didn't know, they would think there was a bear chasing him. Wen Xiuwei was stunned for a long time, and finally dug out a sentence related to Chu Shao from her memory.
"I live in Qingzhu Village. I have a boy named Chu Shao at home. He's thirteen years old, 1.7 meters tall, with regular features and a healthy body. He loves learning and loves his country. He owns a house but no car, but he has savings. He's hardworking, kind, and doesn't smoke. He didn't come today, but if you want to see him, I'll take you home right away!"
Wen Xiuwei: “…”
It turns out that this person is Chu Shao.
Only thirteen? She thought he was fifteen or sixteen.
Everyone in the Chu family is so weird. One of them gave her money as soon as they met, and the other one helped her with work as soon as they met. It's really... very confusing.
Smiling unconsciously, Wen Xiuwei picked up the hoe that Chu Shao had put down. She walked to Sun Yuqin's side as usual. Just as she was about to dig the hoe into the ground, she suddenly remembered what Chu Shao had just said. She couldn't help but raise her head and look around.
No one was looking at her, everyone was busy doing their own work. Wen Xiuwei didn't understand why she was blamed for doing more work. However, she felt that Chu Shao would not harm her. After thinking about it, she picked up the hoe again and went to find a place to rest.
——
Chu Jiujiu went to the town to buy Yuanxiao today. She didn't expect so many people to come at the last minute. She and Han Shengyi waited in a long line for an hour before they finally bought two pounds of Yuanxiao. Of the two pounds, only one pound was eaten by the five of them. Chu Jiujiu paid for the remaining one pound out of her own pocket and prepared to send it to Wen Xiuwei.
She didn't know if the educated youth camp would also provide their own food, but regardless of whether they did, she would send this pound of food over. This was Wen Xiuwei's first holiday away from home. It was already difficult to be alone in a foreign land. If no one cared about her, she would definitely cry herself to sleep tonight.
Chu Jiujiu replaced Wen Xiuwei with herself. In fact, Wen Xiuwei was much stronger than her and she would not cry at every turn.
Carrying the Yuanxiao, Chu Jiujiu and Han Shengyi quickened their pace and arrived at the educated youth site, but found that there was only one Sun Yuqin there. She turned around and left, ran to the nearest Xujiawan Primary School, and then handed the Yuanxiao to Luo Shuyang.
If it was just Wen Xiuwei eating alone, one or two liang would be enough, but she lived in the dormitory, so Chu Jiujiu had to buy more for them to share. The queue was too long today, and if she didn't go back, Grandma Han's pot for cooking Yuanxiao might run dry. Without time to find Wen Xiuwei, Chu Jiujiu went to find Luo Shuyang.
Seeing her coming to bring them food again, Luo Shuyang took it with a smile and said that she would chat more with Wen Xiuwei tonight so that she would not miss home so much.
Chu Jiujiu thanked Luo Shuyang before returning to Qingzhu Village. When she got home, she washed her face first and wiped the water off her face with a towel. She walked into the house and found that Chu Shao was still sitting at the small desk as usual, writing something on the paper.
Chu Jiujiu walked up to him and finally mentioned Wen Xiuwei again after many days: "I went to give Lantern Festival dumplings to grandma today."
Chu Shao lowered his eyes and hummed.
Chu Jiujiu stared at his face, trying to see his expression change. "Grandma has only been here a few days. She must be homesick. I wonder if she will cry tonight."
Chu Shao turned over a page and nodded again.
Chu Jiujiu: "Besides missing home, grandma is also very tired every day. When I visited her before, I found that she was always listless and very sleepy. She couldn't sleep well at night, and she had to do so much work during the day. It's so hard for her."
Chu Shao put down his pen, and Chu Jiujiu's eyes lit up. She thought Chu Shao was finally moved by her. However, his next action was to open the ink bottle. Looking at the bottle which was more than half full, he put the pen in and sucked up another tube of ink.
As he screwed the lid on, he turned his head and nodded at Chu Jiujiu, "Yeah, you're right."
Looking at Chu Shao expressionlessly, Chu Jiujiu flew into a rage in an instant: "What the hell! I'm never going to talk to you again!"
Chu Shao: “…”
Chu Jiujiu ran away again. He pushed open the window and watched Chu Jiujiu leave angrily. He sat back in his chair and looked at the striped paper that he had scribbled on. Chu Shao laughed sinisterly.
Little girl, I'll let you play hard to get with me.
…
Chu Jiujiu has been enjoying going to Xujiawan lately, and Grandpa Han and Grandma Han aren't surprised. After all, she's quick to act on whatever comes to mind, and there's no telling when the buzz will fade. Grandpa Han warned Han Shengyi that if she wants to go, at least one of him or Chu Shao should accompany her. It's too chaotic out there, and it's unsafe for the little girl to go alone.
Noticing that the three children had no reaction while eating, Grandpa Han talked about the eldest daughter of the branch secretary in order to teach them a lesson.
In the village, people usually call her the crazy woman of the party secretary.
When Grandpa Han tells other people's stories, it's like telling a story, with ups and downs and blank spaces.
"Who doesn't know the Party Secretary's family? Although I've never met him, but when the old Party Secretary is mentioned, who in Qingzhu Village doesn't respect him? His daughter is in the village, so no one dares to bully her! But the old Party Secretary's reputation only works in Qingzhu Village. Outside, people don't care whether you are the Party Secretary or a commoner. If he wants to take you away, he will!"
Grandpa Han stretched his neck, staring at the children with wide eyes. "You haven't seen how miserable the eldest daughter of the branch secretary's family is. She was pretty when she was young, and she even went to the town to participate in performances and signed up for the art troupe. Later, she met her husband and moved in with her husband's family. Her husband's family lives in Laohukeng. This village is far from Qingshi River. If she wants to come back, she has to climb over two mountains. It was about six or seven years ago that the eldest daughter of the branch secretary's family bought holiday gifts with her husband and children, preparing to come back to visit her parents' home. As a result, they encountered robbers on the cliff, and their things were stolen. Her husband and children were killed by the robbers, and she was even stabbed. She was finally saved, but when she woke up, she heard that her husband and children were gone, and she went crazy."
Chu Jiujiu was shocked when she heard this. She cried out, "It's really tragic..."
Grandpa Han nodded in agreement. "That's right. Look, even those with husbands and children will encounter this kind of thing. Isn't it even more dangerous for you, a little girl?"
Chu Jiujiu scratched her head. "But, Grandpa Han, if that's what you said, the secretary's eldest daughter and her husband couldn't escape. Then if I were with Brother Shengyi or Chu Shao, we're all children, so wouldn't we be able to escape either?"
Grandpa Han: “…”
It seems so.
Chu Jiujiu looked at him and blinked innocently. "If it's all the same, then there doesn't seem to be any difference between me going alone and having someone accompany me."
Grandpa Han: “…”
He sat on the mat blankly and thought hard for a while. He didn't know how to refute Chu Jiujiu. He turned his head and looked at Grandma Han for help.
I can’t do it anymore, my dear, you have to come to the rescue.
Without even looking up, Grandma Han said coldly while sewing clothes: "If you want to go to Xujiawan, you must find someone to accompany you, otherwise, don't go."
Chu Jiujiu: "Okay."
Grandpa Han: “…”
After Grandma Han finished sewing these stitches and changed the thread, she raised her head and glanced at Grandpa Han lightly.
I talk about reason every day. You see, no matter what time it is, iron-fisted politics is the most effective. Learn from it.
…
On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, many families still had their last string of firecrackers, ready to set them off tonight. Outside, the sound of firecrackers continued to rise and fall, but Ding Boyun sat in his dormitory, feeling rather down.
I don’t know how long it took, maybe it was eleven o’clock in the evening. Finally, the door of the dormitory was pushed open, and Ding Yiming, the new male educated youth from Qingzhu Village, walked in.
He had a big smile on his face and smelled of sulfur. After entering the house, he found that Ding Boyun was still awake, and the smile on his face became even bigger.
"Brother, you haven't slept either. That's great! Look what I brought back. A bottle of good wine!"
Like a magic trick, he pulled out a bottle of white wine from his clothes. Regardless of the fact that Yu Jianqing was sleeping, he said loudly, "Today is the Lantern Festival, brother, let's have a drink together. I thought you were asleep, and it would be so boring if I drank alone tonight. Come on, I'll get you a glass."
Ding Boyun frowned and glanced to the side. Fortunately, Yu Jianqing had not been woken up yet. He stood up with an unexpected look on his face and dragged Ding Yiming out of the dormitory.
Standing in the moonlight and cold wind, he asked, "Where did the wine come from?"
Ding Yiming stumbled when he was pulled by him, and he was also unhappy, "Why do you care where I came from? I brought it from home, it's not okay!"
Ding Boyun: "When has your family ever sold this kind of homemade liquor? You're such a liar! Who did you buy it from, and how much did you pay for it?"
Ding Yiming was annoyed by his questions. "Why should I tell you? You are my cousin, not my biological father. At home, my parents take care of me, and now you are taking care of me too. I went to the countryside to recuperate, not to listen to your lecture!"
Ding Boyun laughed angrily. "Rest and recuperate? You're an illiterate who can barely write Chinese characters. When did you even learn such a word? Ding Yiming, I told you on the first day you arrived: don't look down on the countryside. Don't think you can still act as arrogantly as before just because you're here. Most importantly, don't cause me any trouble!"
"Going to the countryside is a national policy. Every family has a quota. Do you really think you're being sent here to enjoy a good life? If you want to stay here your whole life, then just hang out. Just hang out as you please. I'm telling you in advance that I won't care about you. Like you said, you're my cousin, not my biological brother. I don't need to be too concerned about your affairs."
He was the one who told Ding Boyun to leave him alone just now, but now he was the one who got nervous when he heard that Ding Boyun really didn't want to care about him. Ding Yiming looked at Ding Boyun in disbelief, "How can you say such things? Didn't your mother send you a letter? She said you promised to help me in the countryside, so I came here. You don't keep your word, I will tell my mother tomorrow!"
Ding Yiming is eighteen years old this year, but his mental state is probably only eight years old. He is simply a naughty child who has not grown up. Ding Boyun was very annoyed with him when he was at home. Unexpectedly, after a few years, he has not made any progress at all and is still the same devil as before.
The family was going downhill. He went to the countryside first, and then Ding Yiming also went to the countryside. This meant that Ding Yiming's family situation was not very good either. But he had a mother like that, who was extremely vain. She would definitely agree to anything others asked her to do. Ding Boyun just didn't want Ding Yiming to come here, so he burned the letter directly and pretended not to see it. Unexpectedly, his mother still agreed to it without his permission.
Ding Boyun's expression became increasingly ugly. When facing other people, he was gentlemanly and patient, but once his family was involved, his true nature would be exposed in an instant and he would become extremely irritable.
When will he be able to leave that home?
Ding Boyun and Ding Yiming were arguing outside. Ding Yiming was the one arguing, and Ding Boyun's voice was so low that no one could hear him clearly. Ma Wenjuan sat up from the bed, rubbed her eyes, and listened for a while. She found that she couldn't understand what they were saying at all, so she was ready to go back to sleep. But before she lay down, she suddenly saw a sitting figure on the bed opposite, and two bright spots, staring straight at her.
Ma Wenjuan was startled and clutched the quilt tightly, then she realized that the person was Du Shuting.
Du Shuting was the young woman who came with Ding Yiming. She was not very old, even younger than Ding Yiming, only seventeen years old. The only thing about her was her courage. Ma Wenjuan looked at her carefully and found that she looked very nervous. She couldn't help asking, "What's wrong? Why aren't you sleeping yet?"
Du Shuting wrapped herself tightly in the quilt. She sounded like she was about to cry: "Ant."
Ma Wenjuan: “What?”
Du Shuting said fearfully: "There are ants crawling across my bed. I dare not sleep."
Ma Wenjuan: “…”
She thought it was something else, just an ant.
Living in the countryside, it is quite common to have bugs everywhere. Ma Wenjuan patiently coaxed her for a while, but later seeing that she was still scared, Ma Wenjuan simply went to sleep first. She was sleepy anyway, so she would sleep too.
However, Ma Wenjuan underestimated Du Shuting's timidity. She actually stayed awake all night and only fell asleep the next morning.
When she was sleeping, everyone else was up. Chu Jiujiu was furious when she thought about Chu Shao's indifference yesterday. She decided to give Chu Shao another day in prison and resolutely ignore him today. However, when she woke up, Chu Shao was gone.
Going to work so early? Chu Jiujiu frowned.
No matter what, she went to Han's house, waited for Han Shengyi to finish breakfast, and then walked with him in the thick morning fog towards Xujiawan.
The villagers woke up at seven o'clock in the morning, but the dam construction officially started at eight o'clock in the morning, so there were very few people on the dam at this time.
Chai Yaozu walked with Xu Changhe, the team leader of Xujiawan. He looked at the dam, which was finally nearing completion after two years, and smiled. "If there are no unexpected events, we can have the closure ceremony in April this year."
Xu Changhe smiled at Chai Yaozu: "Congratulations, Mr. Chai, after the dam is closed, the people in our village, will they..."
Chai Yaozu: "After the dam project is completed, we'll only need a few more people to stay at the observation station here. We need professionals. We've taken up Captain Xu and so many villagers' time for two years, and I've always felt bad. I heard that your land in Xujiawan is all abandoned. This won't work. When I return, I'll ask Director Yang for more subsidies. Otherwise, we'll reduce your grain tax this year as appropriate."
What Chai Yaozu said makes sense. He thinks this method is pretty good. However, Xu Changhe was smiling but not smiling. Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that he was not satisfied at all. However, Chai Yaozu was a rough man who only knew how to do engineering. He could immediately see if there was a problem with the drawings, but he would never notice if there was a problem with the person unless it was exposed.
After walking around the dam with Chai Yaozu, the town official arrived while they were talking. Xu Changhe greeted him, "Secretary Chen."
Chen Sanzhu waved to them. After Chai Yaozu finished his inspection, he put on his engineering hat and went to ask the workers about the situation. After watching him leave, Chen Sanzhu came to Xu Changhe and asked, "How is it? What did he say?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
