"Then why was Qian, the educated youth, allowed to go along?" the dissatisfied people immediately questioned.
Qian Baozhu hated these people who always asked "why" about everything. "Am I your parent? Why should I be responsible for answering your questions? You can't do anything right all day, so why do you have so many questions?"
“I told you it’s best not to go with us. If you want to go, I won’t stop you, but let’s make this clear first: you’ll be responsible for whatever happens. Qian Zhiqing went up because he can help fix the pipe joints and he also has the village’s protection.”
After saying that, Qian Baozhu turned and walked into the village, afraid that the educated youth would ask him what his idea was. If he told them his idea, they would say, "Oh, we know that too! Let's go help them!"
The able-bodied men in the village all went to work in the mountains, and each educated youth could be assigned a bodyguard to protect them; they didn't have that kind of free time.
Unable to get an answer from the village chief, the educated youth looked at Qian Jingshen's mother. Hey, isn't there someone else they can ask? If they can actually get a solution, won't they also get credit from the village chief?
"Aunt Qian, do you know what method Qian Zhiqing is thinking of?"
Aunt Qian was a shrewd old woman; she could tell what these kids were thinking at a glance. Although she didn't quite believe in her son's abilities, she couldn't very well undermine him.
"Ah! How would I know any of this? I listened for a long time but didn't understand anything. Before I could even ask, Xiao Shen had already left with the villagers. I wonder if it's dangerous up in the mountain?"
This last sentence is definitely a heartfelt expression of concern.
The educated youth looked at each other, wondering if Qian Jingshen's mother really didn't know, or if she just didn't want to tell them.
Even if they weren't told, they couldn't say anything, since they hadn't come up with this solution. But it seemed like Qian Jingshen's mother knew people in the village.
The newcomer looked at the veteran educated youth, wanting him to tell him if the person who had just spoken to the Qian family mother and son was from the village.
Old educated youth...
"Sister Xiao Hua, do you know that girl from earlier?"
Xiao Hua... You think I'm easy to talk to? But that's not exactly a secret.
"That's the only college student in the village. He probably just came back from vacation."
The male educated youth who asked the question widened his eyes: "What? There are college students here?" It was as if it were unbelievable that a college student had come out of a village.
Xiao Hua rolled her eyes inwardly. Luckily, there were no villagers around at the moment, only educated youths present. Otherwise, this person would definitely be scolded and would also implicate them, the educated youths.
"What are you saying? What? Can't people from rural areas go to university? You can't have that kind of thinking."
"You all remember this: never let anyone in the village know that you've been talking badly about that girl. You wouldn't want to know what the consequences will be. Also, don't tarnish our reputations." With that, he turned and went into the educated youth compound.
These newcomers still haven't grasped reality. They're genuine rural people now, their household registrations have all come with them, yet they still cling to the sense of superiority that comes with being city dwellers.
"W-what do you mean?" The male educated youth looked puzzled. He had only had a slight doubt, was it really that big of a deal?
The old educated youth all shook their heads and went back to the educated youth compound. They'll know once they've suffered enough. Last year, when Comrade Renqian went to school, Wang Xue must have been traumatized by something, because she said a lot of bad things about him.
You could have just said it in the educated youth compound, and they would have pretended not to hear you. But she went outside and shouted it out loud, as if she wouldn't stop until the villagers heard her.
Not only was she verbally abused by the women in the village, but afterwards, the village children would throw small stones at her every time they saw her. If Wang Xue hadn't finally been unable to hold back and apologized, the matter probably wouldn't have ended there.
Qin Lian looked down on these newcomers who were so clueless. Did they really think that by making a scene, they could get some preferential treatment or benefits? Wouldn't it be better to live a peaceful life? They were even thinking about going back to the city? They were dreaming. Didn't they see that the educated youth were only sent down once every six months? Going back to the city was out of the question for the time being.
Knowing they can't go back anytime soon, instead of keeping a low profile, they're constantly offending people. Are they just bored? The problem is, they live together, so if one person makes a mistake, it affects everyone.
"Come, come, let me tell you what it means. Remember, that's the pride of the village. No one is allowed to question it. Do you understand?"
"Also, don't think that just because you're from the city, you're superior here. Don't forget that your household registration is also here now. You know that the village chief writes our annual performance reviews, right? If you don't want any bad comments on your file, just work honestly and talk less."
"Looking down on rural people? They're several years younger than you this year. They can study at Longda University, which is one of the best universities in the world, and they can fight wild boars and wolves in the mountains. And you still look down on them? Who do you think you are?"
Soon after Qin Lian arrived, she realized that her previous behavior was completely ineffective here. She changed her usual image as a caring older sister and reverted to her original personality.
It's come to this point already, who are we still pretending for? For these educated youth? They probably can't even do as much work as we can. For the young men in the village? Those guys don't buy into that at all, okay?
The first time she performed in front of the villagers, they looked at her like she was a fool; she was as ridiculous as the clown on the stage.
Things are pretty good now. They no longer need to curry favor with Wang Xue for the sake of their families. When Wang Xue's family had trouble, their families also had trouble. They even escaped a disaster because of Wang Xue. Now they just need to live a good life and don't need to think about any other messy things anymore.
Wang Xue tugged at Qin Lian, and the two of them now huddled together for warmth, their relationship much better than their previous fake best friend relationship: "Why bother talking to them so much? They won't listen anyway, they'll learn their lesson when they hit a wall."
It's no wonder that these veteran educated youths look down on the newcomers. Apart from Qian Jingshen, who is a bit of a crybaby, the rest of the newcomers are like dim-witted idiots who have no sense of self-awareness and are always trying to cause trouble.
“You’re right. There are more people going up the mountain today, so it’s much safer. Shall we go up and see if we can find any wild vegetables or something to bring back and eat?”
After their family troubles, they went from being extravagant spenders to being thrifty and frugal. Each of them is better at managing their finances than the last. If they plan ahead, the money they brought with them can provide for several years of good living. At least they won't go hungry without having to work hard.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com