Whenever they received letters, it was the happiest time for the educated youth. Whether it was a few words of concern from their families, or food and clothes carefully prepared by their families, or like Lu Wei, who always received so many bags that she couldn't finish them all, there were also money and food coupons sent from the city, which really made everyone envious.
Tian Tian has only received two letters from home in the few months she has been here. She knows that her father works hard and she also has a mother to take care of, so she is very happy that he can take time to write a letter.
However, this letter was not a greeting like the first one. After reading it, Tian Tian's face quickly fell. Her mother's condition had worsened, and the hospital said she needed surgery as soon as possible. Her father wrote to say that he was trying to borrow money and asked her if she could also collect some money to send back, because recuperation after the operation was also very important.
The signature was more than ten days ago, and the surgery was scheduled for five days later. Tian Tian was extremely anxious, wondering how her father had managed to raise the money.
Li Jiawei noticed something was wrong with Tian Tian and pulled her aside: "What's wrong? What happened at home?"
When Tian Tianrang's friend asked her, tears immediately flowed down her face. "My mother's lumbar spine is not in good condition. The doctor has been recommending surgery, but the cost is too expensive. We really can't afford it. Now we can't put it off any longer. Jiawei, what should I do?"
Li Jiawei hugged Tian Tian, feeling distressed. This girl had always been the most hardworking among the educated youth, never complaining about hardship or tiredness. She was admirable. Now she was crying so sadly, which made Li Jiawei feel uncomfortable too. "Don't be afraid, let's think of a solution together. I still have some money and tickets. You can use them first. After all, we are in the village, and it will be enough if we save a little."
Tian Tian choked up as she thanked him. At this moment, she really couldn't say no. Li Jiawei wiped Tian Tian's tears and said, "Okay, stop crying. Let's go back and ask if we can raise some money."
When they returned to the courtyard, everyone was there. Sun Da Niu didn't have classes today and had just finished washing clothes for Lu Wei. Tian Tian was a little embarrassed to speak in front of outsiders, so Li Jiawei spoke for her, "Dad, you should go back today. We have something to discuss."
Sun Danniu looked at Lu Wei and didn't move. Lu Wei and Li Jiawei just didn't get along. She would always argue with him no matter what. "The work isn't finished yet. You can't leave. It's not your yard alone. Why should you leave just because you tell me to?"
"Lv Wei, don't be ungrateful. If you make me angry, I will tell others that you hired someone to do the work privately. Your behavior is extremely unacceptable." Li Jiawei just didn't want to argue with her, but it didn't mean she would swallow her anger.
Lu Wei didn't care at all, "The little sister is just helping me with the work, it's not that serious."
"Okay, Lu Wei, please stop talking." Wang Qiang is the eldest brother of the group, and his words are usually very effective. "Big sister, go back first and come back when you have time."
Wang Qiang spoke, but Lu Wei did not refute him. She pouted and looked somewhat unwilling, sitting there without saying a word.
Tian Tian breathed a sigh of relief, stood up and briefly explained the situation. At the end, with a tearful tone, she asked everyone if they could lend her some money. She would pay the grain and work points immediately and she would definitely pay them back without a penny missing.
After these words were spoken, there was a moment of silence. Wang Qiang really wanted to help, but his conditions were worse than Tian Tian's. He was really powerless. He opened his mouth, but still couldn't say a word.
The three remaining male educated youths exchanged glances, and Fan Ruifeng took the initiative to speak: "I have three yuan here. Tian Tian, you can use it first. There's no need to rush to return it to me."
Cheng Liang and Jin Xiaoguang also took out three dollars, and Tian Tian accepted them with profuse thanks. Everyone knew Wang Qiang's situation, and his pockets were probably cleaner than his face.
Li Jiawei took five yuan and a few tickets and stuffed them into Tian Tian's hands. That was all she had. Life was hard these days. Everyone had a bunch of brothers and sisters to support at home, so it was impossible to have much spare money.
Tian Tian's tears dripped down her face. She kept all these favors in her heart.
"Tsk, Tian Tian, why don't you ask me to borrow it?" Lu Wei was very unhappy. She had been waiting for Tian Tian to bow to her since the beginning. "I have Zhang Da Tuanjie. I'll give it to you if you ask."
It was clearly a nice thing to say, but when it came out of Lu Wei's mouth, it made people feel uncomfortable. Tian Tian bit her lip. Her pride made her not want to say it, but reality forced her to give in. "Lu Wei, thank you for helping me. I..."
Lu Wei waved her hand to interrupt Tian Tian, "But I don't want to help now, what should I do?"
In fact, Lu Wei has always resentful of Tian Tian for repeatedly rejecting her requests, and now she just wants to see her in trouble.
A feeling of humiliation washed over Tian Tian, and her face flushed red. Li Jiawei wanted to stand up for her, but Tian Tian stopped her, "Jiawei, I'm fine. You don't have to argue with someone like that because of me."
Wang Qiang and others did not expect things to develop like this. They were all dissatisfied with Lu Wei's behavior. If you are not sincere in lending money, why humiliate you?
"Hmph!" A heavy cold snort came from outside the door. Everyone turned their heads and found that it was the captain and the secretary who came.
When Wang Youtian saw that Tian Tian looked unhappy in the office, he called Chen Zhifang to come and take a look. Unexpectedly, he heard such a conversation outside the door. This Lu Wei is really annoying.
"Captain Wang, Secretary Chen, why are you here? Come and sit down." Wang Qiang was the first to react. "Tian Tian, go get two glasses of water."
Tian Tian quickly took the opportunity to pour water and wiped her tears. Chen Zhifang glanced at Lu Wei, who looked a little uneasy. "Xiao Lu, what are you talking about? The seven of you have come here from all over the world. If you don't help each other, you can't kick someone when they're down!"
"Comrade, you have a problem with your ideological awareness," Wang Youtian had been wanting to say to Lü Wei for a while. "You come to work late and leave early every day, and you never finish your work. I heard you even pay people to do your work for you. Are you trying to be the boss with this behavior?!"
Lu Wei was so scared that her face turned pale. She was not afraid of being scolded by the educated youth because she knew that the others were quite honest. Even Li Jiawei, who was the most difficult to talk to, would not do anything to harm others. But if the team leader and the secretary labeled her, it would be troublesome.
"I'm sorry, Captain. I...I won't do it again," Lu Wei was known for her ability to cry at the drop of a hat. "I really didn't mean to do that. Please give me another chance."
Chen Zhifang and Wang Youtian ignored her. The six educated youth were already used to Lu Wei's tears. They used to comfort her out of politeness, but now they were too lazy to pay any attention to her.
Lu Wei cried for a while, then felt embarrassed. She sat there with red eyes and pouting lips, and remained silent.
Chen Zhifang pulled out a small cloth bag from his pocket and said, "Xiaotian, if your family is in trouble, remember to contact the organization. Since your household registration has been settled in our Qingshan Village, we are a family. We are one family, so we should keep our distance. Take this money first, and come back to me and Captain Wang if it's not enough."
After the two of them finished talking, they got up and left without waiting for Tian Tian to react.
With tears in her eyes, Tian Tian picked up the small cloth bag. Inside it were banknotes of all denominations. The most eye-catching ones were probably the five Great Unity notes.
"Secretary Chen, Captain Wang! Thank you!" Tian Tian chased after them and bowed to them respectfully.
Chen Zhifang and Wang Youtian smiled and waved their hands. If the village’s recent income had not been so good, they would not have been able to come up with so much money.
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