Chapter 18 A Village Girl in the 1970s
Several elderly people were sitting under a big tree at the entrance of the village, fanning themselves with homemade palm-leaf fans and chatting about everyday life.
Suddenly, an unusual roar came from afar, breaking the tranquility of the village.
What's that noise?
Someone stopped fanning themselves with a palm leaf fan, stood up in confusion, and shaded their eyes with their hand, peering out of the village.
Soon, a small car kicking up dust came into view.
Toy car!
The elderly people were shocked.
"Good heavens, how did this iron thing get into our village?"
"Has a high-ranking leader arrived? Should we go find the team leader?"
"What kind of high-ranking leader is he? What brings him to our village?"
"How should I know? Go find the captain right away."
"Go ahead, I'm still fine on my feet, let me go."
A slightly younger old man lifted his leg and ran towards the main group.
At this moment, the car slowly stopped in front of everyone, the window rolled down, revealing the young man in the driver's seat.
Someone craned their neck to look into the car, but saw no one else, and a look of suspicion flashed in their eyes.
Why is this leader so young?
Regardless of why they are so young, we should still greet them.
"Sir, please wait a moment. Someone has already gone to call the captain, and he will be back soon."
Lu Yikang looked at these old men wearing patched clothes, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes.
Do you know how to get to Yao Yunzhen's house?
He had been waiting for Yao Meimei for days without success, and he couldn't sit still any longer, so he decided to investigate himself.
These days, whether my eyes are open or closed, all I can think about is that girl named Zhenzhen. I can't eat or sleep well.
He had only one thought in mind: he had to get his hands on the person.
Lu Yikang's family wielded more influence in the county than Yao Meimei had imagined. In just two days, they thoroughly investigated the Yao family.
After learning the exact address, Lu Yikang didn't hesitate and borrowed a car through his father's connections, then went straight there.
"Yao Yunzhen? Who is that? Is there such a person in our village?"
"Your surname is Yao, so you must be a member of the Yao family, right?"
"I know, it's Yao Sheng's lazy daughter."
"Oh, it's her."
Few people would recognize her by her name, but if you mention "Lazy Girl," everyone knows who she is.
Yao Yunzhen's laziness was notorious in Baiyang Brigade.
Such a big girl, she does nothing all day but wander around the village, being idle and lazy. People have talked about her a lot.
Many people say that the Yao family spoils their daughter too much.
She's just a money-loser, raised like a rich man's daughter—it's outrageous.
Lu Yikang was delighted upon hearing this and looked at the speaker: "Do you know where she lives?"
What does this leader want with that girl?
Some people were puzzled, but they still tried their best to give directions, while the others followed behind the car, bumping along towards Yao Yunzhen's house.
Women who were doing housework at home heard the commotion and quickly came out of their houses to see what was going on.
Children were also chasing after the toy cars, running back and forth.
"Where are they going? And why are there cars here?"
"I heard they're looking for Yao Sheng's daughter."
"Looking for his daughter? This is..."
When one of the older women saw that the driver was a young man, she couldn't help but start guessing what was going on.
"Don't overthink it. That girl must have gotten into some trouble in the city a couple of days ago."
With Yao Qiang's daughter, what man could possibly be interested in her?
I heard that she doesn't even know how to pick up a fallen oil bottle at home, and her mother has to wash her own clothes.
The crowd thronged around the car, whispering amongst themselves as they drove along, making all sorts of guesses one after another.
The Yao family's house was close to the village entrance, and the road was fairly wide. With the guidance of a group of onlookers, Lu Yikang successfully drove the car to the Yao family's door.
An old man called out Yao Daqiang's secret name loudly: "Daqiang, a leader is looking for your lazy... Zhen girl."
Her name is Zhen Yatou, right?
These old men were much older than Yao Daqiang, and they usually only interacted with the men in charge of the household, so they didn't really know the names of the little girls in the village.
A young woman said, "Uncle Daqiang is at work. His whole family is at work. I saw them leave when I was watering the vegetable garden. Now only Zhenya should be at home."
Lu Yikang also heard the villagers' discussions and knew that they had arrived at their destination. He became even more excited and quickly got out of the car.
He somehow got hold of a black Zhongshan suit and put it on, along with leather shoes and waxed hair, making him look quite dashing.
The villagers had never seen anything like it before; someone dressed even better than the commune leaders. They were all stunned and took a few steps back to make way, no longer daring to whisper.
The scene immediately fell silent.
Lu Yikang ignored the impoverished villagers, straightened his collar, and shouted:
"Is Comrade Yao Yunzhen at home?"
Nowadays, houses aren't soundproof, and Yao Yunzhen had already heard the noise outside. She even secretly opened a crack in the window to look out.
After realizing that the man in the car outside was there to see her, Yao Yunzhen panicked.
She doesn't know him at all, so why is he looking for her?
Yao Yunzhen didn't know whether she should respond.
Lu Yikang waited for a while, but heard no sound. He frowned, turned to look at the person who had led the way, and asked in a cold voice:
"Are you sure this is Yao Yunzhen's house? You're not mistaken?"
The people being questioned immediately became somewhat flustered, fearing they might anger their superiors, and hurriedly replied:
"I'm sure, this is her house. We're from the same village, how could I be wrong?"
"Yes, we're all from the same village, there's no way we could make a mistake."
"Zhen girl, come out quickly! Zhen girl, a leader is looking for you, come out quickly!"
One of the old women simply shouted at the top of her lungs and slammed the courtyard gate shut.
The boss? Looking for her?
Yao Yunzhen was very puzzled. After hesitating for a moment, she opened the door, making sure to put on her mask before doing so.
She didn't dare go out, so she stood at the door and called out, "Boss, what do you want with me?"
Upon seeing Yao Yunzhen, Lu Yikang's eyes lit up immediately.
Although Yao Yunzhen was dressed inconspicuously and wearing a mask, he still recognized her at a glance.
Those bright and sparkling eyes were unforgettable to him.
She was the fairy who haunted his dreams.
Lu Yikang suppressed his excitement and cleared his throat: "Let me introduce myself first. My name is Lu Yikang. My father is the director of the Revolutionary Committee, and my mother is the deputy director of the Women's Federation. I am the only son in our family, and everything in the family will be mine from now on."
"So he wasn't a leader after all. What's he doing in our village?"
"Fool, can't you see? This young man has definitely taken a liking to Zhen."
"With his good qualities, why would he be interested in a country girl?"
"..."
The quiet crowd began to whisper again.
Separated by a courtyard, Yao Yunzhen didn't hear the whispers clearly; she only felt puzzled and confused.
Why are you telling me all this?
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