When Mu Xiaowan was in Shijia Village, the only person who treated her well was Sun Tiejun.
It’s a pity that Sun Tiejun, a boy of fifteen or sixteen at the time, could only express kindness to her. It was already good enough that he didn’t add insult to injury when others were bullying her.
At that time, every family had a hard time. It was difficult to get enough to eat, let alone help others.
And we have to take into account the differences between men and women, and it is even more impossible to get too close.
Mu Xiaowan had a deep memory of Sun Tiejun because one night when she was on guard duty, she heard wolves howling in the mountains and could faintly see a faint green light.
She was so scared that her legs went weak and she dared not move.
It was Sun Tiejun who suddenly appeared with a lantern in his hand. He walked around her as if he was looking for something and stayed with her until dawn.
Because there were people around and there was light, Mu Xiaowan was not so scared.
So, whether Sun Tiejun did it intentionally or unintentionally, she was very grateful to him.
Sun Tiejun's originally shy face instantly turned red because of Mu Xiaowan's excited shout and then looked at her beautiful and bright face. He spoke a little uncomfortably: "It's really you, what... when did you come back?"
Mu Xiaowan looked at Sun Tiejun with a smile: "Just arrived, came to take a look. Are you going to work in the fields?"
Sun Tiejun scratched his head a little embarrassedly: "Well, I am now responsible for driving a tractor in the team. I am the only tractor driver in the team."
Mu Xiaowan gave a thumbs up: "Then you are really amazing, congratulations."
Sun Tiejun felt even more embarrassed. In his eyes, Mu Xiaowan, who came from the city, was like the moon in the sky, beautiful yet distant. Ever since he was young and naive, he knew that she was the prettiest girl in the village and the educated youth camp combined.
Mu Xiaowan then remembered Zhou Luancheng beside her, and introduced him to Sun Tiejun generously: "This is Zhou Luancheng, a police officer. We came to the village together to handle a case."
Zhou Luancheng lowered his eyes and glanced at Mu Xiaowan, then looked at Sun Tiejun and nodded in greeting.
Sun Tiejun smiled at Zhou Luancheng again, then asked Mu Xiaowan curiously, "Case? What case? Are you also a police officer now?"
Mu Xiaowan smiled and said, "I'm still in school. I know the way, so I brought Comrade Zhou here. We found a body near Hongqi Town ahead, and we suspected it was Shi Dalei, so we came here to confirm it."
Sun Tiejun was surprised: "Shi Dalei? He has been out for many days. He said he was going to Beijing to make money. Why is he dead?"
Mu Xiaowan knew that the cattle economy that Sun Tiejun was talking about was actually the middleman who brought buyers and sellers together. The cattle business was the cattle economy, and the horse business was the horse economy.
They are usually smart and eloquent people who take advantage of both the sellers and the buyers.
But Shi Dalei was totally unsuitable for this job. He had a tough face and looked difficult to talk to. As a militia platoon leader, he had a very bad temper.
How can such a person be a bull in the economy?
Mu Xiaowan was very curious: "Why would they think of going to Beijing to do some cattle business? If they were going, they should go to a place with a cattle and horse market."
Sun Tiejun shook his head: "I don't know. Anyway, he treated the villagers to a meal when he left. His wife also said in the field today that when Shi Dalei becomes successful in the city, she will take him and his family there, and they won't have to earn work points in the field anymore."
After talking about Shi Dalei, Sun Tiejun was still curious about what Mu Xiaowan was doing now. He hesitated for a long time before speaking: "Are you okay in Beijing? I'm sorry that I couldn't help you when you were framed."
Mu Xiaowan waved her hand: "It's okay, and you were not very old at that time, so you couldn't help me even if you wanted to."
Sun Tiejun was silent for a while, his dark face turned dark red: "I know who stole Chen Zhiqing's money and food coupons, but I can't tell you. If I tell you, our family will be finished."
Mu Xiaowan was stunned for a moment before she realized that the person who stole the things should be Chen Tiejun's relative.
Thinking about the humiliation she felt at that time, and the people around her who were just watching the fun and urging her to take off her clothes.
Her enthusiasm for Chen Tiejun suddenly disappeared, and it turned out that his secret kindness to her was just to make up for it.
His tone faded: "It's okay, it's been so long, we are all alive and well now, if there is nothing else, we will leave first."
Chen Tiejun could see that Mu Xiaowan was a little angry, so he moved his lips and apologized quietly: "I'm sorry."
Mu Xiaowan couldn't forgive him just because he said sorry. The despair she felt back then was still deeply engraved in her mind after so many years.
He turned with a stern face and walked out of the village.
Zhou Luancheng glanced at Sun Tiejun and left with Mu Xiaowan.
Sun Tiejun stood there, watching the two people leaving, with a hint of guilt on his face, and some unconscious greed.
In fact, after knowing that it was his mother who stole the educated youth's money and food coupons and that Mu Xiaowan was the one who took the blame, he advised his mother to talk to the village party secretary and make things clear.
Restore Mu Xiaowan's innocence.
His mother pointed at his nose and scolded him, "How dare you order me around? Don't you think about the family, with so many mouths to feed? Can those work points feed us enough? Who am I doing this for? It's for you debt collectors."
"Did you think that young intellectual was pretty, so you wanted to be a hero and save the beauty? Why, you're not even as big as a flea, but you're already thinking about a woman?"
"Why don't you take a piss and look in the mirror? Even though they are here for labor reform, it's not your turn as a toad. You idiot, you want to be a hero and save the damsel in distress."
Somehow, his mother's abuse was heard by other children of his age, and they all spread the word that he liked Mu Xiaowan, until Mu Xiaowan returned to Beijing.
These people would tease him from time to time, asking if he was still thinking about that pretty little educated youth.
He would have forgotten it as time went by, but because it was often mentioned, Mu Xiaowan's appearance was more deeply imprinted in his memory.
I suddenly saw it today and couldn't help but feel happy.
Just looking at the tall and bright Mu Xiaowan, his inner inferiority complex increased. They were indeed not from the same world.
…
Mu Xiaowan and Zhou Luancheng left the village, still puffing out his cheeks and not saying a word.
After a long silence, he complained to Zhou Luancheng: "I thought he was the only one in this village who had some humanity, but I didn't expect it was because of guilt."
Zhou Luancheng smiled as he looked at her face which became brighter and more vivid because of her anger: "He was also a child who didn't dare to say it at the beginning. It's good that he can say it now."
Mu Xiaowan snorted: "What's the use of that? I'm a grudge holder. Besides, why did I suffer so much injustice? Just because he says sorry now, I have to forgive him? That's impossible!"
He suddenly stopped and looked at the millstone at the entrance of the village: "It was here that they surrounded me and accused me of stealing."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
