People gradually arrived to work, and the scene was filled with merriment. Reeds danced in Zhao Mingyue's hands, and a clean white reed mat appeared behind her. As she worked, she listened to everyone chattering about this and that, while Yu Youfen beside her tacitly remained silent and worked quietly.
Wang Qiulan and several young women were talking about the movie from the previous night on the other side, their expressions animated and their spittle flying. Wang Qiulan was quite pretty, but she was short, petty, and extremely jealous. The small black mole on the corner of her mouth revealed her cunning and gossipy nature.
Zhao Mingyue glanced coldly at Wang Qiulan. The hatred brought from the past life could not be completely erased, but since Wang Qiulan had not yet done those things, Zhao Mingyue would not seek revenge. However, hatred and estrangement were inevitable.
Everyone was working when the cadre came down to inspect the work. Zhao Jinyun was wearing a blue khaki Zhongshan suit with a pen in his breast pocket and his hands behind his back. He walked around looking at everyone, exuding a leader's air. When he got to Zhao Mingyue and Yu Youfen, he lingered for a few more minutes, watching them work for a while, and then suddenly said, "Mingyue, Youfen, after you finish work, come to the brigade office to find me."
Zhao Mingyue and Yu Youfen exchanged a glance, puzzled. Zhao Mingyue asked, "Director, what's the matter?"
Zhao Jinyun said, "I need your help with something." She wouldn't say what kind of help it was, and then sauntered out.
Everyone heard that Zhao Jinyun wanted to see Zhao Mingyue and Yu Youfen, and they couldn't help but whisper among themselves. At this moment, a voice said sarcastically, "Cultural people are really different, even the director has to come to them for help."
Zhao Mingyue turned around and saw that it was none other than Wang Qiulan who had said those words. She gave Wang Qiulan a cold look, which made Wang Qiulan twist her neck uncomfortably and lower her head to do her work.
After finishing work, Yu Youfen said to Zhao Mingyue, "Shall we go now, Mingyue?"
Zhao Mingyue said, "Let's not go yet. Let's go home and eat first. We'll ask my brother to come with us later." That old bastard Zhao Jinyun is the best at using high-sounding reasons to settle personal matters under the guise of official business. She doesn't remember Zhao Jinyun ever asking her for help, but now that this lecherous old man is asking them for help, she can't help but be a little wary.
Yu Youfen was somewhat timid and fearful, and was most afraid of leading cadres. She hesitated for a moment and said, "Why don't we go and take a look first? The director might be waiting for us."
Zhao Mingyue grabbed Yu Youfen's arm and said coquettishly, "Sister Youfen, I'm starving! I need to go back and eat first. He invited us to go together. If you go alone first, wouldn't I be a deserter?"
Yu Youfen looked at Zhao Mingyue and said, "Okay, then I'll go back and eat too. I'll come find you after I eat."
"Okay, I'll come find you after I finish eating." Zhao Mingyue said goodbye to Yu Youfen and went home.
What could Zhao Jinyun possibly have done? It's nothing more than trivial matters, and he just finds excuses to take advantage of young women.
When Zhao Mingyue returned home for dinner, Hu Nianchun had already prepared the meal. She had eaten white rice that morning, her best meal of the day. Upon seeing Zhao Mingyue, Hu Nianchun sighed and said softly, "That young man from the Cheng family is said to be particularly fond of you, willing to let you name any conditions. Are you really not going to reconsider?"
Zhao Mingyue shook her head and remained silent; she wouldn't agree to anything, not even mountains of gold and silver.
Zhao Minglang, who was eating breakfast nearby, said, "Mom, my sister doesn't want to do it, why are you forcing her?"
Hu Nianchun muttered to himself, "I just think that company's conditions are pretty good, and I want Mingyue to consider it carefully."
Zhao Mingyue smiled and said, "Mom, I've thought it over carefully. There's really no need to think about it anymore. I will definitely not regret it."
"Alright then, I'll go talk to Luo Wu's wife." Hu Nianchun sighed softly, then went to feed the pigs.
Zhao Mingyue said to Zhao Minglang, "Third Brother, this morning Zhao Jinyun came to find me and Sister Youfen and asked us to go to the brigade to find him."
Zhao Minglang frowned: "What is this old lecher up to?" Realizing he had misspoke, he quickly whispered to his sister, "Mingyue, let me tell you, you must be careful of that old bastard Zhao Jinyun. Never be alone with him. He's very dangerous."
Zhao Mingyue looked at Zhao Minglang: "What if he comes looking for us?"
Zhao Minglang patted his chest and said, "I'll go with you."
As soon as the brother and sister put down their chopsticks, they went to find Yu Youfen. Yu Youfen happened to be looking for them too, and they met on the way. The three of them headed towards the brigade office. In front of Zhao Mingyue, Zhao Minglang and Yu Youfen didn't say a word. Yu Youfen took Zhao Mingyue's arm and asked, "What do you think the director wants to see us about?"
"I don't know, we'll find out when we get there," Zhao Mingyue said.
When they arrived at the brigade office, Zhao Jinyun was about to lock the door and leave. Zhao Mingyue said, "Director, we're here. Is there anything I can help you with?"
Zhao Jinyun's face lit up with joy, but when she turned around and saw Zhao Minglang standing behind the two girls, her expression immediately darkened: "Why are you only arriving now? Don't you have any sense of time?"
Zhao Minglang said, "If the director has something to do, then go ahead and do it. We'll come back another time."
Zhao Jinyun said, "I didn't come looking for you, what are you doing here?"
Zhao Minglang's expression immediately changed, while Zhao Mingyue smiled and said, "I heard that the director asked us for help, and I thought that my third brother is more educated than me, and since he is a man and stronger, he might be able to help."
Zhao Jinyun stopped talking. He reopened the door, pointed to a bucket in the corner and said, "The slogans in the village have faded. I wanted to find two people to repaint them. I thought you two had done a good job, so I called you over."
Zhao Minglang quickly said, "This job is perfect for me. I was the one who painted the slogans last time. Some places are quite high, so the girls can't paint them."
Zhao Mingyue smiled and said, "Then let the three of us handle this. My third brother will do the work, and we'll assist him."
Zhao Jinyun was furious and waved his hand: "Fine, hurry up and take them away. All the slogans must be repainted today. Hurry up."
Zhao Minglang took out the lime bucket and brush, and Zhao Jinyun locked the door with a stern face: "Remember to return the bucket and brush when you're done painting."
After watching him leave, Zhao Minglang smiled at Zhao Mingyue and Yu Youfen and said, "Let's go back and record our work hours with the team leader first, so that he won't say we were absent without leave."
They had just stepped out of the brigade's courtyard when they ran into Shen Xuyue and several other educated youth returning from outside. Shen Xuyue saw the three of them and asked, "What are you doing?"
Zhao Mingyue looked at Shen Xuyue, whose hair was neatly combed, who was wearing a clean white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and who looked calm and capable. She glanced at him and then lowered her head, thinking to herself, "Although he looks a bit rustic, he's really handsome."
Zhao Minglang said, "Secretary Shen, the director asked a few of us to go and paint slogans."
Shen Xuyue glanced at the bucket of lime in Zhao Minglang's hand, then at Zhao Mingyue holding the brush. Zhao Mingyue's hair was braided into two thick, black braids, one in front and one behind, each tied with a small bow of beige yarn. The bow trembled slightly as Zhao Mingyue breathed on it, and Shen Xuyue felt a slight tingling sensation in his heart, as if the yarn bow had brushed against him. He regained his composure and said, "Did Director Zhao say that? Didn't he say we'd start painting tomorrow? Then you can go ahead."
Zhao Minglang nodded: "Okay, then we're off."
Shen Xuyue called out to Zhao Mingyue: "Zhao Mingyue."
Zhao Mingyue turned to look at him, and Shen Xuyue said, "The book you wanted will be available in a couple of days. Come over then."
Zhao Mingyue smiled, revealing her pearly teeth: "Okay, thank you, Secretary Shen."
The work of painting the slogans wasn't strenuous. Zhao Minglang was in charge of painting the words, Yu Youfen was in charge of carrying the buckets of lime, and Zhao Mingyue was in charge of moving the stools. Some slogans were painted high up, requiring them to stand on the stools to reach them, and the three of them worked together seamlessly.
While busy, Zhao Minglang whispered to Yu Youfen and Zhao Mingyue, "When Zhao Jinyun comes to see you in the future, don't go alone. You must find someone to go with you."
Yu Youfen had obviously heard about Zhao Jinyun's matter, and nodded, "Okay."
Zhao Mingyue readily agreed, "I know, brother. I asked you to come along today."
Zhao Minglang praised, "That's exactly how we should do it."
The three of them were painting slogans all over the village, at least twenty or thirty of them, which was quite a heavy task. By noon, everyone else had finished work, but Zhao Mingyue and the other two were still painting slogans on the walls of the brigade office. The slogans here had large fonts, making them very difficult to paint, and the lime mortar was almost gone. The three of them planned to finish painting the lime mortar, go back to eat, and then mix more lime mortar in the afternoon to continue painting tomorrow.
Shen Xuyue came in from outside carrying an aluminum lunchbox. He had already eaten lunch in the cafeteria and returned. Seeing the three of them still busy, he stopped and asked, "Why haven't you finished work yet?"
Zhao Mingyue said, "Not yet, there's still a little bit of lime water left. We'll go back after we finish painting."
Shen Xuyue glanced at it and said, "Just leave it there for now. I'll get a few people to help paint over the slogans in this yard later. You guys go back and have dinner."
Zhao Mingyue paused for a moment, then looked at Shen Xuyue and said, "Thank you, Secretary Shen. We'll head back now."
When Zhao Mingyue returned home, only her father, Zhao Shunsheng, was home. When he saw his children return, he tapped his pipe on the threshold and said, "You're back. Let's eat."
Zhao Mingyue asked, "Dad, have you eaten? Where's Mom?"
Zhao Shunsheng said, "I haven't eaten yet either. I'll wait for you to come back and eat. Your mother went to your eldest brother Luo Wu's house."
Zhao Mingyue paused, realizing her mother had gone to talk to Aunt Luo about her affairs. Zhao Mingyue went to wash her hands and saw Zhao Minglang staring into the washbasin for a long time without washing his face. Zhao Mingyue smiled and asked, "Third Brother, what are you looking at?"
Zhao Minglang suddenly felt a little embarrassed: "I don't see any lime on my face."
Zhao Mingyue laughed and said, "You have lime paste in your hair too, why don't you wash your hair and face?"
Zhao Minglang's ears turned slightly red: "Forget it, let's not wash it. We still need to scrub it this afternoon."
"If you scrub in the afternoon, you can wash it again in the afternoon. It'll only waste a little water, not anything else." Zhao Mingyue secretly rejoiced. Her brother was in love and paid attention to his image, afraid that he would leave a bad impression on Yu Youfen.
Zhao Minglang said, "Then I'll wash up and fetch some water later."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com