When Shen Jingyan went outside, she saw Zhou Zhengqing.
He flashed his signature refined smile and said with concern, "Jingya, all the windows in your room are broken, so no one can stay here tonight. Why don't you stay in my room? I'll make do in the dormitory for the night."
Eight male educated youths came to Dalin Village. Seven of them lived in the collective dormitory, while Zhou Zhengqing was the exception and lived in a room by himself.
Using his neurasthenia and insomnia as an excuse, he begged Lao Xu to give him a single dormitory room.
Shen Jingyan also heard that while other educated youth came to participate in labor and develop their skills, he was the only one who came to "gild his resume".
His father was a high-ranking official, and he was the only son in the family. The whole family doted on him and couldn't bear to see him suffer in the countryside.
While other young people were being sent to the countryside, the son of a cadre was staying at home enjoying a life of luxury. This was bad for his father's reputation, so he was assigned to Dalin Village.
He doesn't do much work on weekdays; he's always either flirting with young girls or dawdling over his work. Old Xu is too lazy to pay attention to him, so he just lets him be.
Shen Jingyan felt that he hadn't used his intelligence for anything else, but rather for currying favor with the young girl.
Just when she was worried about not having a place to stay overnight, Zhou Zhengqing came to offer his help.
"No need, Zhou Zhiqing. It wouldn't be good for a girl like me to live in a dormitory with a man like you."
He calmly declined.
Zhou Zhengqing waved his hand dismissively, saying, "Hey, what's the big deal! I can make do in the dormitory. Look at you, with your delicate skin, it would be so pitiful if you got sick in such a cold room."
He tried to reach out and touch Shen Jingyan's fair face, but Shen Jingyan took two steps back to avoid him.
When he spoke to Shen Jingyan, there was always a hint of greasy ambiguity in his tone, which Shen Jingyan found extremely offensive.
“Zhou Zhiqing, don’t you have neurasthenia? You can’t sleep well in the dormitory, and your parents will be even more worried when they find out.”
Zhou Zhengqing felt a little embarrassed. He was a grown man in his twenties, and it was somewhat shameful to have his parents brought up in public when he was out in public.
"I'm fine, but I'd be more worried if you got cold!"
Zhou Zhengqing was eager to show his thoughtfulness and consideration, so he stepped forward and tried to take Shen Jingyan's hand.
"Knock knock knock".
There was a knock on the door.
Gu Zhiyun appeared at the door, his slender and upright figure falling on Zhou Zhengqing.
He saw Zhou Zhengqing reach for Shen Jingyan's hand, and his gaze toward him was as sharp as the north wind.
No matter how lecherous Zhou Zhengqing was, he would never dare to pull or tug at Shen Jingyan in front of Gu Zhiyun.
Although he engaged in illicit relationships, he was also afraid of being caught and criticized by the inspection team.
Shen Jingyan was very grateful for Gu Zhiyun's timely appearance; otherwise, she wouldn't know how to get rid of Zhou Zhengqing, that clingy pest.
She gave Gu Zhiyun a bright smile: "Gu Zhiyun, is there anything I can help you with?"
Gu Zhiyun, leaning on his cane, walked up to Shen Jingyan and deliberately separated the little girl from Zhou Zhengqing.
"Grandma Xu said that you should stay with her in the big room tonight, and the farm manager will sleep in our dormitory. We will find a way to get the glass in tomorrow and fix your window as soon as possible."
This solution was a godsend for Shen Jingyan, and she readily agreed: "Okay, I'll pack up and move to the big house right away!"
Zhou Zhengqing's attempts to curry favor failed, and he stomped his feet in frustration.
"Jingya, how can a young girl like you share a room with an old lady? Why don't you stay in my room? I keep it very clean!"
Shen Jingyan firmly refused, saying, "No, it's fine for me to share a room with my grandma. She has a back injury, and I can help her if she needs to get up at night."
A hint of pleasure flashed in Gu Zhiyun's eyes: "I'll help you move your bedding."
Zhou Zhengqing wanted to take over the work again: "Old Gu, your leg is not in good condition, let me do it!"
Just as he was about to grab Shen Jingyan's bedding, Old Xu appeared at the window, poked his head in, and shouted at Zhou Zhengqing:
"Xiao Zhou, come here and help me start the fire! Your grandma has a backache, Xiao Yang has a concussion, and Xiao Gu has trouble walking. Whether we can have dinner tonight depends on you!"
Zhou Zhengqing snorted angrily and abandoned Shen Jingyan's bedding.
As he reached the door, he glanced at Shen Jingyan one last time, seemingly reluctant to leave.
"Hurry up, what are you dawdling for?"
Old Xu raised his voice even louder, "It's one thing if you're lazy normally, but now the forest farm is full of injured and sick people, and you're the only one who's healthy. So don't act like a rich young master from the city!"
As Zhou Zhengqing reluctantly left, Shen Jingyan seemed to catch a glimpse of a smile on Gu Zhiyun's lips.
"Let me help you move it."
He stretched out his long arm and picked up Shen Jingyan's bedding.
A delicate fragrance wafted over, the soft bedding carrying the unique scent of the young girl.
He was momentarily dazed.
Shen Jingyan looked at his feet with concern: "I'll carry it myself, your feet aren't very convenient."
Feeling comforted by the care shown to him, Gu Zhiyun smiled without even realizing it.
"It's okay, it doesn't hurt much after I applied the medicine today."
If the girl showed him a little more concern, he would immediately be able to walk like the wind.
After making the bed, Shen Jingyan massaged Grandma Xu's back for a while.
"Alright, Jingya, your arms must be sore, right? Take a break."
Shen Jingyan's massage technique was very professional, and Grandma Xu felt that most of the pain in her lower back disappeared between her fingers.
The old lady comfortably squinted her eyes, took Chen Jingyan's hand, and sighed:
"Jingya, you're such a thoughtful girl. Unlike Shen Yuqin, who didn't learn any of her father's good qualities, but instead learned her mother's crooked ways!"
As he spoke, he spat angrily on the ground, "This time, the inspection team should thoroughly investigate this spendthrift mother and daughter, and it would be best to drag them to the main square for a severe public shaming! Let them know what it means to be shameful!"
What Grandma Xu said is exactly what Shen Jingyan hoped to see.
However, Shen Honggang also lost face and reputation.
The thought that the honest and kind-hearted Shen Honggang was about to be implicated by Chen Feng and her daughter and made to lose face made Shen Jingyan feel quite distressed.
Although it is said that it is better to tear down ten temples than to break up one marriage, Shen Jingyan felt from the bottom of her heart that such a good man as her uncle should not be ruined by a woman like Chen Feng.
She gradually developed some ideas and planned to talk to Shen Honggang about them when she had the chance.
She was chatting warmly with Grandma Xu when she heard Old Xu shouting from the kitchen.
"Xiao Zhou, you've been fiddling with it for ages, and you can't even see a single spark? Do you even know how to start a fire?"
Zhou Zhengqing retorted indignantly, "Director, I've never lit a fire at home. Aren't you making things difficult for me?"
Old Xu's temper flared even more, and his voice grew louder: "Stop acting all high and mighty at home! You're at the forest farm now, do you still think you're some kind of young master? You can't do anything right, even a gorilla I raise is more useful than you!"
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