As the youngest among the previous batches of educated youth, Lin Dongfang genuinely treated Jian Dan like his own younger sister. Despite not seeing her for over six months, he didn't become distant; his eyes were full of surprise and delight.
"Wow, you two are really inseparable, you don't want to let go of each other's hands."
Are you at the station, about to leave?
"We went back to Beijing on some business, and we just got off the train back."
"Back to the capital? Then,"
Compared to Qin Qinghuai, Lin Dongfang's ability to conceal his emotions is still somewhat immature; his worry for his family is quite obvious.
“We only stayed in the capital for two nights and one day, so time was tight. I didn’t have time to go there in person, but I asked around and the Lin family is doing well, so you can rest assured.”
Lin Dongfang also contacted his family, but these timely updates still warmed his heart considerably.
"Then I'm relieved. By the way, are you going back today? Back to the village?"
He didn't try to persuade him much. Jian Dan was just a sent-down youth, and his sense of belonging to the village wasn't that strong. He probably felt more attached to his childhood friends and companions.
“Mingzhu and the children are at home. I came out today to pick up a package at the post office. Also, Uncle Liu is sick, so I'm working part-time to catch the bus. That's why I came with the village chief. If she sees you, she'll be overjoyed.”
Especially that mischievous boy, he keeps talking about you.
To be honest, Jian Dan genuinely liked Lin Huizhou, and hearing this brought a touch of nostalgia to her heart.
"It's too late today. I'll visit Sister Zhuzhu and Huizhou next time I come back. Wait a minute, I bought some food to take back to Zhouzhou."
He ran to the car and, under the cover of the bundle, pulled out a bunch of food. He picked out a few special Beijing pastries that the old lady had prepared. Although the still-warm roast duck was a bit hard to explain, he might not notice that there were several kinds of food packed in a small bundle.
In this era, besides Cheng Chao and Qin Qinghuai, Lin Dongfang and his wife were among the closest people to her. She wasn't stingy; she carefully selected some items, packed them up, and handed them to Lin Dongfang.
"Don't refuse, these are for Sister Zhuzhu and Zhouzhou. You know I don't lack these things. Besides, these are all specialties from Beijing. Let Sister Zhuzhu try them. Does the taste have changed?"
"OK,"
She's really easy to get along with; I know her generosity all too well. Even with tiny gaps between her fingers, she never refused.
"Then I won't stand on ceremony with you. I'm taking it back to satisfy my little glutton's craving. It's been much harder for us to eat meat without you. The new educated youth are restless, all eyeing us like they have envious eyes. I don't even go hunting anymore. This kid has been quite a handful these days, being naughty all day long. If he sees something delicious, he'll be overjoyed."
"It's better that you don't go back now. Ever since the last batch of educated youth arrived, there's been some unrest in the village. One of them keeps reporting on others, which has caused the Revolutionary Committee to intervene several times. The atmosphere in the village is quite tense now."
"With you guys keeping things under control, who would dare to cause trouble?"
"After you left, a few people returned to the city. Two of them married people from the village. The remaining old educated youths have lost interest in the city and are now focused on working and earning work points. They don't care about anything else. As long as the new educated youths don't bother them, they don't want to see them or be bothered by them."
The village chief and his colleagues tried to intervene a few times, but eventually they stopped.
Some villagers even said, "They dare to act like this because you're not there to keep them in check."
The last sentence was a joke, simply accompanied by an eye roll.
"Come on, do you think I'm a door god or a village guardian beast?"
By the way, how's that child?
Lin Dongfang smiled.
"It's great. Tan Yajun and Liu Jiefang really treat her like their own child. Especially Liu Jiefang, who used to be quiet, is even more so now. He runs home whenever he's not working, carrying the child around the village and showing her off."
A simple warmth touched my heart.
"It's also a blessing for this child,"
"Yes, isn't that a blessing? It's said that Tan Yajun and her husband are supporting them, but actually, all the educated youths would occasionally give them something and lend a hand. Among the educated youths, there are only two children, Zhouzhou and her. Li Yan and Chen Jianguo only left this one child. After living together for so many years, no one can just stand by and watch."
That's true.
Thinking this, he simply and decisively ran back to the car, took out three bags of milk powder and two packs of pastries, and stuffed them all into Lin Dongfang's hands.
"Today was rather sudden, and I didn't prepare anything for others. Please take these things back to Sister Yajun as a small token of my appreciation. I live far away, so the child can only rely on you to take care of him."
Could you please take this package of pastries and other things to Uncle Liu for me? No matter what, they've taken good care of me during the years I've been in the village.”
"Okay, don't worry. I went to see them the day before yesterday. They said it's just that they're getting old and they're not used to the change in temperature. I'll bring it over when I get home tonight."
Don't worry about the child. There are so many of us here. Everyone can lend a hand, so it won't cause any problems.
You used to always say you were cold-blooded and ruthless, but what happened? You were always worrying about this person going hungry or that person not having enough to eat. From now on, just worry about Qinghuai and live your own life.
Everyone has their own destiny. We can't keep feeding on you forever, and you can't take care of us forever, right?
After saying all that, he finally turned his gaze to Qin Qinghuai.
"Brother Qinghuai, it seems you two get along quite well?"
Qin Qinghuai did not show any disappointment at being neglected; a smile still played on his lips.
"Of course, we are very sweet together."
And there's a touch of arrogance in him.
Lin Dongfang's mouth dropped open. He was still a little unaccustomed to this character and the word "sweet." He stood there stunned for a few seconds before coming to his senses.
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