Speaking of which, I wonder if your friend knows you're a complete liar. If she did know, do you think she'd still let you move in with her?
Shen Hongmei didn't even bother to lift her head in response to such sarcastic remarks, because she knew very well that the one who spoke was Wei Xue, who had always been at odds with her.
So, with a cold look in her eyes and an icy tone, she replied, "Wei Xue, listen to me carefully. Whether I'm still living in this educated youth settlement or not, as long as I'm still an educated youth in the Red Flag Brigade, this bunk is mine, and you absolutely shouldn't even think about taking over my bed!"
After saying that, Shen Hongmei still didn't look at Wei Xue, who was sitting on the kang (heated brick bed) with a face flushed red with anger.
Shen Hongmei disregarded the fact that there were other people sleeping on the kang (a heated brick bed) inside the room.
He called out loudly towards the outside, "Brother Xu, could you please come in and help me move some things?"
At this moment, Xu Lu, who was standing outside, had been getting impatient. According to past practice, the village was slaughtering a pig today, and the educated youth gathering was supposed to have a feast that evening.
Although he had asked Feng Baoguo to collect the pork for him before he left, he couldn't ask someone else to save the dishes for him at the gathering.
You have to understand that the educated youth didn't have many opportunities to improve their meals throughout the year. The fact that they ate together as a group was nothing compared to those who lived in single rooms and had to cook something delicious every now and then.
Even though they could only eat a few good meals throughout the year, they started to feel better after hearing from the brigade headquarters that each of the educated youth here could only get two and a half ounces of pork.
When he arrived at the educated youth settlement of Hongqi Brigade, he felt a strong sense of superiority when he saw the dilapidated courtyard and houses in front of him.
After all, such appalling living conditions were worlds apart from where they lived, and the treatment of educated youth was far worse than that of their Qingshan Brigade.
Just as Xu Lu was feeling smug, he heard Shen Hongmei calling him from inside the house. Without thinking too much, Xu Lu stepped into the house.
However, the moment he stepped into the room and his eyes fell upon the room full of female educated youth, his face immediately turned bright red with embarrassment.
He stammered as he asked, "Then... what does Hongmei need my help moving?"
Despite the angry stares from the other female educated youths, Shen Hongmei remained unconcerned. She simply pointed to a wooden box on the ground and instructed Xu Lu, "Brother Xu, please move this box to the end of the kang (heated brick bed) and place it against the wall."
Upon hearing this, the girl with braided pigtails who had just spoken flew into a rage, jumped up from the kang (a heated brick bed), and angrily pointed at Shen Hongmei, shouting, "Shen Hongmei, what exactly do you mean by this!"
This kang (heated brick bed) is already cramped enough for twelve of us, and you actually moved your tattered trunk onto it to take up space? To put it bluntly, what are you really up to?
It turns out that this educated youth who was always at odds with Shen Hongmei had a long-standing grudge against her.
Shen Hongmei and Wei Xue were among the same group of educated youth sent down to the countryside. The reason they became enemies stemmed from a conflict they had over a bunk bed when they first arrived.
Because the winters in Heilongjiang Province are so cold, everyone prefers to sleep in the warmest spot on the kang (heated brick bed).
However, under normal circumstances, later educated youth could only choose to sleep at the end of the kang (a heated brick bed), which seemed to have become an unwritten rule in all educated youth settlements.
Of course, this group of educated youth who came here were no exception to the custom.
Because the space on the kang (heated brick bed) is limited and there are many people sleeping there, everyone hopes to get the spot against the wall.
After all, sleeping against a wall is much more comfortable than sleeping in a place where there are people on both sides.
So when Shen Hongmei and Wei Xue entered the room and saw the kang (a heated brick bed) completely covered with bedding, their reactions were quite swift.
A thought flashed through their minds in an instant—to run wildly towards the corner at the end of the kang (a heated brick bed)!
However, Wei Xue was ultimately a step slower than Shen Hongmei and could only watch helplessly as Shen Hongmei threw the bedding in her hand to the end of the kang (a heated brick bed).
Although Wei Xue racked her brains to come up with various excuses afterward, and even put on a pitiful appearance in an attempt to get Shen Hongmei to give up that position, she was always met with Shen Hongmei's unwavering and resolute rejection.
From that time on, Wei Xue harbored resentment towards Shen Hongmei and began to find fault with her everywhere.
Unfortunately, Shen Hongmei was no pushover, and Wei Xue always ended up suffering the consequences in every confrontation.
As a result, the conflict between the two deepened, gradually developing into a point where they were irreconcilable enemies.
However, after Xu Lu moved the box onto the kang and settled it in, no one in the room made a sound except for Wei Xue, who kept muttering beside her.
This is also because Shen Hongmei is not someone to be trifled with. Although everyone can band together to isolate her and ignore her, the only person who would openly and seriously confront her is Wei Xue.
After all, nobody wants to offend a petty person who might be plotting against you behind your back at any time.
So in the end, Wei Xue could only helplessly let Shen Hongmei put the wooden box on her original sleeping spot before carrying the grain bag out of the educated youth settlement.
Although Xu Lu had been pedaling hard all the way, he was carrying a person and a lot of food, and the wind and snow were heavy.
By the time the two returned to the educated youth settlement, it was already dark, and the gathering there was about to end.
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