Chapter 4: Cruel
"Hey, this tastes very similar to tomatoes." Sun Zhigao raised an eyebrow and made a judgment after tasting it carefully. "It is very similar to tomatoes, but it tastes more than ten times better than tomatoes."
"It's also more juicy than ordinary tomatoes." Ming Kangjian sipped the delicious tomato juice with an intoxicated expression, "It tastes better than the apples I ate during the Chinese New Year this year."
The two praised the taste and did not continue to ask Lin Qi what kind of fruit it was. Perhaps they felt that asking would not get them an answer.
After all, this is a fool.
Lin Qi was too lazy to explain to them. She ate a tomato and a steamed bun, and her stomach was full. She put the pancake and the remaining tomato back into her backpack. Then she leaned against the seat behind her, closed her eyes, and fell asleep in a short while.
Just after she fell asleep, Ma Guizhi beside her spoke, "My name is Ma Guizhi, and I'm going to Jiahe Commune in Yao County. What about you?"
Ming Kangjian: "What a coincidence, I am also going to Jiahe Commune. My name is Ming Kangjian."
Sun Zhigao: "My name is Sun Zhigao. I also went to Yao County. I went to Shunhe Commune."
Ma Guizhi seemed to be thinking, "Could it be that everyone in this carriage is going to Yao County?"
Ming Kangjian and Sun Zhigao looked at each other and asked uncertainly, "Will it?"
Ma Guizhi suddenly stood up, not knowing what she was thinking of. "I'll go ask the others."
Ten minutes later, Ma Guizhi returned with a grim look on her face, "Most of the people in our carriage are going to Yao County, and only a few are going to Ningtuan County next to Yao County."
Ming Kangjian and Sun Zhigao just said "oh" after hearing this. They both didn't understand why Ma Guizhi's face turned ugly.
Soon, they got the answer. Ma Guizhi continued, "Do you think this idiot is from the same commune or brigade as us?"
Ming Kangjian was also not calm, "It can't be such a coincidence, right?"
Sun Zhigao didn't care. "Even if we are in the same place, will it affect us?"
Ma Guizhi's eyes were deep. "We were both educated youth, and it is very likely that we lived in the same house, or even the same room. Can we just ignore her and let her fend for herself? The catastrophe has passed, and we can't let her starve to death, right?"
Starving an educated youth to death is no small matter.
Ming Kangjian and Sun Zhigao were both silent.
The Lin family was quiet today. The smell of food could be smelled from other families in the yard, but the door of the Lin family's room was closed.
"Where's the third daughter of the Lin family? Why didn't I see her come out to cook today?"
"She should be at home. I have hardly seen her leave the yard in the past six months. Maybe she is not feeling well today and is being lazy?"
"She has been in poor health since she was a child, so it's normal for her to feel uncomfortable. Why don't we go knock on the door and ask, just in case there's something wrong?"
He is not stupid anymore, but judging from his daily reactions, he is not stupid, but he is not smart either. If something really happened, not to mention how sad Lin Gaofeng and his wife would be, they would also feel uncomfortable living next door to a house where someone died.
When Lin's father, mother and Lin Mo came back, they saw several neighbors gathered in front of their house, banging on their door with their hands, and the old door was shaking.
"What are you doing?" asked Lin's mother.
"You and your wife are back. What's wrong with your third child today? Not only did he not come out to cook dinner, but he also didn't respond when I knocked on the door." said the neighbor.
Mother Lin was startled. She didn't care about anything else. She pushed through the crowd and knocked on the door while shouting, "Qiqi? Qiqi?"
"Mom, move aside. I'll break the door open." Lin Mo rolled up his sleeves, a look of panic on his handsome face.
Mr. Lin seemed to be hesitant to speak, but in the end he said nothing, tacitly approving of his son's behavior.
Mother Lin took a step back in a daze and gave up her seat.
Just when Lin Mo was about to knock on the door, there was a noise behind the door. The next second, the door opened and Lin Miaomiao appeared behind it.
Mother Lin was relieved to see her eldest daughter. Since her eldest daughter was at home, nothing should happen to her younger daughter. "Miao Miao, where's your sister?"
Lin Miaomiao glanced at her parents and eldest brother, then at the neighbors outside the door, and said in a low voice, "Mom, let's talk about this when we get home."
"You sent Qiqi to the countryside!" Mother Lin stood up in shock and looked at her eldest daughter in disbelief.
Brother Lin’s reaction was even more intense. His fists were clenched so hard that they made a creaking sound, and his eyes looked as if he wanted to kill someone.
Mr. Lin had a serious face and it was hard to tell whether he was happy or angry.
Lin Miaomiao expected the reactions of the three people. She said calmly, "I signed her up to go to the countryside. Go to the countryside, respond to the call. Today, she and many other people took the special train for educated youths—"
Bang!
A loud sound came from the Lin family. The people who were eavesdropping outside the door were startled and their curiosity became even stronger.
What happened inside?
That night, none of the four members of the Lin family fell asleep, except Lin Qi on the train, who was not affected. She slept in a slumber, with several bright red marks on her fair and tender face.
The first ray of sunlight shone through the car window in the morning, and Lin Qi opened her eyes. When she regained consciousness, she instantly felt the numbness and tingling in the muscles all over her body, which was the sequelae of sitting all night.
She slowly stood up and rubbed her limbs and waist with stiff movements. After the blood circulation became smooth, she took the water cup, carried her bag, carefully stepped over the outstretched legs of Ma Guizhi and Ming Kangjian, and walked towards the bathroom.
Most people in the carriage were sleeping, and few were awake. When Lin Qi went to the bathroom, no one was inside. She locked the door, washed up, and took out a small tomato seedling from her sleeve. She had pulled it out of a flowerpot before going out.
After being away from the soil for a day and a night, the cherry tomato seedlings are still green and full of vitality.
Lin Qi placed the tomato seedling under the tap. The not-so-strong wood energy flowed through her slender fingers and entered the tomato. The tomato seedling, which was only the length of her finger, grew at a speed visible to the naked eye. When it grew to about one meter, it began to bloom, and the result was...
Bang bang bang!
A man was waiting impatiently at the door, "Did the person inside fall into the pit?"
Lin Qi, who was picking tomatoes, was stunned. "Hurry, it's done!"
This time, a total of six large tomatoes were harvested. Lin Qi put them all into her backpack, and then rolled up the withered tomato tree. After making sure that it was beyond recognition and could not be recognized, she opened the door.
"It's you!" The man glared, feeling a surge of anger in his heart. He wanted to vent, but he would be suspected of bullying the weak, so he had to endure it.
Lin Qi grinned at the other person, lowered her head and walked away.
The man was dazzled by her smile. After Lin Qi walked away, he cursed "damn it", strode into the bathroom and slammed the door.
"Hey, what's that smell?" The man moved his nose. "Why is there such a good smell? Is it from that little idiot?"
When Jian Tong thought of the innocent smile of the girl just now, his heart felt like being brushed by a small brush and he felt very itchy.
Lin Qi returned to her seat, and her backpack, which had been a little shriveled, became a little fuller again. However, the backpack was still in her arms, so no one noticed this change.
The steamed buns and whole-grain cakes were all eaten yesterday. Two tomatoes were ate yesterday, leaving three. Together with the six that were just planted this morning, there are now a total of nine.
The train arrived in Yao County at 11 a.m., and she only needed to have one more meal on the train.
"Change it again?" Sun Zhigao handed over a steamed bun.
Still changing?
Lin Qi was a little surprised. Steamed buns can fill the stomach and keep one from getting hungry, but tomatoes cannot.
Lin Qi didn't agree right away, but Sun Zhigao thought that Lin Qi didn't want to. One steamed bun for one delicious fruit, Sun Zhigao thought he was getting a bargain, so he took out another steamed bun, "Two steamed buns for one fruit?"
"One is enough." Lin Qi only took a steamed bun and put the tomato in Sun Zhigao's hand.
"Let me change one too." Ming Kangjian woke up for some reason and was turning over his whole-grain pancake.
"You have to think carefully. Fruits cannot satisfy your hunger. After getting off the train, we still have to go from the county to the commune, and then from the commune to the brigade. It takes a long time, and we don't have the strength to walk when we are hungry." Ma Guizhi advised.
"That's even more important." Ming Kangjian said seriously, pointing at Lin Qi, "If she doesn't have enough to eat and doesn't have the strength to walk, does that mean we have to carry her?"
Ma Guizhi choked and then said angrily, "I don't know what her family was thinking. They threw her out and only gave her a few useless fruits. It's really cruel!"
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