There was a loud slamming of the gate. After what happened last time, Cheng Yaoyao couldn't help but feel frightened when he heard the sound of slamming the gate again, and he subconsciously looked at Xie Zhao.
Xie Zhao whispered, "It's okay, I'll go take a look."
Xie Zhao stood up, and Grandma Xie also hurriedly said, "Brother Zhao, be careful."
Xie Zhao nodded, strode towards the gate, opened it, and saw Han Yin and another male educated youth standing at the door, panting.
When Han Yin saw that it was Xie Zhao, she immediately looked into the yard with an anxious look on her face: "Where's Yaoyao?"
Xie Zhao frowned: "What's the matter?"
"Yes, it's Zhang Xiaofeng..." Han Yin gasped.
Cheng Yaoyao poked his head out from behind Xie Zhao, and immediately pushed Xie Zhao away when he heard this: "What's wrong with Zhang Xiaofeng?"
Zhang Xiaofeng finally caught his breath and continued, "Didn't Zhang Xiaofeng come to see you?"
Cheng Yaoyao was surprised and said, "No! Hasn't she been admitted to university and has been packing her luggage to return to the city these days?"
When Han Yin heard this, she stamped her feet anxiously: "Oh no, oh no, she didn't come to see you, so where is she? Come on, let's look for her somewhere else!"
Cheng Yaoyao was confused by what he heard and grabbed Han Yin: "Why don't you explain yourself clearly? You are making me anxious to death. What happened to Zhang Xiaofeng?"
Han Yin had no choice but to patiently explain, "Zhang Xiaofeng's admission to university has been cancelled! She has not been seen all day, and we are afraid that she will be upset!"
"How could that be?" Cheng Yaoyao was confused.
Han Yin was anxious to find someone and said, "Let's talk while we walk!"
Cheng Yaoyao turned to look at Xie Zhao and was about to speak when Xie Zhao said, "I'll go with you."
"Your injury hasn't healed yet." Cheng Yaoyao said worriedly.
Xie Zhao said without hesitation: "It's important to find someone!" Moreover, Xie Zhao was even more worried about letting Cheng Yaoyao go out alone to find someone.
The male educated youth ran to find other educated youth for help, while Han Yin and Xie Zhaocheng went to the back mountain to look for people.
On the way, Han Yin quickly recounted what had happened.
A while ago, the educated youth station held a vote on the recommendation of workers, peasants and soldiers to colleges. Zhang Xiaofeng was usually helpful and performed well, so he was naturally the candidate with the most votes. However, Shen Yan, who was the most competitive, had already found a way out and voluntarily gave up his place. Zhang Xiaofeng's recommendation was already a done deal, and the educated youth even made a special effort to help Zhang Xiaofeng.
Who knew that just yesterday, the village brigade received a document from the provincial capital, which stated that someone reported that Zhang Xiaofeng's father had worked for the GM party and cancelled her admission to the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers University.
Han Yin happened to be with Zhang Xiaofeng at the time. She didn't realize the seriousness of the incident and comforted Zhang Xiaofeng: "You all know that Zhang Xiaofeng's parents are from the working class. How could they have worked for the GM Party? This must be a frame-up. As long as the matter is investigated, Zhang Xiaofeng can still go to college." But Zhang Xiaofeng disappeared early this morning.
Cheng Yaoyao said: "Since it is a misunderstanding, we can definitely make things clear. Zhang Xiaofeng is not an impulsive person, so he will definitely not let it go."
Xie Zhao suddenly said: "Maybe it's not a misunderstanding."
Cheng Yaoyao asked in confusion: "What do you mean?"
"You mean..." Cheng Yaoyao suddenly had an idea, "Is there really something wrong with Zhang Xiaofeng's background?"
If there was nothing wrong with Zhang Xiaofeng's background, her first reaction would definitely be to find out the truth, rather than disappearing.
Xie Zhao looked up at the back mountain and said, "Let's go up and look for it."
Han Yin and Cheng Yaoyao looked at each other, and both of them felt sad. The mountain behind was very steep, with many cliffs on both sides, and wild beasts often appeared there.
In recent years, some people from the "Black Five Categories" with bad backgrounds or those who were imprisoned in Niu Peng would always run to the back mountain and jump off a cliff or hang themselves. Gradually, as long as someone couldn't get over it, they would go to the back mountain to seek death. Does Xie Zhao mean that Zhang Xiaofeng really came here to seek death?
Han Yin said in frustration: "It's all my fault. I should have stayed with her last night!"
Cheng Yaoyao comforted her, "Don't talk about this for now, just find the person as soon as possible! It's going to be dark soon!"
As soon as Cheng Yaoyao finished speaking, there was a rumbling thunder in the sky, and the purple-red clouds in the sky turned into dark clouds, rolling over.
Cheng Yaoyao and Han Yin held a megaphone and shouted Zhang Xiaofeng's name: "Zhang Xiaofeng, Zhang Xiaofeng! Come out quickly, we can discuss something together! It's going to get dark soon, and it's dangerous in the woods!"
The three of them walked along the rugged mountain road as they searched. Xie Zhao walked on the outside of the road, staring closely at Cheng Yaoyao's every move, fearing that she would fall.
Cheng Yaoyao was sweating from exhaustion. Suddenly, he felt a chill on his head. Some raindrops fell down: "It's raining!"
Han Yin said in despair: "Could it be possible that Zhang Xiaofeng didn't come to the mountain at all?"
"Then where will she run to?" Cheng Yaoyao gasped with his hands on his knees, then looked up at Xie Zhao, wanting him to make a decision.
Xie Zhao thought for a moment and said, "You two go down the mountain and find someone from the village. It's going to rain heavily tonight, and if she's in the mountains, something might happen to her."
Cheng Yaoyao thought about it and thought that this was the only possible answer. Cheng Yaoyao and Han Yin turned around and saw a person sitting under a tree.
Cheng Yaoyao was startled and hid behind Xie Zhao. Xie Zhao protected her and asked, "Zhang Xiaofeng?"
It was getting dark, and none of the three of them had brought any fire sticks or flashlights. Xie Zhao took two steps forward. Who else could it be if the young woman sitting under the tree in a daze but Zhang Xiaofeng?
Cheng Yaoyao shouted, "Zhang Xiaofeng, why are you here? We called you for a long time and you didn't respond!"
Zhang Xiaofeng's face, which was always sunny and smiling, turned pale, as if he had lost all his energy. At this moment, he managed to raise the corners of his lips and said, "I'm still afraid of death."
"Don't talk nonsense." Han Yin and Cheng Yaoyao pulled her up from the left and right, "I'm glad you're okay. We were scared to death."
Xie Zhao looked at the sky and said, "Let's go down the mountain first and talk about it when we get back!"
It is easy to go up the mountain but difficult to go down. Xie Zhao walked in front and supported Cheng Yaoyao, who in turn supported Han Yin and Zhang Xiaofeng. The four of them stumbled and walked to the foot of the mountain, and the large team in the village who were looking for people also rushed over.
Han Yin helped explain: "It's nothing, Zhang Xiaofeng went into the mountains to look for mushrooms today and accidentally got lost!"
A villager complained: "What's wrong with you female educated youth? You keep getting lost one after another! You're wasting our time!"
Zhang Xiaofeng was distracted, so Han Yin had to put on a smile for everyone. Cheng Yaoyao also said, "Zhang Xiaofeng didn't mean it! Sorry, everyone."
Cheng Yaoyao is beautiful and arrogant. Today, she is willing to pay compensation and apologize to everyone on behalf of Zhang Xiaofeng. The villagers said, "Forget it, forget it. Be more careful next time!"
The crowd gradually dispersed. Only the village party secretary and Lin Dafu knew what had happened. They comforted Zhang Xiaofeng and told Cheng Yaoyao and Han Yin, "Persuade Zhang Zhiqing. She is a good comrade."
But they knew in their hearts that it was impossible to solve this kind of situation with just a few words of persuasion.
Cheng Yaoyao was worried about Zhang Xiaofeng going back alone, so he said, "Don't go back tonight. Sleep with me."
Zhang Xiaofeng finally responded and gave Cheng Yaoyao a forced smile: "Since I can't bear to die today, I won't do anything stupid again. I won't cause you any more trouble."
Cheng Yaoyao said, "It's no problem. We haven't slept together since we were assigned to separate dormitories. How about Han Yin staying with us tonight?"
Han Yin said jokingly: "Of course! But..."
Han Yin looked at Xie Zhao who was silent. She just remembered that Cheng Yaoyao was now staying at someone else's house. She wondered if Xie Zhao would be unhappy if Cheng Yaoyao took them back to live there without permission.
Cheng Yaoyao raised his chin without hesitation: "It's nothing, let's go!"
Han Yin and Zhang Xiaofeng followed Cheng Yaoyao back to Xie's house. It was their first time stepping into the landlord's yard, and they couldn't help but be curious and secretly looked around the yard.
The Xie family's courtyard was cool and clean. With its warped tiles and flying eaves, camphor wood beams, and green bricks on the ground, it looked different from other houses in the village.
There is a well in the yard, a Chinese toon tree in front of the patio, lush vegetables in the vegetable garden, and a cluster of beautiful crabapple flowers in bloom. The hens are kept in the chicken coop, and several piles of firewood are neatly stacked. It is not like the yards of the villagers, which are always full of chicken droppings and full of mosquitoes and flies.
The blue brick floor of Xie's house was washed clean and dust-free. As soon as I entered the door, I felt cool and refreshed. Although Zhang Xiaofeng was full of worries, he felt much better.
Cheng Yaoyao led Han Yin and Zhang Xiaofeng in, and Grandma Xie just came out of the kitchen carrying some grass jelly.
Cheng Yaoyao introduced: "Grandma, this is Zhang Xiaofeng, this is Han Yin, they are staying at our house tonight."
Zhang Xiaofeng and Han Yin often come to see Cheng Yaoyao, but Grandma Xie doesn't come out often, so they only get a glimpse of her from across the yard. Now seeing this elder with neat clothes and a kind smile, they both greeted her obediently: "Hello, Grandma Xie, we're sorry to bother you today."
"Don't make a fuss, don't make a fuss. It's a rare occasion when friends come to visit, and it's rare for our family to entertain guests." Grandma Xie put the grass jelly in her hand on the table, and Xie Fei also slowly came out, took three bowls and spoons and put them on the table.
But when Han Yin and Zhang Xiaofeng looked at her curiously, Xie Fei ran away shyly again.
The three grandparents of the Xie family returned to their house early, considerately leaving the space for Cheng Yaoyao, Zhang Xiaofeng and others.
The three of them sat in the yard, enjoying the cool breeze and eating grass jelly made from the well water. The tense atmosphere gradually eased.
Cheng Yaoyao introduced: "This is grass jelly."
Han Yin took a bite. The grass jelly was dark black in color and more elastic than tofu. It was sweet and cool. She couldn't stop praising it: "This is really good stuff! I haven't eaten it before!"
Cheng Yaoyao smiled and said, "I bought this from Bashang Village. It was made by the villagers and it tastes especially good."
Cheng Yaoyao took a sip as she spoke. This grass jelly was tougher than the powder she made herself, and had a unique plant fragrance. If you tasted it carefully, it had a bit of an alkaline taste, probably because it was made from incense ash.
The herbal jelly can clear heat and improve eyesight, and it is mixed with wild honey collected by Xie Zhao himself, and the taste is simply amazing.
Cool breeze blew, and Han Yin slept with her eyes closed as she ate a bowl of refreshing grass jelly.
Han Yin exclaimed: "Yaoyao, no wonder you insisted on moving into Xie's house. This is simply a heavenly life. Landlords really know how to enjoy themselves."
"Tsk!" Zhang Xiaofeng snorted at her and said in a low voice, "They are kind enough to entertain us, don't say anything nonsense."
Even at this moment, Zhang Xiaofeng was used to thinking about others first. Cheng Yaoyao couldn't help but feel sad for her.
Han Yin realized she had said something wrong and stuck out her tongue in embarrassment: "That's not what I meant. It turns out that the Xie family is so kind. I really misunderstood them before."
Cheng Yaoyao smiled and said, "You will see how good the Xie family is as you watch them."
After supper, Cheng Yaoyao took the two of them to take a bath and changed them into his pajamas. Han Yin and Zhang Xiaofeng were staying at someone else's house. They were both girls, so the most inconvenient thing was taking a bath. Usually they could only draw a basin of water and wipe themselves in their own room. Today at Xie's house, they were finally able to take a hot bath.
After taking a shower and going back to their room to sleep, Han Yin and Zhang Xiaofeng were once again enlightened.
Cheng Yaoyao's room was spacious and cool, with complete furniture and flowers growing on the table in clean water. A new snow-white mosquito net hung over the big bed, which was a rare thing in Tianshui Village.
"Yaoyao, your room is too nice!" Han Yin touched the cool and soft mat and exclaimed, "The Xie family really treats you like a daughter. I think the daughter of the captain's family doesn't live as comfortably as you!"
There were already two more pillows and a blanket on the bed, which must have been prepared by Grandma Xie. Cheng Yaoyao personally lit some wormwood and threw it into a basin in the corner to fumigate mosquitoes, thinking that I used to live a much better life than now. Xie Zhao did all the work of fetching water for bathing and fumigating mosquitoes.
The room was cool and refreshing, without any stuffy air or annoying mosquitoes. The three of them lay down side by side in the mosquito net, as if they were back in the days when they lived in the dormitory.
Delicious food and a clean and comfortable environment can best soothe one's mood. After lying quietly for a while, Zhang Xiaofeng finally spoke.
It turns out that Zhang Xiaofeng's father was an apprentice in a pawnshop when he was a teenager. Later, the owner of the pawnshop was liquidated and it turned out that he was the father-in-law of a GM party officer. Zhang Xiaofeng's father later became a worker in a glass factory. The situation was serious, so he naturally would not mention this experience to others.
"This is too unfair." Cheng Yaoyao was filled with indignation, "Is this also considered a dark history?"
Zhang Xiaofeng smiled bitterly. If there was any truth to this world, their family wouldn't have to bother hiding this matter.
Han Yin was more concerned about another question: "Since only your family knew about this, who wrote the report?"
Zhang Xiaofeng stared at the ceiling blankly and shook his head: "I don't know either. Maybe he is an acquaintance of our family?"
Cheng Yaoyao turned over and said, "That's not right. If it was someone you know, would he know that you, who is thousands of miles away, were recommended to be a worker-peasant-soldier university student?"
"You mean it was done by the educated youth?" Han Yin asked, "But who knows about Zhang Xiaofeng's father?"
Cheng Yaoyao was stumped by the question and couldn't figure it out.
Zhang Xiaofeng suddenly asked: "Could it be..."
Cheng Yaoyao and Han Yin asked in unison: "Who is it?!"
Zhang Xiaofeng stopped talking. After a long silence, he smiled bitterly and said, "Maybe I guessed wrong. It's better not to wrongly accuse others before there is evidence. Anyway... Anyway, I can't go to college."
Zhang Xiaofeng's voice finally choked up.
The college entrance examination was cancelled, and the worker-peasant-soldier college student admission was the only chance for these educated youth to go to college, not to mention that they could return to the city and leave this isolated rural area.
Cheng Yaoyao and Han Yin didn't know how to comfort her and could only accompany her silently.
But Cheng Yaoyao thought of a more serious problem: Zhang Xiaofeng's family lost the opportunity to be admitted because of a few historical issues. So even if Xie Zhao was admitted to the university, could he still pass the political review?
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