Chapter 45 The Supply and Marketing Cooperative Causes Trouble
The meddlesome man was bombarded with questions, leaving him dizzy and disoriented. His face turned purple, and he made a series of "hoarse" sounds in his throat, but like a chicken with its neck being choked, he couldn't utter a single word.
"besides……"
She turned around abruptly, almost touching the old woman, her eyes burning with an almost frenzied flame.
"Save your worries about whether I can get married! I'm here to respond to the national call to support rural areas and build up the frontier."
She spoke each word clearly and forcefully, raising the banner of "righteousness" high: "I'm not here to pick a wife for your son who's probably hiding somewhere out there!"
This extremely vicious insinuation made the old woman's vision go black, and she almost fainted.
"According to your twisted logic! Wanting to buy a pot is wasteful! No one would dare to marry you!"
Xu Zhili raised her chin, her voice echoing throughout the entire supply and marketing cooperative, carrying a resolute determination to destroy everything, "So, are all those who want to live a good life going to be 'talked to death' by your 'golden words'?!"
Dead silence!
Absolute silence!
The buzzing and snickering sounds from before vanished without a trace.
Everyone was stunned by the fierce counterattack, the blatant ruthlessness, and the heavy accusations leveled against them.
The air was frozen solid, like a sheet of iron.
Xu Zhili slowly, slowly looked around the entire room again.
She straightened her slender yet exceptionally resilient spine, the frosty smile on her face vanished, leaving only a cold, almost cruel calm.
"We're all from the same commune, we see each other all the time."
She paused, her gaze sharp as a knife, sweeping across every face, whether terrified or evasive. "I, Xu Zhili, come from the city. I genuinely want to integrate into this big family, support rural development, and improve our lives."
Her tone suddenly shifted, her voice chilling: "But what about you? You just took advantage of me, a young girl from out of town, and bullied and abused me relentlessly?"
"OK!"
She uttered a single word with emphasis, "I'm putting it out there today!"
She raised her hand, her index finger pointing sharply at everyone, her eyes sharp as lightning, carrying a kind of reckless madness.
"From this day forward—whoever dares, without cause, to utter a single word against my Xu Zhili or our educated youth community!"
She spoke each word clearly and decisively, "Don't blame me! I'll turn my back on you! I'll disown you! I mean what I say!"
threaten!
A blatant threat!
Those who were just cheering now felt a chill run down their spines, cold sweat pouring down their backs, and wished they could shrink their heads into their necks.
The old woman turned deathly pale, her withered hand pointing at Xu Zhili trembling like a leaf in the wind, “**You…you…you little vixen…you’ve gone too far…”
Aside from these few broken syllables, he could no longer speak coherently. He could only stomp his foot hard and stagger out of the crowd as if being chased by a ghost.
The supply and marketing cooperative was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; only heavy breathing could be heard.
The person in charge behind the counter, who had been frowning and watching, suddenly seemed to wake up from a dream. He quickly wiped away his cold sweat, stepped forward to smooth things over, and his voice was a little weak.
"Alright, alright, everyone disperse. What kind of behavior is this? It's perfectly normal for educated youth to purchase household items! That big iron pot is a necessity, don't you understand? Stop crowding around, disperse."
Xu Zhili then resembled a cat that had sheathed its claws, her face instantly switching back to an almost docile calm. She nodded slightly to the person in charge and deftly counted out the money and industrial vouchers.
Just then, Bai Linlin and Lu Yanchen, who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion, squeezed in with difficulty, holding An'an's hand. They were stunned to see Xu Zhili unharmed and to sense the strange atmosphere.
Xu Zhili didn't even look at them, and simply ordered, "Lu Zhiqing, Bai Zhiqing, move the things."
His tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable, cool cadence.
She took the lead, carrying the heaviest net bag containing a thermos and a basin, straightened her slender yet seemingly powerful back, and walked steadily out of the spontaneously parted, silent passage of the crowd, like a female general who had just won a brilliant battle.
The sunlight shone on her sweaty forehead and taut jawline, outlining a stunningly beautiful face.
Inside the supply and marketing cooperative, a deathly silence lasted for several seconds before a low, hesitant murmur broke out.
"My goodness...this girl...she looks like a flower, how come she's so...so..."
"We can't mess with them! Absolutely not! Those eyes... they look like they want to eat you alive!"
"Did you hear that? 'A promise is a promise'! From now on, stay away from this crazy kid..."
"Stop talking, or you'll be in big trouble if this comrade hears you."
After this incident, those who originally thought that the young girls from the city were thin-skinned, easy to manipulate, and could be easily taken advantage of verbally now felt a chill involuntarily rising in their hearts.
This girl is like a flower growing on a knife's edge; she's dazzlingly beautiful, but if you touch her, you'll really draw blood!
Beside the oxcart, dust lazily floated in the afternoon sun.
Several elderly women who had returned early were chatting about everyday matters, their eyes occasionally glancing in the direction of the supply and marketing cooperative.
Finally, Xu Zhili's slender yet exceptionally upright figure appeared, holding her timid younger brother An'an tightly in one hand, while the object she carried in the other instantly attracted everyone's attention—not the heavy and clumsy iron pot they had imagined, but a shiny, small, and compact modern iron pot with a long handle.
This thing is not common in the Great Northern Wilderness, but in this rural area where earthen stoves and firewood are the main fuel, it looks like a delicate toy, out of place and glaringly out of place.
"Oh! Xu Zhiqing!" A straightforward auntie exclaimed in a loud voice, her eyes wide open, pointing at the small pot, her tone full of disbelief and a hint of barely perceptible mockery.
"This...this is the 'pot' you bought? It's way too small! It's barely big enough to stuff in some vegetables, what can you even do with it? It's probably too narrow even for making pancakes!"
All eyes immediately focused on the incongruous little pot, and whispers arose, filled with curiosity, incomprehension, and a hint of schadenfreude.
Xu Zhili stopped in her tracks, a sweet smile blooming on her face, as if she hadn't noticed the doubt in his words at all.
She gently shook the small pot in her hand, making a crisp metallic clinking sound. "Auntie, this is enough."
She turned slightly to the side and half-embraced An'an, who had been silently hiding behind her, and gently squeezed her younger brother's cold little hand with her fingers.
"It's just me and An'an cooking. This small pot saves firewood, heats up quickly, and is just right. We don't have to trouble the educated youth all the time."
She paused deliberately, her smile unchanged, but her eyes darkened slightly, and her tone carried an undeniable declaration.
"Besides, I have already applied to the brigade leader to build a house. The brigade leader has taken pity on my brother and me, and my brother's safety is guaranteed."
The room fell silent after those words were spoken.
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