Chapter 49: Fighting with Children for Food
Xu Zhili was about to share the steamed egg custard with the bowl when Li Chunyan pressed down on the rim of the bowl: "Don't! It's just a bowl of steamed egg custard for you. Why are you being so polite with me? Don't even think about sharing half with me. Look at your little brother, he's so thin he's practically skin and bones. He needs to eat more."
We're all educated youth who went to the countryside; everyone has their difficult times. If we can help each other, of course we should.
"Sister Chunyan, if you don't accept this steamed egg custard, you can at least accept this White Rabbit milk candy, right? If you still don't accept it, I really won't eat this steamed egg custard."
"Well... okay, okay, I'll take it, thank you."
Li Chunyan smiled broadly as she accepted several White Rabbit milk candies from Xu Zhili.
You should know that this milk candy costs 2.5 yuan per pound, which is considered expensive.
Xu Zhiqing's generosity, especially the act of giving candy, truly increased people's goodwill towards him.
It's clear that Xu Zhili isn't the kind of person who's petty or selfish.
Getting along with people like this is simple and pleasant, unlike some educated youth who always try to take advantage of others and find fault with everything, complaining about this and that. It's really unbearable to be around them.
Xu Zhili smiled and fed An'an a spoonful of steamed egg custard. In fact, there were many people who had helped Xu Zhili in this world, such as Director Wang, Wang Yuting, Aunt Xu's family, and the brigade leader, etc.
Living in this peaceful and stable era feels really good.
Suddenly, a sharp scream rang out:
"Li Chunyan! We all eat from the same pot, why should we hide the good stuff from him and give that little brat special treatment? Do you think our food comes from thin air?!"
Liu Pandi stood with her hands on her hips, blocking the kitchen doorway, her face filled with a sharp, angry expression.
She had long disliked Li Chunyan's easygoing nature and was even more jealous of Xu Zhili's generosity.
"Stop pretending to be a good person!"
Liu Pandi's voice was even more shrill, her finger almost poking Xu Zhili's face, "These eggs were stolen from somewhere! Now look what's happened, they've all been fed to this little bastard, shouldn't we have a bite?!"
Liu Chunpandi's words, "bastard child," were like poisoned needles, piercing Xu Zhili's eardrums.
Her hand, which was feeding the egg custard, suddenly stopped, and the porcelain spoon hit the rim of the bowl with a sharp "clink".
Li Chunyan was trembling with anger, pointing at Liu Pandi: "Shut up! The eggs were given by Aunt Wang Xiuying herself, to help the child recover from her misery. What's it to you? All you ever do is take advantage and gossip!"
Xu Zhili slowly put down the bowl.
She hid the bewildered An'an behind her back and covered the child's ears with both hands.
When he looked up at Liu Pandi again, the warmth in his eyes had vanished, leaving only a frozen pool of ice, while a faint, cold smile curved his lips.
"Liu Pandi!"
Her voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears: "Did you just pull your mouth out of a cesspool and not rinse it? 'Little bastard'? Fine, I'll remember that."
The surroundings fell into a deathly silence.
The faces of the several educated youths who had gathered around changed; no one had expected Xu Zhili to retort so directly and fiercely.
Liu Pandi shivered from the coldness of that gaze, then became furious and embarrassed: "You...who are you calling names? Did I say something wrong? Who knows where you two siblings got your wild ways from..."
Before she could finish speaking, Xu Zhili raised her hand and slapped her across the face. In the blink of an eye, Liu Pandi's face was swollen.
Xu Zhili glared at her angrily: "Watch your mouth! You keep provoking me. Do you really think I'm easy to bully?"
She was interrupted sharply by Lu Yanchen, a male educated youth standing next to her: "Liu Pandi! That's enough! Watch your mouth! What did that child do to you?"
Niu Aiguo also said disdainfully, "Exactly! They're never satisfied with just taking advantage. Who was it that stole cucumbers from the vegetable garden at the educated youth compound last time? Now they have the nerve to criticize others!"
Seeing that everyone was targeting her, Liu Pandi's face turned ashen, and she jumped up and cursed, "Are you all blind? You're all helping this new vixen. You must have taken her White Rabbit candy. And you, Li Chunyan, what are you pretending to be a good person for? This isn't over. I... I'm going to find the brigade leader."
Xu Zhili took a step forward, blocking Liu Pandi's path as she tried to rush out.
She was a bit taller than Liu Pandi, and looked at her with her eyes slightly lowered. Her gaze was like that of someone looking at a struggling bug, cold yet with a hint of amusement.
"Looking for the captain?"
Xu Zhili chuckled lightly, her laughter devoid of any warmth. "Alright, by the way, tell me about your attempt to embezzle the children's food? Or tell me about pouring dirty water into Li Chunyan's thermos just now? Liu Pandi, guess, does the brigade leader believe your tantrum here, or do he believe all of us, hmm?"
The incident where Liu Pandi poured dirty water on Li Chunyan was something she had occasionally sensed with her mind; she never expected to encounter someone doing something so despicable.
Liu Pandi's face turned pale instantly.
She hadn't expected Xu Zhili to know so much about her background and reveal it in public.
In an instant, the gazes of the surrounding educated youth changed from dissatisfaction to shock and disgust.
"You...you're making false accusations!" Liu Pandi's voice trembled, seemingly tough but actually panicked inside.
"Whether it's fabricated or not, just pour some water from Li Zhiqing's thermos and see, then everything will be clear."
As soon as Li Chunyan mentioned the thermos, she rushed over in a panic to pour out the water and check. Sure enough, the water in the thermos was dirty.
Li Chunyan lunged at Liu Pandi, her eyes blazing with fury, "Liu Pandi, how could you do such a despicable thing! We all live under the same roof, and you still do such a wicked thing."
Liu Pandi's face turned pale, and she tried to remain calm as she argued, "I...I didn't mean to."
Xu Zhili stepped forward and said coldly, "Whether it was intentional or not, you know in your heart. Such behavior is truly despicable."
Liu Pandi pointed at Xu Zhili and screamed, "You...you're so vicious! Could this little brat be yours with some random man?!"
Everyone stared at Liu Pandi as if she were a fool—how could a sixteen-year-old girl give birth to a six-year-old child?
Even a three-year-old child can understand this common sense.
Before Liu Pandi could finish speaking, she realized she had made a silly mistake. Her face turned bright red, and she wished she could disappear into the ground.
Xu Zhili took a step closer, uttering words that carried a deadly threat, "If I ever hear you utter another single swear word, especially directed at my brother... Liu Pandi, I guarantee your days in Xiangyang Brigade will be a million times more 'exciting' than you imagine. Now, get out of here."
Liu Pandi felt as if she had been bitten by a venomous snake, and she suddenly stepped back, crashing into the door frame.
She stared in horror at Xu Zhili's unfathomable eyes, then at the disdainful looks around her, and her last shred of arrogance vanished completely.
Her lips trembled, and she couldn't utter a single word. She scrambled out of the kitchen, her back view a picture of utter disarray.
The kitchen was silent, save for the occasional crackling of the firewood in the stove.
Li Chunyan looked at Xu Zhili with a complex expression, a mixture of lingering fear and unfamiliar awe.
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