"Wow, who are these people?" Fourth Brother asked in surprise after hearing this.
"Are they still around?" Third Brother asked.
"They hadn't left when we arrived."
"What should we do then?" Fourth Brother, being young, didn't know how to deal with such a woman, so he asked.
"It's alright, Mianmian's here. They won't come closer just because they see someone. It's getting late, let's go back."
"good"
"Does Third Brother have any ideas?"
"There's no other way, we'll just have to keep a low profile for the next few days. We're not staying here for long, so let's try not to cause any trouble, otherwise Mianmian will be the one who suffers."
"That's fine, but it's too unfair to Third Brother and Fourth Brother."
"What's there to feel wronged about? You're all grown men, why are you afraid of such a small grievance?" Fourth Brother said unhappily.
"Mianmian, don't worry. We'll go hunting again tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow we'll go to the county town to visit Uncle Zhou and the others."
Once I get back, I'll prepare the firewood for you for the winter, and then it'll be about time to head back. I won't wander around the village; they won't have to go up the mountain to look for it again.
"But they know you've gone into the mountains, and they'll definitely be waiting for you at the foot of the mountain tomorrow."
"Just wait. At worst, we won't come down from here."
"That's fine, but I'm worried you won't be able to leave by then. Come over tomorrow evening yourself, otherwise if something happens, the team might blame you, and you won't be able to explain yourself even if you're in the right."
"That's okay"
"It's true, these women are always causing trouble, and you have to protect them."
"It's alright. Once you go back, they won't come here anymore. And even if they do, it's none of my business."
"Mianmian, please be extra careful these next few days."
"When the three of us went back, we still saw them acting suspiciously, but when they saw that I was there, they all ran away."
As I had predicted, I spent the next few days either waiting at my doorstep or at the foot of the mountain.
To his surprise, someone suddenly came to visit. This person was none other than Secretary Gu's daughter, Gu Cuicui.
My third brother and his family are going back tomorrow. After finishing work this morning, I didn't go into the mountains this afternoon. Instead, I stayed there to pack some mountain produce for them to take back and for Aunt Zhou to distribute to the elders in the military family compound. Just then, I heard someone knocking on the door, and the knocking was quite urgent.
Who is it?
"It's me, Li Zhiqing."
Not recognizing the voice immediately, I asked, "Who are you?"
"It's me, Cuicui."
"Cui Cui?"
"My dad is the brigade secretary, and my older brother is the brigade leader. We've met once."
"Oh, it's you!" Knowing who it was, she opened the door and stood there, saying...
"Is there something you need?"
"Can we go inside and talk?"
"I'm afraid that's inconvenient." Besides, I'm currently packing things for my third brother and the others. Although they're not anything valuable, I don't want outsiders to know. Moreover, I'm not familiar with her, so why should I invite her in to do it?
"This..." Gu Cuicui hadn't expected to be refused, and her face turned a little pale. But then she remembered that the tall, imposing man was her brother, so she could only try to appease him, saying, "Then never mind. I heard your brother is here, and my dad asked me to come over and invite them to our house."
"Oh, so that's what it is! Let's forget about it. Third Brother and the others went into the mountains to help me prepare firewood for the winter and won't be back for a while." But in his heart, he was thinking, "Secretary Gu has been here for several days and hasn't shown up or asked my two brothers to come over. But this Gu Cuicui is asking to come over as soon as she comes back. No wonder she has something to hide."
"That's alright, we can go back when we get back."
"I'm afraid this isn't appropriate. Going to your house so late at night might cause gossip about my two older brothers. You know they're both college students, and my third brother is about to go back to the army. We really can't afford any mistakes. If you have something to say, just tell me, and I'll pass it on to them. If there's nothing else, then let's just forget about it. We have very strict family rules."
"Oh, well, never mind then. I wonder when your brother and the others will be back."
"We'll probably have to stay for another two or three days."
"Oh, nothing else then, I'll head back now."
What kind of person is this, inviting complete strangers to their home without saying a word? I have no idea what they're up to.
"So, Cui Cui, is Mianmian's brother coming over later?" Grandma Gu asked.
"Mother!" Gu Cuicui cried, feeling wronged, when she saw Old Madam Gu asking.
"What's wrong, Cuicui? Why are you crying? Did someone bully you?"
"No," she said, repeating what Comrade Li Mianmian had just told her to her mother.
"How could this be?"
"What? How could this happen?" Secretary Gu asked as he entered from outside.
"Sigh, it's all because of our daughter. She's taken a liking to Mianmian's third brother. This old woman thought that our Cuicui is at least a high school student, and our daughter isn't bad-looking either. Besides, she works at the supply and marketing cooperative. She's definitely good enough for him, so we asked Cuicui to invite him over to our house to sit down and find out more about him."
"And then what happened?" Secretary Gu also felt that his daughter was a good match for the man. What's wrong with a college student? Besides, how many girls can go to college? He was a perfect match for his daughter, Cuicui. So he asked...
"Sigh," she sighed first, then repeated what her daughter had just said before asking, "Old man, what do you think we should do? These Li siblings are really disrespectful."
"Is there any way to fix that? Don't forget, it was someone else who gave us the information about our daughter's job."
"What's wrong with delivering messages? I can go to work in the city even without her delivering messages."
"What are you thinking? Your father doesn't have that ability. Besides, you have to work hard for me. If you make money, you still have to pay back your brothers."
And you all must remember, you absolutely cannot offend Li Mianmian, otherwise it's hard to say whether you can keep your job. Your supply and marketing cooperative's director is Director Zhou's wife, and Li Mianmian's father is Director Zhou's comrade-in-arms."
"Isn't her father dead?"
"So what if he's dead? People still have to protect him when they need to. Otherwise, why would your older brother protect him too?"
"It's all because they saved my brother's life."
"You know it's a life-saving favor, so we can't go too far."
"Then what should I do?"
"Didn't you say you wouldn't leave for a few more days?"
"You're not going to work or the team tomorrow, so when no one's around, go and see if you can talk to that kid Li, get his unit address or something, and then write to him more often."
"Okay, I'll listen to Dad."
But to her surprise, the person left early the next morning.
How did Gu Cuicui know Shen Xi and his brother? It was only a couple of days ago when they visited Zhou Jianbin in the city. After arriving in the city, they bought some...
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