Chapter 024 Phoenix Man
The time goes back to four hours ago, when Old Mrs. Qiu took Qiu Paner home.
After closing the door, Old Lady Qiu began to scold her granddaughter: "You useless little girl, you can't even understand anyone. What's the point of having you? That stinky girl from the Jiang family has already said that. How can you compete with her for credit in the future? Do you still want to go to the police station?"
"Mom." Qiu Xiangdong's face was filled with unease. He hadn't slept this late just to see Jiang Mancheng's joke. Who would have thought he'd see a half-finished, ...
He had always been better than Jiang Mancheng, studying better, working harder on the farm, and even getting promoted faster than him. But he had lost to a woman. He glanced at the sallow-faced woman, Tao Meiyu, with disgust, and the resentment in his heart surged back.
He took a few deep breaths, suppressed the anger in his heart, and said in a deep voice, "Okay, now is not the time to talk about this."
Seeing his mother stopped talking, he continued, "Jiang Mancheng and Jiang Nan have caused such a big incident. They will definitely be questioned. There will be a lot of gossip these days. He is also a man who loves his daughter for the sake of face. I guess he will send Jiang Nan back to his hometown."
He stood up and walked around the house twice, then stopped and said, "Tomorrow morning, you and Pan'er should leave first and go back to your hometown. That way, they won't have any reason to say that Pan'er is with Jiang Nan, right?"
He turned to Qiu Pan'er, his eyes softening as he encouraged her, "Pan'er, Dad believes in you. You'll definitely make a great contribution back home. When you're taken to the police station, won't you definitely have Jiang Nan on your side? Don't worry, Jiang Nan lost such a big man, she's already registered with the police station, they definitely won't want her anymore."
"Yes." Old Mrs. Qiu's eyes lit up as she said excitedly, "My son is so smart. We'll leave early tomorrow morning. I don't believe that Pan'er, such an outstanding boy, won't make any contributions! Don't worry, son. Pan'er and I will follow that damn girl and make sure she becomes a police officer. Then we'll keep a close eye on his family and take them to the police station and put them under house arrest!"
"Mom, don't get involved in this matter. Pan'er is just a little girl. It's okay for her to follow others. But you are so old. If you follow others, it will be hard to say. Let Pan'er do it. It's okay. Pan'er can do it well, right, Pan'er?" Qiu Xiangdong stared at his daughter without blinking.
Qiu Paner nodded vigorously, and her mother Tao Meiyu's eyes also lit up. Yes, Jiang Nan made a mistake and there was no chance of him going to the police station, but Paner could.
Mrs. Qiu was very proud. She thought of something and said, "Son, do you think Jiang Mancheng is sick? Everyone says it sounds like it's true. Is it possible..."
Qiu Xiangdong waved his hand. "No, he ate a big bowl of noodles today. He looks so healthy, how could he be sick? Besides, Pan'er saw it all. They're just going to cause trouble. We have to bite them to death, understand?"
The whole family nodded vigorously and fell asleep in a strange atmosphere.
Even in the dream, Qiu Paner was wearing a police uniform and putting a silver bracelet on Jiang Nan, looking so heroic.
However, they felt itchy before they could even accomplish their goal. The four members of the Qiu family screamed like pigs being slaughtered. No, it was even worse than slaughtering pigs. The four of them rubbed and scratched on the bed, and the sound was creepy.
Qiu Xiangdong lost his usual gentleness. His eyes were fierce, and he harshly scolded his pillowmate: "You good-for-nothing, you can't even clean up the house. Are there lice? Ah, tell me, are there lice?! It's so damn itchy. Mom, why are there lice in our house? Have you showered and washed your hair on time?"
"Washed it." Old Mrs. Qiu's face flushed red as she yelled frantically, "You bastard Tao Meiyu, did you bring it in from outside?!"
She suddenly became energetic, jumped out of bed and ran to her son's room, beating Tao Meiyu again and again: "Is it you, you evil person? I'm going to beat you to death!"
Qiu Xiangdong looked at him coldly without saying a word.
"Mom." Tao Meiyu complained. She was itchy too, scratching herself all over, leaving marks. She dodged and cried, "It's not me, Mom. I work at a kindergarten, where are there lice?"
She thought of something and rushed into her daughter's room like crazy, shouting angrily, "Pan'er, was it you? When you went to the hospital today, did you come into contact with people from some village? Was it? How could you be so ignorant? You went to the hospital and didn't know to take a shower before going home?"
The family started arguing with each other, each louder than the last, and soon woke up the neighbors. Four or five houses turned on their lights one after another. In the middle of the night, anyone who was sleeping soundly would be in a bad mood if they were woken up.
"Old Qiu, your family is in mourning, can't you let me sleep?"
"That's right, it's late at night, why are you making such a fuss? Be quiet, you have to go to work tomorrow."
Old Lady Qiu was the most combative member of the Qiu family. She was itching like crazy, scratching her whole body, scratching even the cracks between her bones. Even then, she still had the nerve to retort, her tone extremely vicious. "Get out of here!" she said. "What are you crying about? Are you cursing me to death? You're such a heartless person, you pillar of the Cheng family! Don't think I can't tell it was you who said that? If you keep yelling, I'll call your leader. You immoral, cowardly bastard."
"You are so good, old lady Qiu. How dare you scold my son? You are crying and making a fuss in the middle of the night. You think you are right, right? If you have the guts, come out here or I will give you a big slap in the face!" This was old lady Liu who stood up for her son. She was very arrogant.
"What's wrong with you late at night? We're crying in our own home. What the hell is your business? Go away. Can't you hear how miserable we are?"
Unexpectedly, the itching powder actually boosted Old Lady Qiu's fighting ability. She single-handedly engaged in a verbal battle with the neighbors, who left one by one, cursing. They had no choice but to leave; the Qiu family wouldn't open the door, and it was late at night, and they were sleepy.
But this incident ultimately disrupted the Qiu family's plans.
The next morning, Jiang Nan and Jiang Mancheng were already on their bicycles heading home. The Qiu family had just woken up, and even Tao Meiyu was late for work. Fortunately, Qiu Xiangdong had been working for nearly a month straight, so the team had given him five days off. Adding Saturday and Sunday, he had nine days off in a row.
The family discussed it and decided to stick to the original plan and send Qiu Paner back to her hometown after dinner.
They are sure to take all the credit for this achievement.
Jiang Mancheng and his daughter were speeding on the road and knew nothing about it. They had breakfast this morning and Jiang Mancheng went to the company to ask for half a day off.
As the car passed the village entrance, the shouts and curses of the Wei family's daughters-in-law reached them. The father and daughter smiled at each other and continued on their way as if nothing had happened. The soybean harvest had been completed, and the busy summer harvest season was over. At this time, the villagers had nothing to do. After dinner, they sat in the shade of the gate, chatting across the road.
"Hey, isn't this Lao Jiang's city? Why are you back?"
"It's not Saturday or Sunday, Chengzi, what are you doing back?"
"Uncle and Auntie, I'm sending my Xiaonan back home to stay for a few days. The oil field is fine, and our village is so nice, with mountains, water, and cool weather. It's much more comfortable than the oil field." Jiang Mancheng slowed down the car and said a few words to the people. "I'm going home first. See you next time."
"Hey, Chengzi, don't be anxious. There are still many things I haven't asked you."
Jiang Mancheng waved his hand and scurried home. He wasn't going to stay. He'd only recently learned that his father-in-law's exploration team was in Linshi, not far from the West River Bank Brigade. According to the system, they'd be exploring here soon, and there would be plenty to do. He'd have to keep a low profile for now, trying to keep everyone from thinking about him. But thinking about it didn't seem likely, and it was truly frustrating.
Xihe'an Brigade boasts a unique geographical location, situated at the intersection of three cities, two of which have discovered oil. Everyone agrees that the discovery will come sooner or later, and when it does, the brigade will undoubtedly transform from a largely unregulated area into a highly sought-after destination. At that point, marriages to the brigade will surge, and even elderly widowers will be particularly sought after.
Thinking of this, he warned Jiang Nan: "You have to keep an eye on Xiao Gui. He's a popular guy, don't let him get tricked."
Jiang Gui was an only child, but he had split up the family to pursue his career, and even at seventeen, he still hadn't married. If oil were discovered, both his father and he would have a job. After Jiang Manpo had worked for a few years, wouldn't the job be a sure thing for his daughter-in-law? Not only were the villagers tempted, but even the educated youth who went to the countryside were likely to have some ulterior motives.
"Dad, don't worry. Brother Xiaogui knows what's going on."
"What's there to be worried about?" Jiang Mancheng muttered. "What boy doesn't like to be coquettish? Take that Tang Xi, with her looks. If she tries to seduce Xiao Gui, you'll see, Xiao Gui will definitely get caught. Even if your grandmother steps in, she can't pull back a coquettish boy."
The two of them quickly entered the Jiang family's courtyard. Since everyone no longer had to work in the fields, the women were all home. Eldest sister-in-law Yin Wenjuan, second sister-in-law Ma Honghua, and eldest daughter-in-law Yao Guihua were in the yard, shelling corn from their private plots. They were taking advantage of good weather to shell the corn and dry it in the sun, so they could later grind it into grits. Each individual corn kernel, gleaming golden, was a delight to behold.
"Sister-in-law, sister-in-law." Jiang Mancheng got off his bicycle and said with a smile, "Are you peeling corn? Xiaonan has nothing to do at home, so I sent her over to stay for a few days. You guys should keep an eye on her when she goes up the mountain or down the river, and don't let her do anything wrong."
"Aunt, Second Aunt, Sister-in-law." Jiang Nan called out obediently, "Did Xiaotong and Xiaohuai go up the mountain?"
"Yes, it was summer vacation in high school, and they had nothing to do, so they ate early and took Xiaosong up the mountain." Yin Wenjuan stood up with a smile and invited the two to go to the main house.
"Auntie." Little Jiang He jumped out of the house, his face shining. He still remembered that little Nan had taken him hunting roe deer and they had even played hopscotch.
Jiang Nan smiled brightly, squatted down and picked up Jiang He, which made the little guy cry out.
Jiang Mancheng didn't exchange pleasantries in the yard and went into the main house carrying the cakes.
Inside the house, Du Hehua was sewing shoe soles with a rustling sound. When she heard her youngest son come in, she didn't even raise her head and asked, "Would you like to stay for lunch?"
"No, I'll be back soon. I only took half a day off, and I have to go back to work this afternoon. I'll come over with Jinhua on the weekend, and I'll leave Xiaonan to my mother." Jiang Mancheng took off his shoes, got on the kang, and lay down naturally. Living at the foot of the mountain is great; it's especially cool in the summer.
As the eldest sister-in-law, Yin Wenjuan quickly brought in two bowls of brown sugar water, and placed the key to her brother-in-law's room on the kang table before leaving.
"Host, Qiu Pan'er and Old Lady Qiu have also returned," the system reported. Yesterday, the host and the Qiu family clashed, and it was paying close attention to the Qiu family today.
"Ignore her." Jiang Nan didn't bother to care about Qiu Pan'er's stubbornness. She had already made it clear that if Qiu Pan'er followed her again, she would not be polite.
Life in the village was much easier than in the family compound, especially since she didn't have to do farm work. She could go up the mountain to pick mushrooms and fungus, occasionally hunt, and eat wild fruits. Her life was so comfortable that it was almost too comfortable to live in. If it weren't for the slogans painted on the walls, Jiang Nan would have thought this place was a paradise.
"Be careful." A clear male voice sounded, startling Jiang Nan who was squatting on the ground eating wild strawberries. She turned around curiously and saw a young man in a white short-sleeved shirt walking towards her quickly.
The young man was about 1.8 meters tall, fairly fair-skinned, with a straight posture and few patches on his clothes. He didn't look like a villager at first glance.
"Girl, be careful, there's a snake..."
Before he finished speaking, Jiang Nan raised a stone and flung it out, hitting the snake squarely on the groin. The force sent the snake flying forward four or five meters before finally landing on the ground.
The young man was stunned for a moment, then quickly asked with concern: "Girl, are you okay? I just saw the snake crawling towards you, so I warned you. I'm glad you're okay. I didn't expect you to be so skilled. You're not from the village, are you? I usually..."
"Ah, snake!"
Just like that, the snake happened to land next to Qiu Paner and her group not far away. Qiu Paner screamed and stepped back in fear. Although the snake was dead, for some reason, the snake's head suddenly rose up and bit Qiu Paner's leg.
[Host, don't worry, it's just a small grass snake, not poisonous. Are you okay? Why are you screaming non-stop?]
"Ahhh." Jiang Nan's face was expressionless as he screamed inwardly, "Snake, it's a snake, how disgusting. Ahhhh."
[Host, don't be afraid. The snake is already dead. Oh, and I scanned it and found that this man released the snake. He's an educated youth from the village, named Tian Jiaguang. He wants to be a hero and save you or Qiu Pan'er. He set his sights on you two the day you two arrived, and came here today when there were fewer people around.]
Jiang Nan: Haha, hehe.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Nan, when she was reborn, met a Phoenix Man!
My hands suddenly feel itchy. What’s going on?
Just, suddenly, I wanted to beat someone up.
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