Chapter 32

Qiao Wang took Li Gousheng to the boys' dormitory.

He took out a pack of White Rabbit Creamy Candy and put three pieces in a bowl of water, "Taste it."

Li Gousheng opened his mouth wide, carefully held the bowl, drank it in one gulp, and his eyes almost popped out, "Brother Shen, I've never drunk such sweet sugar water!"

After Li Gousheng finished speaking, he still looked longingly at the remaining White Rabbit Creamy Candy in the bag.

Qiao Wang handed him another piece and smiled gently, "There's more tomorrow, but you have to do Brother Shen a favor."

Li Gousheng patted his chest, "Brother Shen, just say it, I guarantee I'll complete the task!"

Qiao Wang stated the task and demonstrated it with Li Gousheng for a long time before letting him go.

Seeing Li Gousheng leave, Su Qianqian hurried to the boys' dormitory, "Brother Shen, what were you telling Gousheng?"

Qiao Wang gave an evil smile, leaned close to Su Qianqian's ear, and told her his plan.

Su Qianqian said with a heart full of love: "Brother Shen, you're so amazing!" The look in her eyes as she looked at Shen Xunbao was always exceptionally bright.

Qiao Wang's heart fluttered, "Qianqian, I have something even more amazing..." As he said this, he hugged Su Qianqian onto the kang.

In an instant, the smacking sounds of kissing started in the male educated youth dormitory.

Su Qianqian gasped, "No, they'll be back in a while."

"Isn't it more exciting this way? Be good, open your mouth!"

It was lunchtime, and Xiang Jianming was so angry he had no appetite.

Brigade Captain Xiang was a spineless leader; Shuangshui Village was poor and hadn't been rated as an Advanced Brigade for years, so there were no rewards or assistance. The villagers could only guard their one-third of an acre of land to earn work points and live a hard life, and they didn't have much respect for him as a Brigade Captain.

He had spent the morning finding a dozen households to pick vegetables to sell to the county Supply and Marketing Cooperative, but only two families agreed to try, while the others said in so many words that the Brigade Captain was letting them speculate and profiteer for his own benefit, and they didn't believe at all that the county Supply and Marketing Cooperative could cooperate with their village.

"Dad! Dad! Pei Huaiye caught two wild boars!"

Xiang Shishui ran in from outside to urge Xiang Jianming, "Dad, let's quickly hitch the bull cart and go help pull the wild boars!"

At noon, everyone had just finished work and was walking back from the fields in twos and threes.

Seeing Pei Huaiye dragging two wild boars out of the Back Mountain, everyone was shocked and opened their mouths wide.

"Oh my! These wild boars aren't small! Pei boy actually didn't die!"

Chen Lianzhen spoke up to stop them, "What are you babbling about, why are you cursing my eldest son?"

That person retorted awkwardly, "He caught a wild boar, so he's your son? We haven't seen you being very close to him usually."

Pei Fugui spat on the ground, "We haven't split the family yet, Pei Huaiye is my son, and the work points he earned from catching the wild boars belong to our family! It's no use if you're jealous!"

"Who's jealous? People are worried about Pei boy getting hurt, your family is really strange, didn't you see the blood on Pei Huaiye?"

Several women looked at each other and shook their heads; having such parents, Pei Huaiye's life was truly tragic and bitter.

Pei Fugui slapped Pei Huaimei on the shoulder, "Run ahead and see if your big brother is hurt? I heard he has wild mushrooms and pheasants in his basket, bring them home for chicken stew at noon."

Chen Lianzhen swallowed her saliva and pursed her lips at Li Cuiyan, who was wearing deep blue clothes in front, "Huaimei, take that girl with you."

Pei Huaimei sighed, "Mom, stop playing matchmaker! My big brother doesn't like her!"

Chen Lianzhen's eyebrows stood up, "I told you to go, so go! She's smarter than you, don't say anything else!"

Pei Huaimei ran forward helplessly, said something to Li Cuiyan, and the two girls quickened their pace and ran to Pei Huaiye.

"Big Brother, are you hurt?"

Pei Huaiye lifted his eyelids and said indifferently: "No."

Li Cuiyan didn't say a word, her eyes firmly glued to Pei Huaiye, helping to push the bamboo raft behind him.

Pei Huaiye didn't look back and didn't know at all.

He had long been used to the way the villagers looked at him, with guardedness, suspicion, fear, and disdain.

Today was different; the villagers began to be enthusiastic and even teased him.

"Pei Huaiye, are the wild boars being sent to the brigade? You boy are really amazing, you even dare to go to the Back Mountain!"

"Oh, there's even a girl helping to push the bamboo raft, Pei boy, you've opened up, haven't you?"

Pei Huaiye was baffled; he looked back, and his gaze suddenly turned cold, "Let go! I don't need you to push!"

Li Cuiyan suppressed the fear in her heart and stopped pushing obediently.

She knew that Pei Huaiye wasn't bad at heart, so she looked at him with deep affection again in an instant.

Pei Huaiye's eyes were cold and sharp, "Stay away from me!"

As he said this, he quickened his pace and ran with the bamboo raft. Pei Huaimei wanted to look at the sky and sigh; was such a big brother going to be a bachelor for life!

"Pei Huaiye, you're a capable one! You did what you said you would! The blood on you isn't yours, right?" Xiang Jianming was pleasantly surprised.

"No."

Brigade Captain Xiang praised him repeatedly, busily stopped the bull cart with his youngest son, and several people and the villagers worked together to move the two wild boars onto the bull cart.

Xiang Jianming smiled until his eyes narrowed into a slit, "We'll divide the meat tonight, Shuizi, go call your brother to slaughter the pig!"

Pei Huaimei didn't dare to ask her big brother for wild mushrooms and pheasants; she didn't dare to return to her parents' side, so she had to hide in the crowd to avoid their knife-like gazes.

Pei Fugui said disdainfully: "How did I give birth to such a useless thing as Pei Huaimei! She couldn't even ask her big brother for some food to honor her parents!"

Chen Lianzhen said loudly: "I'll go ask! There are several pheasants, just right to take back for Huaigang to nourish himself!"

After the couple finished speaking, they walked to Pei Huaiye in a few steps, and without even saying a word, they reached out to grab the basket.

The veins on Pei Huaiye's forehead bulged. After giving Pei Fugui one pheasant, he pressed down on the basket and the backpack tightly, his voice cold and terrifying, "The rest is my own ration!"

Chen Lianzhen whipped Pei Huaiye on the back with a crutch, "You caught three pheasants! And you only honor your parents with one? Can you eat two by yourself? Are you a pig?"

Xiang Jianming couldn't listen anymore! His outstretched fingers were shaking, "Pei Fugui! Chen Lianzhen! Listen to yourselves, is that human talk?! The villagers have all seen how your son has lived these years! Pei Huaiye caught game and earned work points, so he's your son? Usually, you treat him worse than a stranger! Is there any parent like you? Pei Huaiye contributed two wild boars and is a hero of the brigade. If you keep making trouble, don't even think about getting any pork tonight!"

Everyone accused Pei Fugui and Chen Lianzhen.

"They've tormented Pei Huaiye for so many years, and all the benefits went to Pei Huaigang, too biased!"

"Their reputation is ruined, and they aren't even afraid of implicating their descendants."

"Anyway, their youngest son Pei Huaigang is already married, what else are they afraid of?"

Pei Fugui thought of Pei Huaigang's wife being pregnant and thought of his unborn grandson, so he stopped talking awkwardly.

Pei Huaiye looked at the Brigade Captain with gratitude, and Xiang Jianming roared at the fields with a smile, "Everyone work hard this afternoon, we'll collect pork tonight!"

Everyone was overjoyed to hear this; the meat divided by the brigade didn't cost money, and who didn't like free meat!

This happy event spread from ten to a hundred, and the whole village was boiling.

Zhou Xiang was the leader of the educated youth team, and the Brigade Captain asked him to help with the registration in the evening, "After collecting the pork tonight, hand it all over to Xiaohong and Li Yun, and you all discuss how to cook it. The boys will chop wood and carry water."

Dai Xiaohong and Li Yun discussed how to make the pork delicious while chatting and laughing.

Qiao Wang heard the door of the Educated Youth Courtyard open and covered Su Qianqian's mouth, "They're back!"

Qiao Wang's eyes were like he wanted to eat someone, and he stopped while suppressing something. "You go quickly!"

Su Qianqian tidied her top and ran out of the boys' dormitory with disheveled hair, bumping into the educated youths who had just finished work.

"Su Qianqian?! Why are you hiding in the boys' dormitory instead of working?" Li Yun asked loudly.

Su Qianqian lowered her head and roared, "I asked for leave, it's none of your business!" After saying this, she ran back to the dormitory, got on the kang, covered herself with the quilt, and silently relived everything that had just happened.

"So shameless!" Li Yun was extremely speechless; had these two completely lost all sense of shame!

To actually do this behind Su Qingyue's back, no, she must tell Su Qingyue.