Chapter 167: Saving Face

Su Yi ran all the way to the educated youth point, ignoring the educated youth who were pulling each other's hair in the courtyard, and pulled Comrade Guan into the room.

She panted slightly, lowered her voice, and said excitedly: "Comrade Guan, how about we ask the Brigade Leader to approve a piece of land and build two adobe houses? Are you willing to live with me?"

Comrade Guan's family conditions were not bad; she had been in the countryside for less than a month, and her family had sent things twice.

She had brought a lot of money with her.

She wouldn't starve even if she didn't work.

The most distressing thing about coming to the countryside for her was sleeping on a large communal bed; not only was there no privacy, but some people ground their teeth, some didn't like to bathe and had a heavy smell on their bodies, and others loved to take advantage of people, even wanting to try on other people's socks...

Comrade Guan felt miserable and was on the verge of a breakdown.

Hearing the news brought by Comrade Su now, she felt it was a good method and said happily: "That's fine, I agree."

She was an impatient person and immediately said: "There's no time like the present; let's go find the Brigade Leader and talk to him now."

Su Yi also wanted to move out sooner. "Alright."

The two didn't alert the other educated youth and quietly found the Brigade Leader.

The Brigade Leader wanted to hide when he saw educated youth, but this time he didn't manage to.

The wrinkles between his brows could crush a fly.

He didn't even ask them what was the matter, looking at the two female educated youth with worry.

Comrade Guan said: "Brigade Leader, Comrade Su and I want to move out of the educated youth courtyard..."

The Brigade Leader's brows knitted even tighter.

Without waiting for him to speak, Su Yi continued: "We will pay; just tell us how much money is needed."

The Brigade Leader wasn't tempted.

He didn't want to have too much contact with the educated youth!

He wanted to keep the well water from interfering with the river water!

Comrade Guan saw this. "Brigade Leader, the land still belongs to the brigade; we will only build a house to live in, and when we return to the city, we will give the house to the brigade for free. In addition, for the comrades who help build the house, Comrade Su and I will each give half a catty of white flour; do you think this is okay?"

This was what she and Su Yi had decided on the road.

A sharp glint flashed in the Brigade Leader's eyes.

Half a catty of white flour.

Enough for the brigade members to eat a meal of noodles!

"Really?" He looked at the two female educated youth seriously.

He wasn't greedy, and the things weren't for him; the people in the village worked hard, so there should be some return. The educated youth didn't have a close relationship with the people in the village, so who would be willing to help them without benefits?

They had been willing before, but the educated youth had too many demands, and some even spoke harshly, angering the people in the brigade.

The conflict between the two sides was very large.

"Of course it's true!" Su Yi said immediately.

Comrade Guan also nodded.

The two girls looked at the Brigade Leader nervously, their breathing slightly stagnant, fearing he would refuse.

This was a good thing; the Brigade Leader had no reason not to agree.

He asked: "Which piece of land do you two want?"

"We can still choose?" Su Yi asked happily.

"Of course not."

Su Yi: "..."

The pretty female educated youth choked; were they being teased?

"As long as we can move out of the educated youth point, both are fine for us."

Comrade Guan glanced at Su Yi, thinking that she wasn't even afraid that the Brigade Leader had bad intentions, for example, scheming against them.

She knew the Brigade Leader was a good person, but she just felt Comrade Su was a bit... too defenseless!

This was very dangerous; if she encountered someone with a bad heart, she would suffer a great loss.

Seeing Comrade Su smiling at her, a pure smile, Comrade Guan's gaze paused slightly; forget it, she would watch over her more in the future.

"Brigade Leader, sorry to trouble you."

The Brigade Leader asked: "Just the two of you living there, no one else?"

Su Yi nodded like a garlic-pounding pestle. "Yes, just the two of us; Comrade Guan and I get along, just the two of us."

Having a companion for two people was fine; if there were too many people, what would be the difference from living at the educated youth point?

She was most afraid of trouble.

"Alright, I'll discuss it with the other cadres and give you an answer later." The Brigade Leader said.

Actually, he could make a decision on this small matter immediately, but he couldn't give people the feeling that it could be done casually, lest those educated youth push their luck.

Su Yi's face showed joy.

"Thank you!"

She took Comrade Guan's arm. "Comrade Guan, I told Comrade Lin that if we could move out, I would treat her to candy. You're going to the county tomorrow; can you help me bring some things?"

Educated youth went out in turns; Su Yi had been to the city a few days ago and couldn't go tomorrow.

"I can."

Just as Comrade Guan's words fell, the Brigade Leader, who was about to leave, stopped, looked at Su Yi, and asked: "You two came to find me; was it Yubao's mother's idea?"

Su Yi explained: "I went to her door, wanting to rent a room because the Gu family had extra rooms. Comrade Lin said her cousin was coming to live there, so she refused me. She saw that I really wanted to move out, so she gave me the idea."

The Brigade Leader narrowed his eyes, feeling moved.

It had to be a high school student; her brain was indeed flexible.

Look at this idea she came up with; while solving the brigade's problem, it also created income.

What a good female comrade; her awareness was truly high. He had been blinded by lard in the past... and let the gossips in the village talk behind her back.

He regretted it.

The Brigade Leader left with complicated feelings.

Su Yi was confused: "What's wrong with the Brigade Leader? Did he agree?"

Comrade Guan's tone was calm. "You can pack your things in a few days."

Building an adobe house wouldn't take many days.

Su Yi laughed out loud.

When Gu Fu was working in the fields, the Brigade Leader walked up to him and praised him fiercely; there was no technique, it was all straightforward appreciation.

"?" Gu Fu was very confused.

Only after asking did he know that his third daughter-in-law had given the educated youth an idea, solving the brigade's difficult problem.

He smiled and said with reflected glory: "It should be done; it's good that the problem is solved."

The Brigade Leader said sincerely: "There's no need to talk about the Gu family's awareness; it's high. It's no wonder your third son climbed so fast; his awareness is far beyond others."

Gu Fu was humble: "The country educated him well."

"Yes," the Brigade Leader agreed. "Those people in the military, even rascals can be reborn; the New China is good."

After chatting for a few more sentences, he strolled elsewhere.

Once the Brigade Leader left, Gu Mu walked over. "Old man, what did the Brigade Leader want with you?"

Gu Fu told his old wife about the chat.

"Third daughter-in-law helped the brigade?" Gu Mu looked happy. "Good thing, if the Brigade Leader hadn't said it, we wouldn't have known. Yubao's mother is too humble!"

The third branch's reputation was getting better and better; this was very good.

It was very noisy outside, and that bad trend hadn't spread to the brigade for the time being, but who knew what would happen in the future? A good reputation was better than a bad one!

Gu Fu's dark face was full of smiles, and sweat flowed down his cheeks. He wiped his sweat and continued working.

After a while, he ran into Gu Chenghuai in the fields and told his son what Lin Zhao had done.

"I know about this." Gu Chenghuai smiled. He hadn't been exposed to the sun for nearly half a month, and his handsome face had turned much whiter. Today, working in the fields, he was sunburned red, and his forehead was covered in sweat.

Gu Fu was a very traditional father; he could endure hardship himself, but he couldn't bear to see his children suffer.

"Chenghuai, go back after working for a while; I can do these jobs, I'm used to it. You haven't done farm work for several years, don't suffer this."

Gu Chenghuai looked at his father's aged face, and a gurgling sourness welled up in his heart.

"Father, go rest, I'll do the rest."

Besides building the house, picking up Lin Zhao, and managing the children, he hadn't done less farm work. His parents were still working hard, and he couldn't just watch.

Gu Fu couldn't persuade his son, sighed softly, didn't rest, and accelerated his work.

This month was to prepare for autumn sowing; weeding, soil cultivation, topdressing, pest control... it concerned autumn grain, and no one was slack.

Tired was tired, but the work points were also high; work points were linked to rations, so not to mention adults, even the children on vacation didn't slack off.

Gu Fu and Gu Mu were not yet sixty and could still work. The two didn't want to increase the burden on their children and still earned work points. Gu Fu earned seven or eight work points a day, and Gu Mu was not bad either, enough to support herself and even subsidize her grandchildren.

Gu Chenghuai had persuaded them several times to stop working in the fields, and he would honor them with twenty yuan a month, but the old couple wasn't willing.

"Father, slow down." Gu Chenghuai saw his father swinging his hoe like a tiger and said.

Gu Fu waved his hand. "Father is used to it; I can do it even with my eyes closed."

"..."

Gu Chenghuai didn't say anything more and also accelerated.

"Third Brother, wait for me." Gu Qingzhou glanced enviously at the bulging muscles on his father's arms, then compared them to his own thin arms, falling into extreme inferiority.

How could he practice to be like his brother?!

Gu Chenghuai looked in the direction of the sound, helped out, and the brothers moved forward side-by-side.

Half an hour passed.

Several familiar figures appeared on the ridge of the field.

Hengbao's loud voice rang out.

"Grandpa, Grandma, Father, Little Uncle... we're here to bring you sour plum soup; come and drink quickly."

Gu Chenghuai: Hengbao is suitable for shouting slogans; his voice is truly loud!

The people in the fields stopped, lifted the broken towels hanging around their necks to wipe their sweat, and looked over in unison.

Someone not far from Gu Mu said: "Chenghuai's mother, your third daughter-in-law is sending water with Yubao and Hengbao again."

"That's not water, it's sour plum soup; sour plum soup must have sugar, right?" Another person licked their lips; the water wasn't nearby, and they couldn't even moisten their mouths.

"Yubao's mother is generous, she definitely put sugar in it!"

"Chenghuai's mother, you have good fortune; several daughters-in-law are not bad."

Gu Mu was happy.

Third daughter-in-law was truly saving face for her and the old man.

She happily walked toward the twins with the Gu family.

Someone who didn't like Lin Zhao curled their lips. "If that third daughter-in-law of hers is so thoughtful, why doesn't she send it herself? People are just giving a little favor, and she's so happy; she's not sick in the head."

Someone who had a good relationship with Gu Mu sneered. "You want to get a little favor too, but do you have any?"

After finishing her words, she went to the side to drink water.

The person who spoke sourly loved to pour cold water on people, and no one liked to talk to her, so they all pretended to be very busy.

That person was furious and kicked the hoe on the ground; her foot wasn't as hard as the iron, and she hadn't released her force, so she grimaced in pain.

At the ridge of the field.

The Gu family tasted the sweet and sour plum soup, and the heat on their bodies instantly dissipated.

Huang Xiulan said: "Why is this sour plum soup so fragrant! It's like... osmanthus?"

"That's right! It is osmanthus!" Yubao's voice was light. "My mother put osmanthus in it."

Hengbao added, "Putting osmanthus makes it fragrant and better to drink; I drank half a bowl, it's fragrant and good to drink."

He held the fan his grandfather made for him and fanned Gu Fu.

"My mother said the weather is hot and you work hard to earn work points, so she put the sour plum soup at the bottom of the well to ice it. Grandpa, when you drink it, is it cold?"

Gu Fu smiled. "Yes, your mother is thoughtful."

Third branch's wife is very good at cooking; he and the children's mother have tasted quite a few good things.

The twins were very satisfied.

They liked others to praise their mother.

Gu Chenghuai took his straw hat and put it on Hengbao's head. His straw hat was big, and when put on, it collapsed directly, covering the child's entire face.

"Father, I don't want to wear the straw hat!"

"If you don't wear it, you'll get sunburned, and you'll become the darkest one in our family." Gu Chenghuai said deliberately.

He didn't care if the child was dark or white, but Zhaozhao cared quite a bit; she liked fair and tender children.

"Your mother likes people who are fair."

Hengbao's eyes turned. "Father, you aren't fair."

"I have a natural talent." Gu Chenghuai said without humility, his pitch-black eyes squinting at the little second child. "I can turn fair after covering up for two days; what about you?"

Hengbao: He couldn't.

He stopped the action of returning the hat, put it on properly, his little face wrinkled into a ball, and he looked at Yubao pitifully, crying fake tears: "Brother, I didn't wear it when I came, I'm going to be darker than you, wuwu!"

Yubao pinched his eyebrows like a little adult. "I told you to wear it, but you insisted on not wearing it, and even said the hat affected your running speed."

"... I was wrong." Hengbao regretted it endlessly.

Yubao said: "Will you throw the hat again in the future?"

"I won't throw it again." Hengbao hung his head.

"Don't be dejected." Yubao said seriously: "If you are darker than me, I will also get sunburned all the way, and we will still be the same."

Hengbao's eyes brightened slightly. "Brother is really smart."

Yubao became smug.

That's right, he is smart.

Gu Chenghuai: "..."

Gu family: "..."

"You two go back early, be careful of heatstroke." Gu Chenghuai said.

"Okay." Hengbao responded, pulled his brother, and ran away. They were so small, but they ran fast, disappearing in an instant.

Gu Qingzhou sighed, "Children really have abundant energy."

The Gu family, having drunk the sweet, sour, and fragrant sour plum soup, were full of strength, rushed back to the fields, and worked fast, finishing work nearly an hour earlier than estimated.

Other brigade members in the fields cast envious glances.

Gu Chenghuai had food to eat as soon as he got home, while the people in the old house couldn't even drink a mouthful of cold boiled water.

Gu Xing'er didn't work in the fields and didn't think about boiling water or cooking. She was in the room eating the egg she snatched from Tie Dan's hands in the morning, and her stomach was still hungry after eating the egg.

Talking sounds came from the courtyard, and she opened the door and walked out.

"Sister-in-law, Second Sister-in-law, hurry up and cook, I'm almost starving to death!"

Huang Xiulan & Zhao Liuniang: Almost laughed in anger.

The sisters-in-law couldn't even pull out a polite and distant smile.

Gu Mu's face was ugly, and she endured her anger. "... You lay at home all afternoon?"

"That's right." Gu Xing'er didn't think much. "I also wanted to go find my little sisters to play, but unfortunately they were all busy. It's so hot in the fields, I won't go; what if I get sunburned."

Gu Mu ground her teeth. "What about the cold boiled water on the stove?"

"I drank it all, it's hot as hell, my throat was dry so I drank it." Gu Xing'er felt her mother's expression was strange, figured out something, and was a bit unhappy. "Mother, what kind of expression is that? I'm also a member of the Gu family, can't I even drink water."

Gu Mu ignored her words, took a deep breath, and clenched her hands into fists.

If she hadn't never beaten or scolded her children, she would have slapped her twice already!

This debt-collecting ghost!

"We were all busy in the fields, and you didn't even think about cooking?"

Gu Xing'er said righteously: "I don't know how!"

"If you don't know how, can't you learn?" Gu Mu was very angry. "With your lazy appearance, what good young man would be willing to marry you? You still want to marry into the city; you're thinking of farts."

"So what if I'm lazy." Gu Xing'er didn't feel ashamed. "I won't marry someone who dislikes me. I want to marry into the city to enjoy happiness, not to work, so why should I learn."

These words were damnably reasonable, but they were all crooked logic!

Gu Mu had been busy all afternoon, tired and hot, and now she was angered again, her brain dizzy.

"Don't eat tonight!"

Gu Xing'er's face turned cold, and just as she was about to make a scene, Gu Second Aunt entered the courtyard gate.

She didn't notice the strange atmosphere and said straight to the point: "Xing'er, your grandma is calling you to her house."

After passing the message, she turned and left.

Distracted by someone, Gu Mu's anger dissipated, and a thought flashed through her mind: Is there news about what the old man told the grandmother?! ===== CHAPTER 168 =====