Chapter 67: Do You Want to Become Mute?

After Song Yue’s words, those few people didn’t even dare to let out a fart.

Someone next to them chimed in to support Song Yue, “You guys too, how can you expect to see a doctor without paying?”

“Exactly.”

The old educated youth, Wu Yun, watched Song Yue with a schadenfreude-filled smile.

“Comrade Song, don’t be mad. The free doctor they’re talking about is probably one of those barefoot doctors sent by the commune.”

Song Yue turned to look at Wu Yun, just about to speak.

But a woman next to her spoke first.

“Comrade Wu, how can barefoot doctors be the same? Even though they don’t charge money, they still earn work points, and the medicine is provided by the hospital. How could they be paying out of their own pocket?”

“Besides, if they travel all the way to see you, you’d at least have to provide them with a meal, right?”

Another educated youth, Li Tao, joined in, “Barefoot doctors provide free treatment, but only for the members of their own brigade.”

“If people from other brigades come to them, don’t they still have to pay?”

An old man spoke up, “At the end of the day, it all comes down to one thing—seeing a doctor costs money. There’s no such thing as free treatment.”

“That’s for sure.”

The entire morning work session was divided into two halves—the first half discussing two major village affairs and the second half debating whether medical treatment should be paid for.

As for the people who got scolded by Song Yue, they quietly moved to the farthest edge while everyone was busy arguing, keeping as much distance from her as possible.

The work dismissal bell rang.

Song Yue picked up the sickle and left.

She had requested leave for the afternoon and wouldn’t be going to work, so she returned the sickle used for cutting grass.

On the way back, she ran into Li Hongjun.

Li Hongjun had a bruised and swollen face, was using a wooden stick as a crutch, and was limping…

Song Yue: “……”

He was beaten up this badly, yet instead of staying home to rest, he was wandering around?

When Li Hongjun saw Song Yue ahead, he shuddered in fear and quickly backed away. “Y-you-you…”

“Stay right there! Don’t move!”

Song Yue halted her steps, standing still as she watched Li Hongjun with amusement.

She was curious to see what kind of nonsense he’d come up with, looking like this.

“Y-yeah…”

Li Hongjun, flustered, kept retreating, stepping onto the narrow ridge between the fields. “Don’t move, don’t come over…”

This woman was seriously cursed for men!

Yesterday afternoon, he got beaten up. Then, in the middle of the night, when he got up to pee,

someone—either one of his debtors or someone he had offended before—ambushed him with a sack and beat him up again.

Originally, he planned to go to the commune clinic to get checked out, but the moment he stepped out of his house, he stepped in dog shit…

Then he tripped and almost knocked his teeth out.

Bad luck had piled up to the max.

He had been wondering why he was suddenly so unlucky, until he saw this woman in front of him again.

That was when he remembered what his mother told him yesterday at noon—

It was definitely this woman! She was cursed!

Li Hongjun scrambled onto the narrow ridge between the fields, desperate to get as far away from Song Yue as possible, quickening his pace.

Seeing him stepping onto the ridge, Song Yue continued on her way back to the educated youth’s quarters.

She had only taken a few steps forward when—

Behind her, Li Hongjun’s voice rang out in frustration. “Fuck! I—”

Song Yue turned around to take a look.

She: “……”

Just moments ago, he had been on the ridge.

Now, he was sprawled in the paddy field.

The fields had already been flooded in preparation for planting rice.

Li Hongjun scrambled up from the muddy water, covered head to toe in filth…

He was already miserable enough, but after rolling in the mud, he looked even worse.

Song Yue shook her head. There was a perfectly good road, yet he insisted on taking the narrow field ridge.

Can’t understand.

—

Back at the educated youth’s quarters.

As soon as she stepped through the gate, the rich aroma of meat filled her nose.

It looked like the four who had taken leave to go to the commune had returned.

Hmm.

Among the new educated youths, she was the only one who had gone to work today.

Lin He and his group of three. As for Liu Wei… naturally, she had stuck close to Li Xinyue.

But—

Something seemed off between the four of them. They were cooking separately.

Lin He had his own pot.

Li Xinyue, Zhao Zirui, and Liu Wei shared another pot.

Both pots were bubbling away, sending delicious smells into the air.

The older educated youths were also cooking, but they kept sneaking glances this way, eyes filled with envy.

Lin He, face cold, was tending to his fire alone.

On the other side, Liu Wei was busying herself.

Li Xinyue and Zhao Zirui were sitting together, all cozy.

Just like her, they had built makeshift stoves out of stacked stones.

Song Yue: “……”

Five educated youths, three makeshift stoves—even a dog would shake its head at this.

The moment Song Yue returned, all four of them turned to look at her.

Lin He, putting away his displeasure, showed a smile and was about to greet her—

But Liu Wei cut in first. “Comrade Song, you went out in the middle of the night and didn’t come back for a long time. You must be exhausted, right?

I thought you wouldn’t be going to work this morning.”

Lin He froze. Song Yue went out last night? Why?

The older educated youths, hearing this, all looked over, their gazes locking onto Liu Wei and Song Yue, ready to watch the drama unfold.

Song Yue had been about to grab her pot to cook lunch.

Hearing Liu Wei’s passive-aggressive remark, she stopped in her tracks and looked at her with a smile.

“No matter how tired I am, I wouldn’t be as exhausted as you, Comrade Liu—staying up in the middle of the night just to keep an eye on me.”

Liu Wei denied it, “Comrade Song, I wasn’t watching you. You woke me up.”

“Oh?”

Song Yue raised an eyebrow. “You could hear me sneaking out quietly, but you somehow didn’t hear Comrade Chen Xue’s annoyed voice, or the shouting from outside the quarters?”

Liu Wei’s face stiffened.

She had heard it all… she just intentionally left that part out…

She wanted people to get the wrong idea.

Of course—

She couldn’t admit she had heard those voices.

Liu Wei opened her mouth to deny it.

But before she could, Song Yue’s voice rang out again.

“Comrade Liu, your selective hearing seems pretty serious. I suggest you go to the city hospital to get it checked.”

“After all, selective hearing now might turn into selective madness later.”

“And selective madness is no different from a rabid dog that bites people randomly. Comrade Liu, you’d better be careful.”

Liu Wei wasn’t stupid—how could she not understand that Song Yue was calling her a mad dog in a roundabout way?

She glared angrily. “You—”

Song Yue lazily interrupted her.

“Comrade Liu, you’d better stop while you’re ahead. I’m in a very bad mood today.

The fact that I’m even talking to you properly and haven’t smashed a brick over your head is already my limit.”

“But if you insist on testing whether your head is harder than a brick, I wouldn’t mind fulfilling your wish.”

Liu Wei silently lowered her head.

A brick to the head—who wouldn’t be afraid of that?

Lowering her head meant admitting defeat.

Song Yue couldn’t be bothered with this small fry.

She liked reasoning with people.

But if this fool ever offended the village aunties, they’d tear her apart with words alone.

She’d wait.

Wait until the day she no longer felt like reasoning—then this fool would learn just how brutal reality could be.

—

Song Yue grabbed her pot to start cooking.

Lin He told her not to bother and invited her to eat with him.

Song Yue refused outright.