Chapter 42

Gu Beihuai said, “Comrade Xia, we understand. Don’t worry, we will definitely protect ourselves and absolutely won’t let anyone take advantage of us.”

Just as Xia Yunxuan was about to say something, she heard the captain’s voice over the loudspeaker, “Is everyone here? Let’s have a morning meeting.”

“Old lady Li said, ‘Captain, that damn girl Xia Yunrou’s bumped into me and injured me. I even had to spend a few yuan on medicine. What do you think about this?'”

“Captain, I’m telling you, if you don’t do anything about it, I’ll go to her family and make their lives miserable every day.”

“She’s really a vixen. She was messing around with someone in the threshing ground in the middle of the night. Old lady He said, ‘I told you, my granddaughter is already married. If you have the guts, go find her yourself. It was her who pushed you, not us. I don’t care.'”

“Besides, she pushed you, and you didn’t stand firm. Whose fault is that? You want us to pay? Don’t even think about it.”

Xia Yunxuan was watching the drama while munching on sunflower seeds. Let them fight. Neither of them were good people. The more fiercely they fought, the better. She also gave a handful to Xiao Yichen, Gu Beihuai, and Hu Guiqin, who shook her head and thought, “This girl loves watching dramas. Whenever something happens, she always has sunflower seeds in her pocket. It’s making me want to eat more. Her sunflower seeds are really delicious.”

“Old lady Li said, ‘Old lady He, how can you be so shameless? You’re an old hag. You have no conscience. If she didn’t push me, how could I have fallen? I’m not made of paper.'”

“Why is your family like this? You push someone to the ground and don’t care at all. Well, don’t blame me then. I’ll push someone to the ground too. I don’t care.”

The captain said, “You old women are always arguing. Stop it. Old lady He, pay Old lady Li 10 eggs, or we’ll deduct it from your work points.”

Old lady He felt like her flesh was being cut off. She said, “Captain, you’re so unfair. Xia Yunrou’s is already married to Zhang the Butcher. She’s not part of our family anymore. Why should I pay for the eggs? I don’t even have enough to eat myself. Old lady Li should be afraid of getting diarrhea after eating them.”

Old lady Li said, “Your whole family has no conscience, and you’re not afraid. Why should I be afraid? Besides, this is what I deserve. If you don’t pay, I’ll push you to the ground too. Just try me.”

The captain said, “Stop it. Do as I said. Old lady He, give Old lady Li 10 eggs at noon, or we’ll deduct them from your work points.”

Old lady He was so angry that her chest hurt. She couldn’t believe that her granddaughter was already married and still caused trouble for her. She was a white-eyed wolf. She had raised her for nothing. When she comes back, I’ll skin her alive.

But Old lady He didn’t know that her granddaughter had more than just her skin peeled off. Her life was almost gone. She was being tortured by Zhang the Butcher every day, especially at night. It was a nightmare. She had to work during the day.

She had lost several pounds in just a few days, and she didn’t look like the old Xia Yunrou’s anymore. Her mother probably wouldn’t even recognize her. Her eyes were sunken, and she had dark circles under her eyes. Her hair was messy, like a bird’s nest.

Xia Yunrou’s’s eyes were dull and had lost their light. She was like a walking corpse. Zhang the Butcher had a violent tendency. Seeing Xia Yunrou’s like this, he beat and kicked her every day. If he was unhappy, he would take it out on Xia Yunrou’s. Now, Xia Yunrou’s was covered in injuries. There wasn’t a single spot on her body that was unscathed.

Especially at night, it was Xia Yunrou’s’s nightmare. Zhang the Butcher couldn’t perform, so he tortured Xia Yunrou’s, calling her a slut.

This morning, the porridge Xia Yunrou’s cooked was a little hot, and she was beaten by Zhang the Butcher again. He blamed her for being like a living dead person, unable to even cook porridge properly. What was the use of marrying her? He had even paid a high dowry.

It was true what they said: “What goes around comes around. Every dog has its day.” It was a good thing. Just wait and see. This matter wouldn’t end. It would probably lead to a murder.

Over at Xiangshuiwan Brigade, the captain, Xia Daming, was assigning work. Today was the first day for the new intellectuals to work. The captain looked at the people below and said, “The new intellectuals have just arrived, so they might not know anything. You all have to guide them. Don’t let them pull up the wheat seedlings.”

“The female intellectuals will go with the aunties in the brigade to pull weeds and turn over the sweet potato vines. The male intellectuals will go to pick up stones in the field and carry water to irrigate the fields. Xiao Yichen and Gu Beihuai will also go to pull weeds. This is their own request. They don’t mind that pulling weeds has low work points.”

The other male intellectuals couldn’t believe that these two were so sneaky. They came and went to pull weeds without consulting them. Otherwise, they would have gone to pull weeds too. Carrying water and picking up stones was so tiring.

“As for the male laborers in the brigade, they will go to clear land, carry manure, and repair the irrigation canals.”

“Alright, everyone work hard. Don’t be lazy, no matter who you are. If I catch you, I’ll deduct your work points. Go get your tools and go to work. The sooner you finish, the sooner you can go home. If you don’t finish, you have to finish your task before you can leave.”

Everyone went to the tool room to get their tools. When they saw it was Xia Yunxuan, especially the female intellectuals, they were very unhappy. Why could this vixen do such easy work while they had to work in the fields? It wasn’t fair. This work should have been theirs.

They, the new intellectuals, knew that if they worked in the fields, they would soon be as black as charcoal. They could see that from the older intellectuals in the intellectual youth center.

This work of handing out tools was so easy. They only had to do it in the morning and evening. They would have time to do their own things. Who wouldn’t want to do it?

Xia Yunxuan didn’t care what other people were thinking. After handing out the tools and locking the door, she took her knife, put on her backpack, and went to the back mountain.

When she reached the back mountain, she saw many children cutting grass for pigs. Xia Yunxuan sighed. If this were in the future, these children would be the treasures of their families. They would all be in school. How could they be doing so much work at such a young age?

Children in the future might need to be fed and would be picky eaters. In this era, it was good enough to have a bite to eat. It was truly the times that made these people.

These children also saw Xia Yunxuan, but they had to hurry up and cut the grass for pigs. They also had to go home to wash clothes and cook, so they didn’t have time to chat. They just smiled at her.

Xia Yunxuan waved to the children and walked forward with her backpack. There wasn’t anything good here, and people often came here.

Actually, she really wanted to go to the deep mountains. She decided to do it. When she was far enough away from people, she put her backpack into her space and released Duan Yue. Duan Yue was about to howl. “Xia Yunxuan shouted, ‘Don’t howl. What if someone finds you and hurts you? You take me to the deep mountains.'”