Chapter 65: A Perfect Match! Seal the Deal!

On the side of the new educated youths, Qi Zhijun hesitated as he stared at the field mouse meat in his food bowl. But watching Zhang Xiaojun and Liu Daye beside him eat with such relish made him waver.

In the end, he cautiously picked up a piece of radish and popped it into his mouth. The moment he bit down, the rich broth oozed out, flooding every taste bud on his tongue.

Oh, oh! It was too delicious!

In the battle between gluttony and fear, gluttony emerged victorious. He took a big bite of the field mouse meat.

Since Ming Dai had been concerned about bacterial infection, she had stewed the meat for a long time, to the point where the bones were nearly soft. With ease, Qi Zhijun stripped the meat off half a mouse with just his lips.

Oh, oh! It was too good!!

Even after finishing, he still wasn’t satisfied. He scooped up the remaining radish along with his rice, but his eyes drifted toward the mountains.

If only he could catch a few of these himself.

Liu Yan was also enjoying the meal immensely. Even back in Beijing, she rarely had the chance to eat meat. Whenever her family bought some, it was always reserved for her father and younger brothers, leaving her with nothing but the faint taste of grease when washing dishes.

This meal left everyone beaming with joy, completely forgetting their complaints about the day’s hard labor. Instead, they felt lucky—fortunate to have come here to build the reservoir.

While they were feasting and celebrating, the people from other villages in the area were suffering.

They had finished their meals long ago—plain, watery gruel. At the time, it had filled their stomachs, but the moment they relieved themselves, their bellies flattened again.

On any other day, they might have been able to endure it. But tonight, the entire camp was engulfed in the mouthwatering aroma of meat. The tantalizing scent scratched at their hearts like an invisible claw, making sleep impossible.

Inside the shed of Shangwan Village, Pan Xiazi sat with his swollen, outward-turned lips, his face still bruised and battered, though the swelling had begun to subside.

Clenching his broken teeth around a tobacco pipe, he took a deep drag. The embers inside flickered in the darkness, casting an eerie glow.

“Gurgle, gurgle—”

The sound of hungry stomachs rumbling echoed through the shed.

Suddenly, Pan Xiazi shot up from his seat. “Damn it! Tomorrow, we’re going to catch field mice too!”

A chorus of cheers erupted in response.

It seemed the same idea had already taken root in the minds of people from other villages—they, too, planned to go hunting for field mice the next day.

Meanwhile, over on Ming Dai’s side, some people discreetly approached her, hoping to join in. After discussing it with Liu Guoqiang, she decided that only the four of them would go as usual, ensuring that the work on the reservoir wouldn’t be delayed.

The villagers were satisfied as long as they got some meat, so they didn’t push the issue. The only person who wouldn’t let it go was Qi Zhijun.

Ming Dai looked at the two people standing in front of the shed and felt speechless.

“Haven’t I already told you? The four of us will go tomorrow. You guys just wait here and eat.”

Qi Zhijun’s face turned slightly red, though luckily, the darkness concealed it. “Ming Zhiqing, we’re all educated youths. Going together would be a sign of unity.”

Ming Dai was unimpressed. “Qi Zhiqing, you’re being narrow-minded! Who says educated youths can only unite with other educated youths? We need to unite with the broad masses of laboring people! We can’t limit ourselves to a small educated youth clique!”

That was a heavy accusation. Qi Zhijun panicked and quickly tried to explain. “No, no, that’s not what I meant! I just feel like you’re distancing yourself from the educated youth commune!”

Ming Dai: Heh. Distancing your sister!

“Qi Zhiqing, if you have a problem, you’re welcome to report me to Team Leader Fang. After all, he’s the one in charge of the educated youth commune. Besides, I don’t think I’ve distanced myself at all—whenever there’s farm work or an assigned task for the educated youths, have I ever refused to participate?”

She then flashed a sly smile. “Oh, wait! I just remembered—there actually is someone who didn’t participate in the reservoir construction. Now that’s truly distancing oneself from the group and evading responsibilities. Shouldn’t that be reported?”

Qi Zhijun immediately understood that she was referring to Fang Rou and frantically shook his head.

“No, no, of course not! Xiao Rou was sent to work by the organization. That was an official arrangement, so it doesn’t count as distancing herself or avoiding tasks!”

Ming Dai let out a cold laugh. “Then what right do you have to say that I’m distancing myself from the educated youth commune?”

Qi Zhijun felt wronged. The truth was, he was upset that she didn’t share the benefits with the educated youths but instead included the villagers.

But he also knew this argument wouldn’t hold up, so he fumbled for words, unable to come up with a solid response.

Liu Yan, growing anxious, immediately jumped in. “Ming Zhiqing, you’re being too much! How can you say that about Brother Jun?! He’s only concerned about you and doesn’t want you to go down the wrong path!”

Ming Dai: Sorry, but that was disgusting.

“What did I say about him? Wasn’t he the one who came at me first, claiming I was distancing myself from the commune? And you—what right do you have to speak for him? Or are you two seeing each other now? Oh, I remember this morning, I saw you two sneaking off into the little grove.”

Liu Yan’s face turned red in the darkness. Embarrassed, she stammered, “N-no, we… we haven’t…”

The unfinished sentence left room for speculation. Ming Dai chuckled knowingly. “Ohhh, I get it, I get it.”

Qi Zhijun, on the other hand, reacted as if he had been stung. “Don’t talk nonsense! Liu Zhiqing and I are completely innocent! Nothing happened between us! How could I possibly like her? We’re not dating, Ming Zhiqing—you’ve got it all wrong!”

His voice was sharp and high-pitched, carrying far beyond those nearby.

Liu Yan’s shy smile stiffened. She was still young, and being rejected so publicly was unbearable. Covering her face, she turned and ran off in tears.

Qi Zhijun realized he had overreacted. He swallowed hard, his voice hoarse as he emphasized again to Ming Dai, “Ming Zhiqing, there is nothing between me and her. It’s purely a revolutionary friendship!”

Ming Dai waved him off dismissively. “Yeah, yeah, got it. You two are completely innocent, no relationship whatsoever. Now, can you leave? I want to sleep.”

Qi Zhijun felt utterly drained. He had only wanted to catch some field mice so they could have a better meal, yet somehow, he had ended up being accused of having an improper relationship with Liu Yan.

Lowering his head, he trudged back to his own shack, feeling a surge of disgust toward Liu Yan.

He wasn’t clueless—he knew Liu Yan liked him.

Back in Beijing, girls like her were everywhere, always hanging around him. After all, he was good-looking and came from a well-off family.

But how could he ever be interested in them?

He wants to marry Xiao Rou!

Only a good girl like Xiao Rou is worthy of him!

Ming Dai watched as Qi Zhijun strode back to his shack, completely ignoring the fact that Liu Yan had run off crying. She felt nothing but contempt for him.

What a scumbag! A textbook scumbag!

Enjoying a girl’s attention and care while never outright rejecting her, keeping things ambiguous just to keep her hanging—how disgusting!

Fortunately, Liu Yan returned before long.

Her social standing wasn’t great—nobody had gone after her when she ran off. In the end, it was fear that drove her back.

And she was quite the odd one, too. It didn’t take long for her to convince herself to forgive Qi Zhijun, but instead, she started harboring resentment toward Ming Dai.

If she had just agreed to let them join, then Qi Zhijun wouldn’t have rejected her so publicly!

Boohoo! It’s all her fault!

Ming Dai: Heh. A broken pot finds its broken lid. You two are a match made in heaven. Please, I beg you, just lock it in already.

Ignoring them completely, Ming Dai finished washing up and got ready for bed.

Zhou Sinian was already lying under the covers, absorbed in a comic book, reading by flashlight.

Not long after, Huang Dalian returned. She carried Ming Dai’s washbasin, poured in hot water, and started washing her feet while chatting away.

“Xiao Ming, do you know why Qi Zhijun and Liu Zhiqing snuck off into the grove this morning?”

Whoa! The speed of gossip transmission was truly impressive!

Ming Dai immediately adjusted into prime gossip-listening mode. “What happened?”