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According to the rules, when an Educated Youth is sent down to the countryside and marries a local, they can indeed apply for a piece of homestead land in the village.
They could pay for it themselves and build a house.
However, as for the situation with Lu Xingguang and Zhao Sulan, no one was a fool.
Especially the person in charge of the paperwork, Jiang Aiguo. How could he possibly grant homestead land to such people?
Jiang Aiguo had already guessed most of the truth, but because the two were about to get their marriage certificate, he allowed them to get away with it.
So, even if he didn’t grant them homestead land, a place to settle down still had to be provided.
Fortunately, the dilapidated house they had been messing around with for a long time could be given to them.
It seemed like they didn’t mind the place anyway.
As for its broken-down state, let them clean it up and repair it themselves.
Jiang Aiguo wouldn’t care about such small details.
It was already close to seven o’clock, and almost everyone had gathered at the grain-drying field.
As Su Niannian arrived at the field, she spotted Gu Nan’s figure.
It was as if he sensed her presence. The moment Su Niannian appeared in the field, he happened to look up at that exact moment.
Their gazes met, almost as if they were about to intertwine.
Li Ergou, standing nearby, couldn’t help but shiver when he saw the expressions on their faces.
“Wow, I never expected that Brother Nan would end up like this,” Li Ergou thought to himself.
But still, he couldn’t help feeling a little envious.
If someone as cold and unyielding as Gu Nan could bloom like this, where was his own spring?
Song Zhaodi, seeing the exchange of glances between Gu Nan and Su Niannian, couldn’t help but feel a little happy for Su Niannian.
She also hoped that someone would take care of Su Niannian, and if that person were Gu Nan, she felt it was a good match.
After all, Gu Nan had a notorious reputation. If Su Niannian was with him, she likely wouldn’t be bullied by others.
After all, anyone who wanted to mess with Gu Nan would have to think twice about their own abilities.
Su Niannian pulled Song Zhaodi along and walked over to the side of the female Educated Youths.
It was only then that Gu Nan finally withdrew his gaze.
Today, not only was Village Chief Lu Guofu present, but Jiang Aiguo’s figure also appeared here.
Clearly, there was something important to announce.
Below, murmurs of conversation were incessant.
“Since Secretary Jiang is here today, there must be something important to announce.”
“I guess it’s about the scandal involving the Educated Youths, Lu and Zhao. Lu is probably going to be sentenced to hard labor for his crime, something like a hooligan charge, right?”
“Are they still at the Educated Youths’ camp? They haven’t been brought here yet.”
“It seems like Zhao hasn’t committed suicide, huh? After having her body seen by nearly half the men in the village, she still has the nerve to live on. Truly a real ‘educated youth’.”
“You shouldn’t say things like that. It’s better to live miserably than to die, right? Such a young woman, how could she… Besides, if she died, it would be such a waste. Her body and skin are so fair and clean.”
“Alright, you dog of a man. Yesterday you told me you saw nothing, so how do you know her body is fair and clean?”
Suddenly, a woman grabbed her husband’s ear.
The woman applied quite a bit of strength, and the man’s ear turned bright red in an instant.
“What are you two doing? There are so many people here! If you want to fight, take it home!” Li Guofu, seeing the movement in the crowd, immediately scolded them.
To be fair, the village chief still had his authority. With that shout, the woman really did let go of her husband’s ear.
“Wait a minute!!”
Upon hearing this, the man’s face fell.
Although this era was still patriarchal, in some rural areas, there were still a few fierce women around.
It was clear that this woman was one of those strong-willed individuals.
Jiang Aiguo saw that the crowd had mostly gathered and took two steps forward.
“Today, I have two matters to explain to everyone,” he began.
“In the past couple of days, some events have occurred in the village that caused a lot of noise and seriously affected everyone’s work morale. I think it’s necessary to formally clarify things with all of you.”
“The first matter is the incident involving Widow Wu’s dumplings being hit. The investigation is complete, and it was Xu Wansui from Xu Chengwei’s family who did it. There are witnesses, so Xu Chengwei is responsible for what happened yesterday afternoon.”
“He is responsible for the dumplings, as well as Widow Wu’s medical and nutrition expenses.”
As soon as Jiang Aiguo finished speaking, the crowd immediately started murmuring.
“Widow Wu is already so pitiful, and Xu Chengwei’s family still wants to bully her?”
“Exactly, there are all kinds of people. Yesterday, Widow Wu was pushed to the edge—she was about to kill someone. Such a humble person, and yet she resorted to a knife.”
“When a rabbit is cornered, it bites. How much more so a human? Even if they’re thin or easy to bully, there comes a point when they’re pushed too far.”
“I hope Widow Wu and the child can live a peaceful life from now on. They’ve had such a hard time.”
At this moment, Su Niannian looked around, but she didn’t see Baozi and his mother, nor did she spot Xu Chengwei’s family.
“Quiet,” Jiang Aiguo said. “I still have one more thing to announce.”
The noise below was so loud that Jiang Aiguo had to raise his voice.
“Quiet!” he shouted, and many villagers immediately fell silent, waiting for the next part of the announcement.
“The second matter is about the incident involving Lu Xingguang and Zhao Sulan the night before last.”
Before Jiang Aiguo could finish speaking, the crowd below began chattering again in hushed voices.
Such matters, especially in this era, were incredibly sensational. It was the top gossip, and even the usually quiet, hardworking farmers who only focused on their work couldn’t resist adding their opinions.
“Quiet down. Let me finish speaking first,” Jiang Aiguo said, frowning.
The villagers quickly hushed, the noise subsiding as they waited for him to continue.
“The educated youth both Lu Xingguang and Zhao Sulan, have stated that they are a couple, and it was Zhao Sulan who accidentally took medicine meant for mating pigs, which led to the incident that occurred the night before.”
“They’ve already decided to get their marriage certificate in the next couple of days, so from now on, I hope no one continues to gossip about this matter.”
Jiang Aiguo summarized the situation briefly, but of course, this was just what they claimed. As for the truth, even though Jiang Aiguo had a pretty good idea of what had happened, there was no solid evidence.
The crowd erupted in disbelief as soon as Jiang Aiguo finished speaking.
“Wow, no wonder Zhao Sulan acted like that the night before. Turns out, she took the mating medicine for sows! That’s crazy! That stuff is meant for animals, and they actually gave it to a person?”
The murmurs in the crowd grew louder, with people exchanging glances and whispers.
“How could anyone accidentally eat something like that? I think it was Lu Xingguang who forced Zhao Sulan to take it. That man is capable of anything.”
At this, many of the villagers turned their eyes toward the middle-aged man who had spoken, their expressions a mix of disbelief and curiosity.
The crowd burst into a mix of laughter and surprise, some even shaking their heads in disbelief.
“Who knew you’d be so sharp all of a sudden? We used to think you were a bit slow, but now you’ve got it all figured out!”
The middle-aged man, who had just made his deduction, flushed slightly, scratching his head awkwardly but feeling a bit smug inside.