Chapter 43 : Exposing the fact that the two did not pay the rent

“They say that’s how farm work is. After a while, once your hands are covered with calluses, you’ll get used to it. Can you still keep going?” Yun Siying asked with understanding. She knew that someone who had never done farm work before couldn’t possibly adjust on the very first day.

“No, I need to rest for a bit. I’m really sorry you ended up grouped with me. Just look at how slow I’m working, we probably won’t earn many work points today,” Lin Zikang said apologetically.

“It’s fine. I’m not very good at this either,” Yun Siying replied casually.

‘Not good at it?’ Lin Zikang thought. ‘If I hadn’t seen how fast you moved earlier, I might’ve believed that. Oh well, as long as she doesn’t blame me for dragging her down, I’ll just keep trying.’

Yun Siying glanced at the sweat beading on his forehead, the blisters on his hands, and the increasingly harsh sun above them. She silently thanked herself for wearing a hat, if she had to work under this sun every day, she’d be tanned in no time. ‘Farm work is exhausting,’ she thought. ‘Facing the dirt with your back to the sky all day…’ She really wanted to slack off and find a chance to ask the team leader if she could switch to cutting pig grass instead.

To the team leader, although the two educated youths weren’t skilled or quick, their attitudes were decent. They didn’t complain, cry, cause trouble, or blame the team for not giving them easier tasks.

Even while resting on the stone, Yun Siying quietly continued absorbing energy from the air. She watched Lin Zikang dig for a bit, rest for a bit… Within two hours, the blisters on his palms had burst. He grimaced in pain but still pushed himself to keep working.

Yun Siying alternated between practicing her energy techniques and helping with the work, keeping pace with Lin Zikang’s progress. Shu Ruxue glanced over at her several times during those two hours. Eventually, she couldn’t hold back any longer and called out.

“Siying, how can you just let Comrade Lin keep digging while you don’t take turns? We’re all educated youths here in the countryside together, we should help one another. You can’t be so selfish.”

Only then did Yun Siying realize that Shu Ruxue and Shen Subai had been alternating tasks, and that Shu Ruxue had been doing most of the digging herself. Seeing how relaxed Yun Siying looked, Shu Ruxue felt even more irritated.

Nearby villagers overheard Shu Ruxue’s complaint. Though they didn’t stop working, their ears perked up they all knew there was tension between the two women.

“Do you live by the sea?” Yun Siying asked calmly, her tone completely even.

“What? Of course not. Why are you asking something so obvious?” Shu Ruxue replied, momentarily stunned and annoyed by the strange question.

“Then you’re really nosy,” Yun Siying said coolly. “Even my own partner hasn’t said anything. You’re really meddling in someone else’s business.”

“You’re just making excuses to avoid labor,” Shu Ruxue snapped, fuming.

Yun Siying looked at the furious Shu Ruxue and recalled how often she’d picked fights. With a smile, she said, “Tsk. Comrade Lin and I are simply working at our own pace and earning whatever points we can. We haven’t taken anything from the brigade that wasn’t ours. Unlike you and Shen Subai, living in that blue-brick tile house built by the villagers without even paying rent, and still acting like you belong there.”

The villagers were stunned by this revelation. That house had been built by everyone together, yet many of them couldn’t even live in such a nice place. Why should those two get to stay there for free?

“Comrade Yun, are you telling the truth?” asked Li Changhe, the leader of Group 4. He had been working nearby and keeping an eye on the group after all  they were his responsibility, and he didn’t want any incidents.

“Of course it’s true. If you don’t believe me, go to the Youth League and see where they live. Then go ask the brigade if they’ve paid any rent,” Yun Siying said, noticing the drastic change in the expressions of the two people. The corners of her lips lifted slightly. She was not someone who turned the other cheek, if someone crossed her she would retaliate. She didn’t believe in repaying evil with kindness.

“What do you have to say, Comrade Shu and Shen?” Li Changhe asked, his tone no longer as friendly as before. He fixed a firm gaze on the two, while the other villagers had stopped working and were now watching intently, waiting for a response.

“We just don’t have money at the moment. It’s not that we don’t want to pay the rent. Once the money from our families arrives, we’ll pay right away,” Shu Ruxue replied quickly, sensing the disapproving stares of the crowd.

“You didn’t get the captain’s permission, you didn’t write an IOU or sign any rental agreement, and yet you speak so boldly. I really admire your thick skin,” Yun Siying said coldly. “Are you just planning to squat in the house and force your way into staying there for free?”

“Team leader, you have to report this to the captain. These two are trying to live in our brigade’s house for nothing. That’s unacceptable,” said an aunt nearby, clearly shocked by their shamelessness.

“We didn’t live there for free, we’re going to pay the rent later,” Shen Subai tried to explain. But under the weight of everyone’s condemning looks, his face turned red. ‘I shouldn’t have listened to Shu Ruxue,’ he thought regretfully. ‘If this spreads to the educated youth compound, I’ll be humiliated.’

“You two are all talk. If Comrade Yun hadn’t spoken up, would you have just kept covering it up?” Li Hongying said sharply. She hadn’t expected Yun Siying, who’d been to the city to have such a strong backbone.

“Haha, Hongying, I didn’t expect you to use idioms like that,” said Wang Yunfeng with a laugh, impressed by her friend’s sharp words.

“Auntie, your idiom usage is spot on,” Lin Zikang added with a smile.

“Hahaha, I learned it from my kids at home,” Hongying replied proudly.

As they were chatting, a villager returned with the brigade captain. He looked at Shu Ruxue and Shen Subai with displeasure and asked, “Shu Ruxue and Shen Subai, did you already move into the new house at the educated youth site?”

He had clearly told them before: no one was allowed to move in without paying rent. Otherwise, there would be trouble from the villagers, since that house was public property.

“Captain, we’ll definitely pay the rent. As soon as our families send us money, we’ll pay,” Shu Ruxue replied, clearly at a loss. The truth was, they didn’t have a single coin on them right now.

“It’s not that we don’t trust you,” a villager chimed in, “but if your money gets lost again, who’s going to cover the rent?”

“Exactly. Captain, I think they should write a letter of guarantee. If they can’t pay the rent later, deduct it from their work points as collateral,” someone else suggested.

“Shu Ruxue, Shen Subai, here are your two choices,” the captain said. “One, after work, you move into the old house at the educated youth compound. Two, you stay in the new house, but you must write a guarantee. If you can’t pay the rent, I’ll deduct it from your work points.”

“Captain, after work, we’ll go to the brigade office to write the guarantee,” Shen Subai said reluctantly. He couldn’t bear the shame of being forced to move into the old building now.

“All right, that’s settled,” the captain said, not wanting to make things harder for them. Then, turning to the still-watching villagers, he added, “Okay, back to work go earn your work points.”