Chapter 41 – Hmph, and you still say you’re not dating!

The Yangliu Production Brigade had a good harvest this year—you could tell just by looking at the rice being cut. The rice stalks were heavy with plump grains; how could the yield possibly be bad? Thinking that they’d be able to get more food rations this year, the commune members were all grinning from ear to ear.

Someone else who was just as happy was Zhou Mancang. Of course he was pleased with the good harvest, but what made him even happier was that the children had won awards!

After all, he had mentally prepared himself for the good yield, having spent every day checking the fields. But the kids winning awards and making it to the finals? That was truly unexpected.

For days, he wore a constant smile on his face.

Because of this big event, the fact that the Shen family had gotten a new bicycle didn’t even stir up much of a commotion in the village.

Buying a bicycle was definitely a big deal, but it wasn’t the first one in their village. The brigade leader, Zhou Mancang, had one, and Accountant Ding Shouchang’s third son—who worked as a temp at the commune’s textile factory—had one too. Now that Shen Laoqi had started working at the kiln factory, it was only a matter of time before his family bought a bicycle.

What’s more, theirs was a second-hand one that someone else didn’t want and had been repaired. That made it even less of a novelty.

It was only natural. The Shen family had just finished building a new house. How much money could they possibly have left? A lot of people had a good idea of their financial situation. It was likely that even for this second-hand bike, they had to scrape together every last penny.

In comparison, the fact that two kids were going to the provincial-level competition was way more shocking!

Yes, two.

Although six children went to participate in the preliminaries, only two ended up winning awards and advancing to the finals. One was Zhou Xiaoshuan’s daughter, Zhou Zhaodi, who won second prize. The other was Chen Zhuangzhuang’s son, Chen Yu—also known as Maomao—who won third prize. The other four children also received awards, though they didn’t make it to the finals; each of them got an “Outstanding Performance” certificate. It was said that the city, the county, and even the commune might distribute prizes later on.

What amazed everyone most was that quiet little Zhou Zhaodi—so small and timid she didn’t even dare to speak loudly—actually drew better than all the others, including the boys!

And now, Zhou Zhaodi and Chen Yu, so young, were going to the provincial capital!

They didn’t have to pay a cent—travel expenses, food, and accommodation were all covered by the government. A free trip to the provincial capital!

You had to understand, many commune members had only ever been as far as the commune office. Some didn’t even know which direction the county seat was in—let alone the provincial capital.

It was said that when the kids went to the city, they even ate white rice, stir-fried shredded pork with carrots, and scrambled eggs with green peppers. If city food was that good, then what would they eat in the provincial capital?!

Even though it was the middle of the fall harvest and everyone was working their fingers to the bone, whenever they had a break, they couldn’t help but daydream. These little children—so young!—were already getting to see the wider world. Even the adults couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy.

Shen Mo’er hadn’t expected the kids to win for sure, but she also hadn’t thought they’d definitely lose. She was a little surprised by the results, but not as shocked as the other villagers.

Even though she hadn’t had much time, she’d put a lot of effort into teaching those little brats. It was only right they won something.

Even among the students at the commune elementary school, there were two who had just followed her father around like apprentices for a short while—and they had managed to win third prize.

Out of the entire county, only seven kids made it to the finals, and four of them were from Liuqiao Commune. It was said that the commune leaders were absolutely delighted.

Next, the focus would naturally be on helping the two children improve their drawing skills even more. But as important as that was, nothing could take precedence over the autumn harvest. Work still had to be done. So Shen Mo’er used the time in the mornings before class and around mealtimes to give the two of them a little extra coaching.

“Whew, if we cut for another day or two, the rice should all be done, right?” Wang Qiutong plopped down on the ridge between the fields, massaging her stiff shoulders with a sigh.

Their “four-person team” had been working together for several days now. At first, Wang Qiutong had pretty much forced herself into the group. Deep down, she was actually a bit scared of Fu Mingze—after all, she had seen with her own eyes how he’d kicked Shi Wei into the creek. So she always felt a bit nervous around him.

After some time, she gradually managed to blend into this little group. She was still afraid of Fu Mingze, but she got along well with Shen Mo’er and Zheng Jiamin.

Shen Mo’er took an enamel mug out of the bamboo basket and drank water while looking out at the distant farmland. “It should be almost done. I heard from the brigade leader that this year’s harvest will be finished several days earlier than usual.”

A few days ago, when they were finishing up their work, Fu Mingze suddenly took their sickles and said he wanted to modify them. No one knew how he did it, but the next day, he brought them back noticeably improved—the handles were longer, the blades sharpened. Using them was much less tiring than before.

He explained a bunch of stuff about mechanics and whatnot, but the other three didn’t understand a word of it. Still, it didn’t matter—what mattered was that the sickles worked better.

That day, they finished their work an hour earlier than usual.

Later, the leader of Team Twelve, Shen Zhiguo, told Zhou Mancang about it, and Fu Mingze was promptly dragged off by Zhou Mancang.

After that, one by one, all the brigade members’ sickles were modified. Sure enough, the harvesting efficiency significantly increased.

Wang Qiutong sneaked a glance at Fu Mingze and thought to herself, This educated youth is really something. Why didn’t he show it before?

Zheng Jiamin patted Fu Mingze’s shoulder. “You really are something, Old Fu. Seriously, Comrade Shen Mo’er, if you hadn’t asked him to tutor you, I wouldn’t have realized this guy had such good grades!”

Fu Mingze glanced at him indifferently. “And now you can tell just because you don’t understand what I’m saying?”

Zheng Jiamin: “…”

This guy could be pretty sharp-tongued. One had to wonder if he’d ever been beaten up because of it.

But Zheng Jiamin quickly laughed and tried to divert the attention. “Comrade Shen Mo’er, did you hear that? Fu Mingze just implied that we’re all too dumb to understand him!”

Fu Mingze was momentarily speechless. He instinctively looked at Shen Mo’er. Seeing her smiling calmly, not bothered in the slightest, he said, “She hasn’t learned this material yet. It’s perfectly normal she doesn’t understand. You, on the other hand—you’re a high school student, aren’t you?”

Shen Mo’er cheerfully watched the two of them banter for a while. Wang Qiutong rubbed her stomach and leaned over to whisper to Shen Mo’er, “Comrade Mo’er, do you want to go to the toilet?”

Shen Mo’er glanced at her and nodded. “Let’s go together.”

She had actually already noticed that Wang Qiutong seemed afraid of being alone. Whether working or going to the bathroom, she always tried to pull someone along. At first, Shen Mo’er didn’t realize it and would refuse if she didn’t want to go. But then, Wang Qiutong would hold it in and only go when Shen Mo’er did—judging by her expression, she must’ve really been desperate that time.

After that, whenever Wang Qiutong asked, Shen Mo’er would agree to go with her.

After letting the others know, the two girls followed the field ridge toward the nearest latrine.

The latrine was built behind a small bamboo grove. Though close to the rice fields, it still offered some privacy—unlike those in other brigades that were built right by the roadside, where anyone squatting inside could be seen by passersby.

Yangliu Brigade, after all, was close to the commune and considered one of the top brigades in Liuqiao Commune. In many aspects, they modeled themselves after the commune, even when it came to building latrines—adopting the commune’s advanced practices.

And frankly, it was much more considerate for the female comrades.

Just as the two girls reached the edge of the bamboo grove, they heard someone speaking:

“…I trust Comrade Shen’s character. You’re so kind and responsible. What you said was really for the sake of the students. After all, who could’ve predicted the award outcome beforehand?”

Wang Qiutong reacted instantly. The moment she heard the voices, she grabbed Shen Mo’er and ducked into the small bamboo grove, crouching behind a clump of cogongrass.

Shen Mo’er: “…”

Why did she seem so practiced at this?

Still, Shen Mo’er could already tell—that voice belonged to Zhang Zhiqiang from the educated youth compound. As for who he was talking to, Shen Mo’er could more or less guess.

Sure enough, Shen Lingling’s voice followed. She let out a melodramatic sigh before speaking, touched and aggrieved, “Educated Youth Zhang, you truly are insightful. Sadly, in this culturally barren land, people live in ignorance and can’t see the truth behind the surface. It’s okay—even if someone speaks ill of me behind my back, I won’t care. I only said what I believed was right. As teachers, we shouldn’t just focus on our own achievements and ignore the fragile, innocent hearts of our students.”

“I know, Comrade Lingling. May I call you that—Comrade Lingling? I know—you have a heart of gold. It’s just that others don’t understand you,” Zhang Zhiqiang’s voice sounded slightly emotional.

“Ah, you mustn’t call me that in front of others…” Shen Lingling replied with a shy tone.

“O-Okay. Then I’ll just say it when no one else is around. Comrade Lingling, to me, you’re the kindest and bravest person in the world. You have a will of iron, like Pavel Korchagin. You’re the kind of person I… I admire the most…” As Zhang Zhiqiang spoke, his voice trailed off, growing softer. “Comrade Lingling, actually, I… I want to—”

Shen Lingling suddenly interrupted him, “Educated Youth Zhang, I think someone’s coming. Let’s talk about this another day, okay?”

Zhang Zhiqiang: “Ah? Oh! Okay, then… you go first…”

Then came the sound of rustling footsteps—Shen Lingling seemed to have rushed off, followed by a sigh of frustration from Zhang Zhiqiang as he walked away as well.

In the small bamboo grove, Shen Mo’er and Wang Qiutong sat frozen in silence.

They looked at each other, speechless.

Then Wang Qiutong suddenly shot up and began stomping her feet in tiny, anxious steps. “I can’t hold it anymore! I really need to go to the toilet!”

Shen Mo’er: “…”

She had to admit she didn’t understand either—why couldn’t Shen Lingling and Zhang Zhiqiang pick a better place to pour out their feelings? Why did it have to be right here? Look how much trouble it caused others—Wang Qiutong nearly got a bladder infection.

When they returned, they saw Shen Lingling sitting on the ridge, peeling a yellow-skinned tangerine. Not far from her, Zhang Zhiqiang was wielding a sickle and working away with great enthusiasm. From time to time, he’d glance over at Shen Lingling, his square face glowing with happiness.

Wang Qiutong couldn’t bear to look. She quietly whispered to Shen Mo’er, “Shen Lingling didn’t even pay him much attention before—he was just pining on his own. But now? He’s probably going to throw himself into helping her no matter what. Tsk. She’s just stringing him along to get free labor.”

Everyone in the village knew that the relationship between Shen Mo’er and Shen Lingling’s families was very poor—especially with the whole Wang Jinbao incident and the stolen bricks. It was a miracle the two families didn’t treat each other like mortal enemies. So Wang Qiutong wasn’t afraid to speak candidly in front of Shen Mo’er.

Shen Mo’er smiled. “It’s a matter of one willing to hit, one willing to take it. As long as they’re both okay with it, no one else has the right to interfere.”

Wang Qiutong curled her lip. “That’s true. Zhang Zhiqiang’s not thinking straight—he’s fetching water with a bamboo basket. He’ll regret it one day.”

As the two of them were talking, a figure suddenly emerged from the nearby rice field. Wang Qiutong let out a low gasp and quickly darted to Shen Mo’er’s other side, instinctively clutching her sleeve.

Shen Mo’er raised her eyebrows slightly and glanced at the male educated youth—it seemed his name was Shi Wei. She didn’t know him, and after a brief glance, she didn’t linger.

Unexpectedly, Shi Wei suddenly stopped in his tracks, smiled at her, and said, “Comrade Shen Mo’er, congratulations on achieving such excellent results in the competition.”

They say one doesn’t hit a smiling face. Shen Mo’er nodded. “Thank you, Comrade Shi.”

Shi Wei beamed. “Then I wish you continued success in the future.”

Shen Mo’er didn’t respond again. She gave a polite smile and continued walking forward.

Wang Qiutong still clung tightly to Shen Mo’er’s sleeve. Only after they had walked a fair distance did she secretly glance back. When she saw no sign of Shi Wei, she finally let out a breath of relief and released Shen Mo’er’s sleeve.

Shen Mo’er looked at her. “Are you afraid of Comrade Shi?”

Wang Qiutong thought for a moment, then lowered her voice and said, “He’s not a good person. Neither is Yang Qingqing. Stay away from them.”

Shen Mo’er gave her a long look but didn’t ask further.

As Shen Mo’er had predicted, the rice in the fields was harvested within a few days. However, the following tasks weren’t any easier—threshing, winnowing, drying, and dusting. After the grain was completely dried, it had to be bagged and handed in as public grain. Only after that was done would this round of work be considered complete.

However, for these later tasks, the teachers and students from the elementary school were no longer required to participate. So Shen Mo’er returned to her regular full-day class schedule. At the same time, she had more time to give extra tutoring sessions to Maomao and Zhou Zhaodi.

That afternoon, after finishing lunch, Shen Mo’er was preparing to tutor Maomao and Zhou Zhaodi as usual. Maomao arrived on time, but Zhou Zhaodi was nowhere to be seen.

Shen Mo’er had no choice but to start teaching Maomao first. Even when the afternoon work bell rang, Zhou Zhaodi still hadn’t shown up.

“Let’s go check on her at home.”

Shen Mo’er packed up the paper, pens, and her own books from the table. After locking the courtyard gate, she took Maomao with her to Zhou Zhaodi’s house.

Zhou Zhaodi’s father was named Zhou Xiaoshuan. His older brother Zhou Dashuan lived on the other side of the brigade headquarters. He had built his own house after getting married. Zhou Xiaoshuan lived in the Zhou family’s old house with their parents.

Typically, the parents would live with the eldest son, but that clearly wasn’t the case in their family.

It was said that when Zhou Dashuan’s wife married in, she gave birth to two daughters in a row. During the birth of the second, she suffered a difficult labor. The couple decided not to have more children. However, the Zhou family patriarch insisted on having a grandson to carry on the family line and kept pressuring them to have another. Things got so tense that Zhou Dashuan and his wife eventually moved out.

Zhou Xiaoshuan, in contrast, was known as a “filial son” and deeply understood his father’s desire for a grandson. His previous wife had given birth to three daughters and died from hemorrhaging during the third birth. Less than a year later, he remarried—a widow who already had a son. She was now five months pregnant.

Since this woman had already borne a son before, the Zhou family firmly believed she would give them a boy again. They treated her like a living deity.

—All of this, Shen Mo’er had gradually learned after selecting Zhou Zhaodi to participate in the competition and making inquiries through Aunt Chen and the others.

Shen Mo’er walked with Maomao to the gate of the Zhou family’s old house and heard a woman’s voice from inside the courtyard:

“Crying, crying, crying—what, are you mourning a death? Such bad luck! Didn’t she already win an award? And they said there’d be prizes too, but we haven’t seen a single thing! Since she already won something, why keep studying? There’s so much work at home! Am I supposed to do it all by myself?! I’m pregnant with the Zhou family’s precious golden grandson! If I get too tired and something happens to the baby, can you bear that responsibility?”

A soft, trembling voice replied through sobs, “I’ll work. I’ll get up early in the morning and sleep late at night. I can finish all the chores. Sob sob, I just wanted to take a little time to go to Teacher Shen’s house.”

“That’s your duty, doing more chores in the morning! We feed you, clothe you, and even let you go to school, and you can’t give anything back to the family? And forget about working at night—it’s pitch dark, and do you think lighting a lamp doesn’t cost money?!”

The woman grew angrier as she spoke and finally snapped, yelling, “Zhou Xiaoshuan, you coward! You’re just going to sit there while this damn girl talks back to me? You trying to let her keep painting? You trying to work me to death?!”

A man’s voice responded, “Of course not, didn’t I already tell her not to go? Zhaodi, you need to listen. You’re just a girl, it’s enough for you to recognize a few words. Our family still supports you going to school—you should be grateful. Your mother is pregnant right now, and you need to be considerate.”

The soft voice didn’t argue anymore, but continued to cry quietly.

Crash! Something hit the ground.

The woman shrieked, “Are you trying to piss me off on purpose?! You keep crying, and I swear I’ll beat you to death!”

Inside, chaos erupted.

Shen Mo’er banged on the gate. “Zhou Xiaoshuan, are you home?”

The courtyard fell silent for a moment. Soon after, someone came to open the door. The man looked about the same age as Chen Zhuangzhuang, but his expression was troubled and weary. When he saw Shen Mo’er, he paused, then looked embarrassed. “Teacher Shen.”

Shen Mo’er stood at the gate without entering and said, “I’m here to see Zhou Zhaodi. She missed today’s tutoring session. I might need her to make it up this afternoon, so I wanted to let you know in advance.”

Zhou Xiaoshuan opened his mouth, brows furrowed, clearly in a difficult spot.

A pregnant woman came out, supporting her back with one hand. She looked Shen Mo’er up and down and said, “Teacher Shen, Zhaodi won’t be studying anymore. That useless drawing stuff wastes paper and ink, not to mention time. There’s too much work at home—Zhaodi needs to help wash clothes and gather firewood. There’s no time for extra classes, so don’t trouble yourself.”

Before Shen Mo’er could reply, Maomao already huffed angrily, “You wicked woman, that’s nonsense! The paper and pens for drawing were bought by the brigade leader and Sister Mo’er, not you! You’re a grown-up who doesn’t work, and you make Zhou Zhaodi do everything. You won’t even feed her! You’re a big bad stepmother!”

The woman’s eyebrows shot up in fury. “Hey! You little brat—how dare you talk like that?!”

She still held a laundry bat in her hand. Lifting it, she swung toward Maomao. Shen Mo’er quickly grabbed Maomao and stepped back, shouting, “Yang Daniu, is this your child? Is that why you think you can hit him?!”

Yang Daniu glanced at Maomao and, remembering that Chen Zhuangzhuang and his wife—and even Aunt Chen—weren’t to be trifled with, awkwardly pulled her hand back. “I was just trying to scare him a little. I wouldn’t actually hit him.”

Shen Mo’er ignored her and called out, “Zhou Zhaodi.” Zhou Zhaodi had already been huddled by the door. As soon as she heard her name, she rushed out. “Teacher Shen.”

When she accidentally caught her stepmother’s gaze, she flinched and instinctively hid behind Shen Mo’er.

Shen Mo’er patted her head. “It’s time for school. Let’s go.”

She looked at Yang Daniu and said, “This competition isn’t just your family’s business. It concerns the honor of the brigade, the commune, the county, and even the city. If you continue to obstruct Zhou Zhaodi’s studies, I’ll have no choice but to report it to the brigade leader.”

Yang Daniu curled her lips. “I don’t believe the city or county can really meddle in the affairs of a lowly commune member like me.”

But in the end, she didn’t say anything more.

Shen Mo’er led the two little ones toward the school, silently thinking that she should still speak to Zhou Mancang about this. She had a feeling Yang Daniu wouldn’t change just because of a few words.

As she was deep in thought, a voice suddenly called from behind, “Comrade Shen Mo’er!”

She turned around and saw Fu Mingze walking toward her from the direction of the educated youth camp. Once he was in front of her, Fu Mingze looked at her carefully, his brows slightly furrowed as he asked, “Did something happen?”

The furrow in Shen Mo’er’s brows relaxed. She smiled and shook her head. “Just a small issue.”

But after she spoke, she noticed Fu Mingze was still looking at her, clearly not satisfied with that answer. So she patted Zhou Zhaodi’s fluffy head and said, “The student’s parents aren’t very cooperative with our work, but I’ll speak with the brigade leader soon to resolve it properly.”

Zhou Zhaodi touched her head. The thin little girl, whose face had been tightly drawn, visibly relaxed.

Maomao stretched out a finger to poke her frizzy short hair, laughing cheerfully.

Fu Mingze let out a soft breath, glanced at Zhou Zhaodi, and said, “If parents are beating or abusing a child, you can go to the women’s director or the commune women’s federation. You can even get the local police involved.”

The women’s director of their brigade was surnamed Shen—a distant relative of Shen Mo’er’s paternal family. She had married into the village and had the support of both her birth family and her in-laws. She’d held the position of women’s director for more than ten years.

But this Director Shen was known for avoiding conflict and not wanting to offend anyone. When it came to organizing women’s study sessions, campaigns to support the military and their families, or visits to help struggling villagers, she was always active. But once there were issues involving mother-in-law conflicts or abuse of women and children, she pretended not to hear or see anything.

Shen Mo’er knew going to her would be pointless. On the other hand, the commune women’s federation or the police were worth considering—especially since Yang Daniu had dared to raise a heavy stick to hit Maomao. Who knew what she’d do to Zhou Zhaodi, her stepdaughter?

Back in the Daliang dynasty, it was common for parents to scold or beat their children, so Shen Mo’er hadn’t known that in this world, parents could actually be arrested by the police for abusing their children.

The original host didn’t seem to have any impression of that either.

But Shen Mo’er fully trusted Fu Mingze. She had realized that this educated youth actually knew a lot. He just didn’t seem to like attracting attention and rarely spoke up.

“Got it. If they go too far, I’ll report them to the police,” Shen Mo’er said.

Fu Mingze nodded. He looked at the two little ones who were staring at them curiously, then pulled two tangerines from his pocket. He handed the plump, orange-red one to Shen Mo’er. “This one’s for you—don’t share it with anyone.”

Then he handed the smaller, still slightly greenish one to Maomao. “You two can share this one.”

Maomao blinked his puppy-dog eyes and suddenly felt like this scene was familiar… It was just like when Fu Mingze had given him and Shun’er candy before—clearly favoring one over the other.

He couldn’t help but protest, “Sister Mo’er’s tangerine is big and red, but ours is small and yellow—and we have to share one between two people!”

Fu Mingze glanced at him, nodded, and said seriously, “Exactly. I figured this one might be a bit sour and not taste good, so I didn’t give it to her.”

“Otherwise, do you think a little brat like you would even get any?”

Maomao: “…”

Hmph! And you still say you’re not courting her?

Liar!