Chapter 26

On the way to pick up the educated youth, Zhang Wenhai kept apologizing sincerely.

“Little sister, don’t be angry. You’re not in good health. Just treat what sister-in-law said as bullshit. She’s just crazy. And Lin Hui, I used to think this educated youth was diligent and capable, but I didn’t expect her to have bad intentions.”

“Little sister, you said that Lin Hui is instigating the grabbing of jobs, and she’s not married into the family yet, so what’s her goal? Does she think that if she opens the door, we can give all the jobs to them?”

Zhang Xiyue looked back and saw that Yang Lihua and Lin Hui had gone to work together. She had thought that this person was quite hardworking, but she had not expected that he would dare to take advantage of her job.

“Brother, we are a family and should support each other. Sister-in-law doesn’t need to go to the countryside, so it’s free for her to take the job.”

“Even if it doesn’t work out, I haven’t lost anything. I’m different from Sister Xi. I’m sick, so I shouldn’t have to go to the countryside. But if Sister Xi went to the countryside, to the Great Northern Wilderness or the south, it wouldn’t be easy for her to come home.”

Li Hongmei and Zhang Tieniu had to go through two housing allocation procedures. Both times, the couple had to work in the factory and have five years of work experience. This really stumped them, so they simply spent money to buy a house in the city.

But the vegetable fields in the countryside were not wasted, and the house in the countryside was still lived in. I came back every week to get vegetables, eggs, etc., and I also went back to the countryside to live on Sundays.

The Zhang family now lives in a mud brick house in the countryside. There are five children, each with a room in the house, which is quite spacious. The Zhang family feels that it is more comfortable than living in a crowded place in the city. Zhang Tieniu and Li Hongmei save money so that they can live more comfortably after the family separates.

Zhang Wenhai felt sorry for his two younger sisters and said sadly, “That’s right. You girls are going to the countryside, to a strange place, and you look so beautiful. How can we feel at ease? Lin Xiaoxi from my mother’s garment factory went to the south and died a year after she was in the countryside. They said she was raped by the village party secretary and jumped into the river to die.”

“Afterwards, the Party Secretary’s family gave the Lin family 100 yuan as compensation, but now that the female comrade is gone, it’s such a pity to lose her life.”

“Little sister, you and Lao Xi can’t go to the countryside. We are worried about you both because you are so beautiful.”

“Brother, don’t worry. I know what’s going on. It’s just that this educated young woman Lin Hui is quite cunning. She’s already acting up before she even gets married.”

“Let’s go back and tell our parents that the third son has poor taste.” Zhang Wenhai felt a little blocked in his heart. His parents were not satisfied with his wife. What if the third son married a wife and his parents were still not satisfied? What should he do?

The second son’s wife is a military doctor, and he is a soldier. If neither of his wives satisfies his parents, who will take care of him in his old age?

Neither Zhang Tieniu nor Li Hongmei mentioned the issue of retirement, and everyone was confused.

Zhang Xiyue looked at Zhang Wenhai meaningfully. The eldest couple was in a free love relationship. At first, Li Hongmei did not agree with this marriage. She wanted to find a city wife for Zhang Wenhai who had a job, but Zhang Wenhai was stubborn. As parents, how could they win over their child? So they agreed.

The wife she found will have to bear with herself. She, Zhang Xiyue, will never find a man with poor conditions and will never help the poor. That’s right, in Zhang Xiyue’s view, Zhang Wenhai is poverty alleviation.

Yang Lihua’s parents both have rural household registration. When Yang Lihua married into the Zhang family, they didn’t even have a decent dowry prepared. She just wore a new set of clothes and brought her old clothes with her when she got married.

Zhang Xiyue teased: “Brother, your taste is not that good either.”

Zhang Wenhai blushed at this, “Hey, little sister, you’re teasing me. I want to see what kind of man you can find in the future, but don’t find a gigolo like Shen He.”

“I’m not blind anymore.”

After arriving in the city, Zhang Xiyue made a phone call first. The original owner had spoken with Shen He on the phone and knew the army’s phone number and address. The phone bill was very expensive, so she only spoke the useful information. The person on the other end of the phone hesitated for a moment.

He asked seriously, “Comrade Zhang Xiyue, you’re not lying, are you? I received the letter you sent me. You said Shen He broke off the engagement with you in order to get into the Liu family. We’ve investigated this and it’s true. But is Shen He also having an affair with a woman from your village? Could he be having multiple affairs?”

“That’s right, I, Zhang Xiyue, am reporting Shen He with my real name. He has a bad style and is promiscuous. He’s not fit to be a soldier. How dare you trust a man like him? Shen He broke off the engagement with me and he slept with Yang Tiantian three days later. He has terrible character.”

“Shen He is about to marry Yang Tiantian. Is it still necessary for him to apply for marriage? I guess the results of your application will be out soon?”

“Wait a moment, we’ll call your village.”

Victory Brigade installed telephones last year.

Ten minutes later, a new person came on the other end of the line: “Hello, Comrade Zhang Xiyue. I’m Political Commissar Li Zhengguo. Comrade Shen He has issues with his personal conduct. After investigation and discussion, we’ve decided to expel him immediately. We’re deeply sorry that your engagement was broken off. Our army won’t accept a black sheep like Shen He. Please rest assured. I hope your future partner will be truly devoted to you.”

“Well, I feel relieved now. Thank you. Sorry to bother you. You guys are busy.” Zhang Xiyue hung up the phone with satisfaction.

Li Zhengguo, who was far away in the army, said righteously, “Old Liu, I know your daughter has fallen in love with Shen He. He is handsome and capable, but don’t you feel that Comrade Zhang Xiyue wants to take revenge on Shen He?”

“Why do you think Zhang Xiyue called? She simply wants our army to punish Shen He. Will she be willing to do that if she doesn’t satisfy the female comrades?”

“Well, I’m just worried that my daughter will do something stupid. She’s obsessed with marrying Shen He, and I can’t do anything about it. Now that Shen He is getting married to a lesbian, it’s time for her to give up.”

“Well, even without Shen He, there are still so many young men in the army. Your daughter is only 19 years old, why are you in such a hurry? There are plenty of men, so take your time to choose.”

After receiving the satisfying news, Zhang Xiyue skipped away and went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some cakes and candies. She bought the candy coupons from the system and then rushed to the gathering point.

The tractor was full of people. At a glance, there were six educated youth. Zhang Xiyue felt strange. Why were there so many more educated youth this year? In the original owner’s memory, there was only Shen Wangzhi. Now, it was not lucky to go to the countryside in this province. It depended on connections.

I’m afraid there are some people with backgrounds here, right?

Lu Xiao was sitting in the car, closing his eyes and pretending to be asleep out of boredom. Suddenly, Shen Wangzhi pulled his clothes and he turned his head.

Shen Wangzhi tilted his head and gestured, “Brother Lu, look, Xiaoshen… no, that female comrade who saved me, could she be from the village?”

Unexpectedly, they met again after many twists and turns. This must be fate. The matchmaker was playing matchmaker, and Brother Lu’s love star moved.

Not long after we sat down, Shen He and Yang Tiantian came in angrily.

Shen He’s eyes were bloodshot, and he couldn’t suppress his anger. He asked, “Zhang Xiyue, was it you who did it? You reported me to the army, and that’s why I was expelled, right?”