Chapter 33: The Reason

Gao Shaolin’s expression was somewhat dazed. He didn’t know why, but even though he had already ridden his bike out of the village, he felt uneasy, as if there was something important he hadn’t completed.

The further he got from the village, the stronger this feeling became. Gao Shaolin was so anxious that he felt he was about to miss something. Just as he was about to reach the town, he turned his bike around and headed back.

As soon as he returned, his heart gradually calmed down. He thought about staying home for the night, and as he passed by the river, he heard someone calling for help.

Without a second thought, Gao Shaolin rushed towards the river. For a moment, he had a firm belief that he would obtain a great treasure.

This thought came suddenly and strangely, and Gao Shaolin himself didn’t know why he had such a strange idea.

Usually, he wasn’t a particularly passionate person. On the contrary, he was selfish and always acted based on personal gain.

He didn’t understand why he suddenly became so heroic and self-sacrificing to save someone.

But since he had already saved the person, he thought of it as accumulating good deeds. However, he didn’t expect that the person he saved would be the beauty he had been dreaming about in Hongcheng.

At that moment, Gao Shaolin was certain that the beauty was his woman and that she would bring him countless benefits. This thought came inexplicably, but Gao Shaolin felt that his intuition was true.

Later, he didn’t get the chance to further his relationship with the beauty. When his study period ended, he packed up and returned home. He thought he would miss this beauty for the rest of his life, but unexpectedly, he stumbled upon her in Lianshan Village.

Was it fate that the heavens also considered this beauty to be his woman? Because of this destiny, she became a sent-down youth and ended up in Lianshan Village.

If it weren’t for the crowd and the fact that Gao Shaolin couldn’t get a word in, he would have made his presence known.

Gao Shaolin thought he would wait until Tan Yanlu’s matter was resolved before finding an opportunity to strike up a conversation.

At this moment, Gao Shaolin conveniently forgot that he had already agreed to marry Gao’s Sister-in-law. His gaze towards Tan Yanlu was filled with possessiveness.

He felt that even if Tan Yanlu didn’t bring him many benefits, her face was beautiful enough. If he could seduce her and have a fleeting romance, it would be quite nice!

It must be said that Gao Shaolin, despite not being particularly handsome, had quite lofty thoughts.

The brigade leader received the news and hurried over with his men.

As soon as he saw the drenched Tan Yanlu and the two dejected Jin brothers, he roughly understood what had happened.

However, he still asked, “What happened? I heard someone fell into the river. What’s going on?”

Before Tan Yanlu could speak, the woman carrying a child, who had just received two pieces of candy from Tan Yanlu as a thank-you for calling for help, quickly recounted the incident: “I saw those two boys trying to cause trouble, and I shouted at them to scare them off. They stopped for a moment.

But in the end, those two boys still pushed Tan Yanlu into the water. They’re really bad.”

The two boys from the Jin family stood by, their faces pale with fear, not daring to utter a word in rebuttal.

The brigade leader knew that the woman was telling the truth.

Accountant Jin was also called over. As soon as he saw the scene, his heart sank. He knew his children well, and without even asking, he understood what had happened. It must have been Jin Bei, trying to vent her anger, who had manipulated these two simple-minded boys into doing her bidding.

This wasn’t the first time, nor would it be the last. Usually, it was just petty squabbles—a slap here, a shove there, or maybe a handful of sand thrown at someone.

Accountant Jin didn’t pay much attention to such childish antics, letting them play out as they pleased. He thought it wasn’t a bad thing for Jin Bei, being a girl, to have a bit of a domineering personality. It would serve her well when she married someday.

Because of his leniency, whenever Jin Bei was bullied outside, she would usually call on her brothers to settle the score.

Accountant Jin didn’t see anything wrong with this. In rural areas, why did people favor sons over daughters? Wasn’t it because having more sons meant you wouldn’t be bullied when you went out?

So, when it came to bullying others, Jin Bei was quite experienced. She would strike first, and if she found the other party difficult to deal with, she would call in her brothers for a double retaliation.

When the bullied family came knocking, the Jin family would always brush it off with excuses like, “They’re just kids, I’ll make sure to discipline them,” and the matter would be swept under the rug.

But this time, it was clearly no small matter. Jin Bei was no longer a child, and the two boys from the Jin family weren’t young either. At twelve or thirteen years old, they had pushed someone into the water.

In front of so many people, Accountant Jin couldn’t point at his nephews, who were almost as tall as him, and claim they were still children!

As soon as the brigade leader saw Accountant Jin, he said, “Old Jin, look at what your boys have done.

Why on earth did they push someone into the water? Have you forgotten what I said recently? Do you really not want to be considered for this year’s advanced unit?”

The brigade leader was also frustrated. He had enough on his plate with all the big and small matters he had to deal with every day.

And now, his own people were undermining him. If these were his own children, the brigade leader might have already grabbed a stick to discipline them.

Accountant Jin forced an awkward smile. “Brigade leader, I’m sorry. I’ll make sure to discipline them properly when we get back.”

“Why are you apologizing to me? You should have a good talk with Educated Youth Tan.

If it weren’t for someone else noticing and rescuing her, what if they had found her too late? If something had happened to her in our village, do you think it would be a small matter?

By then, your two boys would have to face execution by firearm.”

The brigade leader was also feeling a headache. Accountant Jin was a skilled accountant, but when it came to his family matters, it was a complete mess!

Accountant Jin quickly apologized to Tan Yanlu, “Educated Youth Tan, I’m really sorry. It’s my boys’ fault.”

Tan Yanlu was in a disheveled state, and as the sky began to darken, she was feeling cold, so her tone naturally wasn’t friendly.

She pressed on aggressively, “Accountant Jin, do you think a simple ‘sorry’ is enough to settle this?

If it weren’t for the people around me who called for help and rescued me, I could have drowned, and no one would have even known.”

“Is this a trivial matter? Does someone have to die before you treat it as a serious issue?

Accountant Jin, it’s not that I don’t want to give you face, but this matter has already endangered personal safety.

Let me ask you this: when have I ever offended your Jin family? If I said or did something wrong, just point it out!

If it’s truly my fault, I’ll apologize. But what you’re doing—plotting behind my back—is downright despicable!”

Accountant Jin was left speechless by Tan Yanlu’s barrage of questions, his face flushed with embarrassment, unsure of how to respond.

Seeing Tan Yanlu’s anger and Accountant Jin’s silence, the brigade leader stepped in and questioned the two boys from the Jin family: “You two, why did you push Tan, the Educated Youth, into the river?”

The Jin boys, caught red-handed and under the intense scrutiny of the crowd, along with Tan Yanlu’s aggressive stance and the brigade leader’s interrogation, were as panicked as cornered dogs.

When the brigade leader pressed them, they stammered out the truth: “Jin Bei said Tan bullied her, and she got scolded by her uncle and aunt. We just wanted to vent her anger for her. We never meant to harm her, really!”