Chapter 42: The Chen Family Three Brothers

After figuring out how to handle the important matters, Jiang Pan Yu finally remembered the Chen Family Three Brothers, whom she had forgotten about.

When she asked about them, the Gossip System had a lot to say: “The Chen Family Three Brothers are in a really bad spot now, each one worse off than the last!”

Through the Gossip System’s description, Jiang Pan Yu learned that the youngest son of the Chen family, Chen Lao San, had been sent to the countryside in northern Shaanxi.

However, even in the countryside, he continued his bully-like behavior, offending many people and trying to win over local girls with small favors.

As a result, he was beaten so badly by the girl’s seven or eight brothers that his leg was broken. The remote and backward area where they lived meant that Chen Lao San’s leg didn’t receive timely treatment, and he is now permanently disabled.

Moreover, because he harassed the girl, his personal evaluation was tarnished, and even with his disability, he couldn’t return to the city. He was stuck in the countryside.

The eldest and second sons of the Chen family went to the southwest. Without the subsidies from the Educated Youth Office, their lives were particularly hard. Unable to bully outsiders, the two brothers turned on each other for food and benefits.

Now, they harbor deep resentment towards each other, constantly sabotaging one another, making their lives miserable.

Jiang Pan Yu laughed heartily. Serves them right! This is their karma, a destined calamity for the Chen family.

Just knowing that the three brothers were suffering made Jiang Pan Yu feel great.

In the blink of an eye, the day of departure arrived, and the Educated Youth residence collectively took a day off.

Planning to spend the day in town, everyone got up early, had a bowl of hot Coarse Cornmeal Porridge with pickles, and then set out.

The journey from Lianshan Village to town usually took over half an hour, but with snow on the ground, it was slower, taking at least an hour. However, the company and laughter along the way made it less lonely.

The journey was long, and having only porridge in the morning, some couldn’t hold it in halfway.

So, the group split into men and women, taking turns to relieve themselves in the small woods by the roadside.

The girls paired up, one keeping watch while the other took care of business.

Naturally, Jiang Pan Yu paired up with Tan Yanlu, and they were the last to go.

After Zhao Xiuzhu and Li Yunying, Chen Xiaoxue and Shen Shilei had finished, the two entered the woods and found a sheltered spot.

The Gossip System’s notification sounded: [Ding, event triggered: small-time hooligans harass the female lead Tan Yanlu. Significant plot changes detected. Host, find a good spot to enjoy the show.

Mission rewards: a can of all-around Nutrient Milk Candy, a warm coat, a set of Women’s Body Tempering Technique, 100 yuan in cash, and a supply voucher book.]

Jiang Pan Yu’s eyes lit up. The rewards were incredibly generous, and she loved it!

Before she could ponder why the rewards were so rich this time, three scruffy-looking hooligans suddenly appeared in the quiet woods, wearing mischievous grins.

These hooligans were no strangers; they were the sons of a particularly lazy family in Lianshan Village, surnamed Lai. The three hooligans were named Lai Lao Da, Lai Lao Er, and Lai Lao San.

Jiang Pan Yu had heard about their family from the Gossip Sisters Squad. Not only were they poor, but they were also deceitful, lazy, greedy, and slippery—truly embodying all the worst traits.

It was said that the father of these little hoodlums was infamous in the village for his laziness. He could barely support himself, let alone afford to marry a wife.

If it hadn’t been for the chaotic times back then, coupled with droughts and other disasters that forced many people to flee their homes, the father of these hoodlums wouldn’t have been able to trade a single pancake for a mute wife. That’s how he managed to start a family, have a wife, and father three sons.

It was quite miraculous that such a lazy family managed to raise all three sons to adulthood.

As the saying goes, “Birds of a feather flock together,” and it’s true. The lazy man married a mute wife who was also lazy, greedy, and had sticky fingers.

With both parents like that, it was no surprise that their children inherited the same traits. They were no good seeds, and as they grew up, they naturally turned into little hoodlums.

However, these three hoodlums didn’t have the same luck as their father. With a pair of lazy and greedy parents, their family lived in a single dilapidated house, all five of them crammed together.

What decent family would marry their daughter into such a household? Even those who were so poor they had to sell their daughters wouldn’t agree to it.

So, the three brothers remained unmarried well into their twenties. The oldest was said to be nearly thirty, and he spent his days leering at the figures of the young women and wives in the village, his eyes practically turning green with lust. He was particularly annoying.

The village women even warned Jiang Pan Yu to stay far away from this family. They were reckless and didn’t care about their own lives, so it was best not to confront them head-on.

But now, these little hoodlums seemed to treat Jiang Pan Yu as if she were invisible. Their eyes were fixed on Tan Yanlu’s chest and waist, and they were making lewd jokes with smirks on their faces.

Although being noticed by such scoundrels wasn’t a good thing, Jiang Pan Yu couldn’t help but feel a bit indignant. After all, she was a woman too. Was she really so unattractive that the hoodlums didn’t even bother to glance her way?

Despite her internal complaints, Jiang Pan Yu was still very concerned about Tan Yanlu’s behavior.

After all, with the influence of that damn psychological suggestion and the existence of the intelligence-lowering skill, there was no guarantee that Tan Yanlu’s normal performance wouldn’t be affected.

Tan Yanlu first looked confused, and then an expression of pitiful vulnerability appeared on her face, giving off the impression that she was innocent and easy to bully.

A normal person in this situation would either immediately call for help or quickly leave the dangerous area. But Tan Yanlu seemed to have forgotten to seek help, standing there dumbfounded as the hoodlums moved closer and closer.

Sure enough, Jiang Pan Yu sighed inwardly. The psychological suggestion had indeed affected Tan Yanlu. Just think back to the time when Tan Yanlu, under Jin Bei’s instigation, had a child urinate in her water bottle. Tan Yanlu had mercilessly torn into Jin Bei in that infamous scene.

And when she fell into the water, she had fiercely confronted Jin Kuaiji with her sharp tongue. How could Tan Yanlu possibly be the type of weak and helpless woman she was now portraying?

This suffocating psychological suggestion had forcibly lowered Tan Yanlu’s intelligence, forcing her to play the role of a damsel in distress waiting for a hero to save her.

In order to create an opportunity for Gao Shaolin to play the hero, it’s clear just how incompetent he must be, needing such external forces to assist him. Without these so-called psychological suggestions, Gao Shaolin would be utterly useless.

Jiang Pan Yu took a deep breath, then began coughing violently, her face turning red, her coughs so intense it felt as though she might cough up her lungs.

Jiang Pan Yu thought to herself that she had sacrificed far too much for Tan Yanlu.

Her dramatic act had an effect. Even though Tan Yanlu was influenced by the situation, she still turned her head to check on Jiang Pan Yu.

Just as Tan Yanlu grabbed Jiang Pan Yu’s hand, Jiang Pan Yu’s fingernail deliberately or inadvertently scratched Tan Yanlu.

Jiang Pan Yu had specifically prepared her nails before leaving the house that morning. She had intentionally sharpened the nail on her right index finger, making one corner particularly pointed, ensuring it would hurt when it scratched.

The pain caused Tan Yanlu to jolt, her previously dazed eyes suddenly clearing up.

She tightened her grip on Jiang Pan Yu’s hand, as if drawing infinite strength from it, and her gaze toward the hooligans became fiercely sharp.

With her left hand, she grabbed a handful of snow and hurled it at the faces of the hooligans.

At the same time, she immediately shouted, “Help! Help! Someone’s being harassed! Save us!”

Her voice was exceptionally clear and loud, carrying through the woods and reaching the Educated Youth waiting by the roadside.

Not only did the Educated Youth by the roadside hear her, but Gao Shaolin, who had just bought malted milk extract for the two children with his paycheck, also heard it as he passed by.

The Educated Youth immediately rushed into the woods, shouting, “Who is it? Which shameless scoundrel dares to harass our people?”

“Split up, split up! Surround them, surround them! Don’t let them escape!”

Gao Shaolin, meanwhile, slammed on the brakes, jumping off his bicycle and sprinting into the woods.

The bicycle and the two cans of malted milk extract tied to it fell to the ground with a clatter, but he paid no attention.

Gao Shaolin’s expression was as if there was treasure in the woods, and he was terrified the Educated Youth would get there first. He ran and leaped into the woods, even losing one of his shoes in the process.

However, he was already a step behind. The Educated Youth, who were accustomed to physical labor in the fields and were a group of young men, were far more agile than Gao Shaolin, a man who spent most of his time sitting in an office.