Chapter 49: “Go Ahead and Report Again If You Dare”

Just after the Huo family finished lunch, they looked up to see Wang Hongjie leading a large group of villagers heading their way.

In that instant, everyone’s faces turned a bit grim.

When Wang Hongjie walked up to the Huo family, his face was full of exhaustion and guilt, and he didn’t even dare look directly at Su Miaomiao.

Instead, he fixed his eyes on Huo Jianguo and relayed the brigade’s final decision.

“According to the resolution from the brigade meeting, your house construction must stop immediately. Even the part that’s already built must be torn down.”

As soon as those words left his mouth, the villagers began to murmur with outrage.

“Village Chief, Comrade Su found a way for our village to survive—how can you just let them be bullied like this?”

“Exactly! Winter’s coming soon. If you tear down their house, where are they supposed to live?”

“Chief, you can’t be ungrateful. We must have a conscience!”

One by one, the villagers spoke up in defense of Su Miaomiao.

Wang Hongjie felt completely ashamed—he truly had no other choice.
The brigade had finalized this decision the night before.

Even this morning, he had clung to the brigade leader and pleaded for hours, and even, for the first time in his life, considered bribing him.

But the brigade leader was firm and refused to budge.

He really had done all he could.

“They’re reform targets,” a sharp, out-of-place voice cut through the pleas.
“They should do the hardest labor and live in the worst conditions. That’s the organization’s test for them! If you defend them, you’re questioning the organization’s decisions!”

The moment Su Miaomiao heard this voice, she spotted Deng Siyue in the crowd, a smug look on her face.

Their eyes locked. For just a second, Deng Siyue’s expression faltered, but she quickly recovered, glared back even more defiantly.

Heh.

Su Miaomiao coldly sneered in her heart. It had been a long time since anyone had dared to provoke her face-to-face.

She would remember Deng Siyue well.

Yet, even as Deng Siyue tried to stand proud, she couldn’t shake the chill from Su Miaomiao’s icy gaze.
For a fleeting moment, she felt like she was being stared down by something terrifying.

But she quickly brushed that feeling off.

“They can’t even protect themselves now—what’s there to be afraid of?”

“Enough! Let’s all say less!” Wang Hongjie scolded, visibly annoyed by Deng Siyue’s threatening tone.

“I didn’t say anything wrong,” Deng Siyue mumbled in protest, though her voice was quieter.

Wang Hongjie looked back at Su Miaomiao, his face full of apology.

“Miaomiao, I really can’t help you with this. But don’t worry—since the house can’t be rebuilt, you’ll stay in the village for the winter. I’ll arrange a place for you. You won’t go cold or hungry.”

“Thank you, Uncle Wang.” Su Miaomiao didn’t blame him.

She knew he had done his best. The brigade simply feared trouble from above.

“I’m not even worthy of your thanks,” Wang Hongjie muttered, clearly distressed.

But Deng Siyue wouldn’t let it go.

“Village Chief, isn’t this against the rules? Reform targets should live in the cowshed! How can you place them in villagers’ homes? Did you even ask everyone? Do they agree?” she shouted, indignant.

Su Miaomiao shot her a sharp glare like a blade, and Deng Siyue froze on the spot.

“If you’re not happy about it—go ahead and report us again!” Wang Hongjie snapped, his tone sharp.

“V-Village Chief, what are you saying? Report? I don’t know what you’re talking about…” Deng Siyue stammered, panic flickering in her eyes.

“If you don’t understand, then shut your mouth!” Wang Hongjie, though a simple and honest farmer, was no fool.

He knew that building a house for the Huo family wasn’t entirely in line with the rules, but as long as no one reported it, there usually wouldn’t be any problems.

Especially since Su Miaomiao had done so much for the villagers—it was even less likely someone would talk.

He had also subtly asked Deputy Team Leader Liu about it, who gave him a vague hint. Although Liu hadn’t named names, Wang Hongjie figured out the person who reported them was one of the educated youths.

Now that Deng Siyue was being so aggressive and wouldn’t let go of the Huo family, even a fool could guess the truth.

Deng Siyue’s eyes were full of resentment, but she didn’t dare say another word.

Still, the others around her began looking at her with uneasy expressions.

Especially the other educated youths who shared the same dorm with her—they all quietly shifted away.

“What are you all doing? I didn’t write any report!” Deng Siyue shouted when she noticed their reaction.

But no one responded.

Having spent time in Shimatou Village, they knew Wang Hongjie well enough. Though he was strict, he had always been fair and impartial. If he had scolded Deng Siyue so harshly, he must have had evidence.

These educated youths had come from the city and had all pushed the boundaries of the rules from time to time.

But everyone had silently agreed to turn a blind eye.

Now, with someone suddenly writing a report, who wouldn’t be scared?

They were all waiting in line for a chance to return to the city. If they got reported, they might end up stuck in the village for life.

“You’re all so unreasonable!” Deng Siyue yelled again, seeing them avoid her like the plague. Frustrated, she stomped her foot and ran off.

No one tried to stop her. In fact, some were relieved she was gone.

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Wang Hongjie took a breath, calmed his emotions, and turned back to the Huo family.

“The house… we’ll be tearing it down tomorrow. Pack your things and come stay at my place.”

“Thank you, Uncle Wang.” Su Miaomiao didn’t try to be polite.

The weather was getting colder—it simply wasn’t possible to live without a proper shelter.

The only issue was that now that they were moving into the village, she’d have to be more careful about her actions.

“It’s such a shame to tear it down when we’ve made so much progress,” Tang Chunlan said softly, eyes red as she looked at the half-completed house.

Su Miaomiao stepped forward, gently holding her hand and comforted her in a low voice:

“Mom, trust me. It won’t be long before we’ll rebuild—and I’ll make you a house that’s even bigger and more beautiful.”

“…Okay,” Tang Chunlan nodded quietly, thinking Su Miaomiao was just trying to make her feel better.

Wang Hongjie also felt it was a pity, but he had to obey the brigade’s order, so he called over Wang Qingshan and the others to start dismantling the finished parts.

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Meanwhile, Deng Siyue had already reached the village entrance.

Just then, a military jeep pulled up.

Her eyes lit up instantly. As a city girl, she could tell at a glance that whoever could drive a military jeep was no ordinary person.

She quickly fixed her appearance.

“Comrade, hello,” said the man in the jeep, who had also noticed Deng Siyue and stopped the car right in front of her.