Chapter 24 : Calculation

“Xiaoting, you’re a female comrade. Even if something goes wrong at work, the team will show you some leniency. I’m about to return to the city, what if the captain leaves a note in my file and stops me from going back?”  

Qin Xiaoting clenched her fists tightly. This sweet-talking, cunning, and heartless man!  

In her previous life, he had tricked her into taking the blame. As a result, she was punished by the team to carry manure for an entire year and had to pay for the loss of four piglets. Meanwhile, he returned to the city, found a new girlfriend, and had a child by the time she managed to go back.  

Seeing her remain silent, Guo Haifeng’s eyes flickered with impatience, but his tone softened.  

“Xiaoting, you know my mother secured a job for me. If I don’t return to the city as planned, I’ll lose that opportunity. I’m doing this for our future. Once I settle into the job, I can save money for a few years and then formally discuss our relationship with your family. Isn’t that what you want?”  

Qin Xiaoting took a deep breath and looked up at Guo Haifeng.  

He was tall and thin, with delicate features, a melancholy temperament, and a scholarly air that made him appear refined. While other male educated youth had grown rugged from their time in the countryside, he seemed untouched, as if frozen in time.  

But Qin Xiaoting knew better. He had a way with words.  

He could coax the village girls into doing his work and convince female educated youth to share their food and cloth coupons with him. She herself had once been one of his targets.  

Without hesitation, Qin Xiaoting slapped him across the face, leaving him stunned.  

“Guo Haifeng, you were lazy and irresponsible, causing damage to public property, and yet you feel no guilt. When something goes wrong, you try to shift the blame onto others. Is this the behavior of an educated youth? I think you have serious ideological issues and need to be re-educated by the poor and lower-middle peasants!”  

“Well said!”  

A voice came from behind the half-collapsed pigpen. It was Jiang Fugui, the brigade secretary, his hunched back straightened slightly as he walked forward.  

He shot Guo Haifeng a look of disdain, clearly having overheard the conversation.  

“Guo Zhiqing, you shirk responsibility and try to blame others. It’s clear you need more education. Your return to the city will be put on hold. As for the team’s losses, you must compensate for them. Otherwise, the team members won’t let it go. From today onward, you’ll be in charge of carrying manure from the village toilets, both the one at the head of the village and the one at the tail, for a full year.”  

At that moment, Veterinarian He emerged from the pigpen, his clothes covered in blood and dirt. He looked distraught.  

“Secretary, four piglets have died, and the pig couldn’t be saved.”  

Losing a mother pig and her piglets was no small matter, as it affected the team’s meat supply for the second half of the year.  

Hearing this, Guo Haifeng felt as though the sky was falling.  

Not only was his return to the city postponed, but he also had to pay compensation for the loss of four piglets and the sow, amounting to at least a hundred yuan. Where could he find that kind of money?  

On top of that, he had to carry manure, a filthy and humiliating job. The thought of it made him burn with shame and anger.  

But before he could protest, Jiang Fugui walked away with a snort, his hands clasped behind his back.  

Qin Xiaoting was wary. She knew Guo Haifeng’s gentle demeanor hid a violent temper. Afraid he might lash out, she quickly followed the secretary.  

Meanwhile, Jiang Li stood on a small hill, observing the entire scene from afar. She could hear every word clearly.  

In her memory, Guo Haifeng had always been a scoundrel, using his good looks to charm and manipulate everyone.  

When girls took him seriously, he would say dismissively, “I only see you as a sister.”  

Even her original self had been tricked by him into doing countless chores, from picking corn to digging ditches and guarding the grain at night, while he sat back reading books and reciting grandiose speeches.  

Just as she was lost in thought, Guo Haifeng spotted her on the hillside. His eyes lit up.  

“Jiang Li, long time no see. You’re looking even more beautiful these days,” he said, adjusting his hair as he approached.  

His gaze greedily swept over her pristine white shirt and shiny leather shoes.  

How had this country girl managed to afford such luxurious items? The shirt and shoes alone must have cost thirty to fifty yuan, not counting the coupons required to buy them.  

Two days ago, at the brigade headquarters, he had overheard Captain Jiang talking about Jiang Li. Curious and intrigued, he had been eager to meet her again.  

He mentioned that the team had given Jiang Li a substantial pension and work point subsidies last year. Previously, when she wore tattered clothes, he assumed she was poor.  

Back then, her shabby attire concealed her true beauty, but now, like a rough jade polished and refined, her original radiance was fully revealed.  

She was educated, beautiful, and possessed money, yet her family was still considered poor, a combination Guo Haifeng found intriguing.  

If he could win Jiang Li over, he thought, all her family’s money would become his.  

The only drawback? She was a country girl.  

But fortunately, she was a country girl without much knowledge. He planned it all in his mind: once she was his, he would persuade her to forgo getting a marriage certificate at first.  

She could use her pension money to repay his debts to the brigade. She’d work hard for him, curry favor with the branch secretary on his behalf, and help him secure his return to the city.  

Once he was back in the city, thousands of kilometers away, how could she possibly find him?  

Guo Haifeng’s thoughts churned as he quietly devised his scheme.  

Meanwhile, Jiang Li found his gaze repulsive and immediately turned to leave.  

But Guo Haifeng hurried after her.  

“Jiang Li, don’t go yet! I haven’t finished talking. How have you been lately? Are your grandma and cousin still bullying you?”  

The “original Jiang Li” used to endure bullying in silence, often running to the back hills to cry. Guo Haifeng had once stumbled upon her and, with a few comforting words, learned all about her family troubles.  

However, the current Jiang Li had no intention of playing along. She responded coolly, “No, my cousin’s been treating me very well lately, letting me stay in the best rooms in her house, though that was the team leader’s doing.”  

“And my grandma? She kills chickens every day to nourish me and gives me all the eggs from the house to eat.”  

Though the chickens were stolen and the eggs taken by force, at least she managed to enjoy them herself, right?  

Her unexpected answer left Guo Haifeng at a loss for words.  

When dealing with a simple country girl like Jiang Li, he thought, all it usually took was some lofty talk about ideals and a little fake concern. No real effort was needed, just plenty of sweet-talking.  

But something felt off about Jiang Li today. She wasn’t reacting as expected, almost as if she was deliberately misunderstanding his concern.  

“That’s… that’s good to hear,” Guo Haifeng stammered, quickly regaining his composure. “It pains me to see you suffer.”  

He adjusted his glasses and stepped forward briskly, placing himself directly in front of Jiang Li.  

“Comrade Jiang Li,” he said dramatically, “it’s your turn to hear my troubles today.”  

Grabbing her shoulders, he forced her to look at him as he struck what he imagined to be a melancholic expression.  

“Ah, Comrade Jiang Li, I’ll be leaving for the city soon. My time here in Dashuping has been challenging, yet deeply fulfilling. As I prepare to depart, there are so many people and things I find hard to leave behind. Do you know,” he said, lowering his voice for effect, “who I’ll miss the most?”