Chapter 56

Meng Yinyin and Song Yue both instinctively turned to the source of the voice, and they saw Dou Zhengrong.

Dou Zhengrong might not have heard Song Yue’s words to Meng Yinyin, but he must have seen Song Yue chasing after her. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have such a guarded expression.

Coming from a military background, Dou Zhengrong had a strong sense of justice and bravery. Even though he knew Meng Yinyin probably didn’t want to get involved with him, seeing her being pursued by this man, he couldn’t ignore it.

Though he was using a crutch, he was still much more physically imposing than Song Yue.

Looking at Dou Zhengrong’s strong arm, Song Yue had no doubt that a single strike with the crutch could knock him to the ground.

How could there be someone else here? He hadn’t heard any sounds!

Song Yue was extremely anxious, but at the same time he was also certain with regret that he would not be able to achieve his goal today.

He could only stop and stand there, putting on an innocent expression.

“Comrade, you must have misunderstood. I haven’t done anything. I just wanted to talk to Educated Youth Meng,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Meng Yinyin looked back and forth between Song Yue and Dou Zhengrong. In the end, she chose to take a couple of steps closer to Dou Zhengrong.

Obviously, Dou Zhengrong looked like the more reasonable person here!

And if Song Yue dared to do anything to her, Dou Zhengrong’s large figure would make sure he wouldn’t be able to come any closer.

Once she reached Dou Zhengrong’s side, Meng Yinyin quickly spoke up.

“I don’t even know him. I don’t want to talk to him. He’s the one following me!”

Although Dou Zhengrong didn’t know the relationship between Song Yue and Meng Yinyin, the situation clearly matched what Meng Yinyin had said—she really didn’t want to talk to Song Yue.

In that case, as a man, Song Yue shouldn’t be forcing her to talk to him.

He also suspected that Song Yue’s real intention wasn’t just to talk to her, but perhaps to do something else.

After all, there was no one else around in the vegetable plot, and it would be too easy for a man like Song Yue to take advantage of a woman.

Thinking of this, Dou Zhengrong’s eyes toward Song Yue turned cold and full of contempt.

The one thing he hated most in life was men who bullied women.

Moreover, Meng Yinyin was Lu Chen’s partner, and with him not around, as Lu Chen’s acquaintance, he couldn’t just stand by and let her be harassed.

Dou Zhengrong stepped in front of Meng Yinyin, protecting her and sternly scolding Song Yue.

“Comrade, did you hear? Educated Youth Meng doesn’t want to talk to you.”

“If you come any closer, I’ll have to treat you like a thug!”

Although his leg was injured, having spent years in the army, Dou Zhengrong still had the skills to handle someone like Song Yue.

Song Yue was naturally aware of this, so even though Dou Zhengrong treated him in this tone, he didn’t dare to do anything. However, the anger and resentment in his heart were almost bursting through the sky.

Good job, Meng Yinyin!

It was bad enough that Lu Chen left, but now another man had appeared!

What a “promiscuous” woman!

Upon further thought, Song Yue realized that the man in front of him was probably someone Meng Yinyin had brought over to help her with picking vegetables. Otherwise, who else would be here at this hour in the vegetable plot?

This man definitely had an unusual relationship with Meng Yinyin!

Realizing this, Song Yue understood that his plan to win Meng Yinyin over while Lu Chen was away had completely failed. This also meant that his hope of using Meng Yinyin’s brother to leave the countryside had been shattered.

You are so good, Meng Yinyin, you are such a shameless pair of wild mandarin ducks!

Song Yue gritted his teeth in frustration, but in the end, he smiled bitterly and said to Meng Yinyin, “Fine, since Educated Youth Meng doesn’t even want to talk to me, then forget it. I had originally planned to apologize for what happened before, but it seems we’re destined to never become friends.”

“Nevertheless, I still wish Educated Youth Meng a happy and smooth life.”

After leaving this strange, somewhat awkward blessing, Song Yue turned and walked away, leaving Meng Yinyin feeling confused.

He actually wished her well?

Was this the weasel wishing the chicken a happy new year? Why did it feel like he had bad intentions?

However, after considering that she had completely torn things apart with Song Yue today, she probably wouldn’t have to see him again, so what did it matter what he said? He would never get the chance to bully her again!

With this thought, Meng Yinyin finally relaxed, and then she turned her attention back to the situation.

No matter what, it was Dou Zhengrong who had stepped in to help her just now. So, even though Meng Yinyin really didn’t want any further interaction with him, she reluctantly walked up to him and thanked him.

“Thank you for what you did just now.”

If it weren’t for Dou Zhengrong, she wasn’t sure what Song Yue would have done.

Dou Zhengrong could clearly see that Meng Yinyin was uncomfortable, so he merely nodded, casually said “It’s nothing,” and turned to leave.

He had stepped in simply because he couldn’t stand seeing such things happening right in front of him. He didn’t do it to receive Meng Yinyin’s gratitude.

Besides, he hadn’t forgotten that Meng Yinyin wanted to distance herself from him.

Since that was the case, it was best to treat this incident as if it hadn’t happened.

Holding the vegetables he had just picked, Dou Zhengrong didn’t say anything further to Meng Yinyin and started to leave. But after taking a few steps, he ran into Yu Xiaoyu, who had rushed over.

Yu Xiaoyu had gone to the Educated Youth point earlier and found that Song Yue wasn’t there. After asking around, she learned that he had gone to the brigade leader’s office, but she hadn’t been able to find him. She felt something was wrong and, thinking about how Meng Yinyin had come to the vegetable plot alone, she worried something might have happened. In a panic, she ran over.

However, when she arrived, she didn’t find Song Yue, but instead saw Dou Zhengrong, whom she had met once before.

She glanced at Dou Zhengrong, then at Meng Yinyin, who was still standing in the vegetable plot. A look of confusion passed through her eyes.

Why did the atmosphere between them feel so strange?

Had something happened?

But Dou Zhengrong just gave her a polite nod and walked past her. Only then did Yu Xiaoyu rush over to Meng Yinyin to ask what had happened in her absence.

Meng Yinyin had been thinking about venting her frustrations with Song Yue, so when Yu Xiaoyu arrived, she immediately spilled everything that had just happened.

“Is Song Yue crazy? Why is he so weird? Does he not understand human words?”

Yu Xiaoyu was equally furious after hearing what had happened.

Earlier, when they were at the Educated Youth point, she had already felt that Song Yue was somewhat two-faced because of his treatment of Meng Yinyin. But after so long, he hadn’t done anything, so she thought he had come to his senses. However, she never expected him to come to the vegetable field, and if Dou Zhengrong hadn’t been there, the consequences could have been unthinkable!

Yu Xiaoyu felt uneasy just thinking about it.

“Should we tell the brigade leader about this? Song Yue is really dangerous. Who knows if he will snap again one day?”

Now that Lu Chen wasn’t around, if Song Yue really wanted to do something, he would definitely seize the opportunity.

But Meng Yinyin shook her head and disagreed, speaking with a tone of disdain.

“As long as I’m at home or near other people, he won’t dare do anything.”

Meng Yinyin had already figured out that Song Yue was just the type of bad person who was too cautious to act on his malicious thoughts. If he really had the guts, he would have already gone to knock on Lu Chen’s door.

After hearing Meng Yinyin’s analysis, Yu Xiaoyu thought it made sense.

However, just to be safe, she still felt that when Meng Yinyin was alone, it would be better not to go out. After all, it’s better to be safe than sorry. If Song Yue did something bad, it would be too late to regret it!

Meng Yinyin thought the same. At worst, she would just stay at home until Lu Chen came back. After all, she hadn’t been going out much before, and the next few days had important matters to handle, so staying at home was fine.

So, the two of them decided to pick a large amount of vegetables and head back. That way, they would have enough until Lu Chen returned.

On the way back, looking at Meng Yinyin’s small and fragile frame, Yu Xiaoyu suddenly realized how wise it had been for her to ask her to come and stay with her, and she was also impressed by how quick-thinking Meng Yinyin had been in this critical moment.

As a result, when she asked, she found out that it was actually Lu Chen’s idea!

Yu Xiaoyu: “……”

She could only say that Lu Chen was really very good to Meng Yinyin.

…

At this moment, in the county’s tractor factory.

Lu Chen and the other four members of the commune had arrived and quickly settled in. In the afternoon, they also made time to visit the tractor factory.

The tractor factory wasn’t very large, but it had technicians, workers, and even skilled tractor operators.

The group of people coming to learn wasn’t just the five from their commune; there were also people from other towns and communes, adding up to dozens of people in total.

These young people were all from rural areas, and it was their first time entering a state-run factory. Each of them had curiosity and excitement in their eyes, but Lu Chen’s eyes were filled with unshakeable worry.

He didn’t know how Meng Yinyin was doing at home. Was she eating well? Was she resting properly? Could she handle everything at home?

Although he hadn’t had experience with children, Lu Chen strangely felt like he could empathize with the difficulties of raising a child.

If it weren’t for the chance to provide Meng Yinyin with a better life and to secure this job, Lu Chen would never have stayed away from home for such a long time.

However, this opportunity was so rare that he had to seize the job!

Therefore, Lu Chen tried his best to suppress his longing for Meng Yinyin and threw himself into his studies.

Only by learning quickly could he return home as soon as possible.

It wasn’t just Lu Chen who thought this way; the factory leaders thought the same.

After all, so many people suddenly arrived at the factory. Forget about the living arrangements—since it was summer, even if they were sleeping on the ground, they could still be accommodated—but the food situation was a concern. Every meal took up grain.

Although they had applied for a grain supply when they came to the factory, after a couple of days of intense learning, every young man was still hungry, and the factory canteen’s supplies were running low.

After two days, the canteen couldn’t handle it anymore. They couldn’t get that much grain!

So, the leaders had a meeting and decided to open the factory gates at night, allowing the young men to go out to eat. After all, grain tickets could be used anywhere, and the food at the state-run restaurants would probably taste better.

Each of them had grain tickets from their commune. It was rare for them to visit the county town, and they had been wanting to eat at a restaurant. Unfortunately, since arriving at the factory, they had been too busy with training. The factory had also restricted them from leaving to make management easier.

Now, it was finally time to go out for a meal, and everyone was excited.

Zhou Tong from the commune immediately pulled Lu Chen along, excitedly heading toward the factory gates. As they walked, Zhou Tong said, “I heard from a relative that the braised pork at the city restaurant is amazing. How about we all chip in for some and try it?”