Chapter 18

Song Chunzhi had always heard that the staff at the counters these days had bad attitudes, and today, she finally got to experience it herself. The smile on her face faded as she coldly said to the man, “Comrade, I haven’t even taken out my things yet, and you’re already saying I’m wasting time. Is this your attitude toward serving the people?”

“What’s wrong with my attitude? Take it or leave it. If you’re not selling, then hurry up and leave. Don’t block the way.” The man rolled his eyes at her and snorted. A country bumpkin who didn’t even have a proper sack was clearly just here to ask for prices. He couldn’t be bothered to deal with her.

“Xiao Zhang, what kind of way is that to talk to someone?” A round-faced woman came out from the back, her ear-length hair swinging as she spoke disapprovingly to the man. Then she turned to Song Chunzhi with a smile and said, “Little comrade, what do you need? Tell me.”

“Big sister, I found this in the mountains. Please take a look.”

Song Chunzhi took a bundle wrapped in old cloth from the canvas bag slung across her body and carefully placed it on the counter. She gently unwrapped it for the woman to see, a look of anticipation on her face.

“Oh my, this is a great find!” The round-faced woman glanced at the item on the counter, looked up in surprise, and said to Song Chunzhi, “I’ve never seen one this big, and in such perfect condition too. This really is rare.”

Xiao Zhang, who had been scoffing at Li Jie’s enthusiasm, was just about to sit down and rest when he heard her exclaim. He got up and came over, then stood dumbfounded at the sight of the massive purple lingzhi mushroom on the counter, about the size of a palm fan. His eyes shifted between the lingzhi and Song Chunzhi in disbelief. How could this girl possibly have something like this?

“Li Jie, I was the one who greeted her first. I’ll take care of collecting the lingzhi. You go have a rest.”

Xiao Zhang quickly squeezed the round-faced woman aside and approached Song Chunzhi with a calculating smile. “Comrade, although your item is quite large, it hasn’t been processed, so I can’t offer a very high price…”

“I want this big sister to take it.”

Song Chunzhi wasn’t about to miss the excitement and greed in Xiao Zhang’s eyes. She pushed the lingzhi aside and spoke to Li Jie. She had already consulted the village doctor, Ye, who told her that if it was quality medicinal material, even fresh ones would fetch a good price at the herbal collection station.

“Alright, comrade, I’ll go get the scale.”

Li Jie had been shoved aside by Xiao Zhang and felt quite annoyed, but since Xiao Zhang had connections and came in through the back door, she couldn’t afford to offend him. She could only watch helplessly as the lingzhi slipped through her fingers. Unexpectedly, Song Chunzhi chose her instead, and she immediately beamed with delight and got to work enthusiastically.

“Hmph, country bumpkin who’s never seen anything good.”

Seeing the deal slip through his hands, Xiao Zhang snorted in dissatisfaction. He had already planned to buy it cheap and give it to a relative who could be of great help.

“Country bumpkin?”

Song Chunzhi’s expression darkened. She stared sharply at Xiao Zhang, who was muttering beside her, and questioned sternly, “The great leader said that the peasant class is great, but you’re calling me a country bumpkin. Are you saying you don’t agree with the leader’s words?”

“I think you have serious ideological problems and need political education. Where’s your supervisor? I’d like to speak to them and find out how someone with such improper thinking got assigned to serve the people at the counter.”

Her words made Xiao Zhang’s face change dramatically. He quickly stood up, cold sweat breaking out on his back, his arrogance from earlier gone. He spoke earnestly, “Comrade, I didn’t mean that. I was wrong. I misspoke. Please don’t be angry.”

Sweat beaded on Xiao Zhang’s forehead. Who dared deny the words of the great leader? The Revolutionary Committee people were not to be trifled with. He stared nervously at Song Chunzhi, regretting his mistake. Had he known earlier that this girl had purple lingzhi and was familiar with the leader’s teachings, he would have kept his mouth shut.

Li Jie stood to the side, dumbfounded. This girl was not only pretty but also had a sharp tongue. Xiao Zhang was definitely going to learn his lesson this time. Let’s see if he dared to be rude to people again.

“If you’ve made a mistake, you should correct it. Be more mindful when you deal with others in the future. Otherwise, I might not know whether to send my complaint letter to your supervisor’s desk or to the Revolutionary Committee.”

Song Chunzhi gave a glance at the sweating Xiao Zhang, her gaze tightening. Her calm tone carried a clear warning. If it weren’t for the farmers who grew food, these city people would have starved long ago. How dare they look down on them?

“Yes, yes, yes. I will definitely change.”

Xiao Zhang trembled as he replied. The thought that she might write a letter to the Revolutionary Committee frightened him. Thinking of how those people operated, he was truly scared. He repeated his apology even more sincerely.

Li Jie gently brushed the dirt off the purple lingzhi with a fine cloth, placed it on the scale, and showed it to Song Chunzhi. She could also tell that despite her young age, this girl was no pushover. Since she had just put Xiao Zhang in his place, Li Jie felt as though she’d gotten her own revenge and treated her even more warmly.

“It’s one jin and two liang. Take a look at the scale.”

“This lingzhi is in excellent condition and quite large. Even though it’s fresh and hasn’t been processed yet, that’s not a major concern.” Li Jie placed the lingzhi back on the counter and gave Song Chunzhi a price. “It’s rare to come across one this size. I’ll offer you a bit more than the usual rate for smaller ones. Let’s say 580 yuan. How does that sound?”

Before Song Chunzhi could respond, Xiao Zhang became anxious. He gave Li Jie a meaningful glance, signaling that if they offered such a high price, the collection station wouldn’t make much profit. But remembering how sharp Song Chunzhi had been earlier, he didn’t dare say anything. In the end, he decided it was better to protect himself.

“Alright, let’s go with that price.”

Song Chunzhi kept a calm expression, but inside she was ecstatic. She hadn’t expected to sell it for so much money. She thought it might only fetch one or two hundred yuan, but it turned out to be five hundred. Though the deep mountains were dangerous, they were filled with hidden riches. She would definitely go back next time.

Stuffing the large wad of cash into her pocket, Song Chunzhi left the traditional medicine collection station. Before she left, Li Jie pulled her aside and nervously asked if she really planned to report the incident to the Revolutionary Committee. She also warned her to be very cautious when dealing with them.

“I was just scaring him. Who told him to be so rude and have such a terrible attitude?” Song Chunzhi replied with a smile in her almond-shaped eyes as she patted Li Jie’s hand, trying to ease her worries.

Li Jie smiled so hard her eyes squinted into slits. This girl was sharp but kind-hearted. She even whispered to Song Chunzhi that if she ever had more good medicinal materials in the future, she should come to her directly; she would always offer a fair price.

Song Chunzhi headed straight for the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some daily necessities, then went to the Xinhua Bookstore to purchase a few middle and high school textbooks, a fountain pen, and some notebooks.

In the past, she had always relied on hand-me-downs from Song Chunhua. Song Xingguo had never been willing to spend money on paper or pens for his daughters. Even letting her go to school was only because the village head said that children who attended school would earn one work point per day; otherwise, she would have been left illiterate.

It was Zhao Wanmiao who insisted on sending Song Chunhua to junior high school, which almost got Song Xingguo furious enough to beat her to death. The only reason Song Chunzhi went too was to take care of Chunhua, who was born prematurely and physically weak. The school fees were paid with her own work points earned outside school hours. After finishing junior high at thirteen, she was already working like an old ox, doing full shifts in the fields.

As she stepped out of the bookstore, Song Chunzhi looked up at the bright sun in the sky. The sunlight was dazzling and beautiful. She told herself she would never live like a beast of burden again. She had to escape from the Song family and pursue her own bright future.

“Beep beep…”

Lost in thought, Song Chunzhi was startled by a car horn. She quickly stepped back to make way, only to realize the vehicle didn’t drive off but stopped right in front of her. Puzzled, she looked up.

“Song Chunzhi, what are you looking at?”

A head popped out from the window of a military vehicle. The man glanced at her standing by the roadside, a faint smile on his handsome face as he casually asked.

“Company Commander Gu…”

Seeing that it was Gu Huaishan sitting in the green military truck, Song Chunzhi’s pretty face immediately brightened with a smile as she walked over. “I was looking at the sky, trying to figure out what time it is.”

“It should be a little after eleven.” Gu Huaishan looked down at his wrist and realized he hadn’t brought his watch today. He made an estimate, then glanced at the Xinhua Bookstore beside them and asked, “You came to buy books?”

“I bought a fountain pen.” Song Chunzhi nodded. She saw no need to hide it from him. After all, he often visited their village, and there was no risk of leaking information. Besides, buying a pen wasn’t something shameful.

“Your handwriting is quite good.”

Gu Huaishan fixed his cool gaze on Song Chunzhi in front of him, studying her. He had done some inquiries in Xishan Village before and heard that she was supposedly timid and obedient. That didn’t match the person he was seeing now. However, it was true that this girl had suffered greatly from a young age.

“Thank you for the compliment, Company Commander Gu. My handwriting still needs practice,” Song Chunzhi said with a polite smile, stepping back a bit. “You must be busy. I’ll head back now.”

“You’re going back to the village?”

Gu Huaishan grew more curious when she tried to excuse herself. Wasn’t she usually quite happy to see him? Why was she in such a rush this time? Could she be hiding something? With a calm smile, he said, “Then hop in. I’ll give you a ride. No need for you to walk.”

“Really? Company Commander Gu, I won’t be polite then. Thank you so much!”

Although Song Chunzhi couldn’t quite read the look in Gu Huaishan’s eyes, she was overjoyed when he offered to take her back.

“I’m heading that way anyway. No need to thank me.”

Gu Huaishan got out and opened the other side of the truck door. The door was quite high, so he reached out to help Song Chunzhi up. Once she was settled in, he returned to the driver’s seat. As he glanced at the lovely girl beside him, her bright eyes fixed expectantly on him, he felt a strange flutter stir in his heart.

Clearing his throat, Gu Huaishan pointed to the net bag beside the seat and said, “There’s some food in that bag. Help yourself.”

“No, no, no… Company Commander Gu, you’re too kind. I’m not hungry. Really, I don’t need anything.”

Song Chunzhi glanced at the net bag, which was packed full of snacks and even had beef jerky. She quickly waved her hand to decline, surprised and a little guilty. She thought he must have come into town to restock after giving her that cloth bag of supplies last time. She shouldn’t have accepted it back then.

Gu Huaishan didn’t insist. He turned back to focus on driving. His cool gaze briefly swept over the canvas bag on her lap, which clearly contained books. This girl had lied to him. Now, he was starting to wonder what exactly her intentions were.

Wherever he showed up, she appeared too. Something was definitely off. And every time he saw her, he felt strangely uneasy.

Unaware that Gu Huaishan was becoming increasingly suspicious of her, Song Chunzhi only stole glances at him from the corner of her eye. Company Commander Gu really was a handsome man: thick eyebrows, cool and slender lips, a high bridge of the nose, and deep, penetrating eyes. He was the most attractive man she had ever seen in either of her two lives.