Chapter 22: Conflict Among the Educated Youth

Su Yue stood up and said, “Mom, put away the cigarettes and liquor, and head off to work. Xiangbei and I will cook lunch at home.”

With a smile on her face, Shen Qiuxia replied, “Alright then, I’ll leave lunch to you two. It’s still early—take a break for now, start cooking around ten.”

Su Yue grinned. “Don’t worry, Mom.”

After Shen Qiuxia left, Li Xiangbei looked confused and asked, “Yueyue, it’s so hot out. Why didn’t you let Mom rest at home for a bit?”

Su Yue’s smile faded as she explained, “Our brigade assigns daily tasks early in the morning. If Mom doesn’t get her work done now, after we leave, she and Dad will have to work into the night to catch up.”

Li Xiangbei’s eyes lit up. “Then I’ll go help them out. If we finish early, they can rest early too.”

“You’re the best, Xiangbei. But the sun’s brutal—why don’t you wear my straw hat?”

Su Yue turned to fetch her hat, handed it to him with a smile, and walked him to the door.

She didn’t idle around afterward. First, she made a round of the kitchen, then picked up a basket and headed to the family’s private plot. She harvested all the ripe vegetables and pulled the weeds, returning with a basket full of produce.

Su Yue filled a bucket with water, grabbed a cloth, and began cleaning the house. She wiped away all the dust, then mopped the floor twice.

There were no dirty clothes or shoes around, and the sheets and blankets were spotless.

Shen Qiuxia was naturally clean and tidy. No matter how tired she was from working, she would always wash her clothes and shoes after bathing in the evening. As for bedding, she washed it early in the morning before work.

Seeing there wasn’t much left to clean, Su Yue began preparing lunch.

Meanwhile, Li Xiangbei, wearing the straw hat, made his way to the fields.

His arrival drew attention from the brigade members working there. Curious, someone asked what he was doing. Li Xiangbei replied cheerfully that he had come to help his future mother-in-law.

That line alone won him quite a few compliments.

Soon, he found where Shen Qiuxia was working.

Shen Qiuxia had already heard villagers praising him and was even more pleased with her future son-in-law.

“Xiangbei, why’d you come? It’s scorching out here—go rest.”

Li Xiangbei smiled. “Mom, I came to lend a hand.”

She didn’t stop him—after all, if her son-in-law was here, Su Yue must have agreed.

After praising him a bit, she began teaching him the task.

The job wasn’t complicated—mainly weeding the cornfield and loosening the soil.

“Xiangbei, be careful while working. Don’t step on the corn stalks,” she reminded him.

Li Xiangbei readily agreed and got to work quickly and efficiently. Shen Qiuxia nodded in approval.

Auntie Zhang nearby saw this and commented with a laugh, “Yueyue’s fiancé may be from the city, but look at how capable he is—better than those educated youths.”

Shen Qiuxia smiled with pride.

But a nearby female educated youth didn’t take that well. She suddenly stood up, her face full of grievance. “Auntie Zhang, what do you mean by that? We work ourselves to the bone every day, and you still criticize us? How are we supposed to keep living here?”

Her eyes turned red, and tears welled up.

Auntie Zhang was used to village women arguing when offended, but seeing someone cry immediately after just a few words left her stunned and unsure of what to do.

Li Xiangbei stood up and asked directly, “Miss Educated Youth, when did we ever criticize you? If you feel wronged, why don’t you explain yourself so everyone can hear?”

Caught off guard, the young woman was speechless. Truthfully, she was just overwhelmed by the tough farm work and lost control when she heard the comparison. But she couldn’t say that aloud—so she cried even harder.

Another female educated youth stepped forward angrily, pointing at Li Xiangbei. “You—you’re a man, why are you bullying us women?”

Other villagers, curious about the commotion, gathered around. Seeing the girl crying so sadly, people began whispering.

Shen Qiuxia, displeased at seeing her future son-in-law wronged, calmly explained what had happened.

“Everyone, you be the judge—how did my future son-in-law bully Miss Feng?”

She looked Wu Mei directly in the eyes.

Wu Mei glanced at the tearful Feng Chunyan but didn’t believe Shen Qiuxia’s version. She turned to Feng Chunyan and said, “Chunyan, speak up if you’re wronged. We educated youth are united. If they bullied you, we’ll report it to the county’s Youth Office. We came here answering the call to build the countryside—we won’t let ourselves be treated like this.”

Her words rallied the other educated youths, who surrounded them, and tension rose.

Feng Chunyan realized the situation was escalating. Embarrassed and regretful, her face flushed pale and red.

Wu Mei encouraged her again, “Say what you need to, Chunyan. We won’t let anyone mistreat you.”

Auntie Zhang also felt wronged and pointed at the neat work Li Xiangbei had done. “Did I say anything wrong? You educated youths tell me—your first time out here, can any of you match his work?”

Wu Mei frowned. “Chunyan wouldn’t cry this much over one sentence. You must’ve said more hurtful things.”

A villager interjected, “Wu Mei, everything happened as Auntie Shen said—we all heard it. In fact, Comrade Fang was here too. Fang, why don’t you tell us what really happened?”

Everyone turned to look at Fang Ya, another educated youth.

Feng Chunyan’s heart dropped. She and Fang Ya had never gotten along and often competed. There was no way Fang Ya would cover for her now.

Thinking fast, she bit her lip hard while everyone was looking at Fang Ya. The sharp pain brought tears to her eyes, and she sobbed, “Wu Jie, you misunderstood. I just felt upset when I heard Auntie Zhang’s words and bit my lip by accident while trying to argue back. It hurt so much I started crying.”

Then she deliberately spit out some bloody saliva on the ground.

The crowd paused in shock.

Even the educated youths looked awkward now. The once-tense atmosphere turned strangely muted.

“These city girls sure make a fuss—thought something serious happened,” a villager muttered.

“And Wu Mei, jumping to conclusions before understanding the situation, like we’re savages out here,” another added.

People murmured their discontent. Wu Mei’s face flushed with embarrassment.

Finally, the brigade leader arrived, got the full story, and told Wu Mei to apologize to Li Xiangbei.

Li Xiangbei waved it off. “There’s a saying—‘when you care, you lose your cool.’ Comrade Wu just saw Chunyan crying and wanted to stand up for her. Maybe she overreacted, but her heart was in the right place.”

He added pointedly, “But Chunyan, why didn’t you stop her? You bit your lip, but your hands were just fine. Could’ve spoken up sooner, right?”

He shook his head and muttered, “A little earlier and this wouldn’t have blown up.”

Wu Mei didn’t expect Li Xiangbei—the one she had wrongly accused—to speak up for her. She felt a ripple in her heart.