Chapter 15: Be grateful and repay kindness

Gu Shengli, having been the village chief for over ten years, was a seasoned leader. He was only angry for a moment before regaining control of the situation. He simply threatened to deduct a week’s worth of work points if they continued to argue. In the era of the collective, this was a direct threat to the production team members’ livelihoods. Who would dare to cause trouble? Even if they were dissatisfied, they wouldn’t dare to continue arguing with the village chief. Otherwise, they would lose all their work points and be left with nothing.

Qian Xiaolan watched the commotion for a while, realizing that there was no opportunity to beat up Qian Changcai, and turned to leave. The scorekeeper had returned to work today, and she had to join everyone else in the paddy fields to pull weeds and replant seedlings. To be honest, she was a little afraid of the creatures jumping around in the paddy fields and the leeches. So, she went home and went into the space to make two pairs of long gaiters out of Wang Juhua’s old trousers. With the gaiters on, she could wade into the water without worrying about anything. However, the women working in the paddy field near her kept staring at her legs, which annoyed her. Qian Xiaolan frowned, sped up, and ignored those envious eyes. However, sometimes, avoiding trouble doesn’t mean the trouble will disappear. Wu Qiulan’s assigned field was to the left of Qian Xiaolan’s.

 Since yesterday afternoon, when she had gone to ask Qian Xiaolan for a room to stay in and was rejected and insulted, she had become even more resentful of Qian Xiaolan. Now, seeing Qian Xiaolan’s gaiters and thinking about the leeches she had just brushed off her calves, her eyes turned red with envy. Why did Qian Xiaolan, a person who had brought misfortune to her parents, receive the love of the Gu family? Why did she get hundreds of yuan after being abused for years? Why did she have extra fabric to make gaiters? She had been working hard to earn work points, and she was a city intellectual. Wasn’t she the best candidate for a daughter-in-law? Why did the Gu family prefer Qian Xiaolan, a skinny bean sprout, over her? The more Wu Qiulan thought about it, the angrier she became. Without thinking, she blurted out, “Qian Xiaolan, you’re so extravagant!

You actually used two big pieces of cloth to make gaiters. Your uncle and aunt’s house was emptied last night, and they have nothing left. You have so much cloth, you should give some to them.” Qian Xiaolan: “!!!” She slowly straightened up, turned her head, and looked Wu Qiulan up and down, sneering, “Wu Zhiqing, you shouldn’t have come to our Qinghe Village. Take my advice, go to the village chief and get a note. Go to the county and buy a train ticket to Sichuan Province. Once you get there, take another train to Leshan City. There’s a big Buddha there.

 You should let him walk, and you should sit down.” Wu Qiulan listened in confusion and didn’t understand what Qian Xiaolan meant for a while. It wasn’t until a male intellectual beside her chuckled that she realized she had been insulted again. Although she still didn’t understand what Qian Xiaolan was mocking her about, she knew she had been scolded. Wu Qiulan was furious. She glared at Chen Zhiming, who was laughing at her, pursed her lips, suppressed her anger, and continued to speak to Qian Xiaolan, “Don’t blame me for meddling. Your uncle and aunt are your elders, and they raised you for several years. Without them, you wouldn’t know what you’d be like now.

We should be grateful. Your uncle and aunt are in trouble now, and you have money, tickets, and endless clothes. You should give them something.” As soon as Wu Qiulan finished speaking, the people around them looked at Qian Xiaolan and her with strange eyes. Qian Xiaolan didn’t get angry. She casually splashed water on her feet and walked towards Wu Qiulan step by step. “I heard that Wu Zhiqing has five sisters and one brother?” Wu Qiulan didn’t understand why she suddenly asked that, but she still nodded honestly. Qian Xiaolan asked again, “Wu Zhiqing has only one brother, so your family must love him very much, right? I heard that there’s often not enough food in the city, and you can’t buy it even if you have money.

So, Wu Zhiqing, you’ve been in the countryside for several years. Have you ever sent your brother any grain?” Wu Qiulan hated her brother the most because he had taken her parents’ love and always stole her things, and he would beat and scold her. When Qian Xiaolan asked this, she blurted out, “I’m struggling to survive in the countryside myself. Why would I send him things?” Qian Xiaolan clicked her tongue and said in a drawn-out voice, “Oh, so Wu Zhiqing is even unwilling to send a little something to her own younger brother, and her only brother at that? I thought Wu Zhiqing was such a kind person. Surely she wouldn’t bear to see her own family go hungry.”

 Chen Zhiming couldn’t help but chuckle again. Then, under everyone’s gaze, he suppressed his laughter and said sarcastically, “Miss Qian, how can some people be so hypocritical? Their kindness is always just on their lips. They always stand on a moral high ground and ask others to fulfill their verbal kindness. If they were really asked to give something themselves, their clever mouths could easily find an excuse to get out of it. Tsk, so hypocritical!” Qian Xiaolan looked at Chen Zhiming, who had always smiled at her, in surprise. She didn’t know what Wu Qiulan had done to anger him.

But it was great that someone was on her side. She didn’t hesitate and continued Chen Zhiming’s words, “Chen Zhiqing is right. If she’s really so kind, she should give something from her own things to others. Anyway, I’m not kind. I think I’ve already paid back the Qian family for raising me for those years by being a workhorse and enduring their beatings and insults. Anyone who brings up that matter again, don’t blame me for turning my back on them!” Some people just don’t know pain until they’re hit. Chen Zhiming nodded, ignoring Wu Qiulan, whose face was changing between pale and red, and continued working. The villagers around them listened to their conversation, their eyes shifting from Qian Xiaolan to Wu Qiulan, their expressions ambiguous.

 Xiaolan had lived such a difficult life all these years, and the Qian family hadn’t been kind to her. Now that their belongings were stolen, it could only be said that they had brought it upon themselves. Why should Xiaolan give them her money for free? They had thought that Wu Zhiqing was hardworking and capable, and they thought she was a good person. But it turned out that she was a heartless person. Wu Qiulan’s face flushed red, and she was about to argue, but Chen Zhiming suddenly said, “Don’t preach about kindness to others if you haven’t suffered their hardships. If you had gone through their hardships, you might not be as kind as them.

” Wu Qiulan felt as if her neck had been choked. She couldn’t speak. Seeing her teammate so supportive, Qian Xiaolan smiled and turned back to work. After work that afternoon, Qian Xiaolan walked ahead, and Chen Zhiming, with his long legs, caught up with her. “You’re being watched by several people. Be careful.” The soft words reached her ears.

 Chen Zhiming’s footsteps didn’t stop, and the people behind them didn’t notice him speaking. Qian Xiaolan thought back. She hadn’t interacted with him much in the past. She was a little confused as to why he was helping her today.