In Haixi, the best dish to entertain guests with is lamb.

Early in the morning, lamb with vermicelli and pot ash, combined with the hot weather, a bowl of it can almost make a person bleed from the nose due to how nourishing it is.

The local Revolutionary Committee director also shares the surname Xie, his name is Xie Tianming, and he was helping Liu Zaiye peel garlic with sugar.

After all, garlic with sugar and lamb soup are a perfect match.

As he peeled, he noticed that Liu Zaiye was smiling in a somewhat strange way, which made him a bit nervous.

Their Revolutionary Committee wasn’t an administrative unit; it was more of an organization that was focused on making money.

As for appointments and dismissals, they were entirely up to the top leader.

In all of Qinzhou, the person responsible for these matters was Liu Zaiye, so his presence was a great honor for Xie Tianming.

From their previous work interactions, Xie Tianming knew that Liu Zaiye’s temper was rather peculiar.

Others would smile when they were happy, and frown when they were upset, but Liu Zaiye was different. When he smiled, it didn’t necessarily mean he was happy, and when he frowned, he might actually be in a good mood inside.

Because of this, Xie Tianming was particularly afraid at this moment.

The young man who had rolled around in the haystack with Gu Nan was called Wang Hongjun, a smooth-talking little rogue.

He had arrived at the Revolutionary Committee the night before and was sitting at the lower end, lighting a cigarette for Liu Zaiye. “Leader, have a smoke.”

“Did you sleep well?” Liu Zaiye asked.

Wang Hongjun chuckled, “How could I, leader? I was just helping the organization investigate the bad element Gu Nan, so I had to put up with it and sat with her for a while. A girl like her is beneath me, really. In my heart, there’s nothing but the organization, no personal feelings, especially not romantic ones.”

“Stop talking nonsense, if a man doesn’t want a woman, you must be a eunuch!” Liu Zaiye said, and with that, he kicked Wang Hongjun’s pants with his big leather shoe.

Wang Hongjun quickly covered his vital area, chuckling awkwardly, “Really, I didn’t do anything.”

Liu Zaiye didn’t take this matter too seriously. He knew Gu Nan and Li Yifan.

But he didn’t get along with those people. As for Gu Nan, clearly, she had just found a spineless man with no backbone and sold herself out—nothing more than that.

What happened to Gu Nan was none of his business. In this world, if a woman doesn’t behave properly and lacks wisdom, she deserves to be bullied, right?

“Liu Zaiye, Liu Zaiye, are you there?” Outside, Gu Nan’s voice sounded particularly anxious.

Liu Zaiye furrowed his brow, signaling to Xie Tianming and said, “Don’t see her, quickly send her away. We’re bullying a woman here. And I can’t stand seeing women cry, get rid of her quickly.”

Xie Tianming stood up and shouted, “Go, go, go, take her away. Let her be paraded in the streets this afternoon. Let this shameless woman know what happens when you don’t behave.”

“Liu Zaiye, Liu Director, please, let me see Su Xiangwan. I saw her outside. She’s my sister, she’ll definitely save me. Please ask her for help.” Su Xiaonan, held by the militia, shouted loudly from outside.

Liu Zaiye, who had been picking his teeth, suddenly put down his toothpick. “What did you say? Stop them. Bring Gu Nan back.”

Xie Tianming had already sent people to take Gu Nan away, but when he saw the leader speak, he quickly ordered them to bring her back.

“What do you mean, Su Xiangwan is your sister? Gu Nan, don’t play tricks with me. Tell me exactly what happened,” Liu Zaiye said after sending everyone out.

Of course, Su Xiaonan wasn’t going to tell him that she had crossed over to this world.

She spat once, muttered that Wang Hongjun was worthless, and then said, “Anyway, I saw Su Xiangwan outside. She should be here visiting someone. We have a good relationship. You should find her and tell her I’m her sister. I’m really, really upset and want to beg for her forgiveness. She’ll definitely help me, okay?”

If someone else asked for his help, Liu Zaiye wouldn’t care.

But Su Xiangwan… well, she and Song Qingshan had never bowed their heads to him.

His eyes glinted, and he asked, “She really will help you?”

“She will definitely help,” Su Xiaonan said with certainty.

In her past life, Su Xiaonan often smeared Su Xiangwan’s name in front of classmates, neighbors, and relatives. But back then, Su Xiangwan had a good nature, and whenever Su Xiaonan cried, she would forgive her quickly.

So, Su Xiaonan was sure that Su Xiangwan would help her.

After all, some people’s character is born that way, and Su Xiangwan was naturally a soft-hearted woman.

When Liu Zaiye heard this, he laughed. “I’m not going to find her. Since Su Xiangwan has seen you, she’ll definitely come to beg me. Then you’ll see how I handle her.”

He thought to himself: If Su Xiangwan really wanted to save Gu Nan, that would be perfect.

He would deliberately refuse to let her go, making her beg him three times, and then let Song Qingshan beg him three times too.

Only then would he be willing to help. Otherwise, he’d still parade Gu Nan through the streets.

In the end, no matter what, there was no loss for him.

In the middle of the day, Su Fufu licked his dry lips.

There was only one state-owned restaurant in this place, and they only sold lamb soup with flatbread.

The lamb was sliced thinly and covered with a clean piece of cloth, while the flatbread was the golden, baked type.

Su Fufu had been in Haixi for many years, and every time he went to the county for the market, he really wanted to eat a bowl of lamb soup with flatbread. But after four years, he still hadn’t had the chance.

“What’s wrong? Want to eat lamb soup?” Su Xiangwan asked.

“How could that be?” Su Fufu raised an eyebrow. “Oh, sis, I’m not being greedy, but I thought if you really have a way, you could help Gu Nan. She’s a poor girl, just a bit lazy and good for nothing. But honestly, who doesn’t want to slack off? We just don’t have the courage, that’s all.”

Su Xiangwan looked to the left, where Li Chengze was blinking his eyes, looking at her.

Then, she looked to the right, where Su Fufu was scratching his head, also awkwardly looking at her.

These two kids were hoping she would help Su Xiaonan, and now, even the idea of eating lamb soup didn’t seem to tempt them much.

However, Su Xiangwan was still hesitating.

Was it really worth it to beg Liu Zaiye for someone like Su Xiaonan, who was as untrustworthy as a piece of roast pork?

Just then, there was an uproar in the street.

Many people were saying, “Have you heard? A female thug is going to be paraded in the streets. This is something new! Let’s go and watch.”

“Yeah, we definitely need to see this.”

A female thug! In this repressed era, even movies didn’t have characters as interesting as a female thug in the public’s mind.

“I want three bowls of lamb soup. If you two aren’t eating, I’ll finish it all myself.” Su Xiangwan waved the soup ticket and said.

Su Fufu was the first to lower his head. “I’ll eat, I’ll eat! Lamb soup! After this meal, who knows when I’ll have it again. Not eating would make me a little dog.”

Li Chengze looked embarrassed.

The little piglet.

He was acting like a leech. “How about this, Aunt Su, can you lend me some money? I’ll try to smooth things over with the connections, at least make sure my godmother isn’t paraded through the streets.”

Su Xiangwan said, “Back then, she always made you cook, do the laundry, and steal things. Now you’re thinking of saving her with money? Li Chengze, you said you were bad, but now I feel like you’re not bad at all. You’re just a soft, cowardly little guy.”

“One should repay kindness with gratitude. I know you two don’t get along, and I’m not asking you to save her from here. I just want you to make sure she’s not paraded in the streets. Is that really so hard?” Li Chengze said.

In fact, kindness was a quality that was especially rare in a boy.

In the blink of an eye, Su Xiangwan had already decided what to do.

She handed over the chopsticks, added a lot of spicy oil and chili peppers into Li Chengze’s dish, and said, “Hurry up and eat. Once you’re done, I’ll figure out a way to help you.”

Li Chengze finally waited for Su Xiangwan to give him a positive answer. While eating lamb soup with flatbread, he dug in more happily than Su Fufu.

The two of them finished the lamb soup in a competitive manner, even competing to lick the bowls clean.

One stuck out their tongue longer than the other, and each licked the bowls more thoroughly.

After they finished eating, Su Xiangwan led the two of them to the local Revolutionary Committee.

“Really, Su Xiangwan is here?” It was noon, and Liu Zaiye was sleeping.

Upon hearing that Su Xiangwan had arrived, he was so pleased that he almost jumped out of bed.

However, after a moment of thought, he said, “Don’t let her in. Let Su Xiangwan wait outside. Song Qingshan will get off work at 5 PM, and I’ll be happy to see both of them humbled.”

So, in the office of the Revolutionary Committee, Liu Zaiye set up three stools and lay back down.

Su Xiangwan had fair skin, so Liu Zaiye was delighted to see her get tanned. The darker she got, the happier he became.

At the same time, Su Xiaonan was locked up in a small bungalow.

The window had long been removed, and the window bars were welded with steel rods.

Since last night, Su Xiaonan had neither eaten nor drunk any water.

She leaned on the window, her lips cracked and dry.

When she saw Su Xiangwan enter, she immediately called out, “Sister, sister, I’m here!”

Despite how pitiful Li Chengze had been when asking Su Xiangwan earlier, he now walked over with an air of indifference.

He looked at Su Xiaonan coldly for a while.

Seeing that the militia didn’t seem to be rushing him, he took off his water bottle and handed it to her. “Here, drink some water first.”

Su Xiaonan gulped down a few large sips of water, nearly choking.

“Why are you calling me?” Su Xiangwan approached and asked.

Su Xiaonan wiped her mouth and coughed for a long time before replying, “Wang Hongjun is a good-for-nothing. Sister, I won’t talk about anything else, but that Wang Hongjun cheated me out of two hundred yuan, which was sent to me by Gu Bei. You have to figure out a way to get that money back for me.”

“A man who only knows how to cheat young girls and you still want to be with him, and even roll around in the hay with him? Look at the straw in your hair,” Su Xiangwan couldn’t help but pull a piece of wheat straw from Su Xiaonan’s hair and said.