The brigade leader was in a dilemma. The only place in the brigade that could accommodate educated youths was this one.
Gu Yunsheng whispered something, and the brigade leader’s wife spoke up,
“Old Du, isn’t there a yard at the edge of the village?”
The brigade leader glanced at his wife,
“That’s nonsense. Who could live there? It’s too close to the back mountain. You never know if a wild boar might charge down.”
“Yes, the edge of the village won’t work, back then…”
Before the woman could finish, Gu Yunsheng said,
“It’s fine. We can manage anywhere as long as we don’t have to live with Wang Huijuan. My husband and father-in-law are soldiers.”
Huo Chengxuan understood immediately what his wife intended and said in a deep voice,
“Brigade Leader, don’t worry. If anything happens at the edge of the village, we’ll take responsibility ourselves. It won’t involve the village.”
“The Zhou family is the same. We wouldn’t dare live in the same yard with them. Humans can be far crueler than animals.”
“Animals can be anticipated, but people cannot.”
The Huo family members agreed. They preferred living at the edge of the village rather than with the Zhou family.
“Don’t worry, we won’t stay for free,” Gu Yunsheng said to the brigade leader.
Since the yard belonged to the village but wasn’t allocated for educated youths, Gu Yunsheng’s payment meant each household could also get something, leaving no room for complaints.
In the end, the brigade leader nodded in agreement.
After all, his previous scolding was just for show; he had already learned from his wife.
Once the grandson’s rations were settled, moving out was a small request there was no reason to refuse.
“And you!”
The brigade leader glared at Zhao Feng.
Zhao Feng shivered, “Brigade Leader, what’s wrong?”
“You tell me! Next time your son causes trouble again, and your wife or mother gets involved, deal with it right there and then.”
Hearing this, Zhao Feng quickly agreed, ashamed that being a little late had caused such a mess.
Wang Huijuan, hearing her husband not take her side, was furious. She wanted to speak, but Zhao Feng interjected,
“Shut up! Isn’t this embarrassing enough?”
She had only dared to act because her husband wasn’t around. Now, she could only endure silently.
“Everyone, go back. Huo family, pack your things. I’ll take you to the edge of the village.”
With the brigade leader’s order, everyone dispersed.
Huo Chengxuan closed the door, and Gu Yunsheng immediately wiped away her tears.
The Huo family was stunned.
Huo’s mother worried, “Shengsheng, what happened? Are you okay?”
Gu Yunsheng shook her head,
“Mother, I’m fine. She didn’t touch me. I lay down on my own.”
“Living in the same yard would be inconvenient. If we ate meat every day, people would talk. The brigade leader’s wife had twin children, but their rations weren’t enough, so I visited with some milk powder.”
“From the brigade leader’s wife, I learned there’s a yard at the edge of the village. It’s far from the main village, so in the future, we don’t need to worry. It’s closer to the back mountain, but Chengxuan and father are both soldiers.”
“We can have Chengxuan set some traps along the wall. There shouldn’t be a problem.”
Hearing this, everyone finally understood, though they still expressed concern,
“Shengsheng, you can’t do such dangerous things next time. Your health is the most important.”
Gu Yunsheng smiled,
“Okay.”
Huo Chengxuan silently led Gu Yunsheng to the room.
She knew she had been reckless, so she approached him,
“Husband, I was wrong.”
Huo Chengxuan was angry, but it was his own concern.
“No, it’s my fault. Don’t do anything to hurt yourself next time.”
He looked at her, his gaze softening as he spoke seriously.
Gu Yunsheng was pleased with the Huo family’s attitude toward her today.
Huo’s mother and Huo Wan’er’s concern, along with Huo Chengxuan and Huo Zhenguo’s attention, made her feel she could not hide anything from them.
Though they didn’t know exactly what she was planning, they still cooperated fully, showing that whatever she intended, her family would unconditionally support her.
“Yes, yes. I understand. Let’s pack quickly!”
Gu Yunsheng’s mood lifted, her voice playful.
Huo Chengxuan carefully checked her over to make sure she was truly fine before starting to pack.
Once everyone was ready, they went to the brigade leader’s house.
Gu Yunsheng followed behind and unexpectedly saw Chu Ziheng staring at her with deep eyes.
For a moment, she felt as if he had seen through her, but she quickly looked away.
No matter who he was, once they left the educated youth point, there would be no contact.
Along the way, the brigade leader and Huo Zhenguo spoke a lot, especially about the yard.
When they arrived, it was a neat square courtyard, giving everyone a pleasant surprise.
At the entrance, there was a large yard with tall walls that couldn’t be scaled without a ladder.
The main gate was wooden; it would be better if it were a large iron gate.
Everyone hesitated briefly, amazed at such a good house, practically a gift.
Gu Yunsheng thought maybe the previous family had misfortune over the past two years, which is why no one dared live here.
The brigade leader unlocked it. Inside, weeds grew wildly, and Gu Yunsheng noticed a well nearby.
At the north end of the courtyard stood the largest, tallest, and most exquisite building, presumably for the head of the household.
In the center was the main hall, flanked by bedrooms. On the east side, the height and depth were lower than the main building, three rooms smaller in size.
The inverted building was at the south side, facing poorly, likely for storage.
On the west side, a separate room was used as the kitchen.
The dry toilet was in the most secluded corner, southwest, far from the main living areas.
This was clearly a family with refined tastes.
Gu Yunsheng immediately liked this courtyard, and the Huo family was very satisfied.
The brigade leader noted that this household had been a wealthy family, hence the attention to detail.
Everyone understood now. No wonder.
Before leaving, Huo Chengxuan handed over the rent money. The brigade leader hadn’t planned to take it, but the Huo family insisted, so he didn’t argue.
After a long time of being vacant, they began a new round of cleaning.
Thinking about work tomorrow, they only cleaned the living areas and kitchen.