After Xia Xi finished arranging things, she went back inside.
She was very relieved to have her three older brothers handle the matters.
Tomorrow is the seventeenth.
The day after tomorrow is the eighteenth.
The day after tomorrow is the day she and Lu Jing will have their arranged meeting.
Tomorrow, Xia Xi decided to go to the county town again, and then to the town in the afternoon.
Making money cannot stop.
That night, a miserable cry came from the male educated youth dormitory.
All the educated youths in the dormitory went out.
They saw something wriggling in the big cesspool.
Then a big head emerged, its face covered in feces!
It was Lin Xiangdong.
At midnight, Lin Xiangdong got up to relieve himself, was beaten in the outhouse with a sack by the three older brothers, and then fell into the cesspool again.
Someone had tampered with the wooden planks used to step on for the cesspool.
After being beaten, Lin Xiangdong turned around in the outhouse, stepped on the wooden plank, and fell into the cesspool.
The male educated youth dormitory did not have a dedicated outhouse.
This cesspool was connected to the production brigade's pigsty.
The pigs produced a lot of manure daily, and to prevent strong odors due to the hot weather, water was also added.
This composted manure was intended for seedling cultivation.
So it was a cesspool full to the brim.
Lin Xiangdong, who couldn't swim, thrashed for a few moments before Gu Chunsheng used a carrying pole to pull him out.
Afterward, Lin Xiangdong was so smelly he was unbearable!
Only Gu Chunsheng kindly fetched him six buckets of water to wash himself.
The well water was very cold.
Coupled with the fact that Lin Xiangdong had been soaking in the cesspool for quite some time.
Even after six buckets of well water, he still smelled terribly.
The male educated youths wouldn't let him in, so he had to make do under the eaves.
Then, at dawn the next day, Lin Xiangdong developed a fever.
In the morning, when Xia Xi got up, she heard Gu Chunsheng coming to their home to ask for leave for Lin Xiangdong, saying he had a fever and was unconscious.
Old Father Xia nodded and handed him the recommendation and approval form for worker-peasant-soldier students.
Gu Chunsheng took the form, bowed to Old Father Xia three times, and then left.
Old Father Xia sighed, thinking that heaven still favored good young men. This kid was promising.
After breakfast.
Xia Xi rode her bicycle to the county town.
As expected, as soon as she reached the entrance of the family courtyard, an old woman recognized her and pulled her inside, asking if she had any more meat.
Xia Xi only had fish.
The other party didn't want the fish anymore and asked for some fruits and vegetables instead.
Xia Xi gave away and sold some items, and managed to get a pile of things out.
She had originally thought she might only make a little pocket money today.
As it turned out, an aunt took her to the family courtyard of the steel plant.
The steel plant was the leading enterprise in Datian County, with good profits, so the employees naturally had more disposable income.
Xia Xi's efforts lasted for a whole day.
She worked until the evening before finishing the delivery of the items they wanted.
Xia Xi was exhausted.
She went to the state-run restaurant and bought fifteen big meat buns. She ate two herself and then rode her bicycle home.
What she didn't expect was to run into Lu Jing again.
However, Lu Jing today was very different.
He had disguised himself as an old man!
He had a gray beard glued on, was hunched over, and walked unsteadily down the street, leaning on a cane.
But his eyes were sharp, observing his surroundings.
Xia Xi knew he was up to something important.
She recognized him but pretended not to.
Xia Xi rode her bicycle, preparing to leave without looking back.
Suddenly!
A group of people rushed out!
Xia Xi, startled, pedaled her bicycle quickly and turned the corner.
Fearing they would capture her and use her to threaten Lu Jing, she turned into a deserted alley, put her bicycle into her space, and took out her butcher knife.
Bang!
Something suddenly flew towards her.
Xia Xi dodged it with a sidestep.
She hid behind a wall to observe the situation ahead.
A fight had broken out.
It was a lively brawl.
Xia Xi looked at the items on the ground, then at the group of people, and with a thought, she willed them into her space.
The items were collected into her space.
She immediately took out her bicycle again and rode home.
She pedaled so hard her bicycle seemed to be spitting sparks, fearing someone might be chasing her.
She reached home in one go.
Only then did she take a few deep breaths.
Xia Xi, who was usually dressed beautifully and cleanly, was disheveled today.
Covered in sweat.
Her hair was soaked with sweat.
Her white shirt was also stained from rubbing against the wall, which she hadn't even noticed.
Yu Qiu entered, looking disgusted, "Our Xiangxiang, our little sister, why do you smell so bad! You have a blind date tomorrow, where have you been running wild?"
Xia Xi blinked her clear, bright eyes, "I rode my bicycle back, of course I'd smell, and there was a lot of dust on the road. I'm going to take a bath."
A heavy rain was expected that evening, and dark clouds filled the sky. The people in the fields hadn't finished work yet. Old Father Xia was ringing a gong, urging them to finish harvesting the corn before they could stop.
There wasn't much left, so everyone was giving it their all.
Xia Xi took some clothes and said, "Eldest Sister-in-law, please take the big meat buns from the bicycle basket and warm them in a pot. Dad and Mom can eat them when they get back."
"Big meat buns?"
Yu Qiu took the big meat buns from the bicycle basket, looking confused, and exclaimed, "So many! Xia Xi, we don't need to live anymore!"
Xia Xi ignored her.
Yu Qiu, smelling the buns, was practically drooling.
She was craving them.
Da Nuo and Xiao Yan stretched their necks to smell.
Yu Qiu gently patted their backs, "Don't be impatient, Grandma and Grandpa aren't back yet."
Xiao Yan looked delighted, "Mom, I'm just smelling them, I'm not eating them. Smelling them is like eating them."
Da Nuo also leaned in to smell, then swallowed hard.
After Xia Xi finished bathing, she lay on the bed and let out a long sigh.
She was utterly exhausted.
Her parents hadn't returned yet, so she took the opportunity to enter her space and eagerly opened the black cloth bag.
Upon seeing what was inside, she almost cried out!
So shiny!
Gold bars!
All gold bars!
No wonder it was so heavy!
Xia Xi took one out, looked at it from all angles, and even bit it. It was real gold!
Each one was 100g.
There were at least twenty of them here!
How many grams was that?
Xia Xi's mind was reeling. She never imagined that the random package she picked up would contain so much.
Xia Xi remembered Lu Jing seeing her pass by that area.
They hadn't found their items.
Would he suspect her?
Xia Xi truly didn't want to give up anything that had fallen into her possession.
In her previous life, Xu Shanshan's business was so successful, and she was envious.
In this life, she had the space, but she lacked the capital.
These gold bars would be her capital!
In this life, she would be more brilliant and glorious.
And she would lift her entire family up!
Xia Xi piled the gold bars into a small mountain and then looked at them again with delight.
She was a common person.
She loved gold, loved it very, very much.
After admiring the gold in her space, Xia Xi counted the money she earned today. The aunts from the steel plant were indeed formidable; her income today was 80 yuan.
It was just too rushed.
She hadn't had a chance to buy chicks, ducklings, or piglets.
She would go later when she had time.
Before long, thunder rumbled.
The sky roared louder with each clap, and a strong wind began to blow.
Yu Qiu stood under the eaves, anxiously watching the outside.
Xia Xi also came out from the room, "Sister-in-law, haven't Dad, Mom, and my older brothers returned yet?"
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