Yet a chill rose from the depths of his heart—this woman was too terrifying! She always seemed to see right through his thoughts, always managed to dismantle his schemes!
Not long after, hurried footsteps sounded from behind. Brigade Leader Wang Dashan, Civil Defense Chief Wang Tiezhu, and Gu Huainian, his face grim, strode over quickly.
Several flashlight beams pierced the twilight, sweeping across the ruins.
“What’s going on? Comrade Gu said someone was sabotaging things?”
Wang Dashan’s voice arrived before he did, stern and tinged with anger from being disturbed.
Even though it was just a wall on an abandoned homestead site, it was still village property. Damaging collective assets and nearly harming an educated youth—this was no small matter!
Wang Tiezhu also wore a tense expression, his hand resting on the armed belt at his waist, his eyes scanning the scene warily.
Gu Huainian succinctly repeated his observations of the traces and pointed to the spot where the base of the wall had been tampered with.
Brigade Leader Wang and Wang Tiezhu immediately walked over, examining the area carefully with their flashlights. Both were seasoned veterans, intimately familiar with signs on the land.
“It’s man-made, no doubt about it!”
Soon, Wang Tiezhu delivered the final verdict in his gruff voice.
“It was pried with a crowbar, and the marks are fresh! Damn it, which bastard did this? Daring to pull this kind of crooked trick in the Red Flag Production Brigade! Has he got a death wish?!”
Wang Tiezhu’s coarse curses echoed in the quiet foothills, carrying barely suppressed fury.
The blinding flashlight beams remained fixed on the loosened section of the wall base.
Fresh soil traces and clear tool imprints were laid bare under the intense light.
Brigade Leader Wang Dashan crouched down, his face ashen. His rough fingers picked up a pinch of loose soil and felt the edges of the crack.
“Tiezhu is right. This was deliberate, meant to take a life! Who did it?!”
Wang Dashan’s voice was low, like muffled thunder before a storm. He stood up abruptly, sweeping his flashlight like a searchlight over everyone present.
Shen Qingyu’s calm face, Jiang Muxue’s pale, panicked expression, and Gu Huainian’s serene, unreadable eyes.
His gaze finally settled on Jiang Muxue, sharp and scrutinizing.
Jiang Muxue flinched under that gaze, nearly dropping the basket in her hand. Her face was full of alarm and fear, her voice trembling on the verge of tears as she urgently defended herself: “Brigade Leader! I don’t know, I really don’t know who did it. I… I was just worried about Comrade Shen’s safety and came to check. I never expected…”
Whether it was because she was flustered and scared, making her words disjointed, or whether it was deliberate—an attempt to use her supposed concern as a shield—was unclear.
Shen Qingyu watched her performance coldly, not immediately exposing her. Only after Jiang Muxue finished speaking did she calmly speak up, steering the conversation toward more practical matters.
“Brigade Leader, Chief Wang, regardless of who did it, this wall is now extremely dangerous. The wind is strong tonight. If it were to blow over and hit someone or damage the nearby field ridges, it would be a loss. Shouldn’t the immediate priority be to deal with this safety hazard?”
Once again, she skillfully raised the banner of preventing losses.
Wang Dashan took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the urge to investigate immediately.
Shen Qingyu was right. The most important thing now was to deal with the precarious wall hanging over everyone’s heads.
Wang Dashan decisively ordered: “Tiezhu! Take two men, find some sturdy logs, and prop up this damn wall right now, immediately, at once. Make sure it holds through the night without collapsing.”
“Yes!”
Wang Tiezhu responded, glaring fiercely at the precarious wall as if trying to pierce through it and uncover the culprit behind it. Then he turned and strode back to the village to call for help.
Wang Dashan’s gaze fell on Shen Qingyu and Jiang Muxue, his tone leaving no room for doubt.
“You two female educated youths, it’s completely dark now. Don’t just stand around here! Especially you, Shen Qingyu—this place isn’t safe. Go back to the educated youth point first! This mess will be investigated by the team, and you’ll get an explanation.”
His eyes then swept over Jiang Muxue again: “Jiang Muxue, you go back too! What are you doing running around at night?”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Muxue seemed as if she had been granted a great reprieve, nodding repeatedly: “Yes, yes, yes, Team Leader, I’ll go back right away!”
After saying this, she practically jogged away, her figure appearing somewhat flustered and disheveled in the twilight, the eggs in her basket swaying uneasily with her hurried steps.
Only Shen Qingyu and the silent Gu Huainian remained in front of the ruins.
Wang Dashan glanced at Gu Huainian but said nothing, tacitly acknowledging his presence.
Shen Qingyu gave a slight nod to Wang Dashan: “Thank you, Team Leader. Sorry for the trouble. I’ll gather my tools and leave.”
She walked over to where she had been clearing earlier, bent down, and picked up her half-worn firewood knife and coarse cloth bag.
Gu Huainian silently picked up his short-handled hoe and walked over to her side.
The two of them walked back along the path, one after the other, in silence.
Wang Dashan had taken the flashlight, leaving only the faint moonlight outlining the ridges of the fields.
“Thank you.” Shen Qingyu’s voice broke the silence in the quiet dusk, sincere and concise.
She was thanking him for his earlier assistance, as well as for his righteous words and swift action at the critical moment.
Gu Huainian’s footsteps didn’t pause; he only responded with a faint “Hmm.”
A moment later, just as Shen Qingyu thought the conversation was over, his low voice sounded again, sharp with insight: “She’s panicking.”
Shen Qingyu’s eyes flickered briefly, her steps never faltering, and she quickly returned to normal.
She understood who he meant by “she.”
Clearly, he had also noticed something amiss, but without evidence, it wasn’t appropriate to say it outright.
This “She’s panicking” was both a reminder and a silent signal of alliance.
He had seen through Jiang Muxue’s tricks, and he was on her side.
“Yes, a cornered dog will jump over the wall.”
Shen Qingyu’s voice was particularly clear and calm in the night breeze, not even bothering to conceal her judgment of the nature of Jiang Muxue’s actions.
The hidden danger was now out in the open. This silent battle had escalated from undercurrents to the brink of tearing off all pretense.
For the rest of the journey, the two didn’t speak again. By the time they returned to the educated youth point, there were hardly any people outside.
A dim kerosene lamp was lit in the warehouse.
Most people had just finished washing up and were lying exhausted on the communal bed.
Jiang Muxue was already sitting on her own sleeping spot, her head lowered so no one could see her expression.
Shen Qingyu and Gu Huainian entered one after the other, immediately drawing everyone’s attention.
The atmosphere instantly became somewhat tense.
Mu Yue immediately sat up and asked quietly, “Sister Shen, are you okay? I heard something happened over there…”
Clearly, she had also caught wind of the rumors.
Shen Qingyu gave her a reassuring smile, speaking softly yet clearly enough for everyone to hear: “It’s nothing. While inspecting the site, we found that a section of an un-collapsed wall had been pried loose, nearly causing an accident. The team leader and Captain Wang are already investigating.”