“Thank you, Uncle Liu.”
Tian Baozhu happily took the keys. It hadn’t even crossed her mind to get these earlier. After all, once she moved her things from the educated youth site, going to town and back would take several hours. Without a lock on the door, she wouldn’t feel at ease leaving.
“By the way, Uncle Liu, I’ll probably need to buy quite a few things once I move from the educated youth site. So, I’d like to ask you to write me a few introduction letters. That way, if I need to go to the county to buy things, I won’t have to bother you every time.”
Branch Secretary Liu found her request reasonable. After all, there was nothing in that house, and the saying “an empty house is worth a thousand pieces of gold” held true. Household items might not seem valuable individually, but getting everything together would cost a fair amount of money and coupons.
“Alright, come by the brigade office tomorrow morning.”
“Thank you, Uncle Liu. I’ll go to the educated youth site to get my bedding first.”
Tian Baozhu bid farewell to Branch Secretary Liu happily. Even though the over sixty yuan in her pocket had dwindled to just over ten, it didn’t dampen her good mood.
Unfortunately, her good mood lasted only until she reached the gate of the educated youth site.
Tan Yandong stood there, his face long and sullen.
“Tian Baozhu, where have you been all afternoon?”
Tan Yandong quickly walked up to her as soon as he saw her, demanding in a low voice.
He had heard from Baole earlier that afternoon about the village women gossiping endlessly behind Tian Baozhu’s back. Those words were so harsh that anyone with a shred of dignity would find it hard to live on. He had been restless at the production team leader’s house and had returned early to ask Tian Baozhu what had really happened yesterday.
But when he got back, she wasn’t at the educated youth site. No one knew where she had gone.
Liu Qiuhua had sneered and muttered that Tian Baozhu had probably gone to meet her lover.
Hearing this had left Tan Yandong feeling stifled and angry. So he stood at the gate, waiting for her return to get answers.
He had waited and waited, his patience wearing thin, until Tian Baozhu finally appeared.
At first, he thought she might have hidden away crying after hearing the village rumors.
But what had he just seen? Tian Baozhu was smiling?
How could she still have the face to smile?
The anger he had barely managed to suppress erupted like a volcano, rushing to his head.
Seeing him storm up to her with such fury, Tian Baozhu slowly let her smile fade.
Then she looked him up and down carefully for a long moment.
His unease grew under her gaze, and he forgot what he had meant to say.
“What… what are you staring at?”
“Oh, I was just trying to see where your face is.”
Tian Baozhu withdrew her gaze casually, giving him a mocking look.
“Turns out you don’t have one.”
“You…?”
Tan Yandong’s face flushed crimson, his hands clenched into tight fists.
“You what? Don’t think I don’t know what you’re trying to do. You want to pin a big label on me and use it to crush me. That way, you and your sweetheart can be together without anyone gossiping, isn’t that right?
Tan Yandong, let me tell you: stop dreaming.
If you want to be all lovey-dovey with Cheng Baole, go ahead. No one’s stopping you.
But the money and coupons you owe me—you’ll pay back every last cent.”
Otherwise, I’ll go to the commune and ask them properly: whether someone like you is better suited to stay in the village or in a labor camp.”
With every word Tian Baozhu spoke, Tan Yandong’s flushed face grew a shade paler.
“Baozhu, how have you become like this?”
Tan Yandong forced down the rising panic in his chest and spoke with a pained expression.
“Pfft…”
Tian Baozhu let out a laugh, her mockery deepening.
“Tan Yandong, I remember telling you not to pull that ‘brother and sister’ nonsense with me.
If you have no shame, I still do!
If you don’t want to repay the money, I’ll go to the commune leaders, have a cup of tea, and let them judge who’s right.
Now, get out of my way. A good dog doesn’t block the path.”
With that, Tian Baozhu rolled her eyes and walked straight into the educated youth site.
Once inside, she noticed the others who had been eavesdropping quickly scattered, each pretending they hadn’t heard a thing.
Tian Baozhu didn’t care. She wasn’t staying here anyway.
The original owner’s belongings were few—just a wooden chest for clothes and a set of bedding.
Tian Baozhu first went to the kitchen to take out her grain rations. Then she rolled up her bedding, tied it together with the wooden chest using a hemp rope, and hoisted it onto her back.
“You… you… Tian Baozhu, what are you doing?”
The female educated youths who had remained silent when she entered were now staring wide-eyed at her, especially at the grain bag in her hand.
“Nothing much. Just moving out.
Since this place can’t tolerate me, I won’t stay and be an eyesore.”
Tian Baozhu let out a cold snort, sweeping her gaze across the female educated youths in the room.
Each one she looked at lowered their heads guiltily, not daring to meet her eyes.
When she walked out of the dormitory with her bedding and chest, the male educated youths in the yard stared with wide eyes.
They hadn’t expected Tian Baozhu to be so strong!
By the time they snapped out of it, she had already reached the gate of the site.
Chen Jianshe, the one who had meddled earlier, glanced at Tan Yandong beside him and couldn’t help asking,
“Tian Baozhu, what are you doing?
If you move out like this, what will the villagers think of us educated youths?
If they get the wrong idea and think we bullied you, you’d be undermining our unity.”
Tian Baozhu stopped and turned to look at him.
“In all my years here, haven’t you bullied me enough?
Over the years, there have been many incidents. If you want me to recount them one by one, I wouldn’t mind.
Oh, and one more thing.
Comrade Tan Yandong, last time I asked you to repay the money, I didn’t give you a deadline.
Starting today, you have three days to pay back everything I’m owed.
Otherwise, we’ll settle it at the commune.”
With that, Tian Baozhu walked away without looking back.
Tan Yandong stood frozen. The things Tian Baozhu had given him had all been eaten or used up. He had no money.
But seeing the look in her eyes just now, he knew she was serious.
If he didn’t repay her, she really would go to the commune.
That would not only mean suffering but could also result in being sent to a labor camp.
He didn’t want that. For now, the only way was to pay her back first and stabilize the situation.
After thinking it over, Tan Yandong strode out of the educated youth site and headed toward the production team leader’s house.
The other male educated youths in the yard exchanged bewildered glances.
How had things come to this?