Cheng Aiwen had originally intended to cause trouble for Branch Secretary Liu and embarrass him, but instead, he ended up slinking back home with a belly full of anger.
As soon as he stepped through his own gate, he saw his wife, Feng Taohua, peeking out from the kitchen doorway. Upon spotting him, she happily put down what she was doing, wiped her hands on her apron, and hurried over.
“Darling, how did it go? How does Liu Guoquan plan to deal with that Educated Youth Tian?”
Hearing Feng Taohua’s question, Cheng Aiwen shot her a dark look. Then, thinking about Tan Yandong, who was still in his son’s room, he lowered his voice and said, “Let’s talk inside.”
Feng Taohua’s heart leaped with joy. Thinking everything had been settled, she happily followed Cheng Aiwen into the room.
As soon as the door closed, Cheng Aiwen turned around and delivered a slap that nearly knocked Feng Taohua off her feet, sending her stumbling to the ground.
Feng Taohua was completely stunned. Cupping her face, she finally came to her senses and was about to wail when Cheng Aiwen pointed a finger at her nose and hissed in a low voice, “Go ahead, cry. See what happens. If a single word of this reaches outside ears, I’ll skin you alive.”
“Feng Taohua, you’ve really grown capable. Bold enough to spread those rumors out there, but not smart enough to cover your tracks.”
Feng Taohua, who had been full of grievance, felt her heart skip a beat upon hearing Cheng Aiwen’s words. She looked up at him in panic. Seeing his face full of anger but not urgent concern, she relaxed slightly.
“I… I was just trying to help our Baole. The exam results are about to come out. What if that Educated Youth Tian passes too? Then she’ll go back to the city with Tan Yandong. What will happen to our Baole?”
Cheng Aiwen’s face darkened as he replied, “Fool. First of all, do you think the college entrance exam is so easy to pass? Even if she does pass, why wouldn’t our Baole pass as well? And besides, who says that just because she passes, she’ll definitely get to go study?”
With that, Cheng Aiwen shot Feng Taohua a sharp glance.
Feng Taohua was momentarily stunned, then delight surged in her heart. That’s right—her husband was the brigade leader. Even if Tian Baozhu passed the exam, it would be effortless for her husband to make things difficult. She had been worrying too much out of concern for her child.
“From now on, keep that mouth of yours shut.”
Inside Cheng Baolin’s room, Cheng Baolin and Cheng Baohua were nowhere to be seen, leaving only Tan Yandong and Cheng Baole.
Tan Yandong wore a deeply troubled and anxious expression.
“Brother Yandong, don’t worry. There will definitely be a solution to this,” Cheng Baole said, trying to comfort him.
Tan Yandong gave a bitter smile and shook his head. “This time, I’m afraid Baozhu is really angry with me. It’s not anything else I’m worried about—I’m afraid she might actually go to the commune leaders in a fit of anger. If she only targeted me, that would be one thing, but I’m also worried she’ll come after you. Then we’d both end up being sent to the labor farm.”
With that, Tan Yandong hung his head in despair, looking utterly dejected.
Upon hearing this, Cheng Baole felt a surge of panic and looked at Tan Yandong with wide, deer-like eyes.
“Brother Yandong, because of you, Tian Baozhu hates me now. She’ll definitely find a way to harm me. Brother Yandong, I don’t want to go to the labor farm. I want to be with you forever.”
After saying this, she threw herself into Tan Yandong’s arms and began to sob softly.
Seeing Cheng Baole cry like this, Tan Yandong felt a pang of tenderness in his heart.
“Baole, don’t worry. I won’t give her the chance to harm you. It’s just… I don’t have that much money and ration tickets right now.”
Tan Yandong gritted his teeth as he spoke, then hesitated before continuing.
Cheng Baole pursed her lips upon hearing this and replied softly, “Brother Yandong, I’ll talk to my father properly and see if he can help you.”
“Baole, I will never let you down.”
Hearing Cheng Baole say this, Tan Yandong’s heart burned with passion, and his arms instinctively tightened around her.
Meanwhile, Tian Baozhu was sitting on an ox cart, jolting along the bumpy road, feeling her entire body go numb from the vibrations. Still, compared to walking to town on foot yesterday afternoon, she would much rather endure the ox cart.
After arriving in town, Tian Baozhu first asked Old Gen where to catch the bus to the county and what time the return trip was before heading toward the station.
The “station” from town to the county was more of a stop than an actual station. By the time Tian Baozhu arrived, the bus was about to leave. She hurriedly squeezed on. There weren’t many people on the bus, but there were hardly any empty seats either—mainly because the seats were all taken up by chickens, ducks, and geese. The entire bus reeked of poultry droppings.
The conductor had a stern face, looking as if the world owed her something.
“Twenty cents to the county.”
Suppressing the urge to gag, Tian Baozhu pulled out twenty cents from her pocket and handed it to the conductor.
“Sister, that scarf is beautiful. You must have bought it at the county department store, right?”
Although there were seats available at the back of the bus, Tian Baozhu didn’t want to sit surrounded by the stench. Near the driver and conductor’s area, passengers tended to avoid gathering, and the smell wasn’t as strong.
“Girl, you’ve got sharp eyes. This is a new arrival at the department store—they only got a few in stock. My aunt works there, so she set one aside for me.”
The conductor, who had been frowning moments ago, looked Tian Baozhu up and down, pursed her lips, and lifted her chin slightly as she spoke.
“It’s really pretty. It’s just as stylish as the hair clips my cousin sent me!”
Tian Baozhu said this with admiration, then pulled a red hair clip from her pocket. This clip was one her father had bought when she was young—a classic straight male aesthetic, a red satin bow that looked bright and festive. Sure enough, people’s tastes nowadays weren’t much different from that.
The conductor’s eyes went wide at the sight of the hair clip in Tian Baozhu’s hand. Her own younger sister was getting married next month, and she desperately needed something this festive.
“Girl, that hair clip is beautiful. Where did your cousin buy it?”
Xu Xiuzhen actually wanted to ask if it was possible to have someone bring one over. But since she had only just met Tian Baozhu today, she felt embarrassed to directly ask for such a favor. So instead, she inquired about where it was bought.
“I’m not really sure, but my cousin is from Shanghai. She’s sent me quite a few hair ties and other little trinkets from there before,” Tian Baozhu replied, feigning innocence.
“Shanghai? Girl, do you think your cousin could help bring me a hair clip just like yours? Don’t worry—I won’t ask her to do it for free.”
Hearing that it was something from Shanghai, Xu Xiuzhen grew even more eager. Everyone knew Shanghai was the most fashionable place.