The two bamboo tubes, not particularly large, were first tasted by Huo Yunlei and Huo Xiaoyan upon receiving them, their immediate reaction being to offer them to their Eldest Brother.
Huo Yunting only took a small sip; the milky fragrance and that hint of sweetness were truly unforgettable.
Huo Yunlei and Huo Xiaoyan drank together, repeatedly exclaiming that this was the sweetest congee they had ever tasted in their lives.
Huo Yunting pursed his lips; the sweet taste of the congee still lingered in his mouth, vividly and truly reminding him what it meant to have a lingering fragrance on the palate.
"Did Grandpa Huo and Grandma Huo make things difficult for you when you went back last night?"
Huo Yunlei, quick-tongued, swallowed the congee in his mouth and quickly said, "My Eldest Aunt spoke sarcastically, but now that we have Eldest Brother protecting us, Grandpa doesn't want them to go too far."
Su Xiaoruan nodded; now that Huo Yunting could earn money, his words carried some weight at home.
Indeed, how important economic independence was.
"Alright, finish drinking quickly and go to school. Strive so that by September, we can be classmates again."
Huo Yunlei nodded; although his grades weren't as good as Su Xiaoruan's, they weren't bad in the class either.
"Even if Second Brother can pass junior high school, he won't be able to attend middle school if the family doesn't provide the money."
As soon as Huo Xiaoyan finished speaking, the atmosphere immediately became stiff.
Huo Yunting said with a cold face, "Don't worry, study hard. I will support you through junior high school."
Huo Yunlei sniffled, "Thank you, Brother."
Su Xiaoruan knew these brothers had it tough, so she quickly comforted them, "Yunlei's grades are good; he will definitely get into junior high school. Moreover, the fees for junior high aren't that high. Brother Yunting now has an allowance, so your lives will definitely get better and better."
After gathering pig feed, Su Xiaoruan went up the mountain again.
This time, she didn't dare to go deep inside.
Su Xiaoruan circled the outer edges twice but didn't see anything rare, only some medicinal herbs that weren't very valuable, leaving her somewhat disappointed.
The good stuff must all be deep in the mountains.
With her thin arms and legs right now, just walking to the deep mountains would probably take a whole day.
Therefore, the most important thing right now was to strengthen her exercise.
After starting junior high school, she definitely couldn't be so casual anymore; in this life, she must study hard and go to university in the future.
On the way back, she saw Eldest Brother talking to a girl wearing a plaid top, which made Su Xiaoruan's heart suddenly drop.
She remembered that in her previous life, it was this female educated youth who actively provoked Eldest Brother, even directly scheming against him, forcing him to marry her.
Because Eldest Brother married her, Sister Yingzi moved back to Zhao Family Village not long after, and later, she was apparently married off by her family to a widower over forty years old in exchange for one hundred yuan in betrothal gifts.
Su Xiaoruan's eyes glazed over, and her brain buzzed.
In the previous life, Eldest Brother Su Xiangdong also met a bad end, dying after falling off a cliff while hunting in the mountains.
And that woman, after getting into university, directly abandoned the child to the Su Family and ran away by herself.
Later, Su Xiaoruan learned that the reason Eldest Brother fell off the cliff was because he heard that Sister Yingzi had been beaten to death by that old man; he lost his focus for a moment and thus slipped and fell off the cliff.
It could be said that the tragedy of Eldest Brother and Sister Yingzi in their previous lives was all caused by this woman named Song Hongjuan.
Since she was back, she absolutely had to prevent the tragedy from happening.
Su Xiaoruan remembered very clearly that Eldest Brother never liked this Song Hongjuan; until his death, he was thinking of Sister Yingzi.
"Eldest Brother, what are you doing?"
Upon seeing the person arrive, Song Hongjuan's face flushed slightly, and she fiddled with her long braid, saying shyly, "Brother Xiang Dong, remember to come to the Educated Youth Point this afternoon. We won't let you help for nothing."
"Mm, I know. You should go back first."
Su Xiangdong's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly; he didn't seem that familiar with this Song Zhi Qing, did he?
Su Xiaoruan had already approached and asked, looking at Song Hongjuan's retreating back, "Who was that?"
"Oh, she's an educated youth who arrived last month. She said they fenced off a piece of land behind their house to grow vegetables and wanted me to help them build a fence."
Many households in the village didn't have proper courtyard walls.
Some used some dead branches to enclose the area, some used cotton stalks, and those slightly more particular used bamboo to create waist-high barriers.
In short, they didn't serve any real purpose in keeping thieves out.
Su Xiaoruan pouted, "There are so many people in the village, why must you be the one to go busy yourself? Eldest Brother, I heard these female educated youths from the city are very scheming; you must be careful."
Su Xiangdong laughed heartily and ruffled her hair, "What does a little brat know! Hurry back."
Su Xiaoruan was displeased with her Eldest Brother's attitude of not taking her words seriously, but she had no other way, so she could only plan to pay more attention secretly.
However, she thought that mentioning it to Grandma after going back should be useful.
Indeed, after lunch, Grandma Su called Su Xiangdong into the house to talk.
"It's not very convenient for a strong young man like you to go do work at their Educated Youth Point. At that time, the male educated youths are basically still at work; don't let something happen that you can't explain clearly."
Su Xiangdong rubbed his head, "Then maybe I shouldn't go?"
Grandma Su glared at him, "You already promised them; if you don't go, won't people say you're untrustworthy?"
"Then what should I do?" Su Xiangdong was at a loss.
Grandma Su snorted, "In the afternoon, have Yingzi and Ruan Bao go with you. Also, you are an engaged man; you must be careful with your words and actions, so you don't give people leverage."
"Understood, Grandma. Just this once; from now on, I won't get involved in anything concerning their Educated Youth Dormitory."
Grandma Su was quite satisfied with this attitude.
It wasn't that she was prejudiced against those city girls.
It was just that some people's intentions were not pure.
Su Xiangdong was handsome, and the Old Su Family's conditions ranked highly in the entire Production Brigade, so it was inevitable that some people would develop ulterior motives.
Grandma Su didn't want her Eldest grandson to marry a scourge.
Look how good Yingzi is—diligent and knowing how to be considerate.
Most importantly, Yingzi was incredibly good to Ruan Bao.
Grandma Su doted on Ruan Bao because she had four sons and two daughters, but among the younger generation, she only had this one Eldest granddaughter; how could she not cherish her!
When Su Xiaoruan and Zhao Yingzi accompanied Su Xiangdong to the area behind the Educated Youth Dormitory, they discovered that only Song Hongjuan, the female educated youth, was there.
Su Xiaoruan clicked her tongue; could it be that Song Hongjuan was already harboring schemes against Eldest Brother?