“Definitely. Those guys spend all day running around causing trouble. They never do anything good, only sneaking around and pulling all kinds of rotten tricks. It’d be strange if they didn’t offend someone. Oh, I bet it was…”
For the rest of the sentence, the aunties huddled together and whispered among themselves. Their voices were so low that no one else could make out what they were saying. They were probably avoiding mentioning someone directly.
“I think it was definitely those people. They didn’t come back until the middle of the night, so weren’t they obviously off doing that? Who else could it have been besides that bunch?”
The educated youths exchanged glances.
All of a sudden, everyone understood who the aunties were talking about.
It was no secret that there was a gambling den in the neighboring brigade. Public security officers had already raided it once last year. No one had expected them to refuse to give up and start operating again this year.
Those people were already breaking the law and causing trouble. The brigade members believed that less trouble was better than more, so no one had thought about reporting them.
Besides, it wasn’t Qianjin Brigade’s business in the first place. If even the neighboring brigade’s own brigade leader wasn’t doing anything about it, Qianjin Brigade certainly had no authority to interfere.
If the neighboring brigade suffered because of it, Qianjin Brigade would only be happy to watch.
After all, resentment between the two brigades had existed for a long time.
Since ancient times, neighboring villages had always been prone to feuds. The two sides had fought over water sources, fought over mountain produce, and even fought over a single mu of fertile farmland.
Before Liberation, the two brigades had gotten into armed clashes countless times. It was only after Liberation, under pressure from the authorities above, that they had begun to coexist peacefully.
The local customs here were fierce, and some matters were difficult to control. Everyone generally turned a blind eye as long as nothing too serious happened.
That was precisely why the neighboring brigade’s gambling den could reopen even after being shut down.
It was common for gamblers who won money at the gambling den to get beaten on their way home.
That was the gambling den’s warning—don’t win too much.
Sometimes, if a gambler won too much money, the people running the gambling den would simply rob him of his winnings.
The reason the gambling den had been raided by public security officers last year was because a gambler who’d had his money stolen couldn’t swallow his anger and went to the Public Security Bureau to report them himself.
After the report, the gambling den was shut down for several months.
The people who had organized it, along with the gamblers caught red-handed, were all sent to the quarry for reform through labor.
Even then, the gamblers who hadn’t been caught blamed the person who had reported them and even went to his home looking for trouble.
Even though the gambling den intercepting people halfway home and taking their money was obviously unscrupulous, those gamblers who had already lost themselves to gambling still kept going back.
That heartless gambling den had turned perfectly normal people into red-eyed lunatics.
Even those who wanted to stop them found it difficult to do so.
Everyone listened to the gossip and then let it pass without paying much attention.
Only Zhao Dechuan quietly glanced at Chen Jingbai beside him.
Zhao Dechuan was naturally a light sleeper.
Last night, he had noticed Chen Jingbai leaving and returning very late.
Coincidentally, Zhou Dahe and the others had only insulted Chen Jingbai yesterday morning.
Putting the two things together, it wasn’t difficult for him to guess that the people from the gambling den hadn’t done this.
Chen Jingbai had.
The person Zhou Dahe and the others had offended was Chen Jingbai.
And the person who had beaten them was also Chen Jingbai.
Zhao Dechuan knew that Chen Jingbai wasn’t as simple as he appeared.
His complete indifference after being insulted yesterday had only been superficial.
In private, Chen Jingbai had long since beaten everyone who had insulted him.
It had been the same before.
Whenever someone insulted Chen Jingbai, he never said anything at the time.
But once the night grew quiet, Chen Jingbai would always secretly go out alone.
Then, the next day, the people who had insulted him would all be grimacing in pain.
Zhao Dechuan had noticed it many times.
But he simply pretended he knew nothing.
He collected his farming tools along with everyone else, then headed toward the rice fields.
He He followed at the back of the group, chattering away with Zheng Xinxin.
“Those people totally deserved it. Why weren’t they beaten to death last night? Their mouths are so filthy. They would’ve deserved it even if they’d been beaten to death. So satisfying.”
After hearing the aunties’ gossip, Zheng Xinxin assumed those men had offended the people running the gambling den and felt extremely vindicated.
“There’s always someone worse to deal with bad people. Serves them right! That’s what they get for bullying Chen Jingbai. See? Retribution finally caught up with them.”
He He raised the corners of her lips.
“Exactly, exactly. They deserved it.”
The two weren’t speaking particularly quietly.
Walking at the very front, Zhao Dechuan lowered his head and smiled.
They really did deserve it.
It was better to let everyone continue believing that the people from the gambling den had beaten them.
That way, there wouldn’t be any unnecessary trouble.
Zhao Dechuan looked at Chen Jingbai walking ahead.
His back was straight, and his steps were calm and unhurried. He didn’t show the slightest concern that anyone might suspect him.
Not bad.
He had the guts to do it and the confidence that no one would suspect him.
Zhao Dechuan rather admired Chen Jingbai.
Once they reached the rice fields, everyone went about their respective tasks and stepped into the plots assigned by the work-point recorder.
It was another day of He He following behind Chen Jingbai.
The morning sun had fully risen.
It wasn’t as scorching as it would be at noon, but its rays still felt warm against their bodies.
He He pressed down the brim of her straw hat and waited for Chen Jingbai to cut the first bundle of rice before she started gathering.
The sickle in Chen Jingbai’s hand flashed with a silvery arc beneath the sunlight.
His movements were clean and decisive as the blade quickly swept across the base of the rice stalks.
The silver flash dazzled He He’s eyes for a moment.
She hurriedly shifted her gaze to the left.
The muscles of the arm holding the sickle were clearly defined, tightening and relaxing with every movement.
Meanwhile, the hand gripping the base of the rice stalks had long, clearly defined fingers that appeared and disappeared from behind them.
He He quietly moved closer.
“Chen Jingbai, you’re so fast with the sickle. You’re amazing.”
“And your hands are really good-looking too. How did I never notice how nice your hands were before? Your fingers are so long. No wonder you can hold such a huge handful of rice stalks at once.
“I don’t think anyone else is as fast as you. It must be because their fingers are all short, unlike yours. Your fingers are long, so you can grab a huge handful at once.
“You’ve already beaten them just with your fingers. Of course you deserve to earn ten work points. You’re amazing.”
Following what Chen Jingbai had said yesterday, He He praised him very seriously.
Her eyes shone brightly.
She really was earnestly searching for Chen Jingbai’s good qualities.
The moment Chen Jingbai turned around, his gaze met those clear, bright eyes.
He hadn’t expected He He to actually take this seriously.
That single stream of praise was probably more nice things than He He had said to him in the entire past two years.
“Thank you. I’m going to keep cutting rice.”
Chen Jingbai’s expression looked slightly unnatural.
The tips of his ears quietly turned red, though no one noticed.
He quickly turned around and continued harvesting.
He He said, “That’s it? Just ‘thank you’? Don’t you have anything else to say to me? Wasn’t my praise sincere enough?”
Chen Jingbai’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
With his back still facing He He, he said, “No. It was very sincere. No one’s praised me in a long time. I really am thanking you. But we can’t delay the harvest. You should keep gathering the rice too.”
He He was extremely easy to coax.
“Really?! Then I’ll praise you more often from now on! You keep cutting the rice, and I’ll keep gathering it. And I’ll keep discovering more of your good qualities!”
So no one ever praised Chen Jingbai.
No wonder he wanted people to praise him so much.
He He understood now.
She guaranteed that from now on, she would let Chen Jingbai hear her sincere praise every single day.
She would win Chen Jingbai over as soon as possible!
He He followed Chen Jingbai’s pace, diligently gathering the rice and stacking it into neat piles.
With Chen Jingbai’s affirmation, He He was bursting with motivation all morning.
Every time she discovered even the slightest good quality about Chen Jingbai, she would move closer to him and praise him earnestly.
By the time the work-point recorder came at noon to inspect the morning’s harvest, Chen Jingbai was carrying a huge stack of rice in each hand toward the weighing area.
He He immediately started again.
“Chen Jingbai, you’re so strong! You can actually carry two stacks of rice at once. You’re amazing.”
As soon as she finished speaking, He He herself picked up one stack in each hand and followed after him.
Chen Jingbai looked at the rice she was carrying with both hands.
His gaze traveled upward until it landed on her perfectly calm face.
“You’re pretty strong too.”
He He’s hands instantly loosened.
Both stacks of rice fell to the ground.
Oh no.
She’d been so happy all morning that she’d temporarily forgotten she was supposed to be a weak woman with very little strength.
She gave him an awkward smile as her mind raced.
“I had such a good time with you this morning that your energetic spirit infected me! I suddenly became full of motivation. What’s two bundles of rice compared to that?”
Chen Jingbai saw through her but didn’t expose her.
He continued walking forward.
“My pleasure. I hope you keep up that enthusiasm.”
He He abandoned one stack of rice and used both hands to carry the other.
Instead of hanging at her sides, the rice was now positioned directly in front of her legs.
“Oh my, I’m only realizing now that I can’t carry that much after all. Sure enough, I’m just too weak. I’m nothing like you. You’re so amazing.”
She had no intention of staying this motivated every day.
Wouldn’t that exhaust her to death?
Chen Jingbai didn’t say anything.
He walked steadily across the uneven rice field until he reached the work-point recorder.
He He thought Chen Jingbai didn’t believe her.
She released one hand and let the stack of rice fall back to the side of her leg so it wouldn’t interfere with her walking, then quickened her pace to catch up.
When she was almost in front of Chen Jingbai, she was just about to shift the rice back in front of her legs and hold it with both hands.
Her left hand had barely reached over when Chen Jingbai finished putting down his rice and turned around to collect more.
Realizing he was turning around, He He jerked her head up in alarm.
Her gaze collided with Chen Jingbai’s faintly amused expression.
He He immediately lowered her head and grabbed the rice with both hands.
“So heavy. Just switching hands.”
There was an extremely faint smile at the corners of Chen Jingbai’s lips, and a gentle light shone in his eyes.
“Be careful with your hands. Don’t let it dig into them.”
Little liar.
He had discovered long ago that she was strong.
He’d known not long after He He first arrived.
That time, it had been nighttime.
He He wanted to bathe but discovered there wasn’t enough water in the water tank, so she’d gone to fetch two buckets of water herself.
One full bucket in each hand.
She hadn’t been out of breath in the slightest. Her steps had been perfectly steady, and she hadn’t spilled a single drop from either bucket.
Chen Jingbai had just returned from picking wild longans on the mountain behind the house.
Standing in a dark corner where He He couldn’t see him, he’d even seen the delighted expression on her face, as though she couldn’t wait for someone to know how strong she was.
If Chen Jingbai hadn’t happened to be standing in that shadowy corner, then indeed, no one would have discovered how strong she was.
But unfortunately for her, he’d happened to witness it.
He He still thought she’d hidden it perfectly and that no one knew about her strength.
If he could go back to that night, he definitely would have stepped out of the shadows.
The expression on her face after being caught would surely have been interesting.
Just like today.
Chen Jingbai walked past He He, doing his best to suppress the curve of his lips.
He He didn’t care whether Chen Jingbai believed her or not.
She would simply pretend that he did.
She carried the rice over to the work-point recorder, then turned back to collect more.
As the carrying continued, He He’s movements gradually slowed.
Mainly because she was tired.
The midday sun was at its hottest, and after carrying bundles back and forth again and again, even someone as strong as He He had run out of stamina.
While she stood there resting, Chen Jingbai continued going back and forth as though nothing had happened.
He made several trips without even bending his back.
He He panted heavily.
When Chen Jingbai passed her yet again, she raised a thumb at him.
“So strong! I can rest easy leaving the rice to you. Keep it up.”
Chen Jingbai glanced at her.
“Rest a little longer. Don’t get heatstroke.”
By this point, even Chen Jingbai was beginning to find the carrying strenuous.
Especially toward the end, when the distance grew farther and farther and each trip required more walking.
Even so, he gritted his teeth and kept going.
After hearing Chen Jingbai tell her to rest, He He naturally took the opportunity to slack off.
Every now and then, she slowly carried over a single bundle while confidently leaving the rest of the rice to Chen Jingbai.
After they carried rice for a while longer, all of their tasks for the morning were finally complete.
When Chen Jingbai put down the last bundle of rice, He He was already holding his water bottle.
Trying to curry favor with him, she thoughtfully unscrewed the lid and held the bottle out in front of Chen Jingbai.
“Hurry and drink some water. I already opened the lid for you. It’s a good thing you’re here to help, or I’d be exhausted to death. It’s so nice being your partner. I want to be partnered with you from now on.”
Every word out of He He’s mouth was meant to please him.