It was noon, the time to finish work and go home for a meal, and there were many idle people in the village.
When He Jianping arrived, he was holding a bowl of rice, surrounded by people watching the excitement at the Educated Youth Point.
He pushed through the crowd and rushed in, "Stop! All of you, stop!"
As soon as Shen Zhao saw the Team Leader's figure from afar, she put down her wooden shovel and pulled Gu Qiu out of the crowd.
Before the person being beaten could breathe a sigh of relief.
The sobbing cries of two girls rang out.
"Team Leader!"
Gu Qiu rushed towards the Team Leader, threw herself on the ground, and hugged his thigh, crying, "Team Leader, you're finally here~"
Shen Zhao shed silent tears, appearing weak and pitiful.
Wang Nan, meanwhile, grabbed the Team Leader's other arm and complained, "Team Leader, they committed hooliganism against me, I don't want to live anymore, sob sob..."
She banged her head against the wall as she cried.
Startled, the Team Leader pulled her back, "What are you doing? Speak properly, don't do anything rash."
These troublesome ancestors.
If one of the educated youth died on their first day, his position as Team Leader would be over.
He knew that the old educated youth bullied the new ones, but as long as it didn't escalate, he never intervened.
These things happened everywhere and were unavoidable.
He just didn't expect that this group of educated youth were all troublemakers.
Don't think he didn't see it, the way this girl swung her shovel and hit people on the head, and she was the first to run out of the battlefield.
Look at that group of old educated youth, all injured, beaten to the point of speechlessness, while the new educated youth only had messy hair and wrinkled clothes.
Seeing this scene, He Jianping's eyelids twitched.
Three female educated youth, two male educated youth.
They had beaten ten male educated youth and seven female educated youth into fleeing in disarray.
The key was that they had won completely.
If he hadn't arrived in time, these people would have been wiped out.
"What exactly happened here?"
Ji Bai stepped forward, "The male educated youth bullied the female educated youth and insulted them."
Gu Qiu pointed at the old educated youth, "They practiced feudal superstition and had capitalist tendencies, treating us like maidservants."
Shen Zhao followed up, "We came to the countryside to support rural construction, not to be maidservants for others.
I'm going to the Revolutionary Committee to ask, why are we considered inferior?"
This... this was a serious accusation.
Zhou Xiaoyan's expression changed. It was clearly their side that was at a disadvantage.
How did it turn into them being unreasonable in their words?
Zhong Zheng's face was grim. With a head full of bumps, he said in a deep voice, "Don't make baseless accusations. You beat us like this.
Either pay compensation, or we'll report you to the Public Security Bureau."
He wasn't like those illiterate villagers who were scared at the mention of the Public Security Bureau.
Accusing him of being a capitalist required evidence.
But the injuries on their bodies were ironclad proof.
Just then, Shen Zhao, who was also not afraid of the Public Security Bureau, said, "Yes, yes, report to the Public Security Bureau! We want to report to the Public Security Bureau, and also to the Revolutionary Committee, to sue them for compensation!"
Wang Nan said softly, "And sue them for committing hooliganism."
The Team Leader had a headache, "Why report to the Public Security Bureau? Is it that big of a deal?"
Leiguping Production Team was already at the bottom. On the very first day, they were already talking about reporting to the Public Security Bureau. Wouldn't the other brigades laugh their heads off?
A bunch of troublemakers, always looking for trouble.
Wen Yixun said indignantly, "Yes, I also want to report to the Public Security Bureau! The old educated youth committed hooliganism against me!"
Just now, someone, he didn't know who, took advantage of the chaos to grope his butt!
It was his father who said the situation was unstable and feared he would cause trouble if he stayed in the compound, so he sent him to the countryside to avoid it.
Why would he come to this broken place?
And be taken advantage of.
"Enough!"
The Team Leader's head ached. He waved his hand.
"You're all too idle. I will punish the male educated youth by making them carry night soil for a month.
As for reporting to the Public Security Bureau, forget it."
Gu Qiu was displeased and wanted to say more, but Shen Zhao quickly pulled her back, her gaze towards He Jianping filled with coldness.
"Team Leader, you've seen it too. We've caused such a scene, we can't live under the same roof.
Are there any other places to live?"
Gu Qiu paused.
She immediately added, "Yes, you don't want us to fight again, do you? What if someone gets killed..."
The Team Leader's scalp tingled under their stares, veins bulging on his forehead. He felt these educated youth were too much trouble, but it was the first day, so he couldn't fall out with them completely.
"Where are there so many places for you to live? Make do for a few days."
Shen Zhao's eyes rolled, "How about this, I'll pay for it myself, and the village can build a separate house for me. After I leave, the house will belong to the village."
Gu Qiu quickly nodded, "Me too."
She wasn't short of money, and living comfortably was the most important thing. Besides, she had a secret.
The Team Leader stared closely at Shen Zhao, then his furrowed brow relaxed.
These educated youth wouldn't stay in the village forever. After they left, they would get a house for free...
There wasn't much work in the fields during winter, only weeding, so they could spare the manpower.
"Okay, but you have to promise that the house will belong to the village afterwards."
Shen Zhao nodded, "No problem."
The Team Leader scanned the crowd, "Those who want to build houses, follow me back to the brigade to register, and you'll have to write a letter of guarantee."
The new educated youth group of five all followed.
Back at the Brigade Office, he took out a notebook from the drawer and first asked Shen Zhao.
"Do you want to build it at the old Educated Youth Point or somewhere else?"
"Are there any other housing plots in the village?" If possible, she didn't want to be near the Educated Youth Point.
She had a space, and with many people around, it was inconvenient to use.
"There's a piece of land at the foot of the mountain, but I need to be clear with you.
That area is close to the back mountain, and there's a risk of wild beasts coming down the mountain. Also, it attracts snakes in the summer."
There were many snakes in the southern summers.
"Let's build it at the foot of the mountain, one room, and also build a courtyard wall for me."
Shen Zhao knew martial arts herself and had the secret of her space, so she preferred to live in a less crowded place.
The Team Leader frowned, "Our houses don't have courtyard walls. Is it necessary?"
Shen Zhao said expressionlessly, "I'll pay extra."
If she was willing to pay more, then it was negotiable.
"Alright, a 30-square-meter mud house, including tiles and a courtyard wall, will be 70 yuan. Without a courtyard wall, it's 60 yuan."
Hiss.
So expensive, this is too much.
"Okay."
It was expensive, but as long as they didn't cut corners on the construction.
Spending a little more money to live with peace of mind.
Gu Qiu immediately followed, "I'll have it built next to Shen Educated Youth's house, the same as hers."
Shen Zhao frowned upon hearing this.
Never mind, she couldn't be a lone wolf.
Wen Yixun and Ji Bai discussed it, "Then the two of us will live together. We'll also build a 30-square-meter house and a kitchen, without a courtyard wall."
The Team Leader registered them one by one and looked at Wang Nan, who hadn't spoken yet, "And you?"
"I..." Wang Nan bit her lip and hesitated, "The same as them, build two rooms, one bedroom and one kitchen."
"Alright, I'll find someone to lay the foundation this afternoon. Also, meals will be provided for the workers..."
Shen Zhao herself didn't know how to cook, so how could she provide meals for others?
"Then, I'll ask Auntie to help cook for them. You provide the grain and vegetables. One yuan a day. After the house is built, I'll buy some meat for an extra meal."
The Team Leader's eyes lit up upon hearing this.
This troublemaker wasn't just good at causing trouble; she was also good at handling social niceties.
Nowadays, a city worker's monthly salary was only a little over 30 yuan.
This house would take at least half a month to build. They grew vegetables at home, so it wouldn't cost money, just effort. Getting more grain would be beneficial.
For five people, that was five yuan in wages per day. After deducting the cost of grain, his wife would earn more than him this month.
They were rich!
These educated youth were richer than he had imagined.
"Okay, I'll talk to your Auntie about this."
✦✦✦