Ye Jiadong was easier to reason with. He took a deep breath before speaking slowly.
“After all, we’ve raised her for twenty years. Even if there’s no blood relation, there’s the duty of raising her. Even if there’s no merit, there’s the labor we’ve endured. Let’s see how things unfold. The Ye family in Shanghai isn’t someone we can provoke. Besides, Yaoyao is still with the Ye family and hasn’t returned. If that girl, Cai’e, comes back to cause trouble, we’re not afraid. As I said before, Yaoyao already sent a letter, she said the Ye family treated her so well.”
Wang Xiu gradually calmed down. When she first heard that Ye Cai’e had returned, her immediate thought was that she had come back for revenge. She must know that it was her husband who had exchanged the child back then and that the Ye family had come to settle scores.
But after Ye Jiadong analyzed the situation, that thought vanished. Just a little girl, coming back alone, thinking she could stir trouble in the village they had lived in all their lives?
It was pure fantasy. Besides, they hadn’t even asked her for twenty years of compensation.
The North Wind Brigade had spent the entire morning discussing this. Everyone wondered how the girl had returned.
As rural villagers, who didn’t envy city people? Families with daughters who married into the city could boast for years, let alone someone who already had a city household registration.
And now that she has returned, what about the Ye family’s biological daughter? She probably refused to come back to the village. It had been a year, and no one had seen her, no one even knew what she looked like.
Qin Chengyi never joined these discussions. He kept his head down while working, earning the most work points each day.
But today, his pace slowed noticeably. He perked up his ears to listen to the villagers talking about Ye Cai’e.
He was starting to understand the young girl who had once shown him kindness. She had endured so much suffering from a young age.
Thinking of the little girl from last night, eyes squinting in a smile as she handed him a candy, a strange pang rose in his chest.
It was funny—what right did he have to pity anyone? If not for the brigade’s rules, no one would even want him in their team.
Ye Cai’e didn’t know that news of her return had already spread throughout the village. All sorts of rumors and speculations were flying.
She carried the bag she had bought in Shanghai and strolled to the sent-down youth camp to find Tong Xin.
In Yulin Village, ox carts had a fixed schedule during the off-season.
But now it was a busy farming season; everyone was in the fields. They needed to gather the people before setting off.
When she arrived, Tong Xin was already sitting on a stone bench at the gate, waiting quietly. She called softly when she saw Ye Cai’e.
“What’s up? What happened this time?” In her previous life, the original owner had stayed in the cattle shed, working from dawn till dusk. Naturally, she hadn’t paid attention to the sent-down youths. How could such a small group make so much noise every day?
Tong Xin glanced around to make sure no one was listening, then leaned toward Ye Cai’e’s ear. “Keep it down. They’re arguing again about who should make breakfast. They’re fierce about it—even Xu Yi and Shi Zhaolin flushed red. Luckily, you gave me a pastry this morning, or I wouldn’t have escaped either.”
Then Tong Xin started describing how they argued from who should cook to how much ration each person should take.
Those who wanted only pure white flour didn’t want to mix it with the coarse grains, and the disputes dragged on endlessly.
Ye Cai’e nodded and thought for a moment before speaking. “Those who want to go to town to buy things can come with me. The ox cart isn’t far from here.” After all, these people were now part of Yulin Village and under Uncle Niu’s care, so she was saving him some trouble.
When she entered, the others were still standing apart, and the pot looked cold.
Well, these few people had gone so long without breakfast. Uncle Niu would have his hands full.
The sent-down youths stopped arguing. They reluctantly decided to go to town for food, even if it meant skipping lunch together. They could wait until Zhang Qiushi returned in the evening.
The ox cart in Yulin Village was driven by the brigade leader’s father—the old village chief, Grandpa Niu.
“Oh, Cai’e, it’s been so long! How have you been?” Grandpa Niu was highly respected in the village. Many villagers had benefited from his help over the years.
Ye Cai’e obediently climbed onto the cart. “Grandpa Niu, I’ve been very well, but Yulin Village is still the best. See, I came back!”
“Oh, child, how can a village compare to the city? There’s so much good stuff in the city. And your parents…” Grandpa Niu hesitated. Everyone knew about Ye Jiadong and Wang Xiu mistreating this little girl.
They didn’t try to hide it.
“Don’t worry, Grandpa Niu. This time I’ve come as a sent-down youth to contribute to the country. I have nothing to do with the Ye family anymore!”
With almost everyone seated on the cart, Grandpa Niu said no more. This child had been clever since she was little.
Qi Jiahui seemed to have discovered a big secret. Pointing at Ye Cai’e, he said, “Ah, you’re lying! You said you slept at home yesterday. Did you do something shady yesterday and didn’t tell us?”
Yao Yulan looked smug, as if she had caught her in the act.
Even the others, including Tong Xin, looked a bit puzzled.
What was going on?
“Idiot!” Ye Cai’e rolled her eyes.
Qi Jiahui froze, his face immediately turning bright red. “Who are you calling an idiot? You did something shady yourself and don’t want to tell anyone?”
“Who said I was calling you? Are you in the Pacific Ocean? Why do you meddle in other people’s lives? Does your mother know your possessiveness is this strong? Don’t think you can do whatever you want just because your brain has problems.”
Yao Yulan: “Why are you saying that about Brother Jiahui…”
“I didn’t say you, did I? Rushing to get scolded. Look at that face of yours—mouth stretching to the sky. All day you do nothing but talk, and even with that mouth you manage to eat some food. With your brain, even a dung beetle would have to push it around!”
Yao Yulan pouted. The ox cart fell silent.
Who dared to speak now? Speaking meant asking for trouble.
Grandpa Niu felt a little emotional. He quietly drove the cart, hearing every word behind him.
He had thought that with Cai’e’s temperament, she would be at a disadvantage. Unexpectedly, after a year away, she had completely changed.
Good! Protecting herself is enough. It seemed she had suffered in the city as well.
She wasn’t his own child, and Grandpa Niu couldn’t care for so many. Seeing the children develop positively gave him comfort.
On the cart, only Ye Cai’e and Tong Xin spoke quietly. The others either didn’t dare to speak, like Fang Hong, or were like Shi Zhaolin, a bottler who hadn’t said a word all year.
It took about half an hour by ox cart from Yulin Village to town. Grandpa Niu stopped at the entrance of the state-run department store and reminded them, “Be back in five hours at the latest, around two in the afternoon. Watch the time yourselves. Don’t blame me if you’re late.”