Comrade Han nodded in agreent when he heard An Xuyuan's words. He also believed those caught in the act should have been punished, at least sent to the police station for re-education.
Unfortunately, the team leader didn't want to make a big deal out of it and risk making their production team a laughingstock. In the end, they had covered it up and tried to resolve it quietly.
But could the betrayed spouses really let the third parties go so easily?
The only solution had been forcing the n or won to divorce their spouses and marry the educated youth. But wasn't that just rewarding the guilty and breaking up families?
At the end of the day, the issue was the team leader's weak personality. He wasn't fit for leadership. If An Xuyuan were in charge, these situations wouldn't have happened.
As they walked in silence, Liu Fuyan suddenly asked, "Uncle, did my mother and I get you in trouble?"
An Xuyuan looked at her and replied, "No."
After a mont, he turned to Shi Qiwan and asked, "Comrade Shi, would you be willing to live in the house next to Li Sang's?"
Shi Qiwan had already grasped what the vice team leader was thinking from their conversation. She also realized this area was where Zhang Ermu lived. Given her bad history with Liu Piao, it was better to avoid potential conflicts from living too near to each other.
So when she heard his question, she nodded and replied, "Vice team leader, as long as I have a roof over my head, I can live anywhere."
Satisfied with her answer, An Xuyuan nodded and said, "Good. I will find people to help repair the house and build the toilet and warehouse."
"Thank you, Vice Team Leader," Shi Qiwan replied with a smile.
Since they had reached an agreent, the group turned around and headed in the opposite direction. As they walked, An Xuyuan saw Zhang Yulan walking out from a small dirt road leading to the mountains.
Seeing this, he frowned and said, "Comrade Han, I have sothing to take care of. You go ahead and show Comrade Shi the house."
"Alright," Comrade Han replied.
After they left, An Xuyuan strode toward Zhang Yulan and reached her in less than five minutes. Walking behind her, he asked, "What were you doing on the mountain?"
Startled by the sudden voice, Zhang Yulan let out a yelp and turned around. When she saw it was him, she patted her chest and said with a hint of annoyance, "Vice team leader, can you make so noise when you walk? You almost scared to death!"
Ignoring her complaint, An Xuyuan looked into her bamboo basket, saw the fresh mushrooms, and asked, "Where did you get these mushrooms?"
Hearing his stern tone, Zhang Yulan frowned and said, "Vice team leader, what does it matter where I got these mushrooms? If I rember correctly, it's not a cri to forage for food in the mountains, right?"
Confirming his suspicions, An Xuyuan frowned and said, "Do you know how dangerous the mountains are?"
Noticing his concern for her safety, Zhang Yulan softened her tone and replied, "I know it's dangerous, but I didn't go far from the foothills. There are no wild beasts there."
"How can you be so sure? Last month, a man was crippled after encountering a wild boar at the mountain foothills. Danger is inevitable, even at the mountain foothills—let alone deeper in the mountains," he said.
Zhang Yulan was taken aback by his words. She observed him for a mont and saw that he wasn't joking. After hesitating, she asked, "Vice team leader, you are not lying to , are you?"
"What would I gain from lying to you?" An Xuyuan asked while raising an eyebrow.
Zhang Yulan was speechless. Indeed, he had nothing to gain from deceiving her. Biting her lip, she hesitated. She and her brother had already agreed to sell fresh mushrooms to Bajie every day.
If they suddenly stopped going to the mountains, how could they keep up the supply?
But if they continued, the mushrooms in the outer area would eventually run out, forcing them to venture deeper into the mountains.
The thought of encountering wild beasts, becoming crippled, or even losing her life terrified her. But the temptation of earning money was hard to resist.
Noticing her dilemma, An Xuyuan thought for a mont and added, "If you want to go to the mountains, call . With another person by your side, you will be safer even if you encounter a wild beast."
The mont she heard his words, Zhang Yulan looked up at him in surprise. She never thought that he would take an interest in her. They had crossed paths many tis before but had never exchanged a word.
If not for what happened two days ago, she doubted they would have spoken at all for the rest of her life. If he wasn't interested in her personally, there was only one other possibility—he wanted to forage for food too.
She was reluctant to share the location of the mushrooms and wild vegetables, but she had a feeling that if she refused, he would find a way to stop her from going to the mountains altogether.
In the end, she had no choice but to share the soup to keep the at for herself.
After weighing the pros and cons, she let out a long sigh and said, "Fine. I'm going to drop these mushrooms at my house and head back to the mountains. If you want to co, go get your bamboo basket and tools."
When he heard this, the corner of An Xuyuan's lips lifted slightly. It was a barely noticeable smile that he didn't realize.
Seeing her reluctant expression, he found it amusing and said calmly, "Alright, wait for ."
After he said those words, he turned and headed ho to get his tools. Judging by her words, there must be a lot of mushrooms in that area.
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