"What illness does Li Ninghua have?"
Jiang Xingye was indeed concerned about that person, but today he seed fine. Jiang Xingye mainly worried that if he punched him, Li Ninghua would be done for.
Huanhuan wouldn’t allow him to fight.
"He, he, got, got..." Ma Zilan was about to say when a familiar face arrived. If such a secret were to be revealed, and the news spread, how would her son continue living?
"Xiao Ye, you head back first. I’ll co find you guys later." Ma Zilan dismissed Jiang Xingye.
"No need, don’t co looking for us."
Jiang Xingye walked away, and Ma Zilan didn’t take his words to heart. Whether she would look for him wasn’t sothing he could decide.
Jiang Xingye ca back and sat beside Xu Qinghuan. She asked, "What did she want with you?"
"Nothing much, she didn’t have ti to say." Jiang Xingye lifted his hand to gently touch Xu Qinghuan’s hanging braid, "Do you want to take a nap?"
She was used to taking afternoon naps, but today had been busy running around with no ti to rest.
The car waited for a while, and Lin Yufei and others ca over. He was still carrying that large package, and while finding a spot at the back, Jiang Xingye helped him.
Ji Xiangcheng followed behind him, planning to sit next to him, but Lin Yufei called over another guy, forcing Ji Xiangcheng to sit one aisle away from them.
She couldn’t understand.
After Lin Yufei went to the post office, his attitude towards her changed; she grew more suspicious of Jiang Xingye.
Though the bus was crowded, there was only an aisle between her and Jiang Xingye, and they were in the front and back rows with benches in the aisle filled with people. Still, she stood up resiliently and tugged at Jiang Xingye’s sleeve.
"Comrade Jiang, do you have so misunderstanding with ? I feel like you have a big issue with ," Ji Xiangcheng said earnestly.
She was soone who couldn’t hide things, straightforward and sincere by nature.
Jiang Xingye shrank inwardly, his gaze falling on Ji Xiangcheng’s fingers touching him, and revulsion welled up. "Comrade Ji, if you want to talk, just talk. Don’t touch around!"
Xu Qinghuan almost choked on herself, coughed several tis, and turned to say, "Zhiqing Ji, he doesn’t have an issue with you. You’re really just strangers passing by, not even a misunderstanding. He’s naturally cold; don’t mind him."
Jiang Xingye leaned back against his seat, not bothering with her anymore.
Ji Xiangcheng shook her head, "Qinghuan, I think my feeling isn’t wrong. I think he’s keeping from hanging out with you and from being with Yu Fei bro. Before, you all got along with very well."
Lin Yufei couldn’t help but say, "Zhiqing Ji, you’re mistaken. Comrade Jiang has never said anything bad about you in front of . Also, please call Zhiqing Lin or Comrade Lin from now on; I have a partner, so as not to cause misunderstandings."
Ji Xiangcheng opened her mouth, but in the end, said nothing. She sat down, feeling utterly upset.
When they left, she was sitting with Lin Yufei, chatting happily, but on the way back, everything had changed.
Xu Qinghuan looked at her wounded expression, feeling uncomfortable as well. But this wasn’t an internal conflict. She wasn’t the daughter of so capitalist, certainly not the offspring of so black five elents; she was the daughter of an enemy.
Xu Qinghuan wasn’t a saint, unable to not hold grudges.
In so ways, this might seem quite unfair to Ji Xiangcheng, given she knew nothing of it.
But she would know one day.
Her father had been dead for fourteen years, died in his pri when life was just beginning, unable to watch her grow up. Life had flashed by like a teor, a re fleeting mont.
On the way back, Xu Qinghuan leaned against the backrest, her head slightly tilted, resting on Jiang Xingye’s shoulder.
The car was crowded, with gender segregation almost like ancient tis; Xu Qinghuan dared not indulge too much.
Upon reaching the commune, encountering mbers from the team who had driven a tractor to haul back fertilizer, seeing Jiang Xingye with two large packages, they let him drive the tractor back, while he rode his bike.
Jiang Xingye went to drive the tractor, with a few bags of allocated fertilizer on board.
Quite a few people waited outside the supply and marketing cooperative, ready to snatch stuff as Jiang Xingye’s tractor arrived.
After Jiang Xingye put Xu Qinghuan’s packages on board, the small seat he had set aside for her was taken by Qian Datao.
"Zhiqing Xu, you’re young, let sit for a bit. Our relations aren’t like others, right? You’re even Lu Zhiqing’s sister. Once Lu Zhiqing marries our Youfu, we’ll be connected, right?"
"Let’s talk about it when they’re married!" Xu Qinghuan wouldn’t concede.
"Why are you Zhiqing so forceful? You’re small; squeeze in with them. I have a bigger build, even the middle seat doesn’t fit ."
Jiang Xingye was worried Xu Qinghuan would be squeezed, particularly setting aside a small seat in the truck bed for her to sit alone, safe and sound.
Jiang Xingye was too lazy to argue, grabbed her basket, and tossed it to the ground; a piece of pork belly rolled out.
"Oh dear, the pork belly fell out."
A stray dog dashed over, snatched the pork belly, and scurried away.
Qian Datao couldn’t be bothered with anything else and clambered out of the truck bed, chasing the dog to retrieve the pork belly.
With her gone, Jiang Xingye drove the tractor back.
He hadn’t gone far when a dazed figure ca running from the county’s direction, crashing right into Qian Datao. When Qian Datao saw it was Lu Nianying, and in such a disheveled state, she was startled, "Zhiqing Lu?"
A few hooligans rushed over, trying to drag Lu Nianying away, but Qian Datao’s shout scared them, saving Lu Nianying.
Xu Qinghuan found out the next morning from Qiao Xinyu’s chatter that the whole production brigade was rampant with rumors that Lu Nianying had been defiled by so hooligans.
On the table were stead buns Yu Xiaomin made yesterday, reheated in the morning along with cornal porridge. Only five people were left for breakfast, as Qin Baifan had stayed over at the Jiang Family the night before, sleeping with Da Dan and Er Dan.
"Really?" Xu Qinghuan was slightly startled.
"I went to wash clothes by the river bank this morning and overheard from production team mbers," Qiao Xinyu said.
Xu Qinghuan didn’t pay much attention; whether Lu Nianying lived or died had nothing to do with her.
Just then, Zhou Guizhi hurriedly arrived without Qin Baifan. Xu Qinghuan quickly stood up to greet, "Aunty, how’s Fanfan?"
She was worried about Qin Baifan misbehaving at the Jiang Family.
"Fanfan was quite obedient. They all slept on the kang together, needing no supervision."
Zhou Guizhi obviously had sothing to discuss, "Little Wu, your uncle went to the commune. Dong Youfu and his old mother ca making a scene. Go and check."
"Why are they causing a scene at our house?" Xu Qinghuan puzzled.
Zhou Guizhi, fuming, slapped her thigh, "It’s that Lu Zhiqing again. It’s infuriating. She ca back yesterday, didn’t go ho, and directly stayed at Dong Youfu’s house. This morning, Dong Youfu and his mother ca to move Lu Zhiqing’s luggage.
How could I just let them move it away like that? If sothing was missing later, who could clear it? I told them to have Lu Zhiqing move it, but they wouldn’t budge."
Qiao Xinyu and the others exchanged glances, watching Jiang Xingye gobble down his porridge and leaving with a bun in hand. They followed suit, forgetting breakfast, and trailed behind him like sugarcoated hawthorn skewers.
Xu Qinghuan, on the other hand, was left alone. She hurriedly grabbed a bun and trotted to catch up.
Seeing her coming over, Jiang Xingye slowed his steps.
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