The Original Shen Jianan

Since Jiang Hongmei was bent on self-destruction, Shen Jianan was naturally happy to take it easy. He leaned against the doorway, lips curled into a smirk as he watched her continue to dig her own grave.

Meanwhile, the few gossiping women down the hill were already trembling with rage at her words. One after another, they planted their hands on their hips and pointed at her, unleashing a torrent of abuse.

"What kind of nonsense are you spouting, you little hussy? Who's slandering anyone!?"

"Exactly! You don't do a lick of honest work all day, you only know how to bat those fox eyes of yours to seduce men. And now you're turning the tables and accusing us of framing you? Have you no shame?"

"Isn't that just a load of crap?"

Niu Chunhua shot a look at her good sisters Zhao Hongying and Li Zhaodi, then turned to mock Jiang Hongmei, who was standing halfway up the mountain path. "If she had any shame, she wouldn't be shouting 'Jianguo' and 'Gu Yu' all day long!"

As she spoke, she mimicked the other woman, reaching up to tug at the two short, thick braids hanging over her shoulders, and began to act coyly. "Jianguo~~ you're so annoying!~~ Gu Yu~~ I'm only doing this for your own good~~"

"Hahahaha!"

The other two were doubled over with laughter at her exaggerated, comical performance. "Chunhua, stop imitating her. That woman's voice can twist and turn all the way to the heavens to bewitch men, but you sound like a cow in heat—it's terrifying to look at!"

Zhao Hongying cast a look of disdain at Jiang Hongmei up on the hillside. "You! You'll never learn how to act like a vixen in your entire life!"

"Hahahahahaha..."

Li Zhaodi and Niu Chunhua burst into fresh peals of laughter at her words, rocking back and forth until they were breathless, completely abandoning all decorum.

"You, you are vulgar, filthy, and low-class!"

Seeing the three of them insult her so, Jiang Hongmei's eyes turned red with fury. "Jianguo and I are clearly just close friends! Gu Yu is my fiancé..."

"Hongmei! Stop talking!"

Zhao Jianguo, seeing that she was still trying to bicker with those three broken trumpets, grew anxious. He stood by the wall, hidden from view, and beckoned her over, whispering, "Don't you know what kind of person Sister-in-law Chunhua is? If you offend the three of them too deeply, you'll be the one to suffer for it, you know?"

"Zhao Jianguo, what kind of nonsense are you spouting!?"

Jiang Hongmei spoke up indignantly, never expecting him to say such a thing. "This matter was their fault to begin with, why should we let it slide!?"

After she finished, she ignored his darkened expression, turned her head, and shouted down at the group at the foot of the hill.

"Niu Chunhua, Zhao Hongying, Li Zhaodi, I'm telling you, this isn't over!"

She stood sideways, straightened her back, and barked at the women below. "I'm going to the Commune to find the Secretary and demand justice. I'll ask him what should be done when people slander me for having an improper relationship with him and his son behind my fiancé Gu Yu's back!"

The three women were stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Hahahaha! Go on, hurry up! We'll all be watching!"

Hearing Jiang Hongmei say such things, they were so amused they sat down on the ground, wondering if the woman had lost her mind. Anyone in the entire Red Flag Commune who wasn't blind could see that Zhao Jianguo was in love with her.

As for Zhao Qiancheng himself, although he didn't care for her, he had tacitly allowed his eldest son to associate with her and often looked after her simply because she was a high school student from a big city.

Everyone saw this, and though they were dissatisfied, Zhao Qiancheng was the Brigade Secretary. Since he held everyone's livelihood in his hands, they dared not speak out and could only turn a blind eye.

Now, she had been eating well, yet she wanted to flip the table and make a scene. Given Zhao Qiancheng's personality, it would be a miracle if he let her off the hook!

"You, you..."

Seeing them laughing even harder, Jiang Hongmei trembled with rage. She searched her brain for a long time but couldn't find the right words to retort, so she turned aggrievedly to her friend, whose face was looking grim, hoping he would help her settle the score.

"Jianguo, they've gone too far. Not only are they slandering the relationship between you, me, and Gu Yu, but their attitude is also atrocious. People like this must not be allowed to stay in the brigade. We must report this and have the team deal with them properly."

Zhao Jianguo was nearly driven mad by her words. Before, he had thought Jiang Hongmei was simple, cute, and naive, but now, hearing what she said, he felt as if she had been kicked in the head by a donkey.

At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to kick her down the mountain and be done with it. It was a trivial matter; if he had just privately had a word with the husbands of those three gossiping hags, they would have been beaten when they got home and never dared to wag their tongues again.

Everyone knew the score. In this day and age, especially in the countryside, people avoided making a scene over matters of "male-female conduct" unless absolutely necessary.

After all, it wouldn't just tarnish the brigade's reputation and affect collective interests or future evaluations; it would also ruin the marriage prospects of young men and women. So, no matter how rowdy the villagers were, they usually knew where to draw the line.

But she? She was practically begging for insults and enmity, blowing the issue out of proportion. Wasn't she just handing them a weapon to use against her?

Furthermore, he really began to wonder: was Jiang Hongmei truly stupid, or was she heartless? Every day, he wanted to hold her in his palms and cherish her, yet just now, she had called herself Gu Yu's fiancée and dismissed him as merely a "close friend."

To hell with "close friends!" Was this idiot woman treating him as a backup plan? If so, why should he bother serving her?

The more Zhao Jianguo thought about it, the angrier he became. He made a silent decision: from now on, he would stay far away from her and stop being a sucker.

Jiang Hongmei, who was waiting for him to help her vent her anger, saw that he hadn't said a word even after she had laid it all out. She felt stifled and couldn't help but shout again, her tone sharp and impatient, completely devoid of her previous gentleness.

"Zhao Jianguo, what are you staring at?"

She pointed at the people down the hill and said furiously, "These shrews have been babbling nonsense down there for ages, slandering the two of us. You haven't said a word to explain, you've just been hiding there—are you even a man?"

As she continued to nag, the rage in Zhao Jianguo's heart could no longer be suppressed. He roared at her, "Shut up! You pig-brained woman, you pig-brained woman!!"

Before the words had even faded, his intense, overwhelming love for her surged forth once more, quickly drowning out the last remnants of his regret and resentment.

Zhao Jianguo's hateful gaze instantly turned infatuated, but the tiny shred of reason left in his brain made him so agitated that he couldn't help but raise his hands and pound his head forcefully.

He felt as if he were being torn apart, and for a moment, he didn't know how to face the woman he loved.

Jiang Hongmei, however, was shocked by his outburst as if the sky had fallen. She looked at him in disbelief, her almond eyes instantly misting over. "Jian, Jianguo! You, you're being mean to me!?"

She clutched her chest like a tragic heroine and stumbled back a few steps, questioning him, "Jianguo, how, how can you be so fickle? Didn't you say before that you didn't like these gossiping women from the commune wagging their tongues? $@¥#@¥$..."

"Can you just stop talking?"

"Why? I $@¥#@¥$..."

Zhao Jianguo's head was buzzing from her noise, his headache worsening, and his expression growing increasingly ugly. He wanted to escape immediately, and so he did. He stood up abruptly, and while Jiang Hongmei was still chattering away, he lowered his head and charged past her, running down the hillside and leaving the gravel pile behind without looking back.

His actions left Niu Chunhua and her group, as well as Jiang Hongmei on the hillside, completely bewildered. They stood frozen on the spot, not knowing how to react.

Shen Jianan, who was hiding to the side to watch the commotion, glanced at their clumsy, foolish appearances. His mouth twitched uncontrollably several times. "That... Jiang, Jiang Hongmei, your Zhao Jianguo has left."

He stood up straight, took two steps forward to steady himself, and pointed down the mountain. Suppressing a laugh, he "kindly" reminded the person concerned, "Aren't you going to chase him? He left you behind and ran off alone."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Hongmei's feverish brain cooled down significantly. She finally realized what she had just done. For a moment, she found it hard to accept, and her heart was filled with immense grievance. She shouldn't have said that to Zhao Jianguo, but he had been far too excessive!

Shouldn't close friends be considerate of one another? The only reason she had lashed out was because that gossip-monger Niu Chunhua and her cohorts had been making up wild stories about the relationship between the three of them, causing her to lose her temper and her reason.

If Zhao Jianguo had stood on her side just now and helped her deal with those shrews down the mountain, she wouldn't have been so enraged as to say those hurtful things.

Besides, he was the one who was more in the wrong! As a close friend and a man, not only did he fail to step up when she was being bullied, but he hid in the corner without a word, and in the end, he even called her a "pig-brained" idiot...

Waaah! It was too much! Jiang Hongmei couldn't help but squat on the ground, covering her face and sobbing. For some reason, she suddenly missed Gu Yu so much, she wanted to see him so badly!

Down the mountain, Niu Chunhua and the others heard the woman howling again and felt completely speechless. They couldn't help but curse, "Is she sick? Why does she cry at the drop of a hat?"

"Don't you know she's made of water?"

"Bullshit. When she was roaring at the Zhao family's eldest just now, she was screeching like a sow spitting fire. Where does she look like she's made of water?"

Li Zhaodi and Zhao Hongying heard this and burst into laughter, clutching their stomachs. "Hahahaha, a sow spitting fire? Chunhua, how are you so good with words? Hahahaha..."

Hearing them continue to insult her, Jiang Hongmei stood up abruptly in a rage. With tear-filled eyes, she glared at them and shrieked at the top of her lungs, "You all go too far!"

Afterward, amidst the trio's jeers, she ran crying down the hillside, fleeing in defeat toward the Educated Youth Station. Niu Chunhua and the others looked at each other and breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Jiang Hongmei wouldn't be going to Zhao Qiancheng to complain for the time being. They shot a glare at Shen Jianan on the hillside and hurried away.

The youth pursed his lips in silence. Just as he was about to turn and enter the courtyard, he saw Gu Yu walking slowly from a distance, holding a handful of wild scallions. His eyes curved into happy crescents, and he waved his arms vigorously, shouting, "Brother Gu! Brother Gu!"

Hearing the voice, Gu Yu looked up and saw Shen Jianan standing on the mountain path. His cold, stern expression softened instantly. "Don't stand on the edge, go inside and wait for me."

Shen Jianan shook his head. "I'll just stand here."

He then spoke to the other man across the hillside. "Brother Gu, it's a pity you came late, otherwise you could have seen a great show."

"What great show?"

Gu Yu walked up the mountain path, looking up to meet his gaze. Shen Jianan pursed his lips and chuckled. "Just now, Jiang Hongmei and Zhao Jianguo came to find you to fix the roof again... They were speaking so nastily that I splashed them with water. Zhao Jianguo was so angry he wanted to hit me, but then... I retorted, and just then, Niu the Loudspeaker and her group happened to pass by..."

"Heh!"

Gu Yu reached the hillside and asked curiously, "Who is Niu the Loudspeaker?"

"Niu Chunhua, of course!"

The youth spoke loudly, his large eyes dark and bright, filled with triumph and excitement. "I was afraid Zhao Jianguo would smear dirt on you and me again, so I deliberately said some ambiguous things. When Niu the Loudspeaker heard it, she misunderstood that the two of them had gone up the mountain to mess around in the grass, and then... uh!"

He paused, scratching his head in embarrassment, then looked up to cautiously examine the other man. "Brother Gu, you... you aren't angry that I treated Jiang Hongmei like that, are you?"

"I'm not angry! It is impolite not to reciprocate. I have tolerated her and Zhao Jianguo for long enough."

Gu Yu walked forward and tilted his chin slightly, signaling for the youth to go inside. Seeing his expression and hearing his words, Shen Jianan confirmed there was no pretense, so he nodded happily and entered the house while continuing to recount the events.

"Well done."

Gu Yu curled his lips, cast an appreciative glance at him, and walked over to the spring to squat down. As he washed the vegetables, he said, "Help me get a basin."

"Oh!"

The youth nodded, then added, "Brother Gu, but I've already cooked the meal."

Even though he said that, he obediently ran into the kitchen, brought out a basin, and placed it in front of him before squatting down to help. Gu Yu pushed his hand away. "I've got it. Don't you love these wild scallions? I'll wash them for you to mix and eat."

Hearing that they were being washed for him, Shen Jianan felt very happy. "Thank you, Brother Gu, but I want to save them for the next meal so I can skip a dish."

"It's fine, there's more."

Gu Yu looked up at him and continued washing. "I found a patch near the Cattle Shed. There's enough for you to eat for ten or eight meals."

"Is that so? Then I won't save them."

The youth stopped worrying. Seeing him wash the last scallion, he picked up the basin and stood up. "You rest, I'll mix the wild scallions."

With that, he hurried into the kitchen. Gu Yu smiled, shook the water off his hands, and followed him in. Seeing him preparing the bowl, he stepped forward, lifted the food cover on the table, served two bowls of porridge, and set out the chopsticks. He then sat at the table, watching the youth at the stove quietly, his eyes filled with a touch of tenderness.

"Brother Gu, wait a moment, it'll be ready soon."

Shen Jianan chopped the wild scallions and put them in a bowl. He grabbed two dried chili peppers and threw them into the stove, using the still-glowing embers to roast them. Seeing the skins char slightly, he used a stick to rake them out and slammed them onto the stove ledge several times.

After cleaning the ash off the peppers, he held them in his palm, pressed his hands together, and quickly rubbed them into flakes. He poured them into the bowl of wild scallions, added salt, mixed it thoroughly, and brought it to the table.

"Brother Gu, you start eating, I'm going to wash my hands."

"There's no rush for that..."

Before Gu Yu could finish his sentence, the youth had already run out of the kitchen. A few seconds later, he came charging back in and sat down beside him.

Watching him hop in and out like a rabbit, Gu Yu found it amusing. He reached out and pushed one of the bowls of porridge toward the youth. "Eat up! You've been hungry all day."

"Mm! You eat too."

Shen Jianan smiled, picked up his bowl and chopsticks, and proactively served the other man a large portion of shredded potatoes. "Brother Gu, hurry and taste it, see how it turned out?"

Gu Yu nodded. "Anything you make is delicious."

He never denied this. Although Shen Jianan came from Hai City and his parents were cadres, he had been taught basic life skills, with the exception of farm work like planting or transplanting rice.

After all, one was a head nurse at a hospital and the other was a production director at a tractor factory; their child had no need for such manual labor.

But fate was cruel. Although the couple was capable, they hadn't encountered considerate elders or siblings. Shen Jianan's grandparents favored his uncle's family. The person originally meant to be sent to the countryside was his cousin, but his grandparents and his uncle, Shen Congwen, had operated behind their backs and swapped the name for Shen Jianan's.

The family of three was only notified a few days before the departure date. Shen Jianan's parents were instantly enraged, declaring they would find someone to swap places with him. The two elders threw a tantrum, kicking and screaming as they flopped onto the ground at the front gate, wailing loudly to draw a crowd.

In this day and age, filial piety was paramount. Furthermore, Father Shen was at a critical juncture for a promotion and could not afford to have any dirt dug up on him. The sensible Shen Jianan weighed the two options and agreed on the spot to go to the countryside in place of his cousin, Shen Jiabao.

Father Shen could not bear to see the son he held in the palm of his hand suffer. He refused adamantly, but in the end, Shen Jianan knelt and begged him, saying he did not want his and Mother Shen's careers to be ruined by this affair. Only then did his father reluctantly agree.

However, he also seized the opportunity to set a condition: Shen Jianan's grandparents and his uncle's family had to move out. That group of blood-sucking leeches would never agree to such a thing and immediately prepared to make a scene.

Father Shen was a ruthless man. He stated flatly that if they did not agree, he would take them all down with him. Since there were three in his family, taking six people to the grave with them would be a worthy trade.

After saying this, he grabbed his briefcase and prepared to head out to report them to the authorities. Shen Congwen's face turned pale with fright, and he hurriedly pulled him back, promising they would move out immediately. Only then did Father Shen reluctantly return to the house and put forward another demand.

He asked his parents, "Father, Mother, do you want a one-time pension payment, or do you want your son to provide it monthly?"

The two elders were confused and asked what he meant. Father Shen replied coldly, "If I pay once, you take the money and leave with Big Brother and his wife. Don't come looking for me or Shu Lan again.

If I pay monthly, you still must not come here. Leave an address, and I will send it over every month. From now on, we will not visit each other as relatives until the day you two pass away."

"Congfeng, you—you are cutting ties with us?"

Grandpa Shen could not believe his ears. Thinking he had misheard, he began to wheeze with agitation and cursed his unfilial son, looking as if he were about to faint.

Shen Congwen and his wife, along with their two children, rushed forward in a panic to tend to him, patting his chest and pouring water. The intensity of their concern made it look as if they were already preparing for a funeral feast.

Shen Congfeng watched this with a steady gaze, unmoved as a mountain. His father's health was tougher than the iron gate of the tractor at the factory; if he wanted to die, he would have to wait at least another twenty years.

As for his wife, Shu Lan, she said nothing more. If she hadn't been trying to save face for her husband, she would have started a row with them long ago. Little Shen Jianan, having inherited the best of both his parents, was even less inclined to speak.

Sure enough, after the group performed for a long time and saw the audience wasn't buying it, they changed tactics to torment them. Grandpa Shen opened his mouth wide, demanding a one-time pension of 5,000 yuan and a house from his youngest son.

Shen Congfeng said nothing. He stood up, went to the kitchen to retrieve a kitchen knife, and hid it behind his back. He walked quickly back to the living room and, amidst the stunned silence of the group, slammed the blade into the dining table. He pointed at the gleaming, cold steel and sneered at the trembling family.

"I'll lay it out here today. Shen Congwen and I will each cover half of your pension. I'll calculate it on the high end, based on the standard for most families in the city.

I'll give you two 16 yuan a month, so my half is 8 yuan. Twelve months a year, and I'll assume you have 30 years left to live, for a total of 2,880 yuan.

I'll round it up to 2,900 yuan. Take it or leave it. If you don't want it, go ahead and make a scene. Either way, if we lose our jobs, you won't get anything either."

"You—you unfilial son!"

Mother Shen had not expected her youngest son to be so heartless and disregard filial piety. She was so angry she cursed him, "How did I ever give birth to such a wretched thing? If I had known you were this kind of person, I should have shoved you into a night-soil bucket and drowned you..."

"Sorry, you missed your chance!"

Shen Congfeng looked at her with a cold face and said, "On the contrary, you should thank me for being born. Otherwise, you, Father, and Shen Congwen's family would never have made it to the city, let alone lived such a comfortable life.

Every one of you—you wanted money, I gave you money; you wanted jobs, I arranged them; you wanted good schools, I arranged those too. Yet you never sought to improve yourselves, spending your days throwing your weight around at the factory and the academy under my name. If it weren't for everyone knowing my character and my wife's family helping out, I fear I would have been shot for your crimes long ago."

The group felt their faces burn with shame as he laid out their failings. Shu Lan's eyes flashed with irony as she took the initiative to speak, "Congfeng and I have raised a whole household of people. Not only do we have no savings left, but we are also being slandered for lacking filial piety.

Let's do this: I will go to my maiden family later to borrow some money for you, and I'll find a witness to draw up a written agreement with everyone, stating the reasons clearly. I hope that once you take the money, you will move out immediately and stop staying here to disgust us. After all, this house is part of the dowry my family gave me."

She thought for a moment and added, "If you don't leave, I will go find the police and have them reason with you all. At worst, we'll all go down together."

Hearing this, everyone's expression changed. Finally, not daring to be any more presumptuous, they agreed to the couple's demands.

Afterward, Grandpa Shen took the money and, with his wife, the eldest son's family, and Shen Congfeng and his wife, signed the agreement in the presence of several neighbors before taking their luggage and leaving the youngest son's home.

By this time, the date for Shen Jianan's departure to the countryside had arrived. The couple held their child and wept incessantly, repeatedly telling him to take good care of himself. They promised that once he had stayed for a full year and Shen Congfeng's promotion was completely secure, they would find a way to bring him back.

However, Shen Jianan had now been in the countryside for a year and a half. While his family often sent money and supplies, his parents never mentioned his return. The boy appeared cheerful on the surface, but in private, he had hidden away to cry several times.

Furthermore, Gu Yu had noticed that the boy, who used to spend money lavishly and was a picky eater, had begun saving money over the last two months and was trying to accept the food he previously found impossible to swallow.

Although the change was not massive, it was at least an effort. It was this sunny, positive demeanor of the boy that deeply moved Gu Yu, sparking a glimmer of hope in his own anxious and desperate heart and prompting him to begin making comprehensive preparations.

He pulled back his thoughts and complimented the boy again. The boy tilted his chin up, acting cocky, and said, "I think so too."

Without a shred of modesty, Gu Yu was so amused he couldn't help but laugh out loud. He then picked up a portion of shredded potatoes and cold-tossed wild onions for him, saying, "Eat up! Get some rest early once you're full."

"Mm, okay!"

Shen Jianan nodded happily, then proceeded to finish every last bit of the sweet potato and corn porridge in his bowl, accompanied by the two side dishes.

Gu Yu was somewhat surprised, "Didn't you get enough to eat at the Commune this afternoon?"

"Yeah!"

Shen Jianan replied calmly, serving himself another small bowl of thin porridge, "I've thought it through. I can't go on like I did before. Otherwise, once I wear my body down, let alone returning to the city, I'm afraid I won't even be able to save my own life."

He said this knowing that the original owner had been a picky eater who ate like a cat. Since his own appetite was so good today, the other man would surely have doubts, so he provided a convincing excuse.

Sure enough, hearing his words, a hint of comfort appeared in Gu Yu's eyes, "It's good that you know."

He thought for a moment and added, "Don't worry! From now on, I won't let you go hungry or be bullied."

After he finished speaking, he buried his head in his food and ate ravenously. Shen Jianan felt there was something strange about his words, but he was quickly distracted by the shredded potatoes the other man had placed in his bowl, instantly casting his doubts to the back of his mind.

"Thanks, Brother Gu!"

The boy thanked him while burying his head in his food. Gu Yu watched him shovel the porridge into his mouth and the smile in his eyes deepened. He then picked up his own bowl to drink his porridge, saying no more.

After the meal, the sky gradually darkened. Gu Yu lit a sunflower stalk (formerly used for lighting in rural areas) and told Shen Jianan to lock the door and rest at home, as he was going to walk over to the Cattle Shed.

The boy knew immediately that he was going to visit those elders again. He didn't say much, only asking him to wait a moment before rushing into the house to find one of his aluminum lunch boxes. He went to the kitchen, scraped all the remaining sweet potato and corn porridge from the basin into the box, and handed it to the other man.

"There's only half a box left, but it'll give them a sweet treat. Be careful when you deliver it, tell them to eat it quickly, and then bring the lunch box back."

Hearing this, Gu Yu's fingers, gripping the lunch box, tightened involuntarily. His fingertips turned white, and they rubbed against the metal with a faint, soft sound. "Okay."

The young man curved his eyes into crescents. "Go on then!"

"Mm!"

Gu Yu responded, then stepped out of the courtyard gate. Shen Jianan followed closely behind, and they walked out together until he watched the other reach the foot of the mountain safely. Only then did he turn back into the courtyard and latch the door.

He immediately went inside to gather the clothes the two of them had changed out of today, carried them to the spring, and scrubbed them clean. He hung them on the bamboo pole at the corner of the wall to dry, then relaxed and stretched his chest, thinking about his upcoming plans as he walked back into the house.

Since he had transmigrated into such a wretched, brain-dead novel, he could not just sit and wait for death. Shen Jianan had never intended to harm anyone, but he would not let his fate be dictated by a trashy book and two lunatics.

If he did not make preparations early, the moment Zhao Jianguo and Jiang Hongmei reconciled, he and Gu Yu would be the ones to suffer. That was a matter of life and death; it was no child's play.

Gu Yu left the pile of rubble and turned left toward the end of the village. The brigade's Cattle Shed was located on the open ground opposite the Reed Marsh at the village's edge, right up against the mountain. It was built there precisely because there were no easy paths around.

If someone were to steal livestock, they would either have to climb over the steep, continuous mountains or take a boat across the river to the other side. Otherwise, they would have to pass through the village and leave via the main road, but doing so would make the thief easily spotted—it would be tantamount to seeking their own death.

There was another reason: the Red Flag Commune had received many "special personnel" who had been denounced and sent down over the years. Such people were a headache wherever they went.

The commune cadres were afraid they would refuse to submit to discipline and try to escape, yet they also worried they would spout improper rhetoric and influence the ideology of the villagers.

After much consideration, they built the Cattle Shed here and arranged for them to work, keeping an eye on the livestock as a side duty. That way, they could kill two birds with one stone.

In fact, when Gu Yu first arrived, he had stayed here too. It was only later that his aunt begged her husband to find a way; no one knew how it was managed, but less than half a year later, Zhao Qiancheng had chased him off to live in the Half-Mountain Courtyard.

However, he hadn't been that kind-hearted. That place had been where a landlord's family stored miscellaneous items years ago. Later, after that family was persecuted too severely and couldn't find a way out, they had all twisted straw ropes and hanged themselves from the trees.

At first, no one knew. It wasn't until the next day when they didn't see them at work and went looking that they found the five corpses hanging from the trees like strings of sausages. Because of the hot weather, swarms of flies were already circling them.

The villagers were terrified. They immediately found a group of young men with strong vitality to take the bodies down, cut down the trees, and burn everything to ash by the pile of rubble at the foot of the mountain.

The way that family died had been deeply etched into the villagers' hearts ever since. Even after all these years, while people weren't as afraid, they still felt a bit squeamish. That was why, when someone helped Gu Yu pull strings later, Zhao Qiancheng had dumped him there.

However, this had also given him a moment to breathe and a chance to recuperate. After all, when he was in the Cattle Shed, he would often be dragged into a sack and beaten severely for no reason in his sleep.

Once, because he resisted too fiercely, someone had used a manure-scooping rake to gouge several thumb-sized bloody holes in his upper left back. If the old people next door hadn't heard the commotion and crawled over with all their might, shouting and helping, he likely wouldn't have survived.

But because the injury was severe and the weapon was covered in feces, and the weather was hot, his wounds became inflamed and festered. Fortunately, there was a doctor with superb medical skills in the Cattle Shed who told him the names and appearances of several herbs, allowing him to sneak onto the mountain to pick them and treat his wounds, which was how Gu Yu slowly recovered.

After that, he formed a bond with the old people. Because their situation was even more complicated than Gu Yu's, let alone eating a hot meal, even drinking water was extremely difficult.

To repay the two times they had saved his life, Gu Yu often saved his own rations to give to them. Sometimes, he would pick wild fruits and vegetables for them, or hide in the mountains to roast a few birds to help them improve their diet. He hadn't stopped doing this even after he moved to the Half-Mountain Courtyard.

Looking at the Cattle Shed before him, Gu Yu pulled back his thoughts and put on a smiling face as he walked in. Seeing the old men each holding a broken bowl of wild vegetable porridge—though it was called porridge, there wasn't a single grain of rice in it, only wild vegetables and rice bran—his heart ached, his eyes welled up, and he choked out a sound.

"Grandpa, didn't I give you cornmeal? Why are you eating this again?"

Hearing the commotion, the group quickly put down their bowls and waved at him with smiles. "Little Gu is here. Come over and sit."

Gu Yu nodded, wiped his eyes, and walked over. He opened the lunchbox hidden in his arms and scooped a portion into each of their five bowls.

Li Mingda, the youngest among them, smiled as he took the lunchbox, rinsed it with half a spoonful of water from the pot, and brought it to his lips. He drank it down in a few gulps, then handed the lunchbox back to Gu Yu with satisfaction. "Young Gu, excuse us."

"Don't say that, Grandpa Li. It's my lack of ability that I can't take better care of you."

"What are you saying, you silly child?"

Lin Yanqing, sitting in the corner, put down his bowl and chopsticks and rolled his eyes at him. "In this day and age, it's good enough to take care of yourself, let alone others?

I've never approved of you bringing things over. You know that when we lived together, it was easier to provide cover.

But now that you've moved up the mountain, bringing food and supplies over is a bit too conspicuous. What if the child living with you sees it and tells someone?"

"That's right, child. Don't bring anything in the future. The few catties of cornmeal you gave us are enough to last until the New Year."

Lu Jianfeng, who was beside him, laughed. "When the rations are distributed, no matter how much Zhao Qiancheng skims off, it'll be enough for us to chew on. If it really comes to it, there are so many wild vegetables by the roadside, and we can pick wild duck eggs or catch fish and shrimp in the Reed Marsh opposite. We'll just be careful."

Old man Liu Zhengjun and Xie Huai'an, whose legs were not in good shape, also chimed in, "Yes, yes! Don't bring anything else, or if you accidentally get implicated, what will we do?"

As the old men spoke, they wiped away tears again. Gu Yu felt miserable watching them, his heart feeling completely blocked. He quickly smiled and said, "Don't worry, everyone. Jianan is different from others; he won't tell anyone. Today's porridge was actually prepared by him, and he insisted I bring it over for everyone."

"W-what!?"

The group was stunned, then asked him, "We've often heard the people working here gossiping, saying that child is selfish, lazy, and unforgiving. How could he..."

"Grandpa!"

Gu Yu interrupted them, smiling bitterly as he asked, "Then how do you think others talk about us?"

He sighed and continued, "Those people say that about Shen Jianan because his body is weak and he really isn't good at manual labor, but he has never thought of being lazy, and he is making progress.

It's just that many people keep using this to claim he's faking it, using that to threaten him into giving them benefits. He has a cheerful personality and is clear about his grievances; he never covets others' things, but no one is going to take advantage of him, either.

When those people can't get what they want, they take his food and daily necessities without asking, all while spouting a bunch of grand principles about how educated youths should be united and help each other.

Some even worse ones, seeing that he is young and thin, try to bully him and often set traps for him. But Shen Jianan has dodged them all and found ways to pay them back. When those people couldn't get the better of him, they went around ruining his reputation and complained to Zhao Qiancheng, who then chased him off to my place."

His heart felt sour and astringent, but his tone carried a hint of relief. "Although I'm a few years older than Jianan, I've received a lot of care from him. It's just that before, I don't know if I was possessed or what, but I kept losing my temper at him for no reason.

But that silly kid, even after being wronged, wouldn't get angry. Every time, he would just say with red eyes that he knew I was having a hard time because of the huge changes in my family, which was why I couldn't control my emotions. He said he didn't blame me, as long as I didn't hit him. Pfft..."

Gu Yu chuckled, though his vision was obscured by the mist rising in his eyes. The group watched him, their hearts filled with deep emotion.

They had been in the Cattle Shed for too long and had become muddled. How could they judge a person based on those rumors and gossip?

Lin Yanqing sighed. "In that case, you two should live well together from now on!"

"Mm! I will!"

Gu Yu smiled and stood up, "You all eat, I'll go fetch water and gather firewood for you."

He stepped forward to pick up the battered bucket and hemp rope in the corner, walking out without looking back. The others opened their mouths to speak, but in the end, they couldn't bring themselves to stop him.

The reality was laid bare before them. Among them, the youngest, Li Mingda, was already sixty. As for the rest, Lin Yanqing was the eldest at seventy-five, Lu Jianfeng was seventy-two, Liu Zhengjun was seventy, and Xie Huai'an was sixty-nine. While they didn't sound old enough to be incapable of work, their bodies had suffered greatly in the past few years. If not for the unyielding spirit they held within, they likely would have perished long ago.

Now, as they labored daily, they were already exhausted to the point of collapse. If they were to ask these men, who already had one foot in the grave, to chop wood and carry water, it would truly be asking too much.

Therefore, even though they felt embarrassed by the boy's offer to help, they had no choice but to let him. After all, pride was useless when their strength simply wouldn't allow it.

About an hour later, Gu Yu returned through the darkness, carrying a bundle of firewood and a full bucket of water into the Cattle Shed.

"Grandfathers, I'm heading back now. Use these without worry; I'll bring more for you in a couple of days."

With that, he relit the sunflower stalk stuck to the side, then stepped into the night and quietly left the Cattle Shed.

In the countryside, once the sun went down, you couldn't see your own hand in front of your face. With no entertainment to speak of, the villagers could only huddle in their homes to sleep. Tonight, however, the house of the branch secretary, Zhao Qiancheng, was exceptionally lively.

It was all because Zhao Jianguo had been slighted by Jiang Hongmei. Upon returning home, he demanded that his father find him a beautiful and capable wife. Once Zhao Qiancheng heard this, his spirits were immediately lifted.

He had never looked favorably upon the superficial Jiang Hongmei. However, because she held a high diploma and hailed from the Capital City, and given her hints that she had connections back home, he had felt the girl was a decent match for his eldest son. Plus, since the boy was genuinely fond of her, he hadn't interfered much and had even frequently looked after her.

Now that his son had come to his senses and wanted to discard her in favor of a better match, how could he not be pleased? He agreed on the spot.

"Hmm!"

Zhao Jianguo nodded. On the surface, he looked calm, but inside, his heart was churning like a stormy sea. He felt an unsettling anxiety, a nagging suspicion that he would regret losing Jiang Hongmei.

Yet, he was unwilling to continue their relationship. He wasn't missing an arm or a leg, and despite his family's background, he wasn't afraid he couldn't find another good woman.

Thinking of this, Zhao Jianguo ruthlessly suppressed his reluctance and stated his requirements to his father, "I don't have many demands. She just needs to be better looking than Jiang Hongmei, have a diploma no lower than hers, a better family background, and parents who are both employed in the city. Otherwise, I won't marry."

Upon hearing this, the corners of Zhao Qiancheng's mouth twitched. If the person in front of him weren't his own flesh and blood, he would have certainly slapped him twice.

This wasn't looking for a wife; this was clearly a case of unrequited love, wanting to find a substitute just to spite someone else. While the Zhao Household had a decent standing, it was limited to the countryside. His son's demands were so high that even cadres in the city might not find such a match. Wasn't this just making things difficult for him?

However, if he really could find his son such a good match, the Zhao Household might rise to become the elite, and his own official rank might climb a step higher.

He was lost in his pleasant daydreams, but his wife, Qin Fengying, was not having it. Why? The most successful thing this woman had ever done in her life was marrying Zhao Qiancheng because she was a distant niece of the children's grandmother, which landed her the position of Women's Federation Director.

She dreamed of her husband rising through the ranks, ideally all the way to the Capital City, so she could become a high-society wife.

However, Qin Fengying understood that daydreams were best kept to oneself; speaking them aloud would only invite trouble.

But ever since Jiang Hongmei came to the Red Flag Commune and started seeing her son, her daydreams had grown ever more elaborate.

Qin Fengying always imagined that once the two young people married and Jiang Hongmei returned to the city, she would take her, her husband, and their other children along to the Capital City. Then, she would have her in-laws arrange suitable jobs for her and Zhao Qiancheng. That way, she wouldn't just be a Capital City wife, but a modern woman of the city—how wonderful!

But now, her son Zhao Jianguo was saying he wouldn't be with Jiang Hongmei anymore. Wouldn't that mean her wishes would never come true? She quickly steadied her mind and began to persuade him.

"Jianguo! The conditions you just told your father—aren't they just based on that girl Hongmei?"

She covered her mouth with a laugh, patted her son's shoulder, and said earnestly, "That girl is a bit arrogant, but who can blame her when she's pretty and has a good family background?

As a man, what's the harm in letting her have her way? Why talk about changing partners at the slightest disagreement? Isn't that just acting like a hooligan?"

"Bah! Shut your mouth, you old woman! What kind of nonsense are you spouting?"

Zhao Qiancheng glared at his wife, cutting her off. He knew exactly what kind of person she was. Wasn't it just because she thought people from the Capital City were superior?

Did she have any brains at all? If Jiang Hongmei were truly that good, would Gu Yu, even in his fallen state, not be clinging to her?

Others might not see it, thinking the boy and Jiang Hongmei were close, but he saw it clearly: Gu Yu and her weren't even as close as she was with that educated youth surnamed Shen.

Besides, they say a man should marry a virtuous wife. Jiang Hongmei looked kind and sensible, but in reality, she was a troublemaker and a fool.

Look at the Educated Youth Station; out of ten arguments, nine were caused by her meddling and loose tongue. As for the last one, it was only because she wasn't there.

How could such a person be worthy of his eldest son? His wife simply had no vision.