Chapter 68: Back Again

Fang Mingxi knew it; she should have stopped her cousin from going on a spending spree. With so many parcels spread all over the ground, how were the two of them supposed to carry everything back?

Don’t tell her they were going to rely on hitching another ride again?

Tong Xueyan scratched her head awkwardly. While spending the money, she’d been completely caught up in the thrill and hadn’t given a single thought to how they’d bring everything home afterward.

It was a full hour’s walk back to Maple Leaf Brigade from here. There was no way she could carry everything back and forth herself.

With no solution in sight, the two of them stood by the roadside, shivering in the cold wind for half an hour. Just as Tong Xueyan resigned herself to finding a place to hide the goods for now, a bullock cart slowly came into view from ahead.

Judging by the direction, it seemed to be coming back from the county town. Whether it was heading their way, though, was anyone’s guess.

Fang Mingxi jumped up in delight. “Older sister, there’s a cart!”

Tong Xueyan spotted it too and immediately ran into the road to flag it down. “Grandpa, wait a moment!”

“What is it?” Luo Fugui stopped the bullock cart in front of her.

Tong Xueyan put on a friendly smile. “Grandpa, may I ask if you’ll be passing Maple Leaf Brigade? We have too much stuff and were hoping to ride your cart for part of the way.”

When Luo Fugui saw the dozen or so parcels on the ground, he let out a surprised whistle. “Are you visiting relatives or something?”

Tong Xueyan laughed sheepishly. “I’m a sent-down youth. I was short on supplies, so I went out to buy some things.”

“You’re a sent-down youth!” The moment he heard that, Luo Fugui’s expression softened. “Hop on, then. I’m from the neighboring Hongshan Brigade. We’re not far apart; I can drop you off at the crossroads.”

“Thank you, Grandpa!” Tong Xueyan quickly thanked him and, together with Fang Mingxi, loaded all their belongings onto the cart.

On the way back, Tong Xueyan grew drowsy and nearly nodded off. Fang Mingxi, on the other hand, couldn’t sit still. Without drawing attention, she took the initiative to strike up a conversation.

“Grandpa, did you go to the county town today?”

Seeing that it was just a little child talking, Luo Fugui didn’t think much of it and answered honestly. “Yes, I went to mail something this morning.”

Fang Mingxi’s eyes flickered as she asked again, “Grandpa, do you usually give people rides whenever you go to the county town?”

“That’s right,” Luo Fugui replied. “If someone’s going the same way, I’ll give them a lift and charge a few mao as a bit of compensation. This morning I even took two people to the county town; they seemed to be from your Maple Leaf Brigade.”

Fang Mingxi’s gaze sharpened. “Really? Who were they? What were they going to the county town for?”

“I didn’t catch their names,” Luo Fugui said. “It was a grandmother and granddaughter pair. The little girl looked a bit older than you. I heard they were going to the hospital for treatment or something like that. I didn’t ask too many questions.”

Fang Mingxi understood at once. The corners of her lips lifted as she thanked him. “Then they’re not people I know. Thank you, Grandpa.” Having gotten the information she wanted, she immediately sat back down.

Tong Xueyan listened from the side, completely confused. She realized she couldn’t quite figure out what her little cousin was doing.

Sure, her cousin spoke early, but what she’d just said didn’t sound like something a one-year-old girl could say at all.

What was she trying to do? Why was she asking about other people?

Tong Xueyan was conflicted, unsure whether she should ask.

When they arrived at Maple Leaf Brigade and got off the cart, she finally couldn’t hold back. “Xixi, what did you mean earlier? Why were you asking about other people?”

Fang Mingxi’s expression didn’t change as she chose to tell only half the truth. “I think I saw He Xi in the county town.”

“He Xi? Who’s He Xi?” Tong Xueyan froze. Could it be that her little cousin even had someone she disliked?

Fang Mingxi then explained the grudge between their family and He Xi’s.

It included being sneered at by the two He brothers, having their wild chicken snatched away, and how He Xi could pick things up without any trouble while they were the only ones bullied by people in the brigade.

By the time Tong Xueyan finished listening, she was trembling all over, her face ashen with anger. “This is outrageous! How can the people in the brigade be so unfair? Others can pick things up; why can’t you? Where’s the Brigade Leader? I’m taking you to see the Brigade Leader right now!”

As she spoke, she stormed toward the brigade, looking ready to demand justice on the spot.

Fang Mingxi hurriedly grabbed her. “Older sister, we’re fine. Xiao Tian took us to see the Brigade Leader Grandpa already. He stood up for us.”

Although they hadn’t gotten the wild chicken back, the matter had been announced publicly in front of everyone. From then on, no one would dare snatch their wild chickens again.

They were still gossiped about, of course, but at least everything was out in the open now, and that was better.

Tong Xueyan’s nose stung. She squatted down in front of Fang Mingxi and hugged her tightly, comforting her. “Xixi, this is my fault. From now on, we won’t care about any wild chickens. If you want to eat meat, older sister will take you into the city to eat.”

Her little cousin was far too pitiful. She should have been a carefree child, the precious treasure in her older brother and sister-in-law’s hands, yet she’d been forced to grow up so early.

Anyone could come along and bully her; it was infuriating.

And those He family kids, how could they be so awful? Who said children were always well-behaved? In her opinion, those kids were nothing but obnoxious.

Completely unaware that she’d already been labeled as “too mature for her age,” Fang Mingxi felt warm inside as she was held. “Mm, I’ll listen to you, older sister.”

……

The two finally made it home before noon. Luckily, the place where they got off the cart wasn’t far from the cattle shed. Fang Mingxi ran back in time to call for help, and only then were they able to move everything back.

They didn’t dare carry the goods straight into the cattle shed, as it was too crowded there, so they took a detour back to the house Tong Xueyan had rented.

Fortunately, the house had a surrounding wall. Once the gate was closed, nothing inside could be seen from the outside.

After carrying in the last bundle, Fang Bo Song pounded his lower back hard. “Xueyan, did you empty out the entire supply and marketing cooperative or what?”

With so many bundles, they’d had to make two or three trips just to move everything. How on earth had two little girls managed to get all this back from the county town?

Tong Xueyan brought several bowls of hot water into the main room. “Granduncle, you’ve worked hard. Come and have some water.”

Fang Bo Song and Ou Wenrui dusted off their hands and followed her inside.

It was their first time visiting this small courtyard, and they couldn’t help but look around curiously as soon as they entered.

“Xueyan, how much is the rent for this place? Did anyone live here before?”

“At night, make sure you lock the door properly. I heard there might be widowers in the brigade. When I get back tonight, I’ll fix you up with a handy weapon.”

“And this door won’t do either. I’ll repair it later and reinforce the lock.”

Tong Lingxian looked at Fang Bo Song speechlessly. “Will you just rest already? Aren’t you tired?”

As soon as she said that, everyone in the room burst out laughing. Even Fang Mingxi, who was being held by Zhou Yulan, laughed along.

“Grandpa, hurry and rest for a bit.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll listen to Xixi. Grandpa will rest now.” Fang Bo Song picked up the hot water on the table and took a big gulp.

Tong Xueyan opened the bundles they’d brought back and set five of them aside. “Grandaunt, Granduncle, Grandma, Grandpa, these are all things I brought for you. Take them back later.”

“For us?” Ou Wenrui turned his head to glance at the bundles.

All five were opened at once. One contained bolts of cloth, clothes, and shoes. Another held daily necessities, oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar. The third was filled with various seeds and tools.

Of the last two, one contained medicines and bandages, while the other held a large sheet of black plastic.

“This…” Ou Wenrui licked his lips. “Xueyan, you really prepared everything.”

He’d only thought to bring money, never imagining something this thorough. Food, clothing, and medicine were all covered, meticulous in every possible way.