CHAPTER 161: 160: VILLAGE OFFICIALS (FOURTH UPDATE)

Ye Ling and her companions tidied up and put on their coats. After waiting for half an hour, the train arrived at the station. As they got off at this small station, they immediately saw Zhang Zhenlian and Si Daochen, who were also getting off the train. Zhang Zhenlian and Si Daochen weren’t expecting to see Ye Ling coming back today. They had stood the whole night on the crowded train, and were completely drained of energy, while Ye Ling, coming from the sleeper car, looked completely refreshed. That was no big deal, but what surprised them was that Zhao Guodong and his group were also there.

Si Daochen, who had always been bullied by them at school, naturally didn’t greet them. Besides, they were on their own turf now, so why would they bother with Zhao Guodong and the others? With a cold snort, Si Daochen picked up his bag and headed home, while Zhang Zhenlian gave them a polite smile and followed after Si Daochen.

"I think Zhang Zhenlian seems to like Si Daochen, don’t you think?" Zhao Guodong remarked, hands in his pockets, watching the two of them walk away.

Wang Ping glanced around, tightening his coat. "This place is so desolate."

Indeed, there was nothing but an expanse of white snow and yellow grass. Not far off was a little village with earthen houses, and the occasional sound of barking dogs, making it seem like they were in the mountains.

Ye Ling’s bag was carried by Zhang Linong. With Zhao Guodong and Wang Ping carrying rice and flour, they headed home. "Whatever their relationship is, let’s not get involved. I don’t care how you mess around at school, but let me tell you, Si Daochen’s dad is the accountant for the team and has good ties with the team leader’s family. So in the village, stay clear of him. Haven’t you heard that a strong dragon doesn’t overpower a local snake? You should know that."

Besides, Si Jun is clearly a schemer, full of bad intentions. Such a deceitful person could really cause trouble in the village without getting caught.

Zhao Guodong wanted to retort but changed his mind and kept quiet. He wasn’t really afraid; he just didn’t want to cause trouble for Ye Ling. Seeing him not argue back, Ye Ling was a bit surprised, but Zhao Guodong felt upset by her glance. "I do understand reason, you don’t need to keep watching me."

Ye Ling couldn’t help but laugh and started planning what they needed to do later. "We just got home today, so we’ll earn some money tomorrow. First thing is to heat up the house. Otherwise, we can’t stay here overnight. We’ll need to take the blankets out of the locked cabinet, shake off the dust outside, and then warm them on the kang."

"Do you all know how to make a fire?" Ye Ling glanced at the three of them.

"What’s that to worry about," Wang Ping said dismissively, waving his hand.

Ye Ling thought for a moment. "Alright then, look over there, that’s my house, the first one at the village entrance."

She pointed to her house, and once inside the yard, Ye Ling took out the key her father had given her and opened the door. As soon as they entered, the dusty smell hit them. Ye Ling asked them to keep the door open to air out the place. She then had Zhao Guodong and the others open the windows before stepping out to fetch some firewood. Zhao Guodong stopped her, asked where the firewood was, and went out with Wang Ping.

The firewood at Ye Ling’s house was from the previous year. Since her grandmother had passed away, they hadn’t used much wood, and no one had taken it, so there was no worry about running out.

Ye Ling then found a basin and a cloth, took out the water bucket from the kitchen, intending to fetch water, but Zhang Linong took over. Seeing they were all boys, Ye Ling didn’t stand on ceremony. She started sweeping the dust off the kang, waiting to heat it up and clean the room.

Zhao Guodong and Wang Ping each came back with a big bundle of wood. Ye Ling had them make several trips, piling the wood high like a small mountain. The water in the pot was boiling too. Ye Ling led them in cleaning the dust and tidying up the house, with Zhao Guodong and Wang Ping shaking the dust out of the blankets, everyone working together quickly.

Once the room was tidy and aired out, they closed the windows. Wang Changjiang also arrived. Upon seeing Ye Ling in the outer room, he stepped in and gave a quick glance at the kids. "Lingzi, your parents aren’t back?"

"No, they aren’t back. My dad told me to bring some of them back, clean the old house, and burn some paper for grandma," Ye Ling replied politely.

Wang Changjiang nodded, "You kids need to be careful about fire. It’s dry in the winter, so we can’t have any issues."

"Don’t worry, Uncle Wang," Ye Ling responded, seeing him adopt the team leader’s airs, but didn’t say much.

Wang Changjiang, recognizing the boys as city kids, didn’t linger long but furrowed his brow. "It’s not convenient for a girl to stay with three boys. You should come stay at my place tonight. I’ll have Wang Hai come over to stay with them. Your dad didn’t think of these things; being in the military, he’s not used to it."

It was natural that the other kids came from the compound, and seeing them as half-grown boys, Wang Changjiang was reminded of sending his son to the army. If he got along well with these kids, talking to one of their fathers might solve the issue of his son enlisting.

Ye Ling knew what he was thinking. "Uncle Wang, it’s fine. The kang is big enough that it’s not inconvenient. Even with three or four more people, we’d still fit."

Given the times and their age, Ye Ling pretended not to understand what was implied, cleverly sidestepping the topic. Surely, he wouldn’t thick-skinnedly mention any inappropriate behavior involving four kids.

Wang Changjiang, stopped by Ye Ling’s response, couldn’t bring himself to say more. He wanted to continue being unreasonable but recalled Ye Ling’s earlier comments about his son and Zhang Juanzi and held his words in, eventually leaving with a sullen expression.

As for Zhao Guodong and the others, they didn’t pay him any mind at all. While Wang Changjiang was talking, the three boys were lying on the kang, only sitting up after he left.

"Who’s that busybody?" Zhao Guodong remarked, feeling embarrassed at the ’inconvenient’ comment.

Ye Ling wasn’t bothered, "He’s the captain of our production team, always wanting his son to join the army. Don’t pay him any attention. Now, you all keep the fire going here, and when the water in the pot runs low, refill it with another bucket. Zhang Linong and I will head to Old Zhang’s to get this year’s crops from our private plot."

The Ye Family’s three rows of private land grew corn, but since they moved away, they asked the Zhang Shilong family, who were distant relatives, to handle it. In return, the Zhang Family would get one row’s yield while the rest belonged to the Ye Family, to be paid in money or corn.

Zhao Guodong felt a bit left out when he heard Ye Ling call for Zhang Linong to go with her, not him. But then he realized his own hot-headedness, and understood Ye Ling was probably worried he’d say something offensive outside. With that thought, he felt better.

And Ye Ling indeed thought that. Zhao Guodong was too impulsive, and with their sudden return to claim goods, they didn’t know what the situation was yet. Hence, she chose the more steady Zhang Linong to accompany her. (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)