Chapter 42: Striking Twice

Chapter 42: Chapter 42: Striking Twice

Zhang Ci Hao always came over with the village chief’s wife to visit. Flat-out rejecting them was impossible; the power of connections was truly terrifying.

After clearing the air that day, Deng Yuyuan and the bespectacled male youth returned to their usual dynamic. Nobody else noticed the minor episode that had occurred between them.

The adult world was just pretentious like that!

[ ... ]

"AI, please don’t force your way into human circles. Thank you," Deng Yuyuan thought.

[ ... ]

Humming a tune on a brand-new morning, Deng Yuyuan hugged and snuggled with Tuantuan before heading up the mountain again.

Now that winter had arrived, she spent more time warming up. She also took on the task of gathering firewood in the mountains for the Knowledge Youth Institute. Being an efficient worker with the AI customer service acting as a live map, she could accomplish more in a single morning than others could in two days.

Though there was no farming in winter, there were countless chores. The sun rose late and set early, meaning work shifts started later and ended sooner than in summer. However, the total labor hours were by no means short, and the tasks were all physically demanding, dirty, and exhausting.

Basic infrastructure desperately needed rebuilding, and the fields required fertilizer accumulation and production. Following the cadres’ orders, the men went to dig ditches, build canals, construct dams, and build reservoirs. Wielding shovels and pickaxes against the rock-hard, frozen ground, the webbing of their hands would split from the impact, and their shoulders would be rubbed raw by carrying poles. Sweat soaked their padded cotton jackets, only to be frozen into icy shards by the biting wind.

Those with slightly less physical strength were tasked with gathering manure and transporting it to the fields. They had to dig up sludge from the riverbed, mix it with plant ash and weeds to compost into fertilizer, and then bury it into the soil to plow the fields.

Families who doted on their daughters wouldn’t let them work during the winter. The same rule applied at the Knowledge Youth Institute; when winter came, only female comrades were assigned to duty. Deng Yuyuan also had her shifts, and whenever it was her turn, she would obediently stay at the Institute to look after her baby.

Today, the village chief’s wife came to the Knowledge Youth Institute, bringing along a large group of little girls and boys. A child from the neighboring village had been stolen by human traffickers. To prevent a similar incident here, the village decided to centrally manage the children while everyone was at work.

The Knowledge Youth Institute was originally built for collective living, and its courtyard was the largest in the village. It was the perfect place for the children to play.

Deng Yuyuan happened to be on duty that day. She reclined on a lounge chair, her eyes closed as she bathed in the warm sunlight. The tiny Tuantuan lay on her chest, her little cheeks equally flushed as she slept.

Ever meticulous, Deng Yuyuan had even placed a burp cloth over herself.

The village chief’s wife walked over quietly, patted her shoulder, and scooped Tuantuan into her arms. "Wake up now. You can’t sleep anymore today. We have a lot of kids coming over."

Tuantuan was a solid, chubby little meatball now. The village chief’s wife even let out a small grunt as she lifted her, worried that letting the baby sprawl out like that would crush her own mother’s chest.

Thinking the village chief’s wife was playing with her, Tuantuan yawned and grinned happily.

"How about you go back inside to sleep?" the village chief’s wife suggested sincerely. This girl was truly disciplined, but she was just as much of a sleepyhead. On days she wasn’t on duty, she worked from dawn to dusk; but on her duty days, she could sleep out here until the world went dark.

Deng Yuyuan shook her head. "While winter hasn’t fully set in yet, I want to soak up as much sun in the courtyard as possible."

The village chief’s wife explained the situation to her. Understanding the circumstances, Deng Yuyuan let the children play in the yard first while she went to boil a large pot of water for anyone who needed a drink. She also cleared out a storage room, setting up a few benches and tables so the children could come inside to rest and escape the cold when they were tired of playing outside.

Most of the village’s little girls were scrawny, yet they weren’t shy about playing with the boys. The group entertained themselves well. Deng Yuyuan had the little boys from the Jin Family hand Fubao over to the adults before letting them run off to play together.

The courtyard had a sandbox area, complete with tools generously provided by Deng Yuyuan. Zhang Ci Hao forbade them from touching Tuantuan’s large wooden toys, but the kids didn’t mind and kept laughing and playing just the same.

The village chief’s wife introduced the children to Deng Yuyuan, pointing out which ones were well-behaved, which were mischievous, and which were spoiled and bossy.

When she mentioned Gou Ya, the village chief’s wife paused. "She’s pitiful, but vicious. She has bad habits, too. Don’t be fooled by her appearance."

Gou Ya was tiny and emaciated, her entire body covered in wounds of varying sizes. Despite the winter cold, she was wearing only a thin, unlined shirt. Though she was already ten years old, she looked no older than seven or eight. She sat alone on the ground playing with the sand. Even with so many children around in the limited space, people crowded near her, but no one was willing to speak to her.

Her father’s identity was unknown, and her mother was a fool who had slipped and drowned by the river just a few days ago. Now completely orphaned, she was staying with her uncle and aunt.

Deng Yuyuan recognized her. She was the one who had led the vicious female supporting character down the path of depravity. She taught Xiao Hong to steal, to be mercenary and shrewish, and how to pander to and depend on men. The two twisted souls had huddled together for warmth. Eventually, in order to offer a token of loyalty to curry favor with the female lead, she ruthlessly backstabbed Xiao Hong, leaving the village alone and disappearing without a trace.

Truth be told, if Xiao Hong hadn’t followed her lead with petty theft, she probably wouldn’t have survived to adulthood.

Deng Yuyuan retracted her gaze. She would lend a helping hand if she could, but she wouldn’t do anything more than that.

"Ah!" Tuantuan pointed towards Gou Ya and started clapping. Cupping her face in her hands to pretend she was a flower, she babbled in a baby language only she could understand.

"Do you want to play with the big sister?"

Hearing her mother’s question, Tuantuan grew even more excited. She clearly couldn’t understand what her mother was saying either, but she waved her arms and kicked her legs in delight.

Deng Yuyuan handed Tuantuan over to the village chief’s wife and led Gou Ya into the kitchen. She scrubbed the areas of Gou Ya’s body that might come into contact with Tuantuan. The storage room was occupied, and the bedroom was inconvenient, so she had to commandeer the kitchen for now.

Lacking suitable clothes for Gou Ya, Deng Yuyuan took out some old clothes and quickly altered them on the spot.

"Tuantuan wants to play with you, which is the only reason I’m giving you these."

Gou Ya nodded.

"Go play," Deng Yuyuan said, ushering her out the door before staying in the kitchen by herself to prepare lunch.

Lunch was very simple: a pot of vegetable soup and steamed cornbread. She cooked the youth workers’ meal first before heating up the dry rations the children had brought with them. With outsiders present, Deng Yuyuan naturally wouldn’t prepare anything too lavish.

The village chief’s wife entered the kitchen, claiming she wanted to lend a hand, but she was really just there to chat.

"Are you going back home this Spring Festival?"

After working in the countryside for two or three full years, the sent-down youths were entitled to a family visitation leave. The holiday usually lasted two to three weeks around the Spring Festival. Since everyone at a single youth point couldn’t leave at the same time, approvals were granted on a rotating basis.

"Tuantuan is too young. I’m afraid her little body wouldn’t be able to handle the exhausting journey back and forth."

The village chief’s wife paused for a moment. "If too many people from the Knowledge Youth Institute go back, you can come celebrate the Spring Festival at our house. It’ll be lively with more people around."

Deng Yuyuan looked up in surprise, meeting the village chief’s wife’s inclusive and doting eyes. Her gaze held the kindness of a loving elder.

"My youngest son is a bit foolish, but he is sincere. He might be able to hide his feelings from strangers, but he certainly can’t hide them from you. However, I hope you won’t distance yourself from me just because of him."