Chapter 54: Backing

Chapter 54: Chapter 54: Backing

At the end of that day, the village chief cheerfully sought her out with a stack of ration coupons and cash, telling her to hide them well. He handed her a piece of paper; it was a handwritten letter from the Meng Family detailing the exact amount of their reward.

"Good girl. The higher-ups said they want to give you a medal. You can apply to return to the city now, and you could even be featured in the newspaper. Do you want to be in the paper?"

Deng Yuyuan shook her head. She didn’t want to go back, nor did she want her face in the newspaper.

"Alright." The village chief didn’t press the matter and went along with her wishes. "Then I’ll just have them commend a villager from Dazhang Village for their heroism, letting the village share a bit of your glory, haha. I had them write this paper. I know you trust me, but it’s always better to keep the accounts clear when it comes to major matters. I’ll go negotiate with the government again. Since you don’t want to return early, we should ask for a bit more money. Oh, right, I also took this opportunity to officially clear your situation of not working in the fields with the higher-ups."

"Thank you, Village Chief," Deng Yuyuan said, her gratitude completely sincere. It was truly her good fortune to meet such a wonderful village chief.

"You’re welcome, it’s only right. Serving the people, after all," the village chief replied. He felt a bit guilty as he wondered how his son could have such beastly thoughts. Deng Yuyuan was still suffering from a broken heart, yet his son was obsessing over romance all day long.

The news report came out the very next day: A villager had outsmarted two kidnappers and rescued two children. At the end of the article, it explicitly stated that both kidnappers had died after rescue efforts failed. One had been injured at the scene, and because the cave was too well hidden, they had missed the optimal rescue window by the time the police found him. The other had accidentally stumbled into a wild boar den while fleeing and was gnawed to death.

The newspapers were brought back to the village by Zhang Ci Hao, who generously bought ten copies at once.

The second major event was that two wild boars ran down from the mountain straight into the Jin Family’s fields. A man from the Jin Family easily knocked them down with a single poke of his hoe. The boars already had branches pierced through their bodies and were completely exhausted by the time they reached the foot of the mountain. They were the very same two massive boars from the den.

After discovering the boar den yesterday, the police had already contacted the village chief about clearing it out. However, there had been too much going on that day, and they hadn’t gotten around to it yet.

According to village rules, these two large wild boars belonged entirely to the Jin Family. If they couldn’t finish eating the meat, they could sell it to the other villagers. Normally, selling to fellow villagers didn’t require meat coupons, and the price would be cheaper than at the butcher shop. The women and elders of the village hurriedly brought their money or grain to the Jin Family’s home.

Meanwhile, the men grabbed their tools and followed the village chief up the mountain to wipe out the boar den. Any wild boars caught this way would be divided among the whole village, with the men who went up the mountain receiving a larger share. There were still five piglets and one large wild boar left in the mountain den. Fortunately, with so many people going, they managed to handle it without any real danger.

The young people from the Knowledge Youth Institute also sent one person to accompany the village chief up the mountain, while Tian Tian went to the Jin Family to buy some boar meat.

"That Jin Family is really strange. Usually, injured wild boars wouldn’t run toward populated areas, and there aren’t any fierce beasts up on the mountain either," Tian Tian said as she set down the boar meat. "Everyone bought some. We’ll probably have to wait for the village chief to return and see how much meat we get assigned. If it’s not enough, we’ll buy more. We can eat some over the next few days and salt the rest."

Deng Yuyuan was lounging on her couch. She lifted her head to glance at the boar meat before lying back down. Boar meat had a strong gamey smell, and she didn’t like eating it. As for the Jin Family’s incredible luck, it was likely Fubao working her magic. Since Deng Yuyuan had accidentally taken one of her fortuitous encounters, the universe compensated with another.

Tuantuan crawled all over her, occasionally grabbing her mother’s face with both hands to plant a sloppy kiss.

Deng Yuyuan, her face covered in baby drool, stared up at the ceiling beams. Her silky, satin-like long hair was spread out across the couch. Looking deeply troubled, she appeared even more breathtaking than the legendary beauty Xi Zi clutching her aching heart.

"Why must men always fall in love with me?"

"Don’t be obsessed with me; I am but a legend," she thought. "Move the right leg out a bit, Tuantuan is crawling off track."

Deng Yuyuan asked herself what exactly it was about her that attracted men so much. Although she was perfect, shouldn’t men feel a sense of inadequacy the moment they laid eyes on her? Shouldn’t they realize they were unworthy, quietly back away, and never disturb her again? She had received quite a few confessions of love recently.

Deng Yuyuan’s gaze suddenly sharpened. She figured it out—it was the peach cake! The word "peach" had brought her all this unwanted romantic luck! She never should have bought that peach cake!

"Peach cake," she muttered, viciously chewing on the words.

Witnessing the change in Deng Yuyuan’s expression, Zhao Erdong scooped up Tuantuan. Assuming that Deng Yuyuan was craving peach cake, she took one out and held it out to her.

Deng Yuyuan’s nose twitched slightly. It smelled amazing. She opened her mouth and took a bite. Mmm, it really was delicious.

Bite after bite, she ate until she was full and sleepy. Like a lazy little kitten, she fell back into her bright, beautiful melancholy.

Zhao Erdong’s lips curled into a smile. For the first time, she discovered that feeding an adult could be quite amusing. She didn’t understand Deng Yuyuan’s emotional distress, but she completely understood her laziness. "Take a nap. Aunt Liu is coming over this afternoon; the two of us will be enough to look after Tuantuan."

Deng Yuyuan’s eyes closed immediately.

The people at the Knowledge Youth Institute instinctively lightened their footsteps, even though they knew Deng Yuyuan was a heavy sleeper who couldn’t be woken by noise anyway.

Deng Yuyuan practically didn’t do any chores, apart from cooking. After she taught the two female educated youths how to do it, she cooked even less frequently. No one had any complaints, because she simply provided too much. Thanks to Deng Yuyuan, the Knowledge Youth Institute never lacked meat, nor did they have to risk going up the mountain in the freezing cold to gather firewood. Whenever Deng Yuyuan returned from town, she would also buy snacks for everyone to share. Later on, when Gou Ya arrived, the young girl was so hardworking that even the people at the Knowledge Youth Institute started feeling a bit lazy.

Sometimes, as they looked at Deng Yuyuan napping on the lounge chair, they couldn’t help but sigh in realization—her beauty truly was her most insignificant asset.

Tuantuan watched helplessly as her mother disappeared from her line of sight. She kicked her strong little legs, but the adults quickly covered her mouth and carried her outside to play.

The wild boar meat filled the entire village with a joyful atmosphere. For the families who couldn’t afford to buy any, the men of the Jin Family even had their children deliver some pig offal to them.

After lounging at the Knowledge Youth Institute for a whole day, Deng Yuyuan anonymously mailed some seeds to the Agricultural Research Institute, along with cultivation methods she had read in books purchased from her farming game’s shop. She also delivered the goods to the man in black. In the afternoon, she headed into the mountains to find a new hidden spot.

With the New Year approaching, she took Tuantuan to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy new clothes. They put them on right then and there and went to the photo studio to take a picture. Afterward, she took Gou Ya and Tuantuan to buy more new clothes, picking out some New Year’s toys and firecrackers. With one baby and one patient, they actually saved a lot of money on snacks.

The family of the little boy from the neighboring village came to thank her. Leading a large group of relatives, they paraded all the way around Dazhang Village before arriving at the Knowledge Youth Institute. They set down bags of rice, flour, and cooking oil. Ignoring Deng Yuyuan’s attempts to stop them, the parents knelt down and gave her two firm, resounding kowtows.

Deng Yuyuan only accepted the flour they brought and insisted they take the rice and oil back. She then pressed large handfuls of candies and sunflower seeds into the hands of everyone who had come. "The New Year is almost here. Let’s all share in the festive joy."

She pulled the poor mother aside to speak privately. "Ma’am, I know you are all grateful people. Parading around the village to see me today was your way of showing support for me. But your child is still sick, so I cannot accept these gifts."