The Sweetness of the Seventies-Chapter 26 - Scumbags are Pretentious!_1
Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Scumbags are Pretentious!_1
Chapter 26 -26: Scumbags are Pretentious!_1
Lin Xiaoru simply couldn’t bear to see He Tiantian have a better life than hers, so she intentionally stirred up trouble between He Tiantian and the other young people who had come from the city.
Because of Lin Xiaoru’s words, everyone was taken aback, and although they said nothing, in their hearts, they too felt that He Tiantian’s work was easier than theirs.
If it had been her former life at such a young age, being watched by grown-ups, He Tiantian might have been nervous, timid, and without offering an explanation.
But now, she had changed a lot, and with so many years of life experience, she knew how to improve her situation.
“Sister Xiaoru is joking.
Working at the livestock farm is far from easy.
We have to clean the cow sheds, pigsties, and sheep pens in the early morning and evening, shoveling all that stinky manure into the septic tanks to ferment, surrounded by flies and mosquitoes.
Then, there’s the task of cutting grass on the hill behind us, not only preparing fresh grass for now but also gathering hay for the cattle and sheep to eat in winter.
Aunt Liu and I have to run up to the hill several times a day to cut grass,” He Tiantian explained, indicating that her work was not only difficult but also dirty.
The people had been to the livestock farm and knew the situation there.
Thinking of the stinky manure, they suddenly lost their appetite.
The young people from the city understood that He Tiantian wasn’t lying; the work there was indeed hard.
“Looking at your skin, so white, it doesn’t seem like you’ve worked even a few days.
I thought your work was easier,” Lin Xiaoru explained awkwardly, without apologizing, and shifted the topic to He Tiantian’s skin, which didn’t look like it belonged to someone who worked.
Everyone else’s skin had darkened, except for He Tiantian’s, which seemed to have gotten even more attractive.
It was so unfair, Lin Xiaoru thought bitterly.
He Tiantian didn’t look at Lin Xiaoru.
She simply smiled and said to the other young women from the city who were curious about how her skin didn’t tan, “It’s actually quite simple.
When I work, I wear a straw hat and cover my face with a towel.
After coming back at noon and in the evening, I always dampen a towel with cold water and put it on my face.
It helps reduce the darkening of the skin from the sun and keeps it moist.
You could try it too.”
“Really?
Does that really work?” Sister Wu asked eagerly.
“It works.
If you don’t believe me, you can give it a try,” He Tiantian said with a smile.
In fact, she wanted to tell them to use cucumber slices on their faces, but considering the scarcity of resources at the time, such actions would be seen as wasteful.
Lin Xiaoru silently ate her meal, mulling over how He Tiantian managed to win favors from all sides.
That old lady must have given He Tiantian some benefits; otherwise, without any blood relation or reason, He Tiantian wouldn’t have been so nice to that old lady.
Another careless young man from the city, Zhang Qingshan, disliked Lin Xiaoru’s delicate demeanor.
She ate no less than anyone else, but when it came to working, she claimed to have no strength and was always lagging, causing Ye Xiaoyun, who worked in the same group, to do much more.
Zhang Qingshan was discontent, and there was another reason—Ye Xiaoyun was his girlfriend.
Seeing his girlfriend fall behind, he was displeased with Lin Xiaoru.
“I’ve also worked at the livestock farm for a few days before.
Old Man Qi has a strange temper, and the place is stinky and filthy; the work is indeed tough,” Zhang Qingshan glanced at Lin Xiaoru.
“After we finish our work, we can rest for a while, but Comrade He Tiantian has to work all year round.
As long as there are animals at the livestock farm, she has to go to work and clean every day.”
“No work means no work points, but going to work means you earn work points,” Lin Xiaoru knew Zhang Qingshan didn’t see eye to eye with her.
By saying these things, he intended to make her lose face.
“Heh, some people go to work and still can’t get full work points.
What use is that!” Zhang Qingshan retorted coldly, implying that any group he was in was unlucky.
If it weren’t for Boss Wang Lei continually mediating things, they would have already started arguing.
“You…” Lin Xiaoru got up angrily, glaring at Zhang Qingshan, “…don’t push people too far!”
Zhang Qingshan stood his ground and said, “Who is pushing people too far?
You just can’t work properly and always complain that this person isn’t doing enough and that person isn’t working enough, saying no one works harder than you.
Tell me, these last few days, who hasn’t worked more than you!”
“Wow…” Unable to argue back, Lin Xiaoru cried and ran off.
Huang Jingli hastily went after her to comfort her, no longer paying any attention to He Tiantian coming to see them.
“Don’t bother with her, she’s just being melodramatic,” Zhang Qingshan said.
“Xiaoyun is in the same group as her, and these past few days she’s been dragged down by her, already exhausted to the point of falling ill.”
Lin Xiaoru really was despicable.
As soon as she arrived, she started to oppress her, but luckily the other young people from the city were clear-eyed.
Lin Xiaoru ended up embarrassing herself, which served her right—there’s truth in the saying, “A wretch is always melodramatic!”
Upon hearing this, He Tiantian suddenly remembered that Zhang Qingshan and Ye Xiaoyun came from the same place and were classmates, practically childhood sweethearts, and now they were lovers, just waiting for the end of the year to return home for the New Year’s celebrations to finalize their marriage plans.
But later, Ye Xiaoyun was raped by the village next door’s scoundrel, and unable to bear the humiliation and pressure, she committed suicide by jumping into the river.
In a past life, Zhang Qingshan and Ye Xiaoyun had conflicts with Lin Xiaoru.
Just now, when she saw the malicious look in Lin Xiaoru’s eyes, Tiantian had a creeping suspicion, perhaps what happened to Ye Xiaoyun in the past life wasn’t accidental.
Seeing how Zhang Qingshan had spoken up for her today, He Tiantian decided that she would pay more attention to Ye Xiaoyun from now on, hoping to prevent the tragedy from happening.
“Alright, Qingshan, you’re a man, why quarrel with a woman?” Wang Lei said.
“Since Huang Jingli and Lin Xiaoru get along, just let them be in a group to work together, and then your Xiaoqing can be free of it, right?”
Zhang Qingshan had nothing more to say since Boss had put it that way.
“Hmph!” Li Mingkai murmured as he carried his bowl away, “Picking on a female comrade, what a man of achievement!”
“You…” Zhang Qingshan was seething with rage, really wanting to give Li Mingkai a beating.
This man was no good either; he worked as lazily as any lady.
He hadn’t mentioned it before, but today Zhang Qingshan was truly exhausted and had snapped at him a few times, yet Li Mingkai still had the nerve to talk back.
“Qingshan, let it go,” Wang Lei intervened.
If they continued, the young people from the city wouldn’t have a moment’s peace today.
Seeing this, He Tiantian quickly said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know my arrival would make everyone upset.
I just feel that we’re all young people from the city, responding to the call, coming from all corners of the country to help with rural construction.
We should all unite and work hard, building a beautiful life together.”
He Tiantian’s words were righteous and powerful, forming a stark contrast to Li Mingkai and Lin Xiaoru.
Aside from Li Mingkai, Lin Xiaoru, and Huang Jingli, everyone else thought He Tiantian made a good point.
“You’re right, we all come from different places, and we should stick together even more,” Wang Lei said.
“If we have complaints, we can talk to Village Chief Qi in private.
Let’s not cause discord, after all, we live together and see each other all the time.”
“I understand,” Zhang Qingshan said, choosing not to stoop to Li Mingkai’s level.
Sister Wu shared the sour dates He Tiantian had brought with everyone, including Lin Xiaoru, Huang Jingli, and Li Mingkai who were in the room.
But Lin Xiaoru, angry because of He Tiantian’s arrival and the resulting quarrel with the other young people from the city, threw the sour dates out of the window.
Huang Jingli and Li Mingkai, not wanting to waste them, secretly ate them.
Seeing Lin Xiaoru acting like a spoiled brat and throwing away the sour dates, Sister Wu didn’t say much; she just picked them up and ate them herself.
This wasn’t like being at home where food could be wasted.
With Lin Xiaoru’s personality, she wouldn’t appreciate food until she was starving.
He Tiantian had made acquaintances with the other young people from the city, who were much better compared to Huang Jingli and Lin Xiaoru, agreed to visit often in the future, and then took her leave.
