The Sweetness of the Seventies-Chapter 51 - Having an Elder at Home_1
Chapter 51: Chapter 51: Having an Elder at Home_1
Chapter 51 -51: Having an Elder at Home_1
Although Village Chief Qi said they had evaded trouble this time, Zhou Sihai’s team left every village they passed through with a required inspection, needing to cooperate with further investigations.
These people would be like flies, frequently buzzing around Qijia Village in the future.
They couldn’t kill anybody, but they sure were an annoyance!
If it was found today that Qijia Village hadn’t earnestly carried out labor and thought reform, then endless reeducation awaited the villagers.
Village Chief Qi’s position as the party branch secretary was not secure, and he may well become a subject of reeducation himself.
He Tiantian understood Village Chief Qi’s feelings; life in Qijia Village would not be so peaceful from now on.
But thankfully, they had safely made it through today and could be doubly careful in dealing with outsiders in the future.
He Tiantian pondered her past life and seemed to recall that none of this had happened—Qijia Village had always been peaceful.
Now it seemed, as she changed things, some events also changed, and she couldn’t view problems with the same unchanging perspective.
She must look at things with an evolving viewpoint.
To achieve this, she had to understand the movements of every person in the village.
“Village Chief Qi, the most important thing now is to find out who reported us,” He Tiantian suggested, “and secondly, we must properly arrange the work for those undergoing labor reform.”
“Girl Tian is right,” Village Chief Qi said, still frightened, “since you often work with the livestock, Old Man Bai is your responsibility.
When you work, find him something he can manage to do too, so no one catches him in the act.”
“I understand, Village Chief Qi,” He Tiantian replied, noting that everyone else was easy to deal with, but Old Man Bai required constant attention because his broken leg prevented him from working.
Village Chief Qi wiped the sweat from his forehead, leaving streaks of grime.
The harsh sunlight added a few more lines of hardship to his already weathered face.
He Tiantian guessed that Village Chief Qi’s heart must be heavy.
He had always worked hard for the welfare of the village, but now he was wounded by the betrayal of his own people.
After Village Chief Qi left, He Tiantian made sure Old Man Bai was settled in before going to the kitchen to prepare meals for them, then returned to Third Grandma Qi’s house.
When Third Grandma Qi saw He Tiantian return unharmed, she finally let out a sigh of relief and said, “Girl Tian, you’re finally back, I was so worried.”
Girl Tian liked to help people if those who had been sent down were found to have issues, it might also implicate Tiantian.
She wanted to assist, but given her inferior social status, she really had no say in the matter.
Every time something like this happened, Third Grandma Qi would hide at home, afraid to show her face, worried that she too might be pulled out for reeducation.
Alas, her small stature and old bones couldn’t handle being tossed around anymore!
“I’m fine, Grandma Qi,” He Tiantian said as she set down her carrying basket and smiled lightly, “Village Chief Qi has arranged everything well.
As long as everyone works hard, those people from Taoyuan’s commune won’t find anything amiss.”
After listening, Third Grandma Qi took a long while before responding gravely, “Girl Tian, you must be careful, our Qijia Village may not be peaceful for much longer.
When you work or do anything, always be cautious and don’t cross the line.”
The outside was too frightening!
“Why do you say that?” He Tiantian asked, not believing that Third Grandma Qi was just an ordinary old lady, eager to hear Grandma Qi’s advice.
“Alas, our Qijia Village is right at the edge of Taoyuan County, the most remote area.
Crossing mountains and ridges, it takes half a day to get here from the county town.
Even in severe situations of the past, we were hardly affected, with no one bothering to come here.
Only a few days after those reassigned officials arrived, they attracted these people.
There are only two possibilities: on one hand, perhaps those officials offended someone high up and are being punished; on the other hand, it might be that people within the village want to use these officials to bring down Village Chief Qi.”
My goodness, He Tiantian was shocked!
Without even stepping outside her door, Third Grandma Qi was able to think so clearly and analyze the situation accurately.
She truly was not an ordinary old lady.
“Grandma Qi, you guessed right, that’s impressive.
It turns out that some villagers wrote complaints.
That’s why people from the county commune rushed here for a surprise inspection,” He Tiantian said in amazement, realizing the truth in the saying, ‘Having an elder in the house is like having a treasure.’ Sometimes they can deduce the approximate truth based on experience.
Third Grandma Qi smiled, waved her hand, and said with a wry smile, “Yes, everything’s in chaos now, and so are people’s hearts.
Nowadays, some will stop at nothing to achieve their goals.
It’s less troublesome if someone in the village filed the complaint; after all, it’s an internal issue, and with a thorough and careful investigation, we can always find out who it is.
But if someone high up has a grudge against those reassigned officials, that’s a bigger problem.
After all, that’s beyond the reach of Qijia Village, and we’re powerless!”
Originally feeling heavy-hearted, upon hearing Third Grandma Qi’s words, He Tiantian suddenly saw things in a new light, realizing that, compared to dealing with high-level manipulations, handling those beneath was easier, as they were closer and easier to investigate.
“Grandma Qi, you really have profound insight!” He Tiantian gave a thumbs up, genuinely admiring the old lady.
“What profound insight?
It’s just basic human nature,” Third Grandma Qi replied.
“Enough talk, hurry up and eat.
After the meal, go to work.
With the commune people here today, nobody in the village will dare to skimp on their work; everyone will put in a good effort.
If you’re not proactive, you’ll be labeled a laggard.”
“Okay!” He Tiantian agreed, had a meal with Third Grandma Qi, and then, carrying a bamboo basket, headed to the back hills.
It turned out just as Third Grandma Qi had said: villagers who usually dawdled were now hurrying along, not daring to lag behind for an instant, not wanting to become the object of re-education.
There were no voices or laughter in the village.
The whole village seemed enveloped under a dim grey sky, eerily quiet and oppressively uncomfortable.
He Tiantian, too, felt the effects and, remembering Third Grandma Qi’s words, took extra care to be as diligent as the others, hurrying along, eager in her work.
When He Tiantian reached the woodland at the entrance to the village, she ran into Qi Jianguo riding a bicycle.
This was the last person He Tiantian wanted to see.
She had been avoiding him, but how had she run into Qi Jianguo again today?
With her head down, He Tiantian quickened her pace, but no matter how fast she walked, she couldn’t outpace two wheels; Qi Jianguo caught up with her.
“Tiantian…
Tiantian…” Qi Jianguo called out hastily, “I’m sorry for the other day.
It was my uncle’s failing memory that caused your letter to be forgotten.
Next time he gets a letter, I’ll deliver it to you myself, to avoid him forgetting again and to ensure you get your family’s letters as soon as possible.”
If this had been her previous life, He Tiantian might have believed Qi Jianguo’s words and even felt grateful to him.
But now, He Tiantian would rather die than believe that Qi Shuli had purposely hidden her letters.
All the other sent-down youths had received theirs, so why forget hers alone?
Qi Shuli wasn’t old, and he wasn’t senile.
Considering what Qi Jianguo had done in her past life, even if she was a fool, she wouldn’t believe his words.
