Tian Jing frowned. Had this couple just given up like that?
Zhang Fangcao's body couldn't possibly be so weak that she couldn't even stand steady. This was clearly a deliberate attempt to stage an accident and extort money.
And for the sake of extorting money, they didn't care about the fetus in her belly?
Li Zhengguo and Li Rongguo arrived with the last load of stones and were immediately informed by the commune members about what had just happened.
Li Zhengguo placed the carrying basket directly by the stone pile and walked to Tian Jing's side. "Are you alright?"
Tian Jing looked up and smiled at him. "You always mistake who you should be concerned about."
"I've never been mistaken."
Alright! Tian Jing found that statement very pleasing. "Hurry and ask people to help cover them. These stones are attracting envious eyes."
"Do we have to pay?"
"Then ask the captain."
...
Captain Ou smiled with a hint of malice. "Alright, just wait for me to put on a good show for you."
Zhengguo and Tian Jing had done one good deed after another for the village, and there were always people looking for trouble. Fine, he would cooperate with those troublemakers.
Li Zhengguo was indifferent. "Captain, we can lead the way in paying."
"Let's hold off on this for now and see how things develop."
...
The village loudspeaker crackled to life.
Throughout the year, except for meeting announcements and urging people during the harvest, this money-burning loudspeaker was mostly idle. Today, it was being used for a different purpose.
"Comrade commune members, based on Comrade Zhang Fangcao's reminder, the team has decided to collect stone fees from everyone's households..."
"The stones are from the mountain, they belong to the collective. We must be good commune members who do not embezzle a single needle, a thread, a stone, or a bit of earth from the collective..."
As Captain Ou's words continued from the loudspeaker, the village erupted in thunderous outrage.
Zhang's family's eighteenth-generation ancestors were dug up and cursed repeatedly.
Zhang's elder brother hurriedly tried to close his courtyard gate, but it was too late; the neighbors had already seized it.
"You go find Zhang Fangcao! Why are you coming to our house?"
Zhang's elder brother's words were met with ridicule from the neighbors. "It's because you didn't raise your sister well. She's now using her pregnancy to act recklessly in the village and even entered Li Rongguo's homestead, wanting to fall onto a pile of stones to stage an accident. Who would dare to confront her?"
"Her debt can only be settled by you, your father, and mother. We don't have high demands. No matter how the team collects stone fees, your family can help pay it."
Another group of commune members gathered around. Hearing the neighbors' words, they immediately chimed in.
"That's right, as long as your family helps pay, there won't be any trouble."
"Yes, yes, our demands are simple: as long as your family pays, this matter is settled."
"Exactly. Even if the team only collects a penny, I won't pay. Why should I become a victim of her jealousy? I feel so stifled. Since everyone agrees, I'll reluctantly agree to your family paying. As for this anger, I'll deal with it when I encounter it again. Damn it, I'm suffocating!"
The speaker was a simpleton from the village, known for his bluntness. Most people were unwilling to provoke him, nor did they dare to speak to him, fearing that a single misplaced word would result in a punch. Su Dan Novel Network
Zhang's elder brother dared not respond. He turned back into the house and dragged out his father and mother.
"Father, Mother, you handle this. If you can't handle it well, and I'm pushed to a dead end, I'll disown you and my little sister."
His son's words shocked Zhang's father and mother.
"Son, you can't..."
"Why can't I?" Zhang's elder brother interrupted his mother. "Didn't you educate my little sister? Didn't you choose her husband's family?"
"I said marry far away, away from her former fiancé, but you wouldn't believe me. Don't you know how possessive your daughter is? What, do you expect your ex-fiancé to preserve her purity?"
"Slap!"
Hearing her son's increasingly nonsensical words, Zhang's mother raised her hand and slapped him.
Zhang's elder brother, covering his face, stared at his mother in disbelief. "Get out, all of you get out."
Enraged, Zhang's elder brother pushed his parents out of the house and said to the commune members surrounding the gate, "You go find them for compensation. They didn't raise Zhang Fangcao properly; it has nothing to do with me. Move aside."
The furious Zhang's elder brother grabbed a carrying pole and struck the hands that were holding his courtyard gate.
The neighbors quickly let go. Zhang's elder brother, along with Zhang's sister-in-law, seized the opportunity to close the courtyard gate.
...
Li Zhengguo's house.
Ouyang Lei finished collecting the vegetables and came specifically to bid farewell to Tian Daxia. He overheard the announcement.
"Zhang Fangcao? Li Zhengguo's former fiancée?"
Tian Jing curled her lips. "Brother Lei is well-informed."
"Isn't there a Lin Guangde? Right, have Lin Er Lai and Fang Qiuhong been behaving recently?"
"They haven't bothered me in a long time."
"That's good. Otherwise, I'd beat that Lin Guangde. If he can't even manage his own nephew and niece-in-law, what face does he have to follow... to follow me?"
"Yes, Brother Lei is amazing. Go well, don't let the goods spoil in the heat."
After seeing Ouyang Lei off, Tian Jing closed the courtyard gate. Her family liked peace and quiet.
In the afternoon, Li Zhengguo took his elder cousin to find people to help build the house.
Although the fields needed tending and watering, no one refused when Li Zhengguo asked for help.
Many people came to help build Li Rongguo's house.
Some even offered to lend timber.
The person delivering the timber scratched his head shyly. "Cousin Zhengguo, um, my father wants to build a main hall that is five point five meters wide and wants long beams."
Li Zhengguo pointed to the dozen or so beams he had brought with him. "One for one exchange?"
"No, no, it can be a little less."
"Then how long are the remaining beams at your house?"
"Four point five meters."
"Lend them all to elder cousin. I'll go up the mountain to select timber in a couple of days."
"This, I, I'll go ask my father."
"Okay."
Watching his second cousin's retreating figure, Li Zhengguo squinted. He returned to his own house and found Tiantian on the bed in the west room.
"Tiantian."
"Mm?" Tian Jing opened her dazed eyes. "Zheng Ge."
Faced with Tiantian's appearance, Li Zhengguo lost his self-control and leaned down to kiss her.
The person who was originally sleepy was thus kissed awake.
"Didn't you go to help elder cousin's house?"
Li Zhengguo sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her onto his lap. "Second cousin brought beams, saying his father wants beams for a five-point-five-meter main hall."
"Uncle Li Two plans to build a house now?"
"Probably. Does his family have money?"
"Yes. Fifteen silver dollars. I went to Wu's house, and I thought there were only twenty silver dollars, but surprisingly... I buried them in the dense forest. Li Er Bo's family's, I put them back where they were, planning to get them after dealing with the Wu family."
"Leave two for yourself."
Tian Jing looked puzzled. "Why?"
"Suspicion."
Suspicion?
Tian Jing leaned back forcefully, pressing him down, then turned and kissed him herself.
Li Zhengguo happily accepted.
After being released, Tian Jing gently tugged his earlobe. "You're too insidious, and I like it very much."
Li Zhengguo looked up and kissed the person lying on his chest. Since she liked it, he'd let her like it more.
"Cousin uncle, cousin uncle."
Da Mai's voice from outside the door interrupted the two of them.
Li Zhengguo hugged Tiantian and sat up together. "It's still better in the mountains."
Tian Jing tidied her clothes. "Why don't you say your self-control is too poor?"
"Facing you, I don't need self-control."
He was clearly driven by lust but spoke righteously. This person was becoming more and more shameless.