305: Chapter 215: Payback 305: Chapter 215: Payback Having vented the words she’d been holding back in her heart, Luo Xiaoqiong then pointed to a lush little hill not far away, boasting to Chuxia, “These past few days, having nothing much to do, Xiaoxiang and I went climbing that mountain.
Halfway up the slope, there are lots of wild fruit trees.
The people who live around here are all high-ranking officials, so they definitely wouldn’t bother picking them.
Next fall, how about we go treat ourselves to so fruit, does that sound good?”
Luan Xiaoxiang pouted in dissatisfaction, “You did it on purpose!”
“Uh…” Luo Xiaoqiong’s face showed embarrassnt, “I really didn’t an to.
How about this, you co over next clear autumn, and we’ll treat ourselves together?”
“That’s even less reliable,” Luan Xiaoxiang complained even more, “Autumn is the ti we’re busy harvesting corn and peanuts.
I need to earn work points.
How could I possibly make it?”
“We can go after you’re done with the harvest.
There should still be persimmons and pears by then.”
“That’s so far away, and taking the bus will cost money.
If I dare to co, my grandma would scold every day as if it’s her alti routine.”
“So…” Luo Xiaoqiong looked to Chuxia for help, unsure of how to comfort her.
She suddenly realized that social status can make friendship so hard~
“Pfft!” Luan Xiaoxiang couldn’t hold back a laugh, showing her small canines, “You actually took it seriously?
Let tell you, in our village, there are lots of places with sour jujubes.
When it’s ti to pick cotton, you can walk along the rows and snag a bunch of sour jujubes to snack on while chatting.
That taste… hmm, you wouldn’t understand.”
Luo Xiaoqiong was all black lines.
She had discovered that this apparently honest person was only outwardly so, often mischievously sneaky deep inside.
Chuxia also started to laugh.
It’s only when people are in close contact that they can really understand each other.
Her previous interactions with Luan Xiaoxiang were limited to visiting relatives, when she seed to be a reliable worker who spoke little.
Perhaps it was being far from ho this ti that created an instinctive closeness to her, allowing her true character to fully erge: a mix of straightforward diligence and wry humor.
It was hard not to like Luan Xiaoxiang this way.
An idea suddenly flashed in Chuxia’s mind, and she couldn’t help asking, “Sister Xiaoxiang, when you brought the Ginger Soup to Wang ifeng, you did it on purpose, right?”
Hearing this, Luo Xiaoqiong stared at Luan Xiaoxiang in surprise, “No way?”
“Hehe…” Luan Xiaoxiang laughed sheepishly, looking quite embarrassed, “I saw her when she went to look for my brother-in-law.
I didn’t like what she was doing, hehe…”
Luo Xiaoqiong was speechless and facepald, “Turns out the real clever one is here all along; I even thought I was smarter than you.
Turns out, I’m the real pig!”
Luan Xiaoxiang looked at her seriously, “Don’t talk about yourself like that.
You are smarter than .
I really do struggle with my studies, that’s not an act…”
Luo Xiaoqiong snorted and interrupted her, “Anyway, I need to be more careful from now on, so I don’t end up being sold by you and still help you count the money.”
“Are you really mad?” Luan Xiaoxiang prodded her, with an innocent face, “I genuinely didn’t an to deceive you guys.
I didn’t want to tattle, but I still wanted to help Chuxia, so I resorted to such a silly thod.
Don’t worry, as long as you don’t do anything to betray Chuxia, I’d never do that to you.”
“Whoever betrays Chuxia, I could never do such a thing to her…” Luo Xiaoqiong glared at Luan Xiaoxiang, “By saying that, you’re basically insulting !
And to think I considered you a friend, I’m so disappointed.”
Seeing Luo Xiaoqiong’s somber expression, which didn’t seem feigned, Luan Xiaoxiang was genuinely anxious, her face creasing like a bitter lon, “I didn’t an it that way.
I just blurted it out.
Please, don’t be mad at , okay?”
“From now on, if you have any thoughts, you need to tell us.
You can’t keep your mischievous plans to yourself without letting us know, alright?”
“Absolutely, absolutely…” Luan Xiaoxiang nodded repeatedly, “I was actually planning to tell you guys all along; it’s just that I never found the right mont.”
“You even think you’re in the right,” Luo Xiaoqiong rolled her eyes but couldn’t help laughing again, “However, I like how you are.
Keep it up in the future.”
Luan Xiaoxiang: “…”
Luan Dajiang erged from the yard, his face clearly uneasy upon seeing the three won—it was the kind of unease that n show around won.
“Brother Jiang, where’s Xiaoqing?” These past few days, Luan Dajiang had been hanging out with Zhang Xiaoqing.
Seeing him co out alone made Luan Xiaoxiang a bit puzzled.
“He… he’s talking with my brother-in-law,” Luan Dajiang’s expression turned sowhat despondent.
“You got kicked out?” Luo Xiaoqiong asked with a chuckle.
“No…” Luan Dajiang mumbled, with his head down, doodling circles on the ground with his toe, “He didn’t kick out.”
“Then why do you look like that?” Luo Xiaoqiong sized him up, “You know, every ti my brother sees Zhong Hongying after getting the cold shoulder, he looks exactly like that.”
“Was Xiaoqing inquiring about joining the military?” Chuxia asked.
“Yeah.” Luan Dajiang nodded, letting out a deep sigh, looking even more disheartened.
Most n harbor dreams of joining the military, and he was no exception.
So ti ago, he and his childhood friends from the village, Wang Lin, and Zhang Dongzi, went for a military examination.
Zhang Dongzi had completed two years of junior high school, and with so leniency from the officers, he was accepted.
Both he and Wang Lin only had an elentary school diploma, and the leaders said regretfully that had it been two years earlier, it would have been fine, but now the country had regulations that anyone who hadn’t attended junior high couldn’t be accepted.
After returning to the village, Zhang Dongzi stopped hanging around with him and Wang Lin, as if being seen with them was sothing to be ashad of.
Indeed, after the military examination, wherever Zhang Dongzi went, she received praise, whereas he and Wang Lin were t with sighs wherever they went.
The discomfort in his heart had faded over ti, but today, hearing Zhang Xiaoqing asking about joining the military, he felt an inexplicable pain in his heart.
He blad himself for being too stupid and not working hard enough, having wasted his life.
Heaven knows he dreamt of wearing that green military uniform…
Right then, Zhang Xiaoqing ca out of the courtyard, wearing a delighted smile.
Seeing Chuxia, she hurried over in a few steps, “I asked my brother-in-law, and he said that even if you join the army, it’s the cultural soldiers who have a future.
He told to apply for military school next year.
I’ve decided to study hard and beco the first college student in our family!”
Chuxia laughed, “With your grades, you need to put in more effort.” As she spoke, she sneaked a glance at Luan Dajiang and noticed his head hung even lower.
“Dajiang, why did you co out without waiting for ?” Zhang Xiaoqing nudged him, “I was looking for you all over the house.”
“Yeah,” Luan Dajiang forced a stiff smile, “you were talking to my sister’s husband, and I couldn’t get a word in, so I ca out first.”
“What do you an you couldn’t get a word in?” Zhang Xiaoqing sighed, “Is it because you didn’t pass the military examination this year, and you don’t feel comfortable hearing anything about joining the army, right?”
“Hey!” Luo Xiaoqiong glared at Zhang Xiaoqing unhappily, “You know why he’s upset, yet you have to rub salt into the wound.
It’s not nice to be so inconsiderate!”
“Who’s rubbing salt in his wound?
Could it be that we can’t even ntion the military in front of him from now on?
Do n need to be so petty?”
Luan Dajiang quickly explained, “I’m not petty and angry with you.
It’s just that I’m reminded of being looked down upon by friends in the village, and it hurts.”
“Hey, keeping things bottled up inside isn’t good for you.
I just asked your brother-in-law for you, and he said that in your case, if you really want to join the military, it’s possible.
However, under normal circumstances, you could only serve for three years…”
“Really?” Luan Dajiang grabbed Zhang Xiaoqing’s sleeve eagerly, shaking it, “You an my brother-in-law…
oh, no, my sister’s husband said I can join the military too?”
Zhang Xiaoqing nodded, “Yeah, but the branch might be a bit worse.”
“That’s fine, that’s fine, better or worse doesn’t matter, as long as I can join the army, any branch is okay.” Luan Dajiang’s face turned from dark to a purplish red with excitent.
“Brother, don’t be hasty,” Luan Xiaoxiang tugged at Luan Dajiang, looking at Zhang Xiaoqing, “My brother is a straightforward guy, he’ll take this seriously.”
“Everything I said is true.” Zhang Xiaoqing spread his hands, “If you don’t believe , you can ask my brother-in-law.
He said the army actually likes guys with Dajiang’s stature.
Normally, when recruiting soldiers, those with a lower education level can be accepted, it’s just that the process is a bit more complicated, and general recruitnt leaders don’t want the hassle.
My brother-in-law said that if Dajiang really wants to join the military, he can arrange it, but Dajiang should consider his aunt and uncle’s opinion before making a decision.”
Luan Xiaoxiang nodded happily, “My mom and dad would definitely agree.
They look forward to my brother joining the military every day, not for anything else, but because it makes finding a wife so much easier.”
That was indeed true.
In the villages nowadays, as long as a boy could join the army, finding a wife beca much easier.
Whether or not he could beco a volunteer soldier was another matter; the point was that everyone yearned for it.
Just in case, if a guy could take a wife out of the village, and the whole family beca non-agricultural households, from then on, it would an a complete break from a life of peasant toil.
Luan Dajiang didn’t expect his sister to say such a thing; his face instantly turned red with embarrassnt, “I just want to be a soldier, I’m not thinking about finding a wife!”
“Soday you will have to find a wife, won’t you?” Luan Xiaoxiang pouted, “What our parents are thinking about is definitely this.
If you don’t believe , just ask them.”
Discussing such issues in front of everyone was too embarrassing!
Luan Dajiang was so angered by his sister that he was speechless, but at the sa ti, he was overjoyed by the prospect of joining the military.
For a mont, he stood there with his mouth half-open, a comical expression on his face.
Zhang Xiaoqing sidled up to Chuxia with a sheepish grin, “You don’t mind ddling, do you?”
Chuxia glanced at him sideways, “You’ve already ddled, why ask now?”
“Sis, I’m also doing this to help you.
You once said that your aunt’s family has been very supportive of you.
These past few days, talking with Dajiang, I could tell how much he envies the soldiers.
So, while chatting casually with your brother-in-law, I asked for him.
This kind of thing, if you ask your brother-in-law, no matter whether it’s possible or not, he would have to try to make it happen.
As for , I just asked out of curiosity.
I didn’t expect your brother-in-law to be so smart, he understood my hint right away and gave a definite answer.
Sis, I’ve realized your brother-in-law truly values you.
I was worried about you for being so naive, afraid you wouldn’t please your brother-in-law.
Now I see, I was just worrying for nothing.
(To be continued.
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