Crossing 70: Fish in the Pond Have Good News

Zhuang Shouren had a headache watching the old educated youth and Ma Yanna quarreling again, and was extremely upset.

Ma Yanna had just been frightened by Guan Wenbin's appearance and her legs had gone limp. Now she was angry and anxious. She just lay on the ground and started shouting at the top of her voice, "You old educated youth are as cruel as the landlords. You said you had to hand in your rations if you wanted to eat together. Every day you either asked me to wash clothes or clean the toilet. In addition to working, I also had to do odd jobs for you just to make a living. Now you dislike my cooking and want to kick me out. This is so unfair! You said that you planted the vegetables in the private plot, but I was the one who watered them for the past few months. You said that the dishes I cooked were not delicious, but I picked all the wild vegetables recently. I worked so hard but got nothing for it. If you kick me out, I will hit my head and die in this educated youth courtyard. No one will have a good life!"

She said this in a stern voice, as if she was really ready to bang her head against the wall.

But Jiang Yu saw that her limbs were weak and thought that she was just pretending to be fierce.

However, the others were really shocked by her expression. Chen Xiaohua, who had just righteously wanted to kick Ma Yanna out, immediately shut up and dared not to push her anymore.

If this really drives someone to death, she might even have to eat peanuts!

Zhuang Shouren said irritably, "Alright, what are you dividing? This Youth House was allocated by the team for you to live in. All educated youth can live here! Don't tell me who bought the pot. The village saw that you were in need and sold it to you at a low price. If you still want to argue, ask Youth Ma to make up some money. If that doesn't work! The exchange slip is still there, we will return the money to you and give you the pot back. No one can use it anymore."

"No, no, no, Captain. They just said nonsense because they were angry." Zhao Chunjiang, who had been pretending to be dead, suddenly showed up. He forced a smile to cover up the truth. "It's not a big deal. What matters now is Brother Guan's injury. Zhiqing Ma also couldn't help herself and got into this situation. As long as Brother Guan is okay, we are all educated youth. We must help each other and won't make things difficult for her."

But if something happens to Guan Wenbin, then Ma Yanna will have to take the responsibility herself.

Fang Qianqian thought again of the place where Guan Wenbin was injured. She felt extremely complicated for a moment and went straight back to her room.

Chen Xiaohua, with a calico face, asked Zhuang Shouren for justice, "My face was scratched by Ma Zhiqing, so she should be responsible for this!"

Zhuang Shouren looked at the broken skin and held his breath in anger, "Just tell me how you are going to take responsibility?"

"Pay compensation! I need to go to the hospital to buy some medicine. What if it leaves a scar?" Chen Xiaohua said confidently.

Ma Yanna said, "Okay! Let's go to the hospital, right now! I have to take care of my injuries. I'll pay you and you pay me!"

Chen Xiaohua glanced at her sideways, "What injuries do you have? Show them if you can!"

Ma Yanna was so angry that she stood up with her hands and tried to scratch her again.

He was stopped and pulled aside by a woman watching the show nearby.

Xue Li pinched the sweet potato in his hand and wrinkled his nose. "Go back, go back. This matter is not over yet. There will be more trouble when Guan Wenbin, the hypocrite, comes back."

Jiang Yu also felt bored, and since they couldn't fight even if someone tried to stop them, he turned around and went back to the house with Xue Li.

The other men had no interest in the bickering between the female educated youth, so they left one after another, leaving only the villagers to watch the show.

The next day at work, the aunties' gossip focus shifted to the old educated youth, and of course Ma Yanna, the new educated youth, would not be left behind.

"Now Ma Zhiqing is in trouble. Guan Wenbin is not someone who can be easily fooled. He has hurt that part. Tsk tsk..."

"The biggest thing she can do is marry Guan, an educated youth. Anyway, most of those educated youth look down on us country folks. It's just right for the two of them to get together!"

"Hush! How can that person be happy? Not to mention that Guan Zhiqing is not happy, Fang Zhiqing is not happy either! Even if they are all happy, there is still Hong Xiuxiu..." The aunt who said this blurted out a name, but the next second she covered her mouth and looked around furtively, then shrank her head, not daring to speak nonsense anymore.

Seeing this, the other aunts also lowered their heads and pretended that they were working hard and not slacking off.

Jiang Yu finally heard the person's name, Hong Xiuxiu, a silly girl who was obsessed with Guan Wenbin and gave him warmth from time to time.

Not to mention how worried others were about Guan Wenbin's injury, the instigator, Ma Yanna, prayed for his safety every morning and evening, and she was just short of being a feudal superstitious person and burning incense.

Guan Wenbin came back two days later. Supported by Liu Qiang, he walked back to the room with difficulty.

Ma Yanna was washing clothes in the yard. When she saw Guan Wenbin's condition, she was so scared that her hands started shaking as if she had Parkinson's disease.

During dinner that evening, the atmosphere in the front yard was quite solemn.

Guan Wenbin's meal was prepared by Fang Qianqian specifically for him. It was a bowl of thick white rice porridge with egg drops floating on top. He held the ceramic jar and ate in silence.

Ma Yanna huddled in a corner, biting a steamed bun made of wild vegetables, not daring to pick up her chopsticks.

After a silent dinner, Ma Yanna tiptoed back to her room. The moment the door closed, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

However, no matter how much she wants to escape, what she has to face will always come.

Guan Wenbin lay in bed for three days and was finally able to walk normally. He slapped the hospital bill on the table and said to Ma Yanna, "I won't ask you for more medical expenses, hospitalization fees, and my lost work time. I will only pay you 10 yuan in total. Give me the money now and I won't pursue this matter."

Ma Yanna was horrified. "10 yuan? Where can I get 10 yuan? Brother Guan, I was wrong, I was really wrong, please forgive me... I have no money, I really don't have that much money, my subsidy for going to the countryside was withheld by my family..."

Guan Wenbin's eyes were sinister. He had already downplayed the matter for his own sake. If it could be solved with 10 yuan, then it must not be a big problem. Everyone would think so, right? As for the other problems, whether they were related to the fish soup or not, only he knew it.

"Don't be unreasonable. You dared to overturn the table at that time, so why don't you dare to take responsibility afterwards? Pay me!" Liu Qiang looked even more angry than Guan Wenbin.

Fang Qianqian had an unclear look on her face as she sat on the bench outside her room, listening to Ma Yanna crying about her poverty like an opera.

Their conversation was also heard in the backyard. Several people shrugged and went back to their rooms.

"Brother Guan, please let me off this time. Otherwise, I will pay you back slowly. When the work points are settled at the end of the year, I will pay you back as much as I have. Is that okay? Brother Guan, I really have no money now. You can search my luggage." Ma Yanna was really poor. When she went to the countryside, she only had a thin quilt and a few summer clothes in her luggage. The broken glass jar was originally used to store pickles, but it only had a bottom. She ate all the pickles on the train, and the jar was broken when she got off the train...