"Give me back my nephew! I have plenty of nephews in the entire Fengsheng Brigade. What's so special about your Xie Guolei? Is he gilded or made of high-quality grain?"

"Whatever happens to your wife has nothing to do with me, nor with those other educated youths like Xiao Xie. She brought this on herself! Why are you begging me? Now you know you were wrong, why didn't you think of this sooner?"

"And you lot, a bunch of idiots who talk big without understanding the situation, and you expect me to side with the educated youth!"

"You know my surname is Xie, so why wouldn't I side with you? If I were really going to side with you, you shameless bastards would have already ruined yourselves and were eating peanuts by now! And you're still here pleading for others, what, you think you'll follow suit after you get it?"

"Why should other educated youth have to be ostracized and bullied by you! You're all so old, your brains are practically in a pigsty!"

“Yingzi’s mother, you’re coming with me too.”

"Hey, let's go, Captain."

Yingzi's mother, Lin Yufeng, the women's director, readily agreed. After all, the incident involving Zhang Cuihua and her sister in the morning wasn't a big deal on its own, but if you put the bear eating people and the educated youth being forced to make threats together, it wasn't a small matter.

So the two men and women from Fengsheng Brigade, who were the most persuasive in their conversations, went down the mountain decisively and prepared to ride their bicycles to the commune.

Even if doing so might damage their team's reputation, affect the leaders' impression of Fengsheng Team, and even cause some to say that it would affect Fengsheng Team's chances of being recognized as an advanced unit next year.

But Captain Xie wasn't stupid. Xie Yunshu and the other new educated youths came from respectable backgrounds, and he had no intention of making enemies while ensuring fair treatment. Besides, these new educated youths had only been in the countryside for two days when they received commendations from the county commune, the police station, and the committee. The banners and photos were still hanging on the commune's bulletin board.

You bully an advanced individual and still want to get an advanced brigade award? What a pipe dream!

The educated youth weren't destined to stay in your Fengsheng Brigade forever, sold to you. Do you expect them to give you face so you can be shameless?

Interpersonal relationships are always about mutual benefit and mutual support, and Captain Xie felt that he didn't have as much face as those who were lying.

……

Captain Xie and Director Lin left decisively, and the few people who had been scolded earlier who had pleaded for them were too ashamed to stay and quietly slipped away.

The deputy battalion commander had a good relationship with the battalion commander, with no conflicts and no desire to advance his own position, so he could be described as having no ambitions.

He was usually kind to everyone in the brigade and rarely argued with anyone, but at the same time... he was also not good at talking, and even more principled than the brigade leader.

Left behind, Xie Lao Er, his face ashen, couldn't bring himself to plead for mercy, because his son had once bullied the deputy brigade leader's daughter. Although he hadn't succeeded then, it was because the deputy brigade leader's son had suddenly appeared and chased away Xie Guolei and the other thugs who were blocking his sister.

The deputy captain's family was not as easy to bully as other families, so they were indeed given a hard time for a while. Xie Guolei was hit with a brick and a stick while walking at night and was bedridden for two months.

So, as for retaliation, Xie Guolei's family, being cowardly and bullying the weak, wouldn't dare to do so.

Want to plead for mercy now? You'd be better off sending yourself to your death.

Therefore, Xie Lao Er had no choice but to watch helplessly as the deputy brigade leader arranged for someone to take his wife away again, saying that she would be locked up in a dark room at the brigade headquarters until the commune's decision was made.

As one of the leaders of Fengsheng Brigade, he was bound to protect the rights of all team members and educated youth.

...

After seeing Zhang Cuihua off, the deputy captain arranged for people to protect the two piles of minced meat. Such a serious matter as a human life still needed to be confirmed by higher authorities before it could be classified.

But Xie Guolei, that little beast who escaped the bear's jaws, could still be sent to the hospital first. After all, he was already beyond saving; he'd be crippled even if he didn't die. So the deputy captain felt there was no need to chase the dog into a dead end. Xie Lao Er was ruthless; he might do something unexpected when cornered. Besides, this was already Xie Guolei's retribution.

With a serious expression, Xie Lao Er was allowed to have Xie Guolei carried away. Before they even left the forest, the deputy captain began to appease the educated youth—specifically Yun Shu and the others.

"Xie Zhiqing and the other educated youth comrades, please rest assured that there are absolutely no remnants of the 'Five Black Categories' from the old society in our Fengsheng Brigade. Zhang Cuihua's actions are not only unacceptable to you, but we... will also absolutely not allow them."

“The brigade leader, Director Lin, and I attach great importance to the rights and interests of educated youth. After the commune releases its decision, our brigade will also take follow-up actions.”

"We will never allow Xie Zhiqing to be insulted or schemed against by anyone, and we will not allow anyone to make trouble for Zhiqing. We mean what we say."

Xie Lao Er, who was helping his son down the mountain on a stretcher, heard all these words clearly. He couldn't help but turn around angrily and glare at the deputy captain, only to see that he was also smiling at him and his son with his three tall and strong sons beside him.

Xie Lao Er felt a chill run down his spine, realizing he had stumbled today. He had no desire to continue arguing and could only grit his teeth and lead his son down the mountain to the county hospital.

After all, although his son hadn't been eaten by the bear, he didn't look too good. He only had this one son, and he needed his son to carry on the family line!

……

Xie Guolei, whose brain seemed to be paralyzed by snake venom, startled by a bear, and then struck on the head with a hoe, suffering a brain hemorrhage, was gone. Yang Yue, who had attracted everyone with her screams, was also taken down the mountain in a daze, but the look in her eyes as she left for Yun Shu and the others was full of complex emotions.

An accident occurred during the sweeping operation; a bear injured someone and got blood on its hands, which would increase the danger level, making its aggressiveness unpredictable for a period of time. Therefore, the deputy captain decided to suspend the sweeping operation and send everyone home.

We'll announce it again via loudspeaker when they say it can continue.

After watching the commotion for a while, the team members nodded in agreement with satisfaction. After all, although they didn't gain much, they had certainly had their fill of gossip!

So everyone packed their things and headed down the mountain. Most people went home and continued to discuss the day's events as if they were the main topic of conversation. Only a small number of people were still searching for wild delicacies that had already been looted once at the foot of the mountain. These were people from families that were not well-off.

Yun Shu and the others each had their own thoughts, so they also went down the mountain.

Jiang Xiucheng and the other two didn't intend to tell the two female educated youths the whole story about the two hooligans. There was no need. In case something went wrong, they didn't want to involve Yun Shu and Lin Jingshu either.

They caused this accident, and even if their initial intention was to avenge Yun Shu and the other person, the responsibility should not be shared equally between them and Yun Shu.

So, after exchanging glances, the three male educated youths reached a tacit understanding: they would just have to wait and see what the higher-ups could find out and how they would characterize this incident.

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