Chapter 24: In the Newspaper

When getting off the car at the farm, Ye Xiangdong was still a little confused: "Come on, you are now considered a family member of the chemical plant, go and see our house in the family quarters, and then move in and live with us. We have a stove and coal, unlimited coal, so you can burn as much as you want."

He shouted for a long time, but Su Xiangyu of course didn't look back and just left.

"Did I say something wrong and make the female comrade unhappy?" Driver Xiao Wang said a little nervously.

Ye Xiangdong was still holding a piece of mutton in his hand: "Never mind him, I have a piece of meat here, I have to take it back to my Mu Tie to eat."

"Women need to be coaxed. Mr. Ye, send the new bride back quickly," said the driver.

Ye Xiangdong smiled and said, "It's okay. We're already married now. We have plenty of time to coax her. Let's go our own way."

As soon as he got in the car, he left.

Early this morning, after hearing that Su Xiangyu had gone out, Feng Mingxun had no mood to work for almost the entire day. He had no intention of working at all and just wanted to wait for Su Xiangyu to come back.

I thought she would be back at least in the evening, but it was only after three in the afternoon when Zhu Lin said, "Look, is that Su Xiangyu?"

Feng Mingxun immediately stood up, pushed open the window and looked outside.

When she went out, she was still wearing rubber shoes and a big cotton-padded jacket. When she came back, she was wearing black leather shoes and a red scarf around her neck. Her face was not like other girls' that would turn red when it got hot. Her face was pink and tender, with two big black eyes, which were sparkling against the snow outside.

Looking at her like this, I guess she is going to get a marriage certificate.

Feng Mingxun didn't look at the man who was getting the marriage certificate with Su Xiangyu. He only looked at the beautiful red scarf around Su Xiangyu's neck, which made the ends of her hair stand up.

Angry, aggrieved, and even wanted to cry for a moment.

Or the kind of crying where you sit on the ground and cry your heart out.

However, it was impossible for him to quarrel or curse. After all, he almost made a mistake, and Su Xiangyu saw it clearly. Moreover, she threatened him in person, saying that she would post a big-character poster on him.

"Brother-in-law, how about I go and persuade my sister?" Su Xiangxiu was also in the office, standing behind Feng Mingxun, and said timidly: "I know you don't have bad intentions, but I think my sister misunderstood us."

"Forget it, leave her alone, let's do our own thing."

In fact, can you say that Feng Mingxun had no bad intentions? He definitely had bad intentions. That despicable bad intention started from the first day Su Xiangxiu got in his jeep. She kept hugging the driver's seat, talking in his ear, singing in his ear, and shouting to her brother-in-law to take good care of her and to make sure she could make a contribution as soon as possible.

Originally he was a staunch revolutionary fighter and a flawless public servant, but the moment he met Su Xiangxiu, his seamless egg snapped and cracked.

Then those evil, capitalist thoughts and extravagant ideas created a rift in his originally firm beliefs.

Otherwise, he would not have pushed Su Xiangxiu out again and again and tried every possible way to bring honor to her.

He is now a flawed person, but these flaws can be concealed because of Su Xiangxiu's intelligence and insight.

He is just rotten inside, just like an egg that looks intact, it's only the insides that are rotten, but its appearance is still good.

As long as he gets what he wants, he can still be a determined revolutionary fighter.

And what about Su Xiangxiu? Doesn't she understand the bad intentions he has?

Feng Mingxun thinks not.

A girl who is only one month younger than Su Xiangyu, what doesn't she understand?

However, Su Xiangxiu is different from all the women Feng Mingxun has ever met in this world.

She looks innocent and cute, but her thinking is very clear, that is, no matter what the circumstances, she will give face to the other party and give them a way out.

So, even though he made mistakes, Su Xiangxiu didn't mind. Instead, she would openly help him smooth over his mistakes and cover them up completely.

The reason was that before the spring plowing, Su Xiangxiu wanted to finish her work as soon as possible and return to Shanghai.

And if she wants to go back to Shencheng, she must have him give her a push.

"Let's continue discussing the matter of getting you on the newspaper." Feng Mingxun said after sulking.

The story of Su Xiangxiu bravely saving a herdsman and his child on the roadside on the way to the farm could be put on the front page of the newspaper if Feng Mingxun was willing.

As long as it can be published on the first edition, Su Xiangxiu can be transferred back to Shanghai immediately.

As for Su Xiangyu, she married a rural boy from Tieling, her father was dying, and she only had a stepmother at home?

Feng Mingxun believed that sooner or later she would come back to find him.

Pig shed. Feng Yueba was baking bran pancakes for Xiaoman. She felt that something was wrong with Yu Lei. The young man had been grinning all day.

"Yu Lei, have a wheat bran cake and tell me why you are so happy?" Feng Yueba said.

Yu Lei grinned, took a bite of the bran flour pancake mixed with saccharin, and said sincerely: "Sister Feng, who do you think is closer, my sister or my sister-in-law?"

"Of course it's my sister who's closer. What's so close about sister-in-law?" Feng Yueba said.

Wheat bran was originally food for pigs, but if it is made into pancakes, it will crumble when you bite it.

Yu Lei held the pancakes in his hands and said, "I still feel that my sister-in-law is closer to me. After all, my sister is getting married and she will no longer be a member of our family. My sister-in-law will always be a member of our family."

In fact, Yu Lei and Ye Xiangdong are both from Northeast China, but Ye Xiangdong has a good father who later went to Beijing. His father went there earlier, so he stayed in Tieling until Ye Xiangdong came to Border Town.

Long before Su Xiangyu was still busy feeding chickens, Ye Xiangdong had discussed with Yu Lei that they were going to bring Su Xiangyu together so that they could live a comfortable life together.

So, when Su Xiangyu went out today, she was still Sister Su, but when she came back, she was his sister-in-law.

Let us ask ourselves, would he be happier if Su Xiangyu married Feng Mingxun or Ye Xiangdong?

There was a sound of leather shoes, Feng Yueba looked up and his eyes lit up: "As expected of someone who has entered the city, our Xiangyu is so beautiful today."

Yu Lei's eyes widened as he rubbed the bran on his hands, his mouth almost grinning to his ears: "How is it, sister-in-law, are you happy today? You don't know, I am also very happy today."

"Yu Lei, who do you think is closer, me or Ye Xiangdong?" Su Xiangyu took off her leather shoes and put on her own cloth shoes.

Yu Lei immediately raised his head and said, "We are a family now. What's the difference between being close and not close? You two are equally close to me."

That's right, Ye Xiangdong lied to her, and this guy is his accomplice.

Thinking back now, the reason why she met Ye Xiangdong was because of Yu Lei, who was Ye Xiangdong's fellow villager and the person who had been secretly supporting him with coal, charcoal, food, and sheepskin coats, things that the educated youth in the border town could not get at all.

Ye Xiangdong and Yu Lei were originally brothers in distress.

Su Xiangyu really wanted to use both threats and intimidation to give Yu Lei a good beating.

But she was too busy to talk to him about this right now. Her most important task was to go and see her pigs.

The boar is gaining weight at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the sow's belly is showing signs of bulging. It has only been twenty days since it was raised, and there are still ten days before Su Xiangyu gives herself a military order.

The pigs only need Feng Yueba and Yu Lei to feed them diligently. As for how to prepare them, she is responsible for preparing all the feeds, including appetizers, sterilization, and the use of chemicals to strengthen the pigs' bones. For these things, she only needs to take out books from her bag and study them slowly.

For a female comrade who was once admitted to Tsinghua University, these are really nothing.

However, Su Xiangyu was not in a hurry, but Zhu Xiaojie and Yu Weiwei were worried about her.

"Haven't you heard that Director Feng has suppressed the news about our chicken farming? He plans to write a manuscript about the incident of Su Xiangxiu saving the herdsman's child and send it to the Border Town Daily for the annual selection." Zhu Xiaojie has always been a person who would eat shit even if it meant eating it. Of course, she couldn't stand this kind of thing, and she started shouting as soon as she came in.

Yu Weiwei also said: "Although many female educated youth in our field said that you two sisters don't often spend time together, and it must be you who is making trouble, but I'm telling you the truth, it takes two to tango. If Su Xiangxiu is really as gentle and well-behaved as she appears to be, why doesn't she ever come to see you?"

"How could a girl from the art troupe come to the pig shed? Don't you find the pig manure smelly?" Zhu Xiaojie said again.

The two of them cursed for a long time. Seeing Su Xiangyu still reading with her head down, Zhu Xiaojie grabbed the book and said, "Don't read it. Didn't you hear that your sister is going to be in the newspaper?"

Yu Weiwei also said, "If your sister is in the newspaper, she will definitely be the first to return to the city. I heard that all the educated youth who can be transferred back to the city can be arranged with very good jobs. Xiangyu, forget about us, but you have worked so hard in the border town for two years. Are you going to watch her return to the city before you?"

"Okay, you guys, is the kang ready? Hurry up and heat it up so you don't have to come to me all the time to keep it warm, right?" Su Xiangyu said.

Zhu Xiaojie curled her lips, and Yu Weiwei also shook her head. The girls gathered together for a while, and Yu Weiwei suddenly said, "By the way, after applying the chilblain cream you gave me, all the chilblains on my hands have healed, and my hands and feet are warm all day long. If there is more, I will give you money, can you sell me a bottle?"

Warming cream for hands and feet is actually not expensive, only five or six yuan per bottle.

In order to win excellence for Su Xiangyu, Yu Weiwei, a weak girl, has recently been imitating the male educated youth and carrying stone blocks to make adobe bricks. Her hands are covered with calluses.

Su Xiangyu really wanted to help her, but she had no money left in the system, so she said, "Wait a little longer, I'll give it to you in two days."

Then, she called Gao Zhanguo, Hou Yong and others, and prepared to weigh the pigs again. After all, they had been raised for twenty days, and they needed to see how much fatter they had become.

"This pig has gained 120 kilograms. It now weighs 230 kilograms. Su Xiangyu, this is the fattest pig I have ever seen in my life." After weighing a pig, Hou Yong said, smacking his lips.

Gao Zhanguo jumped out of the pig sty and originally wanted to give Su Xiangyu a big hug, but when he rushed to her, he found that his hands were extremely dirty. Then he looked at Su Xiangyu, who was clean and refreshed. His excitement turned into rubbing his hands on his thighs.

"No matter how much contribution any educated youth in our border town has made to the farm, it cannot compare to Su Xiangyu's contribution. I have to go and talk to our Director Feng today. Your two advanced deeds must be published in the newspaper." Gao Zhanguo said, waving his fist.

Hou Yong touched his head and came over to say, "Su Xiangyu, regarding Yu Weiwei's matter, I have to ask you to apologize to her. I was confused. If there is anything in the future, as long as you give the order, I promise to be at your service. Who asked you to let us eat a few more pounds of meat?"

Of course, a group of male educated youth ran to Feng Mingxun to tell him about this matter as if they were petitioning.

They unanimously requested that Feng Mingxun should write about Su Xiangyu's outstanding deeds when writing the manuscript.

Can raising pigs be less important than saving a herder?

However, as soon as the male educated youth arrived at the office, they poured cold water on Feng Mingxun.

"Su Xiangxiu bravely rescued the herdsmen, but this can enhance national unity. Have you read the words hanging on Tiananmen Square? Long live national unity. We have 56 ethnic groups and what we want is national unity. Eat meat, eat meat, all of you do is eat meat all day long." Feng Mingxun said, slapping the table.

Everyone scolded him, but although what he said was still reasonable, even Wang Hongming felt that his reasoning was a bit hypocritical.

But after all, he was the director, and all major policies and guidelines were led by him. Everyone looked at each other, touched their heads, and then left the office again.

Gao Zhanguo had just boasted a lot, and now he came to Su Xiangyu again, of course he looked very angry: "Su Zhiqing, don't you feel wronged? In my opinion, Su Xiangxiu just saved a herdsman, and her contribution is far less than yours."

"All I want is to feed everyone fat pigs and fatten chickens so that everyone in the border town can eat meat and eggs. As for honor, compared with the stomach, isn't it all external stuff?" Su Xiangyu said expressionlessly, holding the book.

"So you don't want to strive for excellence and don't want to go back to the city?" Gao Zhanguo said.

Su Xiangyu raised her head from the book and said seriously, "I won't leave unless you leave. I will leave after all of you leave."

What could be more touching to the educated youth than words like these?

"If I don't vote for you in this field manager election, I'll be a grandson," said Gao Zhanguo.

Hou Yong said: "Then I am the grandson's grandson."

[Host, come on, your favorability has increased by another 2,000. The host has now taken Border Town as his home, this mentality is very good, you must work hard. ] Of course, the system said very quickly.

"If I can encourage them to rebel against Feng Mingxun and make money, of course I will do my best." Su Xiangyu said this without even bothering to raise her head.

…

In fact, Su Xiangyu only wanted to rebel and become the site manager. She really didn't want to compete with Su Xiangxiu for excellence or to be on the newspaper.

Because indeed, an excellent honorary title is not as important as having enough food and clothing in a border town.

But sometimes she doesn't want to steal Su Xiangxiu's limelight, but somehow, that limelight falls on her. Isn't that infuriating?

It looked like it was going to snow today. Su Xiangyu asked the system for a cup of hot soy milk and was drinking it. She was flipping through a book when Yu Lei arrived.

"Tonight, our Director Feng will hold a meeting in the auditorium to publicize Su Xiangxiu's outstanding deeds. Sister-in-law, let's go and take a look."

"No, I'm too lazy to go." Su Xiangyu said.

"Let's go. I heard that Director Feng will write a manuscript about Su Xiangxiu's outstanding deeds and send it to the newspaper tomorrow. Let's go and listen to Su Xiangxiu's feelings, okay?" Yu Lei said forcefully.

Since I have nothing to do anyway, why not go and take a look?

Although the auditorium was packed with educated youth, everyone's enthusiasm seemed not very high, especially the male educated youth. Although Su Xiangxiu was sitting at the top, everyone obviously no longer had the same enthusiasm for her.

Feng Mingxun sat behind the desk, his mouth facing the loudspeaker, reading the manuscript he had written.

His writing style is so good that even in the future, he can just recite it verbatim without changing a word as long as he gives it to the leader.

In short, it is very much in line with the norms, but the text is also full of humanity. The description of Su Xiangxiu saving the herdsmen and giving them a thermos cup is extremely touching.

When he finishes reading the script, it's time for everyone to applaud.

However, the applause was quite sparse.

But it doesn't matter if there is no applause. Anyway, the manuscript will be sent out tomorrow and will probably be published in the newspaper before the New Year.

But just as Feng Mingxun took off his glasses and was about to say goodbye, suddenly, a child spoke loudly and clearly at the door of the auditorium: "Auntie on the stage, you are the auntie who gave the human trafficker a thermos cup two months ago, right?"

"Ah?" All the educated youth were suddenly shocked.

Su Xiangxiu had been sitting upright, but suddenly she turned her head and saw a child walking towards the podium.

At first, she didn't see the child's appearance clearly.

But when the child came into the light, she could see clearly.

Isn't this the child she rescued when she first arrived at the farm?

"You were the one who saved the human trafficker, right? Hello, Auntie. My name is Mu Tie. You don't know how many more beatings I received before I escaped from him after you saved the human trafficker." The child's voice was crisp, but his words were clear. He put his hands behind his back and shook his little head.

Now, it seems awkward.