"What are you people doing? Trying to bully us orphans because you have more people!" Liu's widow shouted even louder as she approached.
Gu Shoufu ignored her. He turned to his three sons and said, "The three of you beat them soundly today. I'll take responsibility if anyone dies. But you are not to bully our family!"
"Dad..." Chen Lishu's eyes welled up at his words, and her already red eyes became even more so.
Following Gu Shoufu's orders, the Gu Xingguo brothers unleashed a barrage of punches and kicks on Liu Dabao. Liu Dabao couldn't take it, squeaking and yelping like a cornered rat.
At first, Liu's widow thought the Gu family would show some restraint in front of so many people. Who knew they would actually hit him hard?
This whole mess started because of her. Chen Lishu had caused her to be taken to the police station and fall seriously ill. She couldn't stomach the injustice and decided to ruin Chen Lishu's reputation once and for all. Once Chen Lishu was labeled a slut and kicked out by the Gu family, she would then have her eldest son marry her. As her daughter-in-law, she could then mold Chen Lishu as she pleased.
Alas, her grand plans were met with a harsh reality.
Not only did Chen Lishu not cry and swallow her pride, but she also nearly killed Liu Dabao. The Gu family men were even more ruthless, intending to beat him to death.
"Sister-in-law, please tell them to stop. If they keep beating him like this, Dabao will die. We've been neighbors for decades. You've all watched Dabao grow up. He's still a child; he speaks without thinking."
Li Xiulan twisted her body, avoiding the hand that reached for her. "Dabao is eighteen, a few months older than our Lishu. He's still young; does he know how to ruin someone's reputation? You can't educate your child, so we'll help you. And you don't even need to thank us. What are you shouting about?"
Chen Lishu watched as Liu Dabao was beaten black and blue, his pleas for mercy growing weaker. If he were to actually die, it wouldn't be worth going to court for such a person. After a moment's thought, she said to Gu Shoufu, "Dad, let's stop."
Just then, the village secretary and the team leader arrived. Hearing Chen Lishu's words, they quickly intervened. "Elder Brother Gu, we all live in the same village. He's a bit of a scoundrel, but it's not worth killing him. How about he apologizes to the third son's wife? We all know what happened, and no one will think otherwise."
The crowd joined in the劝说, and Gu Shoufu finally called his three sons to a halt.
Liu Dabao, injured all over, forced himself to endure the pain and apologized to Chen Lishu. The farce finally came to an end.
Everyone returned to work. The damaged crops would be deducted from the work points of the two culprits, Liu Dabao and Lu Chengming.
After this incident, everyone knew that Chen Lishu was not to be trifled with. The Gu family was even more so.
Therefore, when Chen Lishu asked for leave from Captain Sun Yuzhu, Sun Yuzhu agreed without hesitation.
"Is one day enough? If you have an urgent matter, two days are fine too."
Chen Lishu smiled and thanked him, "Thank you, uncle. One day is enough."
Tomorrow was the day she and Zhou Bin had arranged to deliver the goods. One day was sufficient.
Sun Yuzhu watched her retreating back, feeling a sense of emotion: truly, one should not judge a book by its cover.
Such a pretty girl, and so ruthless when she acted.
Since she had already asked for leave the day before, Chen Lishu did not go with everyone to weed the fields the next morning. Instead, she carried two thousand hair flowers to town.
Upon arriving behind the designated department store, Zhou Bin was already waiting. This time, it was slightly different. His usually calm and collected face showed a hint of eagerness.
"Brother Zhou arrived quite early," Chen Lishu greeted him with a smile.
"My home isn't far from here, so I just arrived not long ago," Zhou Bin replied with a smile. He took the hair flowers she handed him, glanced at their quality, and said, "I trust you, so there's no need to count them."
He counted out two hundred yuan for the two thousand items. "The fifty from last time counts as a deposit. I'll be going to the provincial city next month. Can you try to make a bit more during this time?"
He worked at the supply and marketing cooperative. The last time he had gone to a neighboring county with the bureau's vehicle, the thousand hair flowers were quickly sold for fifteen cents each. This showed him that there was a significant market demand for hair flowers.
This time, when he went to the provincial city, the price would definitely be higher than in the county town.
Chen Lishu nodded. "I'll try my best."
After all, she still had her duties to the production team, and she needed to make time for studying. For these past two times, to show Zhou Bin her sincerity and to retain this stable customer, Chen Lishu and Zhang Qin had been working overtime. However, handmade goods were not the same as machine-made. These past few days, she noticed everyone had dark circles under their eyes.
This made her even more eager to buy a sewing machine. This way, her efficiency could at least double.
After bidding farewell to Zhou Bin, Chen Lishu went to the department store. The first floor housed daily necessities, while the second floor was the premium goods section. Many large items such as bicycles, sewing machines, and radios were displayed on the second floor.
After going upstairs, Chen Lishu quickly found the area selling sewing machines. She purchased a Shanghai-made Butterfly brand sewing machine for one hundred and fifty yuan plus a sewing machine coupon.
After she paid the money and handed over the coupon, when it was time to pick up the item, she realized with a belated thought that she couldn't possibly carry such a large sewing machine back.
The salesperson saw her predicament and whispered to her, "Comrade, if you don't want the hassle, I can help you find a tricycle. Delivery within the city costs fifty cents. If it's further out, it depends on the distance."
It was clear this salesperson was accustomed to such situations, knowing the rates perfectly.
Chen Lishu truly did not want the trouble of making a second trip. Firstly, she didn't have the time. Secondly, to get a sewing machine, she didn't want to bother the production team's horse-drawn cart. It would be too much of a fuss.
So, Chen Lishu readily agreed. Soon, the salesclerk introduced her to a tricycle driver in his forties.
They agreed on a price of one yuan and fifty cents, and the driver safely transported the sewing machine to her home.
The driver first helped her load the sewing machine onto the tricycle. Chen Lishu then found a spot on the passenger seat next to him, and they set off back to Qingshan Village.
Not long after leaving the town, a figure in army green suddenly appeared in Chen Lishu's field of vision.
Perhaps due to his height and long legs, the figure in army green moved quite fast. In a short time, the distance between them closed to twenty to thirty meters. Chen Lishu could finally see the person's face clearly.
He had deep eyebrows and wide eyes, a very spirited soldier. Chen Lishu frowned slightly at his appearance. She felt he looked somewhat familiar but couldn't recall where she had seen him.
The man, being very perceptive, caught her gaze. His sharp eyes darted towards her, startling Chen Lishu.
It was like a student caught daydreaming by a teacher in class. Chen Lishu quickly averted her gaze, but her heart pounded like a drum, thudding incessantly.