With a clang, Grandma Lin was equally startled.
She clutched at her chest, instinctively taking a step back, her eyes meeting Xiaofeng’s and noticing the latter’s were cold and detached, nothing like what you’d expect from a twenty-year-old girl.
The words lingering at her lips just wouldn’t come out, she, she....
Gao Fangzhou and Lele were also intimidated by Su Xiaofeng’s icy demeanor, never expecting her to become so frightening when angered.
Wu Yifan merely smiled.
Ershun didn’t find it strange.
"Grandma Lin, you’re an elder, and I wouldn’t have disrespected you if you hadn’t been so undignified. If you want us all to save face, you better leave quickly."
"Su Xiaofeng, that money was originally my mother’s; what right do you have not to return it?" And mom, why did she give her so much money.
"Then let her ask me for it herself, I want to see if she has the nerve to come forward," Xiaofeng snorted lightly.
Grandma Lin, looking at Xiaofeng and then meeting Su Peng’s bull-like glare, felt a palpitation: "Su Xiaofeng, just you wait. You won’t end well."
So young and yet so mixed up with so many men, what good could come of it in the future.
"I don’t know if I’ll have a bad end, but it seems like it’s not too bad right now," Xiaofeng’s red lips curved slightly: "Have you had dinner yet? If not, I don’t mind if you have it here before leaving."
"Pheh," Grandma Lin, taking Lin Yue and Lin Jing with her, turned and left: "Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. Even though Jianguo is in trouble, our family isn’t so poor that we can’t afford food."
This Su Xiaofeng, truly too arrogant.
"No need to see you out."
"After the Lin family’s trouble, Grandma Lin is still as strong as ever, impressive," Ershun remarked with a sigh.
"With Lin Jianguo in trouble and Luo Yuzhu locked up for a month, those three will be without their mainstay for a while; no telling what trouble they might stir up." Wu Yifan stood up: "It’s getting late; let’s all head back."
"Right, we should go too," Gao Fangzhou and Lele, though still in school, knew it wasn’t proper to stay at Su Xiaofeng’s too late.
Besides, what that old lady said was too nasty.
Mei Sanying was getting ready to clear the table, but Su Peng stood up to help: "Auntie, let me do it. You take a rest."
Mei Sanying put down her work and sat next to Xiaofeng: "Girl, don’t take that old woman’s words to heart. Not everyone will have such filthy thoughts."
"Auntie, I didn’t take her words to heart." Of course, Xiaofeng wouldn’t be bothered by Grandma Lin’s words. Whether it was Wu Yifan or Gao Fangzhou, they were just her friends.
"Auntie can tell you’re meant for great things, and that’s why you don’t sweat the small stuff. Auntie bets that you’ll surely fly out of here someday, and head to the big city." Mei Sanying certainly understood that Xiaofeng wasn’t the type to flit from man to man, looking for connections.
Xiaofeng handled things with grace, was kind-hearted, and smart. A girl like that was surely not meant to stay here forever.
"Auntie, I’m just a country girl; you’re overestimating me," Xiaofeng chuckled softly, her hands naturally resting on her stomach, gently caressing: "Right now, my greatest wish is for him to be safe and sound."
"Seeing you in good health and high spirits, he will definitely be safe and sound."
To meet the factory’s needs, He Ximei and Guaizi stopped farming their land, focusing entirely on drying radishes.
Of course, they had planted Five Finger Peppers up in the mountains, but those didn’t need much care—just the occasional fertilization and watering, and they could harvest when the time came, with little trouble.
After a few days of learning to drive, Su Peng was driving back slowly with Xiaofeng.
To be honest, it was his first time driving, and he really didn’t dare to go as fast as Xiaofeng, but she seemed unconcerned, not worried at all.
If Xiaofeng wasn’t afraid, then he certainly needed to be cautious.
Little did Su Peng know, Xiaofeng dared to sit there because Xiaoqi hadn’t given her any safety warnings. Without any alerts from Xiaoqi, the road ahead was sure to be safe.
"Hey, isn’t that Pengzi?" As soon as Su Peng stopped the car, Su Wu came up to him: "It really is you. I heard from your mom that you were better, but I was a bit skeptical. Now that I see you driving by yourself, I have to believe it, Pengzi, you’re doing great."
Su Wu was genuinely envious. Look at him; once his head cleared up, he already had a car to drive.
Su Peng chuckled, "It’s all thanks to my sister’s blessings, without her, my illness wouldn’t have been cured, and I wouldn’t be able to drive now."
"Xiaofeng." Su Wu greeted Xiaofeng, "I heard the factory you work at pays well. Can I work there too?"
Working in the fields at home all year round doesn’t pay much, but factory jobs offer higher wages, and who knows, maybe I could earn even more.
"Of course you can." Su Wu wanted to go, so naturally, Xiaofeng had no objections, "I’ve always wanted to invite you, but I was afraid to ask because I thought you might not be interested."
"Alright, then I’ll get ready to head down with you guys tomorrow," Su Wu chuckled.
"Xiaofeng, with Su Wu going, I’m afraid quite a few of the village’s young people will want to follow."
"No problem, our factory is actually looking to hire people. If they’re willing to go, all the better. We’re all from the same village; it’s best if we can take care of each other." Although everyone is from the same village, and some situations might be all too familiar, it’s good that she isn’t in charge of management, she only has to oversee the broader direction, while others handle the details.
As soon as Su Peng got out of the car, the villagers who had heard the buzz gathered around, staring at him as if he were a curiosity and chirping at him, "Pengzi, is your mind really better? Do you remember who I am? You don’t have amnesia, right?" Su Wenqing patted Su Peng’s shoulder; good grief, he hadn’t seen him for a few days, and he really did start to look like a man.
"You’re Uncle Wenqing," Su Peng replied, giving Su Wenqing’s shoulder a pat in return: "It’s really better. I recognize everyone."
He hadn’t lost his memory. Not only had he not lost it, but he also remembered everything that happened during the time his mind was in poor shape.
He found it somewhat unbelievable himself; how could he remember those past events so clearly? Moreover, since his recovery, his memory seemed to be exceptionally good.
He didn’t dare tell Xiaofeng that he seemed to remember the characters after just one look; was this some kind of compensation from the heavens?
"I think he speaks clearly and logically. He must be better," Su Wu said, looking at Su Peng from within the crowd. He used to think Su Peng was an idiot, insignificant.
Only now did he realize that Su Peng was truly tall and strong, an imposing figure when he stood among others, not someone to be underestimated.
"They say someone who survives a great disaster is destined to good fortune thereafter. You, my boy, will certainly have boundless luck in the future." Great Uncle was pleased to see Su Peng had truly recovered.
With Su Peng better, Guaizi’s family would definitely have better days ahead.
"Great Uncle, as for luck, I still need your help to look out for a suitable girl," He Ximei said, watching her son stand among the village folk, feeling indescribably happy.
From now on, her son would be a true man, standing tall and firm.
"Looking at this boy’s stature, who’d worry about him not finding a good girl in the future?" Great Uncle looked at Su Peng’s tall and strong frame and sighed with emotion.
Looking around the entire village, Su Peng was probably the tallest, reaching about one meter eighty, tall and not just tall, but also strong, epitomizing the saying ’tall and robust.’
"Mom, there’s no rush with that. Right now, all I want to do is earn more money. I’ve just recovered, and you’re already pushing me to get married; can’t you let me live in peace for a while?" He didn’t want to think about the past twenty-some years; he just wanted to focus on the future.
"You child, it’s just that I’m worried, too."
"Tomorrow, I’m going to Xiaofeng’s factory to work. If there are others in the village who want to come along, they should join us and follow Xiaofeng down tomorrow," Su Wu shouted in the midst of the crowd.
There aren’t a few young people in the village tending the fields, and if others wanted to join, it might just be a good opportunity to make money.
"I’ll have my Honghong go as well."
"Right, mine will go too."
With Su Wu’s shout, four people indicated they wanted to follow along.
"Brother Su Wu, gather the people who want to head down together at my place tonight. I’ll explain the work situation to them, and they can decide for themselves whether they want to go or not." Of course, some things need to be explained in advance.
"We can handle the dirty and tiring work; as long as there’s a wage to be earned, it’s better than going out of province to work, where you can’t come back whenever you want."
Speaking of hiring workers, He Ximei also started to think about recruiting: "Xiaofeng, we have a lot more dried radishes at home now, and your dad and I simply can’t manage it all by ourselves. We also want to hire a few workers to help out. I’ve done the math; at 15 yuan per person per day, hiring three workers should just about cover it."
With the increased volume, she and Guaizi simply couldn’t keep up, and the most important point was that the pickling and drying process was crucial. If the final taste was affected due to insufficient staffing, it would definitely be a loss.
"Mom, I think that’s a good idea. Auntie seems like a great choice; we can ask if she’s interested."
"She’ll definitely be interested." Uncle Wenqing’s children were still young; it wouldn’t be practical for her to go out to work. Being able to make money at home, she would surely be willing. As for Wenqing, although he earns higher wages working occasionally at the mine, after all, it comes with a certain element of risk.