Chapter 273
who drew the slots said they’re selling them for fifteen yuan each. That’s the going rate for years now. Those two aren’t wealthy; they don’t even have thick blankets or proper clothes for winter. How could they afford to buy these slots?”
Su Xiaoxiao thought about it and decided to share what Jiang Yexun had told her. Tao Junlan and Qian Siyu were shocked and immediately jumped up from the kang.
“Is she really that bold? If she’s caught, she could lose her life over this!” Tao Junlan exclaimed.
Su Xiaoxiao didn’t argue but sighed as she looked at them.
Qian Siyu bit her lip, clearly struggling with her emotions. Su Xiaoxiao guessed what she was grappling with and quickly said, “If you’re feeling pressured, it’s okay if you don’t want to keep an eye on them. I’ll find other ways to monitor them.”
“It’s not about feeling pressured. What she’s doing is illegal and will harm all of us female educated youth. It’s not just our dormitory but the nearby villages that will suffer because of her,” Tao Junlan said angrily, pacing around the room.
“Is she really that clueless? Does she think she can hide this? The people in the production team already dislike us educated youth, believing we’re taking their food and doing less work. The first couple of years, there were so many issues when we came to the countryside. It took a lot of effort and lives to make the local men wary of mistreating us. Now she’s trying to collect money and stir up trouble again. She thinks she can hide this? Even if the women in the production team don’t report it to the police, they’ll find other ways to deal with her.”
Qian Siyu’s face turned pale as she heard this. She stood up quickly and said, “We can’t let her succeed. If she does, we’ll be helpless against the pressure from those men.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t let her succeed,” Su Xiaoxiao assured, her expression serious.
She hadn’t considered this angle before, given Jiang Yexun’s formidable presence in the production team, but Tao Junlan’s concerns were valid. This issue was not just a minor inconvenience; it was a serious threat to their safety and stability.
“Xiaoxiao, don’t worry. We’ll keep a close watch on Dong Jiaxuan and Pan Yongsheng and make sure they don’t notice us,” Tao Junlan promised.
Qian Siyu, despite her dislike for Dong Jiaxuan, didn’t want to see her harmed. “Isn’t preventing them from succeeding enough? Do we have to catch them in the act? That way, Dong Jiaxuan will be in real trouble.”
Tao Junlan rolled her eyes. “You’re too soft-hearted. Stopping Dong Jiaxuan once doesn’t solve the problem. If she’s willing to break the law for a few yuan now, she’ll keep finding ways to cause trouble. We can’t always be on guard, and one day, she’ll inevitably cause trouble that will affect us.”
Su Hongchen, overhearing Tao Junlan’s words, shifted his gaze from his sister to her.
The two’s gazes collided perfectly.
Su Hongchen showed no reaction at all, but Tao Junlan was hit hard by his handsome face, causing her cheeks to flush bright red, like a peach in autumn, ripe enough to squeeze out juice.
Seeing her like this, Su Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but let her eyes wander between the two. Although Tao Junlan had spent years farming under the sun, giving her skin a rougher, darker tone, her features were undeniably beautiful. She had a high nose, large bright eyes, and a round, full face that made anyone who looked closely reluctant to look away.
However, aside from a glimmer of approval in Su Hongchen’s gaze, there was no sign of any other emotion. That approval even felt a bit like how a superior would regard a subordinate.
Sure enough, someone deserves to be single; their mind holds not even a shred of romantic feelings.
Su Xiaoxiao sighed helplessly in her heart but didn’t intend to meddle in their affairs.
“Thank you for your help,” she said with a grateful smile to Tao Junlan.
Tao Junlan waved off her thanks. “Don’t be so polite. We should be grateful to you. If your boyfriend hadn’t heard about this, we might have ended up causing harm to ourselves.”
She then turned to Qian Siyu. “Don’t be soft-hearted this time. Don’t tell Dong Jiaxuan or Pan Yongsheng anything. They’re inherently bad, and no amount of punishment or scolding will change that. If we don’t remove these toxic elements from the educated youth dormitory, they’ll eventually destroy us all.”