Chapter 396
“This is great! I want to plant pomegranates, jujubes, plums, figs, and two more grapevines,” Su Xiaoxiao said excitedly.
Previously, Su Xiaoxiao hadn’t wanted to trouble her parents, so when Aunt Guo suggested planting some fruit trees, she thought she’d wait until later to plant them herself. But now, thinking about her parents going for a stroll after dinner each day, planting the trees sounded like a nice way for them to get some exercise. Plus, once the trees were planted, they wouldn’t need much care, just some extra fertilizer, and it wouldn’t be too tiring.
“I think you just want to eat, not plant,” Su Hongchen teased, lifting his hand as if he was about to lightly tap her on the forehead. But almost immediately, he noticed Jiang Yexun, who was standing nearby, staring intently at his hand.
Su Hongchen let out a sigh, both amused and exasperated. “What are you staring at? Can’t I even tap my own sister?”
Jiang Yexun didn’t respond, just sighed first. “Fine, I get it. You care about her, so I won’t argue.”
After Su Hongchen finished speaking, Xu Chengzhi and his team stood up as well. “Let’s go. It’s getting dark, and we should hurry down the mountain.”
It was winter, and by five o’clock, the mountains would be completely shrouded in darkness. Wild animals tended to roam around at this time, and encountering one could easily result in injury.
Su Hongchen nodded, and the group quickened their pace as they descended the mountain.
The brigade leader had been waiting anxiously at the foot of the mountain, scanning for their return. As soon as he saw them coming down, he hurried over to greet them. However, when he noticed Lin Hanshui, bound tightly, his expression froze, and his previously fawning smile disappeared.
“Comrade, is this Educated Youth Lin really a spy?” he asked bitterly.
Although he had already suspected the truth, the brigade leader still hoped for some sort of miracle.
Yesterday’s investigation had already put his position as brigade leader at risk, and if another problem was discovered today, he feared not only losing his role but also that his brigade would be ostracized. Any future good fortune or benefits would likely pass them by. Even worse, girls from neighboring villages might no longer want to marry into their village.
Xu Chengzhi looked the brigade leader in the eye and nodded. “Yes, she is indeed a spy. Please gather all the educated youths and any comrades who have had contact with Lin Hanshui. I need to return for some business, but I should be back in about three hours.”
The brigade leader’s eyes reddened at his words. Fearing he might cry, he quickly wiped his face. “Alright, Comrade Xu, don’t worry. I’ll make sure to watch over everyone closely, and there won’t be any more problems.”
“Thank you!” Xu Chengzhi said gratefully, nodding. He left behind four comrades to stay, while he took four others, along with Su Hongchen and the rest, and drove away from the brigade.
As the brigade leader watched them leave, he could no longer hold back his emotions. He covered his face and squatted down in despair.
“Brigade leader! What are we supposed to do now? Our brigade has been exposed with so many spies, and my daughter’s engagement has been called off because of it. That marriage had been arranged since she was a child! Are they trying to force my daughter to her death?”
“Yeah, my son has been studying hard and just qualified for the factory exam in the city. If word gets out that our brigade is involved with spies, my son won’t even be allowed to leave the house, let alone get a job!”
The brigade leader’s head was pounding from all their complaints. But now wasn’t the time to avoid the situation.
He rubbed his eyes hard, forcing the tears back before standing up and scanning the faces of his villagers.
“Alright, none of us wanted things to turn out like this. But now that it’s happened, we need to cooperate with the Public Security comrades and work to salvage our reputation.”