kvmb Chapter 267 A small tree will not grow straight unless it is cultivated
Chapter 267 A small tree will not grow straight unless it is cultivated
Qiao Manman asked again, "Where is your fake son? I haven't seen any of his family."
The old man laughed heartily, and Tao Yingzhen pursed her lips slightly. After a long while, the two of them said, "We were relegated to other production teams."
The area is remote, the land is barren, and the atmosphere within the team is poor.
Petty thefts and fights occur from time to time, but the brigade leader does nothing; he only flatters the powerful and bullies the weak.
Although the authorities did not convict the Qiao family, who would leave the bustling city of Suzhou for no reason and settle down in such a remote rural area?
Without even thinking, it's obvious that either there's something wrong with his identity, or he's offended someone.
Therefore, they were ruthless in dealing with outsiders, and in just two months, they broke Qiao Zhicheng's leg.
Jiang Xiaomei was not spared either; she was not only harassed by the single men in the village, but also bullied by the women.
It was common for her to be given dirty water, assigned heavy work, given fewer work points, and given broken farm tools.
During the autumn harvest, she would rub the corn kernels off the cob, only to have them taken away by someone else.
When they sought redress from the team leader and the scorekeeper, they were only scolded for being lazy and cunning. Life was unbearably miserable.
Their son also had a hard time, not only having to gather pig feed every day but also frequently getting injured.
The village children banded together and couldn't stand the "young master" being so arrogant, so they beat him up for several days in a row until he submitted.
Nowadays, Qiao Lihui is just a little quail who won't fight back or talk back when insulted. Anyone can kick him if they want.
Given his dire situation, Qiao Zhicheng couldn't just sit idly by and wait to die. The day after his leg was broken, he begged the villagers to take him to the Xiahegou production team.
"Father, please save me! If I stay in that hellhole any longer, I'll have to go see my great-grandmother sooner than expected!"
Qiao Lingyue was in a dilemma: "Son, we came to the countryside to take refuge. It's already good enough that we've survived."
If we were in Suzhou, Father could still ask his old friends for help. But now, Father can't even protect himself!
Seeing Qiao Zhicheng's gloomy expression, he changed the subject: "How about this, I'll go and beg Captain Song to see if we can transfer your whole family over!"
Qiao Zhicheng's eyes lit up: "Good, good, Father, go quickly, I'll wait here!"
Turning to Tao Yingzhen, he asked, "Mother, do you have any money on you? I promised to give each of my brothers two yuan before they would send me here!"
Tao Yingzhen asked in surprise, "Didn't you go to the countryside with a salary? How come you've spent it all so quickly?"
Qiao Zhicheng's eyes darted away: "My savings were stolen in the car. Xiaomei had a dozen or so yuan on her, but after buying some household items and food, there wasn't much left."
Tao Yingzhen sighed, "Where would I get the money? This isn't Suzhou!"
Upon hearing this, the burly man outside the door clasped his hands together, his knuckles cracking as he clenched them.
Tao Yingzhen was terrified they would beat her, and trembling, she pulled out a wad of loose change from her handkerchief: "This is all Mother has..."
Qiao Zhicheng snatched it away, counted it, and found only seven yuan and fifty cents: "How come there's only this much?"
“You know our family’s situation!” Tao Yingzhen hesitated, reminding Qiao Zhicheng of the committee director who had targeted them back then.
"Besides, we're here to suffer. What kind of talk is it to bring gold and silver valuables!" Tao Yingzhen said this in a low voice so that the burly men outside wouldn't hear.
Qiao Zhicheng exclaimed, as if he'd been injected with adrenaline: "I knew it! My parents had a backup plan. When we go back, we'll be able to eat delicacies and live in a luxurious mansion again, right?"
Tao Yingzhen didn't deny it, thinking to herself, "That's not necessarily true. Once the wind stops, we will naturally take Young Master Zhen back."
As for you, this imposter, you're better off staying in this remote, impoverished place.
Not long after, Qiao Lingyue returned and said that Captain Song disagreed.
"Third brother, you need to understand that which production team you go to is decided by the leaders. As a brigade leader, he really can't do anything about it."
"Father, please help me think of a way, I really can't stay here any longer!"
Qiao Zhicheng glanced at the hooligan outside the door and said in a low voice, "Dad, Hanshangang is no place for humans. Their brigade leader leads the bullying, not only harming female educated youth, but also treating us who have been sent down as human beings."
The old folks in the cowshed said they've already denounced and killed several capitalists! Dad, I'm afraid I won't make it back to Suzhou!
Qiao Lingyue pondered for a moment: "Here's what we'll do, you go back with them first, and I'll find an opportunity to go to Hanshangang and talk to your captain!"
Qiao Zhicheng nodded hurriedly: "Okay, okay, Dad, go as soon as possible!"
He was secretly pleased, thinking that his father was still the most reliable person. Little did he know that Qiao Lingyue wished him dead.
That son of a bitch, not only did he pretend to be a rich young master, but he even tried to harm his own son. He'll make him wish he were dead if he doesn't suffer!
Qiao Lingyue got up and examined his injured leg. Determining it wasn't serious, she deliberately pressed on the wound a few times. Qiao Zhicheng winced in pain.
Qiao Lingyue frowned: "This is quite serious! How did you hurt your leg? You might have lasting effects!"
"It wasn't a fall, it was them hitting me! Father, you must avenge me!"
Qiao Lingyue sighed and silently adjusted the patient's bones. It was the first time in his life that he had deliberately misaligned a patient's bones, but he didn't regret it.
They then inserted a few more needles into Qiao Zhicheng's body to make him recover as quickly as possible.
They wrapped the body in rags before letting a few shady-looking young men carry it away.
That evening, Qiao Lingyue was in a better mood and ate half a steamed bun. Half a month later, she took several bags of medicinal herbs to Hanshangang to visit her nominal son.
"Zhicheng, come here, let your father take a look at your legs!"
Qiao Lingyue lifted the gauze and saw that Qiao Zhicheng's legs were bruised and slightly infected. He smiled and curled his lips upward.
"Great, the bones are starting to heal!"
Qiao Lingyue lied without blinking, covered herself with the quilt, and handed the medicine packet to Jiang Xiaomei: "Brew it for him, twice a day, until he finishes it."
"I understand! Dad, I haven't been feeling well lately, could you take a look at me?"
Qiao Lingyue nodded and took Jiang Xiaomei's pulse. He discovered she was over a month pregnant and gave her a mysterious smile: "It's nothing, you're just tired. Take good care of yourself!"
"I understand, Father!"
Qiao Lingyue stood up: "I'll go see your brigade leader, and then go straight back to Xiaohegou in a bit."
"Dad, go quickly! I'll come see you at the stream once my leg is healed!"
Qiao Lingyue waved his hand and strode away. He glanced at Qiao Lihui being bullied by the village children, but only gave him a cold look.
Arriving at the brigade leader's house: "Hello, Captain Zhang, my surname is Qiao!"
Zhang Laizhu glanced at Qiao Lingyue: "What, here to cause trouble? No matter how capable you are outside, once you come to my Hanshangang, you have to take my orders!"
Qiao Lingyue smiled and said, "I didn't mean that! We've come to the countryside for reform, so naturally we have to obey the team's arrangements. It's my good-for-nothing son who's causing trouble for the team!"
Seeing his good attitude, Zhang Laizhu gestured with his chin to the stool next to him: "Sit down!"
Qiao Lingyue pulled out two packs of Daqianmen cigarettes and a 100-yuan note from his pocket: "A sapling won't grow straight if it's not pruned, and my son is lazy, greedy, and cunning. I'd appreciate it if the captain could help me reform him!"