Chapter Thirty-Nine: Catching the Culprit

After Han Li finished speaking, he noticed the confused looks in their eyes.

“Didn’t I just mention changing our mindset? My mindset has undergone a complete transformation.”

“Think about it carefully—working in the fields now is tiring, right? You probably feel you’ve never been this exhausted since you were children, isn’t that so?”

Seeing them nod, Han Li continued.

“The reason most people feel tired doing farm work is because they’re still so young.”

“Before coming to the countryside, the most you did at home was sweep the yard or cook a meal—simple chores.”

“Every day it was school, meals, acting a little spoiled with your parents, and for many, chasing after what they believed to be the truth.”

“But graduating from high school means we’re grown now. That life is already behind us.”

“Even if you manage to get a job and stay in the city, what does it matter? As long as you’re not in a government office, you’ll suffer just the same.”

“Textile workers labor in deafening factories, walking more than twenty miles a day, their hands rarely idle.”

“Apprentices at the smelting or steel plants start out carrying vats of molten iron, lifting at least a thousand pounds daily, and with one wrong step, you could lose a foot to burns.”

“Even if you’re assigned to the lathes, you’ll just be hauling materials at first—the workload is no lighter than carrying iron.”

“Whether it’s a towel factory or a leather plant, anywhere outside the government offices, it’s no easier than working the land.”

“Besides, in Dahe Village, there’s only one grain crop a year, and for the rest of the months, we mostly hunker down for winter.”

“Work half the year, rest the other half, and with our families’ support, we don’t have to worry about basic needs.”

“When you look at it this way, aren’t we more comfortable than those left in the city?”

“And most importantly, we don’t have to worry constantly about someone causing us trouble.”

Hao Hongmin and Yang Xiuying were left a little dizzy by Han Li’s speech, but after thinking it over, it seemed he was right.

“Now that you put it like that, I feel a lot better. Han Li, it’s such a waste for you not to be in ideological work,” Hao Hongmin said.

“Please, no,” Han Li replied. “I’m not someone with grand ambitions—living my days quietly and peacefully is enough.”

“Are you planning to stay in the countryside your whole life?” Hao Hongmin pressed. “Even seeing a doctor here means walking more than twenty miles to the county seat.”

“I’m still young and my parents’ only child, what’s the rush to go back to the city? So they can nag me to get married? Let me have a few years of freedom first.”

At that moment, Aunt Zhang sidled over out of nowhere and asked straight out, “So, Han, what kind of girl are you looking for?”

“I’ll let fate decide when the time comes,” Han Li replied.

“I have a niece who just graduated from high school this year—such a pretty girl,” Aunt Zhang said enthusiastically. “Fair-skinned, delicate features, big double-lidded eyes, tall and graceful—definitely strong enough to bear sons. She can handle any farm work and everyone in her village speaks highly of her. How about I bring her over for you to meet? If you like her, you can start seeing each other.”

“Thank you, Aunt Zhang, but I’m still young. I’m not considering that sort of thing for a few years,” Han Li protested.

“Young? Village Chief Zhao became a father at fifteen, Team Leader Liang at sixteen, and I had my eldest at seventeen. If this were a few years ago, you’d already be considered an old bachelor. And even if you meet, it’s not like you have to marry right away—just date first, and get married when you’re ready.”

Han Li fended off Aunt Zhang’s enthusiastic matchmaking as best he could, talking himself hoarse before she finally relented.

Hao Hongmin and Yang Xiuying, watching Han Li’s flustered state, could hardly recognize the eloquent speaker from moments before. The two of them covered their mouths and giggled. Just then, a commotion broke out from the direction of Team Two.

“Stop right there! I’m talking to you two—stand still!”

As soon as Han Li heard the shouting, he grabbed his shovel and sprang to his feet—someone had arrived just in time to rescue him from Aunt Zhang’s matchmaking.

“Everyone, step back. I’ll block them from the front,” Han Li said, moving to intercept the two figures charging over, waving an axe and a knife.

They brandished their weapons menacingly as they ran, but there was no escape—there were too many people from Shanghe Village, all armed with long tools.

Han Li picked up a couple of stones from the ground and hurled them at the shorter man. Even from seven or eight meters away, his strong arm sent a stone straight at the man's head.

“Ah!” The short man let out a wail, clutching his head and squatting down.

The villagers, seeing how effective the stones were, quickly followed suit—if there was one thing the riverside had plenty of, it was stones.

Soon, a barrage of stones rained down on the two intruders. They cried out for their fathers and mothers, clutching their heads one moment, rubbing their arms the next, and at times covering their privates—all in all, they were thoroughly battered. In the end, they threw down their weapons and crouched on the ground, both hands covering their heads.

At this point, the villagers surged forward. Some twisted their arms, some grabbed their legs, others pulled their hair, and a few snuck in a kick or two for good measure. By the time the three main leaders arrived, the two men were barely recognizable. Village Chief Zhao had them bound with rope.

“This time, by helping the authorities catch these two, our village is sure to be named Advanced Production Brigade this year,” he declared. “Everyone’s worked hard all night. Tomorrow, except for those watching the fields, all villagers and educated youth can take the day off.”

Whether or not the brigade earned the advanced title mattered little to most, but a day off was something tangible.

Amid laughter and chatter, everyone headed home, discussing what they’d do with their free day. Most of the women planned to gather firewood, pick wild vegetables or fruit, while the men talked of fishing or setting traps for rabbits.

When Han Li returned the shovel to the warehouse, he borrowed an axe as well, planning to pick up his package from the post office in the morning and spend the afternoon searching the mountains for a few large logs. He’d need the axe for that, even if only for show.

Early the next morning, Han Li set off for the county seat, dozing on the ox cart along the way. At the post office, he gave his name, showed his certificate as an educated youth, and was finally handed his parcel.

It was a huge package. Feeling the soft bulk inside, Han Li guessed most of it was a new quilt and some padded clothes his mother had made. It was only a few months into the year, but already his family was shipping him winter gear, worried he’d catch cold.

With the enormous parcel on his back, Han Li could only walk the more than twenty miles back to the village—ox carts generally didn’t return till mid-afternoon. Why waste time waiting, when he could be out in the mountains in the meantime?