Chapter 152: The Little Whip Hurts So Much!!

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Having learned not to provoke the lunatic, Wang Youcai turned his fury on Liu Dazhu.

“Liu Dazhu! You owe me an explanation today. Not only did the educated youth from your village kidnap my son, they even dared to injure me! What are you trying to do? Start a rebellion?!”

Liu Dazhu looked at him with an expression of utter exasperation. He was the commune director, for heaven’s sake. Couldn’t he show at least a little dignity?

And what did he mean, “the educated youth from your village”?

Did he think the man belonged to their village?

Wasn’t it Wang Youcai who had forcibly dumped him on them?!

With a mournful expression, Liu Dazhu said, “Director Wang, now you finally know what kind of life we’ve been living here. Ask anyone standing around—who among them hasn’t been beaten by him? We’ve suffered terribly! Why don’t you take him back to the commune?”

At those words, the villagers seemed to recall all the times they had been beaten. They began discussing their experiences with deep feeling.

When they reached the more painful parts, quite a few of them even reddened around the eyes and wiped away tears. Life had been far too hard for them!

Uncle Liu, who had the most to say on the matter, opened his mouth and displayed his remaining crooked teeth.

“Exactly, exactly! He knocked my teeth out!”

Wang Youcai sensed that something was wrong. He glanced over at Wang Defa, who was crying with his mouth hanging open.

Where the hell had his son’s gold tooth gone?

Ming Dai silently explained that Zhou Sinian had pried it out and kept it as a souvenir.

Wang Youcai drew a deep breath. “Liu Dazhu, he’s from your village now. You can’t escape responsibility! Just wait until the militia comes to arrest him!”

With that, he supported Wang Defa and tried to leave. Ming Dai gave Zhou Sinian a signal, and he blocked their path.

Zhou Sinian stood in front of them. Not a single person dared to move.

Wang Youcai’s body trembled. “Lunatic! What are you trying to do?!”

Ming Dai stepped out from behind Zhou Sinian and looked at him with an air of helplessness.

“Director Wang, there may have been some misunderstanding. We should clear things up.”

Wang Youcai eyed her suspiciously. He had no idea who she was.

“Your son wasn’t kidnapped by Educated Youth Zhou. We ran into him behind East Street, and he followed us of his own accord. We couldn’t drive him away. He insisted on coming back with us.

“The injuries on him weren’t caused by us either. He was running too fast and fell down by himself. Truly, we didn’t do it.”

Wang Youcai laughed in exasperation. “Are my eyes useless? Can’t my son speak for himself? Do you lie without even bothering to prepare your story?!”

Ming Dai blinked. “It’s true. If you don’t believe me, ask your son.”

Wang Youcai pointed at her, trembling with rage.

“Fine! Fine! Fine! Defa, you tell them! Who kidnapped you? Who beat you? Who made you clean the latrine?!”

Wang Defa was just about to start crying when Zhou Sinian shot him a deadly glance. He sprang upright, stood ramrod straight, and launched into a passionate declaration.

“I insisted on following Educated Youth Zhou to Liujiawan myself!

“I injured myself by falling!

“I volunteered to clean the latrine!

“I am a good brother to the peasant comrades!

“I love labor! Labor loves me! Labor is the greatest glory!”

Wang Youcai stared at his son with his mouth wide open. If he hadn’t known his son’s true nature so well, he might have thought the boy was delivering an award speech as an exemplary worker.

“Defa, have you been beaten stupid?! Wasn’t it the lunatic who did this to you? You just said every bone in your body was broken!”

Wang Defa felt Zhou Sinian’s murderous gaze fixed on him. He did not dare utter a word of complaint, and instead repeated everything he had just said like a student reciting from memory.

Wang Youcai was frightened by his son. No matter how many times he called out to him, Wang Defa gave the same response.

He turned around and glared at Ming Dai, pointing at her with a bent and broken finger.

“What did you do? How did my son become like this?!”

Ming Dai spread her hands, indicating that she had no idea.

Inside, however, she was applauding. Who would have thought that Zhou Sinian’s method of training wolves would work so well on Wang Defa too?

Look how obvious the results were!

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When Zhou Sinian saw that Wang Youcai still dared to point at Ming Dai, he strode forward again. Under Wang Youcai’s horrified gaze, he bent the finger once more.

Crack!

“Aaaah!”

Ming Dai shook her head. This was what happened when someone refused to learn his lesson.

The remaining commune officials all retreated two steps in unison. It was terrifying!

After finishing his pig-like squealing, Wang Youcai clutched his hand and glared viciously at the two of them.

“Fine! Fine! Fine! My son says you didn’t beat him, so be it! But you really did beat me, didn’t you? My hand is proof!”

Ming Dai regarded him with some difficulty.

“Director, if you’re going to accuse someone, at least come up with a decent reason. When did we ever beat you?”

Wang Youcai laughed furiously and raised his finger.

“The lunatic broke my finger! Look… Huh?!”

The finger that had just been bent backward at a ninety-degree angle was now standing perfectly straight.

Wang Youcai stared at it in disbelief. He bent it back and forth several times. It moved freely, as though nothing had happened.

When had it healed?

Ming Dai secretly chuckled. Zhou Sinian’s hands were unbelievably quick, and his timing was impeccable. She would give him an extra chicken leg at dinner.

In the end, Wang Youcai’s face turned livid with fury. He lowered his hand and cast Ming Dai a deep, resentful look.

Zhou Sinian noticed his gaze. He pulled Ming Dai behind him and met Wang Youcai’s eyes.

Wang Youcai immediately lost his nerve.

Remembering what his brother-in-law had told him during his last trip to the county town, he gritted his teeth, had someone help Wang Defa into the cart, and left.

Liu Dazhu and Liu Qingmin had not expected them to get through this crisis so easily. They called after the retreating figures, “Director Wang, since you’re already here, why not stay for a meal before you go?”

At that, the people from the commune ran even faster. Their miserable retreat sent the people of Liujiawan into uproarious laughter.

Liu Dazhu gazed at Zhou Sinian with newfound appreciation. He had once considered him a troublemaker and a walking time bomb. Now, however, the man was clearly Liujiawan’s greatest treasure.

They absolutely had to keep him here!

He would give Zhou Sinian a full work-point allotment from now on!

Zhou Sinian felt uncomfortable beneath his burning gaze. He raised a fist and waved it at Liu Dazhu.

Liu Dazhu immediately looked away.

Out in the fields, the tractor had stopped at some point.

The members of the agricultural machinery team hid behind the crowd, silently shedding tears as they watched the commune director’s retreating back.

Director! Didn’t you forget something? We’re still here!

Once the others had gone, Liu Dazhu urged everyone to get back to work. The machinery team was still crying off to the side when Zhou Sinian glared at them. With a collective yelp, they all scrambled back onto the tractor.

Han Guoda stood at the front of the vehicle and started the engine. Just as the tractor roared to life, he saw Zhou Sinian leap into the driver’s seat.

What?!

What was the lunatic trying to do?!

Han Guoda was scared stiff. This was a state-owned tractor, and an incredibly expensive one at that!

If Zhou Sinian broke it, Han Guoda could never afford to pay for it!

Before he could stop him, Zhou Sinian operated the controls with astonishing speed. The tractor belched black smoke and lurched forward.

He had actually gotten it moving!

Ming Dai was startled too, but she did not stop him. Watching Zhou Sinian handle the machine with such familiarity, she figured he probably knew what he was doing.

Sure enough, the tractor not only started smoothly, it also plowed deep furrows with the several rows of plowshares trailing behind it. His work was no worse than that of the tractor drivers from the agricultural machinery station.

After going some distance, Zhou Sinian stopped the vehicle, leaned out of the cab, and shouted to Ming Dai, “Ming Dai, come up! I’ll take you for a ride!”

Ming Dai had indeed been curious about the tracked tractor, so she hurried over with eager little steps.

That left Han Guoda, who looked ready to cry, and the surrounding spectators staring after them.

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Han Guoda: Help! You really can’t play with tractors whenever you feel like it!

After riding with Zhou Sinian once, Ming Dai refused to get back on.

The suspension on vehicles from this era was terrible. It was far too bumpy!

Zhou Sinian, however, was thoroughly excited. He had no intention of climbing down and wanted to keep driving for a while longer.

Seeing that he was driving well and not delaying the work, Ming Dai did not stop him.

Iron Egg and the other children were green with envy. They ran alongside the tractor through the fields.

Later, Dog Egg boldly asked if he could have a ride. Since the children were all his little brothers, Zhou Sinian let them climb aboard.

Han Guoda was even more devastated when the tractor turned into a children’s amusement ride.

He did not dare leave, but he was afraid to stay too close in case he got beaten. All he could do was follow at a cautious distance, praying that the tractor would stall so he could get it back.

Unfortunately, Zhou Sinian’s driving was excellent. The engine did not stall even once, though Han Guoda was exhausted by the end.

Finally, even Uncle Liu, who had been watching from the edge of the field, became tempted.

He was Liujiawan’s dedicated driver!

Now that even the lunatic could drive a tractor, wouldn’t it be embarrassing if he couldn’t?

He was too timid to tell Zhou Sinian that he wanted to learn, so he went to Ming Dai instead.

Ming Dai admired Uncle Liu’s lifelong devotion to learning. She took him to Zhou Sinian.

Zhou Sinian did not refuse, but scratched his head.

“I know how to drive, but I don’t know how to teach.”

In the end, all three of them turned their eyes toward the mournful-looking Han Guoda.

A chill ran down Han Guoda’s back. He had a very bad feeling about this.

When he climbed back onto the tractor and found a sixty-year-old student with a gap-toothed grin sitting beside him, he decided that letting the lunatic drive would actually have been preferable.

Sob!

Han Guoda could not understand what Uncle Liu said, and Uncle Liu could only guess at Han Guoda’s instructions. Meanwhile, the lunatic watched him teach. Whenever Uncle Liu indicated that he had not understood, Han Guoda had to endure another swish of the little whip.

His life was far too difficult!

Hearing the commotion, Liu Dazhu came over to investigate. When he discovered that Han Guoda was teaching Uncle Liu to drive a tractor, he was first shocked, then overjoyed.

In the end, he summoned several bright young men from Liujiawan. They lined up to learn tractor driving from Captain Han.

The tractor drivers at the agricultural machinery station were all taught by their own masters. They generally refused to teach outsiders, afraid that once someone learned the trade, they would take away their jobs.

Now that the villagers had a chance to learn, why wouldn’t they take it? Perhaps one day the commune’s agricultural machinery station would recruit more tractor drivers. Wouldn’t the people of their village then be able to fill the positions?

Liu Dazhu undeniably possessed a measure of foresight. Later, Liujiawan truly benefited from this opportunity and produced several tractor drivers.

As for Han Guoda, he genuinely did not want to teach them.

But he did not dare refuse.

That little whip hurt far too much!

That evening, after a full day of exhausting labor, the commune members went to sleep early.

On the main road from Liujiawan to the commune, a bicycle sped toward the commune like the wind.

Princesses!

The collection of new book titles is still under way!

So far, I have settled on one title: The Seventies: Fiery Princess Zhou and Her Long-Suffering Keeper.

I still need four more, so please help me think of titles you would personally enjoy. I may use the one that receives the most likes!

Princesses who have not added the book to their shelves, please do so!