The Sweetness of the Seventies
Chapter 270 - 261 "Mountain God Appears", Feudal Superstition (1760-1780+)_3

Chapter 270: Chapter 261 "Mountain God Appears", Feudal Superstition (1760-1780+)_3

Once in college, there’ll be no fear of falling behind.

"Teacher Wang, thank you, and Teacher Gu," Qi Ergou brought a piece of cloth, ten pounds of rice, a pound of white sugar, a pound of salt, four simple gifts that, though basic, were all practical, everyday necessities.

Professor Wang wanted to refuse but, considering that it wouldn’t be right to accept Qi Xiaoyan’s gift and not Qi Ergou’s, he smiled, "Then I won’t stand on ceremony. You’re about to go to college. Since you have this opportunity, you must study hard. Speak less, work harder, gaining knowledge is what truly matters."

"I understand, my mom also told me off, told me not to get involved in all that messy stuff, and to focus on learning," Qi Ergou said, "I’ll be leaving tomorrow, Professor Wang, if you trust me, I can mail things for you."

"It’s not really appropriate, is it?" Professor Wang hesitated, "After all, you’ll have a lot of luggage to carry."

"It’s no problem," Qi Ergou said, "My family will send me to the county town. I’ll mail your things before catching the train."

"Alright, I’ll get the things ready and bring them over tonight," Professor Wang said, with He Tiantian still having things to handle, and because the trip to the county town wasn’t easy, since Qi Ergou was heading there anyway, it made sense to let him help.

"The roads are bad at night; I’ll come over after eight to get them," Qi Ergou laughed heartily, happy to do something for his teacher.

"Then I’ll trouble you, Er Gou. This way, I don’t have to make a trip to the county town myself," He Tiantian said with a smile, "I wish you a smooth journey and academic success."

"Thank you," Qi Ergou scratched his head.

Yang Xiuxiu stood quietly by his side, always with a sweet smile on her face.

Professor Wang and He Tiantian had a very good impression of Yang Xiuxiu; no wonder Director Zhao had gone to such lengths to inquire about this daughter-in-law in the beginning.

At noon, when He Tiantian went home, she turned to take another look at the lush, verdant mountains.

Everything was so beautiful!

Thanks to the dense trees and wild grass on the back mountain, He Tiantian and the other members of the livestock team had mowed almost twice the amount of grass in one afternoon than they used to gather in two days. Old Man Qi had also started his work of herding cattle and sheep.

The excess grass, which the livestock couldn’t eat, was dried by Old Man Bai, Professor Wang, and Professor Gu to save as fodder for winter.

The crops in the field were also changing day by day.

Because of the rain, the drought had been alleviated, and Liu Lingli no longer needed to carry water.

He Tiantian threw herself into work and, during her free time, enjoyed reading. Her days were fulfilling, especially since nobody harassed her, making it all the more pleasant.

With Xiaoyan gone, He Tiantian’s contact with the educated youth in the settlement became even closer. Sometimes, when they had nothing else to do, they would follow He Tiantian to the mountain to dig up wild vegetables.

Niu Peng personally delivered a certificate of merit to Qijia Village, along with commendation orders from Professor Wang and Professor Gu, and they were now allowed to make contact with their families in Nan City.

"We really owe a lot to Qijia Village this time!" Niu Peng gratefully said; the family his nephew had married into was really excellent.

Village Chief Qi modestly said, "We are all serving the people!"

"By the way, I’ve heard that there’s a Mountain God in the mountains behind your village. This could be a big or small issue; such superstitious beliefs must not be allowed to spread," Niu Peng warned, giving Village Chief Qi an early heads-up to be on his guard.

"Who?" Village Chief Qi was puzzled, "Our Qijia Village has always prioritized the bigger picture. How can there be people who are discontent with us?"

"First off, there’s Deputy County Chief Zhang and Director Zheng, who specialize in this area. Their workload has been light recently, and they are looking for things to do," Deputy County Chief Niu explained, "Second, there indeed exists a lot of feudal superstition among the villagers; and finally, I might have caused trouble for you all as well."

"You’re joking, right? How could you bring trouble to our village?" asked Village Chief Qi, not understanding. In the commune, Niu Peng had always been practical and had a good reputation among the public.

"Some are jealous of my achievements and use them to vie for my position. So they spoke ill of Qijia Village, but I’ve suppressed their talk," Niu Peng said, explaining that those people didn’t like peace because it meant they had less power.

"Ah, us commoners don’t understand these things," sighed Village Chief Qi, "I’ll make a note of it. We’ll have a meeting this afternoon to remind everyone. Our village has hundreds of people; we’re not afraid of those government folks. As for you, you can’t help being involved while in the arena. Take care of yourself. If there’s anything we can help with, just say the word, it’s our duty."

After hearing Village Chief Qi’s words, Niu Peng was moved. Whether or not Dazhu could actually be of help, having such an attitude was already quite commendable. It hadn’t been in vain that he had previously offered much assistance to Qijia Village; it was all worth it!