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Chapter 28 I am the team leader
Xie Hushan never dreamed that he would come to the market on a bicycle, and that he would be put on a donkey cart and pulled back by the people from the Zhongping Brigade who were going to the market to pick up the livestock, with steamed buns and meatball soup in lunch boxes next to him.

In the morning, word had spread among those who went to the Yuanmenqiao market that a young man from Zhongping Village was so depressed that he wanted to commit suicide and wanted to have a good meal before he died.

Before the family meeting was held in the evening, when I was sent home by donkey cart, all the relatives of the Xie family nearby received the letter and rushed over. My aunt, my second uncle, my second aunt, and even the elders of several branches of the Xie family in other production teams and neighboring villages also came in a hurry.

If I hadn't persuaded him, my second uncle would have been ready to ride his bike to deliver a letter to my uncle's house which was dozens of miles away.

The production team leader Ma Laowu also received the letter and rushed over. He sat on the edge of the kang with a puzzled expression. Perhaps he was the only one present who felt that Xie Hushan was not the kind of person who wanted to commit suicide because he was so thick-skinned that even tanks couldn't penetrate him. He was willing to do something like running to the county town to cheat for manure. How could he be so depressed?

At this time, grandma held Xie Hushan's hand with her left hand, wiped her tears with a handkerchief in her right hand, and looked at Han Hongzhen who helped ride the bicycle back and told her with a serious expression how her grandson was depressed and how she and her mother-in-law found and rescued him in time.

"Hushan, grandma won't bully you anymore, okay? I'll listen to you, don't scare me." After hearing this, the old lady couldn't help but tremble while holding her grandson's hand, and spoke softly with a trembling voice.

The aunt beside her also said: "Hu Saner, you can't coax me and then think about it yourself. If you feel wronged, tell me. If you die, how can your uncle and I have the face to go down to see your parents?"

Xie Hushan looked at Han Hongzhen with a desperate expression, pointed at her and said weakly:
"Your brain is a little bit sick, so you need me to give you a few injections."

"Why do I look so sad when I'm eating? Why do I look like I'm upset? I look so sad, is that because I'm upset? Isn't that because I'm full?"

"Besides, if I wanted to die of bloating, wouldn't I go to a restaurant in the county town and eat myself to death? Must I go to the market and eat some cheap wontons and stewed pancakes? I'm going to die, but I have to be so petty?"

"The earthquake didn't kill me, so why did you sentence me to death?"

Seeing that her grandson was pointing at Han Hongzhen, he did not seem to be upset, but rather wanted to pick a fight with her. The grandmother quickly raised her hand and pressed down Xie Hushan's hand:
"The fourth girl has good intentions. Tell the truth to grandma. Are you really not upset?"

"I really didn't. If you don't believe me, ask your uncle. After I left home with two dollars in the morning, I went to find my uncle and told him that I wanted to go to the market, try different food, and study how to start a side business for our team." Xie Hushan said, looking at Ma Laowu in the corner.

Ma Laowu saw that the eyes of the Xie family were all on him, and nodded quickly:

"Oh, yes, that's what Hu Saner said. He wants to join our team's sideline group, and since he has done a great job collecting manure, I arranged for him to be the leader of the wonton and sesame cake stall. Last night, the special envoy Xiao Feng had something to do with him, so I didn't have time to take him to see Xiao Han and her mother-in-law. This morning, he said he would go and see for himself, so I told him to go to Yuanmen Bridge. I was wondering just now why he was so depressed after going there."

"You didn't explain it to me clearly. You have to tell me the truth..." Han Hongzhen realized that she had guessed wrong after hearing this. She wanted to apologize, but when she saw the other party glaring at her, she couldn't help but make an excuse.

This sentence seemed to stir up a hornet's nest. Xie Hushan's tone was full of anger and unwillingness:

"You've got time to talk to me. You brought three big, strong men here and held me down like a pig, for fear that I would run away! You stuffed me on a donkey cart and brought me back! And then you even rode your bicycle back to report the news! Tell me, how can I explain it to you clearly?"

"I kept telling those three guys that I was fine and asked them to let me go. But some idiot from some team told his accomplices that I was so young and had no clear mind. I was probably suffering from hysteria. I heard that drinking feces would wake me up! I was so scared that I didn't dare to open my mouth the whole way. How could I explain myself clearly?"

"And tell me yourself, what did you do? After letting three grown men put me on the bike, did you take off my shoes and then hang them on the bike and bring them back?"

Han Hongzhen defended herself in a low voice: "I was just afraid that you would jump off and run away halfway, and even threaten to commit suicide."

Xie Hushan covered his forehead and said, "I've already taken off my shoes, why did you yell at the driver to pull my belt down?"

"I was afraid that you wanted to die, so you jumped out barefoot and ran away." Han Hongzhen lowered her head. She was indeed afraid that the other party was determined to commit suicide, so after taking away his shoes, she also asked the driver to take out Xie Hushan's trouser pockets, so that even if Xie Hushan jumped out of the car, he would not be able to run far with his trousers held up, and he could be caught in time.

"What a bad idea! I'm sitting on the cart barefoot with my pants held up. Forget about getting off and running. The bumpy and noisy ride of that broken donkey cart will make my pants fall down!" Xie Hushan said, almost in tears:
"Everyone I met along the way looked at me like a monster! Everybody asked the driver and those two idiots where they caught me, a gangster!"

"I didn't have any bad thoughts at first, but now you've made me want to commit suicide. You're such a ruthless person!"

Han Laogou's loud voice rang out from outside: "When Hu San saw me this morning, he was fine. Why did he want to commit suicide?"

Then the door curtain was lifted and Han Chengsong walked in from outside.

Everyone in the room hurriedly greeted Han Chengsong. Xie Hushan had an expression as if he had seen a relative: "Second uncle, I have been wronged. The team has to take charge of me. Let my grandmother tell you what I have experienced."

After the others finished speaking, Han Hongzhen next to them also greeted Han Chengsong: "Second Uncle."

"Why are you here, Fourth Girl? I haven't seen you for a while." Han Chengsong was a little surprised to see Han Hongzhen, and nodded with a smile.

"Okay, let your grandma tell me. I want to hear who dares to let your child suffer?" Han Chengsong first called his grandmother "Sixth Aunt", then sat down next to Ma Laowu and asked Xie Hushan.

Xie Hushan looked at his grandmother with hope. In his opinion, his grandmother told stories better than he did, especially exaggerating. He did not expect his grandmother to say to Han Laogou casually:

"Hey, Hushan was born in the year of the dog. When he saw delicious food at the market, he couldn't walk and ate too much. The fourth girl was scared and thought he was going to commit suicide. After all, Han Jialou had a bad experience before. He was a young man. Because his marriage was broken, he couldn't get over it. He went to the market to eat a lot and then jumped into the river. So the fourth girl called a few uncles from our team who were at the market and helped to pull him back with their carts. It's all the fourth girl's fault. She was kind-hearted. We have to thank her for taking care of the villagers in the same village."

"Huh?" Xie Hushan looked at his grandmother in shock. Why didn't she tell the truth to her boss at her age? Was she afraid of causing trouble for her boss?
Grandma never mentioned the miserable experiences I had experienced, such as being arrested like a pig, having my shoes taken off, and having my belt snatched.

"You scared me. On the way here, I was thinking that Hu San'er was not a petty and stubborn kid. I heard about the incident at Hanjialou. That kid was a loser. He died and ruined the family's money and food." After hearing this, Han Laogou breathed a sigh of relief:
"That's good. Let's go home and do what we need to do. There are still many things waiting for me at the brigade headquarters."

Then he looked at Han Hongzhen and said, "Fourth girl, ask clearly next time when something happens. Not every child is like that kid from Han Jialou. Hu San'er is just a glutton."

He was the brigade secretary, and there was a lot of work waiting for him in the team. Seeing that Xie Hushan was fine, he was about to get up and leave. Xie Hushan immediately said:
"Second uncle, wait a moment. Everyone is here. It saves you from having to make another trip at night. Let me tell you something now. Second uncle and fifth uncle will act as witnesses."

Han Hongzhen saw that Xie Hushan wanted to talk to the Xie family, so she prepared to quietly move towards the door. Just as she turned halfway, Xie Hushan called out, "Hey, you, the fourth girl, go to the west room and wait for me. I'll say a few words and then take you with me."

"What am I going to do with you? And what did you call me just now?" Han Hongzhen first looked at Xie Hushan blankly, then showed an expression of disbelief and stared at Xie Hushan.

Han Chengsong called her the Fourth Girl because that was the seniority factor. How could this ignorant young man also learn to call her the Fourth Girl?
"I heard Secretary Han calling you like that, it's quite friendly. Also, watch your tone. I'm the team leader. Is there anything wrong with a team leader calling team members in a friendly way?" Xie Hushan said confidently:
"Your mother-in-law and our group's pots and pans are still thrown at Yuanmen Bridge. Why don't you come with me to get them? What? Let your mother-in-law pull the car back herself?"

Han Hongzhen wanted to speak, but Xie Hushan glared at her:

"Hold on, didn't you hear what Uncle Wu said just now? I'm the team leader now, listen to the team leader, go to that room and wait for me for a while, I'll settle the score with you later."

(End of this chapter)