Chapter 592: Chapter 592: Song Zijie Mobilizes His Whole Family to Donate Old Clothes

Eldest Brother Gu stared blankly after his adopted sister’s retreating figure, lost in thought.

"It’s not worth being unhappy over someone like that, Mr. Gu. Zhu Yaoqiang is no saint, either. They’re two of a kind, really."

"..."

Before, if anyone had said such a thing about his adopted sister, Eldest Brother Gu would have definitely picked a fight. But now, he found himself inexplicably agreeing with them.

Seeing that he wasn’t responding, his colleague decided not to press the issue. He said a quick goodbye and left.

Meanwhile, Zhu Yaoqiang, who was being pulled along by Sheng Yueyue, couldn’t help but ask, "Moon Sister, I get the feeling you kind of like me, but isn’t this the first time we’ve met?"

"Zhu, do you know why I like you? It’s because you’re larger than life in my eyes.

You’re decisive, brave, and ambitious. You’re a real go-getter. In the future, you’ll definitely be the top dog at the prison."

Every single word ringing in his ear was like a magic spell, gradually bewitching Zhu Yaoqiang.

He could almost see his future: endless meat to eat and endless wine to drink every day.

Countless underlings would follow him, and countless beauties would be his for the taking...

A future like that was just too wonderful!

An intense desire erupted in Zhu Yaoqiang’s eyes. An infinite ambition for future power, status, and money was born within him. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

But, at this very moment, his ambition was out of reach, yet his desire demanded an outlet!

He looked at the woman beside him. She wore the most popular hairstyle of the day, her silky black hair tracing the line of her face.

A natural curve by her ears framed her face, making it seem palm-sized, delicate, and beautiful.

He suddenly grabbed Sheng Yueyue and pinned her against the wall. Sheng Yueyue’s body trembled as the man’s lips crushed down on hers in a forceful kiss.

She responded with token resistance. The two, who had just met, shared no tenderness, no sweetness, and certainly no love.

There was only their separate desires...

After that, Sheng Yueyue stopped going to Eldest Brother Gu for her wages. She had a new ATM, and Zhu Yaoqiang was more than willing to spend money on her.

But before long, Zhu Yaoqiang was broke. So, he constantly made things difficult for Eldest Brother Gu.

Those in the know thought he was taking it out on him for his woman’s sake, but in reality, he was venting his own frustrations.

’If it weren’t for Eldest Brother Gu, I never would have gotten involved with that she-devil. Now I can’t get rid of her even if I want to.’

Su Shuochi, however, knew nothing of this. That afternoon, he drove to Yunhe County, and Song Zijie drove there with him.

They brought some grain for the villagers of Shuanghe Village, and Song Zijie’s older sister had helped him collect a lot of old clothes.

This was an idea Song Zijie had after his last trip to Shuanghe Village. The people there didn’t have warm enough clothes; some wore only a single, thin pair of pants in the dead of winter.

They didn’t even have cotton-padded pants, let alone thermal underwear. Aunt Song was the head of the women’s committee in their residential compound.

Her eldest daughter and son-in-law both had good jobs, and the people at their workplaces were all doing well. Some of them didn’t have any relatives in the countryside.

So those families had nowhere to send their old clothes. When someone took the lead to organize a donation for a poor mountainous region, everyone was happy to contribute.

There were old clothes of all sizes, none with any patches. Not only did they fill Song Zijie’s car, but they also filled the car Su Shuochi had borrowed.

Upon arriving in Yunhe County, Su Shuochi called the village chief and told him to have one person from each household gather at the village entrance to wait for the distribution of clothes and shoes.

The women of Shuanghe Village, young and old, were overjoyed. The men, meanwhile, stayed in the village to work even more diligently at clearing the wasteland.

When Su Shuochi and the others arrived, dozens of people were already waiting at the village entrance. Standing in the cold wind, they seemed not to feel the chill at all.

Their faces were filled with happy smiles, and they tried their best to stand up straight. When they saw Su Shuochi, they all looked moved to tears with gratitude.

"It’s windy and cold at the village entrance. Let’s move all the clothes from the cars into the village committee courtyard, and then have the village chief distribute them to each household."

Su Shuochi looked at these familiar yet unfamiliar faces, feeling a bit emotional inside, but he didn’t let much of it show on his face.

The village women chattered their thanks as they got busy. When they felt the thick, cotton-padded clothes, they were stunned.

They had heard from the village chief that they were old clothes and expected them to be tattered and torn. Who would have thought they would be so thick and soft, countless times better than their own new clothes!

The scene left them stunned. When Song Zijie happened to glance back, he saw their faces filled with gratitude, relief, and glistening tears...

The mixture of emotions on their faces shook him to the core. All he had done was lift a finger.

He caught up to Su Shuochi and whispered, "Su, I have two more winter coats at home. I’ll bring them next time."

’This guy is too soft-hearted,’ Su Shuochi thought. ’If he stays in Shuanghe Village for a few more days, I wonder if he’ll stop eating meat when he gets home!’

He sighed and said, "No need. Your family has already helped the villagers a great deal. You should keep the clothes you need for yourself."

Su Shuochi knew the people in the village weren’t well-off. Although most families could get enough to eat now, eating meat every day was still unrealistic.

What’s more, a small number of families still couldn’t get enough to eat at all.

He still had many things to do, like leading everyone to earn money and building a proper road.

’A road that would allow cars to drive right into the village. None of this will be easy,’ Su Shuochi thought.

As Su Shuochi and Song Zijie walked into the village, they saw the men raising their hoes high as they dug up the earth.

The children and the elderly weren’t idle either; they were gathering firewood. Seeing these busy figures, a slight smile appeared on his face.

He never mistreated his own people. This was true for his comrades-in-arms, and it was true for the people of his hometown as well.

There wasn’t much advanced technology in this era, so everyone’s work was relatively simple.

Especially in the countryside, where the only thing they planted was food to fill their bellies.

Now, he wanted to get the villagers to start growing medicinal herbs. Herbs were valuable, much more profitable than growing grain.

"Shuo Ci, have we cleared enough wasteland this year?" the village chief asked, walking over.

Su Shuochi looked at the tree roots and stumps already piled up on the ground, which the elderly and children were cheerfully carrying home.

He nodded and said, "Yes, it’s very good. As long as everyone is willing to work, we’ll settle the wages daily. Let’s give the elderly and children ten cents a day as well."

Hearing this, the village chief waved his hands repeatedly. "No, no. We all appreciate your kindness, but they’re just dragging that stuff home for firewood. It saves them the trouble of chopping wood themselves. They should be thanking you, so they can’t take your money."

When Su Shuochi heard the village chief say this, he didn’t insist. After all, he understood the principle that a small favor wins a friend, but a large one can create an enemy.

So he said no more, simply nodding as he prepared to leave.

"Shuo Ci, the newly appointed township head is coming to our village for an inspection tomorrow. Don’t you be absent!" the village chief called out loudly.

Su Shuochi turned to look at the village chief and said, "Don’t worry, Village Chief. I’ll still be in the village tomorrow and the day after."

The village chief chuckled and said, "That’s wonderful."