The 60s Island: The Daily Life of a Capitalist Young Lady with the Army - Chapter 107: Making a Mountain Out of a Molehill, Utterly Unreasonable

Chapter 107: Making a Mountain Out of a Molehill, Utterly Unreasonable

It’s over.

Someone found out she used water from someone else’s thermos and basin last night!

She immediately snapped to full alertness, quickly rubbed her eyes, and deliberately messed up her hair to appear both haggard and innocent.

Then, pretending to be exhausted after being woken up, she slowly pushed the door open and walked out.

In the courtyard, a lean female educated youth wearing patched blue work pants stood with arms akimbo at the kitchen door, her sharp eyes gleaming as she shouted furiously with flying spittle.

At her feet was exactly the enamel basin Xu Jingjing had used last night.

Xu Jingjing took a deep breath, instantly putting on just the right expression of timidity and helplessness.

Hanging her head, she spoke in a mosquito-like voice, pitifully pleading: “I’m sorry, comrade…”

“It… it was me who used the hot water…”

She raised her head, her eyes slightly reddened, her voice trembling slightly.

“I… I was just so exhausted yesterday… I saw there was hot water in the kitchen, so… so I used it.”

“I’m truly very sorry, I didn’t know you were saving it for later.”

As she spoke, she carefully observed the other’s expression, then added with utmost sincerity: “Please don’t be angry, I’ll go boil another pot for you right now!”

The female educated youth seemed to have heard the biggest joke, first staring blankly before letting out a piercing cold laugh.

“Hah!”

“You’ll repay it?”

Her eyes scanned Xu Jingjing up and down like knives, full of contempt and disdain.

“With what will you repay it?”

“Do you think this water comes from turning on a tap? That this firewood lights up like a gas stove?”

The female educated youth pointed a bony finger toward the half-full water vat in the kitchen corner.

“This vat of water was carried back shoulder pole by shoulder pole from the well a mile away by several of us comrades before dawn! Our shoulders are nearly broken from the weight!”

She then pointed at the small pile of chopped firewood beside the stove.

“This firewood was chopped by us yesterday afternoon up in the mountains! Our hands are covered in blisters! Do you think this fire starts itself?”

Xu Jingjing was completely stunned.

She opened her mouth but couldn’t utter a single word.

She genuinely hadn’t considered all this.

In her view, wasn’t it just some water and firewood? Things that wouldn’t cost a dime in the city, was it really necessary to be so calculative?

This woman was simply making a mountain out of a molehill, utterly unreasonable!

Just then, Xie Chengjun’s door creaked open with a “squeak.”

He had clearly been woken up by the commotion too.

As soon as he stepped out, he saw Xu Jingjing hanging her head while being scolded by the female educated youth, her fragile and helpless appearance like a small white flower about to be blown over by a strong wind.

Xie Chengjun’s anger instantly flared up.

He strode over and positioned himself in front of Xu Jingjing, his dark face filled with displeasure.

“Comrade, that’s enough scolding.”

His voice, though still hoarse from sleep, was unusually firm: “I was the one who used the water from the thermos.”

Meeting the female educated youth’s astonished gaze, Xie Chengjun continued without changing expression:

“After walking too far yesterday, my feet were covered in blisters and hurting terribly, so I soaked them.”

“If you want to blame someone, blame me.”

As soon as Xie Chengjun’s words fell, deathly silence descended upon the courtyard.

The middle-aged female educated youth stared in shock, her gaze darting back and forth between him and Xu Jingjing as if trying to bore holes through them with her eyes.

A few seconds later, she staggered backward as if struck by lightning.

Her voice suddenly rose to a piercing shrillness that nearly ruptured eardrums, carrying a tone of utter despair and breakdown.

“Soaking… soaking feet?”

“You used my hot water… to soak your feet?!”

Her eyes remained fixed on the enamel basin printed with red peonies on the ground, her face instantly turning deathly pale.

“You… you didn’t use this basin, did you?”

“I—I just saw you didn’t even put the basin away properly!”

The female educated youth’s voice trembled as she pointed at the basin as if seeing the filthiest thing in the world: “Do you even know what this basin is for?!”

“This is the dough basin we women pooled our money to buy! It’s for holding grain, kneading dough, and steaming buns!”

“It’s our eating utensil!!”

She practically screamed the last few words.

Her outburst was like pouring cold water into boiling oil—the entire courtyard of the educated youth point erupted in chaos.

“What? Using the dough basin to soak feet?”

“Oh my heavens! How are we supposed to live with this?”

Doors of nearby rooms creaked open one after another. Several older educated youths, still drowsy-eyed, poked their heads out. Upon hearing the commotion, their sleepiness vanished instantly, their faces hardening with frost.

A darker-complexioned man who appeared slightly older stepped forward with a grim expression, staring at Xie Chengjun with eyes full of fury.

“Comrade Xie! What are you doing? Are you city boys so delicate that your feet are cleaner than our mouths?!”

“This is outrageous! Simply absurd!” Another bespectacled educated youth pushed his glasses up in anger.

For a moment, all the accusations and curses surged toward Xie Chengjun like a tidal wave.

Xu Jingjing felt slightly flustered, but not overly so.

After all, she had anticipated such a scene last night—she just hadn’t known it was a dough basin…

She had already decided to let Xie Chengjun take the blame, but she couldn’t let her persona crumble.

So she put on a tearful expression, peeking out from behind Xie Chengjun.

“N-no… it’s not like that!”

“It’s not entirely his fault… I… I used it too…”

Before she could finish, Xie Chengjun abruptly shifted sideways, shielding her completely behind him once more.

His movement was swift and resolute, without a hint of hesitation.

“This has nothing to do with Comrade Xu Jingjing!”

Xie Chengjun’s voice boomed like a bell, drowning out all the noise in the courtyard.

“It was me! I did it all by myself! I poured the water, I took the basin, I soaked my feet!”

He scanned the crowd, meeting all the furious glares, and declared word by word: “If there’s any problem, come at me!”

Hidden behind his broad back, Xu Jingjing curled the corner of her lips.

This Xie Chengjun really is an idiot—so easy to manipulate!

Meanwhile, Xie Chengjun felt the scorching gaze from behind him. He didn’t even need to turn around to imagine Xu Jingjing’s expression at that moment.

An unprecedented sense of pride and satisfaction exploded in his chest.

It was worth it!

What did a few curses matter? To earn such a look from the one he adored—it was worth it!

However, the older educated youths weren’t going to be appeased by a few words.

The dark-skinned man from earlier snorted coldly and stepped forward.

“What a heroic ‘come at me’ attitude!”

“Fine then, Comrade Xiao Xie. Since you’re so willing to take responsibility, let’s properly settle this account.”

He pointed at the half-empty water vat.

“You’ll have to refill this vat for us. The well is in the eastern valley—a two-li round trip.”

Then he gestured toward the pile of chopped firewood by the kitchen door.

“You’re also responsible for the firewood for boiling water. There are plenty of dead branches on the back hill—go gather them yourself, chop them when you return, and stack them neatly.”

Finally, his gaze fell upon the completely contaminated washbasin.

“We won’t be keeping this basin. You’ll either have to replace it with a new one or compensate us for its value.”