Chapter 35
Hong Junmin lifted his eyes to look at Jiang Heng but quickly averted them again. Jiang Heng’s aura completely overwhelmed him from every direction. For a moment, Hong Junmin stammered, his legs feeling weak and unsteady, unable to get a single word out of his mouth.
Jiang Heng tilted his chin slightly, glanced at him, then turned to address everyone.
“Everywhere is a place to learn. Only when we move from theory to practice do we truly understand something.
Even when we’re in the fields, we’re contributing to our country.”
Then he looked back at Hong Junmin.
“It’s a good thing for young people to have drive and energy — but that energy must be used in the right place.
Also, your thinking is too rigid and old-fashioned. You judge a person just by their appearance — how is that any different from those gossipy villagers who spread rumors without knowing the truth?
‘Observe what a man does, see what motivates him, and understand where he finds peace.’ That’s what a great thinker from ancient times said about judging a person — yet you haven’t understood it at all!”
Jiang Heng’s words were sharp and powerful. Hong Junmin, who had just lowered his head, wanted to dig a hole and bury himself. His neck flushed red, stiff and awkward.
The educated youths around were all deeply shaken. They had assumed Jiang Heng was just a rough village man — loud, unreasonable, maybe even someone who ruled with brute force.
But Jiang Heng’s words not only enlightened them, they also taught Hong Junmin a valuable lesson — with logic and reason.
Everyone looked at him with newfound respect. They realized they had underestimated Jiang Heng — and that they too had been guilty of looking down on others just because of where they stood.
Fang Zhijie, a passionate young man, raised his fist high and shouted,
“Understood! Captain, we’ll definitely complete our tasks!”
The others were stirred by Fang Zhijie’s enthusiasm and also raised their hands.
“We’ll definitely finish the job!”
Dozens of voices shouted in unison. Jiang Heng’s head buzzed from the noise; watching all those open mouths yelling made his eyes ache.
“Alright, alright — get to work! You’ve already wasted enough time,” he urged impatiently. His words snapped them into action, and they all rushed off to pull up peanuts.
Wang Chenye tugged down Fang Zhijie’s hand. “Enough, stop making a fuss.”
Fang Zhijie gave him a puzzled look, scanning him up and down like a stranger. “Brother Ye, that’s strange! You used to be the most enthusiastic about this kind of thing. You even told me once — we must take the initiative and devote ourselves to every great cause!”
Wang Chenye felt a bit guilty, licking his lips. “Did I? Well, listen — doing more practical work is what really matters.”
After saying that, he bent down and started pulling up peanuts.
Fang Zhijie still looked confused, staring at his back suspiciously. “But he did say that before…”
After being “educated,” the young intellectuals became much more motivated. Their attitude toward the peanut harvest changed completely, and they worked much faster than before.
The village committee secretary came over and patted Jiang Heng’s shoulder.
“You’re impressive, boy. You’ve cured those bookish types’ biggest illness in one go!”
Jiang Heng said nothing, his mind wandering a little.
The old secretary pointed at him. “What are you thinking about, spacing out like that? Don’t tell me it’s your new bride?”
Jiang Heng replied quickly this time, firmly denying it. “No, I was just thinking about the harvest schedule for tomorrow.”
The old man raised an eyebrow, eyes sharp and knowing. “Oh really? But didn’t you hand me tomorrow’s work plan first thing this morning?”
At that, Jiang Heng’s expression faltered — it was his first time being caught off guard.
“Don’t deny it, boy. I’ve been there. Newlyweds are always glued to each other those first few days.”
Jiang Heng wanted to deny it again, but the old secretary wouldn’t let him off. He was certain Jiang Heng was thinking about his wife.
Jiang Heng sighed helplessly.
Wasn’t he just wondering if Su Jin had eaten yet?
Did that really mean he was “thinking about her”?
No — that was just normal concern. In fact, among married couples, that was already considered rather restrained.
Based on past experience, his reasoning was usually sound and rarely wrong.
When Jiang Heng pushed open the door and entered the house, he called out habitually, “Su Jin.” Normally, she’d pop out and sweetly call him “husband.”
“Su Jin?”
But when he saw Su Jin lying on the ground, his mind went blank — and he rushed forward.
“Su Jin!”
He pulled her into his arms and patted her head — no response. The heat had turned her face a flushed red; her lips were pressed tightly together, brows furrowed, breathing faint and shallow. Her back was soaked in sweat, strands of hair sticking to her neck and cheeks.
She must have fainted in the yard that morning. Luckily, the afternoon sun had shifted, sparing her from the full force of the sunlight — otherwise, Jiang Heng didn’t dare imagine what would have happened.
“Can you hear me?”
He hurried forward, holding her tightly and lightly patting her face, praying she’d regain some consciousness.
Su Jin’s eyes remained closed, her breathing weak. The once lively woman who was always full of energy now lay in his arms like a wilted flower.
Panic flooded Jiang Heng’s heart. Without hesitation, he ran as fast as he could toward the village clinic, afraid that even a minute’s delay could endanger her life.
“Doctor! Emergency!”
He burst into the clinic, carrying Su Jin. A nurse hurried over. “Wait here!”
For the first time, Jiang Heng was drenched in anxious sweat. “Nurse, is there a bed?”
“Ah—ah! It hurts!”
From behind the curtain came the cries of a woman in labor. She had tried to give birth at home, but complications arose — her pelvis was too narrow, the baby wouldn’t come out, and heavy bleeding had started. She’d been rushed to the clinic for an emergency delivery.
The only doctor and experienced nurse were both inside assisting with that case. Outside, there was only a young trainee nurse left, busy handing out medicine and changing IV drips for other patients.
The young nurse glanced at Su Jin’s unconscious body but could only shake her head helplessly.
“There’s only one bed, and there’s already a patient being operated on inside.”
“The doctor and nurse are both in there too,” she added.
Jiang Heng’s heart sank, still clutching Su Jin tightly.
Looking down, he saw her struggling for breath, sweat beading on her forehead. It was getting worse by the second — she needed treatment now.
From behind the curtain, the screams of the laboring woman continued. Through the shadow cast on the fabric, Jiang Heng could see the doctor’s frantic movements. The nurse kept carrying out basins of bloody water — and there was no sign of it ending soon.
At this rate, it would be a long time before they finished that operation — and Su Jin couldn’t wait that long.
Jiang Heng made up his mind, eyes hardening with resolve.
