Chapter 7: You Guys Really Know How to Have Fun After All

"Stop right there! Did I say you could leave? Do you want me to grant you a little more time to pay back what you owe, or would you prefer the police station?" Ji Ling stepped forward, blocking their path.

"You! How can you be like this?" Li Mao, still clinging to the remnants of his intellectual pride, stiffened his neck and stammered, "I'll give it to you in a couple of days."

Ji Ling nodded, but she did not step aside.

"What else do you want?" Li Mao was on the verge of a breakdown. When Ji Ling had opened the door, the sound of their arguing had already drawn a crowd. Seeing the looks on his neighbors' faces, Li Mao could have throttled Bai Nana for goading him into coming here.

"What could I possibly want from you? I'm just saying that I'm kind-hearted and have agreed to your request, but you must leave something as collateral, right?" Ji Ling took another step forward, scanning Li Mao up and down with obvious disdain. "Take off your coat and trousers, and this watch as well. I'll give you three days. If you don't have the money by then, this watch will settle the debt."

Li Mao could no longer contain his fury. "Ji Ling, are you a bandit? Do you have any idea how valuable this watch is?"

Ji Ling nodded, though she was secretly hoping that Li Mao wouldn't be able to come up with the money within three days so she could sell the watch and buy something for Shen Yi.

"Of course I know. But what I don't understand is why you have money for a watch, yet can't afford clothes or daily necessities?"

Bai Nana tugged secretly on Li Mao's hand. "Brother Li, you'd better just give her the things. What if she says something even more unpleasant? I don't mind, but Brother Li is a man of culture—you shouldn't have to hear such vulgarities."

While gritting his teeth in frustration, Li Mao realized that Ji Ling was truly determined. He closed his eyes and, with the resolve of a man cutting off his own limb, stripped off his coat and trousers and removed his watch. He then scrambled away in a disheveled panic, leaving Bai Nana struggling to keep up.

"Tsk tsk, you two certainly know how to put on a show!" Ji Ling watched the retreating figure and showed no mercy with her words. Li Mao stumbled, wishing he could crawl away on all fours.

Ji Ling picked up the watch and glanced at the discarded clothes on the ground. Just as she was wondering what to do, the gruff, excited voice of the village chief echoed from afar, immediately piquing the curiosity of the neighbors who hadn't yet had their fill of the spectacle.

"Ji Ling! Ji Ling, girl! Great news, wonderful news!" Ji Ling watched as the village chief worked his short legs, wiping sweat from his brow while waving a paper in his hand, looking quite comical.

"Hehe, girl, you've made it into the newspaper! You truly are a talent! The first in Shixi Village—no, the first in the entire Guma Commune!" The village chief panted, his eyes crinkling into slits with joy.

"What? The paper? What paper?" The neighbors, hearing the chief, crowded around eagerly.

"The girl wrote an article titled 'Shixi Village—My Elders and Fellow Villagers.' Hahaha, our village's name is in the paper, and my name is in there too!" The chief’s eyes were squeezed shut with delight.

"Is my name there? Is mine? I'm part of Shixi Village too!" The crowd clamored, all trying to squint at the tiny, tadpole-like characters to see if their own names appeared.

Ji Ling was not overly surprised. When she wrote the piece, she had focused on the local customs and landscape of Shixi Village, weaving in her own experiences and thanking the officials for their open-minded support. She had highlighted how the villagers were hardworking, capable, and proactive in testing forage cultivation.

She had figured that an article depicting a flourishing village, wholeheartedly devoted to the Party, couldn't possibly be ignored. She just hadn't expected the news to come so soon.

"Girl, there's one more thing, I..." The village chief wiped his excited forehead again, looking somewhat hesitant.