Chapter 53

Earlier, Lin Daguo and his wife had caused a commotion at the soap factory, and Lin Hongna’s name spread throughout the factory.

For a while, the soap factory’s family quarters were abuzz with gossip about the Lin family. Anything related to the Lin family naturally had a bad reputation.

Despite the Lin family living in the countryside, about twenty miles of rugged mountain roads from the town, as the old saying goes, “Good news doesn’t go beyond the door, but bad news travels a thousand miles.”

Over time, the Lin family’s despicable and shameful deeds were told from the countryside to the town. After all, the town was quite small, and Lin Hongwu was also a “celebrity” in town. He had been involved with Old Han’s daughter, and they were almost married. But this fool, along with a group of ruffians, gambled away everything, even his underwear.

Old Han’s family had only one daughter. Her parents were both working and their family conditions in the town were considered good. Lin Hongwu still tried to act arrogantly, and the Han family quickly arranged for their daughter to go on other blind dates, marrying her off within a few days.

The Han family’s daughter married a soldier, who was well-connected and capable. He was a real man, far superior to Lin Hongwu, who only knew how to speak sweet words.

Moreover, Lin Hongwu, with his devious intentions, even tried to elope with the Han family’s daughter before the wedding. The daughter, being upright, slapped him and left without looking back.

That night, Lin Hongwu was beaten up by the enraged Han family in the alley. His temporary job at the light bulb factory also fell through. Whether it was because he was scared or something else, Lin Hongwu vanished as if he had evaporated.

Later on, Lin Daguo and Li Aifeng’s scandal at the soap factory became the talk of the town, and Lin Hongna’s reputation was ruined.

Though Lin Hongna’s reputation was bad, she hadn’t caused the trouble herself. With such parents and an unworthy elder brother, besides the gossip, some townsfolk also felt sympathy for her.

It’s such bad luck for a young girl to be burdened by such a family!

As a result, Lin Hongna continued working at the soap factory. Although she didn’t lose her job, her life in the factory wasn’t easy. Previously, relying on Sun Jialiang’s favoritism, Lin Hongna had enjoyed special treatment among her female colleagues. She wasn’t exactly arrogant, but she was somewhat contemptuous of others. She would arrived late or leave early, and even had a single room in the factory dormitory while other girls had to share a four-person bunk. The factory’s team leader treated her kindly.

Most girls at the factory were in their early twenties, the age of youth and beauty, highly sought after. Clearly, Lin Hongna, who joined the factory in the same batch, shouldn’t be the only one receiving special treatment.

The girls were unhappy with Lin Hongna’s favoritism. With Sun Jialiang’s support now gone, he either found the Lin family’s situation embarrassing or was tired of her, and he had ignored Lin Hongna for over half a month.

Lin Hongna dressed up nicely to present herself, but Sun Jialiang still wouldn’t touch her.

Li Aifeng kept urging Lin Hongna to get pregnant quickly so that she could use the baby to gain status and marry into the Sun family as a young mistress, and in the process, help Lin Hongwu.

During this period, not only was she ignored, but she was also ostracized by her coworkers in the workshop. Lin Hongna had endured several humiliations in the workshop, and she couldn’t even complain to Sun Jialiang—it wouldn’t do any good.

Going to him would only invite more humiliation, and not going would leave her feeling frustrated. Lin Hongna, feeling overwhelmed, vented her anger in the dormitory by smashing things and crying until she fell asleep, eventually calming down.

The next day, her eyes were so swollen they looked like walnuts, and no amount of cold compresses could help. Despite this, she still had to go to work early. Now that Sun Jialiang no longer favored her, even the workshop leader, who was good at reading the situation, treated her coldly.

Frustrated, Lin Hongna threw aside the towel she was using, quickly tied her hair into a braid, grabbed her empty lunchbox, wrapped herself in her only scarf, and hurried to the workshop.

Finally, at eleven-thirty, the bell signaling the end of the work shift at the light bulb factory rang.

Avoiding the crowd, Lin Hongna got a portion of vegetables and two steamed cornbreads, stuffed them into her bag, and carried them back to the dormitory to eat. As soon as she stepped out of the canteen and walked a few steps, she saw Li Aifeng, wrapped in a worn headscarf and disguised as an old woman, waiting at the entrance.

Li Aifeng was quite bold. The old man guarding the gate was sitting in the security room, and two armed factory guards were standing at the entrance. Yet, she waved her hand so brazenly, not even afraid of being recognized and reported.

Lin Hongna’s eyelids twitched nervously, and without even having a chance to eat, she quickly ran over and pulled Li Aifeng aside.

Fortunately, Lin Hongna was wearing the factory uniform, so the armed guards just gave her a brief glance before shifting their gaze away.

Lin Hongna dragged Li Aifeng through several alleyways until they found a secluded spot. Coldly, she asked, “Why are you here again? Didn’t I tell you not to come to the factory unless it’s something urgent? I can’t afford to get into trouble.”

“You ungrateful girl, now you’re even lecturing your own mother? Don’t forget who raised you!” Li Aifeng began her usual tirade, and Lin Hongna, who had heard it all before, immediately cut her off, telling her to get to the point.

“I still have to go back to work this afternoon!”

Only then did Li Aifeng stop, and she began scrutinizing Lin Hongna’s stomach. “Girl, why hasn’t your belly shown any signs yet?”

After all, Lin Hongna had been with Sun Jialiang for quite some time, and Li Aifeng had given him some potent traditional remedies each time, ones passed down through the generations, which could supposedly get a woman pregnant after just a few tries.

Her daughter had been with Sun Jialiang for several months, so why wasn’t there any sign of a baby yet? Could it be that Sun Jialiang was impotent?

But that didn’t make sense either. She had secretly asked her daughter before, and from what she had implied, Sun Jialiang seemed quite capable.

So then…

Before Li Aifeng could continue, Lin Hongna, already irritated, snapped, “Why are you asking about this? Do you think I don’t want to get pregnant? But what can I do if it just doesn’t happen?”

Li Aifeng, with more experience, didn’t respond with her usual harsh words this time. After thinking for a moment, she suddenly clapped her hands. “Oh dear, could it be that you two have some health issues and can’t conceive?”

Her words hit Lin Hongna like a thunderclap, leaving her speechless.

Li Aifeng, acting on impulse, insisted on taking her to see a traditional doctor, all the while painting a rosy picture of the future, where she would be pregnant with a healthy son and marry into the Sun family.

“Once you marry into the Sun family, you’ll be the daughter-in-law of a cadre’s family. You’ll have everything you want—no more hardships like now. Look, your brother is just like your father, both lazy good-for-nothings who can’t even find a wife. There’s no hope for him, so I’m counting on you. What’s a little suffering now if it means you’ll have a good life later? Once you marry into the Sun family, you won’t have to worry about anything—just focus on having sons. That’ll keep your in-laws and husband happy. And when the old ones pass on, won’t the Sun family’s finances be in your hands? Just imagine: my daughter, living in a nice house with electric lights and a telephone, making those gossipy old ladies in the village green with envy! If you can’t conceive, just take some medicine, and you’ll be fine.”

With her mother’s promises filling her with hope, Lin Hongna’s eyes began to light up. Yes, what was a little suffering now if she could enjoy a good life later?

So, Lin Hongna willingly took a leave of absence and, under Li Aifeng’s persuasion, went to find a local herbalist for a remedy.

*

After several fine autumn rains, the streets of Yunshui County were cold and damp, shrouded in mist.

In the morning, Gu Shi’an had to attach a flashlight to his bike to light the way as he escorted Lin Yao to work, to avoid running into anyone.

As the weather turned colder, Lin Yao switched to wearing the thick wool sweater and pants she had just knitted, wrapped herself in a scarf and gloves, and put on thick wool socks. Even so, she still felt cold at home.

This year, winter had arrived earlier than usual, and after several days of rain, the temperature had dropped drastically. The old courtyard had no heating, so it was no wonder she felt so cold.

Gu Shidong, too, was bundled up like a little old man, with the large scarf his sister-in-law had knitted wrapped around him, a fur hat on his head, and a whip in hand, looking like a little old man driving a donkey cart.

Seeing the two children shivering from the cold, Zhang Cuilan felt guilty and discussed with Gu Mancang the need to quickly go to the coal station, buy some honeycomb briquettes, and get the stove going for warmth.

Gu Mancang could only sigh. In the city, it wasn’t like in the countryside, where you could just light a stove or build a kang to keep warm.

In these times, you either relied on collective heating provided by the state or bought coal from the station to burn in a stove at home. But buying briquettes meant hauling several loads, tons at a time, and it wasn’t something they could manage by themselves.

Gu Mancang had worked in the workshop for years, and his knees were now so bad that he could barely walk on windy or rainy days, only able to go to work after taking painkillers.

Zhang Cuilan had a herniated disc, a result of years of carrying pig feed. It hadn’t been easy for the old couple to raise their children, and this was one of the reasons Gu Shi’an had chosen to return home after leaving the military.

Fortunately, Deputy Director Gu was thoughtful. A few days before heading to the countryside, he brought back two truckloads of coal, stacking them in the kitchen. Each room in the Gu household had a coal stove lit, and the house instantly became warm.

Recently, the county had organized a week-long militia training in the countryside, which involved both the County Public Security Bureau and the Armed Forces Department.

As the Deputy Director of the Public Security Bureau, Gu Shi’an naturally had to lead a team.

Xu Xiangqian was no exception.

This was the first time since Lin Yao married Gu Shi’an that they would be apart.

Lin Yao was particularly concerned about this trip to the countryside. She worried about the poor living conditions there, fearing that Gu Shi’an might come back hungry, unshaven, and uncomfortable to sleep next to.

Usually, when Gu Shi’an was at home, he would wear the cotton pajamas that Lin Yao had made for him. She made two sets, washed them clean, dried them, and neatly packed them along with his regular military and police uniforms in his luggage. She also packed towels, soap, a toothbrush, and a cup. As for his undergarments, she left those for him to prepare himself.

After washing her hands, Lin Yao brought back the pork belly she had someone buy from Zhou Xiaoxue, cleaned it, chopped it up, and cooked a pot of spicy meat sauce, filling a whole jar with it.

Gu Shi’an loved spicy meat sauce, the spicier, the better. Lin Yao, on the other hand, preferred mild flavors—not because she didn’t like spicy food, but because she couldn’t handle it. Whenever she ate something spicy, she would break out in little pimples on her neck, and her face would turn red.

Zhang Cuilan made pancakes for her eldest son, boiled five or six eggs, and packed them along with some apples into a full net bag.

When Gu Shi’an came home to grab his luggage, he was followed by a group of tanned young men. Upon seeing Lin Yao, they snapped their legs together and greeted her in unison, “Hello, Sister-in-law!”

Lin Yao was a bit startled. My goodness, this felt like some sort of solemn ritual to meet the elder sister-in-law. It was a little intimidating.