Chapter 55 : Village Gossip

Excluding any material loss, Jiang Li managed to produce 11 hairbands from four feet of cotton fabric in two colors. She also used a small amount of gauze fabric to create five additional hairbands, embellishing them with green ribbons for a fairy-like, delicate appearance.  

“Lizi, what do you want for lunch? Mom made steamed eggplant with salted fish. Don’t you love fresh eggplants?”  

Hearing the sound of the sewing machine, Chen Xianyun walked into the main room and spotted the neatly arranged hairbands in a bamboo basket. She couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise.  

“Lizi, what are these? They’re quite unusual.”  

“Mom, these are hairbands for tying hair,” Jiang Li explained. “I made them and plan to sell them to earn a bit of money.”  

She picked up a light yellow hairband and tied it to the end of Chen Xianyun’s braid. The fabric was one that Chen Xianyun had previously given her to practice with, and Jiang Li had repurposed it beautifully.  

“Oh, you little rascal,” Chen Xianyun laughed. “I’m too old for these pretty things. I don’t need it.”  

“Besides, you’re planning to sell them. How could I take one?”  

Despite her words, she allowed Jiang Li to remove her old hair tie and replace it with the hairband.  

“That’s part of selling, Mom. If people see you wearing it and notice how nice it looks, they’ll want to buy one too. It’s called advertising.”  

“All right, all right,” Chen Xianyun said, looking at her reflection in the mirror that Jiang Li handed her. “How do I look?”  

She turned her head from side to side, smiling broadly. “Yes, it looks good! I feel like I’ve taken a few years off!”  

“Lizi, how much are you planning to sell these for?”  

“I’ve worked out the costs,” Jiang Li said. “The cotton hairbands cost around 30 cents each to make, so I’m planning to sell them for one yuan. The gauze ones are more expensive, about 65 cents to produce, so I’ll price them at 1.5 yuan.”  

Chen Xianyun immediately removed the hairband and said, “For such a small thing, why is it so expensive? I won’t keep it. Go and sell it for money.”  

“Mom, the reason I’m making money is so our family can live well. If a butcher can’t eat meat, wouldn’t that be a joke?”  

Touched, but unsure how to respond, Chen Xianyun hugged Jiang Li warmly. “Then go ahead and finish your work. I’ll cook for you.”  

“Mom, I’ll help you,” Jiang Li said, licking her lips at the thought of eggplant and salted fish stew.  

Chen Xianyun retrieved the salted fish they had dried earlier in the year, leftovers distributed by the brigade during Chinese New Year. They had preserved the fish carefully, making it a rare treat.  

First, she chopped the salted fish into small pieces and fried them in oil until golden brown. Then, she added pre-salted and squeezed eggplant slices to the pan, stirring them with soy sauce, a little sugar, and half a bowl of water. After letting it simmer, she garnished the dish with chopped green onions.  

When the lid of the pot was lifted, the aroma made Jiang Li’s mouth water instantly.  

Chen Xianyun’s cooking was exceptional, and the dish she made rivaled anything from a restaurant. Jiang Li mixed the soft, fragrant eggplant with sweet potato rice and ate bowl after bowl. When she needed a break, she sipped on a refreshing bowl of tomato soup.  

Old Lady Qi, meanwhile, chewed slowly on the salted fish despite missing a few teeth. “Yun Na, your cooking is amazing. I’ve never gone hungry a single day since following you.”  

Smiling, Chen Xianyun replied, “Mom, if you like it, eat more. And you too, Lizi. Be frugal in other areas, but never skimp on the food you eat.”  

Old Lady Qi nodded in agreement. “That’s right. If you don’t eat well, your health will suffer. Just look at those young men in the village, strong and tall because they eat well.”

“Our Shaoqiang has grown so big, all thanks to you.”  

“Mom, you should eat more too!”  

As Jiang Li ate her rice, she didn’t forget to pick food for Chen Xianyun. Chen Xianyun playfully took a grain of rice from Jiang Li’s mouth and teased, “Eat slowly, you’ve become a little cat.”  

The old lady laughed, and Jiang Li, feeling embarrassed, buried her head in her bowl. The family of three shared a happy moment together.  

After dinner, Jiang Li offered to wash the dishes and clean up. She didn’t want to just sit around and felt she needed to contribute to the household chores.  

But Chen Xianyun waved her off. “Focus on your work. I can handle this little task easily.”  

Left with no other option, Jiang Li decided to make use of her time. She had just finished making the hairbands and decided to take them to Dashuping. Riding her dowry gift, a shiny new 28-inch bicycle she headed off.  

As she rode through the village, she noticed the unfriendly stares and heard whispers trailing behind her.  

“Have you heard? That new wife of Qi Shaoqiang from Dashuping has lovers all over the place.”  

“What? So Qi Shaoqiang got cuckolded?”  

“Look at her rushing to Dashuping again. She must be eager to meet her old lover!”  

“Who is her lover? Can he be more handsome than Qi Shaoqiang?”  

“I heard it’s Erlaizi, a manure carrier from Dashuping Village. Imagine that, leaving a handsome man like Qi Shaoqiang for an old bachelor who hauls dung!”  

“I know, right?”  

The two women exchanged knowing smirks, covering their mouths as they chuckled.  

Jiang Li stopped abruptly, braking hard. She got off her bike and walked toward the gossiping women, her face expressionless.  

“Did you see me cheating?” she asked coldly.  

The two women froze. They had spoken softly, how had Jiang Li heard them?  

The shorter woman instinctively stepped back, her face filled with guilt. The taller woman, emboldened, glared at Jiang Li. What could a delicate girl like her do? Even if she had heard, so what?  

“Shaoqiang’s wife, it wasn’t me. Everyone in the village is talking about it. If you hadn’t done something wrong, no one would say anything about you. You must have been seen flirting with someone,” the taller woman snapped defiantly.  

Jiang Li said nothing. Instead, she stepped forward, grabbed each woman by the hair, and yanked hard, swinging their heads from side to side.  

The two women shrieked in pain as Jiang Li’s grip tightened. Her strength was unexpectedly fierce, and they couldn’t even grab hold of her in retaliation.  

Tao Xiaofeng, the shorter woman, felt a sting on her scalp. When she reached up to touch it, she gasped in horror, her hand was bloody.  

Jiang Li released her grip, tossing clumps of hair onto the ground with a look of disgust. “Filthy. Next time you wash your hair, rinse your mouths too, so you don’t keep spitting out garbage.”  

Tao Xiaofeng, now half-bald, burst into tears. “I only said a few words! You vicious girl! I’m going to report you to the captain!”  

Sun Xiufang, clutching her own sore scalp, could only stare in shock at the pile of hair on the ground. Both women stood trembling, unsure whether to fight back or flee.