Chapter 21

“The Captain also said, ‘Who wouldn’t say so? You don’t know, they’re all dressed up in fancy clothes, even wearing skirts. Do they look like people who came to work?'”

“Okay, Girl Yun, I won’t talk to you anymore. I have to go back to eat. I have to go to work in the afternoon. I wasted half a day picking up people, and now I’ll lose half a day’s work points.”

“Captain, take care. Don’t get yourself upset. It’s not worth it. Those educated youth aren’t coming here for the first time. You know what they’re like, right?”

“Of course, I know. I’m just complaining to you, little girl. If they dare to be picky when they get here, I won’t spoil them.”

Xia Yunxuan locked the door and walked towards Xia Dashun’s house. A few minutes later, she arrived at Xia Dashun’s house and called out, “Uncle, are you home? I want to buy a few stools, a table, and a basket. Do you have any?”

Xia Dashun’s wife, Qin Juhua, said, “It’s Girl Yun. We’re home. Come in quickly. We have all those things. I’ll take you to pick them out.”

“Okay, thank you, Auntie Qin. Why are you being so polite? You’re taking care of our family business. Auntie should be thanking you.”

“This is the place, Girl Yun. Choose whatever you want. I’ll calculate the price for you. Auntie will tell you a secret. I can give you a discount. It’s not easy for you to live alone.”

“Okay, thank you, Auntie. I’ll choose myself.” Xia Yunxuan chose a few stools, a table, a washstand, two baskets, two buckets, a few dippers, and a few basins. This was enough for her. She mostly lived in her space anyway.

“Auntie Qin, please calculate how much these cost.” Auntie Qin calculated and said, “Little girl, you’re from our village. I’ll give you a discount. Don’t tell anyone. Just give me 5 yuan. If it were someone else, I would have charged them 10 yuan.”

“Okay, thank you, Auntie.” Xia Yunxuan handed over 5 yuan and took her things and left. Qin Juhua thought, “This little girl is really living a hard life. I don’t know how that family could be so cruel. They don’t even like such a sensible and obedient girl.”

“They prefer that ugly Xia Yunrou’s. They must have been hit in the head. Only someone like that could do something like this.”

Xia Dashun said, “Why are you worrying about that? That family is so wicked. Heaven will punish them. Just wait and see. What goes around comes around. You must be kind to your conscience. You can’t do things that go against your conscience.”

“I just don’t understand. Girl Yun is so beautiful and well-behaved. Why would that family treat her like that? Look at Xia Yunrou’s. She’s ugly and has a sharp tongue. But they spoil her rotten.”

Dashun, “You know, maybe that girl isn’t their biological child. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be so cruel. Wife, don’t talk nonsense. We don’t have any evidence. What if Xia Lao and Old lady He hear you?”

“Old lady He is the toughest person in our village. Anyone who messes with her won’t have a good time. So, we should mind our own business. Besides, now the little girl is on her own. She’s already separated. Her life will only get better.”

“It’s not that we’re heartless. It’s just that we can’t even feed ourselves these days. We can’t take care of other people’s children. Dashun, I know what you’re saying. I’m just feeling sentimental. I know our situation. We have so many children and elders. We only rely on the work points from the fields. If we don’t dig up some wild vegetables, we probably won’t even have vegetable porridge.”

Xia Dashun said, “Everyone is in the same situation these days. Who’s better off than who? Unless you have a job in the city.”

“But how easy is it to find a job? Let alone needing education, there’s only one job for each person. Those people with connections have already gotten the jobs. We farmers will never get them.”

“Okay, wife, I won’t talk to you anymore. I need to make some more things. With the educated youth coming, maybe I can sell a few things. Our family can be a little richer.”

“Dashun, you still have to go to work. Take a break. Don’t tire yourself out. We can’t make money forever.”

“I’m not tired doing this work. I’ll do as much as I can. If I sell a few more things, we can add a few more yuan. I can make you and the kids a new set of clothes. Look, how many years has it been since you had new clothes? You’re all wearing patched-up clothes. No wonder those people at the supply and marketing cooperative look down on you.”

“Okay, Dashun, I’ll help you. We’ll be faster if we do it together. Okay, you find the materials, and I’ll do the sewing here. We can make more things.”

“There’s not much work right now. We won’t be able to do this during the harvest.”

Xia Yunxuan went back to her room and arranged the things she had bought. Now she had everything she needed, and it would be less suspicious.

Otherwise, people would wonder why they didn’t see any smoke coming from your chimney, why you weren’t cooking? Why was the bucket empty? There’s no well in your house. Do you not use water?

She knew that people in this era were very envious and loved to report others. If she was caught, it wouldn’t be good.

When the factory whistle sounded, Xia Yunxuan carried her basket and went to the back mountain. Maybe she could find some wild chickens or rabbits.

She just went for a walk in the back mountain, not the deep mountains. She had to go back to collect farm tools at night, otherwise, she wouldn’t have enough time.

Xia Yunrou’s was working in the field, cursing Xia Yunxuan in her heart. “What a damn girl! She actually dared to steal my job. She wants to take everything from me. She’s a white-eyed wolf who can’t be raised. I don’t know why Grandpa brought her back then.”

No one else knew, but she had overheard her grandparents talking once. She knew that Xia Yunxuan, that damn girl, wasn’t her mother’s child. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have bullied her so much.

She wasn’t their family. What was wrong with making her work and eat less? They raised that damn girl for so long. Shouldn’t she be grateful to them? Otherwise, she would have died long ago.

Now, she had gone crazy. She dared to break off the relationship with them and move out to live a carefree life. She even got the easiest job in the village. She was working her butt off in the field. It made her so angry.

No, she had to find a way to teach that damn girl a lesson. She had to let her know what happened to those who dared to oppose her.