Chapter 25: Lin Wumei Goes to the Hospital

After listening, Tan Yanlu’s face showed a look of disgust. She had been in the countryside for some time and naturally knew about the relationship between the Gao family and Gao Shaolin. After hearing Jiang Pan Yu’s description today, Tan Yanlu felt as if her intestines were tied in knots. Had her head been kicked by a donkey back then, right?

Tan Yanlu said disdainfully, “Shouldering two households, it’s already liberated, how dare they do such a thing?

Why doesn’t anyone manage this kind of thing, it’s just too much.

Moreover, how could the Gao family be so cruel, even willing to abandon their own flesh and blood, poor children born into the wrong family.”

After saying this, Tan Yanlu felt a pang in her chest, and her face turned pale for a moment, as if the voice in her heart didn’t want her to speak ill of Gao Shaolin.

“If they are happy with it, there’s nothing we can do about it. Besides, this is the countryside, and it happened so long ago.

Even in the city, isn’t this kind of thing common? Wherever you go, there are these dirty deeds. We just need to be careful and pay attention.”

As for favoring boys over girls and abandoning children, that has been a thing since ancient times.

Even in Lianshan Village, there must have been people like the Gao family who threw their granddaughters into the South Mountain Gulch, just not as ruthlessly as the Gao family, who discarded five in a row.

Everyone is just as bad as each other, no one can really blame anyone else,

whispering a few words in private is one thing, but no one really brings this kind of thing into the open, after all, it’s not something to be proud of.

Even 20 years later, the phenomenon of favoring boys over girls is still common.

Not to mention now, isn’t Jiang Pan Yu’s experience a typical result of favoring boys over girls?

Solving the issue of favoring boys over girls isn’t something one or two people can do; it requires the influence of a great era to slowly balance the two.

And this is something neither Jiang Pan Yu nor Tan Yanlu can achieve.

The two looked at each other, sighed, and returned to the Educated youth residence.

The Educated youth residence was harmonious, although new Educated Youth had joined, there were no major disturbances, everyone was busy with their assigned tasks.

Zhao Xiuzhu, who had previously been maliciously picking fights, was no longer doing so and even seemed to be avoiding Jiang Pan Yu.

Probably because of the blunt truths Jiang Pan Yu had spoken at the dinner table,

only those who have experienced it know what kind of social death that is, and yet you can’t do anything about it.

After all, she apologized to you in the end and even took the initiative to be friendly, serving you food, if Zhao Xiuzhu kept holding onto this matter, it would seem a bit petty.

Of course, Zhao Xiuzhu wasn’t just because of this, several girls lived in the same room

She saw clearly how Jiang Pan Yu treated Shen Shilei that night,

later she coaxed the story out of Shen Shilei, Zhao Xiuzhu learned about what happened on the train.

Zhao Xiuzhu was scared, she and Shen Shilei were both bullies who feared the strong.

Faced with Jiang Pan Yu, who wasn’t afraid of trouble and liked to solve problems with violence, they had no choice but to behave themselves.

And the others at the Educated youth residence had also witnessed Jiang Pan Yu’s lethality that day.

Everyone silently weighed their own situation. It wasn’t fear, but rather a sense that it would be best not to provoke Jiang Pan Yu.

Otherwise, if she were to blurt out some harsh truths, things could get quite awkward.

The Educated Youth residence was so harmonious that even Tan Yanlu receiving attentions from Lian Xiuran couldn’t stir up any reactions among the female Educated Youth. It must be said, Jiang Pan Yu was somewhat disappointed.

If the Educated Youth didn’t stir up any trouble, the Gossip System wouldn’t issue any tasks. Without tasks, there would be no rewards, and without rewards, how could she ever make her fortune?

Sigh, this batch of Educated Youth really isn’t up to par!

With no entertainment at the Educated Youth residence, Jiang Pan Yu turned her attention outside, keeping a close eye on the affairs of the Gao family.

Sure enough, two days later, Jiang Pan Yu heard that Lin Wumei and Gao’s Sister-in-law had taken two children to the town hospital.

It was said they left in the morning and returned in the evening, carrying large and small bags, presumably bought by Gao Shaolin.

Jiang Pan Yu didn’t know what Lin Wumei did at the town hospital, but the Gossip Sisters Squad of Lianshan Village certainly did!

They could find out through their sisters, relatives, aunts, and uncles what Lin Wumei and Gao’s Sister-in-law had done at the town hospital that day.

Yang Guiying recounted the details while working in the fields, as if she had witnessed it firsthand:

“That Lin Wumei, she took two children to the town hospital and asked around to find out which department Gao Shaolin was in.

After finding out, she went to Gao Shaolin’s department and sat right at the entrance, then proceeded to give him a good scolding.

The things she said were really harsh. She didn’t even mention Gao Shaolin’s plans for a matrilocal marriage.

She just berated him for not bringing his salary home, spending his days in town doing who knows what, while the family was going hungry.

Then she pushed the two children forward, making them kneel on the ground, begging Gao Shaolin to take pity on them for being parentless and give them something to eat.

It’s said that Gao’s Sister-in-law even clung to Gao Shaolin’s leg, nearly pulling his pants off.

She made quite a scene, embarrassing Gao Shaolin in front of the whole town hospital.”

Chen Lamei was surprised: “Ah, wouldn’t her actions offend Gao Shaolin? What if he really gets angry and decides not to come home?”

Yang Guiying sneered: “Do you think Lin Wumei and Gao’s Sister-in-law would let him go? If Lin Wumei were to accuse Gao Shaolin of being unfilial, could he keep his job? In the end, he’d have to come back and farm.”

“That’s true. With the commotion Lin Wumei caused, in such a small town, it must have spread quickly.

Gao Shaolin’s plans for a matrilocal marriage are surely ruined now.”

Jiang Pan Yu also nodded, thinking to herself, yes, Gao Shaolin should be coming back soon.

This marks the beginning of Gao’s Sister-in-law’s pressure for marriage, and Tan Yanlu’s eventual breakdown upon learning the truth, accusing Gao Shaolin of deceit.

She wondered if all the groundwork she had laid over such a long time would be effective.

It should be, considering that in her previous life, Tan Yanlu had already secretly pledged herself to Gao Shaolin by this time, happily coming to Lianshan Village to marry him.

But in this life, Tan Yanlu and Gao Shaolin were still in a state of unfamiliarity, and Tan Yanlu’s impression of Gao Shaolin wasn’t very favorable at this point. It was unlikely that any sparks would fly between them.

About six or seven days after Lin Wumei went to the town hospital, Jiang Pan Yu learned something from Yang Guiying’s mouth.

The daughter of the Pork Butcher Li family in town, who was seeking a son-in-law, had already been engaged, and the groom was not Gao Shaolin. It seemed that Lin Wumei’s earlier commotion had indeed paid off.

On the evening when this news was learned, a heavy rain poured down and didn’t stop until dawn.

The fields were so muddy that it was impossible to set foot in them. The brigade leader announced over the loudspeaker at the threshing ground that everyone could take the day off, and the whole village didn’t need to work in the fields.

Hearing this news, everyone was in high spirits. After working for so many days, they finally had a chance to rest.

The heavy rain stopped by noon, and a rainbow appeared on the horizon.

Although the ground was still muddy, some people had already ventured out.

Jiang Pan Yu didn’t want to stay indoors either, so she invited Tan Yanlu to go for a walk together.

Tan Yanlu gladly agreed, and the two of them headed out, making their way to the small hill to the west, where there were several old willow trees and large patches of daylilies.

It was now July, coinciding with the blooming season of the daylilies.

The flowers were vibrant, with shades of orange and reddish-orange alternating across the hillside, creating a breathtaking view on a normal day.

Unfortunately, after the heavy rain, many of the flowers had been knocked down, and the survivors looked rather listless.

Tan Yanlu felt a bit regretful, as she had wanted to pick some to arrange in a vase, but now it seemed impossible.

However, they found something else to entertain themselves with—the willow whistle.

It seemed that children in the countryside were quite skilled at making such little toys for fun.

Tan Yanlu had never seen a willow whistle before, so she pulled Jiang Pan Yu over to watch the children making them.

First, they would break off a smooth, tender willow branch about the thickness of a pencil. After bending the branch slightly, they would use a small knife to make a clean cut at the end, and then they could start “making the whistle.”

With the left thumb and forefinger pinching the willow branch about a centimeter from the cut end, the right hand would twist the branch forcefully until the bark and core of the entire branch loosened, allowing the core to be pulled out. This would leave a hollow willow bark tube. Then, using either a knife or scissors, they would trim both ends of the tube neatly.

Next, they would peel off the outer bark from one end of the tube, revealing the tender green inner stem, and a willow whistle was complete.

By placing the peeled end in their mouths and blowing hard, a sound would emerge.