Chapter 65: The Dried Peaches Are Too Sour

When it was Qiu Yinuo’s turn, she first expressed her anger. After all, this was about her little brother, and as an older sister, she had to stand up for him and defend his honor.

Then, she subtly hinted, “Our Village Head is a kind-hearted person, always trying to give others a chance. But he sometimes overlooks the fact that human nature has no boundaries. For the sake of managing the youth in the future, he reluctantly had to ask the commune for help.”

“I know you all stand for fairness and justice. Investigations take time, and I understand that. Thank you for your hard work during this period.”

Her words warmed the hearts of the listeners. Being understood was always comforting, especially for those working in any kind of public service.

In this simple and honest era, everyone just wanted to do something meaningful for the common people.

And now, the opportunity had arrived.

The two male comrades gave repeated assurances that they would investigate the matter fairly and thoroughly.

Once they left, Zhou Xue’s legs gave out, and a wave of regret hit her hard.

Thinking about the gaping holes in her lies, she couldn’t help but cry out loud. She hadn’t expected that in the end, her actions would harm not just others, but herself as well.

She regretted dragging Qiu Yinuo’s brother into this mess. Now, she had also pulled herself into the abyss.

Qiu Yinuo exchanged a few words with the Village Head before heading home, with Qian Zhiya silently following behind her.

It wasn’t until they passed a secluded spot that Qiu Yinuo turned around and asked, “Qian Zhiya, why are you following me?”

Qian Zhiya hadn’t expected to be caught so easily. She had no idea when she had been exposed.

She sheepishly emerged from behind a wall. “Sister Qiu, I just wanted to thank you.”

If it hadn’t been for Qiu Qianjin’s sister today, she might have lost her reputation, and Zhou Xue’s slanders might have turned into truths.

“No need to thank me.”

“Is there anything I can do for you?”

Qiu Yinuo raised an eyebrow. “Actually, there is something I could use your help with, if you’re willing.”

“Tell me.”

“If you don’t like my brother, please be firm in rejecting him. Don’t give him any hope. He’s the type to keep trying until he hits a wall, and sometimes his innocence is almost heartbreaking. Of course, I can’t ask anyone to tolerate him as I do. I only ask that if you don’t like him, please don’t hurt him. Thank you!” With that, Qiu Yinuo turned and walked away, leaving Qian Zhiya standing in place, stunned.

Qian Zhiya couldn’t describe her feelings. There was discomfort, but also a sense of relief.

She had thought that Qiu Yinuo would ask for something else, but instead, she was being asked to reject Qiu Qianjin.

The request was so absolute, without even considering whether she might have feelings for him.

Qian Zhiya understood: while she might not like Qiu Yinuo’s brother, the Qi family likely didn’t like her either.

That thought embarrassed her the most, even though she knew she wouldn’t develop feelings for him.

By the time Qiu Yinuo reached her doorstep, she saw Qiu Qianjin, rushing back, covered in dust.

“Sis, what’s going on between you and Qian Zhiya?”

He had just been up the mountain gathering firewood, and before he could make his way back down, he had seen Dongzi running up the mountain in a hurry, talking about a mess at the educated youth quarters.

Worried that Qian Zhiya might have been wronged, and even more concerned about his sister being mistreated, he rushed down the mountain.

But when he got to the educated youth quarters, things were noisy, but everything seemed to be settled. His sister was already on her way back, but as for Qian Zhiya, he couldn’t find her after searching. In the end, he had no choice but to head home.

Qiu Yinuo didn’t hide anything from him and explained everything that had happened.

“I suggest you avoid looking for Qian Zhiya for a while, so as not to give people something to gossip about and cause her unnecessary trouble.”

Qiu Qianjin was furious. “What’s with Zhou Xue? There should be a limit to how much nonsense she talks! I just saw Qian Zhiya wasn’t feeling well and helped her, what’s the big deal?”

“Why only help Qian Zhiya? Why not help others?”

Qiu Qianjin was taken aback. “…I help whoever I want, who’s going to stop me?”

“That’s the problem. Your actions have caused Qian Zhiya trouble and given others the wrong impression. You should understand, words are powerful. This world is ultimately unfair to women.”

Qiu Qianjin fell silent for a long time before finally replying, “I understand, sister.”

The siblings returned to the house in silence. Qiu Yinuo looked at the dried peaches on the stove table and picked one up, putting it in her mouth.

The sourness hit her instantly, almost making her shiver.

“Mom, where did these dried peaches come from? They’re so sour.”

“It was given by Taolin Village. They grow a lot of fuzzy peaches there, and they dry the ones they can’t eat. Those peaches are sour. I ate one earlier and almost got a toothache.”

“Since the dried peaches are so sour, why don’t they make canned peaches?”

Cheng Hongying sneered. “What are you thinking? To make canned fuzzy peaches, you’d need so much sugar.”

Qiu Yinuo bit a small piece of the dried peach and suddenly fell into thought.

Even if a lot of sugar was needed, making canned peaches would be expensive, but there would still be plenty of people scrambling to get their hands on them.

After all, there were still quite a few wealthy people in this world.

For children growing up in Northeast China during the 1980s, there was hardly anything a can of yellow peaches couldn’t fix.

She could seize the opportunity and introduce canned peaches to the public before anyone else.

The country didn’t allow private trade, but it didn’t say anything about collective ventures.

With that thought, Qiu Yinuo couldn’t sit still anymore and started planning various practical steps in her room.

The next day, she woke up naturally, had breakfast, handed the twins over to her mother, and then left on her own.

She was gone for several days, and Cheng Hongying started to worry. “Are you in trouble? Why are you running around every day?”

“I’m doing research.”

“What kind of research?”

“It’s a secret. I’ll tell you in a while.”

Since Qiu Yinuo had repaired the tractor, her status in Taolin Village was quite high, and everyone was eager to answer her questions.

After a week of busy work, Qiu Yinuo came home early one day. As soon as she walked in the door, Cheng Hongying slapped her. “Qiu Yinuo, are you crazy? You’re turning down such a good job?”

She slapped her while scolding. “I must have owed you in my past life, and now I can’t stop worrying about you in this life.”

“It hurts, Cheng Hongying! You’re hitting too hard! Stop, or your hand will hurt.”

“Sharp-tongued! If you keep talking back, we’ll never have a serious conversation! Tell me, why did you turn down the tractor factory job? It’s such a good opportunity!”

“It’s too tiring.” In front of others, Qiu Yinuo could calmly say she needed to take care of the children.

But in front of her mom, she didn’t dare.

Listening to her reasoned tone, how could she bear to say it out loud?

“You don’t even need to watch the kids! Dabao and Erbao are both with me. What’s tiring about it?”

When she saw Cheng Hongying’s hand rising again, Qiu Yinuo quickly dodged. “Stop hitting me, or I won’t be able to go to work!”

Cheng Hongying stared at her in disbelief. “How did you know they hired you?”