Chapter 21.1

A shout brought several women crowding around Ye Huan, examining her closely.

“You know what? She really does resemble Yongzhen a bit around the eyes and eyebrows.”

“Come on, Comrade Ye is so beautiful, while Yongzhen is all brawn and no grace. They couldn’t possibly be related.”

“Who are you talking about? When I was a girl, I was the prettiest flower for miles around. Otherwise, Old He wouldn’t have fallen for me at first sight.” Ye Yongzhen pushed through the crowd, praising Ye Huan. “Look at her! There’s not a single ugly girl in the Old Ye Family.”

The women burst into laughter. “Keep flattering yourself, Yongzhen!”

Chen Feng’e introduced Ye Huan. “She shares your surname and her family’s from Nanzhou, both her maiden and married families. She came here with her husband in the military. She mentioned you might be distant relatives, but I said, ‘How could that be? You two look nothing alike!’ We even made a bet about it just now.”

Ye Yongzhen asked Ye Huan, “Where in Nanzhou is your family from?”

“Nanzhou City.”

“Are you originally from Nanzhou or did you move there later?”

“My father’s generation moved to Nanzhou.”

“Do you know where your ancestral home is?”

“Our ancestral home is Yunlin Brigade in Qingyuan County.”

Before Ye Huan went to the countryside, she had chatted with Li Xiufen and heard her mention a few times that Ye Yongguo’s ancestral home was Yunlin Village in Qingyuan County, now known as Yunlin Brigade.

He had left his hometown at the age of sixteen after a major disaster struck the area. To make a living, he came to Nanzhou, working as a porter and a kitchen helper in a restaurant. Later, when the Nanzhou Machinery Factory was hiring, he was recruited because he had attended a literacy class and knew a few characters. Starting as an apprentice, he gradually worked his way up and eventually settled down in Nanzhou.

Ye Yongguo lost his mother at a young age, and his only remaining family in his hometown was his father. While his father was still alive, he would occasionally return to visit. But after his father passed away and with no siblings left in his hometown, he gradually lost contact with his roots. It had indeed been many years since he last returned.

Even Li Xiufen, who married Ye Yongguo, had never been taken back to his hometown. As a result, she didn’t know any of his relatives there.

Hearing Ye Huan’s words, Ye Yongzhen’s eyes lit up. “Is your father named Ye Yongguo?”

When Ye Huan nodded, Ye Yongzhen slapped her thigh. “Oh my goodness! Feng’e was right! We’re actually family, still within the fifth degree of kinship!”

Seeing Ye Huan’s bewildered expression, Ye Yongzhen explained, “Your father’s grandfather and my grandfather were first cousins. When your grandfather passed away, my father sent the telegram to your father at the commune. Your father couldn’t make it back in time, so my father handled the funeral arrangements. You were too young to remember, but ask your father about Ye Yongzhen sometime—he’ll likely recall the name.”

Chen Feng’e exclaimed in amazement, “So you really are family!”

She had noticed Ye Huan and Ye Yongzhen shared the surname Ye and both hailed from Nanzhou. When she met Ye Yongzhen today, she casually mentioned it.

Ye Yongzhen, always one for excitement, suggested they might be related. The others joined in the fun, making bets and joking around. Little did they know, their wild guess would turn out to be true.

“Of course!” Ye Yongzhen declared. “By seniority, she should call me ‘Auntie’—her paternal first aunt!”

Ye Huan had only heard snippets about Ye Yongguo’s hometown from Li Xiufen, and she knew little about the specifics.

But judging by Ye Yongzhen’s tone, it seemed genuine. After all, who would claim kinship out of the blue these days?

Ye Huan knew she’d have to write to Ye Yongguo later to confirm, but for now, she decided to acknowledge this aunt. Being alone here, having another relative was always a good thing. So, she readily called out, “Aunt.”

Ye Yongzhen responded happily, pulling her close. “Your uncle isn’t home today—he’s away on a business trip. He’ll be back tomorrow, and then I’ll introduce you to everyone.”

Sun Guoqing approached, scowling at the group of women laughing and chatting. “What’s all this gathering? Don’t you want your work points? Get back to work immediately!”

Chen Feng’e retorted, “Yongzhen is here to acknowledge her niece. She is Ye Huan’s aunt.”

Ye Huan had barely arrived when Ye Yongzhen claimed kinship.

What a coincidence! Sun Guoqing dismissed Chen Feng’e’s words as a joke, not taking them seriously. “Acknowledging relatives doesn’t excuse you from work! Disperse now!”

The women scattered with amused laughter. Ye Yongzhen called out to Ye Huan, “Stay with me, niece.”

As the newcomer, Ye Huan was bound to face some bullying. If she weren’t related, Ye Yongzhen wouldn’t care, but now that she was her niece, she felt obligated to protect her.

Anyone who dares to bully her will have to answer to me, she thought.

Ye Huan obediently followed Ye Yongzhen to the fields to pull weeds. It was work she was well-accustomed to, and she handled it with practiced ease.

Ye Yongzhen worked beside her, chatting as they weeded. “The last time I saw your dad was when your grandfather passed away. He brought your mom and your brother’s family back for the funeral. Your brother was just a little thing then, maybe three or four years old. The cold weather and unfamiliar water made him sick as soon as they arrived. He ran a terrible fever, and your mom was terrified. She held him and cried until her eyes were swollen shut.

“Your dad was too busy with the funeral arrangements to pay much attention. I saw how bad it was—if the fever kept rising, it could damage the boy’s brain. So I took your mom and your brother to the commune clinic that night. One shot brought the fever down.”

The “your brother” Ye Yongzhen mentioned was undoubtedly Ye Mingliang.

Since Ye Mingliang was only three or four at the time, the woman who accompanied Ye Yongguo to the funeral must have been his first wife—Ye Mingliang and Ye Qing’s biological mother.

That woman wasn’t her real mother. Though Li Xiufen wasn’t her biological mother either, Li Xiufen had always treated her with genuine love and care. To Ye Qing, Li Xiufen was her only true mother.

“That’s my brother’s mother, not mine,” she said to Ye Yongzhen.

Ye Yongzhen was taken aback.

“My brother’s biological mother passed away when he was six. I also have an older sister, a year older than me. She and my brother share the same mother, while my younger brother and I share a different mother. My mother’s name is Li Xiufen.”

Ye Huan wouldn’t have explained so clearly to anyone else—there was no need.

But Ye Yongzhen wasn’t a stranger. As cousins of Ye Yongguo, they might cross paths again in the future, so it was best to be clear.

Ye Yongzhen understood: Ye Yongguo had married twice. His first wife had died, leaving behind a son and a daughter. He then married Li Xiufen, who bore Ye Huan and her younger brother.

From Ye Huan’s words, Ye Yongguo’s daughter from his first marriage was only a year older than Ye Huan. It was strange that the younger sister had been sent to the countryside instead of the elder sister.

Logically, a mother should favor her own daughter.

Though they were relatives, they were still two separate families, and it had been many years since they’d last met.

Ye Yongzhen hesitated to press further and changed the subject. “Your uncle is from our hometown too. He’s stationed at the military base nearby. I joined the army in 1970 and was assigned to work at the farm. It’s been five or six years since I last went home.”

Just then, a young man came running toward them, shouting as he sprinted, “Team Leader Jiang! Disaster! Something terrible has happened!”

Chen Feng’e jumped up in alarm and blocked his path. “What’s wrong?”

“A fight broke out! Someone’s going to get killed!”

“Who’s fighting?”

The young man, breathless from running, gasped, “Wang Guiying and Comrade Bai!”

Before the words had even left his mouth, half the women in the fields had abandoned their work and rushed toward the commotion.

“Comrade Bai dared to fight Guiying?”

“Hard to say. Even a cornered rabbit will bite.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Even if you gave Comrade Bai all the courage in the world, she wouldn’t dare fight Guiying.”

“I wonder what started the fight?”

Sun Guoqing was startled, his voice trembling. “Did someone really get killed?”

The young man blinked. “No, not yet. They’re just arguing, but it’s a really fierce fight.”

Sun Guoqing nearly choked with anger. Because of this one shout, everyone had rushed over to watch the commotion, leaving the fields deserted!

He slapped the back of the young man’s head. “Why are you shouting about a quarrel? Haven’t you ever seen people argue before? ‘Someone’s dead’? Stop spreading nonsense!”

“I was just trying to get you to intervene quickly! If you don’t stop them now, they’ll start fighting for real, and someone might actually get hurt!”

To be more precise, it was Wang Guiying unilaterally attacking Bai Yin. Wang Guiying was notoriously aggressive, and Bai Yin, with her slight build, stood no chance against her.

Naturally, the young man sided with Bai Yin. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have rushed to fetch Sun Guoqing the moment things turned ugly.

Sun Guoqing disliked meddling in women’s affairs, especially when Wang Guiying was involved. He tried to pass the buck. “I’m busy. Go find Team Leader Jiang. He’s closer. Tell him to handle it.”

“Team Leader Jiang isn’t here.”

Sun Guoqing fell silent, suspecting Jiang Chaoqiang was deliberately hiding. After all, Wang Guiying was not someone to be trifled with.

Although Bai Yin was in their group, Wang Guiying belonged to the second group. With Jiang Chaoqiang absent, Sun Guoqing had to intervene.

Sun Guoqing immediately felt a headache coming on. “Let’s go see what’s causing the commotion this time. Women always make such a fuss—never a moment’s peace.”

This was precisely why he preferred not to work with women.

Ye Yongzhen hadn’t planned to go, but after hearing their conversation, her eyes lit up.

“Come on, Ye Huan, let’s go see what’s happening!” she said, eagerly pulling Ye Huan along to join the spectacle.

By the time they arrived, the crowd had already formed several layers deep. Angry shouts could be heard clearly even from a distance.

Ye Yongzhen spotted a gap and squeezed through the crowd with Ye Huan in tow, pushing their way to the front.

Ye Huan immediately spotted Bai Yin. Bai Yin’s expression was grim, and she looked deeply embarrassed.

It was indeed humiliating for a young woman to be publicly berated and pointed at in front of so many people.

The woman doing the shouting was middle-aged, likely Wang Guiying. Since her back was turned, Ye Huan couldn’t see her face clearly, but she appeared thin and not very tall. Her voice, however, was remarkably loud. Standing so close, Ye Huan felt her head ringing from the woman’s bellowing.

Wang Guiying jabbed her finger at Bai Yin, nearly poking her in the face. “I just bought those yesterday morning and didn’t even take a single bite. The moment I turned my back, you coaxed Feng Shengli into giving them to you! Those were for his grandmother, you greedy woman! You’d steal food from an old woman? Have you no shame?!”

Bai Yin’s face flushed crimson. “I didn’t ask Feng Shengli to give them to me!”

“If you didn’t ask him, then why would Shengli offer them to you? Why not anyone else? It’s because you’re like a fox spirit, constantly chánrào him, bewitching him with your charms until he’s completely dazed. He showers you with gifts every day like a running stream. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re after—marrying Shengli! Dream on! I’m making it clear right here and now: as long as I refuse to budge, you’ll never set foot in the Feng family’s home!”

The middle-aged woman beside Ye Huan scoffed. “Acting like it’s for Shengli’s grandmother? The old woman’s lost all her teeth! Even if you gave it to her, she couldn’t chew it. Dragging the old lady into this is just pathetic!”

Ye Yongzhen arrived late and couldn’t make heads or tails of the argument. She leaned over and asked the older woman, “What’s all the fuss about?”

The older woman, who had arrived early and heard everything clearly, explained, “Yesterday, Guiying bought some apples. Before she could even eat one, Feng Shengli secretly gave them to Educated Youth Bai. Guiying only found out today, and now she’s here demanding the apples back.”

A woman nearby chimed in, “I heard a while back that Guiying didn’t approve of Bai Yin.”

“Bai Yin is beautiful and from the city. Guiying was interested in her at first, but then she heard something about Bai’s family not being well-off, and she changed her mind. She wanted to introduce Shengli to someone from town, and they even arranged a meeting. But Shengli refused, saying he only wanted Comrade Bai. The mother and son have been arguing about this every day. I live next door, and their family has been in constant turmoil over it.”

“Bai Yin is no better. She’s not even dating Feng Shengli. Why would she take his apples?”

“She never admitted to taking them.”

“But she didn’t deny it either. I bet she took them.”