Mrs Qin had guessed that she would face trouble after causing a scene at the temple, but she never expected that this little rascal, Song Jiandang, would be so cruel as to stuff smelly socks into her mouth.

Mrs Qin was immediately outraged. With a glare, she snapped at Song Jiandang:

“Hey! Song Jiandang, no matter what, I am still your elder!

The Party always teaches you officials to respect your elders and serve the people.

Is this how you show respect for your elders?

You should apologize to me right now!”

Everyone was stunned by Mrs Qini’s shamelessness. The village elders were so shocked that some of them actually started laughing out of anger. Song Jiandang hadn’t said anything yet.

On the side, Li Mu Tou’s wife, Li Laopozi, who had never gotten along with Mrs Qin, saw her throwing a tantrum and spat on the ground with her hands on her hips,

“Wow!

I have lived for half my life, but this is the first time I have seen such a shameless person. “

“Fuck you!

How can an old woman like you be so shameless! “

Old Lady Qin glared at Old Lady Li with angry eyes.

Mrs. Li was a sharp-tongued woman and she immediately responded with a barrage of criticism.

“What’s the matter.

My wife was wrong.

You said you are the captain’s elder, the captain’s surname is Song, you old coward, you don’t even know your surname, you pig-nosed woman, why are you pretending to be so high and mighty! “

Mrs. Qin was choked by Mr. Li’s words and was speechless. She could only roll her eyes in anger.

When the villagers saw how frustrated Old Lady Qin was, they all covered their mouths and chuckled.

Old Lady Qin lost face and she was so angry that she jumped up and pointed at Qin Dahai and cursed,

“You coward!

Don’t you see that others are bullying your mother? Why are you still like a hopeless loser?

What’s the point of me raising a son like you!”

Qin Dahai saw that everyone in the village was staring at him mockingly, his face turned purple and he whispered,

“Mom, please just calm down.

Otherwise, our family of five will have to sleep in the wilderness.”

After saying this, Qin Dahai smiled at Song Jiandang in a flattering manner again.

“Captain, well, my mother is old and her brain isn’t working very well anymore. You have to be tolerant, so don’t hold it against her.

Anyway, we grew up together. For my father’s sake, you should at least think of a way to give my family a place to sleep at night.”

As Qin Dahai spoke, he tugged at the corner of Li Erhua’s clothes. Li Erhua’s eyes lit up and he also grinned,

“That’s right.

Captain, you have to think of a way for my family.

Our children, Baozhu and Rongrong are both obedient and sensible. They are so pitiful that they cannot sleep outside at night.”

When Li Erhua said this, everyone around burst into laughter.

Li Erhua was furious and demanded, “Why are you all laughing?!”

“We’re laughing because you’re talking nonsense,” replied Li Muto’s wife, who was known for her bluntness.

Li Erhua’s anger grew. “How am I talking nonsense? Explain yourself!”

“Fine, I’ll explain!” Li Muto’s wife said defiantly. “I’m not afraid of you!”

Li Muto’s wife, with her head held high, expressed her thoughts directly. “You dare claim your two kids are well-behaved and obedient? Ha! You’re just flattering them. Everyone in the village knows that your Qin Baozhu is a little thief. He spends his time with troublemakers from other villages, stealing chickens and dogs around here. Which household hasn’t had something stolen by him?

And your eldest daughter, she’s even worse. She was sent to a labor camp by the police but still managed to come back and cause trouble! Really impressive.

As for us, we wouldn’t dare let the Qin family stay with us. If something went missing, that would be one thing, but if someone set our house on fire in the middle of the night and caused a death, it wouldn’t be worth the risk.”

Li Muto’s wife’s words made the villagers, who had initially been watching with amusement, change their expressions. They realized they couldn’t let the Qin family stay with them. If what Li Muto’s wife said was true, it could put their lives in danger.

Suddenly, the villagers looked at the Qin family with renewed disdain.

Seeing everyone looking at her family with disgust, Li Erhua was furious, her anger almost boiling over. She lunged at Li Muto’s wife, trying to scratch her face while muttering angrily.

“If you dare to say bad things about my Baozhu, I will tear your stinky mouth to pieces!”

Li Mutou’s wife didn’t waste any words with her and kicked Li Erhua in the stomach. Li Erhua held her stomach and couldn’t get up. Seeing this, the Qin family was angry and wanted to beat Li Mutou’s wife. Li Mutou’s family definitely wouldn’t let her in, so a group of people started arguing with each other.

Only Qin Rongrong stood in the corner with a gloomy face. The ugly and harsh cursing sounds from the people around her sounded like natural music to her ears. She felt very happy in her heart. Let them fight and make noise. It would be even better if someone died.

Damn everyone here!

Song Jiandang was overwhelmed. He threw the bowl of water in his hand to the ground with a bang and shouted,

“Stop it all for me!

If you hit me again, I will deduct your work points!”

Deduct work points? ! !

That won’t work!

For a moment, everyone around stopped and became very obedient.

Even though Song Jiandang hated the Qin family, he still couldn’t ignore their affairs. There was no other way. He was the team leader and if he didn’t, no one would care.

Forget it, just think of it as him owing those bastards from the Qin family in his previous life!

Song Jiandang cheered up and kept saying nice things to the villagers, asking them to endure for a few days and make room for the Qin family to sleep.

But no matter how much he tried to persuade them, the villagers were unwilling to sleep on the floor with the Qin family even if they had to give up their work points.

*What to do? Find a solution!*

In the end, Song Jiandang had no choice but to have the temple’s kitchen cleaned up and the leaking roof repaired. He then arranged for the Qin family to move in there.

The kitchen, situated next to a wastewater ditch, was stiflingly hot in the summer. It had no ventilation and was like a steam chamber, making it unbearably sweaty to sleep in. Additionally, the smell from the wastewater ditch made it even more uncomfortable for the Qin family.

However, the Qin family didn’t dare complain. At first, Old Mrs. Qin had been vocal about her dissatisfaction, grumbling about why the Ye family could stay in a separate room in the thatched cottage outside the temple, which had a bed and windows, while the Qin family had to endure the steamy kitchen.

As soon as Old Mrs. Qin made these complaints, a few of the village women retorted sharply.

“Pah!

“How can you even say that!” one of the village women retorted. “The Ye family is so pitiful. Old Mr. Ye was dragged out of the ruins and still can’t walk steadily. Why shouldn’t they be allowed to stay in the separate thatched cottage?”

Old Mrs. Qin tried to argue back, but Song Jiandang saw this and became furious. He threatened that if they continued causing trouble, he would have them thrown out of the temple, forcing them to sleep outside. With wild wolves in the mountains at night, their lives would be in real danger!

So, the Qin family had no choice but to quiet down.

The villagers enjoyed a quieter life at the mountaintop. After seven or eight days of living in the temple, the floodwaters at the base of the mountain had receded considerably. Song Jiandang and Song Xiangdong, along with the village men, made several trips down the mountain. They reported that the floodwaters had receded from the middle slopes and most of the water in the village had also subsided. The village houses were beginning to reappear, although the road to the commune was still covered in puddles.

The villagers of Dahe could no longer contact the outside world and were unsure of the situation at the commune. 

However, things were improving day by day. The mood of the Dahu Mountain villagers brightened and the young women in the village took the opportunity to tidy up their family’s dirty clothes. They carried wooden basins to the river halfway down the mountain to wash the clothes.

It was another hot, sunny day with the blazing sun high in the sky. Although it was a bit warmer in the afternoon, a refreshing breeze blew intermittently. Chen Juhua, seeing that the weather was quite nice, gathered up the family’s dirty clothes and bed linens, put them into a wooden basin and set off down the mountain with her three daughters-in-law to wash the clothes.

At the riverside halfway down the mountain, where several young women and girls from the village were already washing clothes in the clear water, Chen Juhua and her daughters-in-law greeted their acquaintances with friendly chatter. They found a shaded spot with a large rock and began washing clothes with their washboards.

Liu Hongmei, while scrubbing the clothes, complained,

“I wonder when the floodwaters will finally recede. Living in the temple every day and the eldest daughter-in-law of the Chen family sleeps next to me. Her snoring is so loud that I can’t fall asleep until late at night. I never told her about it and now she’s getting mad at me, insisting she doesn’t snore. It’s really annoying.”

Zhao Xiuying and Lin Yuehong laughed in response,

“The eldest daughter-in-law of the Chen family has only been married for less than a year. She’s still young and shy, so she doesn’t want to admit it. That’s normal.”

Liu Hongmei thought about it and realized that they were right. However, she still felt aggrieved. Even though they all slept on the ground, others seemed to sleep comfortably while she had the misfortune of being next to the snoring Chen daughter-in-law.

Liu Hongmei pouted. Normally, if Chen Juhua saw her like this, she would have scolded her. But right now, Chen Juhua was preoccupied with a pressing concern, finding a way for her grandsons, Wen Zhe and Wen Bo, to learn a useful skill so they could have a better future.

Having spent her entire life in the countryside, Chen Juhua knew that for rural children to succeed, they needed a good education. Without it, they were destined to a life of farming. 

She was worried about her two grandsons, Wen Zhe and Wen Bo, who had dropped out of school. While her other grandchildren, Wen Xuan and Wen Jie were doing well in school and required no concern, Wen Zhe and Wen Bo were a source of worry for her.

Chen Juhua had always been dedicated to her grandchildren, despite the fact that the villagers knew she was particularly fond of her granddaughter. She was equally concerned about her five grandsons.

Initially, Chen Juhua was adamant that Wen Zhe and Wen Bo should not drop out of school. She knew that without education, they would end up struggling in the fields, earning only a few work points each day. If they married and had families, they would face a lifetime of hardship. The recent flood had further clarified her belief, if disasters struck, they would face hunger and poverty.

She and her husband had endured hardship their entire lives, but she didn’t want her younger generation to suffer in the same way. They were still young and had many years ahead of them.

Chen Juhua knew that despite their educated names, Wen Zhe and Wen Bo were not very bright and their academic performance had always been poor. Since it was clear that further education was not a viable path, she needed to find another solution.

After much thought, she decided to discuss the matter with her eldest son, Song Xiangdong, who was the only one in the family holding an official position. 

That evening, after dinner, Chen Juhua called her eldest son over and they found a quiet corner to talk.

Song Xiangdong listened attentively and quickly understood his mother’s concern, she was worried about the future of Wen Zhe and Wen Bo.

As the eldest uncle, Song Xiangdong cared deeply about his nephews. He thought for a moment and suggested,

“Mother, you know our family’s situation. The primary path for Wen Zhe and Wen Bo to succeed would have been through education, but that route is no longer feasible. Given the recent flood, many temporary workers at the coal plant have left. The plant will be hiring again in the fall. Since Wen Zhe and Wen Bo are hardworking, I can reserve two positions for them. They can start as temporary workers and if they work hard, transitioning to permanent positions won’t be too difficult.”

Chen Juhua’s eyes lit up when she heard this. A smile spread across her face as she realized that this was a good idea.

Working at the coal plant, whether as a temporary worker or otherwise, earns over twenty yuan a month. On top of that, there are benefits like grain and cloth coupons. If the two kids work hard and get permanent positions in the future, they will be paid in commodity grains, which is a stable job with guaranteed income. They won’t have to worry about their livelihood anymore.

“Xiangdong, from now on, I’ll leave Wen Zhe and Wen Bo in your care,” Chen Juhua said, wiping her tears. She felt deeply sorry for her eldest son, realizing how much responsibility he had taken on over the years.

She blamed herself and her husband for their inability to provide better and for burdening their children.

Seeing his mother cry, Song Xiangdong stepped forward to comfort her,

“Mom, what are you talking about?

Wen Zhe and Wen Bo are my nephews. As their uncle, it’s only right that I take care of them.

Once the two boys get permanent positions and Wan Yue and the other kids get into high school and then university, our family’s life will only get better.

You need to keep an eye on things.”

“Of course! I’ll make sure to keep an eye on everything!

I still need to see my girl married off!” 

Chen Juhua smiled as she spoke.

However, Song Xiangdong couldn’t share in the laughter. The thought of his precious daughter being taken away by some outsider made his heart feel heavy and cold.

What Song Xiangdong didn’t know was that, that very night, his beloved daughter, suffering from sleepwalking, got up from her bedding as the rain pattered outside. Groggily, she put on her slippers and made her way to the thatched hut where Ye Chenchuan was staying.

The teenager lying on the straw bed heard a soft noise near his bed and responded sharply.

“Who’s there?”

“It’s me~”

A delicate, soft voice answered. Ye Chenchuan lit the lamp and saw a little girl in a cute sleep outfit standing at the bedside, blinking innocently.

Ye Chenchuan thought,

*Has the little girl sleepwalked again?*

It was the same on that night when she sleepwalked into his room, clinging to him like a kitten and asking him to call her Jiao Jiao(describes someone who is pampered and charming, often referring to a cute or spoiled girl).

The memory of that night, with her soft and clingy presence, made Ye Chenchuan’s eyes darken slightly.

The girl’s gaze, however, fell on a glass bottle on the rattan basket by the bed.

Hmm? What’s that pleasant smell?

The bottle contained clear, sweet-smelling peach blossom wine. The girl took a sip and found it tangy, sweet and delicious with a natural peach blossom fragrance. It was indeed very tasty.

The little girl, looking delighted, grabbed the bottle of peach blossom wine from the rattan basket and tilting her head back, drank the entire bottle in one go.

Ye Chenchuan didn’t have time to stop her and could only watch helplessly as she finished the wine. He was left with no choice but to deal with the situation.

“You’re drunk,” he said.

The girl hiccuped and said, “Hic~ You! Who are you calling ‘little girl’?! Call me Jiao Jiao!”

With her face flushed from the alcohol, she looked even more adorable and stubborn.

Ye Chenchuan’s dark eyes narrowed, revealing a hint of turbulent emotions.

“Are you sure, Jiao Jiao?”

The girl pouted and replied, “What’s wrong? I think you’re looking down on me, Jiao Jiao! Let’s make a bet!”

The little girl declared, “From now on, if anyone regrets it, they’re a little dog!”

Ye Chenchuan was confused: ??? 

So, did the little girl just sell herself out?