Chapter 30: Conspiracy

Accountant Jin’s wife, Jin Jiefang, was scrubbing a water bottle with soap—the very one that belonged to Tan Yanlu.

Accountant Jin, feeling vexed, lit a cigarette and said to his wife, “Later, go check on the girl and ask her why she has a problem with Tan, the Educated Youth. If it’s just a matter of her being competitive, that’s one thing. But if she’s taken a liking to any of the male Educated Youth, you’d better nip that in the bud right away. I won’t agree to her marrying a male Educated Youth, so she might as well give up on that idea.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of crying in the room grew louder, and Accountant Jin’s frown deepened.

Jin Jiefang nodded, “I understand. I’ll go ask her later. So, are we just going to let today’s incident slide?”

Accountant Jin glanced at his wife, “What else can we do? We’re in the wrong here. We’ve spoiled our daughter, and now we’re paying the price. From now on, we need to be stricter with her. We can’t keep indulging her like before—it’ll only harm her in the end.”

“Alright, I get it. I’ve cleaned Tan’s bottle. You can return it to her tomorrow.”

“Mm, leave it there. Don’t forget to remind me tomorrow.”

With that, the conversation between Accountant Jin and his wife came to an end. Inside the room, Jin Bei felt utterly miserable.

She couldn’t understand why she wasn’t allowed to marry a male Educated Youth. Lian Xiuran’s family background was clearly well-off—if she married him, she’d never have to worry about food or clothing. So why wouldn’t they agree?

And then there was Tan Yanlu. She had only played a little prank on her, but Tan had made her lose so much face. Now, whenever she went out, people would surely laugh at her!

The thought of people secretly mocking her filled Jin Bei with resentment, and she was determined to get back at Tan Yanlu.

She bit her lip, trying to figure out how to teach Tan a lesson, but before she could come up with anything, Jin Jiefang entered the room and scolded her, repeatedly questioning which male Educated Youth she had taken a liking to.

Jin Bei, already feeling wronged, lashed out at her own mother, letting out a scream before running out of the room.

Jin Jiefang was also angered, “This girl! Do I look like I’m trying to harm her? Why can’t she listen to reason?”

Second Sister-in-law Jin, who had been eavesdropping at the door, sneered at Jin Jiefang’s words. What was the point of spoiling a girl like that? She’s grown too big for her boots, and now look at the mess she’s in!

The Jin family hadn’t divided their household and still lived together in one large compound. Accountant Jin was the eldest, with two younger brothers, each married with children.

Jin Bei was the only granddaughter, and the entire Jin family doted on her.

Second Sister-in-law Jin wasn’t particularly biased toward boys over girls, but they weren’t city folk. Spoiling a country girl like she was some city lady—what good would that do? She didn’t know the first thing about farm work, threw tantrums at the drop of a hat, and was always scheming. Who would want to marry her? If she married into the countryside, what rural wife wouldn’t need to work in the fields?

And if she married into the city, Accountant Jin probably didn’t have the connections to find her a good husband there.

Second Sister-in-law Jin couldn’t help but think that the girl had been spoiled rotten, and she hoped she wouldn’t end up dragging the whole family down with her.

She didn’t have a daughter herself, but her son had grown up. What if she had a granddaughter in the future? How would she deal with having a cousin who had ruined her reputation?

Jin Bei was so angry that she ran out of the house. For a moment, she didn’t know where to go, so she hid in the small woods behind her house.

When it got dark, the two boys from the Jin family were urged by the adults to go out and find Jin Bei to come back for dinner.

The two boys were from the third branch of the family, Jin Bei’s cousins. Jin Bei often gave them the Dried Sweet Potato she didn’t like to eat, so the two boys were particularly obedient to her.

Looking at these two brothers, Jin Bei’s eyes rolled, and she beckoned them over: “Do you two want to eat Dried Sweet Potato?”

“Yes,” the two boys, around eleven or twelve years old and not in school, were both a bit simple-minded, just like each other.

“If you can do something for me, and only if you do it well, I’ll give each of you two pieces of Dried Sweet Potato.”

The two brothers’ eyes lit up: “Sister, what is it? Tell us, and we promise to do it well.”

Jin Bei smiled, then whispered something in their ears. No one else could hear it except the three of them.