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Chapter 10 – Complaints Behind the Back

Words had already been exchanged; if Qin Yajuan didn’t leave now, she would look weak. But if she did go out… she couldn’t possibly go and tattle. The two of them had just bickered, nothing concrete enough to use as a complaint.

Especially since after Xu Jingchu entered the Lin household, her performance had been so outstanding. The Lin couple would only think Qin Yajuan was making trouble out of nothing.

Annoying! Infuriating!

Back in the countryside, Xu Jingchu’s parents had always favored her brother. No one liked her. She was forced to cook, help with farm work, and sew clothes. That was the life she deserved!

She was born to suffer, never to enjoy blessings. Yet now she still did these chores but got to eat better, live better, and even received praise from others? Heaven was truly unfair!

Qin Yajuan fumed. Since she couldn’t go back to the room, she decided to head downstairs and watch some TV. After wandering outside the whole day, her legs were sore, more tired than a full day’s farm work.

Today she had also learned that among the bell-bottom crowd, there were all sorts of “young masters and misses”—kids from somewhat wealthy families who neither wanted to study nor work.

At first, Qin Yajuan felt a little inferior. But when one of them asked where she lived, she replied, “In the military compound in the south of the city.”

The moment she said that, she clearly saw their expressions change. Military compound—in any era, it was a phrase worth boasting about.

As for why she lived there, there was no need to explain in detail. Soon enough she’d enter the factory, marry Wang Yuejin, and for now, just basking in their admiration felt good.

They even made plans to meet under the willow tree again tomorrow. Qin Yajuan was quite excited. Tagging along with them might also let her gather news about the paper mill.

“Brother Tingjun.” Qin Yajuan quickly masked her unease when Lin Tingjun suddenly appeared, interrupting her daydream.

“Mm.” Lin Tingjun was about to head upstairs, but Qin Yajuan stopped him.

“Brother Tingjun, do you think Jingchu is pretty?” she asked, pretending it was a casual question.

“Did she put you up to this?” Lin Tingjun frowned slightly. He disliked others prying into his life, and this kind of question was far too unfamiliar to him.

“Jingchu often praises you in front of me. She says you’re handsome, spirited, completely different from the village boys. She says you’re educated, with good character and family background too.”

Instead of answering his question, Qin Yajuan deliberately threw out vague words, a smokescreen. After all, she had lived with Lin Tingjun for an entire lifetime; she knew him somewhat.

Lin Tingjun was contrary by nature—the more a woman liked him, the less he liked her.

“Jingchu is pretty, capable, and sociable. Back in our village, she was already very popular with the boys.”

“When she washed clothes, plenty of young men from nearby villages came over just to watch.”

She added a few more sentences, each sounding like praise but actually smearing Xu Jingchu’s reputation.

A flirtatious woman—what self-respecting, capable man would like her? Certainly not Lin Tingjun.

Seeing his brow twitch slightly, Qin Yajuan knew she had hit the mark.

Xu Jingchu, didn’t you say you didn’t need me to give Lin Tingjun to you? Fine then, I won’t. I don’t want him, and you won’t get him either.

Lin Tingjun didn’t reply, just went straight upstairs. Through the crack in Xu Jingchu’s half-closed door, he could see her slender figure bent over her desk, studying. Was she really this good at putting on an act? But so what? As long as she didn’t disturb his life, it had nothing to do with him.

The next morning, after Lin Jianbai and Zhang Qiuyun left for work, Qin Yajuan immediately slipped out. She had agreed with the bell-bottom crowd to visit the paper mill today.

They said they knew a way to sneak in without using the front gate.

“Yajuan, tell us honestly—why do you have to get into the paper mill?” asked Liu Xiaoxia, the big sister of the group.

“I… I just want to take a look.” She couldn’t say the real reason.

“Let me guess—you’re chasing after someone, right?” Liu Xiaoxia hit the nail on the head. Everyone burst into laughter, some even whistled, drawing looks from passersby.

“No, no, not a boyfriend,” Qin Yajuan quickly denied.

“Got it—unrequited then.” Another chimed in. “Since Yajuan doesn’t have a man yet, you guys better hurry and seize the chance!”

Qin Yajuan curled her lip. As if she’d look twice at them. But for now, she had no choice but to tag along. In her previous life, she had no memory of these people at all, which meant they were nothing but extras.

“Come on! It’s obvious Yajuan has someone in her heart. She’s pretty and comes from the military compound. Do you guys really think you’re good enough?” Liu Xiaoxia stood up for her.

That soothed Qin Yajuan a little. To prevent them from getting ideas, she even blushed and admitted, “Sister Xia is right, there is someone I like at the paper mill.”

“The times have changed, girls can chase boys too. Come on, today’s mission is to help Yajuan check out her sweetheart!” Liu Xiaoxia rallied the group.

Because they had agreed yesterday to climb the paper mill wall, everyone wore plain clothes today, afraid of ripping their precious bell-bottoms.

The group sneaked in over the wall. It was work hours, so most workers were inside the workshops. A few laborers carried goods outside, but their faces were hidden by wide straw hats.

“Let’s rest under the trees first. At noon when everyone gets off work, we’ll mix in with the crowd to leave. That way Yajuan has a better chance of spotting her man.” Someone suggested.

The weather was hot, and everyone agreed without hesitation.

Finally, at noon break, they slipped out with the workers. Qin Yajuan looked around hard but didn’t see Wang Yuejin anywhere.

“Don’t lose heart, Yajuan. Try again tomorrow.” Liu Xiaoxia bit into a bun, kindly comforting her. The buns, in fact, were ones Qin Yajuan had taken—perhaps “stolen”—from the Lin house, since she hadn’t told anyone.

“Your family’s buns taste better than the ones sold outside. Your mom’s cooking is amazing!” Liu Xiaoxia praised.

“Not my mom, it’s… our maid who made them.” Qin Yajuan answered casually.

Xu Jingchu, planning to reheat the leftover buns for lunch, entered the kitchen only to find there weren’t many left. Clearly, what was left last night was enough for another meal for her and the Lin brothers.

Maybe she had miscounted, or maybe someone had just gotten hungry and eaten them. Xu Jingchu didn’t think much of it. Since there weren’t enough buns, she decided to make cold noodles instead.

That morning had been fruitful—she had finished cutting two tops for herself. She had also prepared patterns for pants and a dress. Tomorrow she would cut the fabric, then use the sewing machine to turn out two more pieces.

“Tingyu, call your brother to come eat.” Xu Jingchu set out the bowls and chopsticks.

Lin Tingjun came downstairs expressionless, silently picking up his chopsticks. As expected, the cold noodles Xu Jingchu made were even better than he imagined. She really could cook—but the person herself…

“Brother Tingjun, do you have time after lunch?” Xu Jingchu had a few questions she couldn’t figure out and wanted to ask him.

“No.” Lin Tingjun refused bluntly without thinking. He hated having his time wasted; he still had important topics to review that afternoon.

“Alright then, never mind.” Xu Jingchu thought to herself that she’d just study harder, maybe she’d figure it out on her own.

Seeing the disappointment in her face, Lin Tingjun felt a sour taste in his mouth. Sure enough, food spoils easily in summer. The noodles must have already gone bad before the meal was over—that must be why they tasted sour.

“What do you want?” he asked suddenly, almost against his own will.

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