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Chapter 21 – Qin Yajuan “Takes the Initiative” to Make Peace

“Qin Yajuan, have I ever eaten your family’s rice?”

Xu Jingchu still had a smile on her face, but it grew colder by the second.

“Jingchu, what kind of thing to say is that?” Qin Yajuan acted as if she were saying, See? You’re getting worked up. Can’t even take a joke.

“What kind of thing? Chinese, of course! Just answer me—have I eaten your family’s rice or not?”

Her soft tone revealed nothing of her true attitude.

“Jingchu, don’t get worked up. Your mother told you not to be so hot-tempered, to be more steady, and you take it as if it means nothing at all.”

Each line sounded like a concerned elder sister advising a stubborn younger one, but every word was a hook Qin Yajuan laid out. She had no intention of letting Xu Jingchu live comfortably in the Lin household.

“Yajuan-jie, I know exactly what my mother said to me. I just don’t understand how you know it so clearly. And about that time with the medicine for back pain—why did you know about that too? Are you eavesdropping outside my window every day?”

Xu Jingchu blinked innocently, as if she’d mentioned the back pain medicine without thinking.

“You’re bringing up last time? If you hadn’t come asking me for that medicine, would there have been a misunderstanding between us at all?”

“Was it because of that misunderstanding that you’ve held a grudge against me ever since?”

“Yajuan-jie, I can explain it again if you want. What I gave you really was medicine for back pain. As for what Laizi said about you—”

The moment “Laizi” was mentioned, Qin Yajuan’s face went stark white. Her mother had even asked in a letter whether anyone in the city knew about Laizi.

She had replied: no.

In fact, these past two months in the city had been so pleasant that she’d nearly forgotten the matter herself. Yet Xu Jingchu’s words dragged her back to that panic-filled morning.

“Laizi never tells the truth. And you actually believe him!” Qin Yajuan rushed to cut her off.

“I didn’t bring up Laizi. I was talking about the misunderstanding between you and me. Yajuan-jie, I really think it all started with that medicine for back pain. Maybe Laizi just made your misunderstanding of me worse.”

“Since Uncle Lin and Auntie Zhang are both here today, and they’re both educated people, let’s just lay everything out clearly. If we talk it through properly, there won’t be any more misunderstandings.”

Xu Jingchu’s sincerity and candor pleased both Lin Jianbai and Zhang Qiuyun. Misunderstandings should be resolved—she handled it correctly.

“Who’s Laizi?” Lin Tingyu, still a child, had never heard of anyone with such a strange name. Especially when Jingchu-jie kept saying it with such familiarity. His curiosity grew.

Hearing that, Qin Yajuan panicked even more. Lin family must never know about Laizi.

“Jingchu-meimei, there’s no misunderstanding between us, none at all. You know I’ve always had a sharp tongue. Since we’ve known each other since childhood, let me pour you another glass of wine. I’ll apologize properly, all right?”

Qin Yajuan pleaded as she raised her glass again. “From now on, I won’t speak carelessly.”

“Fine, Yajuan-jie, I’ll gladly drink to that. You’d better remember what you just promised.” Xu Jingchu’s smile deepened. After all, with the Laizi card in her hand, Qin Yajuan would always have to behave in front of her.

Wasn’t Qin Yajuan angling to marry Wang Yuejin? If necessary, Xu Jingchu could always let him in on Laizi. Wang Yuejin disliked scheming women the most—he feared he couldn’t handle them.

Lin Jianbai and Zhang Qiuyun, both worldly and shrewd, couldn’t miss the huge shift in Qin Yajuan’s attitude—all because of “Laizi.” From Jingchu’s tone, it was clear Laizi was someone’s name.

Since neither girl wanted to speak plainly, that was fine. Lin Jianbai could always send someone to find out.

The rest of the meal passed unusually harmoniously, even warm.

After Qin Yajuan moved out, Zhang Qiuyun suggested moving her bed away to make space for a proper bookshelf just for Xu Jingchu’s books.

Xu Jingchu gratefully agreed. With Lin Tingyu also starting school now, she was home alone during the day. Aside from routine chores and making the afternoon meal, the rest of her time was free for study.

She often ate a bigger breakfast, skipped lunch, and used the extra time to study. When Zhang Qiuyun noticed, she scolded gently, “Jingchu, listen to Auntie—your health is the foundation of everything. At the hospital, I often see people suffering from malnutrition. You need to eat properly if you want to learn properly.”

Xu Jingchu nodded. Zhang Qiuyun treated her even better than her own mother did. If Zhang Guifen had found out she was skipping meals, she would have only said it was good—less food wasted, more for her brother and little nephew.

Life had been going fairly well for Xu Jingchu lately, until she received a letter from Zhang Guifen.

Zhang Guifen couldn’t read, so she had asked someone literate in the village to write for her. The scrawled handwriting looked like a child’s—most likely it was. To avoid paying someone properly, she had probably begged a kid to do it.

Though the letter was clumsy and unfriendly, Xu Jingchu still understood Zhang Guifen’s intent.

The address had come from Yajuan’s mother—because Yajuan had already written home.

In her letter, Yajuan bragged: Uncle Lin had only managed to find one job opening at a paper mill, and because she had performed so well in the Lin household, he gave it to her without hesitation. Now she was living in the factory dormitory, eating at the canteen, and earning money with nowhere to spend it.

When Zhang Guifen heard this, she could no longer sit still! She immediately wrote to scold Xu Jingchu.

Told you to hurry up and find work, but you wouldn’t listen! The whole family needs food, yet here you are in the city, living in comfort and luxury! You don’t even spare a thought for our suffering back home!

And you still haven’t sent a single cent, nor any ration coupons for grain, oil, or cloth! Why aren’t you coaxing the Lin family into giving you some, and then mailing them back home?

She went on: We were robbed recently—our ration tickets and money are all gone. Life’s becoming impossible!

You’d better start thinking of a way. Doesn’t matter how—if the Lin family won’t take the initiative, then you make it happen. What use is keeping your modesty if the whole family starves? Once you’ve got a child of theirs, cry, make a scene, threaten your life—whatever it takes, it’ll work.

Finally, Zhang Guifen threatened: If you can’t do what I’m saying, then when we can’t make ends meet anymore, I’ll bring the whole family to the Lin household and raise hell.

The more Xu Jingchu read, the more disgusted she felt—she wanted to tear the letter to shreds.

All thanks to Qin Yajuan! Showing off, she had to go and reveal the Lin family’s address. Now Xu Jingchu would have to come up with a plan to stall Zhang Guifen and her lot.

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