Chapter 76

The people of Kaoshan Village felt a little embarrassed looking at Qin Qingman. They hadn’t expected that what was originally just a few words exchanged with the Wan family would turn into an argument between several women and the mother-daughter pair of Xu Lianhua and Xu Lianhua’s daughter. The argument had indeed gotten a bit out of hand.

The people of Kaoshan Village felt like they were just watching the scene unfold, doing nothing. Xu Lianhua and Wan Lin, on the other hand, were so enraged that their faces turned pale.

Although Xu Lianhua was usually strong and able to win arguments, today, facing a group of Kaoshan Village women, she had suffered a significant loss.

She couldn’t win.

She couldn’t win against the women of Kaoshan Village.

The main issue was that Wan Lin had dragged her down. As an unmarried young woman, arguing with a group of women, some things she said ended up backfiring on her. As a result, the mother and daughter could only retreat step by step during the argument.

“Qingman!”

When Xu Lianhua saw Qin Qingman, it was like seeing a savior.

If Qin Qingman hadn’t arrived a little later, Xu Lianhua thought she might have been cursed to death by the women of Kaoshan Village.

Qin Qingman glanced lightly at the Wan family, not greeting them, but instead smiling and nodding to the villagers of Kaoshan Village who had just helped her verbally reprimand the Wan family. She had just heard how the villagers had scolded the Wan family.

To be honest, she had really wanted to say those things herself.

If it hadn’t been for her blood relation to the Wan family, and if she hadn’t been trying to maintain a bit of her image, the things the villagers had just said about the Wan family would have been the most satisfying and direct remarks.

“Qingman, girl, the sun’s already setting. I need to go home for dinner.”

“Oh, I’ve been shoveling snow for so long, my clothes are soaked. I can’t stay, I need to go home and change, or I’ll catch a cold. Qingman, girl, I’ll be heading home now. If you need anything, just call out.”

“Right, my son just came to call me for dinner. I’m going back too.”

“Qingman, girl, we’re all from the same village. If you need anything, just let us know. We’re heading home now.”

The people who had just been arguing fiercely with Xu Lianhua and her daughter all started finding excuses to leave when they saw Qin Qingman appear.

Never mind the enmity between the Wan family and the Qin family—since Qin Qingman, the person involved, had not spoken up, the outsiders really couldn’t get involved. It was better not to, as it could create enemies for Qin Qingman and make the people of Kaoshan Village seem overbearing to others.

“Everyone, hurry back home. After shoveling snow for so long, your clothes must be wet. Go home and change quickly,” Qin Qingman didn’t scold the others for minding their own business but instead expressed concern for their well-being.

The people immediately understood what Qin Qingman meant, and one by one, they smiled and bid their farewells before heading home.

In the distance, Sanmu and Chuchu, who had been secretly watching, were dumbfounded.

They had originally thought they could watch the commotion for a while longer, but before they could even hear anything, the crowd had already dispersed.

“What should we do?” Sanmu quietly asked Chuchu.

Chuchu didn’t know what to do either, but he knew he had to hurry back home or his sister would catch him.

“Owwoo—” The wolf cub, being somewhat clever, heard the soft voices of Chuchu and Sanmu and let out a very soft whimper in response.

“Sanmu, you should hurry home. I think your dad has already gone back. If he gets home and doesn’t find you, you’ll probably get a beating,” Chuchu stuck his head out and took another look at the dispersing crowd, reluctantly telling his friend the not-so-good news.

Sanmu had originally been sent by his mother to find his father and go home for dinner. If his father came back and didn’t find him, he would indeed be in trouble.

“Then… I’ll go back,” Sanmu said, rubbing his stomach.

He hadn’t eaten breakfast yet and was quite hungry.

“Hurry back, I’m going too,” Chuchu patted Sanmu’s shoulder and then quickly covered his chest as he started running toward his home.

He had just seen that his sister was leading the Wan Mingxi family back home.

If Big Sister got home and didn’t see him…

Chuchu didn’t dare to think about it. His short little legs moved very fast as he ran, even causing the wolf cub in his arms to bounce up and down. The wolf cub, thinking Chuchu was playing a game, peered down curiously.

It really wanted to jump down and run on its own.

“Dudu, stay still and don’t make trouble for me,” Chuchu had spent some time with the wolf cub and knew exactly what it was thinking. He hugged the cub more tightly, afraid that it might jump out of his arms.

Sanmu wasn’t as quick as Chuchu. While Chuchu was already running home, Sanmu stayed where he was, motionless.

At that moment, Sanmu was very surprised by how fast Chuchu could run.

“Sanmu, why are you here?”

Just as Sanmu turned to go home, a pleasant voice sounded in his ear. He looked up and saw Qin Qingman, who had a gentle expression on her face.

“Qingman Auntie.” The child obediently called out.

“Mm, good boy, go home quickly. Your mother came to find you for dinner,” Qin Qingman ruffled Sanmu’s hair and glanced in the direction of her own home, as if she had guessed something.

When Sanmu heard that his mother had come to find him, he immediately became anxious. “Qingman Auntie, I’m going home now.” After saying this, he quickly ran off, moving faster than Chuchu.

Qin Qingman watched the child’s back and couldn’t help but shake her head slightly. As she led the others toward her home, she thought to herself that Sanmu was probably going to get a beating from his mother.

Because she hadn’t lied—Sanmu’s mother had indeed come out to find him, and she was holding a stick in her hand. It seemed like she had guessed that Sanmu had been playing around and had forgotten to come home.

“Qingman, um, sorry, I didn’t mean to argue with them.”

Although Xu Lianhua’s family was walking behind Qin Qingman, they didn’t know why, even though Qin Qingman hadn’t said anything harsh or shown them any cold attitude, they suddenly felt guilty and nervous in her presence.

They had the strange feeling of being in front of a superior.

Xu Lianhua, especially, felt this strongly. As they walked, she couldn’t help but apologize.

“Mm.” When Qin Qingman heard Xu Lianhua’s apology, she only replied with a soft “mm.”

Her tone was hard to read, but it made everyone feel uneasy.

Especially Wan Liang and Wan Lin.

Wan Liang felt that Qin Qingman suddenly seemed even more authoritative than Wu Yuanming, and it made him feel uneasy and frightened.

Wan Lin, on the other hand, felt dissatisfaction and defiance.

It had been more than a year since she had seen Qin Qingman, and she had originally thought she would encounter a young, inexperienced girl. However, reality had completely contradicted her expectations. Qin Qingman was not a naive, young girl at all—her face had matured and grown even more beautiful.

She had become very attractive, very striking.

Even though Wan Lin was confident about her own appearance, after seeing Qin Qingman’s face clearly, she couldn’t bring herself to honestly say she was prettier than her.

Especially since Qin Qingman was wearing a new red cotton jacket, which made her fair and delicate skin look even whiter and smoother.

Wan Lin felt jealous—very jealous.

Just thinking about what Xu Lianhua had said earlier made Wan Lin’s heart feel as though it were being scratched by a cat, uncomfortable and unbearable. She was even more curious about what kind of man Qin Qingman had married and what he looked like.

Qin Qingman walked ahead of the group, her expression very calm.

She hadn’t originally planned to invite them back to her house. After all, there was really nothing more to discuss between their families, and she had no intention of acknowledging them again. But after thinking it over seriously, she decided to invite them back just once to make things clear.

How should she put it? The Wan family was a perfect example of opportunistic people.

Such individuals were experts at seeking profit and avoiding harm, they were small-minded, truly petty people.

Petty people had no shame or dignity. If things weren’t made clear, they would continue to pester her, and she didn’t want to deal with this family any longer. She intended to settle the matter once and for all, so that in the future, the Wan family wouldn’t continue to trouble her, otherwise it would be extremely irritating.

This was Qin Qingman’s reasoning, but Wan Mingxi and Xu Lianhua didn’t think the same way.

They thought that since Qin Qingman was still willing to invite them back to her house, it meant she still cared about them. As long as they played the emotional card, they were sure they could make Qin Qingman soften.

Once a woman’s heart softened, things would be easier.

Wan Mingxi and Xu Lianhua believed that if Qin Qingman was willing to acknowledge them, her husband would surely help them too. If they could gain some influence from Wei Ling, reviving their fortunes at Hongqi Farm would be no problem at all.

With this thought in mind, Wan Mingxi and Xu Lianhua became excited.

Wan Mingxi carried the grain, and Xu Lianhua held the meat. They walked with an air of springtime pride, feeling triumphant.

They had underestimated Qin Qingman, but only Wan Liang felt his heart sink to the bottom.

He had carefully observed Qin Qingman’s mannerisms and speech. From the moment they met until now, Qin Qingman hadn’t addressed them by name, which already showed her true attitude.

He could tell that today might be the last time they entered the Qin family’s home.

Wan Liang sighed deeply within himself. He never expected things to turn out like this. Why hadn’t he seen back then that Qin Qingman would change so much and one day turn things around? If he had known, he would never have blocked his own way out.

But alas, there was no such thing as a pill for regret.

Kaoshan Village had a large population, and the village houses were not close together. It took them quite a while to reach the Qin family’s home.

The Qin family was still the same as it had been before, and the exterior showed no signs of change.

However, once they entered, Wan Liang and the others saw the sheep pen.

Looking at the coal piled high in one side of the sheep pen and then at the two sheep on the other side, the whole family couldn’t help but feel envious, especially of the large pipe.

Wan Mingxi and his wife, along with Wan Lin, might not have known what this thing was, but Wan Liang had seen it when he accompanied Wu Yuanming to the provincial capital.

It was a heating pipe.

Only households in big cities could afford such a luxury, and it was unexpected that the remote Qin family had installed heating pipes. The heating pipes were even installed not for the humans, but for the two sheep.

At this moment, Wan Liang became even more wary of Qin Qingman.

Those who could afford heating pipes were not ordinary people. After all, when he followed Wu Yuanming, he had never seen Wu Yuanming afford such a thing.

The main issue was that this thing was hard to get. Besides having money and tickets, one also needed connections.

Without connections, even with money and tickets, it was impossible to buy.

“Chuchu.” Qin Qingman pushed open the door to the hall, and before she entered, she called out, intending to remind Chuchu that she had returned, as well as to cover for Chuchu sneaking out of the house.

“Sister.”

Chuchu had arrived home a little earlier than Qin Qingman.

The child’s short legs made her run quickly and urgently, and as soon as she entered the door, she was dripping with sweat. Worried that Qin Qingman might notice something, she hurriedly took off her clothes to wipe her face, and by now, she had just managed to catch her breath.

Qin Qingman had already guessed that Chuchu had sneaked out. Just now, she had intentionally taken the Wan family on a slightly longer route.

The purpose was to give the child enough time to prepare.

In fact, Chuchu had already heard sounds when Qin Qingman entered the yard. Not only had she heard them, but she had also seen through the window.

Seeing the Wan family had surprised the child.

Despite being young, Chuchu was both clever and sensitive, and she had long realized that Qin Qingman didn’t want to acknowledge the Wan family. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have gone to the farm to slap this family in the face.

“Chuchu, take Dudu to the west room to play, and remember to add some coal to the stove.”

Qin Qingman dismissed Chuchu, not wanting to discuss overly adult matters in front of the child, nor did she want the child to feel that the world wasn’t a beautiful place.

“Okay.”

Chuchu obediently carried the wolf cub in her arms and went back to the west room.

The wolf cub had only been out for a short while and hadn’t played enough yet. Now that Chuchu was taking it back, it was throwing a tantrum. Upon seeing Chuchu approach to hold it again, the little creature quickly ran to Qin Qingman and started tugging at her legs.

It wanted Qin Qingman to pick it up.

“Ah, such a beautiful little wolf cub.”

Wan Lin was seeing such a sturdy and cute wolf cub for the first time. Seeing how beautiful and adorable it was, she couldn’t help but reach out her hand.

“Don’t touch it, Dudu doesn’t like being touched by others.”

Chuchu’s reminder rang out.

Qin Qingman naturally bent down and cradled the wolf cub in her arms, reaching out to gently stroke its head, soothing it: “Dudu, go play with Chuchu in the room. I’ll make something delicious for you later.”

After saying that, she placed the wolf cub in Chuchu’s arms.

Since the wolf cub had been placed in Chuchu’s arms by Qin Qingman, it didn’t continue to make a fuss, but it cast a very displeased glance at Wan Lin.

Everything had a spirit, and the wolf cub immediately sensed Wan Lin’s ill intentions.

Qin Qingman, seeing that Chuchu had taken Dudu back to the west room, invited the Wan family to sit down. Once they entered, she still hadn’t made things confrontational, so she couldn’t refuse them a seat. Otherwise, it would make her seem petty.

However, while there were seats, there was no hot water.

Qin Qingman didn’t plan to keep the Wan family around for long; she intended to settle things quickly.

As she was thinking about how to begin, Wan Lin’s gaze was constantly roaming around the Qin household.

At this moment, the Qin house didn’t seem much different from the last time she had visited.

The only difference was the addition of a few new things.

For example, there was a set of toiletries.

Wan Lin guessed that it might belong to Qin Qingman’s mysterious man.

With curiosity, Wan Lin continued to scrutinize the Qin family without hesitation. Every reaction of hers was noticed by Qin Qingman, and Qin Qingman didn’t like it one bit.

Wan Lin’s behavior clearly seemed uncouth.

“Little cousin, why haven’t you started cooking yet?” Just as Qin Qingman was becoming more and more displeased with Wan Lin, Wan Lin suddenly said this.

Qin Qingman smiled in response, trying to handle the situation, “We’ve already eaten at home.”

Wan Lin and the others were stunned. They had left early in the morning, and by now, they were both exhausted and hungry. They had assumed that they would be able to have a meal upon entering the Qin household, but it turned out that the Qin family had already eaten.

What were they supposed to do now?

It wasn’t like they could ask Qin Qingman to cook for them.

The Wan family, showing up right at mealtime, were hurt, and their faces showed displeasure.

“Little cousin, we’re hungry, you…” Wan Lin, used to being spoiled at home, couldn’t help but try to use the same approach with Qin Qingman.

Upon hearing Wan Lin’s words, Wan Liang and Wan Mingxi’s expressions changed.

They had personally witnessed how Qin Qingman had dealt with Wu Yuanming. It could be said that Wu Yuanming’s current state was largely due to Qin Qingman’s influence. They believed they couldn’t compare to Wu Yuanming, so how could they dare trouble Qin Qingman to cook for them?

“Lin Lin, shut up.”

Wan Liang was the first to scold Wan Lin.

Wan Mingxi and Xu Lianhua also gave a look to the inconsiderate Wan Lin before turning to Qin Qingman, saying, “Qingman, don’t listen to your cousin. We ate before we left, we’re not hungry, really, we’re not.”

Qin Qingman hadn’t planned to cook for them anyway. Seeing that Wan Mingxi and Xu Lianhua were being somewhat sensible, she gave a slight nod. “Let’s get to the point. What brings you here?”

She didn’t want to waste any more time.

Wan Lin, silenced by her family, rolled her eyes in frustration.

But Wan Liang held the most influence in the Wan family, and she was somewhat afraid of him. In the end, she didn’t speak again, merely pursing her lips and casting a slightly disdainful look at the Qin family.

Before, Xu Lianhua had praised Qin Qingman’s man so highly, but now, Wan Lin couldn’t help but think that Wei Ling was nowhere near as good as they had made him out to be.

If people were really as wonderful as Xu Lianhua and the others had said, then the Qin family should have been transformed by now. Why did it still look the same inside and out as it did over a year ago? It didn’t seem like a family that was living a good life at all.

The only changes were the coal in the utility room outside and those strange pipes.

While Wan Lin couldn’t see anything special about the pipes, the large amount of coal was still enviable.

Being able to freely burn coal for heating in the middle of winter wasn’t something that just anyone could afford.

Wan Lin, feeling the warmth of the Qin family, took the opportunity while Qin Qingman was talking with Wan Mingxi and the others to stand up and wander around the house.

Her first stop was the east room.

Wan Lin figured that if Qin Qingman had anything truly valuable from her marriage, it would likely be kept in the room. So she thought she’d go check out what kind of valuable dowry Qin Qingman had received.

Wan Liang was busy talking with Qin Qingman and didn’t notice Wan Lin entering the east room.

“Little cousin, we came here today to ask you…” Just as Wan Liang began speaking, a mistake was made by Wan Lin, and his face immediately turned red with anger. He looked at Qin Qingman with an apologetic expression. “Little cousin, I’m sorry. It’s our fault, we didn’t teach Lin Lin well.”

After speaking, Wan Liang turned to Xu Lianhua.

This was a signal for her to go bring Wan Lin out of the east room.

“I… I’ll go right now.” Xu Lianhua’s face turned bright red in embarrassment. She had no idea that after talking things over with Wan Lin earlier, the girl had still managed to barge into the Qin family’s east room, causing trouble.

If Qin Qingman didn’t want to help them because of Wan Lin, Xu Lianhua would make sure to deal with her daughter when they returned.

When compared to the future of herself and her son, a daughter who didn’t listen could just be spoiled. If she didn’t behave, she might as well not have a daughter at all.

Xu Lianhua stormed into the Qin family’s east room and grabbed Wan Lin’s hand.

“Mother?”

Wan Lin looked at Xu Lianhua in surprise.

“I’ve told you so many times, we came to the Qin family this time to ask for help. Not only do we need to lower our heads and beg, but if you want a good life in the future, you’d better behave and listen to me. Why are you still doing whatever you want? Do you even know manners? Do you want people to point at you and say you have no upbringing?”

Xu Lianhua was so angry at Wan Lin that she spoke very bluntly.

“Mother, this is my aunt’s house. Do I still need to be so formal in my aunt’s house?” Wan Lin said, both surprised and dissatisfied.

Xu Lianhua looked at her seriously, her voice dropping lower. “Your aunt is no longer here. This house belongs to the Qin family, and Qin Qingman is in charge.”

“Fine.”

Wan Lin pouted and left the east room.

The east room was empty, with nothing in it except for a bedding set on the heated brick bed, which Wan Lin didn’t care for.

It seemed the Qin family wasn’t as well-off as her parents had claimed. Maybe Qin Qingman was deliberately pretending to be something she wasn’t to deceive people.

After leaving the east room, Wan Lin walked straight to the hall door, tossing over her shoulder, “I’m going to the bathroom.” She figured no one would bother her there.

“I’ll go with Lin Lin.” Xu Lianhua knew she wouldn’t be of much help if she stayed, so she decided to keep a close eye on Wan Lin, worried that the girl might cause more trouble.

Qin Qingman glanced faintly at Xu Lianhua and Wan Lin, her gaze resting on Wan Liang’s face. “Please, continue.”

She needed to understand the other party’s request before she could speak clearly.

“Little cousin, our family’s life isn’t going well at the farm right now. Can you help us out?” Wan Liang took out a stack of money and tickets from his pocket and handed them to Qin Qingman, trying to use his relationship with her.

Qin Qingman looked at the stack of money and tickets handed to her and smiled.

Then, naturally, she took them. “I remember that when your mother asked me for a work quota, she said you’d buy it when you had the money.”

Wan Liang, with a bitter smile and no sign of a crack in Qin Qingman’s composure, had to admit, “Yes, we did say we’d buy it.”

“How much do you earn a month?” Qin Qingman asked Wan Liang.

“Thirty-six yuan.” Wan Liang didn’t dare to hide anything.

“You took a work quota from me more than a year ago. At that time, the market price for a quota was four hundred yuan. I won’t ask for more today; I’ll just take four hundred, and the rest is your own earnings.”

Qin Qingman counted out four hundred yuan from the stack and kept it for herself, then handed the rest back to Wan Liang.

She wouldn’t give anyone a chance to talk behind her back.

“Little cousin, I…” Wan Liang was most hoping for Wei Ling’s help. What he wanted was to borrow Wei Ling’s influence.

Qin Qingman directly interrupted him, “We can’t help. Soldiers don’t interfere in local affairs. I have no power, no influence, and no one listens to me.”