Chapter 13

The women in the village were already jealous of Jiang Chunzao for living a good life, with her parents and husband protecting her like a treasure.

Now, seeing Jiang Chunzao buy a bunch of rare things and load them onto the car, each of them couldn’t help but feel envious.

This group of gossipy women were itching with curiosity. They wanted to go over and see what this extravagant daughter-in-law of the old Lu family had bought, but with the tall and handsome Lu Lin standing nearby, none of them dared to do so.

Lu Lin had never been an easy person to provoke, and ever since joining the army and becoming an officer, his imposing aura had only grown stronger.

Not only did they dare not speak to him, but even if Lu Lin stood there expressionless, this group of women would fall silent.

Moreover, Er Zhuzi was still driving the tractor toward the village, so they couldn’t exactly rummage through her things right there on the car.

The scorching sun hung in the sky, and Zhuzi bumped along the mountain road for over an hour before finally making it back to Lujia Village just before nightfall.

He parked the tractor at the village entrance, and the villagers got out of the car. Lu Lin’s family was the last to get off. During the ride, Shitou and Moli, the two little ones, had fallen asleep in their parents’ arms. Jiang Chunzhao, seeing how sweetly the kids slept with their rosy cheeks, suggested to Lu Lin that he take the children home first, while she stayed by the road to watch their things and wait for him to come back for her.

Seeing the children sleeping soundly, Lu Lin nodded and agreed to carry the two little ones home first.

Jiang Chunzhao stood at the village entrance with Lu Changshan’s wife, who was chatty and had bought many sweet potatoes, sorghum, and other coarse grains, all packed in rough burlap sacks, which she had tightly tied and placed on the ground while waiting for her family to come and pick them up.

When Lu Lin and Jiang Chunzhao got off the tractor earlier, they had noticed that Lu Changshan’s wife was struggling to unload the grain on her own, so they had kindly helped her carry the sacks off the vehicle.

This act of kindness made Lu Changshan’s wife think better of Jiang Chunzao. After Lu Lin had left with the children, she warmly started a conversation with Jiang Chunzao.

“Chunzao, I really have to thank you today. If you and the Lu brothers hadn’t helped, I wouldn’t have been able to unload these 200 pounds of grain by myself.”

Jiang Chunzao knew that Lu Changshan’s wife was straightforward and generous, so she was happy to get along with her. She smiled as she replied: “Sister-in-law, you don’t have to say that. We’re all from the same family. Helping out is the right thing to do. If you keep thanking me, that’s just making it feel like we’re strangers.”

When Lu Changshan’s wife heard this, her smile grew even wider, and her attitude toward Jiang Chunzao became even friendlier.

“Yes, you’re right, Chunzao. Sister-in-law won’t act so distant with you anymore.”

Jiang Chunzao smiled slightly and continued chatting with Lu Changshan’s wife. The two found that their personalities were quite similar, and they conversed happily.

At this time, the group of women from the village, who had also been waiting by the roadside with the coarse grains they had bought from the county town, noticed Jiang Chunzhao.

They saw her standing not far away, chatting with Lu Changshan’s wife, looking fresh and fair-skinned. One by one, they became envious, their eyes filled with jealousy.

Among them, a woman with a long, thin face, her head wrapped in a headscarf, looked Jiang Chunzhao up and down, and with a sour tone, said: “Wow, Shitou’s mother, you went to the county town, and now you’ve bought so many nice things. We’re all neighbors from the same village—why not show us what you bought?”

“That’s right,” another woman chimed in, “Our family is so poor, we’re almost starving. We’ve never even seen any rare items from the county. Shitou’s mother, we’re good sisters. You can’t be stingy and not show us what you got, can you?”

The other women also smiled in a way that was not quite genuine, all staring greedily at the bundles Jiang Chunzhao was holding.

They were thinking to themselves that Jiang Chunzao was indeed a spendthrift. Look at how many good things she had bought! The top part seemed to be fabric, and the bottom looked like cotton.

Cotton was rare, and if they had cotton, they could make a new cotton jacket for their children to survive the winter.

The group of women eyed the cotton with envy, already planning how to ask Jiang Chunzao for some when the time came. After all, she was a spendthrift, and her husband made money. What harm would there be in taking a little from her?

The group of women harbored these thoughts, their eyes glinting with scheming intent, which made one feel uncomfortable just looking at them.

Lu Changshan’s wife overheard their words, her brows furrowing immediately. She was about to go over and tell them off when Jiang Chunzao gently pulled her back, speaking in a calm tone: “There’s nothing special, just some common food grains. It was quite a hassle to tie them up, so I won’t bother showing them to you, sisters.”

Lu Changshan’s wife, hearing Jiang Chunzao’s words, chimed in to help: “That’s right, Shitou’s mother. We have plenty of grains in the countryside. There’s nothing special about them. Everyone should just go home now.”

After saying this, Lu Changshan’s wife smiled and stepped forward, offering to help Jiang Chunzao carry her things. Anyone with a keen eye could tell that Lu Changshan’s wife was subtly helping to get rid of the other women.

However, the woman with the long, thin face didn’t fall for this and slowly stood up, blocking the two women.

“Sister Changshan, that’s not quite right. We’re all from the same village, neighbors, and country folk. Why can’t we look what Shitou’s family has?”

After saying this, the long-faced woman tried to grab the large bundle from Jiang Chunzao’s hands. Earlier, when they were on the tractor, she had seen clearly that the bundle was heavy and likely contained cotton fabric. If she could take it home, her son would have a new cotton jacket for the winter.

Jiang Chunzao had been calm and patient with the women before, but seeing the long-faced woman directly try to grab her things, her temper flared.

Damn it, these shameless women thought she was an easy target just because she was alone. They dared to steal from her? Didn’t they know who they were dealing with?

Although Jiang Chunzao had been pampered by her family since childhood, she had always had a fiery temper and was someone who never let herself be taken advantage of.

When the long-faced woman and her group of gossips moved closer, Jiang Chunzao swiftly grabbed the water bottle from her bag, twisted off the cap, and poured the water straight over the woman’s head.

The water in the bottle had been prepared by Lu Lin before they left. Knowing that Jiang Chunzao was naturally cold, and even in the summer couldn’t handle drinking cold water, he had filled the bottle with warm water to help quench her thirst on the road.

Although the water wasn’t as hot as it had been earlier, the military-grade canteen that Lu Lin had brought from the army kept the water warm for a long time, even after hours.

The woman was immediately drenched in the warm water, which, in the hot summer, felt like a shock to her. She screamed, holding her face, and the other women behind her were so startled that they stood frozen in place, unable to move.

The long-faced woman, still clutching her face and howling in pain, was about to lunge at Jiang Chunzao in an attempt to hit her back.

However, Jiang Chunzao, who had been prepared for this, landed a punch squarely on her face. The blow was so painful that tears immediately started streaming down the woman’s face.

Jiang Chunzao had grown up watching her father, Father Jiang, slaughter pigs. In the countryside, being a butcher was a highly coveted job. Not only did it bring in money, but butchers also received extra rewards—like pig entrails, ears, or trotters—as payment. Though these were not easy to deal with, they were still meat. In an era where many struggled to get enough food, who would complain about extra meat?

When Father Jiang was young and working as a butcher in the village, he often encountered troublemakers trying to pick fights with him. But Father Jiang wasn’t someone to back down. Whenever these thugs came to his door, he didn’t waste words; he’d just swing his fists and take them down. He had his own method—fast and hard, always leaving the troublemakers crying out for mercy.

Back then, Jiang Chunzao was still a little girl, cherished like a treasure by her parents, and protected fiercely by her father, who was worried about her being bullied when he wasn’t around. So, whenever there was an opportunity, he’d teach her how to fight.

Jiang Chunzao’s punch on the long-faced woman was something she’d learned from her father. She knew how to use just the right amount of force, delivering a blow straight to the forehead. Even a child could make a grown man cry with that punch.

And now, as a mother herself, Jiang Chunzao wasn’t about to let anyone push her around. The long-faced woman was left crying and sniffling, while the rest of the women stood frozen in place, too frightened to move.

Jiang Chunzao, with the same demeanor she used when dealing with the schoolyard bullies, sneered and looked at the group of women.

“What’s the matter? Didn’t you want to steal my things? Why is everyone standing still now? The stuff is right here, I’m waiting.”

The women shook their heads like a rattle drum, begging for mercy.

“Shitou’s mother, we were blinded by greed! We’ll never do anything like that again. Please, for the sake of being from the same village, spare us this time!”

“Yeah, we were wrong. We won’t do it again.”

The group of women pleaded with Jiang Chunzao, but she remained unmoved, her face cold. Lu Changshan’s wife, standing beside her, scoffed at the scene. When they had been so eager to steal from Chunzao earlier, did they ever think this would happen?

They deserved it!

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