Chapter 24

A group of women, after asking around, found out that Lu Lin had given Jiang Chunzao a leave.

They were both envious and jealous. The next day, while threshing wheat in the field, a few of the women gathered together and started whispering again.

“Ah, if it weren’t for what they said, it’s still Lu Laosan who dotes on his wife. Look at this wheat harvest, the team gives ten work points a day, and such good fortune like this doesn’t come around every year. Lu Laosan from the Lu family says he doesn’t want it, and that’s it.”

“Exactly, ten work points a day is over a dollar.”

“Lu Laosan is an officer in the military, his salary is high, and he doesn’t lack this little bit of money.”

One woman from the village sighed: “Well, we’re all women here, how is it that Jiang Chunzao is so lucky?”

“Don’t even mention it, some things are just not meant to be envied.”

“Tch, even if Jiang Chunzao is lucky, she doesn’t have to show off like this. All she does every day is either take her two kids to her mother’s house or just mess around at home making something useless.”

The woman who had a grudge against Jiang Chunzao, Lu Gousheng’s wife, had a long, thin face that looked like she had just come out of a vinegar jar, giving off a sour vibe.

The other women who overheard her words stifled their laughter. Everyone in the village knew that a few days ago, Lu Gousheng’s wife had been envious of the nice things Jiang Chunzao bought from the county and wanted to snatch them.

Not only did she fail to steal anything, but she was also beaten by Jiang Chunzao and had to help move the things back to Jiang’s house with a group of other women. On the way back, her husband saw her, and that night she got a few kicks from Lu Gousheng.

Seeing everyone stifling their laughter, Lu Gousheng’s wife, unhappy, shouted: “Why are you laughing? Am I wrong? There are so many young wives in our village, which one of them is as lazy and greedy as Jiang Chunzao?”

When Changshan’s wife, who was carrying wheat, overheard what Lu Gousheng’s wife said, she got angry, put down the wheat in her hands, and angrily retorted: “Why aren’t you working properly? What are you doing here gossiping about others all day long? Do you think you’ll choke to death if you don’t gossip about them?”

Because Changshan’s wife’s father-in-law was a veteran cadre in the village, the women who overheard her words quickly closed their mouths and got back to work, fearing that Changshan’s wife would go home and report them to her father-in-law.

Thanks to the weather being good all year, after the wheat harvest, the granary in Lujia Village was filled with wheat. The village leader, along with the village officials, walked around the slowly piled-up grain for several laps, and everyone was smiling.

The villagers said that this year was a year of plenty. After paying the state grain taxes, every household would get about 20 more jin (about 10 kg) of wheat compared to previous years. When the grain was distributed by the team, everyone would have better days ahead.

The wheat harvest was finished, but the villagers didn’t rest. After some happy moments, the village leader had to lead everyone to plant this year’s corn, taking advantage of the early days to get it in the ground. By autumn, the whole village would rely on the corn harvest to get through the winter.

Lu Lin worked tirelessly with the other villagers, day and night, planting corn before the summer rains came.

With all the wheat harvest and sowing, Lu Lin had been out in the scorching sun every day. After all the work was done, he was tanned, and since he wasn’t very talkative, he seemed even more like a cold, stoic figure standing there.

Jiang Chunzao, in a mischievous mood, teased Lieutenant Lu, calling him a cold block of ice, but that night, Lu Lin made sure to “take care” of her properly.

The next day, Jiang Chunzao, grinning in pain, crawled out of bed. Lu Lin had already chopped a pile of firewood in the yard. With the wheat harvest over, Lu Lin’s leave was nearly up, and he had to return to the army the next morning.

The two kids had been pestering to go to the county town to buy comic books, since they had already finished reading the ones Lu Lin brought back last time. Lu Lin chopped the firewood, cleaned up the yard, and repaired the chicken coop and fence. After breakfast, he took the kids to the county town.

Jiang Chunzao stayed home to prepare the dough for the dumplings. She was planning to make pork and cabbage dumplings for Lu Lin.

Since childhood, Lu Lin had loved dumplings, especially meat-filled ones. Every time the family made them, he would finish them all.

Jiang Chunzao, knowing that Lu Lin would leave early the next morning and that the army didn’t have much good food, carefully picked the freshest batch of cabbage from the garden to make the filling. This year’s summer rains had been plentiful, and after several heavy rains, the vegetables in the garden grew tall, and even the pumpkin seeds that were just sown had already sprouted early.

Seeing the weeds growing in the garden as well, Jiang Chunzao grabbed her little hat, went inside to get a small shovel, and began cleaning the weeds out of the garden.

Just as Jiang Chunzao finished clearing the weeds in the garden, Changshan’s wife came over to visit with a basket of tomatoes. Seeing her, Jiang Chunzao couldn’t help but laugh: “Chunzao, you really don’t look like a young wife and mother. You look more like a student from school.”

Isn’t that the truth? Back in the day, I was a student too.

Jiang Chunzao, holding a cup of tea, grabbed two pieces of rock candy and sprinkled them into the sour plum juice, smiling as she handed it to Changshan’s wife.

Changshan’s wife had just walked under the blazing sun and was terribly thirsty. She took the sour plum juice and drank a big gulp, exclaiming:

“This sour plum juice tastes way better than plain water. No wonder your life’s so good! Just look at this sour plum juice – it takes so much effort to make. You’re the only one among all the young wives in our village who would put in the effort to make something like this.”

Changshan’s wife had never had much schooling, so her words were a bit rough, but Jiang Chunzao understood what she meant. In the countryside, once a girl gets married, her whole life revolves around her husband, the stove, and the fields. Every day is a busy blur with no time to take care of herself or fuss over things.

Jiang Chunzao, also holding a cup of sour plum juice, smiled and said:

“I only just found the time to make this sour plum juice. The kids love this cold drink.”

Changshan’s wife, knowing that Jiang Chunzao was meticulous in raising her children, glanced at the small cabbage sitting on a plate on the little table in the yard and exclaimed: “Chunzao, are you going to make dumplings or what?”

Jiang Chunzao smiled and replied: “Well, Lu Lin has to leave for the army early tomorrow, and he loves these pork and cabbage dumplings.”

Changshan’s wife teased her a bit more and then drank a few more sips from her cup. After chatting for a while about family matters, she suddenly lowered her voice as if remembering something:

“Chunzao, you probably don’t know, but your mother-in-law’s two daughters-in-law have been causing trouble these days, talking about splitting the family.”

Since Jiang Chunzao’s house was separated from the old Lu family by just a wall, she knew all too well what was happening in the old Lu household. These days, the Lu family had been restless, especially since Sister Chen stopped being as meek and obedient as she used to be. Now, she was standing her ground, confronting the old Lu family. Even with Old Lu family and Liu Hongyan trying to stir things up, Chen Meilan had been holding her own.

Jiang Chunzao had noticed that whenever Sister Chen went out, she seemed different – she had a newfound air of confidence, like a serf who had risen up to take charge.

Although the third branch of the Lu family had split off from the old Lu family, Lu Lin was still raised by Father Lu, so Jiang Chunzao couldn’t talk about the Lu family’s business to outsiders.

Jiang Chunzao could only smile at Changshan’s wife without saying anything. Changshan’s wife wasn’t the type of woman in the village who liked to gossip. When she mentioned the trouble in the old Lu family, it was out of good intentions, trying to remind Jiang Chunzao to pay attention to the family matters of her in-laws, so that when something big happened in the old Lu family, Jiang Chunzao wouldn’t be the last to know.

If the villagers found out, they’d surely talk behind her back.

Jiang Chunzao understood that Changshan’s wife meant well. When Changshan’s wife was about to leave, Jiang Chunzao grabbed a large handful of fruit candies from the county and a small jar of homemade shrimp paste to give her.

Changshan’s wife knew Jiang Chunzao’s character and didn’t refuse too much, only smiling and saying:

“My two little troublemakers have been eating so much of your family’s good food lately. After this, I might not dare to visit your house anymore.”

“Alright then, if you don’t come to my house, I’ll shamelessly come to yours.”

Jiang Chunzao teased Changshan’s wife a bit more and then saw her off.

Once Changshan’s wife had gone home, Jiang Chunzao shut the door, went back to the yard, and began making dough, chopping meat, and preparing the filling for the dumplings. By the time Lu Lin returned home with the two kids, the dumplings were already boiling in the pot, round and plump.

After spending the whole day in the county, the three of them had bought several comic books the kids liked. Though they were all drenched in sweat from walking around, they were in high spirits.

Jiang Chunzao scooped the steaming dumplings into a bowl and came out of the kitchen. Just as Lu Lin had finished drying his face with a towel, Jiang Chunzao nudged him with her elbow and smiled:

“Captain Lu, the pork dumplings are ready. I hope you’re not going to complain about there being no meat this time?”

After saying this, Jiang Chunzao turned to leave, leaving Lu Lin behind, raising his eyebrows.

Once Lu Lin washed his hands and entered the house, the hot dumplings were already on the table. Along with the dumplings, there was a dish of stir-fried tomatoes with eggs and another of spicy and sour shredded potatoes—Lu Lin’s favorite dishes.

Seeing all his favorite foods on the table, Lu Lin knew they were all specially made by his young wife. Normally cold and distant, his black eyes now looked at Jiang Chunzao with tender affection, making her blush.

Jiang Chunzao murmured, then gently patted the kids’ heads. Blushing, she urged:

“Why are you all staring? Hurry up and eat before the food gets cold!”

Lu Lin smiled and nodded. Just as the family sat down to eat, a loud wailing from the old Lu family’s house next door interrupted their peaceful meal, mixed with Father Lu’s cursing voice: “I can’t live anymore! This old woman can’t take it! This family is falling apart!

God, why don’t you open your eyes and strike these unfilial sons with lightning!”

Jiang Chunzao looked up, and the warm smile on Lu Lin’s face vanished, his expression instantly darkening.