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Chapter 2: Her Mother is Really Fierce
The Nanxi Brigade is nestled by the mountains and rivers, surrounded by barren yellow land. It is a village that ranks above average among the thirty-seven brigades, where every household barely manages to eat and stay warm.
The newly arrived educated youth originally came full of passion, but they were instantly doused with cold water by the gray, muddy brick houses before them.
The tractor drove into the village, attracting a group of children chasing after it.
With the envious gazes from all directions upon her, Lin Meiru stood tall, proud of having taken a ride on the tractor; it was enough to brag about for a long time.
Before long, the tractor stopped at the village square.
Captain Luo had been waiting for a while, holding a ceramic tea cup, his serious expression mixed with a hint of pride and a touch of worry.
Today was the day for the commune to collect grain, but his eldest son was the tractor driver. Thanks to this familial connection, the Nanxi Brigade didn’t have to squeeze their way through like the other brigades, struggling with ox carts to deliver their grain.
However, he hadn’t expected that they would not only bring the tractor but also six educated youth who were unaccustomed to hard work and didn’t know the difference between grains, as well as… that troublemaking woman from the Jiang family!
“Captain, oh great lord, you must stand up for my An’an!” Lin Meiru helped her daughter down from the vehicle, and from a distance came a wail.
Jiang An’an: “…”
Captain Luo’s head throbbed: “…”
Here they come!
Back again!
Usually, they complain about back pain and leg pain, always finding excuses to avoid work, running to the toilet ten times a day. But the moment they suffer a little, they can stir up chaos in the whole village.
He darkened his face and scolded, “There’s no such thing as a great lord nowadays! What trouble are you trying to stir up this time, Jiang family?”
Lin Meiru placed her hands on her hips: “Nonsense! It’s clear that my daughter was hit and hurt her head. If you don’t uphold justice, that’s one thing, but to turn it around on me is unacceptable!”
She pushed her daughter forward.
Jiang An’an met Captain Luo’s dark gaze and suddenly feigned weakness, clutching her head, saying, “Mom, my head is hurting from time to time; I don’t know if I might have bumped it badly.”
After bumping along on the tractor for three hours, Jiang An’an felt nauseous, her fair skin taking on a sickly pallor, her lips pale, and her big, watery eyes looked innocent and pure, making it seem somewhat believable.
Captain Luo couldn’t help but mutter to himself.
Had the Jiang family’s little girl always been this well-behaved?
Meanwhile, Lin Meiru’s eyes darted around, secretly amazed that her daughter’s thick-headedness had finally cleared up today. She took out a medical report from her pocket: “The hospital’s diagnosis is all here; could it possibly be fake?”
Although it was far away, she could still see the densely packed writing on the document.
Jiang An’an: “!!!”
Her mother was really bold, actually using a randomly picked-up diagnosis of a terminal illness to fool the brigade leader!
“Since you’re injured, take a half-month off. I’ll have someone else cover the warehouse manager’s job for now.” Captain Luo, showing rare mercy after the autumn harvest, approved a long leave.
In truth, the diagnosis was so shocking that if anything happened to Jiang An’an while working, the Jiang family could hold the Luo family responsible for life.
Lin Meiru sighed softly: “Since no one is standing up for my An’an, I guess I’ll go to the commune to find the leaders tomorrow.”
“One month of leave!”
“Two months! My daughter hurt her head!”
“…One and a half months.” Captain Luo made a firm decision, angrily shouting, “Get lost! If you don’t leave now, I’ll deduct half a day’s points from you.”
Seeing things were going well, Lin Meiru quickly took her daughter home.
Jiang An’an raised her thumb in admiration, her eyes sparkling. After just a few exchanges, Lin Meiru had secured her a one-and-a-half-month long leave.
She decided: from today on, Lin Meiru was her real mother!
–
This era was in cool tones.
What met the eye were extremely rough earthen houses, and among the dilapidated, low gray buildings, the Jiang family’s brick house stood out prominently.
Clearly, this family was lazy and didn’t engage in high-point work. Even the six-point weeding job was often done with shortcuts, and they occasionally got points deducted by the scorekeeper.
So what did they rely on?
—Of course, it was three wealthy and filial sons-in-law!!
Jiang An’an carefully sorted through the memories in her mind.
The original owner was the youngest daughter in the family.
Her three older sisters were already married!
The eldest sister, Jiang Shulan, was gentle and virtuous, married a young educated youth who was sent to the countryside two years ago, and they had a son. Recently, it was discovered she was expecting a second child.
The eldest brother-in-law, Zhou Kang, is from the capital city, well-mannered and refined. His specific family background is unknown, but he managed to gather the three essential items for the wedding without much effort, and every month he receives a thick package containing money and various vouchers.
The second sister, Jiang Meizi, has a fiery personality. She married into the county town two years ago and has both a son and a daughter. Currently, she works at the supply and marketing cooperative. Her brother-in-law works as a second-level fitter at a steel factory and earns thirty yuan a month.
The third sister, Jiang Tingfang, is soft-hearted and married a classmate from middle school last year. She is currently at home awaiting childbirth. Since her brother-in-law works at a meat processing plant, their household is financially stable, making her the heaviest among the three Jiang sisters, which is seen as a sign of good fortune in this era.
Despite the three sisters having good marriages and the Jiang family thriving, none of the members of the brigade envied them.
The lazy father likes to take advantage of others, while the fierce mother exploits the villagers, and the three sisters go to great lengths to support their maternal family.
Then there’s the original owner, who graduated from middle school but occasionally competes with a group of five- and six-year-old children for cattle herding jobs…
The family’s reputation in the Nanxi Brigade is deeply ingrained.
Jiang An’an’s gaze shifted to the red brick house next door, and compared to her own family, her uncle’s family seemed so much more respectable.
Except for the youngest cousin, Liu Tangge, all the other cousins have skills. Four of them consistently earn ten high points each year, and the remaining two work as laborers or temporary workers in town.
Even her cousin Jiang Zhihui is a talented student, one of the few high school graduates in the Nanxi Brigade.
Compared to her siblings, Liu Tangge seems like a child of Jiang Er. He spends all day idling around, disliked by everyone, and at twenty-three, he is still single.
Yet, Jiang Dabo has made the foolish decision to arrange a marriage exchange for his youngest son!
From a distance, before the mother and daughter had even entered the house, their voices could be heard coming through the slightly ajar courtyard gate.
“Er, your mother has already decided to exchange An’an for the Qin family’s son’s marriage contract tomorrow. The Qin family has many members, with eight brothers alone, all capable farmers. An’an will definitely have a good life if she marries over there.”
“In the future, if Shulan and the others are bullied at their in-laws’, the Qin family, being relatives, can come to help. With eight brothers-in-law standing there, it will be quite imposing.”
“If you’re really worried about An’an, the Qin family is very reasonable and has agreed to move to the Nanxi Brigade after the young couple gets married, so they can take care of you both.”
…
Jiang An’an listened, her anger boiling, a remnant of the original owner’s emotions stirring within her. Before she could process it, she kicked the door open with a loud bang.
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