Chapter 30.2

People gathered around, trying to revive Old Lady Li by pinching her acupoints. After a long time, she still hadn’t woken up, and they began to feel anxious, quickly going to find the village head. Under the village head’s arrangement, they sent Old Lady Li to the hospital for examination.

Lin Fang watched in shock, her face paling as she trembled. “I-I didn’t hit her that hard! It was her who hit me first…”

…

The news spread quickly, reaching Wen Yue and the others. They were surprised to hear that Lin Fang and Old Lady Li had fought and that Old Lady Li was sent to the hospital.

“I didn’t see that coming! Your second aunt is so tough?” Wen Yue exclaimed, her eyes wide in astonishment.

Lin Fang usually acted like a mouse in front of Zhou Yao, but here she was, fighting someone into the hospital.

Li Nianqiu raised an eyebrow, looking at Wen Yue. “Your second aunt’s family is in trouble now. My uncles and their wives will definitely not let this opportunity go to waste.”

Wen Yue blinked. “But this has nothing to do with us.it wasn’t Zhou Yao who hit her.”

“Let them stir up trouble,” Zhou Yao said calmly. “Lin Fang deserves to learn a lesson.”

They didn’t take the matter to heart and, before lunchtime, sent the girls home, agreeing to meet again after lunch.

After they left, Li Nianqiu explained that these girls had come secretly without their families knowing. At home, they weren’t favored. Their fathers didn’t love them, and their mothers only made them work. They might even be sold off for money.

In such circumstances, the girls had developed a bit of a rebellious spirit. They wanted to earn money so they could leave the oppressive and hopeless environment at home.

“They have to finish their chores before coming over, so they can’t stay too late or they’ll get discovered,” Li Nianqiu said. “If they’re found out, the money will definitely be taken away.”

Wen Yue pursed her lips, feeling a little uncomfortable, and said softly, “It’s fine; they can come whenever they have time.”

Li Nianqiu and her sister were preparing to head home for dinner when Wen Yue stopped them, suggesting they eat at the Fang family’s place instead to save time from walking back and forth.

Li Nianqiu hesitated for a moment but eventually agreed after Wen Yue’s persistent urging.

Around two in the afternoon, the group of girls rushed over, looking a bit embarrassed and constantly apologizing, fearing that Wen Yue would get upset and not hire them anymore.

“It’s alright,” Wen Yue said, feeling a bit uncomfortable at their attitude. Her voice was soft and gentle. “You can come over whenever you have time; there’s no fixed schedule. The pay is based on how much work you complete anyway.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t fire you.”

She smiled brightly, her eyes crescent-shaped, and the gentle tone made the girls breathe a sigh of relief, their expressions filled with joy and gratitude.

“Thank you, thank you.”

“You’re welcome; now go ahead and get to work.”

Wen Yue had been on the sewing machine all morning, and her shoulders and neck felt a bit sore. She stepped outside to stretch. Staying in one position for too long can cause problems, so she’d have to make sure Nianqiu and the others took breaks to move around as well.

As she twisted her neck, she noticed Zhou Yao walking out from the room.

“If you’re tired, go take a break,” Zhou Yao said, placing his hand lightly on her shoulder and kneading it a couple of times. “You don’t need to push yourself so hard; you’ve got people to help.”

Wen Yue squinted her eyes comfortably. “What’s the point of sitting around doing nothing?”

Zhou Yao replied, “You could sit and chat with them.”

Wen Yue leaned her head back against his chest, this angle made his jawline look even more pronounced. “Everyone else is working hard, and if I sit there doing nothing and distract them with conversation, that’s just too unfair!”

Zhou Yao chuckled softly, lowering his gaze to her. “You’re the one paying them; they won’t mind.”

“I’m not that kind of person,” Wen Yue shot him a glance before turning back and patting the back of his hand. “Alright, I’ll go back to work.”

Afternoon hours were prone to drowsiness.

Wen Yue didn’t return to the sewing machine; instead, she pulled Xiangdong to sit on a small stool and string beads while chatting and asking Li Nianqiu if there was any juicy gossip to share. The room was too quiet, and she felt like she would fall asleep.

“Gossip? Oh, I have plenty of that!” Ren Yeliang yawned widely and perked up when he heard Wen Yue’s question. “You know that Liu Shazi from the next village? His mom spent two hundred bucks to get him a wife.”

Though Wen Yue didn’t know who that was, it didn’t stop her from being intrigued. “Uh-huh, what happened?”

“His wife is having an affair with his eldest uncle’s son-in-law!” Ren Yeliang said in a low voice.

Wen Yue was taken aback for two seconds before her eyes widened, whispering, “No way! What’s the story behind that?”

Not just Wen Yue, but everyone in the room, except Zhou Yao and Fang Shitao, along with Fang Lulu, who didn’t understand what they were saying, couldn’t help but perk up their ears. This sounded pretty scandalous.

Seeing their interest, Ren Yeliang felt a bit smug. “The two families live close by. The son-in-law originally worked at a factory in town. His wife got pregnant and wanted to go home for a few days, so he took leave to come back with her.

“But somehow, he ended up eyeing Liu Shazi’s wife. Apparently, they’ve secretly met several times! In the end, Liu Shazi’s mom was going to the outdoor toilet at night and heard some noises, catching them in the act…”

Ren Yeliang indeed knew a lot of gossip, even from the neighboring village and town.

His storytelling ability was on par with Li Nianqiu’s, and everyone listened with great interest.

With hands busy and ears tuned into the gossip, time passed quickly, and before they knew it, it was almost mealtime. The girls had to hurry back before dinner, so they all put down their work.

“By the way, do you want your pay daily or all together after you finish?” Wen Yue asked before they left.

The girls were momentarily stunned by the question, hesitating and looking to Li Nianqiu for help.

Li Nianqiu said, “I recommend getting paid together after you finish. Daily is fine too, but you need to make sure you can hide the money well. If your family finds out…” She smiled but didn’t finish the thought.

“Well, let’s just go with getting paid together then,” Wen Yue said, her eyes curving. “Don’t worry; you’ll definitely get your money. Look, we could buy two sewing machines, and we already have one at home. You have nothing to worry about.”

The girls were genuinely worried about this issue, but hearing Wen Yue say this and seeing the two brand-new sewing machines in the room made their tense hearts relax a bit.

After all, a family that could buy three sewing machines surely wasn’t short on money.

As dusk approached, Wen Yue and Zhou Yao had dinner at the Fang family’s place before saying their goodbyes and heading home.

Just as they were about to enter their yard, they heard a heated argument between Zhou Jianghai and Lin Fang next door, with the sound of pots and pans crashing to the floor.

Their sons, along with Zhou Qingshan and Liu Cuicui, were also trying to mediate.

Wen Yue glanced over and muttered softly, “Serves them right.”

Before she could say more, her gaze unintentionally drifted to the clothesline, where she noticed a pair of pants fluttering in the wind, and the scene from last night suddenly flashed in her mind.

“… Zhou Yao, were you washing your pants in the middle of the night last night?” Wen Yue blinked and turned to look at the man beside her.

Zhou Yao’s expression stiffened, and he vaguely replied, “… I was boiling water; I need to take a shower later.”

“Okay.” Wen Yue nodded and asked, “But why did you wash your pants in the middle of the night? You could’ve done it during the day, right? I was startled when I saw you squatting here as soon as I came out; I thought a thief had broken in.”

“What’s wrong with your pants?”

Zhou Yao: “…”

Wen Yue: “Did you spill water on yourself while drinking at night?”

Zhou Yao quickly nodded. “Yes, you guessed it right! You’re so smart.”

Wen Yue chuckled: “Of course.”

***

Ayalee: Hahahahaha. You’re so smart Wen Yue >.<