Chapter 26.1 Xie Hezhang’s Trouble

Shu Qingyao!

Staring at Shu Qingyao’s retreating back, Ruan Wenhui gnashed her teeth.

Why was she talking to Jiang Xun? Were they close? Didn’t she go live with Xie Hezhang? Why was she still flirting with Jiang Xun at school?

Ruan Wenhui was annoyed, and there was also an unknown fear in her heart. She was now completely devoted to Jiang Xun. The work points she earned and the money she exchanged, the food coupons and meat coupons sent from home, she had all given them to Jiang Xun, in order to stand out from the other girls who surrounded him.

She couldn’t bear to eat meat herself, but in order to make Jiang Xun happy, she would go to town every week to buy a pound of pork belly and have the cook stew it for him.

The meat coupons sent from home weren’t many, so Ruan Wenhui borrowed money from people around her to buy meat. Over the past period, she had already owed a lot of money to people around her.

She was sure that no woman in Helian Village would be as devoted to Jiang Xun as she was.

Not even Tong Yuan could compare to her!

This slutty Shu Qingyao, first she instigated a conflict between the Wang and Xie families, making the two brothers turn against each other, and then she went to flirt with Jiang Xun.

Ruan Wenhui was so angry that her face was distorted.

“Wenhui?”

A gentle and refined male voice came from a distance.

Ruan Wenhui hurriedly looked up and saw Jiang Xun, wearing a white shirt, standing not far away, smiling at her.

Ruan Wenhui’s expression relaxed immediately. Looking at her sweetheart, a blush appeared on her sun-tanned face, a touch of girlish shyness.

“How did you come here?”

Jiang Xun walked over with his books, smiling and asking.

“I…I went to town yesterday to buy some meat. I couldn’t finish it, and it’s hot. I was afraid it would go bad if I left it in the dormitory, so I brought it over for you.”

She handed him the lunch box. Ruan Wenhui’s voice wasn’t as sharp as usual, but became soft and sweet.

She often spoke like this when she heard Shu Qingyao speak. On the one hand, she thought this woman liked to seduce men, but on the other hand, she couldn’t help but imitate her.

It was just that her voice was still hoarse, and it usually sounded like a broken loudspeaker. Now she deliberately made it into a pinched voice, but it was like trying to draw a tiger but only getting a dog, it was awkward and unnatural.

Jiang Xun didn’t reach out to take it, “Ruan Wenhui, how can I take your things? You’ve treated me to meals many times these days.”

Seeing that Jiang Xun wouldn’t take it, Ruan Wenhui panicked. Her face flushed red as she stuffed it into Jiang Xun’s arms, hurriedly saying, “It’s okay, Teacher Jiang, just take it. I have a lot more in my dormitory. If you don’t eat it, it will go bad!”

Jiang Xun took the lunch box, stared at Ruan Wenhui for a few seconds, until she blushed, then he smiled lightly, “What are you panicking about? Since you said so, then I’ll take it.”

Ruan Wenhui blushed under his gaze, she almost forgot her own name. It wasn’t until Jiang Xun said to her in a gentle voice, “Ruan Wenhui, I have to prepare my lessons.”

Ruan Wenhui blushed, “Okay, okay…wait a minute, Teacher Jiang, I have something to ask you!”

Jiang Xun stopped and looked over, asking with his eyes, “Hmm?”

“Just…just…I saw you talking to Shu Qingyao just now. Are you two…are you close at school?”

Jiang Xun said indifferently, “Oh. She’s been clinging to me at school. I can’t help it. Did you see that just now?”

When Ruan Wenhui heard him say this, she felt relieved. Sure enough, it was this slutty Shu Qingyao who was attracting attention. She had Xie Hezhang, but she still wanted to seduce Jiang Xun!

She had said that Jiang Xun wasn’t the kind of person who was greedy for beauty. Tong Yuan was much prettier than Shu Qingyao, but he hadn’t agreed to be her boyfriend.

Ruan Wenhui’s heart was stirred. She couldn’t help but say to Jiang Xun, “Teacher Jiang, that woman Shu Qingyao is not a good person. She was like this in the city too. She seduced men everywhere and made them fight over her. Don’t be fooled by her.”

Jiang Xun’s eyes flashed, and he asked with a light smile, “Ruan Wenhui, are you from the same place as her?”

“Yes, I grew up with her. Her father is the factory director, and my father is a worker under her father…” Ruan Wenhui paused, changing the subject, “Anyway, she’s not a pure girl. She’s very promiscuous in the city!”

Jiang Xun didn’t know what he was thinking. He didn’t speak until Ruan Wenhui looked at him nervously, then he smiled warmly at her, “Thank you for reminding me, Ruan Wenhui. I’m going to town to buy books this week. Do you have time?”

When Ruan Wenhui heard this, her heart almost jumped out of her chest. She quickly nodded, “I have time, I have time! Teacher Jiang, when are you going?”

“On the weekend. We’ll talk about it then.”

Ruan Wenhui’s face was filled with a sweet smile as she left the school.

Jiang Xun thought that he would try to get some information about Shu Qingyao’s family from Ruan Wenhui on the weekend. He walked towards the office.

Tong Yuan, with her stylish long curly hair, came out from around the corner. When she saw Jiang Xun, she ran over and said coquettishly, “Jiang Xun, where have you been? Come and have lunch with me.”

Jiang Xun handed her the lunch box, “My family sent some food. They know you like braised pork, so they specially brought it for you.”

Tong Yuan opened the lunch box and saw the oily braised pork inside. She beamed, “Wow, so much! Jiang Xun, you’re so good to me!”

Jiang Xun looked at Tong Yuan’s pretty face and calculated in his mind. Tong Yuan’s father was the deputy factory director, her mother was a housewife. Shu Qingyao’s father was the factory director, he didn’t know what her mother did.

Tong Yuan had a younger brother and two older sisters. He didn’t know if Shu Qingyao had any siblings.

“Eat quickly. I’m glad you like it.”

The man’s voice was as gentle as water.

*

Shu Qingyao first went to the post office to send a telegram to her mother, Bian Rong, asking her to send the piano from her home.

She never planned to pursue a career in music again. After all, she had practiced the piano for so many years in her previous life. Although she had won some awards, she hadn’t achieved much.

After walking for more than two hours, Shu Qingyao finally reached the black market again.

It was probably because it was Monday, there were fewer vendors at the black market than last time.

After all, most people were at work at this time.

Shu Qingyao found a shady spot to squat down. She took out the pound of duck eggs wrapped neatly in newspaper from her small cloth bag and placed them on the newspaper, waiting for someone to buy them.

A vendor next to her was also selling duck eggs. Seeing the seven or eight duck eggs on her newspaper, she compared them to the duck eggs on her own stall and couldn’t help but chat with Shu Qingyao, “Girl, what did your ducks eat to grow so big? These eggs are really big and even!”

Shu Qingyao also looked at the duck eggs on the other stall. After comparing them, she was really shocked—

The duck eggs from the imported supermarket were all artificially selected, each one plump and round, with thin shells, clean and transparent under the sunlight. Compared to the duck eggs on the stall next door, which were uneven in size, some big and some small, and still covered with duck droppings, they were truly like “white”,

“Beauty” and “Ugly Duckling”.

Shu Qingyao made up a story, “I don’t know either. My sister-in-law’s mother-in-law sent them from the city. My sister-in-law just gave birth, and these duck eggs are for her to replenish her body. But she doesn’t like to eat them, so she asked me to take them from home and sell them.”

The vendor said enviously, “The ducks in the city even eat better than the ducks in our village!”

Soon, several middle-aged women, carrying vegetable baskets, came in from the alleyway, chatting and laughing.

They were obviously regulars here. They skillfully went to different stalls to bargain. One of the women wearing a hat looked left and right, her eyes fell on the duck eggs in front of Shu Qingyao. She squatted down and picked them up, “Little girl, how much are these duck eggs?”

“One yuan and five cents a pound. If you buy them individually, it’s sixteen cents each.”

“So expensive?” The woman exclaimed, “They only sell for twelve cents each at the supply and marketing cooperative!”

Shu Qingyao said, “Big sister, how big are the duck eggs at the supply and marketing cooperative? Look at how big mine are! They’re half a size bigger than theirs! Look at the shells, you can tell they’re different breeds. Mine are sent from the city. You can’t even buy them normally. The black market prices are always higher than outside. If you want to buy cheap ones, why don’t you go to the supply and marketing cooperative and queue up?”

Eggs and duck eggs were in high demand at this time. Either they were ordered by state-owned restaurants as soon as they arrived, or they were prioritized for the city. In the countryside, people often couldn’t even buy them even if they queued up.

If a woman in the village gave birth and wanted to eat eggs or duck eggs, she had to buy them at a high price in the black market.

The woman’s daughter-in-law had just given birth to a fat baby boy. She wanted to eat egg custard, but unfortunately, the supply and marketing cooperative hadn’t had any eggs or duck eggs for a month. She could only come to the black market to try her luck.

Actually, she had her eyes on Shu Qingyao’s pound of duck eggs. These eight duck eggs were not only all the same size, but they were also plump and full. When she picked them up and held them in the sunlight, the shells were so thin that they were almost transparent, and she could see the flowing yolk inside.

One duck egg was as big as half her palm.

It was much bigger than the ones sold at the supply and marketing cooperative.

“How about this, you give me a discount, one yuan and three cents a pound, and I’ll take them all!”